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How Pittsburgh Airport Will Frack for Gas Under Active Runways

提交時間：9年之前

Pittsburgh International Airport has seen better days. Saddled with debt from building now unused gates, the troubled airport is expanding into a completely different business: fracking. The airport will stay open as drillers tap the gas reserves underneath, thanks to a technique called horizontal drilling. (gizmodo.com) 更多...

Andrew Taylor

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Gary Switzer 9年之前 1

The county shot their on foot by taxing everything and everyone and rasing landing fees

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James Carlson 9年之前 2

I'm sure that's what the airline says. But the airport was basically built *for* USAir, and the fees went to the debt service for that construction. It was an expensive and risky venture, and rather than be saddled with the problems themselves when their own fortunes went down -- they didn't need what they'd insisted must be built -- the airline abandoned the city. It's a classic American story: privatize the successes, but socialize the losses.

Anyone who has seen a bond issue for a major league sports venue has seen this one.

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James Carlson 9年之前 1

I grew up in Pittsburgh, and the airport was once quite nice. It was built in 1992 for nearly USD$1B. It's easy to get around, lots of amenities, and well-designed. When it was a hub for USAir, it did well, but they just haven't recovered from the losses when that airline started cutting back and moving operations to other cities.

There are other airports that allow drilling under the property, so this isn't exactly new. Nor is fracking new to PA. I'm not wild about it, but I guess I hope it sustains them until better days.

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