Most Americans Blame Trump For The Price Of Gas

 

These charts are from the Strength in Numbers / Verasight Poll -- done between July 14th and 17th of a nationwide sample of 1,514 adults, with a 2.6 point margin of error.

U.S. Voters See The Price Of Gas, Groceries, And Housing Rising A LOT Where They Live!

 

The charts above reflects the results of the Economist / YouGov Poll -- done between May 15th and 18th of a nationwide sample of 1,380 registered voters, with a 3.3 point margin of error.

Most Americans Blame Trump For The Rising Gas Prices

 

The chart above reflects the results of the NPR / PBS News / Marist Poll -- done between April 27th and 30th of a nationwide sample of 1,322 adults (including 1,155 registered voters). The margin of error is 3.1 points for adults and 3.3 points for registered voters.

It Could Take Months For Prices To Go Down After The Strait Opens - Here's Why

Donald Trump has given Americans the impression that once the Strait of Hormuz is opened the price of oil (and gasoline) will quickly return to pre-war prices. That is simply not true. Here, from CNN, is the truth:

Assuming the strait has truly reopened, a logistical nightmare is about to unfold.

Step one: Clearing the strait’s bottlenecks. That’s going to take a long time, since tankers move about as fast as you can ride a bicycle.

First, the 128 or so tankers stuck in the strait need to clear out, carrying around 160 million barrels of oil with them, according to Capital Economics. That will make way for empty tankers to enter the strait, load up and head back out.

A return to full tanker transit capacity could take up to three months, according to Victoria Grabenwöger, senior oil analyst at Kpler.

Step two: Drawing down stockpiles. Empty ships will first draw oil from the warehouses that have been filled up – because producers had nowhere else to put it.

The good news: Refiners were pragmatic about their storage and never fully filled their stockpiles. That should reduce some of the time it would otherwise take to reboot pumps. But fuller-than-typical inventories will nevertheless delay getting oil production back up to full capacity.

Step three: Restarting production. Middle Eastern oil wells were largely shut off during the war. Turning on production isn’t like flipping a switch. It’s a complex engineering challenge that involves serious physics and labor over up to several weeks.

Production will need to be restarted – slowly – to ensure reservoirs of crude don’t collapse, requiring re-drilling and substantial repairs. Water and gas injected into wells need to be rebalanced, which is a tricky business.

Because wells in the region are large and close to one another, restarting production will require significant coordination across companies and countries to ensure injected water and gas pressure remain consistent across multiple wells.

Step four: Making repairs. A number of refiners, natural gas producers and some oil producers were damaged during the war. Some repairs to the damaged critical infrastructure could take years to complete, oil companies said.

There’s a lot of oil go get back online: 12 million barrels per day of crude output and 3 million barrels of refined petroleum products have been shut across the Middle East – mostly in Saudi Arabia and Iraq, according to Kpler. That’s no easy feat.

All of that assumes the war is over and there are no further disruptions in the strait. And we all know what happens when you assume….

Trump Says Wind Energy Is The Most Expensive - That's A LIE!

In his Sunday press conference with the President of the European Union, Donald Trump droned on and on about how bad wind energy is - saying the windmills were ugly and ruined the landscape, while being the most expensive kind of energy.

Of course, he was lying (as usual). As the chart above shows, wind energy is actually the cheapest way to produce energy (legalized cost of electricity per megawatt-hour).

Trump was trying to justify his own actions since taking office in his second term. He has removed tax breaks and subsidies from renewable energy sources, while giving more government help to oil and gas companies. And he is removing EPA regulations on cleaning the environment.

His actions on behalf of his buddies in the oil and gas industry are making the environment worse, making it harder to control global climate change, and making sure consumers have to pay more for electricity than is needed.

Americans Support Oil/Gas Sanctions On Russia

 The charts above are from the recent CBS News / YouGov Poll -- done between March 8th and 11th of a nationwide sample of 2,088 adults, with a 2.6 point margin of error. It shows widespread support for banning oil and gas from Russia, even if it means higher gas prices -- and that support crosses all political lines.

President Biden Is NOT To Blame For Rising Gas Prices

The American Public is not happy with inflation -- especially the rising price of gas. And too many, urged on by Republicans and right-wing media, are blaming President Biden for the gas prices. But the truth is that President Biden is not to blame. 

