Drill Baby Drill

Gr 9 Up—Filmmaker Lech Kowalski presents a compelling example of how people can organize and fight against a multinational corporation. Villagers in an agricultural area known as the "lungs of Poland" discover that their drinking water is believed to be contaminated by seismic testing in preparation for hydraulic fracture mining. Meeting with local officials and later with Chevron representatives, the farmers protest the use of boring holes underground to pump in water and chemicals to release the natural gas. Never backing down, the farmers eventually win their argument, and Chevron moves on to another village. In Pennsylvania, "the Saudi Arabia of shale gas mining," it's too late. Shale gas mining, known as fracking, demands huge amounts of fresh water, emits poisonous gases and other impurities, and leaves a huge environmental footprint. Rural residents affected by the gas mining tell compelling stories, and the on-site footage of the compressor stations, huge trucks speeding down country roads, and the technique known as flaring (the burning off of excess gas) are stupefying. The film's message is about protecting the environment and about the power wielded by huge corporations and their desires to increase profits. Teachers should be aware that there is extensive use of subtitles, but this does not detract from the program's classroom usability.