Archive: Opinions

I wasn't going to write two editorials in a row about hydrofracking.  But one of the images presented at Wednesday's meeting really threw me in a way I don't think the presenters entirely intended.  It was an aerial view of a familiar part of Lansing, the part with the mall and the airport, with multi-drill gas pads photoshopped in.

I was definitely suggestible.  Only a week ago I watched a new TV show called 'Falling Skies', a bad rip-off of H. G. Wells' 'War of the Worlds'.  So the picture of the drill pads looked like invading alien space ships perched among the places I go to and see all the time, and that bizarrely fictional image made fracking in Lansing real to me.

I have to back up -- I believe we should be mining our natural resources instead of paying other nations who hate us to mine theirs.  I believe our national security would be improved, our world standing would be significantly different, and gas prices would still be low if we tapped our own incredibly vast resources.

I also believe that when we do that it has to be safely done.  There are plenty of relatively unpopulated areas in the United States that make sense for oil and gas exploration if it is done right.  Even here there are probably laws and procedures that could make drilling safe.

The problem is that our state hasn't done enough to get the facts and implement laws and licensing procedures that would come closest to insuring that 1) drilling does not negatively impact local municipalities and 2) that the people who make the money from drilling are the ones who pay for the impact they have on these communities.  Another problem is that there are too few facts, so governments fon't have good information on which to base regulation.

In 2006 I visited Elkendale Farm, just over Lansing's northern border, where a gas drill was operating.  It was interesting to see what was basically a drill on wheels in a rectangle of dirt.  I noticed the noise, but the owner said it wasn't that noticeable on a dairy farm.  I imagine it would be more noticeable closer to a residential area.  At the time I wasn't thinking about residual impacts like truck traffic, water contamination, and all.  I was a tourist and the drill was something to see, like the world's largest ball of string, though more relevant and less amusing.

So it seemed at the time that drill was OK, if not a patriotic contribution to the general welfare and a potential early retirement for the farmer.

After Wednesday's session I think I have more actual facts, and I still think those facts can be used to create a balance between our need for natural gas ad oil and regulating and mitigating the potential negative impacts they can bring.  That's the thing.  The emotion and hyperbole that comes with the fracking issue does nothing to protect us.  Getting facts and acting based on them does.  Drilling isn't inherently evil, and neither are the people who oppose it.

But now I can't get that alien spaceship image out of my head.  Those aliens didn't like us, and they weren't thinking about what is best for the residents of Tompkins County or preserving our resources.

One of the points that presenter Art Pearce made Wednesday is that because Lansing isn't a prime target for immediate drilling it leaves us time to get more facts and do what it takes to make drilling safer for the town by the time it finally does become feasible for the drilling companies to come here.

That makes a lot of sense to me.  Development happens whether you want it or not.  The idea for municipalities is to plan for it so it happens in a way that is most beneficial to the town.  The same idea can be applied to hydrofracking and one hopes that would lead to good results.  Plan ahead, be prepared.

While we're at it, though, I think Lansing should also put regulations in place to handle malevolent aliens from outer space.  Because I can't get that image out of my head, and now I'm worried.

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