Here's how economist Paul Krugman explains it:

So many voters seem to have skewed perceptions of economic reality. Furthermore, to the extent that they see genuine problems, they may not be clear about which problems politicians can solve and which they can’t.

Take the price of gasoline, which has risen about $1.50 a gallon from its pandemic lows.

Higher gas prices represent a real hardship for many Americans — and historically voters have seemed to blame the president when gas prices go up. Yet presidents have very little influence on prices at the pump.

In the current episode, what’s driving gas prices is a surge in the global price of crude oil. Here’s the price of Brent crude, that is, the price in European markets (which generally moves in tandem with prices everywhere, because oil is a globalized commodity):

Crude is up more than $60 a barrel. And since there are 42 gallons in a barrel, this means that the price of the crude oil used to make a gallon of gasoline has risen by $1.50 — basically accounting for all of the rise in the price to consumers. That is, developments outside the control of any president are driving a price rise that is surely one factor in President Biden’s approval ratings.

So we’re living in a nation with many voters who seem to have both a distorted view of the state of the economy and false beliefs about what aspects of the economy politicians can affect. How is democracy supposed to function well under these conditions?

No Gas Shortage In Texas (Just An Abundance Of Dumb)

(This photo of a Texan filling trash cans with gas is from Facebook.)

A lot of people in the Lone Star State have decided to show their stupidity again, and in doing so have created minor problem with gas availability. They looked at Hurricane Harvey, and assumed their would be a gas shortage -- so they began to hoard the gas.

The truth is that there is no shortage. From WFAA-TV, here what Ryan Sitton of the Texas Railroad Commission (the agency that controls the oil and gas industry) had to say:

As gas prices spike across Texas and fuel runs short at some gas stations, officials say there's no shortage of fuel in the state because of Harvey.

Texas Railroad Commissioner Ryan Sitton said consumers are putting undue demand on fuel and that's making it difficult to resupply gas stations in a timely fashion. He called the problem simply one of demand and logistics. 

"There's plenty of gasoline," he said. "This will subside."

According to Sitton, the concerns started when refineries began shutting down along the Gulf Coast due to Hurricane Harvey. As news spread, so did concern over a potential shortage, leading to large rushes to stations. 

Sitton says he understands the worry as people drive up to gas stations and see high prices, long lines and red bags covering gas pumps.

But here's why this is happening, the commissioner says:

• Rumors spread of shortage, spurring rush to gas stations

• Gas stations see higher demand than usual

• Stations run out of gas at a high rate due to demand

• Station owners become concerned about supply, raise prices

• So many stations run out of gas it takes longer to resupply

"Remember the old stories of runs on the bank?" he said in a phone interview broadcast on WFAA's Facebook page. "If everyone goes to the bank at the same time and tries to get their money, then it causes a panic and the bank doesn't have enough cash in the drawer to give everyone their money ... The bank has your money, it's just not sitting at that one [branch]."

ust like the banks, Sitton said there's plenty of supply, but it will take longer to get that gasoline to the stations due to the high demand. 

This is what Sitton says about supply:

• The entire world uses 100 million of refined product daily

• The U.S. refines 18 million of those 100 million barrels

• Six million of that 18 million is refined in Texas

• About half of that six million is currently offline or at reduced capacity due to Harvey

"So, yes, that's a lot," Sitton said. "However, we have 230 million barrels of gasoline in storage in the United States right now. So if that three million barrels of refined capacity stayed offline for an entire month that would be 90 million barrels that wouldn't be produced. That would be less than half of what we have in inventory." 

And Sitton said that shouldn't even be a concern. 

"We don't expect these refineries to be down that long," he said. "We expect that there might be a couple that stay down that long, but some of them, like in Corpus Christi, are already working to go back online."

So what is the bottom line according to Sitton?

"Concerns and even panic over gasoline shortages are leading to a sense that there's a gasoline shortage," he said. "When in fact, there isn't one."

Trump's On Track To Be Worst Environmental President Ever

Since becoming president, Donald Trump has virtually declared war on this country's environment (and on the fight to curb global climate change). He put a man in charge of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that doesn't believe in environmental regulations (and who has sued that agency at least 11 times to have regulations curbing fossil fuel pollution removed). Then he put the head of one of the world's largest oil companies (Exxon) in place as Secretary of State -- assuring that this countries global policies will benefit fossil fuel production.

That wasn't bad enough. He then started issuing executive orders. The first ones nullified a regulation that kept surface mining operations from polluting our rivers and streams, and set aside a rule that would have resulted in fossil fuel producers paying more in royalties to the federal government.

