Drilling up some AMD

This week our task for the blog was to find a disturbing fact on Fractracker.org and write about it then if we could, find a video that spotlighted the issue. The article that disturbed me the most was one about drilling in areas that are unsuitable to mine. The reason they cannot be mined in is simple they would pose a threat to the environment surrounding. If these areas are mined they put the land at risk to acid mine drainage (AMD). This acid results in water contamination, and if untreated can cause major damage to streams and waterways. Now you may be wondering how this relates to drilling, as drilling is different than mining. Well when an area is drilled they have to go through the coal seam to get to the gas. This means that the drilling mud and drill cuttings probably contain sulfuric acid, the main component of AMD. This could result in the surrounding areas being exposed to AMD. So my own question is why is it suitable to drill and not mine when the outcome could have the same effects as if mining had occurred? Though the whole article in general caused internal concern what disturbed me the most was the amount of drilling that is taking place over areas that geologists have determined AMD could exist.

Video from Fractracker.org

     In class this week we learned of Noam Chomsky and ideas he has about the media, one such idea that I felt applied to my blog was about “Agenda Setters,” the people who decide what is acceptable to the masses. These “Agenda Setters” also pick and choose issues to either spotlight or hide away from the public. I believe that the article I found on Fractracker.org is one such issue that has been hidden. While trying to find any type of video that addressed the issue I had no luck. We were also asked to find a video that included our president or our governor talking about their perspective on drilling and fracking. I found a radio ad that has our governor, Tom Corbett, addressing his perspective on drilling and his beliefs that out environment should always be the first concern. I found this a bit ironic since were allowing drilling to occur over areas that could produce AMD. Why, if we are supposed to be geared towards helping the environment, are we allowing this to take place?