If it wasn't bad enough that corporations were buying up most of our drinking water to sell back us at a considerable mark up or the energy industry using our water for coal, oil and gas production, the gas companies are following the lead of BP in the way they rape our land and pollute our ground water. Seems all of the general methods used in drilling for natural gas are no better.
Flying under the radar while everyone's attention was focused on the Gulf another blowout was taking place in Pennsylvania.
See if this doesn't sound familiar:
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection officials moved quickly and methodically to investigate the blowout finding EOG Resources negligent in the operation of blow out prevention equipment and related training. The state fined the company and its sub-contractor a record $400,000 on July 13, 2010. The PADEP found that during the blowout, EOG operators did not contact 911 emergency services until more than 3 hours after the geyser of gas and produced water began along with failing to immediately report the blowout to the PADEP’s 24- hour emergency hotline.
A little backgroud. EOG Resources used to be (wait for it)... Enron! That wonderful company that ripped off everybody on the west coast by charging outragous rates pumping up their stock price while the CEO Ken Lay (may he rot in hell) and his minions sold off their shares in the company just before it tanked. I take this personnaly because our local utility bought power from them and I got a winter electric bill that was triple what it normally was with not so much as a thank you.
EOG while shelling out $400K as a fine is a slap on the wrist because the company made $2.4 billion in profits. This little blowout cost 16 families in that area the permanant use of their water supply. It's totally contaminated and unusable. This company has over 600 permits to do the same in other parts of the state. Total rig permits for the state is 3500. That's 3500 opportunities to screw up a whole lot of water and ruin even more families lives. If you caught the documentary 'Gasland' then you'll know how much damage these rigs can do.
The number one issue right now is jobs. People whine that if we prevent these companies from their further rape of the land then that will take jobs out of communities. I say bull. How about we work on solar, wind, tidal, geothermal and any other renewable sources at least until the next major source like fusion gets perfected in about 30 or forty years. Or should we just say the hell with it and totally pollute our water air and earth and just leave it for our kids and grand kids to figure out?
7 comments:
This period of transition and upheval could be put to better use if our leaders did not focus so much on saving the past and instead focused on preparing for the future.
I say Bull also.
Those blow out valves fail 40% of the time and I refuse to believe oil companies are not forced to take that into account.
It pisses me off but it happens all the time, whenever you try to hold Government or critical utilities liable they threaten to screw you one way or the other.
I guess you weren't kidding yesterday! Lacking equipment, volunteers use chopsticks and rakes against Chinese oil
Demeur
Another fine post. Stay on this one my friend as you have a great handle on it. I too saw Gasland and it scared the be jeez out of me. Already the Northeast is getting nailed in their pursuit of Gas. Fracking as they call it should be banned.
I took a shower on two gallons of recycled water today that was cleaner than a lot of people are forced to drink everyday.
Fuck jobs and money, life is about living on this rock in wise ways.
In one of her books, Molly Ivins wrote about gas drilling abuses and side effects in the Republican laissez-faire bastion of Wyoming. Seems that when the gas drillers get through with an area, they leave behind quite a mess -- and locals with somewhat different attitudes about some things.
Makes me think of a twist on the old right-wingers' line, "A liberal is really a conservative who hasn't been mugged yet." (In the period between the Cold War and War on Terror, wing nuts specialized in portraying liberals as soft on criminals instead of being unpatriotic and against the troops.)
Don't worry, eventually even the water in the 75° arctic that surrounds the übermansions of the elite will be polluted and even they will die, muahahahahahaha, etc.
Post a Comment