We sometimes wonder: Do some humans suffer from species guilt? Why do some people seem to believe that the human animal–the crowning achievement of all of God’s (or evolution, depending on your view of origins) animals–is actually an infestation on Mother Earth? There is a direct correlation between man’s development and use of energy, and man’s advancement. We live longer, are healthier, and enjoy more “stuff” than ever–largely because of energy: electricity, oil, natural gas and coal. Everything from your phone to your computer to the clothes you wear and the shoes on your feet, even what you eat–all of it is derived from and delivered by abundant energy sources. And yet, some humans want to turn the clock back–they want less energy. It’s like they have a death wish for the human species, or perhaps they are self-loathing. It’s simply irrational and unfathomable.
Those are the thoughts we had after reading about the latest release of a “study” that takes a look at how drilling in the biggest and best shale play–the Marcellus–maybe, might, possibly, could, theoretically lead to the destruction of wildlife habitat and freshwater ecosystems. But why stop there? Let’s throw in wind power too! Wind power also screws up wildlife habitats. And so this latest “research” study, titled Shale Gas, Wind and Water: Assessing the Potential Cumulative Impacts of Energy Development on Ecosystem Services within the Marcellus Play (copy embedded below, authored by the anti-drilling Nature Conservancy and published in a “peer-reviewed” journal), seeks not to eliminate Marcellus drilling (because that train has already left the station), but instead encourages Soviet-style central planning by government bureaucrats to minimize the effects of all this willy nilly drilling that’s goin’ on out they’a…
