Sunday, April 3, 2011

About Hdraulic Fracturing...The (un)Natural Extraction Process Threatening A Way of Life



Hydraulic fracturing as used in the (un)natural gas industry, commonly referred to as fracking (FRACK), is a dangerous and unproven technological advancement which allows natural gas producers to  recover natural gas from deep shale formations at great costs to local communities being FORCED to play host to wells that can number into the hundreds.  This discovery has the potential to destroy the natural beauty of our rural communities, despoil and contaminate our potable water supplies, and visit upon us as humans a myriad number of health issues from minor skin irritations, breathing difficulties, and even birth defects and cancers. Contrary to the industries claims, shale gas drilling will not dramatically reduce our national carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and will not accelerate our transition to a carbon-light environment. In fact, the releases of gas shale methane into the environment, the constant burns will likely INCREASE our Green House gas problem, not correct it.Simply put, deep shale gas formation development is dangerous to America's energy needs, dangerous and disruptive to our fresh drinking water supplies,  and the short term economic renewal will be more than offset by the long term costs of restoration of destroyed environments.


So called experts with vested interests in the unsafe practive of Shale Gas Drilling have known for years that natural gas deposits existed in deep shale formations and they needed to find ways to extract them at all costs to increase their own bottom line profit pictures.  So, in a horrible remake of the movie "Back to the Future, these predatory creatures went back to Halliburton technology and looked for ways to make it more sinister, more damaging to our environments...sure, they knew the risks to human health and the environment could be dangerous, but the question they wanted answered was but one, "Would it make our gas leases more profitable?  Sadly for those of us living atop the Marcellus Shale formation, that answer was yes. Today, with the unsafe and not fully understood use of hydraulic fracturing, combined with sophisticated horizontal drilling, both of which can increase seismic activity, extraordinary amounts of deep shale (un)natural gas from across the United States is being  produced with the costs to local communities, our drinking water supplies and human health being all but ignored in the name of National Security and PROFITS. 

With Obama all but giving the (un)Natural Gas Industry and Shale Gas Drilling a collective bear hug, we need to ask ourselves, "What cost is fair to ask small rural communities to pay in the name of the greater societal good?"  Is it fair to ask small Rural Communities to ruin our pristine natural beauty for CHEAP GAS?  Is it fair to ask us to have our health, the health of our children greatly impacted upon in the name of supposed National Security?  Is it fair to destroy our potable water, despoil our streams, ponds and water ways in the name of kicking the oil habit?  Please share your thoughts, because I find these costs unacceptable...especially since many of these same rural communities have PAID THIS COST before...look at both the timbering and coal industry as examples.  How many have seen what strip mining has done in both Ohio and West Virginia?  How many stands of virgin timber remain in Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and New York?  When can the folks in Rural America just say no to the demands of a Suburban/Urban population who seems incapable of controlling their hunger for consumptions of goods and energy?

What is Chesapeake Energy Hiding?...Go look at this Chesapeake Gas Drilling fire video, and ask yourselves why it is that the ability to comment on it, why the ability to embed the link has been DISABLED!  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiLRJeE8h2w