BIG OIL’S LIES

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?

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.