Gas Drilling

I get a lot of flak, and generate a lot of ire, because I won't join the 'gas drilling in NY is going to kill us all and sink the planet once and for all' charade.  I mean I get a LOT of flak, I get totally harassed and even ostracized among the civilized folk, and the only reason I can pull it off is because our homes are that good that people keep buying them even though I'm rooting for the end of the earth, destruction of the world as we know it, poisoner of people and their pets, polluter of aquifers, organic farmland, vineyards and micro-brews.

But the bottom line is, I refuse to entomb myself in the campaign of fear being used to mobilize people. Sure, back in 2008-2010, gas drilling would have sucked because Big Gas wanted to have their way with us with no rules, checks or balances.  That would have sucked, and it was a stressful time indeed.

But those days are over, and nowhere would drilling gas be more regulated and controlled than NY State, after 5 years of successful grassroots concern.

Maybe it doesn't work or fit in Sullivan County, but to drive across the huge empty State of NY where property taxes, sales taxes, income taxes are the highest in the nation, where there is zero economic activity and not think we are smart enough to figure out a way to do it - well, my point is simple -  I think we are smart enough.

Try and find the local population between 25-35 - you can't because they leave because there is nothing here for them.  A community without youth is no community at all.

So my point is simple - I think we are smart enough to figure it out, and I don't appreciate the harm the anti-gas folks cause to the area with their fear-mongering.  It's their only tool, and they use it well past the point of believability - because once you don't fear it, then they have a problem.  

Call me an ogre - that's fine and dandy (especially since ogres are now made loveable since Shrek came on the stage), but I believe in 15 years NY State will have a dynamic gas harvesting industry (like many other states), a model for the nation and world, and it will be to the credit of those who fought to bring its dangers to light, and those who fought to not have those dangers be exaggerated.  Those who refuse to use their intelligence, savviness and sophistication to help bring it about in the smartest way will probably find themselves on the wrong side of history.