A Few Thoughts on Fracking

We recently had a discussion about fracking at work, and my coworker Calvin had this to say about his experiences with fracking in Pennsylvania:

"I went to college in Mansfield PA, and have many friends still down in the area. The past few times I have gone back to what used to be a great, quiet, Pennsylvania town is now built up with hotels and has constant loud truck traffic. When sitting at the bar I used to frequent in college it was several trucks a minute going through town (oil trucks). Not to mention the devastation to the land.

I have a student who used to work for me here is Cortland who has been employed on and off again for the gas companies in PA. The treatment of employees, wildlife, and the land is unimaginable. Granted he was/is paid well when on a job, but when not (like now), he is collecting unemployment. He worked security for the pipeline. He said that they would not follow policies in place, and one example being killing animals that got in their way instead of being held up by following protocol. Another situation was that a lease with an owner stipulated that work needed to be done withing certain times. The gas company negotiated the times to build the pipeline by paying the land owner $1,000,000.

I understand some are in favor of fracking, but my position is firmly against it. Our biggest asset is the beauty of the land and tourism. Just my a highlight of some of the stories of what I am seeing and hearing. We need to think twice about the immediate gains."

This is our home, let's not frack it up.