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Our Opinion: After turbulent start to Tony George’s term, expect the Wilkes-Barre mayor to change pace

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Analysis: A simple guide to what Donald Trump wants to do to America

<p>Shale gas in Pennsylvania has been like a sweepstakes for some, but for others it&#8217;s more like a wheel of misfortune.</p><p>Some people have prospered by leasing land for drilling activities. Businesses in drilling towns benefit in various ways. No doubt there is a general economic upswing when there&#8217;s drilling underway, albeit sporadic and certainly not permanent.</p><p>But other people are put at risk as a result of contaminated drinking water. It&#8217;s impossible to estimate the number of fouled water wells in drilling areas in Pennsylvania, due to the existence of nondisclosure agreements signed by affected property owners.</p><p>Some unlucky residents living close to a drilling operation have their air fouled by the constantly running diesel engines, and the well bores spouting renegade methane. It&#8217;s anyone&#8217;s guess what evaporates from liquid waste impoundments. And when there&#8217;s a leak in the liner or a breach of one of the large ponds, the surrounding land gets soaked in poison.</p><p>Now that the emphasis has temporarily shifted to getting the gas to markets, ultimately overseas, the wheel of misfortune is pointing out new distasteful outcomes. Large compressor stations emit toxins into the air. Anyone who happens to live in disadvantageous proximity to one of these processing plants will be subjected to the associated health risks. An early morning, mini-temperature inversion &#8211; a common weather event in rural areas &#8211; can cause a home to be enveloped by the polluted air.</p><p>Perhaps the biggest current concern is that people are being coerced to allow large pressurized gas pipelines to be built across their land. The freedom to use our land as we see fit, provided this use does not negatively impact someone else&#8217;s quality of life, is a pillar in the temple of the American dream. As we have just seen with the Holleran sugar maple grove in Susquehanna County, eminent domain is being put forth as a rationalization for handing people&#8217;s land over to the shale gas industry. The purpose eminent domain is supposed to serve is the public good, not the expansion of a for-profit enterprise.</p><p>There is a movement afoot in New Jersey to stop the gas pipelines from going through that state. HALT is a consortium of landowners who have initiated legal actions to stop the PennEast pipeline.</p><p>Here in Pennsylvania, people are constantly subjected to advertisements touting shale gas and all the benefits it supposedly brings. This intimidates anyone who wishes to oppose the industrial juggernaut. But as we have seen in the attempt to undermine citizens&#8217; rights to self-protection signed into law as part of Act 13, but later ruled unconstitutional by the state Supreme Court, people do have rights that may not be legally handed over to this industry. And, perhaps in response to the banning of fracking in both New York and Maryland, there are notable voices calling for a moratorium on new unconventional gas wells in Pennsylvania.</p><p>The battle against the shale gas industry is ongoing, even here in gas-addicted Pennsylvania.</p><p><strong>David Wasilewski</strong></p><p>Hunlock Creek</p><style>
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Letter to the Editor: ‘Notable voices’ calling for moratorium on natural gas drilling in Pennsylvania