 |
| Still from 'TruthLand'Still from 'TruthLand' |
Newly
surfaced income tax documents have revealed a strong connection between a
pro-fracking movie and lobbyists in the gas and drilling industry, which
presumably helped fund the film as a public relations response to the critical
‘Gasland’ movie.
Josh Fox is
an American film director and environmental activist whose film 'Gasland,' an
expose on how horizontal drilling into underground shale formations has caused
environmental pollution and adverse health effects for those living near the drilling,
was nominated for an Oscar in 2011. Reaction to the film by critics and
activists was positive, and has spawned a sequel,‘Gasland 2.’
“Fox
decides that his own backyard in Pennsylvania isn’t his exclusive
property,”wrote a critic in the Denton Record Chronicle.“’Gasland’ is both sad
and scary…if your soul isn’t moved by the documentary, yours is a heart of
shale.”
'Truthland'
made its debut two years later. The would-be documentary was panned by
scientists for downplaying the effect fracking has on the environment,
including rendering tap water undrinkable in multiple regions throughout the
US.
Critics
have asserted that the film was made with the intent to spread disinformation,
and that the producers were effectively the employees of industry executives
and lobbyists who commissioned the film to protect their own reputation.
“This isn’t
the first time something has been released that sets the record straight on the
mountain of misinformation in ‘Gasland,’”Jeff Eshelman, vice president of public
affairs at the Independent Petroleum Association of America, said at the
time.“But it is the first time that these facts have been transmitted in such
vivid detail through such a compelling medium.”
New
evidence indicates that the ties between the fracking industry and 'Truthland'
were much stronger than previously suspected. A 2012 income tax form pointed
out by The Nation's Lee Fang shows the movie was funded with a $1 million grant
from American Natural Gas Alliance, Inc. – an association of some of the most
powerful fracking companies currently at work. Devon Energy, Apache, Noble
Energy, Range Resources, XTO Energy, Southwestern Energy and Pioneer Natural
Resources are all among those behind the American Natural Gas Alliance.
Production
of the film was led by Fred Davis, a prominent media consultant behind
Republican John McCain’s 2008 presidential campaign. That advertising plan
included a focus on Obama’s ties to the controversial former pastor Jeremiah
Wright.
Ben Nelson
of the website Little Sis reported that the 'Truthland' film website was
briefly registered to an Oklahoma office belonging to the Chesapeake Energy
Corporation. The domain was then taken offline before it resurfaced behind a
proxy wall.
At one
point in 'Truthland' Shelly Depue, who is a prominent interview subject
throughout, is shown looking into a well on her Pennsylvania property with a
state Department of Environmental Protection employee.
“Multiple
layers of protection,” the now-former employee says,“you can see nothing is going
to get in or out of this pipe.”
Just months
after the release of 'Truthland’ one of Depue’s neighbors reported seeing
sludgy water “erupting” out of the same well. An investigation into the matter by
the Scranton-Times Tribune found that the water had unusually high methane
levels and that WPX Energy, which rented Depue’s land, had been cited
for “defective casing or cement…meant to protect aquifers [which contain
drinking water] from gas and other fluids.”
Related Articles:
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.