Bearded Geology

As 2019 ends, Forbes just published this article on the top ten false or misleading geological statements that needs to die. They're the kind of thing that gets written in tabloids with volcanoes and earthquakes abound. The article is basically a rant by a geologist - Dr. Robin Andrews (Twitter:  @SquigglyVolcano ) - that deservedly wants an end to sensationalized headlines misrepresenting our field of science. As do we all.

Today, I ran across this Slate article discussing a couple of very unusual phrases used in what would otherwise be a mundane US Department of Energy press release on liquified natural gas (LNG) exports. The first is in this sentence:  “Increasing export capacity from the Freeport LNG project is critical to spreading freedom gas throughout the world by giving America’s allies a diverse and affordable source of clean energy. ...” said U.S. Under Secretary of Energy Mark W. Menezes, who highlighted the approval at the Clean Energy Ministerial in Vancouver, Canada.  A senior US government official referred to a US natural gas product as "freedom gas". Take a look at this other quote by another senior official: "... With the U.S. in another year of record-setting natural gas production, I am pleased that the Department of Energy is doing what it can to promote an efficient regulatory system that allows for molecules of U.S. freedom to be exported to the world,” s...