Concerned Citizens of Portage County and the Kent Environmental Council are sponsoring a viewing of “Gasland,” a documentary about the impacts of fracking at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Kiva. 

The showing, originally scheduled to be held at The Kent Stage, was transferred to Kent State earlier this week, and now is also being sponsored by the KSU Public Health Student Alliance.

“Gasland,” a documentary by Josh Fox, presents the impact of natural gas drilling through hydraulic fracking, or fracking, in communities throughout the U.S.

Some Portage County residents say they have recently been approached by brokers representing energy companies wanting to lease residents’ lands to explore natural gas through fracking.

Some of the residents came together to form the Concerned Citizens of Portage County and have been holding informal meetings on the topic to reach out to others who have also been approached by brokers.

“People should attend because this is an excellent avenue to educate themselves about hydraulic fracking and the impact it has on our water, our health, our environment, the wildlife and our communities,” said Jennifer Hovis, one the founding members of Concerned Citizens of Portage County.

The documentary will be followed by a question and answer session via video chat with the movie’s director. Members of the citizens’ group will also be available to answer questions before, during and after the film.

Mariana Silva