Public relations masquerades as public education, and “If you let them drill, you’re finished. It’s that simple.”
Jerry Lobdill, Fort Worth, Texas, writes:
“Public Education”, indeed! We know a lot about that here in Texas. We have the Barnett Shale Energy Education Council (BSEEC) here. Its director is a Ph. D. in economics who made a mint working for Enron before coming to the BS. He also thinks he looks good impersonating Yul Brynner. He is the Grover Norquist of gas drilling here. Funded lavishly by industry (who all have similarly non-technical PR types in top management) he creates the talking points of the week for industry and appears everywhere the media shows up. Yesterday he was on a right-wing radio talk show in the DFW area blowing his blue smoke.
Chesapeake has another PR guy who is the front man for their propaganda machine here. He looks awfully sharp in his $1000 suit yukking it up with City Council members and the City Attorney.
To be fair, these folks may not be aware of the fact that what money men at the very top tell them to say is not true and is laced with many lies that are designed to grow the cancer they bring to the people. We know that these “educators” have no degree in petroleum engineering, geology, chemical engineering, physics, pipeline engineering, environmental science, or any other field that was involved in designing and implementing the methods being used in these shale plays.
But, that’s enough fairness–maybe too much. How do these people sleep at night? Sorry. That presumes that they are not sociopaths. Oh, maybe some of them were brought up to ride for the brand. Deal with cognitive dissonance like a man. If you work for a man, work for him. You know–that kind of thinking.
The fact is, we don’t need any more blue smoke. With the mentality we see them demonstrating here, if you let them drill, you’re finished. It’s that simple.
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In response to article in The Times Leader (Scranton, Pennsylvania)
http://www.timesleader.com/news/Gas_drilling_meeting_draws_lots_of_interest _ 02-05-2010.html
February 5
On WVIA show, members of industry admit not telling public about methods.
By Rory Sweeney
PITTSTON TWP. – Members of the gas-drilling industry acknowledged on Thursday evening a failure to inform the public about their procedures, and the audience at the WVIA call-in show reminded them of that often.
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