Ian Somerhalder Takes A Stand Against Fracking At Public Hearing

Ian Somerhalder, the wildly popular star of The Vampire Diaries, took a break from a night of shooting to fly back to his home state of Louisiana last week to attend a public hearing on a proposed fracking project in St. Tammany Parish and to lend his support to the community in their fight against the oil and gas company who wants to start fracking in the wetlands.

Ian Somerhalder spoke to reporters about why he is so passionate about his fight against fracking and preserving the fragile wetlands ecosystem of St. Tammany Parish where he grew up. The main concern for Somerhalder, and most of the other 600 people who attended the public hearing, is that fracking will not only pose a serious risk to the local ecosystem and area wildlife, but it also threatens the area’s only aquifer, as Somerhalder explains on his Facebook page, taking to social media to get the word out.

“Helis Oil wants to hydraulic fracture in St. Tammany Parish, right near here where I am from. This fracking threatens to destroy the only aquifer that supplies 100% of the water for every home and business. Please send emails and letters to the Army Corps of Engineers and tell them that you oppose fracking.”

Fracking, also known as hydraulic fracturing, is a a destructive drilling process by which extremely high pressured liquid is forced into the Earth with enough massive force to actually cause the shale to fracture and release amounts of gas that the oil and gas companies can then refine and sell. This fracking fluid can contain a number of highly toxic chemicals that the public are never made aware of and the process wastes millions of gallons of fresh water every single year. According to CleanWaterAction.org, contamination of both ground water and drinking water supplies have been reported by at least 8 other states where fracking has been allowed, and activists like Ion Somerholder have been fighting back to ban fracking all over the country.

Ian Somerhalder also made an appearance on News With a Twist last week to help raise awareness about the issue and urge people to get involved. Somerhalder said that he was all for bringing jobs to the area, but encouraged local decision makers to make them green jobs, safe and sustainable jobs for the future instead of jeopardizing the wetlands and the health and safety of the citizens for short term profits. He also took time at the public hearing to encourage the young people who had shown up and to remind the community that they do have a voice when everyone works together.

This is not the only issue that Ian Somerhalder has been passionate about, he’s a devoted animals rights activist and environmentalist and has been involved in a number of charitable projects including the Ian Somerhalder Foundation which “aims to empower, educate and collaborate with people” and projects to positively impact the planet.

[Image: Ian Somerholder Official]