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“We’re still blasting fossilized animals and plants out of the ground and lighting them on fire. It’s a Neanderthal, 19th century, brutal, destructive toxic process & it’s killing us and it’s killing the planet” - Sandra Steingraber

Fault Lines - Fracking in America For years now, the United States has tried to lower its dependence on foreign oil for its energy needs. With stability in the Middle East in question, drilli...

Ohio is referred to as a "battleground state" due to its status as a "swing state" in presidential elections. But another important battle is brewing in the Buckeye State, also set to be settled in the voting booth.

This battle centers around a "Community Bill of Rights" referendum in Mansfield, OH and will be voted on in a simple "yes/no" manner. Mansfield is a city with roughly 48,000 citizens located 80 miles southwest of Cleveland and 66 miles northeast of Columbus, right in the heart of the Utica Shale basin.

Though the "Bill of Rights" has the full support of the City Council and the Law Director, as well as the city's newspaper, the Mansfield News Journal, one faction in particular isn't such a big fan of the Bill of Rights: the oil and gas industry. In response to the upcoming referrendum vote, the industry has launched an 11th hour astroturf campaign to "win hearts and minds" of those voters still on the fence as it pertains to the "Bill of Rights" in the week before the election.

DeSmogBlog has obtained images of flyers distributed via a well-coordinated direct mail campaign conducted by the oil and gas industry in Mansfield, made public here for the first time in an exclusive investigation.

Exclusive: Tea Party, Fracking Industry Launch Astroturf Campaign Against Mansfield, OH Community Bi Ohio is referred to as a "battleground state" due to its status as a "swing state" in presidential elections. But another important battle is brewing in the Buckeye State, also set to be settled in the voting booth.

"I’m here to connect the dots between super storm Sandy and the record heat, drought, and fire we’ve seen this year – and this Tar Sands pipeline, which will make all of these problems much worse. And I’m here to connect the dots between climate devastation and pipeline politicians – both Obama and Romney – who are competing, as we saw in the debates, for the role of Puppet In Chief for the fossil fuel industry. Both deserve that title. Obama’s record of 'drill baby drill' has gone beyond the harm done by George Bush. Mitt Romney promises more of the same." -Jill Stein

Green Party Presidential Candidate Arrested in TransCanada Keystone XL Tar Sands Blockade This is a guest post by Janet MacGillivray, Tar Sands Blockade Legal Coordinator And Strategic Liaison

http://www.desmogblog.com/2012/10/16/astroturf-new-gas-industry-front-group-landowner-advocates-of-ny

A pro-fracking rally held on Oct. 15 in Albany, NY was described by about a dozen local media outlets as a gathering of roughly 1,000 grassroots activists from all walks of life.

All came out to add their voice to the conversation regarding the extraction of unconventional gas from the Marcellus Shale basin in New York state. But the marchers weren't concerned landowners worried about losing their water supplies or property values. Their demand: to lift the current moratorium on fracking, which was prolonged by Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Sept. 30.

One rally attendee, Doug Lee, described the ongoing fracking moratorium as a "communist act" to the Albany Times-Union. Another described anti-fracking activists as "well-funded and organized activists masquerading as environmentalists, who often do not need to make a living in our communities." Republican Sen. Tom Libous, observed that Hollywood stars Mark Ruffalo and Debra Winger weren't on the scene, telling them to "Stay in Hollywood. We don't want you here."

Unmentioned by any of the news outlets that covered the event was a crucial fact: these weren't actual "grassroots" activists, but rather astroturf out-of-towners bused in from counties all across the state. Their journey was paid for by the legitimately "well-funded" oil and gas industry, which raked in profits of $1 trillion in the past decade.New Gas Industry Astroturf: Landowner Advocates of NY Buses Activists to Albany Pro-Fracking Rally.

New Gas Industry Astroturf: Landowner Advocates of NY Buses Activists to Albany Pro-Fracking Rally