‘Fracking Crazy’ or ‘Fracking Brilliant?’: A Look at the Pro-Fracking Documentary ‘FrackNation’
- Posted on February 16, 2012 at 7:40pm by
Liz Klimas
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There are two sides to every story. Just as critics responded to Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth” with the 2008 documentary “Not Evil Just Wrong,” the flip side to Josh Fox’s “Gasland” — a 2010 film portraying the negative environmental and health effects of hydraulic fracturing — is already in the works.
But the directors of “FrackNation” — the same ones who produced the response to Gore’s documentary – wouldn’t consider their story one side or the other:
There are two sides to every story. Then there is the truth.
FrackNation is the film that will tell the truth about fracking.
Ann McElhinney
Ann McElhinney and Phelim McAleer plan to show other stories not revealed in Fox’s film and debunk what they consider lies and misrepresentations in Gasland, in their effort to tell the truth.
Hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” a process that involves pumping water and chemicals into shale rock to create cracks that will allow a trove of natural gas within to be harvested, is a hot topic these days with the EPA studying effects on health and water quality and earthquakes being associated with this man-made activity.
(Related: Real News from the Blaze: Panel talks fracking)
The boisterous McElhinney spoke at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Saturday in a session about the natural resources available in the U.S. that are not being used whether it be due to regulations, laws or fears caused by environmental activism.
It was a speech that drew laughs and nods from audience members:
Wearing a shirt with the slogan “Fracking Brillant,“ McElhinney shared with her audience what she considered the lies of ”sustainability“ and ”anti-fossil fuel atmosphere” in the country. she also explained of how she hopes “FrackNation” will educate citizens about 1) where their energy comes from (she cites those who drive electric cars not realizing that the electricity powering the car often comes from burning coal); and 2) the opportunity available for the country to use its own, “local, indigenous and organic” resource.
Politico reports that “FrackNation” highlights how fracking could help those who have fallen upon hard times in the nation:
In “Frack Nation,” McAleer interviews one farmer who says, “If the gas industry is not allowed in, I will have to divide my land and sell it for development. My son wants to farm, but he had to get a job in the city. I won’t be able to keep it for him.”
“The environmental movement has had a very easy ride for the last 30 years,” said McAleer. “The media hasn’t asked difficult questions.”
Roy and son Tyler, both farmers, said "the gas bailed us out." (Photo: FrackNation.com)
Bill said he would have had to divide and sell his land. (Photo: Fracknation.com)
Martha believes people in her town have been misinformed about water quality being affected by fracking. (Photo: FrackNation.com)
In her speech at CPAC, McElhinney went a step further with her analysis, noting that environmentalists a couple decades ago raved about natural gas as a clean energy alternative. Now that natural gas is competitive with coal in terms of cost, Mcelhinney surmises, there is a group that no longer wants you to have it. She draws the analogy in the drop of natural gas prices to buying your child once-expensive ski gear at Walmart.
“They want to turn the lights out,” she said. “They hate seeing your kids on the ski slope next to them. They hate your kids having what they have.”
And what about the earthquakes? McElhinney pointed out that, yes, there is such a thing as man-made earthquakes and that fracturing can cause them. She also notes that a form of renewable energy popular with environmentalists is geothermal energy; this also causes man-made tremors though.
In Fox’s Gasland, residents bring up another issue: they associate being able to shockingly light their water on fire with the fracking. But McElhinney says that towns have been able to do this well before fracking. When the team confronted Fox about this point, he said it wasn’t relevant. Watch the directors explain this encounter with Fox and provide more information about the documentary:
Politico notes that the mode of fundraising the directors are taking is interesting — even ironic. Here’s why:
Perhaps most interesting about McElhinney and McAleer’s efforts to complete “Frack Nation” is their method: Kickstarter. The filmmakers are using the fundraising website to raise $150,000 to cover their costs. (They’re currently at $36,000). McAleer says that his film is one of the few conservative projects on a website that he views as predominantly liberal.
