Saturday, June 25, 2011

Well, where are all those 'jobs' the industry was supposed to create in PA?

Marcellus Shale Boom Adds Less Than 10,000 Pa. Jobs
HARRISBURG, PA (June 21, 2011) - Keystone Research Center
http://keystoneresearch.org/media-center/press-releases/marcellus-shale-boom-adds-less-10000-pa-jobs

Suspected Illegal Immigrants Worked for Gas Company (June 24, 2011) - WNEP News 16
http://www.wnep.com/wnep-lyc-suspected-illegal-immigrants-worked-for-gas-company-20110624,0,2956971.story

The Actual Contribution of Marcellus Shale to Pennsylvania Job Growth (June 20, 2011)
http://keystoneresearch.org/sites/keystoneresearch.org/files/Drilling-Deeper-into-Jobs-Claims-6-20-2011_0.pdf

Let's see...
-There's no documented case of ground water contamination from gas drilling.
(Thanks to the arbitration clause in the leases and the non-disclosure people have to sign to get anything. Also, learn the difference between the legal definition of contamination and the practical definition. They're not the same thing.)

- The drilling process is completely safe. We only use water and sand (and maybe a few chemicals... only because you asked), and you'll never even know we're here. It's just a little green 'firehydrant' in the field.
(A 'few chemicals' is 50,000 to 90,000 gallons of toxic chemicals used for each frack job, you will know they're here even if you never venture out of the house because you'll notice the noise and the smell, and that little 'firehydrant' will be surrounded by more wells, condensate tanks, water containment, possible compressor stations, pipeline infrastructure, and methane vents/flares.)

- People who lease their land will become wealthy and it will increase your property value!
(Some people who have 100+ acres may actually get some real money. Statistically 3 to 5% of people who lease thier land for this type of development make some money. The rest usually lose in the long run. For most people, the signing 'bonus' is the most they'll ever see, and their property will become worthless because: a) banks and mortgage companies don't want to approve a mortgage on, or near an industrial site, b) no one in their right mind would want to live anywhere near an industrial zone of this magnitude if they didn't have to. c) if your property was a recreational investment property... you might as well turn off the utilities, walk away, and let it go for taxes.)

-Natural gas is a 'clean' alternative to coal and oil.
(It just spews methane into the atmosphere which is a more potent greenhouse gas then CO2, and it's a 'dirtier' fuel source when examined in it's entire life-cycle)

-It will get us off foreign oil and make us energy independent.
(It will make us dependent on natural gas that is predominantly owned by foreign countries, and we'll be exporting it through companies like Cheniere because it's more profitable for company shareholders)

*Now we can add this to the list of misinformation and industry lies.
-The natural gas industry will create hundreds of thousands of jobs in PA and transform our economy!
(It will transform the economy indeed by destroying tourism, forestry, agriculture, and the hardwood industry costing PA more permanent jobs than the gas industry could ever create)

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