On Tues. June 12, the State of California Department of Conservation will hold at 7 p.m. At 5:30 p.m. outside City Hall, demanding that fracking in Culver City and beyond be banned.
Around 15 concerned local moms (and dads) decided to get a jump on Tuesday’s protest and meeting by holding an informal session at Veterans Memorial Park on the health and safety risks of fracking this past Friday.
The nascent group called “Moms Against Fracking + Dads Too”, was founded by Veronica Barr and Maren Neufeld – two Culver City moms.
Barr and Neufeld live in Culver Crest and both say they are genuinely concerned about the perils of fracking in and around Culver City, particularly, they say, because fracking takes place in a region known geologically for numerous, dangerous earthquake faults, including the Newport Inglewood fault line that runs through the nearby oil fields.
Activist and Culver City resident Dr. Suzanne DeBenedittis, provided detailed information on the methods used for fracking. DeBenedittis wants to educate people about the dangers of fracking and is calling on people to petition the State of California to ban the practice.
Also in attendance at the gathering were neurologist and Culver City resident Dr. Khin Gyi, who talked about some of the chemicals that used in the fracking process. Dr Gyi told the assembled crowd that when these chemicals are handled in laboratories, they are done so with hoods, masks and gowns for protection.
She added that such protection would not be possible once the same chemicals are mixed with water (as is done in the fracking process), adding there is more than 20 years of data on the chemicals’ effects on oil field workers, none of which is positive.
Dr. Gyi called on the assembled parents to ensure that the civil rights of Culver City residents are not trumped by an industry that doesn't take the health and safety impacts of fracking seriously enough.
Parents who attended the meeting also voiced their concerns. One woman currently living in Mar Vista said she was contemplating moving to Culver City but was hesitating because of her concerns about fracking in the area.
A Tara Hills complex parent who hails originally from Buffalo, New York, said she had strong memories of the Love Canal environmental disaster and doesn’t want the same thing to happen in Culver City.
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The State’s meeting will take place at Culver City City Hall at 7 p.m. The public is invited and encouraged to attend.
