Dear Shale Protestor,

I just returned from the front lines of the Shale War raging in New York State.  The battle lines have been redrawn in a really surprising way.

A study released by the Survey Research Institute at Cornell University in early June
http://www.scribd.com/doc/96295495/Report-2-2012-Natural-Gas-Drilling revealed that the strongest objection to shale development comes from those who live in fringe urban areas around communities like Ithaca, Rochester or Syracuse.  People who go to the city for work, but come home to the country for rest, perceive that they will bear the disruption of shale development while receiving few of the benefits.

They and their political representatives keep throwing up environmental and health arguments to delay or stop shale.  It seems that technical research and analysis, plus years of field experience in Pennsylvania’s rural areas, which are most similar to New York’s, are not enough to prove that shale can be developed safely.  There’s always something else to worry about and another objection  -- invariably life threatening and cancer causing -- that must be addressed.

It also seems that these people believe that other forms of energy are right around the corner. 

On the other side are landowners and rural communities located too far from the city for work who cannot develop their mineral rights and provide the economic benefits of doing so for themselves and their communities.  They perceive themselves being oppressed by people one rung up the economic ladder. 

Increasingly this struggle boils down to class warfare.  Right now it feels like the losers are the country folk.  Or to put it another way, those who make their living with their hands are getting beat by those who make their living with words.  Natural gas would be the great equalizer, but those who don't want any change and benefit from low wages in depressed rural economies are dominating the discussion.

Yesterday a group of strong-willed women, and their men, stepped forward to change that.   It’s a group who come from all walks of life.  They understand how vital inexpensive energy is to family budgets.  From first hand experience they know that not developing shale means paying higher prices for fuel and electricity, losing their kids to better jobs in other states and in some cases even losing the family farm.  

Calling themselves the Women’s Energy Leadership Coalition (WELC), they came together in Albany yesterday for the first time.  Volunteers, not industry shills as the opposition derisively labels them, they know that shale can be developed safely because it is already being done. Their stories are captured in a film called, Silent No More.  Just like modern day sufragettes, they donned sashes inscribed with the words of the film as they marched to the capitol to give voice to their cause.  

These people represent the 17,000 rural families who own 800,000 acres of shale land.  

Every one of them wants it developed safely.  

They also want it developed now. 

Till Next Time,

Energy Mom

New York City