Now he has issued a far more sweeping order. The new order lifts a moratorium on coal leasing, and removes the requirement that federal officials consider the impact on climate change when making decisions. This will increase production and use of coal (the dirtiest of the fossil fuels), and allow all fossil fuels producers to increase production without regard to what that does to the environment or to global climate change.

Trump seems determined to trash the environment for the benefit of his buddies who produce fossil fuels. And his actions send a signal to the rest of the world that the United States has no intention of honoring its agreement to curb actions that increase global climate change.

As the charts below show, the United States is the largest user of energy produced by oil and gas, and is second only to China in energy use from coal. But while China is trying to curb its use of coal, Trump is taking this country in the opposite direction.

One has to ask, why should the rest of the world meet their obligations to curb global climate change? And even if they did meet their obligations, would it matter (since the U.S. is by far the largest user of fossil fuels energy)?

The Trump administration is proving to be a real boon for the oil, gas, and coal industries (and other polluters) -- but it is a real disaster for human being (and the planet they live on).

Oil/Gas Emissions Cause 3/4 Million Child Asthma Attacks

The top map shows the parts of the country experiencing the most emissions from the oil & gas industry. The bottom map shows the incidence of asthma attacks per 10,000 children each year in parts of this country. Note that areas with the most asthma attacks in children generally correlates with the areas with the most oil & gas emissions.

The Clean Air Task Force has published a new study called "Gasping for Breath". It finds that 750,000 asthma attacks occur in this country each year that are attributable to emissions from oil and gas. That number is their prediction for the year 2025 -- but they admit that the sources of those emissions are already in use, so the number is probably valid right now.

There has been a lot of talk about moving away from the use of fossil fuels to stop global climate change, but this report shows that it is not just the planet that's in danger. These fossil fuels are also affecting the health of our children (and many adults). I recommend you read the report, and its rather shocking conclusions.

Here is the report's executive summary:

The oil and gas industry dumps more than 9 million tons of methane and other pollutants like benzene into our air each year. Methane is a greenhouse gas 87 times more potent than carbon dioxide at driving climate change in the near term and the oil and gas industry is now the largest source of methane in the U.S. As we recently described in Fossil Fumes, many of the toxic air pollutants from oil and gas are linked to increased risk of cancer and respiratory disorders. But, air pollutants from the oil and gas supply chain also contribute to the ozone smog pollution that blankets the U.S. in the warmer months. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and methane vented and leaked from the oil and gas supply chain and nitrogen oxides(Nix) generated by gas flaring and engines at natural gas facilities react together in the presence of sunlight to form ozone smog. What’s more, methane pollution from oil and gas facilities also worsens climate change, resulting in hotter weather and stagnant air — conditions that make ozone smog levels worse.

When inhaled, ozone smog can impair lung function, trigger asthma attacks, and aggravate diseases such as bronchitis and emphysema, in some cases leading to premature death. Children, the elderly, and people with existing respiratory conditions are thermostat risk from ozone smog pollution, which can drive them to stay indoors in the warmer months when smog levels are highest, robbing children of their summers and others of their ability to work and recreate out of doors. However, the health impacts associated with ozone smog produced by pollution solely from the oil and gas industry have never before been quantified.

For the first time, this report, based on independent analysis by a researcher at Colorado State University, quantifies the national health impacts in the U.S. from ozone smog produced by the pollution from the oil and gas industry. The analysis describes the contribution of these emissions to ozone season ozone levels in 2025 and quantifies health effects of ozone smog from this industry.

Ozone smog that results from oil and gas industry pollution poses a real threat to children who suffer from asthma.

• * Nationally, there are more than 750,000 summertime asthma attacks in children under the age of 18 due to ozone smog resulting from oil and gas pollution.
  
• * Each summer, there are more than 2,000 asthma-related emergency room visits and over 600 respiratory related hospital admissions nationally due to ozone smog resulting from oil and gas pollution.
  
  Ozone smog that results from oil and gas industry pollution has a real impact on many Americans’ daily lives.
  

• * Children miss 500,000 days of school each year due to ozone smog resulting from oil and gas pollution.
  
• * Each year, adults must deal with 1.5 million person-days when they are forced to rest or reduce activity due to high ozone smog levels resulting from oil and gas pollution.
  
