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Myth Busting: The Cleaner Fuel, Safer At Home and Energy Independence

August 11, 2008 By TXsharon

”See, in my line of work you got to keep repeating things over and over and over again for the truth to sink in, to kind of catapult the propaganda.”

~George W. Bush, Greece, N.Y. May 24, 2005
Audio

Chesapeake Energy pays their public relations firm, Ackerman McQueen, millions to craft messaging with just the right amount of manipulation and truthiness. It was recently revealed that Chesapeake considers the media an extension of their paid public relations firm. They repeat a carefully crafted message over and over and over until the public accepts the truthiness as common knowledge. We should not help them out by repeating their lies for free!

I enjoyed the clever opinion piece, “Marketing of Texas’ Barnett Shale fouling the airwaves”, in Saturday’s Star-Telegram, but Steve Stockdale repeated the clean energy myth about natural gas. He did qualify it by stating statistics that show natural gas is only a slightly cleaner burning fuel, but those statistics do not consider the HIGH IMPACT drilling methods that include hydraulic fracture, flaring and venting, used to produce the natural gas.

MYTH: Natural gas is the clean fuel

FACT: Measuring pollution from the beginning of exploration and production to consumption—Cradle to Grave—natural gas causes devastation to our environment.

MYTH: Barnett Shale gas will make us safer.

This is a lie perpetuated by fear.

FACT: We do not import any natural gas from any of the so-called “axis of evil” countries.

Natural Gas Imports by Country

Canada is the largest importer of natural gas to the United States.

MYTH: Barnett Shale gas will make us energy independent.

This is an emotional appeal based on fear not fact. Only 11 percent of our oil in 2005 came from the Persian Gulf and NONE of our natural gas came from there.

FACT: There is almost no chance that we will ever be energy independent as long as we use hydrocarbons.

Council on Foreign Relations, National Security Consequences of U.S. Oil Dependency

“The voices that espouse ‘energy independence’ are doing the nation a disservice by focusing on a goal that is unachievable over the foreseeable future and that encourages the adoption of inefficient and counterproductive policies.”

…

“The Task Force goes on to argue that U.S. energy policy has been plagued by myths, such as the feasibility of achieving “energy independence” through increased drilling or anything else. For the next few decades, the challenge facing the United States is to become better equipped to manage its dependencies rather than pursue the chimera of independence.”

We import 60% of our oil, but the following are other essential commodities we import:

  • 91% of our platinum
  • 80% of our semiconductors
  • 100% of bauxite, alumina, manganese, strontium, yttrium, (full list at link above)

    I call for Manganese Independence!

  • 88% of tin
  • 76% of cobalt

Domestic Drilling cannot produce enough hydrocarbons to keep up with American consumption. As soon as the gas price dropped just a little bit, sales on hybrid cars dropped too.

MYTH: I’m not against drilling.

This is the worst kind of NIMBY (Not in my backyard), a passive aggressive NIMBY who thinks they’re not a NIMBY.

FACT: Unless you are willing to have a drilling rig, gas well, compressor station and high pressure pipeline in your yard, you are against drilling.

CORRECT RESPONSE: I am against drilling until new technology and better regulation allows drilling without devastating pollution or public endangerment.

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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Filed Under: Barnett Shale, Texas Railroad Commission

Comments

  1. Anonymous says

    August 11, 2008 at 9:17 pm

    You forgot neodymium, needed to make magnets for guidance systems for missiles. China is now the only producer, thanks to GW Bush & Co.

  2. Anonymous says

    August 11, 2008 at 9:31 pm

    The only way to achieve energy independence is to find a clean renewable source.

  3. TXsharon says

    August 11, 2008 at 9:50 pm

    I call for neodymium independence!

    Actually, that’s kind of scary!

    It might be listed at the link above. There were too many and I was too lazy to list them all.

  4. Anonymous says

    August 12, 2008 at 1:38 am

    Excellent post. I agree that Natural Gas is NOT a clean fuel!!!
    Go live next to a stinking Amine Sweetening Gas Plant and learn the truth!!

  5. Anonymous says

    March 15, 2009 at 6:36 pm

    this is a spectacular post in it’s scope, for the position it takes throughout and the perspective it offers!
    a vital education for everyone living on top of gas in shale!
    BRAVO AND THANKS FOR ALL YOU DO!!!

  6. Anonymous says

    June 20, 2009 at 1:53 pm

    If you live near an amine sweetening plant and have an odor issue, contact the operator or producer. The smell can be remedied.

  7. Anonymous says

    August 27, 2009 at 1:30 pm

    How is your solar powered car? How is your solar powered stove? How is your solar powered air conditioner? — Get off the grid and buy an electric car. "if you do nothing there will be no result." – Mahatma Gandhi

    Instead of making examples, set an example.

    Without cheap energy there is no civilization, but rather civil unrest.

    The irony is that your computer, the wires in it, the wires that transmit your message around the world, the towers that provide the power to your house, the wires, the power, even solar panels are all created and all welded together with natural gas.

    Keep up the good work on pointing out the perpetrators who make the rest of the oil and gas industry look bad.

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