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We’re All Deep DISH in the Barnett Shale

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DISH, TX is not the only Barnett Shale area with high levels of toxic drilling emissions.

High emissions levels recorded outside Dish
TCEQ still analyzing data on toxic compounds found during site visits
Peggy Heinkel-Wolfe

Identified only as “Site 8” between five and 10 miles west of Dish, inspectors with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality found more than 30 compounds at elevated levels at 5 p.m. Aug. 26, including all four of the “BTEX” carcinogens, according to documents obtained by the Denton Record-Chronicle.

Specifically, inspectors measured 15 parts per million of benzene, 21 ppm of toluene, 7.4 ppm of ethylbenzene and 20 ppm of xylene.

5 to 10 miles west of DISH it getting mighty close to my neighborhood.

This article marks the third time I’ve heard Dr. Sterling, University of North Texas Health Science Center public health expert, say that these high levels of toxins are unacceptable for urban areas but he seems unconcerned about rural areas. I’m pretty sure that country folks and animals don’t benefit from emissions either and those emissions don’t know where the county line is.

Get yours today!

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. Anonymous says

    That's also one of the serious problems of pipeline safety rules. PHMSA requires mandatory checking for pipeline flaws in denser populated areas, but not in rural areas, unless that pipeline has a REALLY bad safety track record. Yet, people get killed by pipelines "in the middle of nowhere".

    FYI, gas gathering & production pipeline rules are not enforced by PHMSA. It's up to the states there. Feel better now?

    More "collateral damage" potential there with both of those facts!

  2. Anonymous says

    15 ppm of benzene? Yikes! The OSHA maximum Short Term Exposure Limit
    (STEL) is 5 ppm!

    The toluene, xylene, and ethyl benzene STEL's are 150 ppm.

  3. TXsharon says

    Mary McDaniel, TRC, said they don't inspect pipelines in rural areas. They do flyovers every few years. That's it.

  4. Tim Ruggiero says

    Flyover to inspect a gas line? What are they inspecting it for from at least 500 feet? (I''m almost certain FAA requires a minimum of 500 feet up)

    If you're going to use an airplane to to inspect a gas line, they should just save themselves the time and expense and use Google Earth. (Yes, I'm aware of the fact that Google Earth is pictures that were taken sometime in the past)-the results are going to be the same.

  5. TXsharon says

    Dead vegetation = pipeline leak. BUT, they can let them leak for something like 3 years before they repair the leak. That's methane, the most powerful GHG, leaking into the atmosphere.

  6. Cheap Tricks and Costly Truths says

    When I first moved to Wink 9 years ago, I noticed the little twin engines flying over every now and then. Wondered what in the world they were dusting? Later I found out that they were doing just what you said, doing fly overs to check the pipes. I haven't noticed any fly checks in the past few months. Does that mean there's no longer any pipes to check? YAY!

  7. TXsharon says

    I'm hoping that all this hoopla over drilling in FW will help us shine the light on dirty drilling in all of Texas including Wink. I never stop thinking about you and Mrs. Burns.

  8. Ward in the Woods says

    We get the fly overs too, not as much lately.Could it be the cost
    of n.gas is down? Also semi-truck
    traffic down some, are all the storage tanks full? Wonder if safety checks are going down w/
    the profits? Yep, we sure are the
    collateral damage folks.