Environment

Bishops, Nuns and Rabbis Debate Gas Fracking

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Bishops, nuns and rabbis are joining the environmental and social debate over natural gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale region, and many are seeking a balance that reflects their congregations.

“We have people’s lives who are being blessed or adversely affected by this,” said Bishop Thomas Bickerton of Pittsburgh, who leads more than 800 United Methodist congregations and 187,000 members in western Pennsylvania, where major drilling is taking place.

“The conversations within the church are rather lively and robust,” Bickerton said, and he thinks gas drilling “warrants some careful looking” by religious groups and public officials.

Bickerton told The Associated Press that it’s a delicate topic. On one hand, he’s very supportive of the economic development which gas drilling has spurred across the region. On the other, he said it appears the state has not thoroughly looked at all the issues around drilling, its impact on communities and the environment.

And as a West Virginia native, he’s seen how mining for another natural resource — coal — has helped and hurt communities.

Energy companies have identified major reserves of natural gas throughout the Marcellus Shale, a shale formation that underlies much of New York and Pennsylvania, and parts of Maryland, Ohio and West Virginia.

More than 3,300 wells have been drilled across Pennsylvania in just the last few years. The boom has raised concerns about the use of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, which injects chemical-laced water to break up the shale and allow natural gas to escape into the shale to push out the minerals. Environmental groups and the Environmental Protection Agency have expressed concerns about how the process impacts water, soil and air quality. But the industry insists it is safe.

Bickerton is one of several religious and community leaders who last month signed a protest letter to U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu. The letter, which originated with the Environmental Working Group of Washington, D.C., questioned the makeup of a federal committee that is reviewing fracking impacts, and asked for more community involvement in the review process.

Bickerton’s western Pennsylvania United Methodist Conference is one of many groups that have used church publications to examine the benefits and pitfalls of fracking. An article titled “The Morality of Fracking” appeared in The National Catholic Reporter last month, and the Reform Jewish Voice of New York State endorsed the drilling moratorium there.

Scientific and environmental issues aren’t the only concern.

“I believe personally that the church does have responsibility to engage the wider body of the community about what‘s moral and what’s not. What‘s ethical and what’s not,” said Bickerton. He said he doesn’t want to inhibit economic growth, yet is concerned that some in his congregation have been taken advantage of, such as with contracts they don‘t understand or side effects they haven’t considered.

Norman Wirzba, a professor of Theology, Ecology, and Rural Life at Duke Divinity School in North Carolina, said he thinks it’s noteworthy that Bickerton, the leader of a large congregation, is speaking out.

“There is a history within American Christianity with just being concerned with getting the soul to heaven,” Wirzba said. Religious environmental activism dates back to the 1950s and 60s, but it often presents great challenges at the local level. If a religious group seeks to change the whole economic system, then the very livelihood of the people they serve can be put into jeopardy, he said.

“What you really need is a kind of activism that can speak out against injustices, but also propose alternatives,” Wirzba said. “The last thing we need is well-meaning environmentalists running around the world telling people how to live.”

Fracking is one of many environmental issues that religious groups have debated in recent years. The National Religious Partnership for the Environment includes perspectives from Evangelical, Catholic, Protestant, Jewish and Interfaith groups. In April, the Kentucky group Blessed Earth used the slogan “Make Earth Day a Church Day” and a “Green Bible” was recently published, with essays and “passages that speak to God’s care for creation highlighted in green.”

In some cases, religious groups see gas drilling as a way to support charitable work.

Kathryn Klaber, president of the Marcellus Shale Coalition, a drilling industry group, said she was surprised last year to find that dozens of religious groups had entered into gas drilling leases.

“That to me was real eye-opener, when you’re literally funding mission through the leasing of mineral rights,” said Klaber, who believes religious groups can help in the process of distributing some of the newfound wealth that gas drilling is generating.

One example is Camp Agape, a bible camp set on 257 acres in Hickory, Pa., about 25 miles southwest of Pittsburgh. It was founded 50 years ago, and is owned and operated by an association made up of 17 congregations from the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America.

About four years ago the camp decided to lease drilling rights to Range Resources, said Charles Wingert, a member of the all-volunteer board of directors.

“It’s been a good experience for us. Not without some worry and trepidation,” Wingert said. “Basically we were living on a shoestring for many, many years.”

The camp, which serves about 150 children each summer, runs a program that provides intensive tutoring for kids who are struggling with reading and math.

