The Rev. John Burkhart questions our need for fracking at the Times Tribune of Corbin, KY:
“Look before you leap” is being overlooked. Today’s avaricious quest for energy overshadows caution and even rational behavior. Due to the probability that the fracking procedure for accessing natural gas and oil causes earthquakes and pollutes the earth’s aquifers, France and Bulgaria have already banned fracking.
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The terms ruthless, careless and greedy are all needed to describe the present “Gold rush” for the earth’s limited deposits of precious energy. Perfecting the fracking procedure has released an avalanche of entrepreneurial efforts to quench the insatiable energy thirst of the world. A big-buck opportunity has dawned.
This headlong and headstrong frenzy to be on the sub-ground floor of a new monetary bonanza, reminds me of the shameful scars of our American industrial revolution. Millions of impoverished immigrants fresh off the boats from Europe, desperate for employment, were promptly enslaved. These abused millions literally lost their lives seeking life — “I sold my soul to the company store.” These millions purchased millionaire status for a few.
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