No Evidence of Groundwater Contamination From Fracking

Our planet's climate may already be melting down due to our nation's overconsumption of fossil fuels. Keeping the gas pipelines full should not be our primary concern right now. We should be pouring our capacity for innovation into the development of non-polluting energy sources, not into extracting more of a limited resource that's destroying our planet's life systems. In the long run, all we really accomplish by improving our natural gas extraction technology is to increase the severity of future energy shortages and climate impacts.

Marty Hiller of NY 10:48AM November 30, 2011

In Eastern Pa. the Delaware River Basin provides water for much of NY, Phil., etc. The soil is not conducive to fracking. In Western Pa we already have mined for coal, leaving the populations perched on old mine shafts and mines filled with poisonous water. Fracking is being considered a possible reason for the recent earthquakes in Oaklahoma. The frack ponds are a danger to wildlife and the evaporation increases toxic air pollution. Since there is no oversite, the drillers just dump frack water in ponds and creeks, illegal dumping is rampant. The 'shills' for the industry are lying. Go see a well for yourself....they destroy community and environment.

Lisa VALANTI of PA 10:00PM November 29, 2011

Any who have read Dr. Devra Davis' book "The Secret History of the War on Cancer" understand that American history is replete with examples of industries that sicken their workers and the public at large, but because they generate jobs and are generally run by powerful people who buy government influence, these industries (mostly oil and gas, petrochemicals and of course tobacco) get away with poisoning people and the environment time and time again. They generate a "science of doubt" to hide the truth.

The gas industry is not doing anything new to sell itself. It is using tried and proven methods of bamboozling the public, and causing untold suffering such as the cancer my late wife just endured, in order to enrich a few. I would not want to be living in the skin of those who would willingly and knowingly sicken others for private gain. Six months ago my wife was the picture of health, running our farm dairy business. Now she's dead. The gas industry is surely going to condemn many more people to such an awful end to their life as she had to suffer.

The term “responsible oil and natural gas exploration” should be understood as a chimera (a foolish fantasy) when it is used in the context of endorsing the extreme form of fossil fuel extraction known as high volume slickwater fracturing of long laterals into tight shale deposits. In light of ample and mounting evidence that unconventional drilling is fraught with environmental and public health perils, the notion that there can be any kind of “responsible drilling” of this kind is a chimera. It enables an industry to operate that should be halted until we have conducted a comprehensive, long-term study of the environmental and public health risks. There is not any such long-term study. Nor is there any scientific consensus that this type of gas extraction cannot cause irreparable environmental harm - from above or from below. We allow this drilling in direct contradiction to the Precautionary Principle.

Stephen Cleghorn of PA 5:33PM November 29, 2011

Institute for Energy Research -- Koch funded

ALEC -- Koch funded

Well gee, I just can't figure where this author gets his marching orders!

jimspice of WI 1:29PM November 29, 2011