“We‘re really enthused that we’re able to help children, and we couldn’t do this without the additional income,” Wingert said. The lease payments have also helped in upgrading the camp and keeping fees low, and may ultimately provide for an endowment. They’ve also helped the camp survive.

“I think we would not be here without the income,” said Wingert, who added that board members felt that the gas below the camp is part of God’s creation, just like forests and streams.

Some religious groups think another way to address the fracking issue is to start at the top, by engaging and pressuring large corporations.

Sister Nora Nash is director of the corporate social responsibility program at the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia, which was founded more than 150 years ago. The order began caring for smallpox patients in 1858 and opened St. Mary’s Hospital for the poor in 1860.

The group has a long history of asking the corporations in which the sisters invest to be more socially conscious. Nash visited western Pa. last year to talk to people in communities where fracking was taking place, and was disturbed by what she saw. Her group also signed the protest letter to the Secretary of Energy.

“All of the poorest of the poor are not getting the jobs. Everyplace we looked there was a white truck from Oklahoma or Texas,” she said.

Earlier this year the Sisters of St. Francis joined with other religious groups to file a formal shareholder proposal with energy giant Chevron, which has purchased large holdings in the Marcellus region.

The proposal asked Chevron to look at ways to go “above and beyond regulatory requirements” and reduce or eliminate hazards to air, water and soil quality from fracking. Several related proposals were put before energy companies, and Nash was encouraged by the response. On average, the shareholder proposals seeking greater transparency on fracking got 30 percent of the vote, and in one case, 42 percent.

Chevron’s board responded to the shareholder fracking proposal by noting that the company “is already committed to meeting or exceeding all applicable laws and regulations,“ and that the new suggestions ”would merely duplicate Chevron’s current efforts and thus would be a waste of stockholder money.”

But over time it is possible to influence corporations, Nash said.

“We are active in shareholder advocacy. We’ve been working with Chevron for about 10 years. And last year Chevron did sign a human rights policy. And we felt really good about that,” Nash said.

“I think their intentions are good,” Nash said of Chevron. “But they have a long way to go to look at the significant risks to human health” that fracking may pose.

Wirzba said the North Carolina Council of Churches is working on a statement, and Rabbi Arthur Waskow of Philadelphia’s Shalom Center has written articles critical of fracking.

Sybil Sanchez, director of the New York-based Coalition on Environment and Jewish Life, said her group supports increasing energy independence in ways that also protect the environment, which they see as God’s Creation. But fracking is of particular concern because of the number of unknown chemicals used and the impact it has on local citizens and their access to clean water, Sanchez said.

Ultimately, Wirzba said that if religious groups want to change how natural gas drilling interacts with communities, words aren’t enough.

“You’re not going to change the lives of people really, unless you live with them,” he said. “That means you can’t do it just by holding a poster. You gotta do it by moving into a neighborhood.”

Comments (101)

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  • tyler_durden
    Posted on July 10, 2011 at 8:56am

    Great more people talking about things they no nothing about. More people who think the world is burger king where they caan have it their way. More people who want unemployment to skyrocket and for all of society to go back to the 12th century and live in mud huts. Its when religious in the church startart speaking on issues outside of their faith that I consider leaving the church. Yes yes all about putting the environment above humans like we aren’t part of the evironment. And acting like the planet hasent survived worse than us. Like polar shifts, comet stikes, asteroid strikes continental drift ice ages, world wide volcanos and earthquakes glaciers I could go on and on. George Carlin had the entire list in one bit he did. We CANNOT destroy the planet. Sorry, its an act of extreme arrogance to think we can. And for religious to think we can shows their lack of faith in God

    Report Post »  
  • danenut6
    Posted on July 10, 2011 at 8:55am

    Do you know how many jobs would be made if they would get off the back of energy? I am so sick and tired of this. My husband is a pipe line welder. I CRIED the day Obama was elected because I KNEW what this would mean.
    We have been living hand to mouth ever since.
    Makes me SICK. My husband WORKED in PA (Troy) Had to COMMUTE from Texas to there to work and would do it again if they would LEAVE THE COMPANY’S ALONE AND ALLOW THEM TO DRILL. We sacrifice to try and live the American dream and now we are not even aloud to work. Ask people in these small towns if they want it. . .I visited Troy and they are GRATEFUL the town was all but DEAD prior to the pipeline coming through. Sometimes I wish it would all shut down so these WHINING little children would find out just how hard it will be to get ANYTHING: DO ANYTHING if we keep going in this direction.

