Journal #16

In our current situation, is natural gas a good investment or no?

Natural gas would seem to be a great investment for countries like the United States, and all over the world. If there are no problems, natural gas could potentially "save our economy, the environment and promote national security" claims Hal Harvey, author of the article "Natural Gas: Cheap, clean and risky." The title is very accurate for the information written in this article. Natural gas seems like it would help the envirnoment because it is not as bad as coal. However, what most of us are not aware about is that if the gas were to leak as little as 2.5 percent, it would be as harmful to our environment as coal is. In reality, the gas system leaks from about 1.5 percent to 8 percent. This may even do more harm to our environment as coal does. The article states that if these percentages are so high in the U.S, then other countries like Russia could have far worse consequences. This is a valid problem, because the country has to know for sure that there won't be any leakages, and that it stays that way- or else investing in natural gas would not be a good investment. Also, companies have to be extra careful in where they locate. Wells, are said to do damage to gas sites. The earth can be salted by byproducts spilling onto farmlands.
Overall, personally I do not believe natural gas is a good investment in the United States, whether it be in our economy of today, or in better economy. There are far too many risks, such as damages wells do to gas sites, and the long term affect that lies in our hands if there were to be many leakages in the United States, as well as other parts of the world.