Yesterday, Governor Markell said the following (as quoted in The News Journal):
[The Governor is trying to find] the intersection of economic development, improving the environment and improving public health.
He made this comment while trying to take credit for NRG’s conversion of a Dover coal-fired power plant into a natural gas fired plant.
Natural gas is cleaner burning than coal, and as a result of fracking, is plentiful in the United States and cheap… Hence, the natural gas is at the intersection of economic and environmental benefit. But, less than a week ago, this same Governor said that he was against fracking (aka cheap natural gas) because
The very efficacy of the [Delaware River Basin C]ommission’s regulations depend heavily on state law or regulation but the decision-makers in each state have yet to determine whether sound science will ultimately prevail.”
We know, of course, that Delaware has not been following a policy of “sound science”, but one of an almost religious zealotry around global warming alarmism. This administration’s on-going efforts to force expensive energy on the low income residents and struggling small businesses have been repeatedly publicized.
So, on November 18th, fracking is bad, but on November 22nd, fracking is good.
You can’t have it both ways, Governor…
Apple’s and oranges, Charlie. With all due respect, there is a well-deserved call for caution on opening up the Del. River Valley to fracking without regulation of the chemistry of the liquid and gaseous injectants or of the seals to keep the gas from leaking from the collector pipes into the water table.
The use of fracking is a hundred years in practice in our country but only recently has the use of undisclosed, dangerous chemical substance been introduced to the process ostensibly to save the companies some money. The oil and gas industry should absolutely be held to a standard of regulation and liability in lieu of the costs of spoiling the potable water sources for untold numbers in the regions effected.
The fact that this industry was exempted from the Clean Water Act is pointed enough to suspect that the industry was aware that their practices were prohibitively risky.
With the proper regulations in place, the industry may keep from polluting our waters and still provide the life’s blood to remote Pennsylvania mining towns in the shale-rich areas and provide US bred resources for the sustainability of our future away from our dependency on foreign oil-producing countries.
“Apples to oranges” — Touting the use of natural gas as the environmentally right way to go while trying to shut down the creation of natural gas wells in the U.S. is apples to apples.
“without regulation” — Fear mongering is beneath you. No one has said anything about “without regulation”.
“dangerous chemical substance” — More fear mongering. Chemical use in fracking has been known for a long time. To specifically address this issue, in April of this year, a number of Congressional Democrats released a report on chemicals used in fracking – including 29 that are known or possible human carcinogens.
The following is from the Cancer Society:
International Agency for Research on Cancer
The largest materials used in fracking is water and sand — water as steam to break open the rock and sand to hold the fractures open for gas withdrawal. The other materials are used to eliminate mold, bacteria, and similar stuff within the well and are used in only small quantities.
So, let’s not demagogue the issues and deal with facts not opinion.
Fracking is not without controllable risk — as the decades you mention have proved. Low income Delawareans without heat is also risky — but acute and with us, today. Delaware without employers is also risky — and growing. Which risk do you want?
Discovering huge new natural gas supplies is one thing, getting a lower gas bill is something else. I understand natural gas is now in surplus, with prices less that one third of what they were 15 years ago. Does anybody know why this is not reflected in any meaningful way in the rates consumers are charged on utility bills? Is there a glitch in the free market law of supply and demand? Who profits from these new low gas prices?
What good is fracking all this new gas if the new supply does not mean savings for the end user? Seems like they found lots of cheap new gas but want to charge the old expensive prices?
With gas so cheap and easy to find these days maybe we should go back to the idea of Public Utilities.