EPA Confirms Groundwater Contamination From Hydrofracking in Parker County, Texas

After years of "no findings of groundwater contamination" from natural gas drilling, for the first time the EPA now confirms that Ranger Resources hydrofracking has contaminated wells with methane, benzene and toulene in Texas Barnett Shale formations.

Additional links within the WFAA article on the emergency order from the EPA, and much more here on the story of Ranger Resources from one of our favorite Texas warriors Sharon Wilson of Blue Daze Drilling Reform for Texas.

Intro of Sharon's article:

Range Resources lives in an alternate universe where saying something makes it true no matter the facts. Range wrote a letter where they claim the EPA met with them and agreed that they were not responsible for the garden hose turned flamethrower in Parker County. Okay, I’ll play: if saying something makes it true, then I’m a ballerina.

She's a feisty one and Texas is lucky to have her fighting for the truth about the big myth that hyrdrofracking is "safe." As usual, Texas state agencies are in denial along with Ranger Resources and the fight is on to have the EPA decide who they are going to believe: their scientific testing or the BS of the usual suspects-- the Texas Railroad Commission, TCEQ and Ranger Resources.

This case has the potential to set precedent on hydrofracking and will be very important to track to its conclusion. We are not holding our breath that the EPA and Texas politicians who write legislation for TCEQ to follow will stand tough on it though because it is political suicide to go up against big gas.

Texas big mule Governor Perry is at war with the EPA over environmental regulations and never met a big polluter he didn't like. He has done more wrong for the Lone Star state during his reign of destruction than even the "I love Halliburton" G.W. Bush did, but he follows in the same pattern of corporate enabler to great faults.

Another fracked up big business republican governor who gets rich off of federal subsidies and big polluters while his citizens suffer. Good job jackalope.

Additional stories:
Second family has to leave their home in Texas from hydrofracking.
Birmingham based Energen on the move to Texas.

Posted by Winger

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