“All the movies on Kickstarter are pro-environment, anti-business, anti-American, I suppose, said McAleer. “And that’s why it’s been one of the more successful projects on Kickstarter so far. It’s been constantly on the most successful front page of Kickstarter because the money has come in at such a rate because people are just so glad to see something different there.”
With less than 50 days to go, FrackNation has nearly 775 backers who have contributed more than $62,000 to the team’s $150,000 goal.
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Comments (97)
GBMBulletsSKNRD
Posted on February 17, 2012 at 4:00amLiberals/Planed Parenthood want to teach frackin to 10 year olds. Oh wait I am on the wrong story, sorry.
Report Post »HomeWerx
Posted on February 17, 2012 at 11:35amWhat the FRACK??
Report Post »oneshiner
Posted on February 17, 2012 at 2:44pmYou’re thinking about Freaking! Probably somewhat the same thing if you think about it. That fracking is freaking me out, ha ha.
Report Post »American_Joe
Posted on February 19, 2012 at 3:08pmI have natural gas, but they better not try and frack me.
Report Post »Trent
Posted on February 17, 2012 at 1:53amThey stole frack from Battlestar Galactica. Known as “Frak.”
Report Post »DoughyInTheMiddle
Posted on February 17, 2012 at 4:32amI cannot help but laugh every time I hear a phase on the radio like, “The public needs to hear about the problems with fraking,“ or ”Fraking needs to be stopped until it’s been proven to be safe!”
Way too much Battlestar in my head.
Report Post »maumau
Posted on February 17, 2012 at 7:16amyea i called my brother in north dakota to ask him what he was fraking doing ha i love it too!
Report Post »Evil_Conservative
Posted on February 17, 2012 at 11:24amglad im not the only BSG nerd that lols when I hear this.
Yeah i like to frak as much as possible. What the frak is with democrats anyway? Obama can go frak himself. Oh my fraking gods the candidates this time are weak.
Report Post »TEE-PAR-TEE
Posted on February 17, 2012 at 12:11amI’m notoriously cheap, but even I just donated to this movie’s funding. I think of it as a small investment now on potentially saving a ton of money on ALL forms of energy in the future. A truly free market does wonders for our country’s standing of living. Please donate too NOW!
Report Post »FugMan
Posted on February 17, 2012 at 12:06amI live in North Dakota where this is happening. Our economy is booming. The farmers/ranchers basically everyone benefits. The groundwater is fine. Everyone is happy. Liberals stay out of our business!
Report Post »Evil_Conservative
Posted on February 17, 2012 at 11:25amyou mean liberals stay our of our “Fraking” business.
Report Post »IMAWAKENOW
Posted on February 17, 2012 at 3:21pmI’ve got to say that I would be thrilled if I could get free natural gas in the water from my tap. I’m not even saying I believe it is hapening on any large % of wells but I would buy property where it does. You can bet that the libs that bitc* about fracking haven’t drank water from a tap in years anyway. Stay the frack out of this you greenies.
Report Post »guntotingmama
Posted on February 16, 2012 at 11:35pmI come from three generations of “oilfield trash” and damn proud of it! We’ve seen the booms and the busts, we’ve lived high on the pig & sweated the slow times. We have had to work in other countries due to those slow times, change coveralls when another American based company goes belly up, and still do our very best to support our community by buying our goods from locals, not Wallyworld.
Report Post »Every Prius I see on the road, I want to smash with my 4wd truck! It‘s a slap in my face considering that I’ve purchased a home from that realtor, bought Girl Scout cookies from that daughter, purchased my furniture from that local business man, and donated money and food to that woman who was down on her luck. (Still PO’d about that one!)
As I write, my husband is flying somewhere between N’djamena, Chad (2nd most dangerous place in the world) and Paris on his way home from a 28 day rotation. This has been our life for three years now. Does he want to work overseas? Oh hell no! Can he get a job here? Sure.. but at what cost!?? The future of our oil and gas industry here in the USA is dismal at best. People have it in their minds that we are part of the problem, not the solution. My children miss their father. I miss my husband. Nothing more we can do but to help get the word out that it‘s our government that’s hurting our economy and tainting the air with their B.S, not the oil companies.
