Natural Gas Investment

              Natural gas is a source that has positives and negatives.  Even though it is inexpensive and better for the air, it has many problems that should be looked at.  Natural gas is risky and needs to be supervised when used.  There are five rules that need to be followed when using natural gas.  If one of these rules is not followed, then the government could pay more to fix the problems that were created than what they paid for the natural gas.  For example, Hal Harvey states, "Bad well casings allow gas to leak into the aquifer."  People's water could become contaminated if wells are not built strong and effectively.  If any water was contaminated, then the government would have to focus on purifying the water.  This risk factor could harm the environment and be costly.  Another risk is finding places to drill and using the right tools for the job.  For example, the article states, "We need to zone the natural gas development so that it is kept out of ecologically important areas, and we need strong drilling, operating..." Drilling also could be costly because heavy duty drills are needed which would be more expensive than a regular drill.  In today's world, we are trying to be green and become more cautious about hurting the environment.  Everybody is trying to pitch in to make the world cleaner.  For example, some cars run on electricity,and lights and water should be turned off when not being used.  These are some actions that are being taken to preserve energy.  However, the atmosphere is still being polluted and natural gas could contribute to the pollution.  Hal Harvey added the statistic that states, "One molecule of leaked gas contributes as much to global warming as 25 molecules of burned gas."  This could impact global warming and increase pollution.  The government is working on new technology to make the air cleaner and using the gas could destroy the hard work.  When leaks occur, money would be wasted and the world would decline in the progress it was making to make the Earth better.  So, even though it is an inexpensive source, there is a good possibility that additional money would be needed to resolve any unexpected situations.  I feel that it could possibly work but a well-thought out plan is needed first.  The government needs a thought out plan on how it won't pollute the environment before taking action.