Fracking forum

For those of you who are preparing your 2011 calendars, mark January 17th as the evening when the Hampshire County Independent Network will sponsor a showing of the controversial documentary, "Gasland," at the Hampshire County public library in Romney, at 6 pm. The film, which chronicles the experiences of people whose lives have been affected by the process of hydrofracking (which uses a pressurized mix of toxic chemicals and water to extract natural gas from underground), will be followed by a question-and-answer session with Brent Walls, who manages the Upper Potomac region for the Potomac Riverkeeper organization.

Potomac Riverkeeper is a member of the national Waterkeeper Alliance, which has recently become interested in the process of hydraulic fracture, for the possible dangers it presents to underground water. A group of us from HCIN met with Brent last week, and I'll report more from our meeting later in the week.

Meanwhile, for more information, you can check out the group's website at www.potomacriverkeeper.org, or contact Brent: brent@potomacriverkeeper.org.

--Michael Hasty