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Monday, March 14, 2011

"Gasland" Director Wants Pa. Official Fired For Nazi Crack

State Rep. Josh Shapiro, an Abington Democrat, is calling on Gov. Corbett to condemn remarks made last week by a state official who compared the documentary film Gasland to the work of Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels. Teddy Borawski, chief oil and gas geologist for the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources said the documentary about drilling for natural gas would have made Goebbels proud.

Gasland director Josh Fox called Borawski's comments "absolutely outrageous" and demanded that Corbett fire him. Fox added that his father and paternal grandparents are Holocaust survivors.

"Does this guy even know what a Nazi is?" Fox asked. "Does he know what they did? I can't even describe how wrong this is."

Borawski today declined to comment on Shapiro's call for Corbett to condemn the remarks and "take appropriate action" against him. Shapiro made his demands in an e-mail yesterday to Annmarie Kaiser, Corbett's secretary for legislative affairs, that he circulated to the media.

Borawski was quoted in the Lancaster Intelligencer Journal, speaking to the Pennsylvania Dutch Chapter of the Chartered Property Casualty Underwriters Association, about drilling for natural gas in the Marcellus Shale region of the state. You can read the full article here.

Here's the part that set off Shapiro:

Borawski, who has been involved with oil drilling on the Gulf Coast, was asked about the recent documentary "Gasland," an Academy Award-nominated documentary made partially in Pennsylvania that portrays drilling as harmful to the environment and residents.

"Joseph Goebbels would have been proud," Borawski replied. "He would have given him the Nazi Award. That, in my opinion, was a beautiful piece of propaganda."

Gasland is a cross-country travelogue of his look at the potential dangers of "fracking," the process in which gas drillers inject water and chemicals into shale formations to break them up and release trapped natural gas. The film included scenes where people in Pennsylvania could light on fire their tap water after fracking occurred near their homes.

Borawski's comments are sure to fuel the continuing debate on whether to tax gas drillers in Pennsylvania. Corbett, who received $835,720 from drillers in his run for governor, has insisted that the industry should not pay a state severance tax.

Posted by Chris Brennan @ 1:01 PM Permalink | 31 comments

Comments

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 1:44 PM, 03/14/2011

The Libs & Demos throw around the word Nazi all the time, George Bush is a Nazi, etc etc...somebody on the right uses it, and it's "Oh my gosh" Josh Shapiro is no more outraged then I am...he's a political hack.

— Anthony Palmer

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 4:45 PM, 03/14/2011

You should have said the Lobs & Democrats throw the word Nazi around as much as the Conservative and Tea Baggers do!

— CommonSense in Philly

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 1:56 PM, 03/14/2011

fire him. It's insensitive and offensive. Period.

— frinkie

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 2:06 PM, 03/14/2011

Dear Mr. Fox,

I too have relaives who suffered at the hands of the Nazis. I too am disgusted by Mr. Borawski's unthinking use of the term and believe he deserves to be censured. But, I am equally disgusted with the propaganda you parade as a "documentary" in Gasland. Your pseudo-scientific ramblings are confusing a lot of people in the public. At least Mr. Borawski, as chief geologist for the State of PA must have some scientific training and understanding of the subject.

— akh

Comment removed.

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 4:45 PM, 03/14/2011

Yes, and ALL TAX FREE. Make the millons and pocket all of it.

— CommonSense in Philly

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 2:22 PM, 03/14/2011

Gasland is a VERY biased view of fracking and struggles at times to earn the label of "documentary".

— psyrus

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 2:40 PM, 03/14/2011

I have seen the movie, but I do not know much more about the specifics of natural gas extraction. What are the arguments FOR fracking? Of course the movie was biased, but it still looked like some of the evidence of environmental damage was indisputable (i.e. lighting the faucet on fire, illness, etc.) Seriously, who is really all about this method? And why?

— Barry O

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 2:56 PM, 03/14/2011

conservatism values corporate profit over all else. regardless of impact. fact.

— slanted and enchanted

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 3:15 PM, 03/14/2011

Corbett took more money in campaign contributions than Pennsylvania will ever get for the value of the gas under our land, for the value of the land the frakkers occupy, and for the permanent damage they will do to our environment. There aren't two sides to the truth, especially when even conservative paradises like Texas both tax and environmentally regulate these wildcatter tycoons getting rich at our expense.

— Pelti

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 3:20 PM, 03/14/2011

sticks and stones, you fracking sissy

— ChristPuncher

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 3:49 PM, 03/14/2011

I guess everybody's going to stomp their feet until this guy gets fired? Give it a rest. People say stupid sh*t. Get over it.

— Chr

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 4:12 PM, 03/14/2011

this guy should not be fired for the "Nazi" comment....but I do believe that more research needs to be done regarding the environmental effects of fracking. Once again when big dollars are involved, the standing policy seems to be drill now and ask questions later.

— nwphillyguy

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About The Philly Clout Team

Chris Brennan, a native Philadelphian and graduate of Temple University, joined the Daily News in 1999. He has written about SEPTA, the Philadelphia School District, the legalization of casino gambling, state government, the mayor, the governor, City Council and political campaigns.

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David Gambacorta spent a small eternity writing about cops, drug dealers and serial killers. Now he’s writing about power and politics – which sometimes reminds him of the old crime beat. He joined the Daily News in 2005. And yes, he knows you’re not quite sure how to pronounce his last name. E-mail tips to gambacd@phillynews.com

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Catherine Lucey joined the Daily News in 2002 and has written about murderous drug gangs, political protesters and Harry Potter. After covering the 2007 mayoral election, she moved over to the City Hall bureau where she has been reporting on the Nutter administration.

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Jan Ransom, a native New Yorker, joined the Daily News in 2010 after graduating from Howard University. She has since written about the difficulty of filing police complaints, tax deadbeats and life after violent home invasions. She joined the Daily News City Hall Bureau in 2011 and has plunged headfirst into reporting on administration budget battles and City Council shenanigans.

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