Another Misleading Story About “Low” Fracked Gas Prices

The gas industry is pushing stories celebrating the so called “low” price of fracked gas and of course, mainstream corporate media is predictably eager to cheerlead and write the story of lower energy bills next winter

(but what will electric bills do this summer during a heat wave? What does climate science say about how 90 – 100+ degree extreme heat days will become more frequent and severe? What are the heath effects associated with that? What about the costs of all that? Oh, but I’m getting ahead of myself here).

This “good news” is all part of the industry’s divisive political campaign to pit consumers and policymakers against those who oppose fracking.

Another page out of the “too cheap to meter” playbook used to promote nuclear power – as if all that mattered in life was your monthly electric bill.

But, given high regard for NJ Spotlight’s issue oriented coverage, I was surprised this morning to read their unqualified bandwagon story too, see:

• Increased Supply Expected to Help Ease Cost of Heating With Gas This Winter

Significant issues and costs were left out of that story, so I posted this brief comment:

Ask the people in Pennsylvania whose wells have been contaminated, air polluted, wildlife poisoned, farms lost, and natural landscape destroyed if they think the cost of fracked gas is low.

Or the local governments that have to pay for the damage to roads and bridges from the drilling rig traffic.

Or all the guys who are out of work in the solar and wind industries, as artificially low prices of gas have undermined investments in renewable energy.

Or the economists who work on quantifying “market failure” and “external costs” associated with economic impacts that are not included in the “low price of gas” – you know, stuff like air and water pollution, respiratory diseases and other pollution related health effects, destruction of irreplaceable rural landscapes, and global warming.

Small potatoes like that.

When do we get coverage of all THAT?

If we did, perhaps BPU regulators and consumers might think twice about the glories of artificially cheap fossil fuels.