Radioactive Cows And Methane Tap Water Spark Fracking Debate Amid Pennsylvania Gas Boom (VIDEO)

Flaming methane-filled tap water and radioactive cows? That may only be the tip of the iceberg.

"Fracking" has become a dirty word in the mouths of many residents who are experiencing hazardous and frightening ordeals like these, which they allege are directly related to the controversial natural gas drilling process hydraulic fracturing.

This video from Time takes a close look at residents in northeastern Pennsylvania, one of the many locales in America currently bustling due to the country's natural gas boom. The first-hand reports from people living near fracking sites are both tragic and cautionary.

But not everyone is upset with the craze. As local businesses grow exponentially from the gas boom, some residents are seeing nothing but prosperity. For those experiencing environmental and health consequences, however, there is no doubt in their minds that fracking isn't worth it, even if there remains no hard proof linking their plights to the drilling technique.

"It was heaven," Bonnie Burnett says of the home she had built with her husband in the Bradford County woods, where they planned to retire. But then in 2009, their pond and well water were seriously contaminated from a gas well spill. "It turned out to be hell."

WATCH Time's report:

Comments

[Dorje Phagmo]

02:13 PM on 05/12/2011

http://water.epa.gov/type/groundwater/uic/class2/hydraulicfracturing/upload/HFStudyPlanDraft_SAB_020711.pdf

This is the EPA's Draft Plan to study the impact of Fracking on water sources, dated 2/11/11. The study is to take place in early 2011. They don't know how to assess the toxicity of fracking fluids on humans, because the companies consider their "recipes" to be proprietary.

[demomntgirl]

02:22 PM on 04/26/2011

oops....Chesepeake energy can't say that now...after hundreds of thousands of gallons of tainted water...in a blow out!

[Hans Wurst]

07:44 PM on 04/19/2011

"You can always count on Americans to do the right thing - after they've tried everything else." (Winston Churchill)

Nothing new under the sun, we'll do anything else first before seriously considering alternative energy development.

[born 2b different]

02:05 PM on 04/19/2011

Bradford County is in northwestern Pennsylvania, not northeastern PA.

[PAGasDriller]

05:55 PM on 04/20/2011

Bradford the TOWN is in NW PA. Bradford the COUNTY is most certainly in NE PA

[smalljaws]

08:05 AM on 04/17/2011

Here's a suggestion if they're fracking in your neck of the woods. Have your water tested 3 months before drilling commences. If there is a change in the quality of the water 6 months after drilling, the burden of proof is on the gas company. Labs offer 3 levels of tests. Tier 2 or better will have legal standing in court.
Gas drilling impacts has not been studied in PA. Currently no tax laws exist for counties to cover costs from drilling damage.

[knappAP]

03:28 PM on 04/17/2011

In Pennsylvania, the gas companies have to test every well within 1,000 feet of the wellbore before drilling and furnish both the landowner and the DEP with a copy of the results.

[madinpahuff]

10:44 AM on 04/18/2011

knappAP - All due respect, you're 28. Your view on life will change as you age. You may see money as something good and many people across this country as being Chicken Little, but let me assure you - fracking is an awesome new drilling technology, but it is fundamentally flawed. You are only doing yourself a disservice by posting your pro-fracking arguments on here. One day you'll realize just how wrong you are and you'll regret ever taking the positions you do. You can never undo your crusade & pro money agenda "at any cost". There are basic fundamentals to life which we are share and we all need. You seem to be very intelligent and articulate. My hope for you is that sooner, rather than later, your views on life and money and the values placed on them will indeed change. I mean no disrespect to you, your family, your education and even your present day opinions on such things as you are as entitled to have them as everyone else is. Regards. †

[pineappaloupe]

12:32 AM on 04/17/2011

***Waiting for someone to show up and say this is not related to fracking and that there is no history of fracking contaminating water...

