Environmental Concerns: Amity and Prosperity by Eliza Griswold

Amity and Prosperity by Eliza Griswold
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Amity and Prosperity by Eliza Griswold
Question One
Environmental concern has been a topic of significant interest in the United States since the early 1960s as the earlier ages saw Americans die from oil spills on beaches and rivers. Americans were also at a greater risk of dying from smog and other pollution-related deaths, which pushed the government to enact laws, holidays, and programs such as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) by President Richard Nixon. The message president Richard Nixon carried across was on restoring nature to its original and natural state regardless of political turmoil, fractions, and parties. Americans were entitled to clean water, clean air, and open spaces. Soon after the announcements made by President Richard Nixon and all the environmental laws and regulations, industrialization took over and pollution was again the order of the day. In her book, Amity and Prosperity, Eliza Griswold depicts a deep and insightful human counterpoint to the political fray and environmental concerns.[Limits to Growth vs. Growth Without Limits: Economy and Politics Since the 1970s]
Amity and Prosperity showcase the story of Stacey Haney, the book's lead character; the story spins deep, collaborating with a cast of characters who, in various ways, suffer from the effects of fracking. Fracking is the process of releasing the gas inside the rock layer by forcing a high-pressure mixture of sand, water, and chemicals through the rock layers. The book shows events of fracking fluid storage units leaking and poisoning the neighborhood where Stacey Haney resides.[Griswold, Eliza. Amity and Prosperity: one family and the fracturing of America. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2018.]
The contamination from the storage units risks the lives of people living in the neighborhoods, pets, and livestock. Additionally, the book shows the crisis management regarding private property rights in the United States. When the water contamination was first suspected in Stacey Haney's drinking water, Range Resources hurried to the rescue with an alternate water source. The problem is, in the selected parts of the United States, including the Washington County, water is the private responsibility of the landowner. In 1965, the government set up the Federal and Water Quality Act that ensured that water must be safe for consumption, game, and fishing. The same legislation was to prosecute water polluters. The Stacey Haney's story, contrary to the legislation enacted by the government, the polluters are going scot-free from the prosecutions.[Griswold, Eliza. Amity and Prosperity: one family and the fracturing of America. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2018.]
Stacey Haney is a nurse who can conduct tests on her drinking water and finds that her water was still contaminated even after Range Resources proved that the water was safe and cut the alternative water supply. Stacey Haney also found contamination in the air due to the fracking chemicals. Eventually, the Haney family is forced to vacate their home and abandon the rural life without their choice but t...