P.S. Libs-oil companies receive pennies on the dollar for the gas we pump, gov.gets
TaintedBlaKK
Posted on February 17, 2012 at 10:32amWell said, I will be saying a prayer for your husband’s safety. We owe a lot to the individuals that work in your industry. Our world runs on it, and just because half-witted libs can’t follow logic, free thinking Americans do and I feel they are waking up. I pray your husband can soon return to work here, and be with his family.
Report Post »code green
Posted on February 17, 2012 at 12:00pmBumper sticker of long ago “Please God let the oil patch come back,and I promise to not pi$$ off my next fortune”.
Report Post »My heart goes out to our hard working wildcaters. Turn to the right boys.
guntotingmama
Posted on February 17, 2012 at 12:42pmThank you for the kind words! It means a lot. :D
Report Post »Docrow
Posted on February 17, 2012 at 2:43pmPrayers! and God Bless!
Report Post »tfs
Posted on February 21, 2012 at 4:07pmI remeber the bumper sticker on my Dad’s pick-up “Ban Oil and Gas Exploration. Let the Bastards Freeze in the Dark!”
Report Post »lukerw
Posted on February 16, 2012 at 11:32pmWorship Aten (Amon, Amen, Ra, an Ancient Egyptian Sun God)… or deal with “Dirty” Energy (Coal, Oil, Nuke, etc)!
Do you see the Pagan originations of the Green Movement?
Report Post »fractalman
Posted on February 17, 2012 at 12:19pmThe definition of “Paganism” is the worship of the created, not the Creator.
Report Post »hallkbrdz
Posted on February 17, 2012 at 1:02pmYou do realize that Solar is based directly on nuclear power – right?
Wind is also caused by nuclear power (difference in radiation caused warming).
Coal (compressed plant matter) and natural gas (decomposed plant matter) is also from nuclear radiation.
So it that horrible ethanol – again from nuclear radiated plants.
So… Nuclear power is IT as far as power goes when you really think about it.
Report Post »wbalzley
Posted on February 17, 2012 at 7:22pmGo NUCLEAR Go Go Go…
Report Post »Aviyah
Posted on February 18, 2012 at 6:41pmYes ~ Gaia.
Report Post »fractalman
Posted on February 16, 2012 at 9:03pmReminds me of the old yarn that’s been told around Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas (and now North Dakota!) . . . seems a newspaper reporter was doing a story about farming and riding around with an old farmer looking at the farmer’s land. The reporter asked the old farmer what’s the secret to successful farming. The old farmer pointed to a pumping unit (used to produce oil) operating on his land and said “get ya about ten of those things.”
Report Post »Cascadia
Posted on February 18, 2012 at 6:33pmBorn an Okie, family in “land rush”… Have we forgotten his words? “The price of fuel will necessarily skyrocket”? No pipeline or fracking will certainly hasten his decree for us all! Drill baby drill & frack it up… ASAP
Report Post »capitalismrocks
Posted on February 16, 2012 at 8:58pmI‘m tired of the lies and showing half stories to change people’s opinions….
Fracking has gone on since 1949 and the technology has gotten better and safer every decade…. We need those natural resources and we need them now… time to get the eco-liars and eco-scammers out of the way, and frack, drill and extract…
This country could have a SURPLUS and be able to not just compete with the Middle East, we could out do them!!! This country needs to have 100% domestic energy and a surplus to insure our close friends and allies will always know we will be there for them and to take away the power and control from the Middle East and South American dictatorships….
I just made a donation to this project a week ago, this film needs to be seen by everyone, it should be part of the GOP campaign going forward, we need to stop the lies of Gasland and get people fully onboard and get this country producing massive amounts of energy to the point where gas is a $1.00 a gallon again like in the 80′s….
