Letter to the editor: Fracking doesn't belong in parks

Even young children can understand the conservation principle known as leave no trace. When you visit nature, whether it’s the Appalachian Trail or your local park, you change nothing about it, leave nothing behind and remove only trash. This helps preserve natural spaces so that everyone can enjoy them long into the future.

Murrysville Council either has not grasped this simple concept, or thinks there’s some special exception when it comes to Murrysville parks. They’re moving forward with their plans to lease Duff Park and Murrysville Community Park for fracking. Multiple citizens have warned them about how this will affect the parks, and in particular the water, as fracking has already done in Deer Lakes Park in Allegheny County. These concerns are backed by research, but so far the council has not listened.

We wouldn’t tolerate logging or mining in any park. Why should we treat fracking any differently? Can we really put a price on the natural integrity and beauty of the parks? The people of Murrysville should make it clear to the council that our parks are not for sale.

The next council meeting will be at 7 p.m. Dec. 6 at the municipal building, 4100 Sardis Road.

Jason Plank

Wilkinsburg