Sunday, July 1, 2012
Natural gas, touted for its environmental, economic, and national security benefits, is often thought of as the fuel that will “bridge” our transition from oil and coal to renewables. The ability to extract natural gas from shale formations through a method called hydraulic fracturing has unleashed vast, untapped sources—by some estimates, the U.S. now sits on a 100-year supply. But contamination from toxic chemicals used in the fracking process has been the source of increasing health and environmental concerns. Can natural gas be part of a clean energy solution, or is it a dangerous roadblock to a fossil-free future?
For
Deborah Goldberg
Managing Attorney at Earthjustice
For
Katherine Hudson
Watershed Program Director at Riverkeeper
Against
Joe Nocera
Op-Ed Columnist, The New York Times
Against
Sue Tierney
Managing Principal at Analysis Group
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Subscribe to the PodcastFor The Motion
Deborah Goldberg
Managing Attorney at Earthjustice
Deborah Goldberg is a Managing Attorney at Earthjustice, the world’s first and largest nonprofit environmental law firm, where she focuses on legal advocacy and litigation related to global warming and environmental health. Originally established as the Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund, Earthjustice provides legal representation—at no cost—to more than 1,000 clients, ranging from large national groups such as the Natural Resources Defense Council and the National Audubon Society, to smaller community coalitions, such as Friends of the Everglades. Before joining Earthjustice, Goldberg was the Democracy Program Director of the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law.
Learn moreFor The Motion
Katherine Hudson
Watershed Program Director at Riverkeeper
Katherine Hudson is the Watershed Program Director at Riverkeeper, a member-supported watchdog organization dedicated to defending the Hudson River and protecting the drinking water supply of nine million New York City and Hudson Valley residents. It is led by President Paul Gallay and its Chief Prosecuting Attorney Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Hudson joined Riverkeeper after nearly 25 years spent in government protecting the environment of New York State. Hudson has been Assistant Attorney General in the office’s Environmental Protection Bureau, and has served in the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, working in all program areas, including air quality, water quality, solid and hazardous waste and mining.
Learn moreAgainst The Motion
Joe Nocera
Op-Ed Columnist, The New York Times
Joe Nocera is an op-ed columnist. Before joining The Opinion Pages, he wrote the Talking Business column for The New York Times and was a staff writer for The New York Times Magazine. He also serves as a regular business commentator for NPR's Weekend Edition with Scott Simon. Before joining The Times, Nocera spent 10 years at Fortune Magazine, where he held a variety of positions, including contributing writer, editor-at-large, executive editor and editorial director. His most recent book, co-written with Bethany McLean, is All The Devils: The Hidden History of the Financial Crisis, their bestselling account of the financial crisis.
Learn moreAgainst The Motion
Sue Tierney
Managing Principal at Analysis Group; Former Assistant Secretary for Policy at U.S. Dept. of Energy
Susan Tierney is a Managing Principal at Analysis Group, where she specializes in the electric and gas industries. She has consulted to companies, governments, non-profits, and other organizations on energy markets, economic and environmental regulation and strategy, and energy facility projects. A former Assistant Secretary for Policy at the U.S. Department of Energy and state public utility commissioner, she is a member of the Bipartisan Policy Center’s energy project and the Secretary of Energy's Advisory Board. She was appointed to the National Petroleum Council and serves as an ambassador for the U.S. Clean Energy Education & Empowerment program, an initiative of the Department of Energy and MIT.
Learn moreDeclared Winner: For The Motion
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45 comments
- Comment Link
Friday, 27 July 2012 18:40 posted by Andrew I don't understand why so many are confused with the voting. ok, so maybe the website designer screwed up on rendering the images, but if you actually bothered to *watch* the debate, the moderator explained very clearly how it works. If you are against fracking, you vote for the motion. If you are for fracking, you vote against the motion. Why is that so hard to understand?
- Comment Link
Monday, 16 July 2012 21:50 posted by Nathan Sobo Higher energy prices don't seem like the end of the world to me. That price signal will incentivize increased efficiency, which ultimately means greater productivity. Our industries are ultimately going to need to compete on a world stage. Bathing them in cheap energy is a guarantee that they'll be less efficient than foreign competition, which is risky.
- Comment Link
Monday, 09 July 2012 14:32 posted by Mathew Hudson I support closer regulation of the fracking process, and the materials used. Natural gas is an plentiful resource, but clean water the most precious.
- Comment Link
Sunday, 01 July 2012 23:44 posted by Kris I am not sure why the For and Against are switched on this page. All I know is I am AGAINST FRACKING.
The environmental issues that come with fracking are enormous and heavily outweigh the pros of fracking. The unsafe disposal of waste water and the carcinogenic chemicals being released into our natural systems will be detrimental to the health of our environment and the well being of human and animal life. If you would not allow your children to drink water found alongside the fracking process that I urge you to vote AGAINST FRACKING.
Many people have voted incorrectly on this page. I'd like to see a true comparison where it is clear which issue is which. - Comment Link
Sunday, 01 July 2012 23:41 posted by Ben Wold I watched the debate and in the beginning i supported the motion. At the end of the debate i supported the motion even stronger. Its too bad the economy is in the state it is and doesn't allow for slower, more thought out planning on this issue. One thing that had bothered me was i believe in the opening remarks for the "For" side, they stated that some of the chemicals used had no data to suggest how they will react to the environment over time. That concerned me. haven't we learned about environmental issues and industry ie: clear cut logging, over fishing for instance. Penicillin comes to mind as well. Governments must take the initiative and ensure proper testing and guidelines are in effect before any proposed action such as fracking take place.
Just My Thoughts
Ben - Comment Link
Sunday, 01 July 2012 22:47 posted by John Campbell We need to continue the development and control the risks.
- Comment Link
Sunday, 01 July 2012 22:41 posted by Carol Crumlish I support the motion.
- Comment Link
Sunday, 01 July 2012 22:30 posted by Anders Nelson The briefings under "for" and "against" on this page are reversed with respect to the other descriptions on the website. This is confusing, and I'm sure some people voted incorrectly. You should disregard any votes made on this page.
- Comment Link
Sunday, 01 July 2012 22:27 posted by Tomek Falkowski Don't we also have huge supplies of renewable wind, ready now, with less risk, ie North Dakota: the Saudia Arabia of Wind. Wouldn't that reduce our dependence on foreign energy interests?
- Comment Link Sunday, 01 July 2012 22:20 posted by Tomek Falkowski
Interesting, Ms. Tierney's green fracking fluid doesn't disclose its ingredients...
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