Worth The Fracking Risk

In response to Nirmal’s blog regarding fracking, though I honor your opinion that there are risks when hydraulic fracturing is used, I feel there are basic facts that were left out that would be helpful. This summer I have had the privilege to intern for a petroleum engineering firm that consults with many companies and have had the challenge of researching recycled “frac” water. To be more accurate Schlumberger defines hydraulic fracturing as: “A Stimulation treatment routinely performed on oil and gas wells in low-permeability reservoirs. Specially engineered fluids are pumped at high pressure and rate into the reservoir interval to be treated, causing a vertical fracture to open. Proppant, such as grains of sand of a particular size, is mixed with the treatment fluid to keep the fracture open when the treatment is complete. Hydraulic fracturing creates high-conductivity communication with a large area of formation and bypasses any damage that may exists in the near-wellbore area.” Your definition misleads because fracking can be done either vertically or horizontally. Hydraulic drilling that was used as far back as the 1860’s in which vertical hydraulic fracturing was used and is still used today; therefore, stating that it is only horizontal would be misleading.  

You addressed the use of millions of freshwater from areas in Michigan as a wasteful endeavor and equated it to the use of water used in Texas. In general, fracking uses .5 - .8% of water the state uses daily. Also, in the Permian Basin, recycling “frack” water is predominantly the method used there and they are able to prevent unnecessary fresh water usage. In fact, there are companies all over Texas that implement the recycling of “frack” water despite the cost to the companies. Too, there are many companies that now use a brackish water mix to lessen the use of fresh water. This is vitally important in presenting this debate so the public is fully informed. 

Despite your comment about the disclosure of chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing jobs, there is a website (Frac Focus) in which companies list the fluid composition that identifies chemicals being used. You allude to the toxins that are added to the water used to complete the hydraulic fracturing; however 99.5% of the process uses water and sand and only .5% uses chemical additives. These additives include sodium chloride (table salt), ethylene glycol (household cleaners), borate salts (cosmetics), sodium potassium carbonate (detergents), guar gum (found in foods including ice cream), and isopropanol (found in deodorant).  As you can see the items that make up the .5% are used in our daily lives and are actually consumed by humans on a regular basis.

I appreciate your blog and the dilemma that fracking presents to the everyday citizen, but would encourage further research. Based on your pro and con list I can certainly see why you came to the conclusion you made, but after further research I believe you would agree that fracking is worth the risk. 

A Better Future For A Trashy State

Within the past few months at an outlying grocery store that has allowed the use of plastic bags, I had an epiphany that many of these people were leaving the city limits so that they would not have to change their usage of plastic bags. No doubt the use of reusable bags increased as well, but it became evident that making environmental change is hard for many people. Hard or not, Texans need to be encouraged to make that change and over time Texas needs to be a state that is the example of zero waste. This issue of getting people to change their habits and the way they see their interaction with the environment is one of paramount importance.  

In this next legislative session Texas needs to develop legislative policy to support zero waste. Zero waste is a goal to guide people to design and manage products so that we can avoid and remove the amount and the toxicity of waste and materials, and rid all discharges to land, water, or air that are a threat to planetary life. By supporting such a goal Texans would eliminate trash that is currently sent to landfills and is incinerated.

Currently most major cities in Texas have recycling programs and the state executed a law that requires cities to have a recycling program for paper.  This mandate, however, is not enough. Even Austin, the “greenest” city in Texas, only has 24% of the people using the recycling programs.  By implementing a state policy Texas could become a leader in creating zero waste and an example of implementing innovative solutions for more sustainability.

One sure way for improving the current situation is through education. The Texas Legislature would be doing the state a huge service by legislating education and recycling programs statewide and by making it more convenient to recycle. If current programs are not working then a task force could be put into place so that communities could improve what they are doing or find a better way to accomplish the task at hand.

For every 10,000 tons of solid waste going to landfills one job is created. That same amount of waste kept out of landfills could create between 10 – 75 recycling jobs. By employing and legislating for a zero waste policy, Texas could affect positive change not only for the state, but it could set an example for the rest of the United States.   

