We in Monroe County are incredibly fearful that our land will be destroyed as we have seen happen in other states and counties.  We stand fearful together with our friends in neighboring counties, like Greenbrier, Pocahontas and Summers, as well as those who have suffered already from hydraulic fracturing and related activities, like Wetzel and Marshall County.  We have followed every detail of the battles in NY and PA, have read every headline – and the thought that our little county could be ravaged by this process dominates every conversation, keeps us up at night and haunts us while we sleep.

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Source : WHYY

Thirteen families in Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania have sued a Houston-based natural gas driller, claiming their wells were contaminated with fracking fluids. Hydraulic fracturing is a controversial method used to extract natural gas from the deeply buried gas reserve known as the Marcellus Shale.

Susquehanna County borders New York state in northern Pennsylvania, where drilling for natural gas has hit like a gold rush. After the Houston based Southwestern Energy Company drilled a well in Lenox Township, nearby residents complained of dark sediment in their well water, and clogged wells. Then they say they began to suffer from stomach complaints, seizures and broken bones that did not heal. The state department of Environmental Protection tested their water and found high levels of strontium, barium and manganese. They were told not to drink it. This week 13 families sued.

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Source : Public News Service

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – According to national and state observers, West Virginia is not ready to deal with the effects of natural gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale. Nationally, there has been a 40 percent increase in gas drilling in the last six years, a large part of it in the Marcellus Shale in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, New York and Ohio.

Documentary director Josh Fox is bringing his film, “Gasland,” to Buckhannon this weekend. While making it, he researched the wave of new drilling in many states.

“Every place I went was the same story: water contamination and citizens outraged, feeling that they were being overrun because they lost control of their property, feeling that they’d lost control of their lives.”

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Source : ProPublica

This is old news, from August of last year; a past entry from the mounting body of evidence suggesting a connection between hydraulic fracture and the contamination of groundwater.  Excerpt:

Federal environment officials investigating drinking water contamination [1]  near the ranching town of Pavillion, Wyo., have found that at least three water wells contain a chemical used in the natural gas drilling process of hydraulic fracturing [2]. Scientists also found traces of other contaminants, including oil, gas or metals, in 11 of 39 wells tested there since March.

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Source : WCC

This site is maintained by a law firm and offers a chronicle of cases of disaster involving hydro-fracturing; here is a page dedicated to incidents in West Virginia.  They are also offering free legal consultations to anyone suspicious of water contamination from shale gas drilling.  From their site:

About the Firm

For over 15 years, the law firm of Parker Waichman Alonso LLP has successfully represented clients against the industries whose actions have caused them physical injury or financial damage. We will use this experience to make sure shale gas drillers are held accountable if the chemicals they use pollute water supplies.

The firm of Parker Waichman Alonso LLP has been given an AV-Rating (the highest rating possible) from the respected legal guide Martindale-Hubble. Martindale-Hubble Ratings are the result of a peer review system that has evolved for over a century. Ratings speak to a firm’s professional and legal ability and ethics. The lawyers and attorneys at our firm are proud of this AV-Rating, and all are committed to providing clients with the highest level of service and expertise required to maintain such preeminent standing in the legal community.

Our firm is providing a free initial legal consultation to anyone who suspects that water where they live has been contaminated because of shale gas drilling. We urge you to contact our office to explore the legal remedies available to you. Fill out our online form or call 1-800-LAW-INFO (1-800-529-4636) to arrange for a free consultation today.

Source : New York Times

Again, Joel Kirkland from ClimateWire has published a gripping article about the growing environmental concerns surrounding the process of producing shale gas.  That article begins:

Around suppertime on June 3 in Clearfield County, Pa., a geyser of natural gas and sludge began shooting out of a well called Punxsutawney Hunting Club 36. The toxic stew of gas, salt water, mud and chemicals went 75 feet into the air for 16 hours. Some of this mess seeped into a stream northeast of Pittsburgh.

Four days later, as authorities were cleaning up the debris in Pennsylvania, an explosion burned seven workers at a gas well on the site of an abandoned coal mine outside of Moundsville, W.Va., just southwest of Pittsburgh.

A serious 4-page article follows, please:

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