Reason Writers Around Town: Ronald Bailey Talks Fracking at American Enterprise Institute Today

Today, May 25th I will be participating in a panel discussion—Hydraulic Fracturing: Beneficent Breakthrough or Environmental Endangerment?—beginning at 1 pm at the American Enterprise Institute. AEI describes the debate:

An old technique to tap a veritable sea of natural gas has ignited new controversy in the news, at regulatory agencies, and in the courts. Hydraulic fracturing, applied in a novel way to shale and other dense mineral formations, has unlocked natural-gas potential in the United States and other parts of the world that have historically been considered poor prospects for producing their own fossil fuels. But concerns have arisen that hydraulic fracturing could contaminate groundwater and pollute the air, and environmental groups worry that the chemicals used in "fracking" could lead to greater exposure to toxic substances. AEI is pleased to host a panel discussion to weigh the pros and cons of hydraulic fracturing, a technology that–depending on which side of the debate you fall on–is either our saving energy grace or a troubling new threat to environmental quality.

My fellow panelists are: 

MARK BROWNSTEIN, Environmental Defense Fund
TIMOTHY J. CONSIDINE, University of Wyoming
AMY MALL, Natural Resources Defense Council

The discussion will be moderated by AEI fellow Kenneth Green. The discussion ends at 3:00 pm and it will be web cast.

See my reporting on fracking here, here, and here.

Go here for more information and to register.