Apr
15
Income Inequality and Fracking-Class #21-Gerald Lizzo
April 15, 2015 | Leave a Comment
The first article from Mother Jones presents an interesting new perspective on the notion of fracking. It attempts to point out the positive side affects of the process by displaying the apparent increases in economic activity and economic booms in areas where the practice has become prevalent. Specifically it measures the increase in economic and social mobility from the bottom fifth to the top fifth of the economic ladder in those regions. The chart itself shows the effective probability an individual does just that in those regions. It discovered how the probability is significantly greater in states like North Dakota, Montana, and much of the center portion of U.S. where fracking has become ever so prevalent.
While this is certainly very compelling, I do not believe the issue is really that simple. First of all, way on which this idea was presented was very interesting. It chose to display the probability an individual will rise from the bottom fifth to the top fifth in terms of income in these regions. This brings about the issue of relativity. In these less urban areas of the United States, what is the bottom fifth level of income and the top fifth level of income defined as? Does an individual actually have to increase their income as much as they do in other more urban and developed parts of the country? I do not now what the exact numbers are, but I have to say I believe the top fifth in New York make more than the top fifth in Montana. These individuals do not have to see a dramatic increase in their income to see these come to fruition.
Furthermore, just because everyone is now making a lot more money in these regions does not necessarily bring them to parity with other regions in the U.S. Those in the top fifth in those areas may still be making significantly less than the top fifth in other regions where income mobility is less probable. Additionally, what about the economic state of these places prior to the arrival of fracking and big business? If it was not that good to begin with then not much is needed to have a significant impact on the economy. I am not saying an economic boom is not welcome, but that the statistics may be significantly overestimating the actual impact these businesses have had on the local areas.
Additionally, while helping the economy of these areas is certainly a good thing and can not be argued against objectively, fracking is not a permanent process. There is a finite amount of natural gas and once all of it has been extracted form the area, these businesses will move on. They are not making a long-term investment in the communities they are moving into. So, what happens after they leave? Everything could very well go back to prior to these companies moving into these areas and the local economies could very well suffer. So what exactly are these businesses doing?
For me, this is providing short-term economic success for long-term environmental concerns. The chemicals used within the fracking process are clearly hazardous to the local environment, animals, and people. I do not think there is any mistaking that after watching Gasland in class. Worse yet, these affects are being felt not long after these companies are moving into the area. Within several years the environment is drastically changed. Water is contaminated and the people suffer as a result, whether it is with their own health or of their business. Many were farmers with livestock falling ill from drunk the water. We also saw the impact the environment with the family who experienced haze and difficult to breathe air that fell upon their property after a fracking company had moved onto their property. Hence, I do not believe the fracking is at all worth the short-term economic booms local areas are experiencing as a result of its introduction into the local economies. Its affects are extremely fatal and hazardous to these local areas and are rapidly destroying what had been living there for years. It is not a solution to income inequality whatsoever, rather it is a completely separate problem all together.