    Report Post »  
  • gpk
    Posted on July 10, 2011 at 8:54am

    too many people unleash variola…..

    Report Post »  
  • Iman Barak Hussein
    Posted on July 10, 2011 at 8:54am

    just because they wear a robe doesn‘t mean they can’t be liberals.

    Report Post » Iman Barak Hussein  
  • danenut6
    Posted on July 10, 2011 at 8:48am

    Just keep reporting them and get it banned. . .

    Report Post »  
  • UlyssesP
    Posted on July 10, 2011 at 8:46am

    How much do you get off from sex toys?
    I mean dollar-wise!!

    Report Post » UlyssesP  
  • legendarytwo
    Posted on July 10, 2011 at 8:44am

    Most of those people wouldn’t know God if He walked in the door of their church.

    Report Post »  
    • Your Name Here
      Posted on July 10, 2011 at 9:11am

      legendarytwo
      Most of those people wouldn’t know God if He walked in the door of their church.

      You are correct on that one!
      They are blinded by the gold plaque with the wealthy donors names on it or the big sign with the pastors name on it.
      It‘s a strange place to be advertising peoples names when it’s supposed to be the house of God.
      Years ago my father got a raise at work and the church knew about it before he was told, and they knew how much. That’s when we quit going there.

      Now back to the thread… It doesn’t matter what we do for energy, George “Schwartz” Soros has the “managed decline of the dollar” as his agenda and it’s going exactly as planned.

      Report Post » Your Name Here  
  • nomercy63
    Posted on July 10, 2011 at 8:41am

    This is what happens when you lose total control over your life and let others decide everything for you!

    Report Post »  
  • avgconservative
    Posted on July 10, 2011 at 8:17am

    It is safe. Having worked for a large oil well servicing company and with a Frac Crew, please understand that the area being treated is thousands of feet of rock between it and the water table. There’s no way this chemical (which is mainly organic… guar bean meal) can reach the water table. Wise up Methodist Church… quit wrapping yourself with liberal activists and get back to the Bible.

    Report Post » avgconservative  
  • USAF2003
    Posted on July 10, 2011 at 8:09am

    With time & through experiance, American innovation/ingenuity will come up with new technologies & processes to produce “things” in more efficient ways. And through the free market/capitalism companies will evolve to that point on their own. But when govt. pushes through regulation before tech to cost ratio is adequate you will just continue to hurt the economy. Present times are NOT the time for more regulation. We need to worry more about our country and economy than the “possible” environmental impacts. While on a topic dealing with natural resources, Drill Baby, Drill!! I assure you God created plenty of oil, coal, etc. for man to continuely prosper until the Final Days.

    Report Post »  
  • ares338
    Posted on July 10, 2011 at 7:44am

    It was Gods’ fault!

    Report Post » ares338  
  • Atokaite
    Posted on July 10, 2011 at 7:44am

    This article opens a memory.
    Back in the 90s, many Liberal Religious groups, continuously petitioned, demonstrated against and activley sought to control Aerospace Aircraft development, all in the name of ANTI war social program development.
    One has to be careful here. On the surface, these groups are concerned and rightly so, with the Environmental/Health aspects of Fracking. New Technology always has risks, some not visible for years. Peeling the onion, tho, the ANTI Capitalism Social LIberation Theology becomes somewhat apparent Impedance of drilling = Demise of the Capitalistic Energy system, which is the Cloward Piven Agenda.
    Religious groups are notorious for involvement in these ANTI Production schemes. Infiltration by the Left within these groups is also notorious.
    History tells us, that once burned twice beware. Read the sources, evaluate the sources, analyze what and where they are acting. Be informed. There is more to this than meets the casual eye.
    end

    Report Post » Atokaite  
    • jackbauer
      Posted on July 10, 2011 at 8:15am

      These folks generally don’t want to understand the chemistry or technology. They work off of a premise that all chemicals are bad because it fits the agenda. The agenda is to stop capitalism and redistribute the wealth. What they won’t acknowledge is the fact that all chemicals are not bad. Food, water, plants, soil, animals, etc. (ie. all their favorite causes) are entirely made up of chemicals.

      Report Post » jackbauer  
  • Red Bubba
    Posted on July 10, 2011 at 7:34am

    Fracking uses stuff like dihydrogen monoxide, sodium chloride, silicon granules. Scary stuff to put in there with relatively benign substances like oil and gas.

