The Paper Assignment (due right before the first live session of this assignment):
You are to write a 2-3 page letter (Times New Roman 12 point font, double spaced, 1 inch margins), to the Governor of New York, detailing whether to allow natural gas hydrofracking in the State of New York and if so what safeguards you would recommend. Write the letter from the point of view of the stakeholder you are assigned by your session leaders. The first paragraph will introduce you and your position (you can be creative here and even make up a character in your stakeholder group if you like). The next 3 paragraphs will each make a separate and distinct point that backs up your position in the first paragraph. You must justify your point with fact/science (not just an emotional plea). The last paragraph will contain your summary and your recommendations to the Governor on whether to allow hydrofracking operations in New York and under what circumstances (i.e. regulations). The quality and clarity of your three talking points along with proper grammar, sentence structure and spelling will be assessed for grading purposes. The paper requires at least three (3) mainstream references. Mainstream means a peer reviewed science journal, government agency, an article in a major magazine or newspaper, a science based advocacy group or information posted by industry. You may use a separate page for your citations that will not count against your page count or you can use footnotes but you must follow APA citation style. http://libguides.gwu.edu/content.php?pid=8881&sid=57324.
Below you will find links to resources for all stakeholder groups as well as sources for general information on hydrofracking. You are certainly not limited to these sites, but they are provided to help you get started.
* This is the Stakeholder group I’m representing –
” Environmental Conservation Organization (Environmental NGO)”
Starter Websites: Here are a few websites to get you started. There are many sites out there so feel free to venture on your own but be a cautious consumer of information. As with anything, not all sites are trustworthy.
EPA: http://www.epa.gov/hydraulicfracture/
USGS: https://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2011/3092/
EIA (US Energy Information Administration): http://www.eia.gov/analysis/studies/usshalegas/
Energy.gov: https://energy.gov/fe/shale-gas-101