Canaries in mines

60 Minutes recently hosted a program on a program developed by technologies by Halliburton (and others) to remove natural gas from rock. This is seen as one of the important intermediate technologies which will get us through "dependence on foreign oil," ETC, The problem is that there are deep seated problems with it, which have been pointed out by environmentalist and industry people as well. Fracturing and the wholesale use of water and the accompanying hazards are being pushed aside in the name of energy solutions and the like.

Ethanol is another of these intermediate technologies which have been promulgated by everyone from Federal bureaucrats to the Farm Bureau, and yet it has been proven that the amount of energy applied to producing it does not offset the amount of energy used (!); & it doesn't seem to matter because the forces behind it have gained enough momentum to not only keep it going, but to expand it as well.

Corporate and government precaution seem to be beside the point when our transportation and energy systems could grind to a halt because of problems. It seems that we are at a crossroads here, and that precaution must be employed in order not to create even greater problems for ourselves. Not only do we need whistle blowers (60 Minutes?) but the most intelligent, grounded technocrats imaginable, and ones who are not profit driven. How in the world are to get through this?