As oil and gas exports surge, West Texas becomes the world’s “extraction colony”
Texan here. I’m anti fossil fuels, pro solar and wind. I’ve stopped trying to have any conversations with other Texans about this topic. Texans are very pro fossil fuels, on balance. I’m saying this as an Austinite.<p>It’s interesting to see this in the Texas Tribune.<p>From time to time I have reason to drive through or fly over (I know, hypocrite) West Texas, and passing through the oil fields one can literally watch the world burn. It’s unreal.<p>Edit: Just a note on the people in the energy industry. They’re good people on balance. I might have come across as incidentally disparaging people in the energy industry. I have many friends and family of friends that have spent their entire career in the industry. It’s like Silicon Valley and tech’s problems. NYC and the financial crisis. Economic and financial incentives supported by cultural norms. In Silicon Valley the confidence that technology will improve our future means sometimes it is developed without pause for impact. In Texas a strong Christian ethos encourages a certain view of “stewardship” of the earth that does not mesh well with the constantly evolving culture of environmentalism. But as people they’re good people.