Report Post »MetalPatriot
Posted on February 16, 2012 at 11:11pmYes, the EPA needs to be completely dismantled if we have any SERIOUS hope of becoming viable again. They’ve destroyed most of our industries. It’s amazing to see how the kids are indoctrinated that the EPA is their friend. They all buy into it (parents must not be discrediting, I guess).
Economy killing Communists!
Report Post »WestwardWill
Posted on February 17, 2012 at 1:26amMust be a good night for info on fracking. Just finished reading this timeline: http://www.energyindepth.org/you-missed-a-spot-a-timeline-of-hydraulic-fracturing/
Report Post »wbalzley
Posted on February 17, 2012 at 7:25pmOPINION: I think this strategy is brilliant…trade our worthless paper money for their oil resources, that is a GREAT trade-off!
Report Post »shabe
Posted on February 16, 2012 at 8:55pmI put my money where my mouth is and made my donation. I hope this film gets made. I love the concept!
Report Post »heavyduty
Posted on February 16, 2012 at 8:48pmThe deepest water that I ever drilled was 4000 feet deep. It was called reef water. This water is undrinkable and was used to inject into the oil wells to force out more oil. Most oil wells in Texas are 13000 feet deep or deeper. We have some that are around 50 foot deep in far West Texas. But there is no water in that area if it is then its brine water.
Report Post »Most fracking occurs 13000 feet or deeper because the rock or shale is compressed. So there is no way that the chemicals used can migrate up the well especially 9000 feet. It’s called gravity.
countrysideflair
Posted on February 16, 2012 at 8:46pmOooh! I’m an Executive Producer now. Can I put that on my resume?
Report Post »aChameleon
Posted on February 16, 2012 at 8:38pmThe liberals wouldn’t have let the gold rush happen. The progressive ideas are okay as long as the environment isn’t concerned. I’m suprised they allow wind power since it kills so many birds and ruins the landscape.
Report Post »kabenninger
Posted on February 18, 2012 at 4:48pmOh, they say they’re all for windpower – but look into how many times they’ve stopped a program just because the birds fly into a mill – I think the birds would eventually take any path through the mills off their route?? Or look at how many times they say “not in my backyard” Do you see any windmills on Martha’s Vineyard?
Report Post »timber wolf
Posted on February 16, 2012 at 8:25pm4 more years of Obama and we’ll all be Fracked! And that’s NO FRACKING JOKE!
Report Post »USAMEDIC3008
Posted on February 16, 2012 at 10:55pmFRACKEN-A
Report Post »Bunch of mother frackers
AxelPhantom
Posted on February 17, 2012 at 1:29amSo who are the toasters?
Report Post »tbl10
Posted on February 17, 2012 at 11:47amThe toasters are the OWS crowd.
Report Post »wbalzley
Posted on February 17, 2012 at 7:29pmSome OWS are definitely BAKED…
Report Post »Conservative Democrat
Posted on February 16, 2012 at 8:20pmGee, and I thought it was all about the money! I got 2600.00 an acre for leasing my land mineral (deep) rights renewable even if they DO NOT DRILL and another 3000.00 an acre in 5 years. If they drill I get 18% of well head price for gas and distillates! Plus I have another company that wants to lease shallow rights for clinton type wells (aka a rosebud) at 1500 per acre with 18% royalty. All in OHIO! thats right OHIO!!!
Report Post »I love Fracking!!!!
Best of all “the Marxist” can not stop it, already permitted!
fractalman
Posted on February 16, 2012 at 8:58pmYeah, that reminds me of the old yarn told in Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas . . . seems a newspaper man was doing a story on farming and riding around with an old farmer looking at the farmer’s land, and he asked the old farmer what’s the secret to successful farming. The old man pointed to a pumping unit (surface equipment used to produce oil) and said “Get ya about ten of those things on your land.”
Report Post »DV
Posted on February 18, 2012 at 3:44pmConservative Democrat, please read my post here about Grover Cleveland, a great President and a Democrat.
