Water Contamination In Wyoming Could Be From Natural Gas Drilling

ProPublica:

Federal environment officials investigating drinking water contamination [1] near the ranching town of Pavillion, Wyo., have found that at least three water wells contain a chemical used in the natural gas drilling process of hydraulic fracturing. Scientists also found traces of other contaminants, including oil, gas or metals, in 11 of 39 wells tested there since March.

The study, which is being conducted under the Environmental Protection Agency's Superfund program, is the first time the EPA has undertaken its own water analysis in response to complaints of contamination in drilling areas, and it could be pivotal in the national debate [2] over the role of natural gas in America's energy policy.

Read the whole story: ProPublica

Comments

[KarateKid]

I think it's from the former vice president, you-know-who, passing gas too often.

[KarateKid]

.... or it could be from Dick Cheney's f@rts.

[research]

Fix that 2005 law. Use a singing statement for force disclosure of chemicals, this is ridiculous.

It's safe, but we can't tell you what's in it?????

Conservatives destroy governmnet by sabotages and then claim democracy doesn't work, and we need Plutocracy.

Wake up!

[hellboundtrain]

Nobody deserves to have their water source poisoned.

According to Earthworks "Hydraulic Fracturing 101" some of the chemical used in fracking may include:
"diesel fuel, which contains benzene, dthylbenzene, toluene, xylene, napthalene and other chemicals; polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; methanol, formaldehyde; ethylene glycol; glycol esters; hydrochloric acid; and sodium hydroxide. Very small quantities of chemicals such as benzene, which causes cancer, are capable of contaminating millions of gallons of water."

Many of these chemicals are potentially toxic. Check Wikipedia, Earthworks, and others.

[CR46]

There is also talk that "fracking" has caused small but numerous earthquakes in one area of Texas, but no one seems interested in doing any research on this, you can't P..iss off big oil in TX you know. I am waiting for a larger one that will hopefully catch the interest of someone, hopefully before anyone is hurt.

[BannedNBoston]

KEEP NG PRICES LOW!!!
we could bring a 30 year supply of clean NG from Alaskas North Slope.
Build a 200 mile undersea pipeline to Canada.
They will ship it down to US through there pipeline system.
For a small percetage of the gas.

[condor101]

Well, Wyoming is one of those Red states that supports "Drill, Baby, Drill"
Now they have polluted water and they're upset. Too bad for them.
The people in Red States are getting polluted. Maybe if they cared more about people than their ridiculous right wing rhetoric, they would have a government that actually regulates corrupt companies that pollute their waterways.

But i doubt those people will change their beliefs. But those Red States will be waste lands. Seriously, who would want to live in a city where your water is contaminated?

[SimJack]

What? You mean when humankind disturbs the earth's crust and its concentrated reservoirs of chemicals on a massive scale it can produce serious side-effects including air and water pollution and have detrimental environmental consequences? Golly gee willikers, next the experts will be telling us that combined human activities can have an impact on the atmosphere and alter the weather on a global scale.

[thundermummy]

I feel for the people living on the Marcellus shale deposit. They are screwed.

[ObamaSheeple]

I didn't know Wilford Brimley lived in Wyoming now?

[ProperGanda]

there is also diabetus in the water

[filo]

I figured someone beat me to that. lol

[HeevenSteven]

This isn't new. It's been know about for years, but the Bush EPA was zippered.

We shouldn't be screwing with water supplies the way we are.

The gas industry knows full well what they're doing; that's why they lobbied so hard to be exempted from the safe water act. It's time to un-exempt them.

[jsgaetano]

WOOHOO!!!

Drill, baby, DRILL!!!

I can't wait until EVERY Red State is a blasted wasteland, poisoned by conservative ideology. Then the Goopers will want to move to Blue States, and we'll say "no".

[Overtone]

For anyone who thinks natural gas is clean (it’s not) and safe (it’s not) and green (are you kidding?).

Leaks during drilling continue to happen and terrify the people who live near where they happen.

Corporations in Colorado, Texas, Louisiana, Pennsylvania and upstate New York have launched a massive program to extract natural gas through a process that could, if it goes wrong, degrade the Delaware River watershed and the fresh water supplies that feed the cities of New York, Philadelphia, Camden and Trenton, and many others.

“The potential environmental consequences are extreme,” says the editor of The River Reporter in Narrowsburg, N.Y. His paper has been following the drilling in the Upper Delaware River Valley. He said, “It could ruin the drinking supply for 8 million people in New York City.”

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Imagine the impact of cars and trucks that can pay for themselves, and end the need to build coal or nuclear power plants - or to ignore the serious problems of natural gas!