The sweet sound of Big Oil (and Natural Gas) money regularly
tells the American people not to worry any more about importing energy from
rogue Venezuela, unreliable Nigeria or volatile Iraq. Seductive television ads
spread a happy message that the USA will soon export abundant oil and natural
gas resources thanks to “proven” and “safe” fracking -- a method of injecting
chemical waters into the ground to loosen up reluctant oil/gas for consumption.
Usually most of the chemical fluids are then sucked back up to be safely disposed
of elsewhere.
Are we missing something here about side effects? Does this sound like something you want
happening in your neighborhood or near your water sources?
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| Is this China's road to prosperity? |
Common Scientific Sense
It shouldn’t take a PhD to read the growing data. It is
clear that fracking messes up groundwater systems and causes earthquakes (so
far only small ones). There are regular reports
on this on www.ecowatch.org. Most
scientists - someone’s count says 97% of them -- acknowledge that documented
climate warming is indeed caused by human activities affecting the natural
ecology around us. We are the problem.
What folly is fracking, no matter how much money it makes
for a few! Energy company executives make millions of dollars a year. Landowners
in the right spots get bonanzas in the thousands. They, of course, want us to
ignore the costs to be paid down the line. Their what-me-worry visions are all for
their profits. We, the people, can continue our lifestyles addicted to fossil fuels
that are giving us increasingly erratic and violent weather.
A Roadmap to Sustainability
Thoughtful people agree that we should lessen our need to
burn fossil fuels. Civic people appreciate that this will require governmental
policies and programs, not just individual adjustments. Informed people know
that technologies are in hand to give us clean, sustainable ground transport.
We can start demonstrations in campuses and managed districts. These can be
extended into citywide and then into large metropolitan networks, interfaced
with airports and high-speed rail of some sort.
A select group of international technical experts who are aware
of the steady progress in designing, financing and implementing ATN in its many
forms, will meet in Stockholm September 3-5 to plot out a roadmap for
sustainable transportation. Come join us.
