My analysis of Romney's 5 point plan (some people think it's publication worthy!)

[PeterMP]

that seems strange,but perhaps wealth is not a problem there

it certainly seems to be a hit out San Antonio way and in ND,even in E Texas my cousins are happy as a pig in a peach orchard.

For what it is worth, I have in-laws that live out in the fracking area of PA, and they say it is mostly out of state people (TX) that have the fracking jobs, and they don't respect the local(s) culture, area, businesses, land, or people. They aren't permanent residents and many of them live in trailers and regularly go "home".

I've been told, that one of them even told my brother in law that they'll get out all of the NG out in the next decade or so and then be gone, and if they trash the area they don't care.

And that's from somebody that is completely apolitical (i.e. doesn't vote at all).

Take it for what it is worth.

And in that part of PA wealth is an issue.

[twa]

http://www.northcentralpa.com/feeditem/2012-10-24_new-ihs-study-american-shale-gas-boosting-job-creation-0

if you say so, they are begging for workers out in the Eagle Ford play, gonna be drilling there for a while....send them boys home

http://www.forbes.com/sites/christopherhelman/2012/06/04/bakken-bazhenov-shale-oil/

Meet The Oil Shale Eighty Times Bigger Than The Bakken

[LadySkinsFan]

My aunt, who lives near the fracking area in PA, told me that she and one of my cousins went up to the family hunting lodge and it's barren around there and all the animals are gone, either they left or they are killed. Also, no more fishing in the trout stream and the wells are all poisoned.

Yep, fracking is a darn good idea, except for the people and wildlife who actually live there.

[Elessar78]

that seems strange,but perhaps wealth is not a problem there

it certainly seems to be a hit out San Antonio way and in ND,even in E Texas my cousins are happy as a pig in a peach orchard.

Well, my theory is that profits are leaving the state/area. For example, Range Resources big driller/fracker here is based out of Houston. I'd characterize what they have here as a skeleton operation and transient. So a lot of it is leaving the area or not translating into business for a big segment of the population. It's not like they're opening a Neiman-Marcus here to address the influx of wealth.

---------- Post added October-25th-2012 at 08:52 PM ----------

http://www.northcentralpa.com/feeditem/2012-10-24_new-ihs-study-american-shale-gas-boosting-job-creation-0

if you say so, they are begging for workers out in the Eagle Ford play, gonna be drilling there for a while....send them boys home

http://www.forbes.com/sites/christopherhelman/2012/06/04/bakken-bazhenov-shale-oil/

Meet The Oil Shale Eighty Times Bigger Than The Bakken

I know, it's weird. Maybe it's just here in my area (Marcellus Shale covers a lot of real estate) but I'm involved in local politics here (not in any official capacity) and we just don't see the glut of jobs that the media is talking about. Like PeterMP said, it's not locals getting the jobs. And local officials have been spooked and to some degree sold out the constituency by not getting enough out of the drilling companies. Yes, it's unsavory to tax business but they dangled "job creation into the area" that never materialized. PA, if estimates are true, has a ton of natural gas, but, IMO, it should be used to enrich Pennsylvania and not Texas or Louisiana. It should make energy and derivative materials from the gas cheap so we can create industry in PA. So far, not so much.

Now, I'm afraid, as a country we'll have more energy but PA and the other Marcellus states will experience a diluted effect of what this resource should have brought us.

LSF, I'm sorry to say but we've seen none of that here. My friends and family own farmland from which they're extracting and there's none of that. I think WHEN THEY WANT TO the drilling companies can be very very careful. WHEN THEY WANT TO.

My buddy is big into fly fishing the streams in the wilds of PA and he's part of a group that collects water samples from streams to test for evidence of fracking fluid or other chems seeping into the watershed—I'll have to ask him what the word is on that.

[LadySkinsFan]

Thanks Elessar! The county is Lycoming. Up the Loyalsock from Williamsport.

[Koolblue13]

Thanks Elessar! The county is Lycoming. Up the Loyalsock from Williamsport.

I remember they had to shut the entire watershed around Allentown and Bethlehem down because of tainted water.

[LadySkinsFan]

The Loyalsock drains into the Susquehana River.

Back in the spring when I talked to my aunt and uncle, uncle (the Dittohead) was very happy, said it was helping the local economy, jobs, etc. Now after aunt and cousin see what's it's actually doing to the area, at least aunt knows the true story now. Fracking is destructive.

[twa]

Fracking is destructive.

The EPA says it is not when done properly, but it is up to ya'll

we've been fracking and drilling forever down here and will sell ya the results if you don't want to use yours

[PeterMP]

The EPA says it is not when done properly, but it is up to ya'll

we've been fracking and drilling forever down here and will sell ya the results if you don't want to use yours

With respect to water, the EPA says it isn't clear and that more studies in more geographical areas need to be done and that any sort of universal statement (i.e. it can be done safely everywhere independent of the geography of the area) is premature.

The EPA says it is bad for air quality.

Multiple sources says it increases small earthquakes that will have unknown long term consequences.