The Ireland Institute hosts Oscar-nominated documentary "GASLAND" –Friday, June 10, 2011.

national | rights, freedoms and repression | event notice Saturday June 04, 2011 18:22 by Ionad an Phiarsaigh –– The Pearse Centre. - The Ireland Institute, 27 Pearse Street, Dublin 2 –– www.theirelandinstitute.com

Part verité travelogue, part exposé, part mystery, part bluegrass banjo meltdown, part showdown. In this film, Josh Fox encounters EPA whistleblowers, congressmen, world recognized scientists, and some of the most incredibly inspiring and heart-wrenching stories of ordinary Americans fighting against fossil fuel giants for environmental justice

“GASLAND” (2010, USA)

Director and writer: Josh Fox
Produced by: Trish Adlesic,
Producers: Josh Fox, Molly Gandour
Cinematographer and film editor: Matthew Sanchez

Running time: 104 Minutes

In the United States, major energy companies are currently conducting the largest domestic natural gas drilling campaign in history. A significant upswing in production took place in 2005 when Congress and the Bush Administration exempted the industry and its new process of “Hydraulic Fracturing” from environmental protection laws. The PR campaign for the Natural Gas industry hides the fact that the new form of drilling, pioneered by Halliburton, is incredibly harmful to the environment and threatens to permanently contaminate the water supply, drastically pollute the air, and despoil huge areas. Despite overwhelming evidence of mismanagement and corruption, the general public remains unaware of the extreme effect the drilling may have on their lives.

When filmmaker Josh Fox discovers that Natural Gas drilling is coming to his area—the Catskillls/Poconos region of Upstate New York and Pennsylvania, he sets off on a 24 state journey to uncover the deep consequences of the United States’ drilling boom. What he uncovers is truly shocking—water that can be lit on fire right out of the sink, chronically ill residents of drilling areas all with the same mysterious symptoms, huge pools of toxic waste that kill cattle and vegetation, and well blowouts and gas explosions consistently covered up by state and federal regulatory agencies..*(See footnote.)

At the end of February 2011, two natural gas companies were given onshore licenses to explore the northwest carboniferous basin in the Lough Allen area, which includes Sligo, Leitrim, Roscommon and Fermanagh. These licenses allow for shallow drilling, down to about 650 ft, and to do technical studies on the gas they find to determine whether or not it is commercially viable. There is believed to be 9.4 trillion cubic square feet of gas, which could value up to €94 billion. The local communities of Lough Allen that would be affected by these shale gas explorations have heard very little from the companies about their plans for onshore drilling. Many people feel that it may bring an economic benefit to the area, however they are concerned about the environmental impact that hydraulic fracturing would create, and the companies themselves have not reached out to the communities yet. Consequently, skeptisim has risen.

Do not miss the opportunity to see this important documentary in Dublin!

• * http://www.catskillmountainkeeper.org
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/ny-attorney-gene....html

“GASLAND” is also showing at the Guth Gafa International Documentary Film Festival,
Gortahork, Co. Donegal, 10-14 June 2011.
http://guthgafa.com/index.php?mact=News,cntnt01,detail,...en_US