Environmentalists for gas drilling

By David and Deborah Pursch

We’ve always considered ourselves pro-environment. We maniacally recycle; we set the thermostat low in the winter and don’t have air conditioning in the summer. We try to conserve energy whenever possible.

But we also think about where the energy we do use comes from.

So when we heard about the Marcellus Shale gas reserves, we were cautiously interested.

Why? Because these new gas fields have the potential to decrease the use of coal to generate electricity in our region. Ohio has 119 coal-fired electric plants; Pennsylvania has 78. And the prevailing winds blow west to east.

As pro-environment citizens still on the electric grid, we’re cognizant of where and how that electricity is made and the damage that so many coal plants in our region make.

Can that change?

Yes. By making other alternative fuels commercially viable. Like local natural gas.

We’ve lived and raised our family in Wayne County for more than 20 years, and will happily compare our unspoiled view and pure, sweet tasting water with anyone’s.

So we don’t take the risk of their spoilage lightly.

That’s why we’ve been so impressed with the Northern Wayne Property Owners Alliance and their efforts for responsibly developing the gas reserves.

Are there risks? Sure—but less so than the certain environmental nightmare of coal mining. Just because I don’t have a coal mine in my view doesn’t mean we should forget that other people do.

Can gas exploration companies screw up? Sure. It’s a complicated and technology-driven enterprise done by humans. So even their best efforts won’t guarantee 100 percent error-free drilling.

Can the risk of screw-ups be minimized? That was one of the goals of the alliance: to protect our properties against environmental hazards. Our contract has protective environmental clauses that, while not eliminating all risks, go further than most state and federal regulations in protecting our lands and water.

Will the gas drilling impact the flow of the Delaware? With the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) in charge, it won’t. But in terms of priority, a gas well will have a one-time water use of between one and four million gallons. A golf course, some of which draw water from the Delaware (with DRBC permission), can use a million gallons a day during summer months. Year after year. To make the grass green.

Did we sign for the money? Some members did, some didn’t. Our 30 acres brings about $20,000 after taxes, over three years. Helpful, but not life-changing. We wouldn’t risk our land and water for that, or any, amount.

But by banding together (and paying smart lawyers hundreds of thousands of dollars), we have negotiated a contract with expanded rights and protections that is now seen as a model for other groups around the region.

When we see “no drilling” and “kill the drill” signs, we wonder what are their solutions to our current and growing energy needs. Some in the alliance have formed SEEDS, using gas money to help bring real alternative energy efforts to Wayne County.

And in the meantime, developing a local source of energy to generate cleaner electricity and heat our homes seems to us the environmentally friendly thing to do.

If you use electricity or propane or natural gas in your home, rather than “just say no” and not think about where the energy you are using actually comes from and its environmental impact that you can’t see, we think the more serious course for Wayne County environmentalists is to say “yes, but let’s do it right.”

(David and Deborah Pursch have lived in Lebanon Township in Wayne County for 20 years.)