Fracking holds the promise of cheaper, cleaner fuel

An op-ed in The Buffalo News by Craig Jackson, business development manager at Cobey Inc. in Buffalo, New York. He says "There are many reasons why embracing this new technology is good for our natural environment and our economy." He explains that CNG is cleaner than gasoline. It's less expensive and abundant.

Technology has made extracting natural gas from previously inaccessible shale possible. In 2000, only 2 percent of our natural gas came from shale. By 2012, that amount grew to 37 percent. Abundance leads to innovation, too. The U.S. Department of Energy announced in July that it will award $30 million to 13 cutting-edge research projects through its Advanced Research Projects Agency. This initiative will encourage development of natural gas tanks and compressors for readier use.

In the same issue of the newspaper Joel Huberman says that electric vehicles powered by wind, sun, and water are even cleaner and will be available for millions of years. Joel Huberman is a retired scientist and a member of the Energy Committee of the Niagara Group of the Sierra Club.