Living with Fracking - with Michelle Stonemark and Lois Bower-Bjornson
The heavily industrialized process of hydraulic fracking for natural gas has turned parts of rural Pennsylvania into a daily nightmare for local residents.
This week on Green Street, Patti and Doug talk about artificial fragrances in air fresheners and laundry products that can contain a host of toxic chemicals and dramatically impact your health, and how data centers are not only using prodigious amounts of water but releasing polluted wastewater back into nearby water sources. Then local advocates Michelle Stonework and Lois Bower-Bjornson talk about their experiences as fracking for natural gas in their area of southwest Pennsylvania has upended the lives of their families and neighbors, and their ongoing effort to increase setback distances for future fracking operations.
Links from the Interview
• The website of the Clean Air Council: https://cleanair.org/category/southwest-pa/ • ABC News story on fracking and Michelle's story: https://abcnews.com/US/fracking-determine-election-swing-state-pennsylvania/story?id=115469937
• The website of the Environmental Health Project: https://www.environmentalhealthproject.org/
Links from the News
• Scented products can pollute your indoor air: https://www.ehn.org/incense-fragrance-products-air-pollution
• Ad agencies are helping the oil and gas industry shape public opinion: https://www.desmog.com/2026/09/17/advertising-contracts-with-big-oil-hit-record-high-as-profits-soar-from-war-in-iran/
• Datacenters face further backlash over wastwater pollution: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/sep/08/us-datacenters-wastewater-pollution
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