[knappAP]

03:32 PM on 04/17/2011

The radioactivity scare with Marcellus drilling is vastly blown out of proportion. I know of water truck drivers that were taking Marcellus waste into dump sites which have radioactivity detectors at the entrance. Several of the drivers got pulled over because they set it off. Why? Because they had medical tests where radioactivity was injected into their bloodstreams for testing purposes. That's how sensitive these detectors are, and frackwater doesn't set them off. And for the 100 millionth time, methane migration (which is what causes the flaming faucets) is a direct result of an improperly completed cement job. The bad cement job allows gas from just below the aquifer to migrate upward into the water. Methane is not toxic and is easily removed with a filter system. Far from the doomsday of infixable water contamination scenario many present.

[HazelPethigFan]

07:35 PM on 04/17/2011

you are no fun giving us actual facts..

HuffPost is much more fun when it's all dramatic statements that are either completely factless or are just full of misleading half-truths.

[shythots]

10:36 PM on 04/16/2011

It is amusing how this fear mongering article, with miniscule outdated facts, has people's panties in a tight wad. First, I live in the area of PA which the article refers to. There are no mass newspaper articles, tv news reports, gov't issued warnings, etc of homes catching on fire and other things because of fracking. Second, the author has one reference to a home where something happened two years ago ouf of the supposed many. What proof is there that it has occured because of fracking? There is conjecture, but not proof. One person had it happen in 2009, is that the only one? Come on people, be critical of people's reporting. Don't chug the Kool-Aid. THINK!!!!!

[Sarad]

11:12 PM on 04/16/2011

Wonder if that company offered any compensation or a clean up of the affected properties? Proof? If it walks like a duck, quakes like a duck and looks like a duck, you can be 99 99/100ths percent sure that it is a duck.

[KaAp]

10:48 AM on 04/17/2011

Better suggest (for you): learn to READ!
There are report, after report, data following data, article following article and there has even been a documentary.

[pita143]

10:12 PM on 04/16/2011

I have read a number of posts on this subject on other blogs. And here is my set answer to many who openly support hydrofracking.

We have multiple alternatives to heat our homes, we have NO alternatives to fresh clean water.

While fracking has been going on for some time, we as a nation have not been keeping an eye on the toxic mix of chemicals that we have been allowing these drilling companies to use.

And we even allowed these companies to be exempt from the Clean Water Act thanks to something called the Halliburton Exemption in the 2005 Energy bill, and Gee, I wonder who was the former exec at Halliburton, and the Vice President in 2005? Any clues?

[HazelPethigFan]

08:03 AM on 04/17/2011

Your mention of "alternatives to heat our homes" implies that the alternatives are somehow much safer.

Here are some natural gas alternatives for heating our homes:

-Fuel oil. We have just a few wee issues with oil: BP spill, tar sands, imported oil, Exxon Valdez, middle east tensions and wars....just to name a "minor" few.

-Electricity. It's generated by coal, hydro, solar, wind and nuclear. A few issues are: global warming with coal, acid rain, black lung for coal miners, nuclear radiation (what could go wrong with that one?), many environmentalists oppose new dams due to environmental damage, solar is super expensive and unreliable, wind power is ultra unreliable and is now opposed by many environmentalists.

Wood stoves. The issues are: opposed by many in urban areas due to local pollution problems from smoke and particulates. Impractical for very everyone to use since we all can't be cutting down trees.

Where is these safe alternative you imply?

[pita143]

08:36 AM on 04/17/2011

Every single alternative you mentions does LESS damage to the environment than hydrofracking does.

And the problem is many communities do not allow homes to have alternative energy sources. Many communities will not allow solar panels or wind turbines to be used. And as far as wood, that is actually far less polluting, especially if you use a biomass furnace and use construction waste wood that has been turned into wood pellets instead of going to a land fill. I have a friend that has an external biomass furnace in the Adirondacks and uses dead fall trees. He is allowed to harvest the fallen trees FREE from State Land. He then cuts them up and uses the biomass furnace to heat his home and also heat his water.

