SCIENCES

Under the Surface

Fracking, Fortunes, and the Fate of the Marcellus Shale
by Tom Wilber
Under the Surface: Fracking, Fortunes, and the Fate of the Marcellus Shale. Cornell Univ. May 2012. c.272p. index. ISBN 9780801450167. $27.95. SCI
COPY ISBN
Central New York journalist Wilber tells the story of a permanent geological scar caused by the search and extraction of natural gas from the Marcellus Shale that underpins the mountains from central New York State through West Virginia. With an anthropologist's and a storyteller's eye, Wilber describes the human and geologic drama along the New York/Pennsylvania border and its effects on people, land, water, air, politics, and economies. The narrative revolves around the area's geologic history, mineral and property rights, corporate actions, government regulations (or lack thereof), human and environmental health issues, social networks, and economic realities.
VERDICT The cast of advance men, scientists, cheerleaders, locals, corporate CEOs, accidental activists, politicians, and bureaucrats step off the page to meet readers. The interplay of their words and actions tells the often sad but sometimes positive story of people and politics in a world that demands ever-increasing amounts of energy. Recommended to all readers curious about the backstory of an important, ongoing public drama.
Reviewed by Linda Loos Scarth, formerly with Mount Mercy Coll. Lib., Cedar Rapids, IA , Apr 01, 2012
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