I'm Not a Scientist but....

Oklahoma Republican James Inhofe gears up to chair the Senate's Environment and Public Works Committee despite literally writing the book on global warming denial.

Do you have to be a Scientist to understand or even accept the effect we can have on the planet?

During this time of year, Oklahomans are accustomed to searching the skies for signs of tornadoes. Today, they're just as wary of the hazards coming from the ground beneath their feet. Tornado alley is now earthquake alley. Oklahoma is the most earthquake prone state in the continental US. What's more astonishing is that nearly all of Oklahoma's earthquakes are man-made. They are being triggered by the biggest and most important industry in the state: oil and gas production but it's not from fracking, which is what most people think. Before 2009, there were, on average, two earthquakes a year in Oklahoma that were magnitude 3 or greater. Last year, there were 907.

That's right, 907.

1) What are the positive and negative externalities of drilling for oil in Oklahoma?

2) Where does protecting the public safety rank when compared to protecting the economy/ jobs?

3) How do we here in Oxford have an effect on the earthquakes in Oklahoma every time we fill up our gas tank?