ANGA is America’s Natural Gas Association, and I’m sure you’ve seen their slick (pun intended) commercials on TV. They have a series of commercials that start with, “We’re America’s natural gas and here’s what we did for you today.” A friend of mine did a great parody video.
Well, here is what ANGA did against you during the first quarter of this year
The main natural gas drillers’ trade group spent $910,000 lobbying in the first quarter on drilling regulations and on plans for clean energy mandates, according to a disclosure report.
Maybe that’s why TX Sen Troy Fraser (R) and TX Rep Dennis Bonnen eagerly worked together and employed trickery in an effort to pass SB 875, a bill that would strip Texans of their right to protect their property from oil and gas toxins. And that’s only one example, there are so many others.
About Sharon Wilson
Sharon Wilson is considered a leading citizen expert on the impacts of shale oil and gas extraction. She is the go-to person whether it’s top EPA officials from D.C., national and international news networks, or residents facing the shock of eminent domain and the devastating environmental effects of natural gas development in their backyards.
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Thought of you, Sharon, when we visited the Ft Worth Museum of Science and History. There we saw how much influence corporations now have over our educational institutions. I'm an aero-nut so I can forgive Lockheed Martin's transparent PR exhibit in praise of the F-22 (RIP) and F-35 fighters that are assembled partially in Fort Worth.
But prior to that, we took a tour back in time in a 3D interactive theater complete with puffs of air, moving seats and water spraying. It showed how sea life settled to the ocean floor and over millions of years became all of this energy trapped beneath miles of rocks. If only there was some way to extract that energy so we could all live in a happy thriving economy!!
It was a quick segue from the creation of the universe, to the creation of life, to the burial of said life in the Barnett Shale, to how we drill into the shale to free up gas. While they mentioned "fracturing" the Barnett Shale (And they mentioned Barnett at least a dozen times in the film) I don't think they ever used the more widely known term "fracking"
http://www.fwmuseum.org/energy-blast
After the film ends, the doors to our left pop open and there big as life is one of the Thumper Trucks all nice and clean in it's pristine white paint. Those 25 ton seismic vibroseis trucks are what's used to locate oil and gas reserves below Texas.
In the same large space was a 30 foot high drilling rig model and a control room simulator so you can see how the guys work on the platform putting the drilling pipes together.
My wife and I were in awe of how the Ft Worth Museum seems to have given up so much of it's floor space to commercial institutions to promote their view of what's important to our kids. From cattle ranchers to defense contractors to gas and oil interests, more than half of the museum was dedicated to their interests. Dinosaurs? Reduced to one room a little larger than our living room at home.
Maybe this is the way museums have worked all along, and we just didn't notice it till now. I remember small exhibits in Houston's Science Museum provided by oil, gas and aerospace. But nothing as slick and overwhelming as what we just saw.
Thanks for your work Sharon! Don't let the b****rds get you down.
HB 3105 and it's sister HB in 2009 both failed miserably. Face it, there is NO will to take away local control, EVEN with Republicans holding majorities in both Houses and with Slick Rick at the helm. After all, isn't "local control" what Texas always balks at with Washington. What hypocritical behavior we Republicans show.
Hmmm it doesn't feel like independence when so many outside interests are dependent on the dole of our federal government. From the O&G gassholes who need tax credits stolen from public school funding, to the European Central Banks that still have an open line of credit with the federal reserve to bail out their debt crisis. But alas no one will be left to bail out America and austerity and riots will come here. Then it will truly be our war for independence. The answer to 1984 is 1776! Death to the New World Order!
Dear Blue, I used to ride by bike to the museum and spend hours pouring over the exhibits. As the daughter of a single mother to 3 back in the 50s, that museum was one of my main forms of enrichment.
When I had children, I took them to the museum often and we were regulars at the Omin.
I doubt that I will ever set foot in that place again.
Anon 12:29, we can never be sure and we cannot afford to be complacent.
Tad, I love that comment. Amen on 1776!
Sharon,
That could be a handy place for a Ft Worth protest. I'm sure local camera crews would find the oddity of a protest against fracking outside the museum worth airing.
(but not till it's below 95'F 🙂
What they’ve done to the Fort Worth museum is unfortunate. As TXSharon pointed out it used to be a great place. I grew up in the late 80’s – early 90’s and the museum was always one of my favorite destinations for school field trips and I have fond memories of it.
On a whim I decided recently to go visit it with a friend of mine and we got our first look at it since the remodeling. All I can say is that what they’ve done to the place is pretty awful. The dinosaur exhibit has been relegated to a tiny corner of the museum. Most of the floor space is taken up by the cattle ranchers’ museum and old west history. Then there’s the massive oil and gas exhibit, which is relevant to local industries and has a decidedly scientific spin, but still ignores the potential and real dangers of fracking. Now they want to build a 9/11 memorial on the site…
I’m holding my breath for the day the dino exhibit gets a creationist/intelligent design remake. At this rate it doesn’t look like there will be much left of the science part of the science and history museum.
I won’t go back there ever again.