My
personal opposition to Fracking goes deeper than a concern over the
immediate environmental impacts; it is more a question of how we craft
the Energy policies of the future. The pollutants, earthquakes, and
depreciated land behind the process are, of course, serious matters, but
my core issue with Fracking is a systemic one. Simply replacing the
filthy, powerful Petroleum Industry with another filthy, powerful fossil
fuel based conglomerate Industry is not a viable path to making
renewable Energy the primary source fuel of the 21st Century.
I am not naive about the power and
efficiency of fossil fuels, with 125,000 BTU per gallon of gasoline;
comparisons to solar and wind are not close to fair. Even the prized
“electric engine” is still charged, primarily, by coal powered
generators, and any type of solar cells technology able to power a motor
vehicle is still well in its infancy and unable to compete in
affordability and dependability. “Peak Oil” marks, if nothing else, a
demand for a change of policy; the Developed and Developing World must
make profound and difficult choices about what those policies say, and
who get to decide.
On the surface, the logical reaction to the mounting shipping prices,
Global political strife, and dwindling resources of oil would be to tap
the natural gas deposits, found here under American soil. Iit would give
us an amazing edge in the World Economy if we could pull away from our
foreign dependence and debt to outside (often hostile) nations. The
environmentally sound extraction of Natural Gas could save the American
Economy and put us on a new track of prosperity not seen since the end
of World War 2.
However, there is no guarantee that the science behind shooting
chemicals such as Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene, and Xylene 7000 feet
into the Earth is as safe as those invested in the process claim,
especially when you consider unseen, long term effects and the
inevitable Human error. It is true, the naysayers might all be paranoid
fear mongers, but the fact is that Methane and other gases being
extracted through Fracking are limited and nonrenewable resources in
their particular form (Organic extraction notwithstanding). It’s just more of the same.
In our efforts to “bridge the gap’ from fossil fuels to renewable
energy, we are incidentally building a very powerful Industry which can
limit, delay, or outright stop newer, cleaner forms of Energy, much like
the Petroleum lobby does today. It’s not so much a conspiracy as it is
the nature of Business; you cannot blame an Industry for trying to
protect its bottom line, and you cannot expect a change in the status
quo without resistance.
Fracking represents another example of sacrificing Independence for
short term Convenience, further empowering the Plutocracy of those that
control the Supply we Demand. Energy, whether it be from human and
animal labor, fossil fuels, or positronic accelerator packs, it is a
fundamental necessity of any Society. The specific types of Energy used
deeply defines the Culture of the Society.
I understand the need to drill for Natural Gas, I used some today as a
matter of fact. For as much as I wished the Green technology could
support current Energy needs, it cannot, not yet. However, the choices
we make now over how much power we give the Shale Drilling Industry will
define not only our fuel sources in the future, but our Social
perspectives as well. We can do better than Fracking. We must do better
if we truly want effective Energy independence for all.
