Feb 18, 2015 1 min read

Christopher Marsh’s Jan. 31 letter complained about problems with the natural gas extraction industry. I found it misleading and wrong.

He stated that property values are on the decline, our health is at risk, and the environment is being destroyed, all because of the fracking process. Take a look at the local real estate listings, and farm and hunting land is going for a premium. Prices on land have pretty well doubled in the past five years.

Cancer statistics have no correlation to states or areas that engage in fracking. Texas and North Dakota are near the bottom where cancer rates are concerned, while states without a heavy gas industry, like New Hampshire or Connecticut, are among the top, according to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. Research shows coal is three times dirtier than natural gas.

As an avid hunter and woodsman in southern Greene County, I can find no difference in how animals behave since drilling has started.

Be thankful during these cold winter months for natural gas. Ask your friends and neighbors if their heating bill spiked recently.

Glendon Briggs

Aleppo