Greenwich Democrats Support Push To Ban Fracking

GREENWICH, CT — To keep the practice out of town, the Greenwich Conservation Advocates has launched a petition calling on the Greenwich Representative Town Meeting "to pass legislation that would prohibit the disposal, transfer, processing or handling of fracking waste within the Town." The ordinance is scheduled to come before the RTM at its March 12 meeting.

The conservation advocates' effort has been joined by the Greenwich Democratic Town Committee, which recently voted unanimously to support banning the practice, and the Democratic group is calling on local residents to sign the petition in support of the ban.

"The proposed legislation is an important step to protect our environment, waterways and most importantly the residents of Greenwich," said Jeff Ramer, chair of the Greenwich DTC, in a statement. "The Connecticut state legislature has failed to pass a permanent statewide ban and it is our responsibility to act to protect our environment and residents. This is not a partisan issue and the DTC calls on all Greenwich residents to sign the GCA petition and to contact their RTM representatives urging them to vote for the ban."

From a Greenwich DTC release:

Fracking is the process of injecting water, sand and chemicals at high pressure into subterranean rocks to extract oil or gas. Fracking waste is the toxic by-product. The toxins are known to cause multiple cancers, organ damage, neurological and developmental problems, birth defects, embryo toxicity, and other health problems. While there is no fracking in Connecticut, other states including New York and Pennsylvania use the method and export the toxic waste. To date 36 municipalities in Connecticut as well as more than 400 in New York, including many in Westchester, have passed bans similar to the one proposed for Greenwich.

To view the Greenwich Conservation Advocates petition, click here.

Photo credit: Ed Andrieski/Associated Press