We have had documented fuel spills, the most recent being reported January 30th (Cabot Oil and Gas spilled 100 gallons). We have had gas getting into some private water wells and contamination getting in some others.
The Scranton Times-Tribune had an article in the February 16th edition entitled Gas Well Lessors Weigh Environmental Cost. Here is the link: http://www.thetimes-tribune.com/articles/2009/02/16/news/sc_times_trib.20090216.a.pg1.tt16dimock_s1.2296976_top3.txt
Do you feel the DEP and other State agencies, Federal agencies (EPA) and the like, along with our local agencies are doing enough to reasonably inform us about and protect us from these operations?
If so, please explain. If not, please explain.
There are many on both sides of the issue. Let’s start talking.
What is added to the water that is pumped into a well during fracing? And what is done with the fracing liquid that comes out of the well?
At some of the meetings the well drilling folk and the Penn State folk said that water was used. Many of the web sites from Colorado and Texas say that stuff is added to the water. It matters because of potential leaks into the ground water.
Sandra Major was asked, in April last year, if she could find out what was pumped down into the wells for fracing. She replied that she would ask the various state agencies, but she has not yet replied.
First, then, the state should, but does not appear to today, regulate the stuff that is added to the fraccing water.
When the water pressure inside the well is increased to the point that fraccing happens, the liquid that is used picks up a bunch of new stuff. Some is just simple organic salts, but radioactive materials are likely too.
Second, the state should, but does not appear to today, regulate the stuff that comes back up the well after fraccing.
This is more of a general answer to the question of what chemicals are in the fraccing liquid: we have chosen to live in a society run by corporations, or more clearly, their lawyers. The chemicals are a secret, not to be known by us.
Government is viewed to be totally inadequate, so we allow corporations to run things, any way they want. Any way.
So if government is a helpless pawn, and if biggest business has more secrets and lawyers than the rest of us, maybe the third possibility is we the people.
But if we the people are to be in charge of our own lives, are we gutty enough to sacrifice, are we gutty enough to go back to having some semblance of self-reliance? Are we gutty enough to demand to know what chemicals are being poured into our environment? Or are we going to politely ask govenment to ask for us? What result will that bring? If Sandra Major is truly accountable to us, she could have found the answer in one week. If these corporations were truly American and, if they had morals, they would let us know what chemicals are used. If we are not allowed to know, then the ball is in our court.
I should have added elected officials to the list before, but at this point, seeing how they have reacted thus far, it is a waste.
So it’s not enough they are ineffectual in their positions, they appear to be blindly supportive of the gas companies. Let’s see how much they will do if one of them or their family gets sick or has their well or house blow up from gas in the water.
The more that comes out, the happier I am that none of my properties were signed up. Remember, it isn’t always about the money. You can’t buy health.