The abandonment of the project by its developer is good news. But the economic environment that made it attractive to big oil hasn’t changed much. Because the cost of oil is low thanks to many hidden subsidies and costs born by the public at large, there is still plenty of incentive to burn the fuel and delay switching to renewable non-polluting sources. So don’t go to sleep.
I learned last night from the Conservation Voters of PA, that the Marcellus Shale Gas Coalition has a lobbyist assigned to every PA State Legislator. They have the money and the staff to dominate what ever happens in Harrisburg. Penn Environment, the Sierra Club, the League of Conservation Voters etc are not enough to counter the gas drillers. With PAC money for election campaigns and the constant presence of lobbyists in Harrisburg, the “game is rigged against us.”