Drill Baby Drill

One of the most contentious debates about energy resources centers on hydraulic fracturing—better known as “fracking”—which involves drilling and injecting fluid at high pressure into the ground to fracture shale rocks and release the natural gas stored within. While this procedure has indeed opened up new economic opportunities in countries that were previously over-reliant on foreign sources for fuel, it has also sparked criticism about the attendant ecological damage. Documentary filmmaker Lech Kowalski focuses on two communities that have responded negatively to fracking. One is a group of Polish farmers in a village near the Ukrainian border—an area known as “the lungs of Poland” due to its unpolluted air—who react in horror when they learn that Chevron intends to build a shale gas well. The second involves unhappy rural Pennsylvanians living in an area ripped apart by excessive fracking. Kowalski's film certainly suggests that fracking inevitably leads to catastrophic environmental impacts, but its story is more about the admirable and unforgettable passion of the Polish and Pennsylvanian residents who try to stop what they see as destructive and dangerous. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)