Study shows rural Pennsylvania school districts not benefiting from nearby fracking

[FakeNoose]

2. This jumps out at me

In Pennsylvania, like most states, the wealthiest school districts tend to be in the suburbs. In the Pittsburgh area, the five wealthiest school districts all sit near the border of Allegheny County (Upper St. Clair, Peters Township, Pine-Richland, North Allegheny, and Mars Area), according to the Pittsburgh Business Times. Most fracking wells currently sit in Washington County, with large numbers in Butler and Westmoreland counties as well.

The study could suggest a phenomenon where fracking is actually contributing to a wealth transfer from rural to suburban school districts, possibly because those earning wealth in the fracking industry aren’t living in the rural communities that are experiencing the majority of the drilling.

“Despite promises that unconventional gas production would be an engine of economic opportunity, many Pennsylvania school districts continue to struggle financially, a struggle that appears to be worsened by gas development,” wrote Kelly and Schafft in a story for The Conversation.

It's time for Pennsylvania to correct this error. The argument that local rural schools are helped by the fracking industry has been shown to be FALSE! Fracking is ruining our environment and our water supplies, it hogs precious resources that could be directed to needier problems, and there's little proof that our local economy is improved. The profits and high-salary jobs are going to outsiders for the most part. When the oil is gone they'll be gone too, and we'll be cleaning up the mess they leave behind.

Is this the legacy we want for our grandchildren?