Methane in three private water wells in Lenox Twp. seeped there from a flawed natural gas well drilled by Cabot Oil & Gas Corp., state environmental regulators have found.

An investigation by the Department of Environmental Protection determined that the gas migrated from at least one of three Marcellus Shale wells on the Stalter well pad about a half-mile west of Interstate 81 in Susquehanna County.

Good thing fracking is 100% safe and not even worth debating anymore, otherwise I'd be kind of worried about plans to fast-track it in North Carolina.

In New York: Regulate or ban?

Comments

[RBM]

DEP policy requires the oil and gas program to update the eFACTS database within 10 working days of completing an inspection or mailing a notice of violations.

Mr. Spadoni said the missing information was "an oversight."

Must not be any repercussions for
"oversight(s)",

[RBM]

The 'how' it's being done seems addressable according to proponents of the Texas Railroad Commission.

[Fred Gregory]

Another hysterical stunt in a campaign to stop fracking stone cold by the enviro extremists, using shill victims.

Water is safe

"•Several years ago Cabot Oil & Gas drilled Marcellus gas wells in the Dimock area.
•Dimock is known to have methane (natural gas) in local well water supplies, prior to Cabot’s drilling.
•However, the state DEP says that Cabot did not properly case several of those wells, and it caused methane to leak into nearby water wells for 19 families.
•Cabot denies that it improperly cased the wells, and has maintained their innocence from the beginning.
•Cabot was instructed to provide potable water to the homes, and to install water methane filtering systems for all of the homes, which they did.
•Cabot wants to stop trucking the water because the filtering systems work and make the water free of methane, suitable for use.
•However, at least some of the families refuse to allow testing to be done by Cabot, apparently preferring to continue playing victim, grabbing headlines, and suing Cabot.
•The state DEP, and federal EPA, have tested the water and concluded it’s fine to use, and that Cabot can now stop trucking water. "

[Dave Ribar]

Fred:

The case you are describing is a different one dating back to 2008-9. In that case, Cabot entered into a consent agreement and paid a $120K civil penalty.

The situation that Ed linked to appears to be a new set of wells that have been damaged by Cabot.

[Fred Gregory]

Same stunt.. Picking s--t with chickens. The sky is falling scare balonry is really becoming tiresome.

Enough already !!!!!!!!!

[Andrew Brod]

Don't confuse him with facts.

[Fred Gregory]

Theory, however whackomania, is your strong suit Andy. Ever consider tht PA DEP is cooking the books . Just as BLS with unemployment figures.
No, say it isn't so, Andy. You love the taste of Ed's Kool-Aid, huh, sycophant.

[Andrew Brod]

Yep, the world is a simple place when you can dismiss any data you don't like.

[Ed Cone]

AB, congrats on your new business venture, and best of luck with it.

Maybe working outside the ivory tower will learn you not to just shrug off conspiracy theories floated in blog comment threads in the wee hours of the morning. Certainly Fred's recent efforts here -- links to a Hitler video, kool-aid references and personal attacks, and now this -- are highly convincing.

[Andrew Brod]

Thanks, Ed. Running a business (in addition to the economic consulting I'm still doing) has been a real education. And in spite of the lending constraints I mention in the column, we might just make it.

[polifrog]

Yep, the world is a simple place when you can dismiss any data you don't like.

Well, the world could be a simpler place if the data could be believed. Unfortunately, data becomes art at the intersection of desire and research.

[Fred Gregory]

To all:

I linked a Hitler parody on fracking. So what ? It mocked extreme environmentalists in a LOL way. Sorry if you, who are made uncomfortable by art imitating life, particularly when it challenges your conventional wisdom. Get a sense of humor. Sigh !

"The situation that Ed linked to appears to be a new set of wells that have been damaged by Cabot."

On 1/7 Ed posted a link to a story about EPA furnishing water to Dimock.

Well since Ed missed or ignored it here is an update.

EPA reneges on water promise to Dimock

Personal attacks? You mean like being villified as a factually challenged moron by a clique of prefered elitist commenters at this blog. Not even close.

And what the hell does the " wee hours of the morning " have to do with anyting ? Not Jack Squat except it appears someones quiver is empty except for cheap shots.

[Ed Cone]

The story in Dimock continues to unfold.

[polifrog]

From Ed's link above:

Federal environmental regulators reopened their investigation of Dimock water wells on Dec. 29 after first declaring on Dec. 2 that outside water tests showed the well water posed no "immediate health threat."

It takes time to artfully execute data at the intersection of desire and research.

