I was going to entitle my article, "Don't blame the gas drillers, it's the Amish Farmers"! But I noticed in doing a search for Gasland articles, there were none. So....
Assuming that Kos readers are aware of this stirring HBO documentary film by Josh Fox regarding the dangers of the drilling procedures in forming natural gas wells, so I won't bore you with the synopsis. If you are not familiar, check out the movie site and Facebook page for all the goings on. In addition, Mark Raffalo wrote a great peace on Huff today:
Natural Gas Drilling: Calling on New York to Stop This Unnatural Process
As a resident of Pennsylvania, in Amish country, the questions regarding fracking are heating up as Senator Bob Casey pushes to repeal the gas and oil fracking exemptions due to the Halliburton Loophole in the 2005 Energy Bill. (FRAC Act - twin bills in the Senate (S 1215) and House (HR 2766) that remove the exemption to the Safe Drinking Water Act for fracking and call for the disclosure and monitoring of the chemicals used in the process.) What is very amusing, is that our area's Amish farmers are being specifically targeted by the EPA regarding "manure" disposal into the Chesapeake Bay watershed. If the EPA and the Chesapeake Bay initiative think manure's a problem, just wait until the Delaware river and New York City water supply are contaminated.
Hey, I'm all for protecting the bay, don't get me wrong. But, with the EPA being hogtied from properly investigating the contents of the fracking solutions being used by the gas companies, they are downright easy targets, as well as nice diversionary stories, compared to the millions of lobby dollars from TBone and his friends who are chomping at the bit, literally, to get into the Marcellus Shales throughout New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. I guess money talks and mules walk.
Important Update:
Important document countering gas industry smears of Gasland