shattered ground ( 1 X 60' )
Hydraulic Fracturing or "Fracking" is a new technology that has opened up immense resources of natural gas buried in deep shale beds. Some see it as the answer to the energy crisis and a chance at energy independence. But fracking has become an incredibly divisive issue ripping apart communities and even families. The backlash is unprecedented, with states and countries adopting fracking bans.
Is fracking that bad? Or is it truly an unexpected gift of energy, jobs and economic boost? Shattered Ground travels from the northern gas fields to the rancorous political battles and into the hot beds of shale gas activity looking at the people who benefit, and those who do not. New scientific data is only now clarifying a complex issue and showing where there are health and environmental concerns on a scale that has never been seen before.
Their backlash is not without merit. Thousands of wells were drilled with the new fracking technology before all the health concerns were fully understood. At first the toxic “frack fluid” that returns to the surface from shale wells went though a number of trials to see what would work for disposal. The final answer – pump it deep underground. But this causes earthquakes, and a much larger problem – we are destroying our fresh water. At a scale we have never seen before, with millions of litres per well being taken away – forever.
Shattered Ground is a one hour documentary that looks past the rhetoric and emotional arguments to find the real issues involved in hydraulic fracturing, the opportunity, and the potential health and environmental issues that will affect us all.
Shattered Ground is produced by Zoot Pictures Inc. in association with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.