You are the mayor of a rural Pennsylvaniatown above the Marcellus Shale. Some of yourtown’s residents are eager to have jobs they believe thathydraulic fracturing for shale gas will bring. Others arefearful that leaks of methane and fracking fluids fromdrilling shafts could contaminate the water supply. Someof your town’s landowners are looking forward to receivingpayments from the gas company for use of their land,whereas others dread the prospect of noise and pollution.If the company receives too much local oppositionin your town it says it will drill elsewhere instead. Whatinformation would you seek from the gas company, fromyour state regulators, and from scientists and engineersbefore deciding whether support for hydraulic fracturingis in the best interest of your town? How would youmake your decision? How might you try to address thediverse preferences of your town’s residents?
You are the mayor of a rural Pennsylvania
town above the Marcellus Shale. Some of your
town’s residents are eager to have jobs they believe that
hydraulic fracturing for shale gas will bring. Others are
fearful that leaks of methane and fracking fluids from
drilling shafts could contaminate the water supply. Some
of your town’s landowners are looking forward to receiving
payments from the gas company for use of their land,
whereas others dread the prospect of noise and pollution.
If the company receives too much local opposition
in your town it says it will drill elsewhere instead. What
information would you seek from the gas company, from
your state regulators, and from scientists and engineers
before deciding whether support for hydraulic fracturing
is in the best interest of your town? How would you
make your decision? How might you try to address the
diverse preferences of your town’s residents?
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