Report Post »kabenninger
Posted on February 18, 2012 at 4:52pmWish I could do that – I’ve got 10 acres – perhaps I could give up my second job, and even retire in 5 years.
Report Post »1proud_Texan
Posted on February 16, 2012 at 8:19pmFracking is booming in south Texas. There are so many jobs. People are selling their water. It’s really helped the economy. This should be pushed all around the country. It’s a win, win situation for a lot of people. Restaurants, drivers, land owners, housing etc. have all been positively impacted. If the president was really interested in growing the economy, this would be a sure way to grow the economy. Obviously, he is not!
Report Post »MCDAVE
Posted on February 17, 2012 at 1:57amObama sold out to George Soros and his south American oil co PETRABRAS..That”s why we don’t have a Keystone pipeline,That’s why he shut down the gulf oil wells..These politicians in Washington keep selling us out for their own greedy self interests..THE SIMPLE TRUTH..
Report Post »kapnkd
Posted on February 16, 2012 at 8:18pm“FRAK” Obozocommie and his Marxist minded EPA!!!
Report Post »armymp
Posted on February 16, 2012 at 8:14pmShell oil came to our neighborhood and dumped a ton of cash buying up mineral rights. Lots of people here, myself included, are paying off their mortgages and other debt. It‘s a beautiful frackin’ thing!
Report Post »JP4JOY
Posted on February 16, 2012 at 8:10pmThey have actually been able to identify and tap more natural gas than we need currently. Let’s try to convert some of our transportation system to use the natural gas available at many of our homes with small refueling systems.
Report Post »wbalzley
Posted on February 17, 2012 at 7:33pmAGREED: We need to focus on adapting our infrastructure to make use of these resources.
Report Post »BluifoxEd
Posted on February 16, 2012 at 8:05pmNothing is as it seems.
Report Post »kapnkd
Posted on February 16, 2012 at 8:20pmEspecially if Obozocommie and his drones are involved!
Report Post »zurie
Posted on February 16, 2012 at 7:59pmWait…this has nothing to do with BSG? Frak!!!
Report Post »Mandors
Posted on February 16, 2012 at 8:29pmI know!!!
“Whadya hear Starbuck?”
“Nuthin’ but the rain…”
Report Post »pavepaws
Posted on February 16, 2012 at 7:55pmI’m not sure. I’m still suspicious of fracking.
Report Post »Polarized America
Posted on February 16, 2012 at 8:17pmyup me too. I’m not going to drink no Fracking water until every CEO from a Fracking company bottles it and let their family drink it and use it for cooking for at least 10 yrs.
This includes their kids and especially their pregnant wives…. do all the study’s you want and if they say its safe, well use it then, after all the people that live in Fracking country have to.
Remember the Love Canal ?
Report Post »bikerr
Posted on February 16, 2012 at 9:01pm@Polarized America—Until you see a higher rate of health issues why would you not drink the water? because of a movie?.Don’t go to New York city then I seen a Huge Gorilla in a movie there. He even had a name KING KONG, so it must be true right? Fracking occurs well below the water tables. The chemicals in your food are more dangerous than the ones used for fracking. But keep your head in the sand,just be careful of that oil pipeline that will be hitting your A$$. Oh..also try to live without oil and then maybe ,just maybe you will be called “Honest” and sincere.
Report Post »AxelPhantom
Posted on February 17, 2012 at 1:44amThere was a study done not too long ago that found trace amounts of prescription medications in city water supplies including including antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers and sex hormones.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,336286,00.html#ixzz1mcQuql5O.
Report Post »ALL4FREEDOM
Posted on February 16, 2012 at 7:55pmWould it interest anyone to know that hydrofracking is on the verge of obsolescence? Some damned capitalists up in Canada figured out a way to do it without water. Sorry Al! The new process uses nitrogen.
Report Post »Exrepublisheep
Posted on February 16, 2012 at 8:10pmBut do they still use the chemicals?
