FrackMented
Welcome to FrackMented!
A study of user interaction with information and its metadata, the breakdown of content into consumable portions, the juxtaposition of various perspectives, and, to a lesser extent, state vs. local control of hydraulic fracturing.
Begin by hovering over one of the panels to the left, and clicking on the most interesting - there will be ample time, of course, to explore each.
Assemblymember Quirk Talks About Why Fracking Regulation Is Critical to California, 2013. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NsQ1mg8Lsk&feature=youtube_gdata_player.
Banerjee, Neela. “Hormone-Disrupting Chemicals Found in Water at Fracking Sites.” Los Angeles Times, December 16, 2013. http://www.latimes.com/science/la-sci-fracking-health-20131217,0,5154343.story#axzz2njXKRsx5.
Brady, Jeff. “How Fracking In Pennsylvania Helps Clear The Air In New York.” NPR.org. Accessed December 17, 2013. http://www.npr.org/2013/11/28/247222115/how-fracking-in-pennsylvania-helps-clear-the-air-in-new-york.
Drilling Down: The Fracking Boom and the Texas Legislature - Part 3, 2013. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wm45ucO1LGo&feature=youtube_gdata_player.
“Dryden Becomes New York’s Test Town on Fracking.” Green Blog. Accessed December 17, 2013. http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/23/dryden-becomes-new-yorks-test-town-on-fracking/.
Dryden, New York Votes to Draft Law to Ban Hydrofracking, 2011. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vpKfFxXqVM&feature=youtube_gdata_player.
“Fracking Linked to Earthquakes?” finChin. Accessed December 17, 2013. http://finchin.com/fracking-linked-earthquakes/.
“Fracking to Blame? Texas Rocked by 16 Earthquakes in Last 3 Weeks.” Accessed December 17, 2013. http://rt.com/usa/texas-fracking-earthquakes-azle-445/.
Galbraith, Kate. “California Plans Tighter Control of Fracking, but Not Enough for Some.” The New York Times, December 13, 2013, sec. Business Day / Energy & Environment. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/14/business/energy-environment/california-plans-tighter-control-of-fracking-but-not-enough-for-some.html.
GASLAND Part II Official Trailer, Premieres July 8th 2013 on HBO, 2013. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzx7UXzK_z4&feature=youtube_gdata_player.
“Getting Started - Google Maps JavaScript API v3 — Google Developers.” Accessed December 17, 2013. https://developers.google.com/maps/documentation/javascript/tutorial.
Going Dry: Drought and Fracking Chokes Texas Towns, 2013. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7z0uQ5qGM9U&feature=youtube_gdata_player.
Goldenberg, Suzanne. “A Texan Tragedy: Ample Oil, No Water.” The Guardian, August 11, 2013, sec. Environment. http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/aug/11/texas-tragedy-ample-oil-no-water.
Green, Ann. “Promised Land and the Illusion of Choice.” Huffington Post, January 14, 2013. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ann-green/fracking-promised-land_b_2472145.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000003.
“jQuery.” Accessed December 17, 2013. http://jquery.com/.
“jScrollPane - Cross Browser Styleable Scrollbars with jQuery and CSS.” Accessed December 17, 2013. http://jscrollpane.kelvinluck.com/.
Kashi, David. “Texas Tea: State Ranks No. 10 Worldwide In Global Oil Production.” International Business Times, September 13, 2013. http://www.ibtimes.com/texas-having-another-oil-boom-its-production-could-outpace-iraq-iran-kuwait-few-years-1405348.
Mckinley, Jesse. “Fracking Fight Focuses on a New York Town’s Ban.” The New York Times, October 23, 2013, sec. N.Y. / Region. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/24/nyregion/court-case-on-fracking-ban-in-dryden-ny-may-have-wide-implications.html.
Mulkern, Anne C. “HYDRAULIC FRACTURING: Enviros Renew Push for Moratorium as Calif. Issues Draft Fracking Rules -- Monday, November 18, 2013 -- Www.eenews.net,” November 18, 2013. http://www.eenews.net/stories/1059990609.
Orden, Erica. “Fracking Debate Divides New York.” Wall Street Journal, August 25, 2013, sec. World. http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424127887323980604579030992603209018.
Pickrell, Emily. “Texas Will Continue to Lead US Oil Boom.” Fuel Fix. Accessed December 17, 2013. http://fuelfix.com/blog/2013/07/29/623982/.
Puko, Timothy. “New Methane Study Is Encouraging for Fracking Backers.” TribLIVE.com. Accessed December 17, 2013. http://triblive.com/state/marcellusshale/4716393-74/gas-industry-environmental.
Saillant, Catherine. “2 L.A. City Council Members Propose Ban on Fracking for Oil.” Los Angeles Times, September 4, 2013. http://articles.latimes.com/2013/sep/04/local/la-me-council-fracking-20130905.
“U.S. Energy Information Administration - EIA - Independent Statistics and Analysis.” Interactive. U.S. Energy Information Administration. Accessed December 17, 2013. http://www.eia.gov/state/?sid=TX.
“Water Use in Fracking Draws Legislature’s Attention.” StateImpact Texas. Accessed December 17, 2013. http://stateimpact.npr.org/texas/2013/02/14/water-use-in-fracking-draws-legislatures-attention/.
Zhorov, Irina. “The Film ‘Gasland’ Made ‘fracking’ a Household Word - ‘Gasland 2’ Premiers This Weekend.” Accessed December 17, 2013. http://wyomingpublicmedia.org/post/film-gasland-made-fracking-household-word-gasland-2-premiers-weekend.
The public research and education, upon which environmental policy decisions depend in our democratic republic, often encounters one of two obstacles: either a broad, surface-level swath of information that lacks necessary context, or an echo chamber that repeatedly gives only one perspective. This project aims to bridge the gap between those with too little context and those with too little variety, using relevant metadata and content breakdowns in a visual linking of various perspectives on hydraulic fracturing (fracking), one of the most controversial environmental issues facing the United States. The website looks specifically at jurisdiction - while the scientific debate continues, do state or local governments have the final say on whether to allow fracking, and the host of energy benefits and environmental concerns it brings? Three states are chosen as case studies, with simple color schemes differentiating each state's articles, a map interface to understand geographical implications, a timeline for chronological significance, and tiles, breaking down content by increasing level of detail, to accommodate all levels of investigation. FrackMented is, then, a tool to promote contextualized self-informing at all levels of civil engagement, while at the same time an experiment in this type of digital contextualization for those involved in environmental policy.
California:
Advantage: Push
Advantage: Push
California stands as one of the "undecided" states, where battles are fought just as often in the state legislature as they are on city councils. These stories give evidence of a wary, highly prized state, for both "fractivists" and fracking supporters.
Texas:
Advantage: State
Advantage: State
In Texas, the issue has already been, more or less, decided - the state reigns supreme. State legislation controls who can do what, and, with decisions removed from those locally affected, Texas has the largest fracking operation of any state.
New York:
Advantage: Local
Advantage: Local
New York is home to a variety of small towns that have taken it upon themselves to address this issue early. While the state waits for Governor Cuomo to release the results of his investigations, local governments are firmly in the driver's seat.
Cultural Reference:
Nation's Views
Nation's Views
A good way to contextualize the other debates, of state vs. local government. The broader cultural appearances of fracking make it evident just how deep these divisions run, and reinforce the patterns we have begun to see in specific states.
