The surge in fracked gas is headed for export and won't
boost the nation's energy independence.
Big Oil’s frackers are
wrapping their shameless profiteering in our flag.
In shale fields across
the country, you’ll see fracking rigs festooned with Old Glory, and they even
paint some of their rigs red, white, and blue.
This ostentatious
patriotic pose is part of the industry’s cynical PR campaign to convince you
and me that its assault on our health, water, air, and economic future should
be mindlessly saluted, rather than questioned.
“Energy Independence! ” is their deafening cry. The so-called shale gas boom, they proclaim, will free America from dependence on foreign producers.
This Fourth of July,
can you sing “Oh say can you see through the frackers’ big lie”?
Joel Dyer, editor of
the Boulder, Colorado Weekly, has peeked behind their-star
spangled curtain. The investigative digger uncovered what he called “one of the biggest scams ever perpetrated on America.”
Far from independence,
we’re going to get the pollution — while foreigners take the energy. The gas extracted from our fractured land is
destined for export. How do we know that?
First, because the
industry and its government enablers admit it in their internal communications.
Second, guess who’s paying for the fracking of America?
Dyer cites reports by Bloomberg news that China has pumped $5.5 billion into
the U.S. drilling boom — not only so it can export the energy back to their
people, but especially so the Chinese can “redeploy the best U.S. practices and
technologies” back to China.
Other foreign
investors fracking us hail from Japan ($5 billion invested so far), India ($3.5
billion), France ($4.5 billion), as well as South Korea, the UK, and Norway.
Norway? Come on,
America — don’t let the profiteers wrap you up in our own flag. It’s the Fourth
of July — let’s rebel!
OtherWords columnist Jim Hightower is
a radio commentator, writer, and public speaker. He's also editor of the
populist newsletter, The
Hightower Lowdown. OtherWords.org