Friday, November 18, 2011

NYT Sunday Magazine Focuses On The Good & Bad Of Gas Production

The NYT Sunday Magazine has an article entitled, "The Fracturing of Pennsylvania," by Eliza Griswold. http://mobile.nytimes.com/2011/11/20/magazine/fracking-amwell-township.xml

The article tells the story of the natural gas boom by writing about a few people and their lives in Washington County, Pennsylvania. This anecdotal account puts a bright light on both the positive impacts as well as the environmental challenge of natural gas production.

The piece describes the jobs, income, wealth created by gas that have made the lives of many much better. It also describes the substantial health problems of one family that may be the result of drilling pollution possibly coming from a nearby pit that stored drilling wastewater.

The article raises troubling questions about the pit and the use of such pits. It is not clear to me whether the pit that is a focus of the story remains open or has been closed.

Maximizing the benefits of natural gas production and minimizing its impacts by continuously improving regulation and operations must be done. It requires commitment and vigilance.

1 comment:

  1. Gee, what a surprise. It looks like the reporter was really inept and/or dishonest in her reporting on the animals that died among other things in that story.

    http://eidmarcellus.org/2011/11/22/the-griswolds-go-to-pittsburgh/#more-4990

    Yes EID is an industry funded website. don't trust them, trust the links that they provide from the DEP and others.

    When will reporters learn that landowners involved in lawsuits may not be entirely forthcoming? Or that they may have no idea what they are talking about.

    They did not address the allegations about arsenic but given the way things seem to go in this story, I am guessing that key information was withheld or left unreported with that issue also.

    One thing is this: by far the most common source of benzene is cigarette smoke. That should be the first question any reporter asks when benzene is detected - is the person a smoker or is anyone in the house a smoker?

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