Money dictates policy on shale gas energy
Proponents of shale gas energy rely upon misinformation as a means of promoting their industry. According to industry operatives, contamination in private water wells is nothing more than a pre-existing condition, although evidence clearly shows many such instances are associated with drilling.
Names of chemicals used in fracking are kept secret. At the same time, partial lists of fracking ingredients provided voluntarily by drilling companies are incorrectly touted as comprehensive. Calls for "responsible drilling" create the impression that avoiding drilling-related problems is simply a matter of "doing it right."
But much of what happens between the surface of the earth and the fracking that occurs one mile below the surface is impossible to either control or monitor.
What happens above the earth's surface is even more disturbing.
The industry and its many advocates claim that natural gas is going to serve as a temporary cure for climate change, a bridge to a new era of energy production. It is true that burning natural gas puts less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than burning coal. But fugitive methane emissions associated with extracting, processing, and bringing natural gas to market comprise a different aspect of the problem. Over a 25-year period, raw methane is a much more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide.
In 2011, a study conducted at Cornell University by Robert Howarth suggested that, when cradle-to-grave greenhouse gas contributions are considered over a 20-year period, shale gas is at least as bad a contributor as coal. Partly in response to subsequent criticisms, Howarth continued to study this issue.
Additional data was gathered and new insights emerged. In May 2014 Howarth published his updated results, which indicate that methane emissions related to shale gas had previously been underestimated. When viewed within the context of projected climate change over the next 20 years, shale gas is actually the worst of all fossil fuels.
Reliance upon natural gas keeps us on the same path that has led us to this current brink of global disaster. As for the bridge to energy sustainability, Pennsylvania has recently canceled tax incentives for people who invest in solar panels to power their homes. Shale energy is being used as an excuse to discourage the use of renewable energy.
Regarding the issue of energy independence for the United States of America, Anthony Ingraffea of Cornell states, "We don't have to fight over the sun. We don't have to fight over the wind."
Policy-makers in Pennsylvania continue to exercise tunnel vision when it comes to understanding environmental impacts associated with shale gas energy. The dollar signs have been placed accordingly, and this is all they see.