Fracking kills babies.
There are no mythical economic benefits worth killing our babies.
What’s Killing the Babies of Vernal, Utah?
A fracking boomtown, a spike in stillborn deaths and a gusher of unanswered questions
By Paul Solotaroff June 22, 2015
New evidence comes out everyday condemning fracking and Texas lawmakers, with HB40, have made it impossible for us to protect ourselves from fracking.
In the Rolling Stone article, the TCEQ admits that they refused to investigate this incident that impacted people for 20 miles with dangerous fracking air pollution:
TCEQ REFUSED TO RESPOND WHILE THIS AIR POLLUTION TRAVELED 20 MILES
They admitted it. The TCEQ will not protect you. Fracking kills babies.
n some of these communities, leaders came forward to seek help and information from county officials. What came back, over and over, though, was ringing silence, as health-department representatives shrugged and hung up. “In Karnes County alone, we had two blowouts last week, one that covered everything in a coat of oil and methane, including people’s homes and livestock,” says Sharon Wilson, the state organizer in Texas for a national nonprofit called Earthworks, which helps small communities, like Karnes City in southeast Texas, fight back against billionaire drillers. In another disaster, a well leaked methane for days, but when Wilson called the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, she was told that they wouldn’t send an inspector because she didn’t “live in the area.” “I told him I was only calling because the residents there tried to, but couldn’t get a response from him.” (A spokeswoman for TCEQ told Rolling Stone that since “Ms. Wilson is not a resident [of Karnes County], she has limited ability to document nuisance conditions,”
I had a FLIR camera and I have the same certification TCEQ investigators have.
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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Sharon S says
Now that’s real hypocrisy. The residents call TCEQ and get no relief. They then call you Sharon, an expert in the field, who has the same credentials, and probably more experience using the FLIR video than anyone at TCEQ. And their response is because you aren’t a resident you have limited ability to document nuisance conditions. That’s rich.
How about they do the right thing by thinking, wow it had to take time for you to travel all the way down there and your FLIR video still picked up all those VOC’s. This is a real problem and we need to help these poor folks out!
Yeah yeah I know – do the right thing and thinking – Not in the TCEQ handbook of standard operating procedures.
Alberta Neighbor says
“’Ms. Wilson is not a resident [of Karnes County], she has limited ability to document nuisance conditions,’
… I had a FLIR camera and I have the same certification TCEQ investigators have.'”
You also have intelligence, integrity, heart, and courage, so basically you’re way overqualified … I’m sure that’s what the TCEQ spokeswoman was alluding to, she probably just got her words mixed-up is all.
“In most places, detecting a grave risk to children would inspire people to name a street for you. But in Vernal, a town literally built by oil, raising questions about the safety of fracking will brand you a traitor and a target.”
That seems to be a common theme in a lot of places dealing with a frac frenzy, and Donna Young deserves more than a street named after her. Another outstanding woman with intelligence, integrity, heart and courage.
“A grave risk to children” indeed, and if they manage to somehow survive a frac’d childhood, they may not survive long past that.
This is another truly horrifying exposé. One day I hope frac’ing is recognized worldwide as criminal, just like in France – and that the CEO frac criminals are hunted down like war criminals.
https://www.revealnews.org/article/in-north-dakotas-bakken-oil-boom-there-will-be-blood/
meamous says
Well, what do you expect of the TCEQ–after all, they treat the polluters in Texas as thier CUSTOMERS!
TXsharon says
Yup, and they even call them the customers.
meamous says
Oh, and that’s not the half of it—a polluting facility in Texas has a name–and that name is not required to even relate to the actual working of the facility. For instance I know of a “compressor station” which has no compressors on site, and it’s permitted under a gas processing rule! Further, the TCEQ does not map the location of polluting facilities which is available for public use. So if you’re buying a home, you don’t know what is just around the corner!