One Big Fracking Debate
One Big Fracking Debate The on-line New Scientist included a January 11, 2012 post of Fracking Risk is Exaggerated,” http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn21341-fracking-risk-is-exaggerated.html. In brief, a British geologist said that the concerns about toxic leaks and induced earthquakes were overblown. The quoted geologist said that methane deposits are deep underground and the leaks into groundwater would usually be small. Furthermore, there is already natural methane contamination of a number of existing wells. As far as earthquakes, these would be minor shakes comparable to those caused by subterranean coal mining. That led Townhall.com columnist John Ransom to opine, “Scientists Discover Gassy Liberal Pseudo-Science,” at http://finance.townhall.com/columnists/johnransom/2012/01/21/scientists_discover_gassy_liberal_pseudoscience. Ransom went on to comment on errors in Al Gore’s, An Inconvenient Truth and in Gasland by Josh Fox. Ransom continues by suggesting that such po