Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Must See Video--Colbert Report Anti-Frack Attack

You are in trouble if you are the subject of late night comedy shows. Late night comedy powerfully interprets and shapes our world.

Those who seek to stop shale gas will love Stephen Colbert's piece on fracking. Others probably will have their sense of humor challenged.

Video of water on fire has become the single most important image in energy policy. More powerful than oil-covered pelicans or even a mushroom cloud.

This video demonstrates many things, including the need to resolve gas migration issues and the communication challenges to achieving an informed discussion of gas drilling and energy options.

The Colbert Anti-Frack Attack Video is must see no matter what you think about gas drilling. Go to www.colbertnation.com or http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/391552/july-11-2011/anti-frack-attack?xrs=share_copy

3 comments:

  1. Concerned ScientistJuly 14, 2011 at 12:08 AM

    I am a big fan of Stephen Colbert - I laughed once or twice at this but was mostly sort of embarrassed with how much he gets wrong.

    Can anyone explain what the neurotoxins are that Josh Fox talks about? Is there a single case of someone being having their nervous system affected by neurotoxins related to fracking? I have not heard of one.

    Next is the stubborn fact that fracking doesn't lead to methane migration! As has been pointed out many times on this blog drilling can cause methane migration but fracking does not. And that particular video was of a guy in Colorado lighting methane that was naturally occurring in his well on fire. That particular case had nothing to do with drilling or fracking. Josh Fox knew this when he made the movie but failed to fill the audience in on that kind of important bit of information.

    I do think Talisman was sort of asking for it with Terry the Frackasaurus. But then there is another major scientific goof that dinosaurs had not yet evolved when the Marcellus was deposited and the organic matter in the marcellus was mainly marine algae - something that is kind of hard to feel sorry for. I realize they were going for humor and I get it but it does show how little the average or even well above average person knows about energy. I don't think very much oil and gas come from dinosaur remains from any time period.

    Maybe what it really highlights is that some people think they know a lot about oil and gas drilling and production when in fact they know very little. They are talking without doing the necessary homework - just assuming that all the media they normally trust can't be wrong when in fact they have been stunningly wrong on many aspects of this issue.

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  2. why don't you try heavy metal poisoning?

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  3. no neurotoxins??? heavy metal poisoning creates neruologic symptoms. Your comments are also stunningly wrong

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