Ring of Fire

Okay, Audrey.

Ready for calibration.

You got it, Doc.

Commencing calibration.

You keep calling me "Doc,"

I'm gonna have to find a new research assistant.

How long have you been threatening that?

Yeah, but this time, I mean it.

Fine. Dr. Cooper, then.

I know how much you love your title.

Tracking.

One-two-one-five.

One-two-one-five?

Check.

"1215." Magna Carta.

Come on, Doc!

It's a document, where King John proclaimed liberties to the people.

It's a furbearer to our constitution.

Yeah, I know what the Magna Carta is,

but since it has nothing to do with dioxide sensors

or anything we're doing here,

for that matter, guess what, you're fired.

Anything?

It's a thing of beauty.

Depth, pressure... composition.

All in a day's work.

Wait-wait-wait.

Are you getting anything on the surface?

No. Why?

Our seismic sensors are showing some activity.

You're right on top of it.

Matthew'?

I'm seeing a major subsurface C02 spike.

Yeah. Me too.

Trans Nova Oil's new laser drill

makes it possible to penetrate deeper than ever before,

opening vast reserves previously unattainable.

The Paxton Well promises oil deposits

larger than those of Saudi Arabia.

The site itself is housed in the safest,

cleanest environment ever conceived.

There's no derrick.

The entire operation is underground,

eliminating any surface disturbance.

In fact, the well itself is powered by its own hydro-electricity.

Not good enough, folks.

Nobody cares about drill technology

or an operations room that's 200 feet underground.

Well, I'm sure our stockholders do.

Exactly my point!

We're not selling our stockholders

on the benefit of this well, Jennifer.

We're selling our critics...

the petitioners, protesters,

the ones who don't want us here.

We will never pacify those people.

All we've done is embolden them

by conceding to every concession,

and what's that gotten us?

Another injunction.

We located our office, here, locally,

in Paxton,

to show them that we're not just a corporate logo.

We're a neighbor.

Which means we have to be good neighbors.

We need to earn it.

The drill site is located on a National Preserve,

which is already one strike against us.

Jobs and the environment... this community cares about both,

so we have to deliver both.

We need to communicate that.

A new era... different kind of company.

I almost think you mean that.

We have to mean it.

Look, we can build all the parks we want

fund music programs,

but these people will never welcome us as neighbors

Oliver.

Our focus should be Congress

and getting the injunction lifted.

It's been seven months since the infrastructure was completed

We're bleeding.

Which is just what I'm talking about.

All we need... is Senator Bryce,

and Bryce is up for re-election, is he not?

He listens to the voters,

the people who live and breathe in this community.

We convince them.

That's how we get the injunction lifted.

Have you heard back from Senator Bryce?

I'm emailing him again right now,

but... how do you spell "recalcitrant?"

I don't even know what it means.

It's basically having a bad attitude towards authority.

Well, that's not a very helpful thing to say to a Senator, Emily.

I'm not. I'm saying it about myself.

You know, a little self-deprecation can go a long way.

Oh, well, I'll remember that.

He can't ignore me forever.

He will.

Thank you. Thank you, Mayor Bennett and members of the Council,

but most of all, thanks to all of you,

the good people of Paxton.

Yeah!

I came here personally so that I could get to know your community

and meet you face-to-face.

And I came here with one agenda...

Let's get you back to work!

And I'm very happy to contribute to your community.

This new park is a reminder that we are partners.

I know that we've had our ups and downs,

but it's your support

that has made it possible for us to fulfill our promise.

So call your Senators,

call your representatives,

and let them know that, together,

we are helping to make this country

independent of foreign oil.

Let's keep working together, let's go forward together.

Enjoy your park!

Thank you!

Thanks, Mayor.

Did you know he was coming to Paxton himself?

People will see right through the manipulation. It's obvious.

He sells the product, Emily.

And you say he's a con artist,

but I'm not so sure other people are gonna see it,

and I'm not so sure anymore that

this video is worth our time.

Well, we need to show Congress that there isn't support here.

They need to see

Trans Nova is trying to buy their way out of the injunction.

The whole thing is a con!

Except you can't make the argument that they haven't done their part.

We'll lose credibility.

Done their part?

Seriously? By, what?

Drilling on what used to be protected land?

Putting us and the environment at risk?

Okay. Calm down.

Obviously, they've cast their spell on you, too.

Who are you talking to, Em?

I've been leading this fight since the very beginning.

I hate those bastards.

But guess what?

For the first time,

an oil company's actually listened to us.

We've made a difference.

And what if it is as clean as it promises to be?

Every green initiative that we care about is gonna take a backseat.

People will be more than happy in their gas-guzzlers,

paying a buck-fifty a gallon.

So you'd prefer a catastrophe to prove your point'?

As long as they're drilling,

it already is a catastrophe.

So what did CalTech say?

They agree with USGS.

They said the Crystal Lake event is

a one-time anomaly,

the water samples are back to normal, and there's no additional venting.

All right, well, what caused it, then?

Minor tremor under the lake breached a pocket of gas.

That tremor wasn't strong enough

to release that much C02 that quickly.

All that gas had to have already been trapped at water level

by another stronger event.

There's something else going on here.

But there's no record of any other seismic activity.

U-Unless it happened prior to their last report?

Of course.

It's getting worse, isn't it?

Why don't you go check

with CalTech?

Dr. Cooper?

Hey, Dr. Cooper! Hey.

I'm Emily Booth.

We met briefly at the first Senate hearing.

Yeah, I know who you are.

I... I'm sorry, okay? I know I was rude.

I-I just want to ask you a few questions

about what happened at Crystal Lake.

The dead fish?

We know of other cases

where underground drilling released toxic gasses to the surface.

The drill's been shut down for five months, so.

Right, but they were drilling for two months before we shut them down

Well, you know

Mother Earth is a living, breathing creature.

Sometimes underground gasses vent.

I mean, that kind of volume is a little extreme,

but it does happen.

Bad day for the fish.

No, it's not just "a bad day for the fish."

Could those gasses have been released anywhere else?

Well, as of right now, they haven't.

"As of right now"?

I'm sorry, Dr. Cooper,

but I'm just a little bit concerned here.

I mean, we have a responsibility to the people in this community.

Look, there's no indication that