Keep on frackin'

Nothing to see here.

Last week, Baton Rouge-based minerals consultant Dan Collins said truck traffic on rural roads is the top environmental concern at the moment. “The Florida Parishes have little industry and aren’t suitable for crops or grazing livestock,” he said. “It’s mostly pine trees and roads without traffic lights.” Groundwater isn’t a major concern for now, Collins said. “Oil deposits in the TMS are deep and well below the water table, making groundwater less susceptible to contamination than in shallower plays,” he said.

But retired Lt. General Russel Honore in Baton Rouge said waste water from fracking is often injected underground in nearby wells and can contaminate drinking water and the food chain. “It might seem safely stored away but could affect water supplies of future generations,” he warned. Leaching and seismic activity are among the potential threats to stored waste water. Honore is the leader of the Green Army, formed in Louisiana in September to raise environmental awareness.