Hydraulic fracturing is the process extracts natural gas by shooting a mix of water, sand and chemicals through underground pipes at pressure high enough to fracture the surrounding rock, allowing the gas to escape. The only above-ground visuals are the unsightly wells placed atop the drilling sites and the equally ugly arguments between the pro- and anti-camps.
Those who support fracking contend that it offers a solution to the US energy crisis that enriches the largely rural communities who live atop the reserves. Opponents counter with potential environmental risks including drinking water contamination and earthquakes.
Yet for such an unglamorous process, the anti-fracking campaign has already attracted attention from the arts.
In August, Yoko Ono and others announced the formation of the 180-strong Artists Against Fracking, a coalition that includes Lady Gaga and former Beatles Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. The 2010 documentary film “Gasland,” in which a resident near a US fracking site memorably lit his tap water on fire, earned an Oscar nomination.
“Promised Land” is the first fictional exploration of the human drama behind the US natural gas boom.
In the film Matt Damon plays Steve Butler, a salesman for a fictional US energy corporation. He’s been dispatched to a rural town in Pennsylvania state to convince local residents to sign over rights to drill on their land in exchange for major payouts. The community seems sold on the promise of easy cash, until opposition in the form of a wise old local and an environmental campaigner show up to counter Butler’s claims.
site from the reference:
Corinne Purtill, (2013), Gas "fracking" goes Hollywood, available at: http://www.chinadialogue.net/books/5592-Gas-fracking-goes-Hollywood/en
