Editorial: Keep the frack off of college campuses

In a tight economy, it’s crucial to look for ways to decrease the costs of college tuition fees. This is especially true in Pennsylvania, where the public higher education system has been subject to several budget cuts in recent years. According to an article in Mother Jones, last week, Gov. Tom Corbett signed into law a bill that opens up Pennsylvania’s 14 public university campuses to oil drilling, hydraulic fracturing — also known as “fracking” — and coal mining as an attempt to alleviate budget problems.

The deal offers 50 percent of the fees and royalties from the mineral leases directly to the university it is extracted from, and an additional 15 percent would go toward subsidizing student tuition. According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, California University of Pennsylvania has already approved a lease for subsurface drilling on some of its land.

We are strongly opposed to hydraulic fracturing — a process that involves millions of gallons of water, sand and chemicals being pumped underground to break apart shale rock formations and release natural gas — and resource extraction on university campuses for several reasons. Although we understand the financial trouble that these universities are in — the budget cuts that have affected Pitt in recent years also affected the rest of Pennsylvania’s public universities — exposing college students, staff and local communities to heavy resource exploitation should not be a money-making option.

While the drilling industry maintains that their methods are safe, evidence has suggested otherwise. The health and safety risks inherent in hydraulic fracturing make it unsafe for a heavily populated area such as a college campus. According to Clean Water Action, a national environmental nonprofit, hydraulic fracturing is exempt from federal environmental regulations — such as the Safe Drinking Water Act — making it difficult to control. Samples from sites indicate that hydraulic fracturing fluid contains harmful chemicals, including formaldehyde. Hydraulic fracturing and coal mining use and can pollute large amounts of a regions’ natural water supply.

Hydraulic fracturing and other energy-resource-extraction processes are simply not safe enough to allow onto college campuses: according to The New York Times, at least 16 wells which had high levels of radioactivity had reported spills or leaks in the past three years. We are concerned about financial problems facing public and state-related colleges such as Pitt, but the state’s highest priority should be the health and safety of its residents.

Even beyond the ill environmental effects of hydraulic fracturing and mineral extraction, we think that these are inappropriate for the missions and purposes of universities. Noise and general disruption caused by drilling and mining are not conducive to studying, research and holding classes. Ever notice how much people have complained about the construction on the Hillman Library patio over the past couple years? Imagine several times that level of noise and aesthetic disturbance. This type of disruption could be especially bad at colleges where projects lease on-campus land that is actually used by students — for example, California University of Pennsylvania has leased land that contained tennis courts, dorms and apartments.

On a more practical note, we’re concerned that the decision to allow drilling on campus could be made without consulting students and community members, who could be most affected by drilling near their homes. The law requires university presidents to sign an agreement to allow drilling on campus, but we’re afraid that students might not be kept in the loop. According to the Post-Gazette article, this is just what has happened at Cal U, where students had not been informed about the recently signed drilling lease. Keeping the students, faculty and general population informed of the potential for drilling on campus allows them to have a say in the choice.