Journalist: Let’s turn this discussion to the subject of fracking.
Journalist: Oh my! You can’t say that on air!
Journalist: No, fracking, natural gas. President Obama?
Obama: Because of new technologies we have a supply of natural gas that could last us 100 years. And developing it could power our homes, our cars, our factories, in a cleaner and cheaper way. We, it turns out, are the Saudi Arabia of natural Gas.
NE: Just because you have enough blood in your body to last you 100 years, doesn’t mean that you survive more than a week if you pump it all out.
Journalist; Governor Romney?
Romney: The United States is blessed with a cornucopia of carbon-based energy resources. Developing them has been a pathway to prosperity for the nation in the past and offers similar promise for the future. Make America the most attractive place in the world for entrepreneurs and innovators and allow shale exploration for natural gas or fracking. You can’t do that by empowering 13 different federal agencies to regulate fracking.
Obama: Now some people are concerned about the impact of these new technologies on the environment. We are too. Therefore my administration has set forth that all companies drilling on public lands must disclose the chemicals they used, after they used them. And more comprehensive rules will be coming by the end of the year, most definitely after the election.
Romney: As president, I will make every effort to safeguard the environment, but he will be mindful at every step of also protecting the jobs of American workers. The first step will be a rational and streamlined approach to regulation, which would facilitate rapid progress in the development of our domestic reserves of oil and natural gas
NE: Dude, he just said that…
Obama: Yeah, I did.
NE: In fact, you both are saying the same thing, yet again. Let’s drill deep into underground aquifers, fracture the coal seams down there with tons of dangerous chemicals, cause some earthquakes, ruin the drinking water for everyone…all for some gas next week. How does this help us long term?
Romney: That depends on what your definition of long term is.
Obama: An election cycle is pretty long term to me.
