Fracking News (7/19/13)

Climate One

Earth Sciences, Social Sciences, Science, News, News Commentary

4.7 • 583 Ratings

🗓️ 26 July 2013

⏱️ 67 minutes

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Summary

Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is “the most profound [energy] revolution that we’ve had in decades,” said San Francisco Chronicle reporter David Baker. Thanks to fracking, natural gas is cheap and abundant. However, water contamination may prove to be a huge problem as monitoring efforts are “woefully inadequate,” therefore we don’t really know what’s happening, said ProPublica reporter Abrahm Lustgarten. “If you taint somebody’s drinking water, you have destroyed their property value... That should be a big warning sign to people that this is not something you can monkey around with,” Baker said. This conversation with two reporters attempts to explain the fine line between the profits and liabilities associated with hydraulic fracturing, the process of injecting water or steam into shale rock at high pressure to extract petroleum or natural gas. David Baker, Reporter, San Francisco Chronicle Abrahm Lustgarten, Reporter, ProPublica This program was recorded in front of a live audience at The Commonwealth Club of California on July 19, 2013. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	How will we power our future? Can we create a healthy and clean economy?
0:05.0	Climate One at the Commonwealth Club is at the forefront of the global debate about energy, economy, and the environment.
0:11.4	Bringing together the brightest and most provocative leaders of our time,
0:15.2	Climate One is the place where big ideas get heard.
0:18.2	With thoughtful and insightful discussions on policy, business, science, and culture,
0:22.7	Climate One founder Greg Dalton gets to the heart of the matter. It's our future. It's time to come together.
0:29.2	On Climate One today, we're discussing hydraulic fracturing for oiling natural gas. The injection of water or steam into shale at high pressure, a process known as fracking,
0:38.9	is driving a boom in the United States of natural gas to generate electricity and oil to move cars and trucks.
0:45.6	Increased supply of natural gas has fundamentally changed the energy, the politics, and energy in America and economics,
0:52.7	undercutting the price of electricity powered by coal, nuclear, and renewable sources.
0:57.0	But fracking, which is mostly associated with drilling for natural gas, is highly controversial.
1:03.0	Proponents say it can be done safely and responsibly with proper government oversight and company disclosure.
1:09.7	Critics say fracking is not regulated adequately and is contaminating groundwater with toxic chemicals.
1:15.6	I'm Greg Dalton, and over the next hour, we'll talk about fracking in California and around the country
1:20.0	with our live audience here at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco.
1:23.9	We're pleased to be joined by two reporters covering fracking for gas and oil.
1:28.7	David Baker has written about energy for the San Francisco Chronicle since 2004.
1:33.5	His reporting has covered nuclear, wind, and solar power, and offshore oil drilling.
1:38.7	Abram Luskarton is a reporter for ProPublica, an online investigative news organization.
1:43.7	His investigation of fracking for natural
1:45.5	gas received an award for Best Energy Writing from the National Press Foundation, and his reporting
1:51.1	on BP in the Deepwater Horizon tragedy was nominated for an Emmy. Please welcome them to Climate
	...

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