    Report Post » Red Bubba  
    • quicker
      Posted on July 10, 2011 at 7:54am

      Let me see,water ,salt and sand.Gee really harmful.

      Report Post » quicker  
    • Oldtexan in support of Israel
      Posted on July 10, 2011 at 8:43am

      Just more commies trying to cut us off of our energy first frac job I worked on was in 1969. One might want to look at a geological survey see where the water table is and the look at where the saltwater table is and the the oil or gas!

      Report Post »  
    • Rational Man
      Posted on July 10, 2011 at 8:48am

      People talk like fracking is a new un-tested procedure. I don’t know how long they have been doing it, but it was standard practice when I roughnecked 30yrs ago. I have not heard of any ill effects from fracking. Just liberal environmentalists speculating, (lying), their way to shutting down drilling all together.

      Report Post » Rational Man  
    • booger71
      Posted on July 10, 2011 at 8:57am

      Fracking has been going on since the 50′s, and just now the Clergy is concerned? The pulpit is not a place to promote social justice.

      Report Post » booger71  
    • Paul -Indiana
      Posted on July 10, 2011 at 4:16pm

      Are there other Fracking chemicals? I’m sure the companies use the most cost effective, but are there other choices?

      Report Post »  
  • Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
    Posted on July 10, 2011 at 7:31am

    SpankDaMonkey has a good point, this sounds like a number of the churches involved are preaching the social justice and social redistribution of the wealth again; now mind you, I understand that in the good book we are called upon to be good stewards of the earth, yet that has to be to a point in which we use the resources entrusted to us wisely, not just bottle them up completely.
    http://artinphoenix.com/gallery/grimm

    Report Post » Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}  
  • SpankDaMonkey
    Posted on July 10, 2011 at 7:28am

    .
    Church what Church? Soros has infiltrated all of them……….

    Report Post » SpankDaMonkey  
    • sbenard
      Posted on July 10, 2011 at 10:12am

      The false Church of Global Warming, with Al Gore being its false prophet!

      Report Post » sbenard  
  • BIGJAYINPA
    Posted on July 10, 2011 at 7:18am

    Can’t burn coal, nukes are either radiation hazards or terrorist targets. drilling for gas harms the enviornment, hydroelectric innundates valuable green spaces. Does anyone else see a pattern here?? The goal of these “enviromentalists” is nothing less than the destruction of our economy and our way of life. Like it or not our current lifestyle requires ENERGY to sustain. What do you think powers our computers, cell phones, I-pads etc?? The answer boys and girls is electricity. And what happens when the electricity stops?? You really don’t want an answer to that, do you….Just sayin’

    Report Post » BIGJAYINPA  
    • sbenard
      Posted on July 10, 2011 at 10:15am

      THey want us to lives in caves — and grunt too!

      Report Post » sbenard  
  • Rational Man
    Posted on July 10, 2011 at 7:17am

    Great!
    If we do decide to produce our own energy, then we will ‘socialize’ it to death and make it un-profitable for anyone. Including the consumers!
    At least that‘s what I’m getting from this article.

    Report Post » Rational Man  
  • pappy
    Posted on July 10, 2011 at 7:16am

    Susie…. go peddle you wares elsewhere, please.
    Thank you for your co-operation.

    The Mgmt.

    Report Post »  
  • pappy
    Posted on July 10, 2011 at 7:13am

    Hey Bishop…. Stick to preaching the word of God and leave the mining to the fracking miners, will ya.

    Report Post »  
  • Ballgame
    Posted on July 10, 2011 at 7:11am

    Where did the report button go………..? Susie go sell your crap on ebay.

    Report Post » Ballgame  
  • teddrunk
    Posted on July 10, 2011 at 7:11am

    These clowns should stick to worrying about affairs of God, and leave the petro-chemical things to man.

    Report Post »  
  • Rational Man
    Posted on July 10, 2011 at 7:08am

    I hate your stupid posts!!…….still!

    Report Post » Rational Man  
  • Rational Man
    Posted on July 10, 2011 at 7:07am

    I hate your stupid posts!!

    Report Post » Rational Man  
  • Rational Man
    Posted on July 10, 2011 at 7:06am

    Ya, like I‘m going to listen to Methodist clergy tell me what’s moral and right when they can’t even get the homosexual thing right………….sure……………………

    Report Post » Rational Man  
  • 912828Buckeye
    Posted on July 10, 2011 at 7:06am

    Get Obama involved, he wuill shut it down and put more people out of work and on food stamps.

    Report Post » 912828Buckeye  
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