A recent (March 4) USA Today Network Pennsylvania editorial arrogantly dismisses independent science while cheering on the Delaware River Basin Commission’s recently enacted natural gas development ban.
That politically motivated vote defies common sense, sound science, and is a grave blow to constitutionally protected private property rights. Actions like this lead to higher energy prices for American consumers and a deeper dependence on foreign nations to fuel our economy.
When the facts aren’t on one’s side, creating false choices is a commonly deployed defense or redirection tactic. In this case, the paper frames a very complex set of issues as a choice between energy development and protecting our water resources “for our children and grandchildren.”
Natural gas development in Pennsylvania is rigorously regulated and carried out in the safest possible manner. Consider research from top universities like Penn State, for example, discovering water quality actually improved in areas with significant shale development. Or an analysis from researchers at Duke (commissioned by the Natural Resource Defense Council) finding “no indication of groundwater contamination over the three-year course of study.”
We believe policy should be built off sound findings like these — ones that follow a clear-eyed methodology and recognize objective results.
At a recent Oval Office meeting focused on job growth with labor union leaders — whose skilled and hardworking members play an essential role in advancing the natural gas industry’s progress — President Biden said that “I’m all for natural gas.”
We hope that the president is indeed “all in” for clean-burning American natural gas, which will help ensure that the future for our children and grandchildren is safer, cleaner, and more prosperous. That’s a mission we want to get behind.
Dave Callahan is president of the Pittsburgh-based Marcellus Shale Coalition. Visit MarcellusCoalition.org to learn more.
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