Monday, July 16, 2012

Fracking the U.S.-Mexico Border

The Houston Chronicle reports that "Gas drilling is a boom for drug traffickers, too":

"Energy companies boring into the depths of South Texas in the multibillion-dollar hunt for natural gas and oil are opening a growing fissure in U.S.-Mexico border security as they build hundreds of miles of private back roads and an uncharted pipeline to America for drug traffickers.

Hefty roads running through once-remote ranchlands now enable loaded-down tractor-trailers and pickups to avoid Border Patrol highway checkpoints that have long been the last line of defense for stopping all traffic headed farther into the United States.

Traffickers are seeking to use the southwest-most stretches of the massive Eagle Ford shale formation, which stretches from Mexico all the way to East Texas, to their advantage by trying to corrupt truck drivers, contractors and gate personnel. Authorities also speculate that they are trying to make "cloned" copies of legitimate trucks and use contractor-like vehicles to avoid standing out among fleets of oil-field service vehicles working for energy companies. In some cases, vehicles have been stolen and believed to have been used by smugglers.

"They are using those roads to transport drugs, guns, ammo, you name it," said Albert DeLeon, chief deputy of the Dimmit County sheriff's office."

18 Comments:

At 7/16/2012 10:15 PM, Blogger Benjamin Cole said...

Meanwhile, federal agencies are still, still, still, still trying to get you to buy biofuels...

from GreenCarCongress

"US Navy and USDA make $30M available for commercial-scale advanced drop-in biofuels, with potential for $180M follow-on;
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Navy will provide $30 million in federal funding (FOA-12-15-PKM) for Phase 1 projects to match private investments in commercial-scale advanced drop-in biofuels. The program envisions a subsequent investment of up to $180M in follow-on Phase 2 projects.'

Of course, that's just a small fart next to the towering turd-pile known as ethanol.....

 
At 7/17/2012 2:24 AM, Blogger PeakTrader said...

There will always be a segment of the population that engages in immoral activity, and a segment of the population that supports immoral activity (and give lame excuses, like they have a constitutional right).

For example, I have much more respect for a not unattractive girl panhandling than engaging in prostitution. However, some people view both activities as morally equivalent.

 
At 7/17/2012 7:37 AM, Blogger Moe said...

Oil addiction meets drug addiction.

Badges? We don't need no stinkin' badges!

 
At 7/17/2012 7:41 AM, Blogger Jon Murphy said...

chief deputy of the Dimmit County sheriff's office."

Is that a joke name?

 
At 7/17/2012 9:04 AM, Blogger VangelV said...

This comment has been removed by the author.

 
At 7/17/2012 9:07 AM, Blogger VangelV said...

For example, I have much more respect for a not unattractive girl panhandling than engaging in prostitution. However, some people view both activities as morally equivalent.

Actually, I doubt that most people find them morally equivalent. But regardless of what they think, vices are not crimes and should not be criminalized. It is time you figured that out.

And what does fracking and drilling for oil have to do with drug use anyway? Let companies take the risks and build those private roads. Should we stop all economic activity just because people like you are afraid of vices and the consequences of stupid prohibition policies?

 
At 7/17/2012 11:17 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

This sounds like somebody's effort to discredit fracking by saying it can aid illegal activity. What a joke.

 
At 7/17/2012 1:23 PM, Blogger Its GSATT said...

Why are our border patrol agents not driving around in undercover oil company trucks suprising the guac out of the illegals?

ya think that might spoil the mexicans idea?

Did i just perform rocket science?

nah, no way.

 
At 7/17/2012 2:16 PM, Blogger PeakTrader said...

VangelV, why would I be "afraid," if I'm not engaging in immoral, and illegal, activity?

 
At 7/17/2012 2:54 PM, Blogger Ron H. said...

Peak

You seem to be afaid that.someone might have sex for money, or something equally horrible, so you call on the force of government to interfer with what should be a private transaction, and none of your business.

 
At 7/17/2012 3:25 PM, Blogger PeakTrader said...

Ron, why would I be "afaid?" :)

I don't have to call government to know the difference between legal and illegal transactions.

Why don't you tell the police, judges, lawyers, etc. they're wrong?

 
At 7/17/2012 4:29 PM, Blogger Its GSATT said...

This comment has been removed by the author.

 
At 7/17/2012 4:55 PM, Blogger VangelV said...

VangelV, why would I be "afraid," if I'm not engaging in immoral, and illegal, activity?

You are afraid of others who act in ways that you do not approve of. That is why you are such a prohibitionist.

 
At 7/17/2012 4:56 PM, Blogger VangelV said...

Why don't you tell the police, judges, lawyers, etc. they're wrong?

I do. And I have no problem as a member of a jury to vote for acquittal every time in a victimless crime.

 
At 7/17/2012 4:59 PM, Blogger VangelV said...

police, judges, ect go by rules. If those rules say to hop on one leg and poke themselves in the eye, they're supposed to do it. just because its a rule doesnt make it right or wrong.

According to Peak the Auschwitz camp guards should have gotten off because they were following the law. And those Germans who hid Jews deserved to die because they were breaking the law.

 
At 7/18/2012 2:10 AM, Blogger PeakTrader said...

VangelV, whenever there's a law you don't like, it's prohibition to you.

And you tell the experts they're wrong and don't obey the law like the Nazis.

 
At 7/18/2012 9:54 AM, Blogger VangelV said...

VangelV, whenever there's a law you don't like, it's prohibition to you.

You are missing the point as usual. Any law that violates the natural rights of individuals is a bad law. Period. That includes any law that criminalizes vices.

And you tell the experts they're wrong and don't obey the law like the Nazis.

You claim that all laws should be obeyed. That means that you have no trouble with the Nazi camp guards that killed innocent Jews because they followed the law. And that those Germans who hid Jews but were turned in deserved their punishment.

 
At 7/18/2012 12:22 PM, Blogger Ron H. said...

Peak

I can't possibly know why you're afraid of people engaging in peaceful acyivities that don't affect you amd which you aren't even aware of. You might ask your therapist about that.

 

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