Overview
- As oil and gas interests face resistance from New Mexican communities on fracking, some have employed professional documents to tout its benefits
- These documents only present one side of the argument, suppressing technical discourse
- In this paper, I argue that the New Mexico Oil & Gas Association brochure functions as more than a professional document: it is also an enthymeme, but with the unstated premise deliberately kept out of the reach of the audience.
Context
- New Mexico is the third largest producer of energy in the U.S., largely due to petroleum and gas production
- Recent increases in production are due to unconventional drilling techniques in the Permian and San Juan basins
- Top producing counties in NM are rural, impoverished, and uneducated
- NMOGA produced a brochure designed to appeal to these NM communities
Analysis
Logos
·
Simple, short, easy-to-read
sentences
·
Logical, seemingly factual
arguments presented with no sources
·
Avoidance of technical
information
·
Appeal to familiarity over fact
Ethos
·
Professional design
·
Branding
·
No source info—NMOGA presented as
expert
Pathos
·
Plays on emotions associated with
poverty by aligning fracking with money and education
·
Calling attention to funding
distracts from health and environmental impacts
Comparison to Technical Discourse
- NMOGA Brochure vs. EPA Study of the Potential Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing on Drinking Water Resources: Progress Report
- Glossed over facts and vague discourse vs. rigorous data analysis, new research, scenario analysis
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