Report Post »Twobyfour
Posted on February 16, 2012 at 9:31pmExrepublisheep,whaddaya mean by chemicals? Dihydrogen oxide?
Report Post »Twobyfour
Posted on February 16, 2012 at 9:38pmHere for ya, sheep.
Report Post »http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/ban-dihydrogen-oxide.html
Twobyfour
Posted on February 16, 2012 at 9:50pmJust a note, sheep, in the petition, one aspect is not mentioned… the substance is very addictive. Once you hook on to it, you can’t stop, and a withdrawal may result in death (so can overdose).
Report Post »Snidely
Posted on February 17, 2012 at 12:50amActually, using nitrogen in frac jobs has been around for several decades. The industry calls it foam fracing. However, it still requires pumping water to mix with the nitrogen and make the foam. They do use chemicals in the water (both regular fracing and foam fracing) to produce a cross linked gel. The rock fractures better with more viscous fluid. Another chemical breaks the cross linking so that the water can be pumped back out of the well and leave the sand behind to hold the rock apart.
And, as been mentioned before, it all takes place way below any fresh water zones and is perfectly safe.
Report Post »flatbroke
Posted on February 16, 2012 at 7:53pmIts frackolious! LOLOLOL!
Report Post »whatthecrazy
Posted on February 16, 2012 at 7:52pmThis is FRACKING crazy…………
Report Post »progressiveslayer
Posted on February 16, 2012 at 7:48pmOur Marxist POS president in concert with environmental wackos are determined to make our energy more expensive than it should be.We should be fracking everywhere possible and the more of any commodity on the market will make the price go down.We need more oil and gas on the market and fast.
Report Post »Exrepublisheep
Posted on February 16, 2012 at 8:09pmAgain, gsa and oil are GLOBAL commodities. In 2011 the U.S. exported oil for the first time. More gas and oil being produced here only increases profits, it does not decrease the price at the pump.
Report Post »Mateytwo Barreett
Posted on February 16, 2012 at 10:10pm@pubicsheep
Report Post »Last time I checked, the oil companies had not yet been nationalized. International companies should be able to move the product they pay for and produce anywhern they want.
TyrannyNoMore
Posted on February 17, 2012 at 2:53amREPUBLISHEEP
Report Post »The main reason for the cost of energy not going down, despite the fact demand is plummeting, is because you can’t print 5 trillion dollars without seriously devaluing the currency. If it were not for that one fact alone, we would be paying between 2 and 3 dollars a gallon now, if not less.
Evil_Conservative
Posted on February 17, 2012 at 11:28amFraking commie libs dont understand free markets. They just dont understand basic economics. No need in arguing. They are like talking to a brickwall with insults written all over it.
Report Post »DV
Posted on February 18, 2012 at 3:39pmProgressiveSlayer, I think it’s interesting that you have a picture of Grover Cleveland as your icon. GC was a Democrat and the only President to be re-elected to the Presidency after sitting out for four years of a Republican President. More importantly, although GC was as a Democrat, a party which was then increasingly seen as “progressivist” in its orientation, he also ordered the US Army to crush the Pullman Rail Strike in his second term, even though many said he violated the Constitution to do so. Had GC not broken the strike, the violence and chaos would have spread and gotten much worse because Eugene Debs, the “socialist” (read: communist) who was effectively the head of the union movement, and his union thugs then had unlawfully seized control over the heart of the nation’s railroad and transporation hub of Chicago. Cleveland, in short, saved this country from extremists some of whom came from his own political party. The claim that Cleveland acted extra-constitutionally was drawn from the fact that the Illinois Governor would not call out the state national guard to quell the violence, as required before the President could nationalize the Illinois National Guard or call up the army. Cleveland basically did what he did saying, much in the way Lincoln did, I will take full responsibility for saving this nation even if I have to go to prison to do so. Cleveland was perhaps the last good Democrat and loyal to the nation first.
Report Post »