This page was last updated on January 10, 2011.
Gas extraction puts profits first; Stephen F. Kislock, III; Beaver County Times; January 9, 2011.
Most of Mr. Kislock’s 58+ letters over the last six years have been Republican-bashing exercises, though he sometimes goes after Democrats for his pet causes. Sometime during 2009 Mr. Kislock became an in-house commentator for Beaver County Reds. Please follow this link to learn more about Beaver County Reds.
Below is a detailed critique of the subject letter.
“The article ‘Troubled waters’ is a perfect example of profits before people. Some will get very rich from the Marcellus shale gas extraction, and some will die from the fracking chemicals in their water.”
[RWC] I did not find the subject article on the Times website so I can’t comment on it.
“Pennsylvania’s new governor is hell bent on letting any company come in, take the natural gas for free and leave a path of death and destruction in its wake.”
[RWC] On what basis does Mr. Kislock make this assertion?
“[T]ake the natural gas for free?” Mr. Kislock apparently would like us to forget the gas companies pay the property/mineral rights owners for leases to drill on their land.
“Who drinks our water? People and wildlife. What swims in our waters? Fish and people. Kiss this goodbye.
“If fracking chemicals are allowed unabated into our waterways, with the saliently of three times our oceans, all we will have left are dead rivers and streams.”
[RWC] I’ll go out on a limb and assume Mr. Kislock meant “salinity,” not “saliently.”
As you read Mr. Kislock’s apocalyptic world of gas drilling, keep in mind he gets upset when he believes others resort to fear mongering.
“For all those that wanted smaller government, here is but one example for you. But don’t try to make tea with this water.”
[RWC] Mr. Kislock appears not to have a clue what limited government means.
“Interstate transportation of toxic chemicals? Today, our neighbor to the west, Ohio, is sending a death sentence to the water supply of Pennsylvania. It is sending toxic chemicals across borders. Is this legal?
“Forget hunting and fishing in Pennsylvania.”
[RWC] More fear mongering.
As I’ve written previously, companies harvesting our natural resources must do so in a responsible manner and must have the financial and technological wherewithal to handle worst-case scenarios. It is government’s responsibility to enforce these rules and to make sure everyone involved [businesses and government (local, state, federal)] is prepared (via drills, for example) to execute disaster plans. That’s not what this letter is really about, however.
This letter is about the religion of manmade global warming. Knowing the manmade global warming myth is increasingly falling on deaf ears, followers of this faith are trying to use safety, water quality, etc. as backdoors to stop drilling and production of Marcellus natural gas. You can find other examples here and here. As this letter, a Beaver County Reds member (secretary) wrote the second example.
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