A brighter picture of gas drilling?

A European perspective

By FRITZ MAYER

REGION — Inge Grafe-Kieklak thinks The River Reporter paints a very dark picture of gas drilling, and she said the newspaper should strive for more balance. She called in response to an editorial in last week’s issue inviting members of the public who see positive things occurring from gas drilling to speak out. She said, “Maybe you shouldn’t write as if gas drilling is going to make our hair fall out and give us all cancer.”

On a more serious note, Grafe-Kieklak is German and often visits Europe, which in her opinion and in the opinion of many others both here and there, is far ahead of the United States in terms of protecting the environment. Now, in her view, all of a sudden, the environment has become a big thing here. But are the environmental concerns sincere? She said her father, who was a city councilor in Germany in the 1980s, came to visit her when she lived in New Jersey and paid a visit to the Hackensack Water Company. “When he came home he said, ‘don’t ever drink the water.’”

She said, “I’m looking at America as a whole.” When you consider all the fertilizers used on lawns and chlorine and detergents and other pollutants used so abundantly in daily American life, she said, “This hydro-fracking, I don’t think, will do more damage than has already been done.”

She also thinks the United States is lagging behind Europe in other areas, such as natural gas vehicles, which gas drilling might help to promote. She said, “We have gas-powered cars in Europe;the government in Germany gives you 2,000 Euros if you have your car converted to gas. We have filling stations that use natural gas.”

Grafe-Kieklak is a signatory to the Sullivan Delaware Property Owners Association and has some 200 acres in Delaware County that she is hoping to lease. She said that gas drilling will bring sorely needed economic benefits to New York State, which can use any boost it can get.

She said, “Between 2002 and 2008, 1.5 million people left New York. They had an average of about $53,000 in income, and about 800,000 moved in with a $43,000 income.” She said if gas drilling comes she believes it will bring jobs to the state, which might help reverse or slow this exodus of earning power.

Grafe-Kieklak said that opponents are probably more vocal that proponents because some people who have signed or are looking to sign gas leases are a bit afraid to do so.

“A couple of weeks ago when there was a meeting in Rock Hill. I got up and addressed this one guy because I couldn’t stand it any longer. And when I left, people came to me and said, ‘that’s great that you said something.’ I think some people are afraid,” she said.