With national headlines ringing with negative news regarding
horizontal hydraulic fracturing[1],
it isn’t surprising that 70% of the Virginians who submitted a public comment
regarding the new management plan for the George Washington National Forest[2]
supported a ban on horizontal drilling for natural gas inside the forest.
The 6,700 comments were analyzed by Shenandoah Valley
Network and Land, Air, Water Stewardship Action Group.
The fracking ban itself would pertain to George Washington
National Forest’s 1 million acres. But because approximately half of the park
sits on top of the Marcellus shale formation,
Virginians opposing natural gas extraction inside the park may have a
protracted battle on their hands.[3]
With so much of our country’s lands being put under the
chopping block for natural gas extraction, one has to wonder whether “energy
independence” is all its “fracked” up to be, at least energy independence
predicated upon digging and drilling.
For now, Virginians have made it clear that our states’
treasures won’t be put under the environmental constraints that inevitably
follow horizontal hydraulic fracturing.
Energy independence or not, Virginia’s future isn’t for
sale.
[2]http://www.fs.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsinternet/!ut/p/c5/04_SB8K8xLLM9MSSzPy8xBz9CP0os3gjAwhwtDDw9_AI8zPwhQoY6IeDdGCqCPOBqwDLG-AAjgb6fh75uan6BdnZaY6OiooA1tkqlQ!!/dl3/d3/L2dJQSEvUUt3QS9ZQnZ3LzZfMjAwMDAwMDBBODBPSEhWTjBNMDAwMDAwMDA!/?ss=110808&navtype=forestBean&navid=091000000000000&pnavid=null&cid=null&ttype=main&pname=George/
[3]
Where there are large deposits of natural gas, there are large profits to be
made and powerful special interests who wish to gain. If Virginians do not
stand up and relentlessly fight for their public lands, they will lose them.
No comments:
Post a Comment