Grist Comment Feed en http://www.grist.org/article/why-unconventional-natural-gas-makes-the-2020-waxman-markey-target-so-damn-/ Mon, 15 Jun 2009 14:07:33 -0700 http://www.grist.org/article/why-unconventional-natural-gas-makes-the-2020-waxman-markey-target-so-damn-/1 Have you no soul?  Or have you simply missed all the recent articles, Congressional hearings, and state and federal bills about the water contamination nightmare that is hydraulic fracturing (required for unconventional natural gas extraction)?  Natural gas appears a reasonably priced alternative only as long as its environmental and public health costs are externalized.  Furthermore, any calculations of GHG emissions should take into account the entire life cycles of fuels; it is very misleading to evaluate fuel sources only in terms of GHG emissions produced by consumption.

]]> Have you no soul?  Or have you simply missed all the recent articles, Congressional hearings, and state and federal bills about the water contamination nightmare that is hydraulic fracturing (required for unconventional natural gas extraction)?  Natural gas appears a reasonably priced alternative only as long as its environmental and public health costs are externalized.  Furthermore, any calculations of GHG emissions should take into account the entire life cycles of fuels; it is very misleading to evaluate fuel sources only in terms of GHG emissions produced by consumption.

]]>