When it comes to science, the big money folks behind Big Oil and Gas -- and their ideological buddies on the Far Right -- have two very different strategies. When confronted with the many, many studies showing that hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, for natural gas has tainted groundwater, polluted the air, led to improper disposal of wastewater and possibly even caused earthquakes, the energy giants not only deny the results but denigrate the messenger. When that doesn't work, there's Plan B: Buy your own scientific findings. This is an alarming trend. Since the fracking boom took off several years ago, the big natural gas companies have spent millions of dollars hiring willing professors as consultants, or funding on-campus research centers. It seems that almost every time there's a much-heralded study that exonerates the industry of any harm, it turns out that the industry's checkbook is lurking in the background. Back in May, for example, I told you about a non-peer-reviewed study from the University of Buffalo -- much-promoted by industry, of course -- that claimed that violations from fracking rigs were minimal and on the decline. In fact, the exact opposite was true -- and the authors had received major funding from the oil-and-gas ...
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