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Fracking Town Hall in Farmington Hills June 24waterwork
(WRC Press Release, June 20, 2014)
Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner Jim Nash will hold another in a series of town hall meetings to focus on the impact of new state-issued oil and natural gas drilling leases in Oakland County, this time in his “home” city of Farmington Hills.  He is being joined by State Representative Vicki Barnett, D-Farmington Hills, as Co-Host of the event.
The town hall meeting will begin at 6 p.m., Tuesday, June 24th at the Farmington Hills City Hall, located at 31555 W. 11 Mile Rd. A question and answer period will follow presentations by Commissioner sidebar012stairsNash and Representative Barnett, who has helped introduce bills in the Michigan legislature calling for better regulation of drilling and fracking in order to protect residents’ health and water resources.
More oil and gas drilling is coming to the area, although fracking may or may not be part of the process. Drilling is happening in White Lake Township and other areas, and wells are planned or in place in Waterford Township, Auburn Hills, and other areas. Many homeowners are worried about spills, noise, and increased truck and equipment traffic in urban and suburban settings.  There are also health concerns regarding air and water pollution, as well as the possibility of earth tremors.
Fracking, the common term for slick water horizontal fracturing, drills wells up to two miles into the earth, then turns the drill bit horizontally to drill up to several miles. The resulting well is then filled with millions of gallons of fresh water mixed with sand, salts and chemicals. The mixture is then subjected to bursts of New Harvest Homes NHHintense pressure to loosen rock formations and release natural gas. Many fear possible contamination of groundwater resources and have voiced concerns about disposal of the resulting hazardous fracking fluids.
“We want our residents to be informed and learn about topics that can affect our quality of life,” said Jim Nash.  “As more and more leases are being signed across the county, residents need to know how this industry can affect the environment and their lives,” he added.
Thousands of acres of land in Oakland and the region have had their mineral rights sold or leased to Jordan Exploration and comedysportz adWest Bay Exploration over the past few years for exploration and possible drilling.  Nash has held town hall meetings on the subject in over a dozen locations across Oakland County over the past two years.
Learn more about the WRC at http://www.oakgov.com/water/Pages/default.aspx.
Previous stories:
http://oaklandcounty115.com/2014/05/16/group-files-lawsuit-against-rochester-hills-over-drilling/
http://oaklandcounty115.com/2013/05/02/fracking-presentation-debunks-industry-arguments/
http://oaklandcounty115.com/2013/03/05/the-great-fracking-debate-in-oakland-county/
http://oaklandcounty115.com/2012/07/02/let-the-fracking-begin-state-auctions-off-oil-and-gas-rights-republican-commissioners-block-discussion/
http://oaklandcounty115.com/2011/10/04/commissioner-covey-introduces-resolution-against-fracking/
http://oaklandcounty115.com/2011/09/13/ferndale-joins-fight-against-fracking/