  Air pollution from oil and gas facilities can have a significant impact on public health–even in areas far from oil and gas production. Once emitted, air pollution from oil and gas facilities travels far downwind, contributing to elevated ozone levels and affecting people in all of the lower 48 states. 
  

Americans Say Alternative Energy Sources Are The Answer

These charts give me a little hope for the future. While many politicians are still bowing down to the oil and gas companies (having been bought off), it seems the American people are smarter than that. A record high percentage (73%) of the public now thinks we should be trying to solve our energy problems by emphasizing alternative sources of energy, while only 21% think the answer is more drilling for fossil fuels.

The real surprise for me was that this is also the opinion of 51% of Republicans. This is the first time since Gallup has been asking this that the GOP has a majority agreeing with the rest of America.

These charts are from a new Gallup Poll -- done between March 2nd and 6th of a random national sample of 504 adults, with a 6 point margin of error.

A Small Bit Of Good News About Energy

The coal industry has been running some rather disingenuous television ads recently that tout "clean coal" energy. But anyone with even a small bit of knowledge about energy knows that there is no such thing as "clean coal". Coal is the dirtiest of all the fossil fuels, and when burned produces more particulate matter and other pollutants (including the greenhouse gases that contribute to global climate change). And while the newest coal-powered energy plants pollute less than older coal-powered plants, they still produce an unacceptable level of pollution.

But here in the United States, we have a huge supply of coal and it is very cheap. For that reason, the United States still produces a large amount of the electricity generated by burning coal (and both the coal and electric industries are spending tons of money to make sure that doesn't change). They put their corporate profits before both the public's health and the preservation of the environment.

But there is a little bit of good news on this front. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) is reporting that the generation of electricity by burning coal is down this year. In the first quarter of 2011, about 44.6% of electricity generated was from the burning of coal. In the first Quarter of 2012, that has dropped to about 36%. That's a 19.3% drop in coal generation. It represents an 8.6% drop in coal generation's portion of total electric production (a figure that EIA expects to grow to about 14% by the end of 2012).

The major reason for this is the reduction in price for natural gas. The portion of total electric production done by burning natural gas has increased by nearly the amount coal generation has decreased. Natural gas is not a completely clean electricity producer, but it is much cleaner than coal and will result in less total pollution. Taking old coal plants off line and increased use of renewable sources of energy are also contributing to less coal generation. Here is how Think Progress sums up this situation:

The U.S. coal industry is facing major headwinds. The current drop in generation is mostly due to competition from natural gas. But there are other factors that will assist in pushing coal out of the electricity mix: An aging fleet of plants, cost-competitive renewables, new clean air regulations, and a strong anti-coal movement are working together to reduce the attractiveness of coal. Since 2010, plant operators have announced 106 retirements of coal facilities — representing 13 percent of the U.S. fleet, according to the Sierra Club.

The continued decline in domestic coal generation is good news for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Carbon dioxide emissions from the fossil fuel sector are expected to decline by almost 3 percent this year — continuing the 1.9 percent decrease seen in 2011. Emissions from natural gas will rise by 5.5 percent, while emissions from coal will fall by almost 12 percent.

Bachmann Has No Connection To Reality

Michele Bachmann's presidential campaign has been full of mistakes and outright gaffes. She has placed the battle at Lexington (which started the Revolutionary War) in a state other than Massachusetts, claimed that the Founding Fathers "worked tirelessly to end slavery" (they didn't), and placed John Quincy Adams as a Founding Father (even though he was only 9 years-old when the Declaration of Independence was signed).

And her gaffes are not just limited to American History. She is just as mistake-prone when it comes to current events. When she visited Waterloo (Iowa) she remarked that it was the home of actor John Wayne. But the only "John Wayne" from Waterloo was serial killer John Wayne Gacy.

And in just the last week she has committed a couple of new gaffes. She wished Elvis Presley a happy birthday on the anniversary of his death, and told a right-wing radio show host that the American people are afraid of "the rise of the Soviet Union". Evidently she's not aware that the Soviet Union ceased to exist twenty years ago (in 1991).

I have been wondering whether she is really that dumb (a definite possibility) or if she's just too lazy to check her facts (or have her staff do that). But after her recent pronouncement about the price of gasoline, which shows she is as ignorant about economics as American History and current events, I am beginning to believe she has no connection to reality. She lives in her own little world where the facts are what she wants them to be.

