Towanda Sunday Review Shows True Colors

Guest Editorial by Peacegirl
Any doubt as to whether or not the Towanda Sunday Daily Review supports gas drilling in Bradford County was put to rest this week. The Sunday editorial could have been written by a Chesapeake Energy spokesperson, bringing one-sided reporting to a new standard. This blatant plea to give the gas industry our utmost cooperation to help them achieve their goals was a disappointing sellout at best.

The Editor wrote:
"Firms do not get respected national reputations without sound, ethical business practices. That should not be lost in the cacophony of hysterical hearsay about what may or may not be happening with some of the many other natural gas exploration companies at work elsewhere in the country where conditions may well not be the same as here."

A "CACOPHONY OF HYSTERICAL HEARSAY?" THESE ARE THE WORDS CHOSEN TO DESCRIBE THE VOICES OF THOSE WHO OPPOSE GAS DRILLING OR AT THE VERY LEAST WANT MORE REGULATION AND OVERSIGHT. WITNESS THE OUTRIGHT DISMISSAL OF THE REPORTS FROM OTHER AREAS OF THE COUNTRY WHO HAVE SUFFERED IMMEASURABLE DAMAGE AND HEARTACHE, EVEN DEATH, AT THE HANDS OF THE GAS INDUSTRY. THE SUGGESTION THAT BRADFORD COUNTY'S DIRT, TREES, SHALE, AIR, AND PEOPLE ARE SOMEHOW VASTLY DIFFERENT FROM OTHER AREAS AND WILL BE IMMUNE TO THE DEVASTATION THAT HAS BEEN WELL-DOCUMENTED IN TEXAS, COLORADO, AND, YES, MORE RECENTLY IN HICKORY AND DIMOCK, PA., IS ABSURD.

The Editor concludes:

"Giving a reputable company the benefit of the doubt here could be a major step forward in cementing a relationship that will be mutually beneficial to the parties concerned, including the residents of the area. What's more, it may help establish a gold standard for other firms to follow. It's a win-win situation."

THIS PROMPTED MY READER RESPONSE:

" Chesapeake does not have a good reputation in Fort Worth, Texas. Far from it. Forget about trying to establish a mutually beneficial relationship. This is a business relationship. Get everything in writing, and insist on accountability. Watch Chesapeake like a hawk. Even if everything goes well, this is still a win-lose situation for the environment, for the health of our citizens, for clean air, for tourism, for fishing and hunting. We're all losers except for the few who will make money. And the history of the gas industry in Colorado, Texas, Utah, and now even in Pennsylvania already, is anything but ethical. Don't even go there. "

GOLD STANDARD? MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL? REPUTABLE? ETHICS? HONESTY? RESPECT? TRUST? These words and phrases should be reserved for occasions where they actually apply. The gas industry would not qualify.

There is no such thing as a win-win proposition here. Hydrofracking, gas extraction, injection wells, and pipelines are a win for the gas industry and perhaps a few local people who will make money. But as for the environment, our health, our water, our air, our agriculture, our animals, out pets, our hunting, our fishing, our birds, our recreation, our tourists, our forests, our property values, our taxes, our future, our children's future, THIS IS A LOSE-LOSE-LOSE-LOSE PROPOSITION.

Insanity has been defined as "doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result." Why should we expect Bradford County to be any different than all the other areas of the US who are now suffering greatly at the hands of the unregulated gas industry? These same people, inspite of their daily suffering, are trying to speak out and warn us. Are we going to listen to them? It's not looking good right now.

Well worth reading, especially the 16+ reader responses:
http://tinyurl.com/c3eqew

Bradford County residents are speaking out.