FRACKING > FRACKING

Just a three-legged dog living through an unnatural disaster!

I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again: fracking is more than fracking. There’s a whole lot more involved than just the process of hydraulic fracturing, and humans should be wary of the words they use– and hear! Today’s post is a suggestion on how to clarify what you mean by “fracking” if someone insists that fracking, per se, is safe.

No doubt, there is utility of using the catch-all word “fracking” to represent all of natural gas development. However, shale gas exploration backers and frackers will no doubt claim, “There’s never been a case of groundwater contamination from fracking” until the cows come home.

Hidden in their claim are two important words— in italics above. Anti-frackers will jump up and state, “Oh, yes there has!” Here’s a suggestion for how to elaborate on that retort:

Say that fracking is more than just fracking. Point out how you recognize that it is the site planning, excavation, drilling, casing, cementing, and perforating which come before the actual hydraulic fracturing which each contribute a unique jeopardy for ground and surface water contamination. Explain that you cannot frack a well that is not associated with those development and preparation activities.

If you must, go into the descriptions of how truck activity and pipeline activity also do their due diligence in changing our countryside and polluting our environment. At some point in time, the pro-gas developers will eventually realize that fracking is more than just fracking.

The hollow argument focused on the single “fracking” portion of the larger process of shale gas development will eventually collapse… but only if the public realizes that fracking is more than fracking, and only if this is pointed out Rover and Rover.

The fact of the matter is that no single part of shale gas development is without serious flaw. I’m still a lost dog when it comes to figuring out why on Earth gas companies try to defend the indefensible– especially with such obviously faulty construction of language! Even a dog knows that fracking is more than fracking!

I bet they think I believe freshwater  is really “fresh,” too!