December 10, 2011
By Paul Weamer
1.3 BILLION PEOPLE BELIEVE FRACKING IN PENNSYLVANIA, OHIO, WEST VIRGINIA, AND NEW YORK IS A GOOD THING...TOO BAD THEY ALL LIVE IN CHINA...
http://www.tradereform.org/2011/04/marcellus-shale-gas-may-head-overseas/
The link above may be the most infuriating of all. It's an older story, dating back several months to April 2011, but it's message is still important. It is a message that is not discussed nearly enough. What kind of upsidedown world have we created when American states are reduced to little more than natural resource extraction colonies for China?
When proponents of Marcellus natural gas drilling make their arguments about why it is necessary, they usually focus on 2 issues: U.S. energy independence and jobs. But as you can see from the link, U.S. energy independence is not a concern of the fracking companies. They have one concern, money.
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Profits are a good thing. I'm pretty sure that's why each of us have jobs. But let's have an honest debate. We are not drilling for the betterment of our country, risking the destruction of our rivers, streams, forests, and homes for a greater cause. Even then I wouldn't be in favor of it, but at least there would be a case to be made. We are drilling for one reason: so wealthy corporations can acquire more wealth, the people caught in the middle and the environment be damned. The only honest admission you'll get from the frackers is that something is going to get drilled. But in the end, I'm afraid that it's going to be us.
The Marcellus natural gas story rages on day after day. And I could dedicate this blog to nothing more than it. But I can't really do that. This is supposed to be a fly fishing blog, and I need to stay focused on that. So I'll be moving on to others topics and returning to the drilling story only when new, vital information comes to my attention. If you live in the affected states, you're probably tired of hearing about the whole issue. If you live elsewhere, you're probably really tired of me writing about it. But you can't ignore it. This is the environmental crossroads of our time. Call your congressmen, write letters, sign petitions, attend protests, vote, but make sure your voice is heard. Unless you have $8,000,000 to buy politicians to vote against Marcellus shale drilling, it's all we can do.
