How is hydraulic fracturing done in Tennessee? What are the benefits to the state and what hazards does the process pose? Geologist Scott Gilbert and anti-fracking activist Eric Lewis will address these questions at a debate-style panel discussion at 7 p.m., Tuesday, April 16, in Convocation Hall. Sewanee geology professor Martin Knoll will present an introduction to the hydraulic fracturing process to provide context for questions posed to the two panelists.
Concern about the possibility of hydraulic fracturing in this region is increasing since a swath of East Tennessee (including Hamilton, Marion, Franklin and Grundy counties), Alabama and Kentucky was found to rest on a rock formation known as “Chattanooga Shale.” Chattanooga Shale is an extension of the formation that has sparked a natural gas boom in Pennsylvania and triggered complaints about environmental damage and health hazards.
The program is sponsored by the Babson Center, the environmental studies department, the forestry and geology department, the Green House and the Cumberland Center for Justice and Peace. For more information contact Leslie Lytle at 598-9979 or email <sllytle@blomand.net>.
Gilbert has a B.S. in geology from Tennessee Tech University. During his 22-year career with Highland Drilling, he oversaw casing programs and supervised drilling and rig deployment for hundreds of oil and gas wells in Tennessee and Kentucky and helped implement Highland’s contract with the Department of Energy to plug and abandon more than 600 wells. In 2002, he joined Nami Resources, which later became Vinland Energy, to serve as chief geologist and vice president of exploration. At present, Gilbert is manager of exploration for Monteagle Oil & Gas, LLC, where he generates prospects and oversees leases, acquisitions, well planning and permitting.
Lewis holds a B.S. in political science from the University of Illinois. He has three decades of experience working to address environmental issues. Lewis served on the Governor’s Panel on Forestry Management in the early ’90s. He is president of the Swan Conservation Trust established to preserve forest lands in Tennessee and administrator of the Cumberland Green Bioregional Council, which works to promote environmental education. Lewis is a founding member of the Coalition for a Frack-Free Tennessee, the Tennessee Forest Defense Council and the Nashville Peace and Justice Center. His green construction business, Solar Works, has been building energy-efficient residential and commercial structures since 1979.
No comments:
Post a Comment