Gasland II

“Natural gas is the last gasp of the fossil fuel industry,” says one of the many compelling characters in this documentary by filmmaker and activist Josh Fox. He takes us all over America and around the world to show what is happening to the vast landscapes that are being fracked. Like the first Gasland (Mountainfilm 2010), there are shocking images of tap water on fire from methane leaks in drilling pipes and interviews with reeling homeowners. But these people — many of them reluctant environmentalists — are organizing and fighting a pitched battle against the gas companies, and Fox is on the front lines in Pennsylvania, which is open for drilling, and New York, which is considering lifting its moratorium (the film, Dear Governor Cuomo explores this issue). Fox also illustrates what is happening in Australia, Los Angeles and in Colorado. Most disturbingly, he takes us to Washington D.C., which is as murky as the water that pours from these taps.