Look Before You Leap Off the Natural Gas Bridge: Lessons from the Rockies
This five-part presentation by our Director of Economics, Pete Morton, provides a cautionary tale for those proposing to increase natural gas drilling – based on the lessons learned from the recent natural gas drilling boom in the Rockies.
Review of The Wilderness Society’s Energy Research
The Wilderness Society scientists have promoted both the protection of wildlands and responsible development of natural gas where appropriate. Efforts include the development of GIS mapping methods to assess the quantities of undiscovered, economically recoverable oil and natural gas, spatial analysis of the fragmentation of wildlife habitat from drilling, economic analysis on speculation in the oil and natural gas markets, and TWS experts testifying in Congress to explain the costs and benefits from natural gas drilling.
Economics 101
While some natural gas lobbyists complain about the costs of renewable energy, they hypocritically cite estimates of natural gas supply that completely ignore the high costs associated with extracting unconventional natural gas. Aside from this, there are hidden costs associated with drilling, including air and water pollution, decline of recreational benefits, and loss in biodiversity.
A Look Back at the Bush Drilling Boom in the Rockies
During the Bush Administration, millions of acres of public lands in the Rockies were targeted for natural gas drilling. The change in the landscape is dramatic, with road networks built to service the natural gas fields, destroying and fragmenting wildlife habitat and threatening the tourism industry. Rifle, CO and Pinedale, WY are a few examples of boomtowns that had to deal with increases crime rate, more wear and tear on local infrastructure, and upward pressure on local wages and housing costs.
A Continued Emphasis on Domestic Drilling for Natural Gas is an Inefficient and Short-sighted Energy and Climate Policy
As a result of extensive domestic drilling in the past, the U.S. has a “mature” oil and natural gas resource base. Our remaining domestic oil and natural gas are expensive to extract. Natural gas is a non-renewable fossil fuel resource that increases greenhouse gas emissions when extracted and consumed.
