-By Warner Todd Huston
Mark Ruffalo — you know, the millionaire actor that claims to be part of the 99% — may not be a scientist. But he plays one on mass emailings from left-wing advocacy groups. And with that activism Ruffalo is urging President Obama to turn the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers from a science-based service to the American people into just another politicized arm of progressivism.
Ruffalo is lending his name to WaterDefense.org, an anti-fracking group claiming that the practice of drilling for natural gas contaminates drinking water wherever it is employed.
The science of the water contamination claim is not exactly proven but that won’t stop this group and actor Ruffalo from claiming it as fact. Clearly more scientific studies are needed to determine what is true and what isn’t here.
Despite all the studies done on fracking, there has been no solid proof that it contaminates drinking water. But let’s not let un-settled science get in the way of Ruffalo’s political activism, shall we?
There have been a lot of claims made about how fracking contaminates drinking water, but nothing has been definitively proven. Even Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson admits that the contamination claim lacks proof. Further a Penn State study as well as a USGS report out of Arkansas can’t verify the anti-natural gas advocate’s claim.
Worse, Ruffalo doesn’t want science to get in the way of how the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers operates. The man who is soon to star as The Hulk in the next year’s Avengers comic book film adaptation wants President Obama to turn the Army Corps of Engineers into just another political arm of the progressive movement.
In his mass emailing, Ruffalo says:
On November 21st, the Delaware River Basin Commission will determine the fate of the Delaware–and your tap water. President Obama’s U.S. Army Corps of Engineers holds the critical swing vote. Right now, it’s unclear which side Obama will choose: our water and our health, or the profits of big oil and gas. That’s why we’re calling this November President Obama’s “moment of truth on extreme fossil fuels.”
Only an extremist can see a decision of the Corps as being on either the side of “big oil and gas” or “our water and our health.” It is a false dichotomy, a claim based on fear to raise money. The proper decision will place the Corps of Engineers on the side of science — choosing whether the practice is safe or not. Period.
The deadline of November is exciting the activists that want to make our energy prices soar, that want to shut down domestic sources of energy, and that want to make us dependent on foreign sources of energy. The end of November, Ruffalo says, is “Obama’s moment of truth.”
I guess by then we will find out if Obama sides with science and with the honest recommendations of his Army Corps of Engineers or if he’s going to turn them into yet another left-wing political arm of progressives? Will Obama listen to his generals and science, or will he bow to left-wing, political activists?
Text of Ruffalo Email
Dear Supporter,
Is your water safe to drink?
Most of us would never imagine that the water from our taps could poison us or make us sick. But for thousands of people who live in regions impacted by natural gas fracking, that horrifying nightmare is a reality. Across the country, everywhere fracking has been done, people have found their water so contaminated with gas it can actually be lit on fire.
And now, millions of us are at risk.
15.6 million Americans in New York City, Philadelphia, New Jersey, and Delaware get their drinking water from the Delaware River. That’s five percent of the entire U.S. population dependent on one river, which for generations has been protected as a critical national resource. But everything could change if plans for 22,000 gas wells move forward in the Delaware River Basin.
On November 21st, the Delaware River Basin Commission will determine the fate of the Delaware—and your tap water. President Obama’s U.S. Army Corps of Engineers holds the critical swing vote. Right now, it’s unclear which side Obama will choose: our water and our health, or the profits of big oil and gas. That’s why we’re calling this November President Obama’s “moment of truth on extreme fossil fuels.”
Earlier this month we appealed to President Obama to reject dependence on dirty tar sands oil and block the passage of the Keystone XL pipeline. In an incredible victory for our movement, President Obama heard us. But we can’t stop here. Allowing 15 million people’s water supply to become collateral damage for oil and gas industry profits is not an option. We need President Obama to instruct the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to vote against proposed regulations, and fulfill his promise to free us from the tyranny of fossil fuels.
This situation could not be more urgent, and the time to make an impact is incredibly short. We need everyone to get involved. Please, sign the petition to President Obama now. Share the video with your friends. And join us on November 21st in Trenton, NJ.
November 2011 is Obama’s moment of truth on extreme energy. It’s ours too.
If you stand with me in Trenton, I will be honored to stand with you.
Mark Ruffalo
Actor/Director, Founder of Water Defense
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“The only end of writing is to enable the reader better to enjoy life, or better to endure it.”
–Samuel Johnson
Warner Todd Huston is a Chicago based freelance writer. He has been writing opinion editorials and social criticism since early 2001 and before that he wrote articles on U.S. history for several small American magazines. His political columns are featured on many websites such as Andrew Breitbart’s BigGovernment.com, BigHollywood.com, and BigJournalism.com, as well as RightWingNews.com, RightPundits.com, CanadaFreePress.com, StoptheACLU.com, AmericanDaily.com, among many, many others. Mr. Huston is also endlessly amused that one of his articles formed the basis of an article in Germany’s Der Spiegel Magazine in 2008.
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