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Fracking News

Was mysterious cattle kill caused by Barnett Shale drilling toxins?

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15 cattle died mysteriously in Palo Pinto County and the veterinarian, Craig Sweatt, thinks it could be from drinking poisoned water.

Sweatt said he is leaning toward the water sources as the potential cause of death, saying “The grass is too good to be an issue.”

He estimated from the bloating of the dead cattle that they died an “acute death” – within minutes to hours, with no advance symptoms – during the past two-to-three days. He said sending the entire body of the cow that died Tuesday afternoon to A&M, in College Station, was the best way to submit a specimen for autopsy purposes.

Toxic runoff and blue green algae are being investigated as possible sources of the poisoning but at least one resident suspects oil and gas toxins. In a letter to the editor, Mark Engebretson asks where the Texas Railroad Commission is:

If runoff, did it come from a gas or oil well? If so, where the heck was the Texas Railroad Commission and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality? Aren’t those two agencies supposed to handle inspections and force companies to take corrective actions if something is amiss? While it is much too early to cast aspersions that direction, both agencies have shown a penchant for erring on the side of producers – at least until something bad happens, or they are caught.

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. zoe says

    Sharon,
    On Shiloh Road in Flower Mound, they just finished fracking a well near 1171. I notice today that the black cattle now have these unusual orange-ish markings. They didn't seem to have them before.
    I'm wondering, who's going to be eating these cattle? And Is this a sign of methane poisoning.

  4. Peacegirl says

    How does one follow the cattle to market? Can we know where our hamburger originated? I am vega, but I'm just wondering.