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WATER ON FIRE IN TEXAS

By

I told you so! I fracking told you so! Thank you WFAA and Brett Shipp for finally vindicating Steven Lipsky in your report tonight.

Welcome to his nightmare: Flaming well water
by BRETT SHIPP
WFAA, Posted on February 13, 201

I just want to add a bit.

A timeline of the Lipsky water well contamination:

  • The Lipsky well was drilled in 2005 and, according to the company that drilled it, his water well had no methane in it.
  • The well is approximately 120′ from the horizontal well bore.
  • August 2009, production began from Range Resources Barnett Shale gas well.
  • December 2009 the water well began to effervesce, which means it was bubbling like Seltzer.

Here is the video that Lipsky sent me in an email–the first contact we ever had–in late January 2011, six weeks AFTER the EPA stepped in with an Imminent and Substantial Endangerment Order. Listen to the narration. It’s pretty clear what’s going on. Still, the now disgraced, activist judge Troy Loftin ruled that this video was deceptive.

Today I read the Texas Railroad Commission’s ruling on this case. I made some notes but I won’t post all of those at this time. I do want to post this little bit because much has been made of the methane in other water wells in Parker County.

Notes from page 9: Regarding the other water wells in the area that had enough methane to flare, on page 9 under petroleum engineer John McBeath. First, these wells had methane that flared from the beginning. The Hurst well (they love to show a picture of that well flaring) “flowed sufficient gas” to flare “initially” but the gas was “depleted after a few months.” This would indicate a shallow pocket of gas such as the Strawn. The Oujesky water well “flowed gas for a couple of months.” The Lipsky well has been producing gas since 2009 and it’s not slowing down any at all. They also mention some public supply water wells.

There is a lot more to this story and I’ve been telling it piece by piece for over two years. I intend to continuing telling this story because I declined the invitation to be intimidated.

For the latest news on this see:
New AP Report Raises Alarming Questions about EPA’s Oversight of Oil and Gas Drillers
Did Range Resources pressure EPA or not? Who do you believe?
Sometimes thinking of Range Resources reminds me of Shakespeare.
Groups Call for EPA to Require Range Resources to Provide Clean Drinking Water to Texas Families
Groups Urge Investigation of EPA Actions in Texas Water Contamination Case

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.

Comments

  1. Back in the 60s Cleveland, Ohio’s Cuyahoga River caught fire and made international headlines. In addition to the US and in particular, Cleveland, being a worldwide laughingstock, the incident served as a clarion call. People were moved to great concern for ecology, the roots of which are finally coming to fruition now. Sad to see that, even in cases involving the safety & protection of such a basic resource as WATER humans have such a long learning curve…

  2. I wonder about these judges that make questionable rulings in Range Resources favor.

    Trey Loftin tried to ride a ruling he made in the Lipsky case into reelection even before the case was settled. He lost his bid and what he did was completely unethical.

    “A Parker County judge who, in the midst of an environmental case, bragged in campaign literature that he had forced the EPA to turn tail lost his Republican primary battle Tuesday.”

    Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2012/05/30/3996994/judge-in-case-involving-parker.html#storylink=cpy

    Then there was Range Resources and Judge Paul Pozonsky in the high profile Hallowich case in PA.

    “The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and the Washington Observer-Reporter are challenging an August 2011 decision by former Washington County Court Judge Paul Pozonsky to seal the settlement documents, which had to be reviewed and approved by the court because minor children were parties to the agreement.
    “Merely saying a settlement is confidential does not satisfy the presumption that the court record should be open,” said Frederick Frank, the attorney representing the Post-Gazette.”

    Judge Pozonsky later resigned from his post amid allegations that he had destroyed evidence in 17 criminal cases.

    “The answer to the second question is: an ex-judge named Paul Pozonsky, who is apparently under investigation right now by a Pennsylvania grand jury for destroying evidence in 17 criminal cases, which led to his being stripped of the ability to hear cases, and who was the subject of a year-long “Protection From Abuse” order for domestic violence.”

    He mysteriously reappears in Alaska where he’s somehow managed to land a job there long after applications for that job had been closed and they had passed over many qualified Alaskans in order to give the job to some unknown ex judge from Pennsylvania.

    “So why did Gov. Sean Parnell recently go all the way to Pennsylvania to fill a vacant Hearing Officer position in the labor department (you know, the department that promotes Alaska hire)?

    Read more here: http://www.adn.com/2012/12/01/2709454/shannyn-moore-how-does-a-pennsylvania.html#storylink=cpy

    Both of these judges are as flaky as store bought canned biscuits.

    Range Resources does spend quit a bit of time in the court room due to their own flaky business practices so I guess its luck that they land the flakiest judges making news in two different states, in two high profile cases?

    • Another interesting judicial thing: Loftin took the place of a judge to suddenly resigned (wonder why). Rick Perry appointed Loftin. I’m not sure of the exact timing but I think it all took place right around the time the case was being assigned to that court.

  3. I’m sorry to ever say I live in Weatherford, home of Phil King and Roger Williams.

    I can’t wait to leave this horrible town.

  4. Just another example of the worthless, crooked oil soaked courts in Texas. The whole 3rd branch of our gubment at all levels is rotten to the core. The 3rd branch of our gubment needs to undergo a 50% budget cut—and then after 6 months they get another 50% budget cut. A lot of tax money would be saved.