On April 22, people around the world gathered for Earth Day. The annual celebration is used historically as an opportunity to raise environmental awareness and get people involved in the effort to preserve our glorious planet. In 2017, environmentalists throughout the United States used the opportunity to stage a “March for Science.” The various parades, protests, and the like were executed with the implicit understanding that science isn’t a factor for the US government when considering environmental policy.
And while the “March for Science” was an all-inclusive criticism of federal policy, one of the chief areas of concern was the US government’s continued support for hydraulic fracturing. Of course, those people marching in support of science are overlooking some pretty important facts in their pursuit of “knowledge.”
Natural Gas is Replacing Coal
In spite of recent efforts by the Trump administration to help preserve the nation’s coal-industry jobs, coal is on its way out. The environmentally hazardous means of extracting power from the planet is being supplanted by fracking, a means of energy production that is cleaner, and more energy-efficient.
Carbon Monoxide Levels are Plummeting
Things are getting better every year. Thanks to initiatives created within the oil and gas industry, extraction has become a much safer, cleaner process. In the last 20 years, carbon monoxide levels have dropped 72 percent and overall water quality has also improved.
There’s No Evidence that Fracking is Harmful to the Environment
In spite of what most anti-frackers would have you believe, there’s no legitimate scientific data that calls fracking harmful to the environment. For example, claims that fracking contaminates water supplies are unfounded and have been proven so by the EPA. Twice.
Shale Saves Americans Millions of Dollars a Year
Fracking is a means of supporting our appetite for energy safely right now. Thanks to the abundance of shale underneath the United States, hydraulic fracturing can confidently supply natural gas for years to come, and because it’s extracted domestically, the average American saves as much as $1000 a year thanks to hydraulic fracturing.
Hickenlooper and the ‘March for Science’
Let’s be clear, here. The “March for Science” wasn’t designed to raise awareness; it was designed to change minds. Those people participating in the march didn’t seem interested in learning. They seemed interested in proving to the world exactly how right (and passionate) they are. That much was obvious when, in Colorado, a group of protestors drowned out a speech from John Hickenlooper with chants of: “Hickenlooper, don’t frack our future.”
Hickenlooper, a man who has proven time and again that he is absolutely ready to stop fracking as soon as their is a clear public mandate, was at the Denver Earth Day celebration to praise protestors for standing up for their beliefs and working to something good for the environment.
Instead, his call to action was drowned out by a self-righteous crowd of people with megaphones and zero desire to engage in a real conversation.