50 years, will be too late

A letter to the editor in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram makes an excellent point.  WHO is going to answer?

Smoking and ’quakes

Two items on page 11B of Friday’s paper, one about tobacco control programs and the other on gas industry operations and earthquakes, provide a startling juxtaposition.

Fifty years ago death and disease from cigarette smoking was dismissed by defenders claiming no evidence, no scientific link. However, anecdotally we knew better. Fast forward to today and everyone — even the tobacco industry — acknowledges the dangers of using tobacco.

As reported by Mike Norman, Railroad Commissioner David Porter’s “we need facts not speculation” comment could easily be a quote from a tobacco industry defender from 50 years ago. Yet perhaps anecdotally we know better.

So can we just skip to the part where we agree gas operations cause small earthquakes? Why wait fifty years?

— Ross Bannister, Grapevine