Published: June 30, 2008 04:00 am         

Letters for June 30, 2008

Caution needed on gas drilling

In your June 18 article on drilling for gas in the Marcellus shale, Don Barber, candidate for the 51st District State Senate seat, is "right on target" in his conservative approach to the increasing hysteria for drilling. Even if drilling were to start today, it is unlikely the actual production and sale of the gas will occur for at least another decade. Barber feels there is no need to rush into this, especially as prices are rising every day.

Mr. Barber correctly points out that the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (the permitting agency) needs to establish environmental restrictions on the fluids and chemicals that can be used in the horizontal drilling and "hydraulic fracturing" technique that will be used in these wells. Unfortunately, under pressure from the Bush administration, the EPA in 2005 made this process exempt from the Clean Water Act. Consequently, it is up to the DEC to establish environmental restrictions for "hydraulic fracturing" in New York state.

The drilling process raises other environmental concerns such as:

1.) Intense use of water.

2.) Treatment of waste water.

3.) Protection of water aquifers used for drinking water.

4.) Heavy construction truck traffic.

5.) Discharge of vapors.

6.) Noise.

Furthermore, Barber points out that local land owners need to be educated about the pros and cons of signing leases. Oil companies have been writing contracts advantageous to their interests for more than 100 years and will use "all the tricks of the trade" to give themselves the upper hand. It takes time for local landowners to make sure any lease or contract takes care of needs other than just a dollar return.

In your article, Mr. Seward, the incumbent state senator, said, "Mr. Barber was taking an extremist position." Since when is caution and common sense extreme?

David M. Hutchinson

Oneonta

Hutchinson is professor emeritus in geology at Hartwick College.

Put alternative energy first

It is an election year, so I'm not at all surprised by the attempt to pin high gas costs on the Democrats. Don't let your pain at the pump sell you this shortsighted distortion.

The recent explosion in the price of oil is driven by a weak dollar and speculation as well as increased global demand. The new sources the industry wants to tap will be expensive to develop. Because of the price it can now get for a barrel of oil, it is willing to drill. Returns drive investment and price is related to the cost of production. Prices will have to stay up, drill or not.

Continuing high prices are not the only problem. Oil, natural gas, coal and radioactive minerals are efficient sources of energy, but extracting and using them can poison the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the soil and oceans that produce our food. What is the point of producing cheap energy in order to maintain a comfortable lifestyle if in the process we hurt not just our health but that of our grandchildren as well? And, given the fact that our great-grandchildren are going to still need oil, how can we justify the rate at which we burn it now?

I am sure that we will see increased domestic production. Even Democrats heat their homes. But if we are going to invest huge amounts to secure new energy, it makes more sense to me to channel a good part of that investment into the development of alternative sources and into more-efficient energy use. We took a lot of years digging this energy hole. Standing at the bottom of the pit pointing fingers will not help us develop an effective way to climb out and stay out.

Duncan Smith

Oneonta

Marijuana use is dangerous

In response to your editorial of June 7, "Medical marijuana makes sense":

The last international NYU Medical conference on Marijuana and Medicine (Humana Press), showed that the active psychotropic pharmacological agent in marijuana, Tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, did provide properties for possible medical use.

The use of THC has been narrowed to an appetite stimulant for AIDS patients and an anti-emetic in cancer chemotherapy. As an appetite stimulant for AIDS patients, it is not effective since they have an infection with a protein diathesis.

An oral form of THC, Marinol, is available via prescription for relief of the nausea of chemotherapy. Marinol use has been proven to be more effective than smoking marijuana. Studies after the oral administration of THC show the plasma levels of THC reach a more-sustained prolonged four-hour duration, as compared with the smoked THC's less-sustained 1 hour duration.

Smoking marijuana exposes an individual to 421 toxic chemicals (including phenol, creosol, naphthalene and acetaldehyde), twice the number of carcinogens as tobacco, and inhalation of bacteria or fungi. Marijuana worsens the symptoms of coronary insufficiency, causing increased blood pressure and heart rate.

New brain studies on marijuana smokers showed a reduction in the size of both the hippocampus (regulating memory and emotion), and the amygdala (which handles fear and aggression). The patients exhibited increased incidents of psychotic disorders with hallucinations and paranoid delusions. In a separate study, MS patients given marijuana showed an increase in cognitive defects and mood disorders, while failing to show symptom relief.

Legitimizing smoked marijuana as a compassionate, legal medical necessity leaves young people with the false impression that marijuana is a harmless drug. Academic Medicine agrees with the Food and Drug Administration's last report that, "There are no sound scientific studies" supporting the medical use of marijuana, despite anecdotal accounts to the contrary.

Dr. Nicholas A. Pace

New York City

Pace is a clinical associate professor of medicine at New York University Medical Center and co-author of "Teens Under the Influence."