What The Frack Is Going On Here?

by Paul Driessen - October 1st, 2011 - TownHall.com

Hydraulic fracturing sends “huge volumes of toxic fluids” deep underground at high pressure, to fracture shale rock and release natural gas, Food & Water Watch claims. “Billions of gallons of toxic fluids” will “contaminate” groundwater and drinking water “for generations.” We need to “Ban Fracking Now.”

Environmentalists used to support “clean natural gas.” Whence the intolerant new attitude?

It never ceases to frustrate me that environmentalists simply will not look at the long term picture. Even if they were right that we will shortly run out of cheap energy (which is hardly credible given their track record) the reality is that we can convert to the expensive energies they so adore at some future time and be much better off. What logic is there in using the more expensive energies now? To save the cheap energy? What does that accomplish?

A more rational approach would be to use cheap energy while we have it to build a thriving economy so we can afford the more expensive energy when we have to go to it. This is especially true since it is probable that the cheap energy might last 1,000 years or more. Just how far into the future do they think it is rational to look?

Even worse though, solar and wind are part time energy and thus truly ignorant sources of energy whether that is today or 1,000 years from now. Nuclear and fuel cells are much better alternatives for the two dominant types of energy needs, fixed base and mobile vehicles. It is wishful thinking to believe that subsidizing stupid sources of energy from taxes on our citizens will somehow mean they are not really outrageously expensive.

It is time for stupid government bureaucrats, encouraged by ignorant environmentalists, to stop trying to pick winners in the future energy race. It is also time for them to stop banning intelligent cheap sources of energy to force their delusions on the rest of us right now.