Donna Young didn’t plan to raise a racket about fracking. She’s a midwife in Vernal, where the oil and gas industry is the economic engine. But in recent years, Young started seeing problems with the babies she delivered. More and more were stillborn, and Young was concerned fracking was to blame. Her suspicions have made her pariah in town. In an article for Rolling Stone, reporter Paul Solotaroff explores Young’s story and the problem of infant deaths in Vernal. He joins us Wednesday to talk about it.
NOTE: Today's show is the first in a series examining the possible connection between infant deaths in the Uinta Basin and fracking in the area. In future shows, we'll hear from other interested parties, likely including epidemiologists and industry and state representatives.
Paul Solotaroff is a senior writer at Rolling Stone and Men's Journal magazines. His article "What's Killing the Babies of Vernal, Utah" appears in the July 2 issue of Rolling Stone.
