The natural gas “gold rush” has intensified debates around the worl...

The debate pits those who see the industry as an engine for economic growth against those who fear that lax standards create a potential for natural disaster.

This Common Causer will be heading off to Ghana as part of a program administered through Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA on a grant from the US State Department. The Emerging Leaders Extraction and Environmental Program’s purpose is to “train emerging young leaders from the public, private and nonprofit sectors in strategies for handling the complex societal, economic and environmental challenges which arise from the extraction of natural resources.” Common Cause was founded on the principles of strengthening public participation and faith in our institutions of government and ensuring that government and the political process serve the public good, rather than special interests. It is for this reason that the hydrofracking debate is especially germane to the work we do and why Common Cause/NY and Common Cause PA have been closely monitoring natural gas industry campaign contributions and lobbying expenditures to urge careful consideration of our appropriate state fracking policies.

According to a New York Times article in May on a French lawmakers proposal to ban a method of extracting gas deposits from shale due to environmental concerns, France has been “looking with alarm at the experience in the United States, where shale gas is booming.” Nations around the world are looking to America on this important issue – not only for leadership, but with increasing scrutiny of the pitfalls and dangers we face if we allow the gas and oil industry to run amok with little regulatory oversight.

Ghana is another nation that is approaching natural gas exploration with an eye on the US experience. Ghana’s Jubilee offshore oil field has the potential to produce large quantities of natural gas, similar to the Marcellus and Utica Shales in New York State and Pennsylvania.

Similar to state and national governments all over the world facing public policy discussions around natural gas exploration, Ghanaians are faced with combating the undue influence of special interest groups in the decision making process. The potentially large economic pay-off creates a ripe scenario for corruption. How nations address these issues will affect how constituents view their governments and whether faith in government and government institutions is restored or destroyed.

As I head off to Ghana I am extremely aware of the mounting pressures to begin drilling – the need for cheap energy, the desire for jobs, the interest in increasing exportation of LNG in international markets. And with approximately 1.6 billion people around the world lacking access to energy sources, natural gas looms as a panacea for low cost energy consumption. However I am also cognizant of New York’s experience with natural gas extraction as Common Cause/NY’s recent report “Deep Drilling, Deep Pockets,” and Common Cause PA’s marcellusmoney.org website highlights: the special interest money flooding campaign coffers, the increase in lobbying expenditures by natural gas interests and the revolving door of industry executives entering government positions and vice versa

Acting as a counterweight to the pernicious influence of natural gas industry dollars, grassroots activism across the globe has created new avenues for civic participation. Throughout the United States, to Puerto Rico, Siberia, Israel and India, to name a few, individuals have gathered in protest of the laying of thousands of miles of proposed pipelines through their communities and to demand that their governments and elected leaders act in their best interest.

In order to ensure public trust in government and institutions, leaders must be responsive to these calls for increased oversight of extractive industries, which must include enhanced measures for transparency and accountability. We must have open and candid dialogues about the net benefits and costs to societies by natural gas extraction and we must allow all stakeholders to have a seat at the decision making table.

As the US becomes the center of attention for would-be gas producing nations it is paramount that we become a shining light of transparency, openness and oversight in our approach to environmental policy. It is up to us to remind our elected leaders that the whole world is watching.

Deanna Bitetti will be blogging about her experience from Ghana, Africa. Stay tuned!

http://www.commonblog.com/2011/06/21/natural-gas-extraction-a-good-...