Sunday, November 28, 2010

Thoughts of Marcellus Shale Drilling

I was listening to Bill Stewart ramble about the makeup of the WVU football team yesterday.  He said that the team was made up, just like the state of West Virginia; on a solid foundation.  The first thing that popped into my mind was the foundation of the land that we call home.  How strong can this foundation be if it is constantly interlaced with tunnels?
Let us experiment with this foundation, we will first drill thousands of holes deep into the core of this foundation.  Then we will inject water and who knows what else into these holes.  Is that strong foundation now as strong as it once was?  I don't think so.  Do you believe for one minute second that there are not other cracks and fissures for this fracking mixture to flow into?  Think.  How about all of the underground water flows and not to mention the uncharted mine tunnels?

These methods of natural gas production were developed out West.  I am not a geologist, but I doubt the the geology of the Appalachia and Texas are the same.  I truly fear that it will take a disaster of gigantic proportions, before the dreams of money are offset by the sorrow of reality.  I also believe that the Marcellus gas fields will be another boom and bust of Appalachia's resources.  It happens time and time again: Seek, Destroy, Leave.  It isn't too bad for the ones who come in, make the money and then go home.  But, what about those of us who have to stare at the destruction for the rest of our natural lives?  Do you know what it is like to wake up and the first thing you see is orange water, clear-cuts or wind farms?

It is a hollow feeling, deep in your gut.  The feeling comes from the fact that you will never see the land and water as it once was and was meant to be.  Wake up West Virginia and the rest of the Appalachian region, before it is too late.  Damage to our region will be irreversible and beyond our imagination.  Remember also that isn't bad if you don't have to look at it for the rest of your life.  When water quality is gone: So is Life.

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