They do not fear us or the regulators. The fracking Gasholes have no incentive to do things better because they are not held accountable. And, if you object to their misdeeds, they will employ some Psychological Warfare against you and your neighbors. Texans already knew that but it’s great to see in print.
Puny fines, scant enforcement leave drilling violators with little to fear
Mike Soraghan, E&E reporter
Greenwire: Monday, November 14, 2011
Oil and gas drillers who pollute groundwater, spill toxic chemicals or break other rules have little to fear from the inspectors and agencies regulating the surge in American petroleum production.
A Greenwire review of enforcement data from the largest drilling states shows that only a small percentage of violations result in fines, and the fines that are levied often amount to little more than a rounding error for billion-dollar companies.
In Texas, 96 percent of the 80,000 violations by oil and gas drillers in 2009 resulted in no enforcement action. West Virginia, a state with 56,000 wells, issued 19 penalties last year. And Wyoming, the center of Rocky Mountain energy, collected $15,500 in fines in 2010.
Check out the interactive map to see how your state ranks.
UPDATE: This report features our beloved Mrs. Burns.
You can see the video of ExxonMobil employees duct taping the pipeline HERE.
About Sharon Wilson
Sharon Wilson is considered a leading citizen expert on the impacts of shale oil and gas extraction. She is the go-to person whether it’s top EPA officials from D.C., national and international news networks, or residents facing the shock of eminent domain and the devastating environmental effects of natural gas development in their backyards.
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“Earlier this year, Elizabeth Ames Jones, then a member and now chairwoman of the Texas Railroad Commission, told a U.S. House committee her agency is “the gold standard,” as she argued against federal regulation of hydraulic fracturing.
But a comprehensive review by a Texas legislative agency last year described the Railroad Commission’s regulation of oil and gas production and its enforcement as unfocused and lax.”
If they are the gold standard, I hate to see a bad regulatory agency! The duct tape on the produced water pipeline is an all time classic. Even the most hardened shills gulp when they see those pictures.