On one hand, I have little sympathy for these folks, as they signed a lease for $37,500 to allow drilling on their property. On the other hand, XTO ( a subsidiary of Exxon ) should have immediately reported this "priority watershed" trout stream being contaminated. They didn't, and when caught, released the following statement:
XTO spokesman Jeff Neu said XTO's priority is, "and will remain, to ensure the safety of the community, our employees and contract personnel and to protect the environment."
And yes, XTO Energy is yet another fine, upstanding member of the Marcellus Shale Coalition.
And since our very own DCNR has inked a deal to allow drilling under the Susquehanna in Bradford County, I thought you might be interested in this tidbit from the very same article:
Gresh said the one-time event occurred when drillers were tunneling under the creek to make way for a connection linking the well with a pipeline, and the drill broke through to the water.
Of course, with Chesapeake Energy's safety record, that will never happen to the Susquehanna....right?
Folks, the only priority of the members of the Marcellus Shale Coalition is making money, and they will turn our streams, forests and streets any color they can to accomplish their objective.
Under Governor-elect Tom Corbett, the kataclysmic environmental katastrophe has only just begun.
And guess who won't be paying for the clean-up?
P.S.: Hats off to the Times-Tribune for understanding what was covered under Governor Rendell's recent drilling moratorium, as it was clearly evident Gov-elect Tom Corbett did not.
Tom Corbett, ( R-Drillers ) ? Gotta love it.
The unfortunate thing is that this will become a common occurrence. Look at the age of the landowners. So typical of the land rich-cash poor, perhaps uneducated, elderly. They are also a few generations behind any level of environmental awareness. A sad time for PA
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