Anti-Driller Lets the Truth Slip Out: “It’s not about the science”
Don’t look now, but somehow a little bit of truth seeped into the reporting about hydraulic fracturing. And it happened in the Syracuse Post-Standard:
At a public forum in DeWitt, Syracuse University hydrology professor Don Siegel thought he had presented enough unbiased, scientific information to prove that drilling for natural gas in New York would benefit the state far more than it might hurt.
Then someone in the audience of more than 75 stood up.
“With all due respect, Dr. Siegel,” she said, “it’s not about the science.”
Two months later, Siegel still stews over those words.
The debate should be about the science, he contends, as do two retired SU professors, Bryce Hand and Joe Robinson — who have defended high-volume hydraulic fracturing as a safe method to capture a huge supply of underground natural gas in the Marcellus Shale formation.
But opponents of hydrofracking have “dispensed with science and rely on fear” to turn the public against drilling, Siegel said.*
The article quotes one scientist (a Cornell professor) who is opposed to drilling, but at least the pro-drilling (and scientific) side of the debate is fully explored in this article, and is well worth the read. Kudos to the Post-Standard for some honest reporting.
*Syracuse Post-Standard (May 2) – Some scientists say hydrofracking benefits outweigh risks
It is obvious that the audience member’s comment was cut off so that the rest of the response above is meaningless. My guess is that the entire comment had to do with the way drilling is being done in Pennsylvania with dumping, migrating methane, accidents, spills, and 1435 violations in the first two and one half years. Science tells us what is possible, Reality tells us that a lot of bad stuff is happending and will continure to happen until the drilling industry cleans up its act.