EPA must intervene in Texas!
Natural gas extraction creates massive amounts of toxic waste that requires disposal. This waste should be tested and regulated but that’s not happening in Texas. Arkansas learned the hard way the cost of leaving industry on the honor system to protect our air, soil and water when they discovered water contamination from landfarm runoff. As a result, Arkansas has revised their rules.
This is the only Centralized Landfarm Permit that the RRC has issued and since last May of 09, and they have never inspected it! When a landowner of the adjacent property requested testing results and why the fence, as required by the permit, had not been constructed, he received the following reply:
Date: 2/11/2010 9:33:22 AM
To: Dick RossSubject: Response to Open Records Request filed on 2/10/2010 at 8:26a.m.; Specified Inspection Reports on XTO CentralizedLandfarmFwd:
Mayfield-Kimbrell Centralized Landfarm
Regards Mr. Ross:
This is to inform you that this centralized landfarm has not been inspected from 5/19/09 forward. Accordingly, the Commission has no existing, available information responsive to this request.
I have closed our file on this request with the transmittal of this e-mail.
Please contact me directly at any time if you require any public information from the Commission in the future.
Debra Ravel
Attorney, Special Counsel Section
Office of General Counsel
Open Records Coordinator
Railroad Commission of Texas
P.O. Box 12967
Austin, Texas 78711-2967
Phone: (512) 463-6932
FAX: (512) 463-6684
E-Mail Address: debra.ravel@rrc.state.tx.us
Apparently, the TRC inspectors have has much trouble “seeing” runoff as they do “seeing” bubbles in waste pits because according to the following email, TRC inspector Roger Satterwhite drove by the landfarm and did not see any runoff.
From: Dick Ross
Date: 9/28/2009 2:49:45 PM
To: Debra Ravel
Subject: Re: Response to Public Information Request filed 9/25/09 at 10:34a.m. Nonhazardous Waste Regulated by SWR 8, not 98; No SignedCertification Required; Re: Emailing: entiremanualUnder this section, #25, Landfarming, states it SHOULD NOT MIGRATE OFF THE LANDFARM. SEE ATACHED PHOTOS!
It washed out a section of county road 4114, and washed into the adjoining farm on East Side of Landfarm. Oh, but Roger Satterwhite drove by and did not see any runoff!!
There is a landfarm in Wise County on FM 455 that is built on the side of a hill so, of course, it all rolls downhill and it’s obviously migrating off the landfarm.
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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Ha, Ha, Ha! Excuse me if I laugh my a** off!! Typical of the RRC, can't see a thing!! Ha. Ha. Want more from the RRC? Won't get any help! Ha. Ha.
On two separate occassions, the TRRC Rep "Didn't SEE any bubbles" coming from the reserve pit. I guess he might actually need to get out of his truck and walk over to the pit to even begin to see it.
After an email to the TRRC Office (to which I have still not received a response) the same TRRC Rep came back out to the site- and still did not see any bubbles.
There are many different videos and pictures of the bubbles, taken by MANY people- The photographer from the Denton Record Chronicle didnlt have any trouble finding them. The photographer from the Wise County Messenger didnlt have any trouble, either.
Many friends, neighbors and passers by also saw the bubbles. The EPA visited, and they, too saw the bubbles (and got a reading of 1500 ppm chloride!)
I had to lead the TRRC Rep by the ear for him to see them. NOW he sees them. Still hasn't done a damn thing about it, but he now has his own report to file stating he has seen them. Which reminds me, I have to file a PIR for that report for our growing stack of reports.
Did they test bubbles to find out what it is.Seawater is 19,000 ppm chloride.
The landfarm in these pictures is NOT the Mayfield-kimbrell cantralized landfarm. They are from a minor permit landfarm on FM 934 just outside of Osceola.
Not true, but thanks for your comment.