Natural Gas Mining seems like an OK idea right? A move in the right direction when coal and oil sources are fast being depleted? Wrong!

Innocent people living in the vicinity of these mines are unknowingly having their water polluted with hundreds of chemicals and as a result suffer from a range of debilitating illnesses. Many families are finding out this information too little too late and what is worse the energy companies deny, deny, deny! Read more - there are proposed sites for Natural Gas Mining appearing everywhere!

There are literally hundreds of thousands of Natural Gas mines across America and they are not new to Australia, Europe or Africa either. Despite the warnings and hard evidence now surfacing from the process used to extract these natural gases the mining continues all over the world. This method, known as "Hydraulic Fracturing" or "Fracking", involves blasting a mix of water and chemicals 8,000 feet into the ground; like a mini earthquake this breaks apart the rock and frees up the gas. The mixture used for Fracking known as Fracking fluid contains up to 596 chemicals, some that are known to be carcinogenic.

Although hazardous materials are being shot down into these wells by the gallon the United States Environmental Protection Agency said they did not need to investigate. And even though they confirmed what was being blasted into the ground was toxic they said it posed no risk. Yet these chemicals have known effects to humans such as testicular toxicity, lung damage, malformation of the embryo, bone marrow depression, and destruction of red blood cells. How can these multi-million dollar companies continue to claim no responsibility?

Finding new forms of natural energy is important as our current resources are rapidly depleting while others such as solar, wind and water are still deemed insufficient or inadequate. Ads on TV hail natural gas as the clean burning transition fuel of the future. But what will our future hold if this fracking process continues? Government agencies in the U.S exempt the Natural Gas Mining industry from many environmental regulations. The 2005 Energy Bill in America exempts the Oil and Natural Gas Industries from the Safe drinking Water Act, Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and a dozen other environmental regulations.

In 2009 there were 450,000 wells in 35 American states, another 50,000 proposed gas wells along the east coast of America as well as hundreds of thousands more across New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia.

From the existing wells alone it is 40 trillion gallons of water infused with copious amount of chemicals being blasted into the earth. What are we doing to our planet!? Do we really wonder why there are so many natural disasters happening right now? Seriously, how much do we need to rape and pillage Mother Earth and do we really expect her not to bite back? These are the questions we need to ask ourselves.

Josh Fox, of Pennsylvania, U.S, is the filmmaker responsible for the documentary GasLand which brought this shocking story to light on an international scale. Josh was approached by a gas mining company in 2009, just like many of his neighbours. The company was hoping to lease his land for a large sum of money. This set his mind ticking and he decided to probe for more information and what unfolded was a shocking story that affected the lives of too many people; prompting a full blown investigation which took Josh across 32 states interviewing and documenting everything he discovered. The story which evolved is not only eye opening; it is heart breaking to say the least.

Josh met countless families on his journey that began to suffer a range of serious illnesses which all began with gas wells being drilled in their area. Once the rocks deep in the earth's surface are blasted with the fracking fluid to release the gas it inevitably follows fault lines and seeps into a much larger area, leaking this gas into natural waterways and polluting people's once safe drinking water. Many claimed the water coming from their taps had clearly become contaminated as it begun to bubble and hiss since the gas wells had been drilled and although the companies deny this fact, when offered every single worker from the mine refused to drink it. Miraculously, many of these people are able to set fire to the water (or more accurately the gases in the water) that runs from the taps in their homes.

Ron and Jean Carter have a gas well in their front yard. "We've lived here for 40 years and never had a problem with the water. They drilled and as soon as they did the water was bad." Reported results even showed natural gas in their water but companies still asked local residents who complained that it was making them sick, "Well...can you prove it was because of us?" Ron Carter answered, "Can you prove it wasn't?"

The water running in people's homes in the red zone, where the most gas wells are, is so contaminated it does catch on fire and it has left people terrified. People want to know that they are safe. Families have been drinking this water and who knows who else continues to suffer because they do not know this is the cause. Some worry they have been drinking the contaminated water for years.

Another lady in the documentary, Debbie May, says "In the beginning our water turned colour, then it started tasting funny, like metallic-y, then it turned brown, then it looked like mud." Her cats and horses hair was falling out and one cat was projectile vomiting. Her son recalls, "at one point we could shake the water up, put a match to it and it would just light up!"

The conglomerate which supply 99.9% of America's natural gas and oil said this..."Studies and surveys by US EPA and other organisations over 11 years have found no credible threat to underground drinking water from hydraulic fracturing. Recently there have been concerns raised about the methods used to extract these valuable resources.Technologies such as the practice of Hydraulic Fracturing is characterised as environmentally risky and inadequately regulated. There are over 1,000 reports documented of incidents of ground water contamination resulting from this practice however such reports are not accurate!"

So, still deciding to deny, deny, deny, this practise will continue until enough people stand up and say 'we deserve the right to clean water', 'we deserve the right to live a healthy life', and 'we deserve the right to make decisions that affect our life, and protect our children and environment.'

According to the Daily Examiner, "The education officer for the Environmental Defenders Office NSW Northern Rivers, Mark Byrne, said with three companies, Metgasco, Red Sky Energy and Arrow Energy holding leases stretching from the Queensland border to south of Grafton, land owners needed to be aware of the risks coal seam gas mining posed to the environment and health. Mr Byrne said only one of the companies, Metgasco, had been given a licence to mine using the controversial hydraulic fracturing technique, also known as 'fracking'."

Help end the method of Fracking used in the Natural Gas Mining industry! Give a few hours of your day to attend a local protest or even write a letter to your local government sharing your disdain for Natural Gas Mining. DON'T give permission for exploration on your property: once you give this permission you LOSE legal rights to stop it later. Contact the Lock the Gate Alliance if you want advice about this.

If you live on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia be at the "No Coal Seam Gas Mining in the Tweed" Rally. Saturday 14th May, @ 11am at Knox Park (across the road from the Sunnyside Shopping centre) MURWILLUMBAH, NSW.

If you live in Sydney click here for events and more information on what you can do to help. If you missed the latest rally you can email the NSW Premier and voice your own concerns about the dangers of Coal Seam Gas Mining in Sydney here.

Stop the ongoing pollution of our waterways, it is happening everywhere we turn. Water is life. Let us not take it for granted.  We have been given free choice in this world, let us not turn our back on the people destroying our planet for greed and persoanl gain. We need to preserve Earth's fresh water sources for life to continue as we know it. You know it. Take action today!

Written by Grace Gutwein