UPDATE: Okay, that’s enough despair. We had a great meeting last night and presented some compelling evidence that people are being impacted by living in the gas-patch. As I said at the meeting, we need new TCEQ commissioners and to get that we need a new governor. I say we change focus to the upcoming election.
Here’s what I really think about last night’s meeting: We are trapped in a sacrifice zone with no way out and no one is coming to rescue us. NO ONE! This fact, that we are being sacrificed was made crystal clear.
Last night we heard the most heartbreaking stories. Seriously heavy stuff, detailed descriptions of treating childhood leukemia, amazing clusters of cancers next to drilling facilities and unbelievable inaction by our regulators. People can’t get out because no one will buy their homes and now they can’t even get them refinanced because the banks won’t finance. Realtors won’t list homes near drilling so we are trapped.
The TCEQ could take some action but they won’t and anything the EPA does will be of little help and too long in coming.
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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What's the security like at a Chesapeake office facility?
I was profoundly disappointed in TCEQ and EPA last night. EPA tells us that they will have something by the end of 2012 and by that time we will have been living with drilling and its wastes for about 7 YEARS. Too little, too late.
TCEQ was simply pathetic. Tony Walker says that activities have to be "continuous", 24/7 before any action can be taken to turn a repeat offender over to the Attorney General's office. It became crystal clear last night that we are spinning our wheels. TCEQ simply has neither the teeth nor the authority nor the stomach for fighting on our behalf. RRC won't help, Attorney General won't help. There is truly no one.
I, for one, no longer recognize the authority of TCEQ or the RRC to protect our health and safety.
Where are all the fancy pants lawyers? Do they really think suing McDonalds because they have made your children fat is more important and lucrative than a class-action lawsuit with the members of this community called the Barnett Shale?
Last nights compelling and documented evidence was given regarding the devastating health effects related to the production of natural gas.
Money can be made for the lawyers, plantiffs, and communities if we could find a lawyer with the conhones to start the battle.
Oil and gas could be shown you are responsible for destroying people's quality of life and now you must pay. Oh and by the way clean up your act when you are finished making restitution or we will come after you again.
OK whoever U R wanting to know about the security at Chesapeake facility…. let it go. Don't go there and put us on some terrorists watchdog list-that distracts from our cause and so I call U an O&G person…am I right?
I think that 100% of the O&G people feedback on this site R anomyous chicken littles. Real men don't hide behind their wallets.
How true, how true in the blog. I agree 100%. And on top of all that "no help here" stuff, keep in mind that help ain't a gonna come from the so called "Texas Justice" system!!! It's all loaded up with oil soaked courts and sheisters supporting the industrial polluters in Tx.! Then there is the reduced property values and increased property taxes–manipulated by the various crooked appriaisal districts/borards. All we can do is RUN. RUN, RUN, RUN. RUN from Tx. That's one RUN for each point in the Tx Star!!
Don't lose hope. If the government agencies that are supposed to protect us won't, then it's up to the people to hold them accountable.
Perry wants Texas to secede from the Union. I want to secede from Rick Perry (and his pretty hair).
How can the violations be 'continuous' if the TCEQ doesn't test and monitor continuously?
See there!
It's simple. Get some orange Jello and nail it to a tree.
Right on Tim above–I agree. The TCEQ does nothing more or less than what the industrial polluter wants them to do!!
I agree with the "Update." This is all a matter of getting these wackos out of office. This stuff is a continuation of the Bush/Cheney policies. They did a lot of stuff that was bad. 8 years in the making. Perry is their boy. He's their BIG Boy, now. People who vote for him are voting for their own destruction.
Folks I hate to break it to you, but it's going to get worse before it gets better.
White Baby Boomers are about to elect a wave of Republicans openly hostile to your plight – in the state legislature, in Congress and in the governorships, including re-electing Slick Perry.
For the next two to four years, you'll have to deal with ardent supporters of the industry making gains. Why not sue? Because Speaker Craddick and his gang of Tea Partiers already gutted the state's legal system in Texas thru "tort reform." And guess what – many of you voted for the people who did this. Just has you voted for years for those who are opposing you now. Those officials were screwing people then – they just weren't screwing you.
People don't pay attention until their own ox is being gored. Maybe your experience will turn you into lifelong advocates for social change, but I have a feeling most of you will actually just move away and try to forget.
Change happens slowly, especially in Texas. But it doesn't happen at all if you stick around and try.