In Arthur Miller’s An Enemy of the People, the doctor is the only person interested in the truth, just like most North Carolinians when it comes to fracking, a definite enemy of the people. Fifty-three percent aren’t paying attention to the debate over fracking, but they should.
Fracking – a way to harvest natural gas – may soon be coming to central North Carolina. But we can find safer ways to get alternative energy.
Fracking creates pollution, releasing chemicals that can destroy an ecosystem, not to mention the thousands of truck trips required that create air and noise pollution.
Does it boost the economy? The jobs created don’t last long. Meanwhile, the company makes most of the profit. There are stories of people making millions from fracking. But most make little from the wells they allow on their property. And if you live one lot away from a well, you get all the pollution and none of the profit.
Meanwhile, the profit for local businesses may decline due to truck traffic. Some say that businesses make much more money, but to me it seems like the trucks would discourage customers from going to nearby businesses.
Given this, we need laws prohibiting fracking until it is cleaner and safer. I do not see how this can be done in North Carolina given the current dangers. We do not want our ecosystems ruined like some in Pennsylvania have been – unless we really want tap water so polluted we can light it on fire.
Baxter Barrett
Chapel Hill