[Fred Gregory]

Well here it is in the wee hours of mid-afternoon, no Hiltler parody, nothing a reasonable person could mistake for a personal attack and no conspiracy theories. Are we OK , now.

Canadian Minister Accuses His Country’s Environmentalists Of Behaving Like American Environmentalists

Yup some of you are guilty of condoning such tactics and certainly sympatize with them.

As the man with stones points out.

"Unfortunately, there are environmental and other radical groups that would seek to block this opportunity to diversify our trade. Their goal is to stop any major project no matter what the cost to Canadian families in lost jobs and economic growth. No forestry. No mining. No oil. No gas. No more hydro-electric dams.

These groups threaten to hijack our regulatory system to achieve their radical ideological agenda. They seek to exploit any loophole they can find, stacking public hearings with bodies to ensure that delays kill good projects. They use funding from foreign special interest groups to undermine Canada’s national economic interest. They attract jet-setting celebrities with some of the largest personal carbon footprints in the world to lecture Canadians not to develop our natural resources. Finally, if all other avenues have failed, they will take a quintessential American approach: sue everyone and anyone to delay the project even further. They do this because they know it can work. It works because it helps them to achieve their ultimate objective: delay a project to the point it becomes economically unviable."

The blogger who posted this adds a footnote:

"The environmentalists don’t want environmental protection. They want us to stop using oil and gas, and their tactic of the moment is to make oil and gas development so difficult in this country that companies can’t or won’t do it."

Gotcha !

[Ed Cone]

Right, it's all about pretending to care about the environment, while secretly being a radical civilization-hater, and/or a celebrity. I cop to both counts.

Another top-shelf argument, Fred.

[Andrew Brod]

Environmentalists don't want environmental protection?

Sounds like that blogger should be villified as a factually challenged moron.

[Fred Gregory]

Why do you hate Canada ?

[Account Deleted]

Isn't there an overabundance of natural gas on the market that is keeping price low at the present time?

[Andrew Brod]

Yup.

"The current glut partly stems from the U.S. energy industry's success with new exploration techniques—notably hydraulic fracturing of shale formations, or fracking."

(You can get past the paywall if you link to the article from Google News.)

[Ed Cone]

More here on gas prices and the lack of urgency to sell NC gas cheap.

[Fred Gregory]

This is getting desperately pathetic. You all are in quick sand and need a tow line.

Here have a drink of
Clear Cool Water

[Thomas]

I'm a little confused. Canada wants the pipeline built so they can sell their products to countries other than the US, and we should help them do this because...?

[Fred Gregory]

Thomas, Canada wants to sell us the oil carried by the pipeline to the refineries in Houston. Why the confusion ? The problem again is the hysterical environmentalists. ( Obama's base )

Here see if this clears things for you , which are largely understood by most folks.

President rejects reason; kills Keystone

[Billy Jones]

And earthquakes dating back to 2001

[Billy Jones]

Fred appears to be as fracked as the roads.

[Thomas]

Fred - My confusion resulted from the link you posted where the writer used quotes from an open letter from the Canadian Natural Resources Minister and referenced it to attempts to delay the Keystone XL pipeline.

The minister had this to say

"Virtually all our energy exports go to the US. As a country, we must seek new markets for our products and services and the booming Asia-Pacific economies have shown great interest in our oil, gas, metals and minerals."

Hence my confusion. I learned yesterday that there is another pipeline under discussion. This one would run through Canada to the Pacific coast and is, I'm sure, what the Minister was discussing. I think the writer you linked to kind of missed the point of the Minister's letter.

[Fred Gregory]

This shoud't cofuse you Thomas.

Keystone .. Put up or shut up

"The day after the president announces he would reward businesses that bring jobs into the U.S., the Chamber of Commerce asks: What about the pipeline from Canada that would bring both jobs and energy?

The irony was mind-boggling when President Obama addressed a group of business leaders at the White House last Wednesday on his plans to reward 'insourcing.'

'We can put 20,000 Americans to work right away and up to 250,000 over the life of the project. Labor unions and the business community alike are urging President Obama to act in the best interests of our national security and our workers, and approve the pipeline.'( Tom Donahue..US Chamber of Commerce )

They ( 7 Different unions ) want the jobs Keystone XL would bring.

TransCanada wants to bring those jobs plus 700,000 barrels of Canadian tar sands oil to the U.S.

But another key Democratic constituency — environmentalists — have raised the canard that Keystone XL would endanger the Ogallala Aquifer centered on Nebraska."

Obamba is politicizing a no-brainer at the cost of jobs and continued dependency on middle east oil.

Shame !!