Last Tuesday Bachmann told a South Carolina crowd, "Under President Bachmann you will see gasoline come down below $2 a gallon again. That will happen." Of course, she didn't bother to explain how she would accomplish that extraordinary feat. Maybe she's a witch like Christine O'Donnell and will do it by casting a magic spell., because it won't be accomplished any other way.

Her website has said that she will ease the restrictions on oil drilling, but that would at best only produce another 500,000 barrels of oil a day by the year 2030 -- and the world already uses 89 million barrels a day (and that would be over 100 million by 2030). More U.S. drilling would be a drop in the bucket and highly unlikely to affect the market price of oil in any way. Even if America could produce enough to affect the market price, the OPEC countries would just cut their production to make up for it (since they have a vested interest in keeping the price high).

This is just one more example of why it was so easy for Bachmann to jump on the teabagger bandwagon. She simply has no idea how economic theory works or the real world operates. She lives in a dream world.

Inflation Makes Recession Hurt Even More

This current recession was caused by a vast and increasing gulf between the wealth and income of the richest and the rest of America, and was kicked off by the unregulated greed of Wall Street. It has resulted in the loss of many millions of jobs, due both to the economic downturn and the continuing outsourcing of American jobs.

The government has been no real help in trying to create new jobs, especially since the Republicans took over the House of Representatives. Only a minimal amount of jobs are being created (barely enough to cover the number of new people entering the workforce), and those jobs don't have the pay or benefits of the jobs lost. The Republican solution to this is to give even more money to the rich and cut programs that help the jobless, the elderly, the poor, children and other Americans.

Normally this dire situation among the bottom 80-90% of Americans would have a downward effect on inflation, since many Americans have less money to spend. But not this recession, which seems to get more brutal for most Americans every day. Thanks to a particularly harsh winter and troubles in the Middle East, inflation has returned.

According to government figures the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose by 0.5% in February (which would equal a 6% annual rise). The main culprits were gas (which rose by 4.7%) and groceries (which rose by 0.6%), but other items like airline tickets and medical costs also rose. This will come as no surprise to the millions of Americans who were already having problems paying their bills.

And its going to get worse. That's because wholesale prices climbed even more than the CPI in February. Wholesale prices jumped by 1.6% (more than a full percentage point higher than consumer prices). Wholesale food prices climbed by 3.9% (the biggest jump in price since November of 1974). It's not going to take long before these costs are passed on to consumers.

The rise in inflation for last year (2010) was about 2.1% for the whole year. That hurt, but it was manageable. But it looks like the rise in inflation for 2011 will be much larger. This recession was bad enough with the economy failing to produce anywhere near the needed amount of new jobs. Rapidly rising inflation just adds to the economic pain being felt by most Americans.

I wish I could say that the government is poised to take action to help -- especially in the creation of new jobs. But that's not true. The Congress has done nothing since being sworn in to help create a single job, much less the hundreds of thousands that are needed monthly.

New jobs, and the extra spending that those new jobs will create, is the only thing that will bring this nation's economy back (or pay down the deficit, since the new jobs would create new tax income also). But Congress is not interested in creating new jobs right now, and that will undoubtably remain true for the next couple of years.

Voters need to remember this Republican intransigence when they go to the polls in November of 2012. The Democrats may be nothing to brag about, but the Republicans seem to be determined to completely destroy this economy.

Corporate Tax Breaks Should Be Stopped

The state of Texas has one of the most regressive tax systems in the United States. Most of the state's funding is derived from a sales tax (where the working class and middle class pay a much larger share of their income than the rich do). And while the working and middle classes bear the brunt of state taxes, corporate entities enjoy billions of dollars in tax breaks. It has been this way in Texas for a long time.

One example of this is the tax exemption created back in 1989 for the gas drilling industry. The exemption was intended to encourage gas drillers to develop methods for getting at hard-to-get underground gas deposits, and it has been very effective in doing that. Methods were developed and an immense amount of this drilling is taking place. These companies are making incredibly large profits now and still are paying very little in taxes.

It is estimated that this tax exemption has cost the state of Texas $7.4 billion in just the last six years. In 2011, the state will lose about $962.5 million in taxes due to the exemption. This loss, in conjunction with the record profits being shown by the gas drillers, has some state legislators wondering if it is time for the drilling companies to start paying their fair share of taxes -- especially in light of the $27 billion budget shortfall being currently faced by the state.

