Posted on 12/21/2012 10:46:34 AM PST by MichCapCon
In a speech recently, Gov. Rick Snyder reiterated his support of natural gas extraction via hydraulic fracturing (fracking). This is a good sign for taxpayers, job seekers and environmentalists.
Despite the alarmism, fracking is safe and much safer than the alternatives. Most of the fear about gas extraction comes from a disingenuous scene from a film in which people light the methane coming through their water pipes on fire because of alleged improper well construction, which has nothing to do with fracking.
The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality says gas drilling by hydraulic fracturing has been going on for 50 years in about 12,000 wells across the state with no environmental damage or jeopardization of public health. The state already has strong regulations and there has never been a serious incident.
Today, Americans get almost all of their energy from coal, oil, natural gas and nuclear power; the contributions from green energy are negligible. Outside of nuclear, which leading environmentalist groups also oppose, the alternatives to natural gas are far worse for the environment in almost every way: more carbon dioxide, more carbon monoxide, more nitrogen oxide, more sulfur, more mercury, more soot, more smog and just more pollution period. Coal mining also kills twice as many workers as oil and natural gas extraction.
Also, fracking is why the United States has reduced its carbon footprint faster than any industrialized country in the world over the past six years with CO2 emissions at a 20-year low.
As natural gas extraction has led to a boom in jobs around the nation, there has been increasing pressure on Michigan to follow suit. And with some of the highest reserves in the country, we should be.
But there has also been increasing opposition. A decade ago, environmentalists saw natural gas as the wave of the future and a way for America to wean itself off of oil and coal.
Now that its working, the fear is that it will prevent wholesale adoption of renewable energy (excluding nuclear, of course). But there is no free lunch in energy policy, and since natural gas is both a job creator and better for the environment, it is a win-win.
The propaganda instrument in the form of a movie release called “Promised Land” is on a par with the earlier propaganda film, “China Syndrome”. The latter was nothing less than a screed against the nuclear power generation industry. The fact is, the so-called “China syndrome” just was not a possible scenario, and likewise, the “burning water” is just not a credible criticism of fracking, as depicted in “Promised Land”. There is more danger of contamination from an improperly vented sewage treatment plant.
My goal is to open a fracking company headquartered in the Frick building.
The enviromental movement does not care about the enviroment; it is about control of or diminishment of the economy. In The state of WA, hydroelectric power is not considered renewable energy. They do not want any energy source that actually works because that defeats their purpose. So any clean, renewable energy source that actually works in producing cheap and abundant energy will bbe opposed.
Exactly
FYI
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Thanks MichCapCon. And to all, I thought I’d pinged this, maybe I missed.
Snyder is on his game.
Step back and see what he is doing here. He maybe a closet Glenn Beck watcher and impliementing everything he can to make Michigan self reliant for if and when the day Fedzilla Collapses.
Let's look at his record recently
* Right to Work, bring jobs here and compete against Indiana, Texas.
* Repeal the PPT, giving small business an even footing.
* Did a few things around the edges to promote a Pro-Life environment in the State.
* Brought back the Emergency Manager Law with more Options, so that a solution for Detroits mess will finally happen even against their dysfunctional protestations.
And now this, to me this is a manifesto to the Fracking Industry to come in the waters fine and to business, we will have our home grown Energy from the Antrim Formation, screw Fedzilla and Obama, we are open for Business.
Brilliant.
Ladies and Gentleman, I swear our ticket for 2016 should be Snyder - Walker.
I do like his idea of a state strategic reserve of natural gas for industry when energy prices are high.
Careful there Crip. The storage fields I’m aware of are privately owned (TransCanada is largest).
Snyder may be proposing taking over private property for this “reserve”. As they say in Wisconsin...’atz no gouda!
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