Don't believe these gas drilling fallacies

Tony Norman's column "We're Becoming Victims of Shale Game" (July 9) gives misplaced credibility to the film "Gasland" and paints an entirely inaccurate portrait of Pennsylvania's natural gas industry.

Owen Roberts' online review at www.thefastertimes.com called it, "more art than argument." The New York Times review noted, "Mr. Fox shows a general preference for vivid images ... over the more mundane crossing the t's and dotting the i's of investigative journalism."

It is clear the movie is not objective.

Similarly, Mr. Norman's claim that the industry is "barely regulated" is false. Every aspect of drilling a well is permitted by the state Department of Environmental Protection under one of the country's most comprehensive regulatory programs.

Pennsylvania and other states are consistent in taking the position that hydraulic fracturing has not been the source of groundwater contamination. To be clear, there are rare incidents where inadequate well construction and operator error have resulted in groundwater impacts. These are not acceptable, and the industry works hard to prevent them and respond to them responsibly.

Wells have been developed through hydraulic fracturing for six decades. Without it, we would not have oil or natural gas to meet our energy needs. Small amounts and low concentrations of chemicals -- less than 0.5 percent of a sand/water mix -- are used in a controlled and regulated process. Most of these chemicals are in common household products.

Let me be the first to invite Mr. Norman to tour a drilling location to educate him on the process and safeguards that are in place with the development of the Marcellus Shale.

LOUIS D. D'AMICO
President and Executive Director
Pennsylvania Independent Oil and Gas Association
Marshall

Dangerously wrong

Tony Norman's recent column attacking the progress and potential of natural gas exploration in Pennsylvania ("We're Becoming Victims of Shale Game," July 9) illustrates the dangers of allowing false information to become enmeshed in well-meaning discussions regarding the natural gas industry.

The documentary "Gasland," which Mr. Norman touts as sound journalism, is in fact a muckraking propaganda film that a New York Times columnist described as "one-sided, flawed and personal." Pennsylvania's top environmental regulator has called the film "fundamentally dishonest," and virtually every assertion in it has been thoroughly debunked.

I urge Mr. Norman to cease the "gaslighting" and start providing the facts: Natural gas has been produced in Pennsylvania since 1881, and hydraulic fracturing, the key stimulation technology needed to bring hard-to-reach resources to the surface, has been deployed in the commonwealth tens of thousands of times over the past 60 years. Officials in the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, as well as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Ground Water Protection Council, have acknowledged that there are no documented cases of hydraulic fracturing directly contaminating groundwater.

Moreover, it is a technique that's directly responsible for helping create more than 44,000 jobs last year. In the last six months, my company, Atlas Energy, has hired more than 130 people, increasing our work force by 20 percent. And we plan to continue this growth.

By touting flawed material, Mr. Norman contributes to the unnecessary polarization and misunderstanding surrounding responsible natural gas production. We simply cannot afford to let this type of blatant falsehood ruin a once-in-a-generation opportunity for the citizens of the commonwealth.

RICHARD WEBER
President
Atlas Energy Inc.
Moon

Wear the jackets

The tragic event in Philadelphia of the ramming of the duck boat and the loss of two lives ("2 Missing in Phila. Tour Boat Sinking," July 8), as well as the descriptions by other passengers of their attempts to quickly don life jackets, angered me for the obvious solution to this, as well as any other boating-related drownings.

Donning a life jacket should not ever be a choice, but a mandatory part of any boating experience. The bottom line must be if you don't want to wear a vest, then get off/out of the boat! It makes no sense that boaters must have vests for all passengers, but they sit in the boat, unused. Time is of the essence and time is what you don't have.

And even strong swimmers are not safe in such situations, especially in rivers, which are extremely dangerous bodies of water due to their changing currents.

HEATHER REBIC
Braddock Hills

Simply ducky

We have had the pleasure of enjoying Just Ducky Tours here in Pittsburgh for several years ("Duck Boat Owner Here Proud of Safety Record," July 8). We are always amazed at their ability to combine safety with very informative entertainment. We always take our out-of-town family and guests on the tour and have never had anything but a great deal of fun.

Their courtesy and attention to detail should be an example to all businesses in this city. Their safety record is impeccable, and the horrible accident in Philadelphia should not deter anyone from taking advantage of the fine service they provide.

JOE MANSFIELD
North Side

Disturbing 'fun'

First, we had Gen. Stanley McChrystal's light-handed rationalization of "collateral damage" in Afghanistan: "We have shot an amazing number" of civilians. For the tone of this and similar comments, Gen. McChrystal was justly fired, albeit at a full general's four-star pension -- a further example of what has been dubbed "upward failure."

Now we have Marine Gen. James M. Mattis (nominated to succeed Gen. David Petraeus at Central Command), who is quoted as having said of combat: "Actually, it's quite fun to fight ... it's a hell of a hoot" and "It's fun to shoot some people" ("Pentagon Taps Mattis to Take Over," July 9).

These are not statements of a psychotic but of a general at the highest level of command. With our current mindset of "Forget-the-past-and-just-look- to-the-future," Gen. Mattis will probably get a pass on this. But it is disturbingly clear that his words do not reflect leadership but plain degeneracy, and they should be identified as such.

SAMUEL HAZO
Upper St. Clair

We're meeting critical needs with a sea of surplus

It is gratifying to find an article about medical-related refuse on Page One of the Post-Gazette ("Making a Dent in Medical Waste," July 6). Although it is only recently that U.S. hospitals and other segments of the health care industry have started to pay attention to this critically important issue, Global Links has, for more than 20 years, been creatively and effectively addressing the problem of how to deal with the sea of surplus equipment and supplies generated by the health care industry in Western Pennsylvania.

A medical relief and development organization dedicated to promoting environmental stewardship and improving health in developing countries, Global Links recovered 274 tons of materials in the Pittsburgh region in 2009, which translated into delivery of 38 sea containers of desperately needed materials to our partner countries. Over the years Global Links has diverted approximately 10 million pounds of medical materials from landfills to lifesaving purposes.

We applaud the current efforts by health care providers locally and nationwide to develop sustainable practices and reduce their environmental footprint. Practice Green Healthcare, cited in the article, a national organization of 1,100 hospitals and 80 companies committed to environmentally responsible operations, honored Global Links this year as a Champion of Change.

We are grateful to our local partners who have stepped up to the challenge by implementing procedures that recognize that the health of patients, staff and the environment are inextricably connected. We invite creative input and support from all sectors in achieving our goal of sharing surplus, saving lives and protecting our environment.

KATHLEEN G. HOWER
Chief Executive Officer, Co-founder
Global Links
Garfield

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