ABSTRACT
Shale gas extraction is linked to numerous environmental impacts, including methane migration into aquifers, impacts on surface water quality, airborne contaminants, and habitat disturbance and fragmentation. This chapter focuses on discourse, because it is a formidable political tool. The Marcellus Shale gas industry places Pennsylvania residents in a conundrum analogous to Aesop's fable of the golden goose. The discourse set in motion by the politically and economically powerful Marcellus Shale oil and gas industry mirrors this classic narrative. The current discourse frame is based on the assumption that economic growth, jobs, and energy independence will result from development, but negative consequences must be proven. This shifts the responsibility of identifying negative impacts away from industry and toward citizen groups with far fewer resources. Industry and its supporters exploit these assumptions. Macro-level statistics like Marcellus Shale productivity are imbued with value while reduced quality of life. The chapter suggest that instead of contradicting themes and statistics promulgated by the energopower system.
