Connie Harris on fracking

Connie Harris has been involved with activism in Columbus for many years. Presently working with Occupy Mansfield, she came to the State Capital on Jan 10 to protest for a moratorium on fracking.

“We had a great turnout. If people keep pushing hard enough, maybe they (politicians) will listen. In Mansfield, the Occupy group was able to work with the city government, Republicans and Democrats. They’re building a so-called war chest to build a fund to keep fighting for laws for better oversight (of fracking).”

Harris said the moratorium would allow time for properly assessing the risks and possible benefits of fracking.

“ A lot of these communities, they’re losing all their factory work and other jobs. They’re treating some of these communities like wastelands. People have to live there and work and send their children to school. This is some real dangerous stuff. They (government officials and industry) don’t know enough about it. We don’t know enough about it.

She said her recent involvement with fracking ties into other activism she has done over the years. The common theme is that politicians are not in tune with the will of the people.

“Government agencies are doing what they want to do. They’re definitely more interested in mulah than the safety of our communities. I just happen to be living in a town where they want to build two (fracking) wells. They want to give the underground an enema.”