The Star-Telegram loves them some Barnett Shale and they want their readers to love the BS too. They don’t want to cloud your pretty minds with anything negative about urban drilling.
Here’s the latest, happy-feel-good-warm-fuzzy from the Star-Telegram BS reporting:
3. That we make the gas windfall last.
The Barnett Shale gas field has been bolstering the North Texas economy for several years, creating jobs, drilling activity and higher land values. Royalties from the wells are also putting dollars into the pockets of thousands of ordinary homeowners.
That’s the equivalent of found money, and the numbers are getting significant for cities, school districts, airports and other public entities. The question is how to make the windfall last longer than a new BMW.
XTO Energy, a major player in the shale, has been rehabbing buildings in downtown Fort Worth — a reflection of Chairman Bob Simpson’s civic interests. The community has benefited from such well-off, far-looking leaders in the past, and we can hope for more of the same.
But that opportunity may not last, because billions of dollars will be funneled to public coffers, too. Cities plan to create endowments to support parks and other initiatives. Dallas/Fort Worth Airport has talked about using gas money for a retail project, presumably to become a revenue generator.
With so much money flowing in, there should be no shortage of ideas. What we need are wisdom and vision.
If we can figure out how to handle the surplus, we can reap the rewards for decades.
Do not gather the facts.
Do not think of poison.
Do not worry about water or air.
Do not consider the children.
Just keep thinking about how you will spend those $40 royalty checks each month: asthma inhalers, chemotherapy, burn treatments, gas masks…get creative and have fun!
Please note that Star-Telegram reporters, Mike Lee and Jim Fuquay have reported on environmental dangers in the Barnett Shale. Three cheers for them! I can only imagine their frustration in getting these stories past the editors.
About Sharon Wilson
Sharon Wilson is considered a leading citizen expert on the impacts of shale oil and gas extraction. She is the go-to person whether it’s top EPA officials from D.C., national and international news networks, or residents facing the shock of eminent domain and the devastating environmental effects of natural gas development in their backyards.
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