State Senator Wendy Davis (D-Fort Worth) said, "Before we ask our schoolchildren in Texas to sacrifice in the education area because of the budget deficit, we need to ask whether this antiquated tax exemption can be justified. If the purpose of the exemption -- to stimulate investment in the oil and gas arena -- no longer exists, shouldn't it be re-examined?"

State Rep. Lon Burnam (D-Fort Worth) is even more blunt. He said, "I think that one (exemption) should be closed. They don't need the incentive to invest."

But note that both of those legislators are Democrats, and Democrats are in a very small minority in the Texas legislator. Texas Republicans are not going to tax their buddies in the oil and gas industry. I doubt if a bill erasing this exemption could even get out of committee, let alone get a vote on the floor of the House or Senate.

And that is just one example. Texas Republicans have a long history of giving tax breaks to corporations. There is little doubt that the budget deficit could probably be covered by just requiring businesses to pay their fair share of taxes -- the same as they would be required to pay in other states. But don't hold your breath for that to happen. Texas Republicans don't mind balancing the budget on the backs of the poor, the workers, and the middle class, but they would never tax a corporate entity.

The corporations are making huge profits and paying few taxes, and they are repaying the state by creating no jobs. It's time (actually past the time) to make them pay their taxes. Unfortunately, that's not going to happen.

Will Ft. Worth Regret It's Greed ?

Back in April and May of this year, Fort Worth approved the drilling for natural gas within it's city limits. Both residents and government officials let their greed get the best of them, and opted for kick cash from the drilling companies. The right to drill for the gas was given both in residential areas and in the downtown area. Soon drilling rigs and pipelines will be all over the city.

The gas companies have made all sorts of promises to the city about clean drilling and safe pipelines, but the sad fact is that they're promises that probably can't be kept. There is no such thing as clean drilling or pipelines that will not leak (at least eventually).

Take for example, the land owned by Jay Marcom in Ranger, Texas. His land is criss-crossed by pipelines and a compressor station, and they're leaking. His surface dirt smells like oil and the ground water smells like gasoline. And both have been polluted with chemicals like benzene, xylene and toluene -- all are cancer-causing agents. In fact, the ground water is so polluted that if you put a match to it, it will burn.

Is this the legacy the gas companies are leaving Fort Worth? Things seem fine now as wallets are fattened and promises are made. But what about the future. Will future generations inherit a city where large portions of it are toxic sludge pits and poisoned soil and water?

Fort Worth is a wonderful city that has just recently revitalized it's downtown. I hope they're not now sowing the seeds of their own destruction.

Will Gas And Greed Ruin Fort Worth ?

It hasn't been too many years ago that the downtown area of Fort Worth was in trouble. Most people were doing their shopping in malls in other areas of town, and after dark, the downtown looked more like a ghost town than a thriving city. But city officials and developers got together to re-vitalize downtown. Sundance Square was developed, and gave a shot in the arm to the whole downtown.

With a re-modeled convention center at the south end of downtown, a plan for a community college at the north end of downtown along with the Trinity River Project, and Sundance Square between them, it looked like Fort Worth was finally turning the corner. The downtown area was once again attracting both shopping and entertainment dollars. It was becoming a fun place to go.

That's what makes this story so puzzling. Just as Fort Worth's downtown is becoming a viable, fun and increasingly beautiful place, it looks like the greed for gas dollars may ruin it all. Contracts have now been signed that will allow the drilling for natural gas under Sundance Square, and other downtown landowners are negotiating to do the same.

The wells would be located at the edges of downtown, with one of them just a few blocks from the Convention Center and Interstate 30. Another would be located near the new community college and Trinity River Project. Is this really the kind of thing they want visitors to Fort Worth to be greeted by -- the dirty and dangerous drilling sites?

The landowners say they were careful to pick the "cleanest" drilling company. That's a bit like picking the cleanest mudhole. All drilling sites are dirty and dangerous, and our Republican-dominated Texas Railroad Commission cannot be counted on to make the drillers obey the few laws that exist.

It was bad enough that contracts for drilling were being signed in residential districts all across Fort Worth. Now with the drillers going after downtown also, it looks like things are getting out of hand. It looks like greed is now more important than civic pride and responsibility.

Although my job has moved me to the Panhandle, I lived over 20 years in Tarrant County and grew to love Fort Worth. It is one of Texas' greatest cities.

I just hate to see them taking a giant step backwards after all they have accomplished.