This page was last updated on January 7, 2013.
The beginning of the end?; Alex Yawor; Beaver County Times; January 4, 2013.
Mr. Yawor wrote at least 38 letters since 2005. Some of Mr. Yawor’s previous letters attempted to bash then-President Bush regarding Iraq and Iran, and then-VP Cheney regarding his hunting accident. In a July 2006 letter, Mr. Yawor implied if you supported our action in Iraq, you were “eager to send our young to die in Iraq.” Two of Mr. Yawor’s letters tried to elevate Jimmy Carter (here and here). The last Yawor letter I critiqued was entitled “Beware those in the background.”
Below is a detailed critique of the subject letter.
“The other day, while watching TV, I saw one of the drilling companies say in their commercial that this is just the beginning. Could it be just the beginning of them making millions of dollars, and maybe the end of some of us. [sic]”
[RWC] The drilling businesses are drilling out of the goodness of their hearts. <g> Why isn’t Mr. Yawor also griping about the landowners who lease their land for drilling? Aren’t they leasing their land to make money? If the landowners didn’t lease their land, the evil “drilling companies” couldn’t make “millions of dollars.”
“Some experts have said that there is a link between the drilling and earthquakes. So why are we giving a drilling company a permit to drill one mile from the atomic plant? Is making a few dollars for the county worth possibly the life of hundreds or maybe thousands of people here in the Valley? I don’t think so.”
[RWC] To the best of my knowledge, the issue is not about “drilling and earthquakes.” Some people believe the deep injection wells sometimes used to dispose of the hydrofracking fluid (mostly water) may cause small earthquakes. These wells are not necessarily located near the actual drilling sites. According to the EPA, “Widespread use of injection wells began in the 1930s to dispose of brine generated during oil production. Injection effectively disposed of unwanted brine, preserved surface waters, and in some formations, enhanced the recovery of oil. In the 1950s, chemical companies began injecting industrial wastes into deep wells. As chemical manufacturing increased, so did the use of deep injection. Injection was a safe and inexpensive option for the disposal of unwanted and often hazardous industrial byproducts.”
“I wonder how many people who own these companies are living in the area that they are drilling in.”
[RWC] Please read my critique of “Who is accountable?” for the rest of my comments.
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