Online Program

317746
Health in All Policies: Fracking Injection Well Advocacy in Texas Lessons Learned


Wednesday, November 4, 2015 : 9:00 a.m. - 9:15 a.m.

Lisa Campbell, DNP, RN, APHN-BC, School of Nursing, Texas Tech Health Science Center, Victoria, TX
Improving public participation in the permitting of injections wells is one step to ensuring safe drinking water. Communities in the Eagle Ford and Barnet Shale Play struggle with advocacy and fracking injection wells.  Many communities have found it challenging to protest fracking injection wells to the Texas Railroad Commission. In order to protest an injection well a community or group must know a permit has been submitted to the Texas Railroad Commission. Currently, there is little public notification of oil and gas disposal well permit applications. Typically ground water conservation districts must comb local newspapers for permit notices.  Notice is often vague and may not appear in the appropriate newspaper.  Since October 2013, I have been working with local county commissioners, concerned community members, ground water conservation districts and a state representative to advocate for policy change with the Texas Railroad Commission. We are working with an Environmental Law Clinic and have developed a petition for rulemaking that will improve public participation in the petitioning of injection wells in Texas.  I will describe our efforts and lessons learned to hopefully assist other public health professional in meeting the challenges of advocacy and fracking.

Learning Areas:

Advocacy for health and health education
Environmental health sciences
Other professions or practice related to public health
Public health or related laws, regulations, standards, or guidelines
Public health or related nursing
Public health or related public policy

Learning Objectives:
Identify key stakeholders in the advocacy process. Formulate strategies to improve public participation with oil & gas disposal (fracking) wells.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: Since October 2013, I have been the lead team member with his advocacy work and subsequent policy issue.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.