Homelessness Is Not So Much About Broken People As It Is About A Broken System

In response to Tatiana’s blog regarding the treatment of homeless people in Texas cities, I find myself in agreement that homelessness is indeed a huge problem in Texas and in Austin. I have personally devoted the past ten years volunteering to help the homeless and have changed the way I see the problem and the solutions.

Tatiana, I don’t think that it is negative to have laws that prohibit vagrants from sleeping in public places. In fact, I want strict regulations for vagrants so that they are not sleeping in public places. By allowing them to sleep in public places we basically condone the problem this creates. We are enabling the homeless when we allow certain behaviors. In an NPR article a man who had been homeless got help and is now living independently because the forced him to get help for his schizophrenia.  He stated, “What changed for me first and foremost was I got arrested, and I know that doesn’t sound like a good thing, but it was a good thing for me because it was the first time anybody realized that I needed help.”

Though I do agree with you regarding the need for shelters for the homeless, I feel that there should be stipulations for how long people can use these shelters so that these people don’t become dependent and abuse the privilege. You make a good point that there is a need for shelters to help people get back on their feet, but before we can help them get jobs the majority of homeless people need help becoming functional citizens. The statistics show that people living in Texas are not homeless because of lack of jobs. Texas has been able to maintain employment during the downsizing of recent years. The main issues of homelessness seem to revolve around mental problems.  What would be optimum is to offer addiction counseling and therapy for the 68% homeless people who are dealing with addiction issues. Treatment programs are needed because homeless addicts are likely to return to their addictive behaviors and become homeless over and over again. Another overwhelming issue that I experienced in working with this community of homeless people in Austin was that of mental illness. From statistics, between 20 – 25% of homeless people are plagued with mental illnesses including some that are easily remedied with proper medication and psychiatric help.

Indeed I agree that Texas has a growing issue of homelessness, but I sincerely feel that the root issues are those of mental illness, addiction issues, and violence, rather than lack of jobs. It is heartbreaking to see these homeless people in need of help, but I feel there are more effective ways to help them without enabling them.  

And The Gubernatorial Winner Is … Education

Texas gubernatorial candidates should focus on Education as a top priority in the upcoming election. With the huge cuts to education in Texas and the diminishing college graduates heading into the teaching profession due to lack of funding, Texan youths and families are being cheated by the decisions made by the Texas Legislature.  Whether it will be Wendy Davis or Greg Abbott, Texans should have a governor who will ameliorate the inequities of public education in Texas. 

Abbott is less likely to put funnel additional money toward education, but wanting better quality of existing educational programs in the public sector. Davis is stating that the Republicans deleted money that is vitally needed for funding decent education. This ongoing exchange during debates does not yet solve the issue. Most people would agree with Greg Abbott that just spending more money is not the answer unless there are specific targeted areas for improvement. If Davis is to become the next Governor she should target a concise plan of expenditures and outline a way to monitor such monies.

Davis, during her filibuster, made it abundantly clear that the Republicans put public education in jeopardy by cutting that budget and neglecting to fix the problems. She made the point that public teachers cannot continue to make less money, increase class sizes, and have less financial support and still provide quality education to young Texans.

Both sides see themselves as having redeemable aspects to their projected solutions to educational problems in the state. Davis points out if we could forgive student loans for those going into public education as careers, it might encourage more top notch students to dedicate themselves to the future generation. Abbott’s focus on more charter schools allows parents more options and encourages competition that could improve productivity.

The fact remains that without a workable solution to this major issue, Texans will be getting an inferior education, and this will impact every other potential issue. Whether the topics during the gubernatorial debates will include fiscal budgets, environment, immigration, job availability in Texas, health care, etcetera, education will impact each and every topic now and in the future. It is vital that the topic of Education should be the priority for any debate and, more importantly, for any future governor. 

