An Article in NYT by Anthony R. Ingraffa
NY Times Op Ed contributor and a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Cornell University
ITHACA, NY. – MANY concerned about climate change, including President Obama, have embraced hydraulic fracturing for natural gas. In his recent climate speech, the president went so far as to lump gas with renewables as “clean energy. ”
As a longtime oil and gas engineer who helped develop shale fracking techniques for the Energy Department, I can assure you that this gas is not “clean.” Because of leaks of methane, the main component of natural gas, the gas extracted from shale deposits is not a “bridge” to a renewable energy future – it’s a gangplank to more warming and away from clean energy investments.
Methane is a far more powerful greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide, though it doesn’t last nearly as long in the atmosphere. Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/29/opinion/gangplank-to-a-warm-future.html?hp&_r=0
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