Monday, May 24, 2010

Marcellus Shale: Professor Dan Volz Challenges Boom Town Sales Pitch

University of Pittsburgh Professor Dan Volz challenges the "boom town" sales pitch for natural gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale- a model that claims the benefits far outweigh the risks.
"Much is said about the benefits of drilling in the Marcellus Shale," Volz said. "But none of the cost-benefit analyses touted by the gas industry and government take into account what is known as 'public goods'- like impacts on air and water."
Dr. Volz is Assistant Professor of Environmental and Occupational Health at the Graduate School of Public Health at the University of Pittsburgh. He is also Director for the Center for Healthy Environments and Communities there.

Volz's point was illustrated in a recent "Energy Report" published by The Wall Street Journal (May 10, 2010). The cover essay is titled, "How Shale Gas Is Going to Rock the World," by Amy Myers Jaffe. Her analysis of shale gas runs more than 2,000 words, yet "environmental risk" is dismissed in 129 words, as observed by Spectra Energy Watch.

Visit Spectra Energy Watch  which inspired this blog post.

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