Threat of terrorism mandates law-abiding Texans provide full fingerprints for driver licenses

From the Big Jolly Politics Blog, Yvonne Larsen, a conservative sales executive to oil and gas companies, shares her view of the mandated Texas laws requiring full fingerprints from those who are either renewing their driver licenses or acquiring their first driver’s license.  With the targeted audience being Texans, she definitely can appeal to a large population. Despite her occupation as a sales executive, her references do seem credible and she does site her many sources to make her point. 

Her argument is that there is no need to profile the every-day citizen for fingerprints and facial identification because these citizens are law-abiding, whereas the criminals and terrorists who might be identified and brought into custody are not going to comply with this law in the first place. She also makes the point that credit card companies have other ways to identify perpetrators and that these safeguards don’t ask for a single fingerprint or facial identification.

My reaction to this issue is that I personally don’t see a problem in having to surrender my fingerprints to authorities because I have no reason to fear giving that information. If the government feels that mandating this information could prevent or solve crimes or terrorist acts, then there should be no reason to refrain from willingly providing such. With the increase in violent crimes, terrorist acts, etc. then we, as citizens, should offer information that might be useful in a databank. We would have no reason to hesitate.

Despite the fact that I may have a different reaction, I do see Ms. Larsen’s point and see the validity to the part of her argument in which criminals will refrain from offering information, and therefore the databank will not include that information. Obviously, if a crime is committed and all the prints and facial recognition data excludes the law abiding citizens, then those people would be excluded from the possible perpetrators and would eliminate them as potential suspects.  If one bit of information can help solve one crime, it would be worth it. 

Reform Care For Mentally Disabled

In a recent op-ed of the San Antonio Express News is an elucidating article about the current funding and future for the disabled and aging. Though the targeted audience is the Texas voter, the impact would be to assist the Texas legislators to rethink getting reform for both state and private facilities dedicated to providing services for both the aging and the disabled populations. The two main targeted topics the author states are  that legislators will no doubt have to address finding funding and creating an effective way to monitor the care for these Texans in need.

The article highlights that current standards don’t seem to address the discrepancies between providers, nor do they address the fiscal needs. It also uses statistics gathered by AARP,  sharing that Texas ranks “third from the bottom” in quality care for the disabled and elderly. With a statistic like this, it is no wonder that the Sunset Advisory Commission report is concerned about the Department of Aging and Disability (DADS) that has apparently appeared imprudent in over-spending for 13 facilities in Texas while ignoring the majority of other facilities that are in dire need. One of the most unsettling points that the author makes in this article suggests that the overwhelming fact that not only are the needs of helpless people not being met, but there are approximately 38,000 flagrant violations made by the thousands of providers in which the staggering majority have not been resolved. In fact, a mere 225 cases have received any action.

With this vast discrepancy between state and private expenditures and quality of services, I agree that it is vital for the state lawmakers to address this issue during the next legislative session.  Though the article briefly touched on the overwhelming numbers of disabled or aging people who are not receiving services, the author could have discussed in greater detail statistics that would make this plea for help more potent. From a more positive perspective, this article employs a shock value that suggests the dire need to make changes on behalf of disabled and elderly people. I appreciate having this come to my attention, and feel the safety and well-being of citizens who cannot effectively act on their own behalf is in jeopardy and needs to be ameliorated as soon as possible.

As Teacher Pay Lags, Attrition and Class Size Grow

It always amazes me that anyone wants to major in education and teach school. In a recent article in The Texas Tribune, Morgan Smith reminds readers that Texas is a state of contrasts. Despite the fact that Texas lags behind in its teaching salaries, it surprisingly seems to have advanced in its scores on standardized tests. These poor teachers not only have increased numbers of students in their classrooms, but are making $8,000 below the national average and are expected to teach courses they are not necessarily prepared to teach.  Those of us who are already in universities and colleges may not have to experience directly some of the adverse effects of teacher attrition and increased class sizes, but it does affect the future for all of those in Texas. These teachers are forced to get other jobs; they are having to spend their own money for supplies, and rarely compensated. It would behoove all of us to read this article because it affects all of us and the generation that is coming right behind us.