Cornell Prof Testifies Before Congress on Evils of Fracking

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Cornell professors Robert Howarth and Tony Ingraffea have made a cottage industry (and have become minor celebrities) of bashing shale gas drilling. The two of them collaborated on a now discredited article in a so-called “peer reviewed” journal that claimed, fantastically, that burning coal is actually better for the environment than burning natural gas (see this MDN story). Yeah, if they didn’t have “Cornell” next to their names, Howarth and Ingraffea would be laughed out of the room.

Such are the mental gymnastics those who hate all fossil fuels will perform in order to do anything to slow down shale gas drilling. They pedal junk science and try to dress it up. You know the old saw about putting lipstick on a pig…

Anyway, Prof. Howarth testified before Congress yesterday, at the Subcommittee on Technology, Information Policy, Intergovernmental Relations and Procurement Reform of the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. (Warning bells should go off if the name of a single committee takes up an entire paragraph!)

The prof was there to spread dread and fear amongst the good Congresspersons assembled (a full transcript of his remarks are embedded below).

His remarks are the same old same old. Unsubstantiated half-truths and mostly outright lies. So why bring them to you? You need to know what the other side is saying, and who they’re saying it to. If you tell a lie often enough, as Howarth does, it will start to be believed.

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