Be very afraid.
A recent full-page ad in the Wilmington StarNews (Sunday, July 1), paid for by the litigious Southern Environmental Law Center (link) and sponsored by about a dozen radically activist environmental groups, implies fear—scaring people about the process of deep drilling, named “hydraulic fracturing,” to extract natural gas.
It’s all they’ve got to oppose this high-tech and thoroughly proven safe method of bringing inexpensive and necessary energy sources into production.
Even some state Democrat legislators may support it here in North Carolina. (link)
Without any evidence to back it, the message suggests that legislators who support “fracking” vote against clean air and water. A usual anti-energy development suspect, the Sierra Club, (link) desperately sends out the alarm to pressure Democrat state representatives to vote against an override of Governor Perdue’s veto of SB 820; what the Club calls “the rush to fracking bill.” (link)
Within the massive environmental network programmed to sabotage American agricultural and natural resources industries, other groups such as Cape Fear River Watch, (link) a member of the New York based Waterkeeper Alliance, benefit by scares, deceit and litigation. (link) Some of these people affiliate with local businesses and spread anti-development messages.
For example, Doug Springer, a former “Waterkeeper,” operates Wilmington Water Tours from the downtown waterfront (www.wilmingtonwatertours.com). On his “Black Water Adventure” up the Northeast Cape Fear River on a 46’ catamaran “Captain Doug” charms the audience with nature stories and cultural history. At a strategic place he points out limestone outcrops and ends his narrative with obvious emotion—explicitly mentioning that a large cement company plans to operate nearby and, according to him, in the process will deplete the Castle Hayne Aquifer, and pollute air and water. Not surprising.
Springer now serves on the board of directors of Cape Fear River Watch. (link) This group is tied closely to the Stop Titan Action Network; (link) a virulent interconnected system of organizations that for over three years have tried to incite the public to prevent Carolinas Cement Company from building a modern plant on their land just past Springer’s boating route.
For those with the interest and ability to get beyond environmental propaganda, there’s ample evidence that the fears are unfounded; and plenty of amazing American engineering technology, based on solid physical and chemical science.
Our industrial workers ensure safe operations to extract, process and transport the natural resources that we need to maintain and improve our quality of life. Further, the few, usually minor problems that occur are always fixed or mitigated. A few websites related to hydraulic fracturing appear here; including the John Locke Foundation:
__ How fracking works… (link)
__ A quick overview… (link)
__ The challenges… (link)
__ Pennsylvania… (link)
__ Carolina Journal… (link)
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