"Thank You for Fracking," Esquire magazine, by Tom Chiarella

Jeff Glor talks to Tom Chiarella, Writer at Large of Esquire Magazine.

Jeff Glor: What inspired you to write the article?

Tom Chiarella: https://www.yxnkh0bfy.online/ - https://www.yxnkh0bfy.online/ I like writing about work, and the idea was to see if I could work on a tracking site - http://edublogs.org/?s=tracking%20site . It's a dangerous job though, requiring months, sometimes years of training, and the liability issued are legion. So eventually it became another sort of investigation-- I just took a ride into the world of fracking to see what could be gleaned.

JG: What surprised you the most during the writing process?

TC: The magnitude of belief on both sides. People use the same data, the same stories to argue both sides of the question. I would say the gas companies over simplify and the antifrackers over complicate the issue. But on both sides the argument is rooted mostly in desired end result. I believe it's called motivated reasoning.

JG: What would you be doing if you weren't a writer?

TC: I would be building houses.

JG: What else are you reading right now?

TC: I'm reading John Green, an excellent writer who know lives in Indianapolis, and shares my passionate for Alabama football (I went to grad school at U of A), many people call his work "young adult" novels, but it is really clean, smart storytelling,

JG: What's next for you?

TC: I have an upcoming profile in esquire. I was recently ordained as a. Minister and I'm looking hard for work. I've also been reading lots of books about crows. Writing a novel about crows.

VIDEO EXCERPTS:

Tom Chiarella talks about what he sees as the likely inevitability of fracking continuing and if so, how best to deal with its risks.

Tom Chiarella - http://www.telegraph.co.uk/search/?queryText=Tom%20Chiarella talks about how both sides in the fracking debate are pitted against one another.

For more on Tom Chiarella's article visit the Esquire website.