'Citizen of the Shale' Has Her Say .....

A few days back, I wondered in this post what Cowtown Pattie at Texas Trifles might say about becoming a 'Citizen of the Shale' ..... now I know.

"Citizens of the Shale," is a 30-minute newsmagazine produced by Chesapeake Energy and set for multiple airings on six major stations in the DFW market. I don't know if there are plans to air the program here, in the Permian Basin - that would be like 'preaching to the choir,' abyway. But you can watch the program yourself, online, by clicking on that CotS link. The program is airing in conjunction with a major online effort by Chesapeake to engage in the debate over 'urban drilling,' and to promote its stand on the issues.

So what does one 'citizen' have to say?

"The Simple Life Ain't So Simple in the Land of Shale," Miss Pattie concludes ..... and she's right. Hers is a first-hand story of a neighborhood confronted with the prospect of urban drilling. She is mindful of the benefits that residents might gain from that drilling ..... but she is equally mindful of the risks. A decision to sign a lease, she explains, is part resignation, part acceptance of the lure of greenbacks, and part hope that they might mitigate as much of the damage to their community as possible by acting collectively and employing a lawyer to negotiate the lease.

I see where she's coming from ..... but I don't know whether many in the Tall City will understand the concerns, the suspicions she and others outside the Basin have when dealing with oil-and-gas companies. Perhaps the push for urban drilling in the Dallas-Fort Worth area (and here, in Midland?) will provide an opportunity for these companies to reach out and actively address those concerns and suspicions - not just through preaching on the airwaves, but through practice in the neighborhoods ..... finding that balance between good business and good citizenship.