All sources of heating have SOME risk and some environmental damage. But the energy companies have done the best they can do to block homeowners ability to use alternative energy sources for their own homes and property.

[deweydecimal]

01:59 PM on 04/17/2011

Geothermal, solar & wind.

[plumnelly]

01:31 PM on 04/17/2011

Cheney and his ilk write the laws for themselves and destroy our clean drinking water. We can't make more clean drinking water, but people like Cheney and the frackers can sure destroy our water.

[breakingpoint]

09:25 PM on 04/16/2011

Greg Morall should be forced to live in one of the toxic houses with his kids

this is what happens when you vote for Republicans and Corporate Democrats

[plumnelly]

01:34 PM on 04/17/2011

We have to be very vigilant to these sciopaths or we will have nothing to leave our children and grandchildren, nothing, if the republcians get their way which is greed over humanity and the earth.

[HazelPethigFan]

08:13 PM on 04/16/2011

The masses whine about nuclear power, natural gas, dirty coal, wind generator noise, ethanol, tar sand oil, oil wars, BP spills, imported oil, wood stove pollution etc etc etc etc

But all masses seem to want heated homes, cooled homes, microwaves, iphones, hot water, twitter, facebook, gas for the Corrola, gas for the low mpg SUV, gas for the boat, fuel for the airplane trip to some vacation, gas for the off grid generator, and, of course, computers to READ THIS WEBSITE

So who is actually to blame for all the energy problems? Yes it the energy addicts...look in the mirror.

Want to make a difference rather than just whine and rant? Become a scientist or engineer to HELP solve all the problems.

[pita143]

10:08 PM on 04/16/2011

Sorry but you are wrong. There are energy experts who have repeatedly pointed out the dangers of doing things a certain way, but saving a few bucks was and always has been more important to energy producers than protecting the environment and people.
The very best way to weed out the bad ones is to put a stop to the less than a slap on the wrist if they are caught polluting.

[plumnelly]

01:34 PM on 04/17/2011

Hear, hear!

[knappAP]

04:47 PM on 04/17/2011

This guys is facing criminal charges and years in jail for illegally dumping in PA. He dumped other stuff but a lot of drilling wastewater. We take this very seriously here in PA.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11078/1133161-113.stm

[jassgirl]

07:03 PM on 04/16/2011

There seems to no end to the destructive forces in this country. The mind boggles at the senselessness of it all.

[plumnelly]

01:37 PM on 04/17/2011

They worship at the house of GREED, they really are addicted, when you can justify destroying our drinking water which we have to have to live, sick, sick. We can't let these sciopathic people take down our earth, BP sure gave it their best shot and still aiming to destroy the oceans.

[Drdog]

05:12 PM on 04/16/2011

It.s been proven since the beginning of civilization people are disposable when it comes to making money. There is a few people making the decisions are millionaires that will never go there and without a doubt there is tax incentives and subsidies and now law suits and litigation procedings etc...People in the area will have outbreak of cancer and sickness thats a given.
What a shame.

[Ada Compton]

04:48 PM on 04/16/2011

This is a video of water on fire in Tioga County, PA. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8d_lzo_8Ow

[regulargal]

04:27 PM on 04/16/2011

With 35,000 new frac sites in PA over the next ten years, I'd be thinking about getting out of that state.

[Ada Compton]

04:49 PM on 04/16/2011

Me too. This is what we can do to our water here now: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8d_lzo_8Ow. Feel free to share it!

[plumnelly]

01:39 PM on 04/17/2011

I would be very afraid to drink the water in PA. I would get the hell out too, if it's at all possible for the people.

[janharms]

03:59 PM on 04/16/2011

Well poisoning used to be a capital crime.

[regulargal]

04:26 PM on 04/16/2011

Now it's legal and profitable.

[plumnelly]

01:42 PM on 04/17/2011

Not since the republican laden Supreme Court gave corporations the same right as people. Everything is open season for corporations to exploit our country since they own our government lock, stock and barrel.