MORE FRACKING by Le ROY: GOT A MAKE A BOB OT TWO?

[Guest guest]

http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2011/0417/New-warning-of-poisonous-chemicals-in-natural-gas-hydrofracking

New

warning of poisonous chemicals in natural gas 'hydrofracking'

A

congressional report finds that chemicals used in 'hydrofracking' to

extract natural gas are known or possible human carcinogens,

regulated under federal environmental laws.

By Brad

Knickerbocker, Staff

writer /

April 17, 2011

Chemicals

used to extract natural gas from vast areas of the United

States include

“extremely toxic substances, such as benzene and lead,†according

to a new report released by members of theHouse

Energy and Commerce Committee.

Twenty-nine

of the chemicals are known or possible human carcinogens, regulated

under the Safe

Drinking Water Act for

risks to human health or listed as hazardous air pollutants under

the Clean

Air Act,

according to the report.

“This

report shows that these companies are injecting millions of gallons

of products that contain potentially hazardous chemicals, including

known carcinogens,†said Rep.

Henry Waxman (D) of California,

senior Democrat on the committee.

Oil

and gas industry officials deny that hydraulic fracturing – known

as “hydrofracking†– is a threat to the environment or public

health.

"This

report uses the same sleight of hand deployed in the last report on

diesel use – it compiles overall product volumes, not the volumes

of the hazardous chemicals contained within those products," Matt

Armstrong,

an attorney representing companies involved in natural gas drilling,

told the New

York Times.

"This generates big numbers but provides no context for the use

of these chemicals over the many thousands of frac jobs that were

conducted within the timeframe of the report."

Still,

this latest evidence seems likely to accelerate study and possibly

regulation of an industrial technique that has become increasingly

controversial, particularly through the 2010 documentary film

“Gasland.â€

Fracking

involves pumping

a slurry of

sand, water, and chemicals deep underground at high pressure –

cracking open shale deposits and allowing the natural gas embedded

there to emerge. The process has been hailed as a boon for US energy

supplies and has boosted US natural-gas reserves in recent years.

But

a growing number of residents in Texas, Pennsylvania, Colorado,

and other states say the technique has fouled their drinking-water

wells and even caused the tap water coming out of their faucets to

smell like industrial chemicals.

As

shown in “Gasland,†some people’s tap water has flared up when

lit with a match.

Joining

Rep. Waxman in releasing the report were

Markey of Massachusetts,

senior Democrat on the Natural

Resources Committee,

and

DeGetteof

Colorado, senior Democrat on the oversight and investigations

subcommittee. They had asked for the investigative report

before Republicans took

over the House in last November’s elections.

Among

other things, the report finds:

• The

14 leading oil and gas service companies used more than 780 million

gallons of hydraulic fracturing products, not including water added

at the well site. Overall, the companies used more than 2,500

hydraulic fracturing products containing 750 different chemicals and

other components.

• The

components used in the hydraulic fracturing products ranged from

generally harmless and common substances, such as salt and citric

acid, to extremely toxic substances, such as benzene and lead. Some

companies even used instant coffee and walnut hulls in their

fracturing fluids.

• Between

2005 and 2009, the oil and gas service companies used hydraulic

fracturing products containing 29 chemicals that are known or

possible human carcinogens, regulated under the Safe Drinking Water

Act (SDWA) for their risks to human health, or listed as hazardous

air pollutants under the Clean Air Act.

• The

BTEX compounds – benzene, toluene, xylene, and ethylbenzene – are

SDWA contaminants and hazardous air pollutants. Benzene also is a

known human carcinogen. The hydraulic fracturing companies injected

11.4 million gallons of products containing at least one BTEX

chemical over the five-year period.

• Methanol,

which was used in 342 hydraulic fracturing products, was the most

widely used chemical between 2005 and 2009. The substance is a

hazardous air pollutant and is on the candidate list for potential

regulation under SDWA. Isopropyl alcohol, 2-butoxyethanol, and

ethylene glycol were the other most widely used chemicals.

• Many

of the hydraulic fracturing fluids contain chemical components that

are listed as “proprietary†or “trade secret.†The companies

used 94 million gallons of 279 products that contained at least one

chemical or component that the manufacturers deemed proprietary or a

trade secret. In many instances, the oil and gas service companies

were unable to identify these “proprietary†chemicals, suggesting

that the companies are injecting fluids containing chemicals that

they themselves cannot identify.

Try

http://drdrew.blogs.cnn.com/2012/02/02/controversy-over-le-roy-school-district-gas-wells/

The comments also are very revealing!

Note: HALLIBURTON get a mention.

Now where did I hear that name last?

The girls are FAKING it?

Do you think those PRAIRIE DOGS are as

well?

It's a Close Call.

But someone has to make a DECISION.