Sierra Club Encountering Opposition to "Beyond Gas" Campaign

From Energy in Depth:
Nonetheless, the facts are still the facts, and it’s telling that the Sierra Club’s new efforts against natural gas not only butt heads with well-established scientific facts about the processes used to extract it, but also with folks that they used to consider their allies — including President Obama, whom the Sierra Club has cheerfully endorsed for reelection. The United Nationshas even pointed out that expanded natural gas use can help the world’s poor and foster a cleaner global environment.
And just this week, the Sierra Club received even more pushback (subs. req’d) for its activism against natural gas, this time from Representative Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).
Discussing specifically the Sierra Club’s anti-natural gas campaign, Rep. Markey delivered a fairly clear rebuke: “I think environmentalists should want natural gas on the table as an option,” Markey said, adding later that he thinks it would “be wise for us to not take natural gas off the table.”
When Sen. Wyden was asked about the Sierra Club’s “Beyond Natural Gas” campaign, he issued a similarly unequivocal rejection: “This is what I tell environmental folks: Natural gas is really important to a lot of renewables, solar and wind, ensuring that option is out there.” In describing the environmental benefits, Wyden added: “Natural gas is the cleanest of the fossil fuels, so you start with that as your basic proposition.”
So for those keeping score at home, those acknowledging the safety and benefits of natural gas development include President Obama, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of Energy (note: large PDF), state regulatorsfrom across the country, independent experts from respected universities, and now even prominent members of Congress who are widely recognized for their work on environmental issues. Heck, even a study funded by the Sierra Club found natural gas to be a comparatively clean source of energy.
On the other side? Hollywood, Josh Fox, and the Sierra Club.
Read the rest of the article here.

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