Images of the BP oil spill are enough for anyone to question our unquenchable thirst for crude in the US. If there's any good that can possibly come out of the disaster, perhaps we'll finally realize the need for safe sustainable energy. Many in the oil and gas industry are taking the opportunity to promote the use of natural gas -- a fuel that we can produce on-shore -- as a cleaner, safer alternative. So why don't we start underground extraction in New York where there's the Saudi Arabia of natural gas? This morning on NPR, Josh Fox spoke to Terry Gross about his film on gas drilling.

Gasland exposes the problems related to hydraulic drilling for natural gas -- also called fracking -- and its devastating effects on surrounding communities. Fracking is a 40 year old method for extracting gas that was invented by Halliburton which involves injecting hundreds of toxic chemicals into the ground. These chemicals inevitably seep into the environment, poising water sources and polluting land and air in the drilling areas. The filmmakers travel across 34 states and talk to locals who live near drilling areas. They document similar cases of bizarre conditions: severe health problems, destruction of natural resources, and tap water that catches on fire. This is a shocking documentary that must be seen. It's going to air on HBO later this month and we're working on bringing the film to Princeton's Environmental Film Festival.

I've put together a list of links if you want to learn more about the film and the issues:

http://www.democracynow.org/2010/2/23/congress_to_investigate_safety_of_natural
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/03/opinion/03tue3.html
http://host.madison.com/ct/news/opinion/column/article_2bc37459-a768-5375-b642-33ce8a9b523e.html
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Marcellus_Shale

The only rational response to the BP oil spill is to invest heavily in renewable energy and conservation. We should not pretend that natural gas can ween us off oil. Trading one fossil fuel for another is like giving up sugar for corn syrup.

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Watch the full episode. See more NOW on PBS.

More links:

http://www.propublica.org/feature/frac-act-congress-introduces-bills-to-control-drilling-609
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=s111-1215
http://earthblog.org/taxonomy/term/42