Friday, October 17, 2014

Few People Choose Clear Conscience over Greed

Alice Zinnes from Pennsylvania is one of disturbingly few mineral rights owners who chose a clear conscience over greed.

 She shares:

"I was offered a lease (I have about 7 acres) but refused it. I love my home, my land, my area, the animals, birds and fish living near me, and all living things on this planet. No matter how much money I would have been offered, I would never accept a lease to frack my land. Instead, I have been actively fighting against the abomination of fracking.

The more I learn about it, the more horrified I am that our government is allowing the destruction of our country, the contamination of our water, air and land, the onslaught of the strangest diseases, the loss of traditional jobs, the increase in greenhouse gas emissions, the spreading of silica dust... the list goes on and on.

In my opinion, the only reason fracking is being allowed in this country is that a few CEOs of the richest industries in the world are getting richer, and with their wealth, and the wealth of their companies, they are buying off our politicians. It's that simple".
Source: Pennsylvania Fracking: A History Of Shale Gas Drilling, As Told By The People Who Live There
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4 comments:

  1. ProfWAugust 18, 2015 at 1:28 PM

    Local officials can be "bought" in many ways: promise of increasing tax revenue, promise of a jobs boom for local citizen, promise of increasing economy (as, for example, restaurants and stores). These are powerful arguments that local officials find hard to resist. Only when the cons of O&G fracturing are exposed do local officials begin to think again about allowing such activity. Of course, in many places, state laws override local decisions. These state laws are put in place by O&G legislators.

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  2. ProfWAugust 18, 2015 at 1:42 PM

    As long as we are dependent upon carbon-based fuels, the o/g industry will hotly pursue o/g sources, and damn the consequences. The o/g industry is awash in cash and can spend crushing amounts of money on anything they like, and they like propaganda and compliant legislators and regulators. The answer is in clean energy, of course, such as air and solar power. We have to overcome the visual pollution and noise pollution of air fans, but that's in progress and will be successful.

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  3. ProfWAugust 18, 2015 at 1:45 PM

    Well, I refused MY mineral rights, so the Colorado o/g industry simply seized them (as allowed by Colorado law). Sure, I get puny royalties, but I donate them to worthy causes.

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  4. Frack City, USAAugust 18, 2015 at 8:48 PM

    Thanks for your comments. I too have not leased our mineral rights. How anyone with a conscience can go along with that is a mystery to me, especially when they know the site will be located near housing and schools! It shows that many people are motivated to make unethical choices because they are greedy.

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