Monday, April 25, 2011

Henry "Taladrale, Baby, Taladrale!" Cuellar says fracking's the way to go.

Henry "Drill, Baby, Drill" Cuellar

From the LMT's businesss Journal- By Andrew Kreighbaum


Two bills in the U.S. House and theU.S. Senate would amend the Safe DrinkingWater Act to repeal an exemption for natural gas drilling. The bills would also require industry to disclose chemicals used in fracking each well. Chesapeake has provided information to fracfocus.org, a website which includes a list of chemicals most often used in the process,among them hydrochloric acid, sodium chloride and methanol.

U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar said, however, that the House legislation would overregulate the hydraulic fracturing process. He said the Environmental Protection Agency under the Clinton and the Bush administrations found hydraulic fracturing to be a safe process. “(The way to) energy independence is to look at our natural gas production,” Cuellar said.

Natural gas drilling in the Barnett Shale in North Texas has inspired some backlash over concerns about chemicals used in the hydraulic fracturing process and possible effects on groundwater supplies. The city council of Bartonville, north of Dallas, earlier this month approved a 90-day moratorium on new permits
for natural gas drilling and hydraulic fracturing.

6 comments:

  1. RGISC is hosting its first FRAC action meeting Tuesday April 26th at 6:00 pm at St. John Neuman Church (in Salon A). There will be a video on the drilling process, reports on how flowback, and perhaps testimonials from landowners with wells on their properties or near their properties. Its open to everyone. We'd love to hear from folks working out there how its working here in our backyard.

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  2. What's this....I agree with Congressman Cuellar on this topic. Fracking is well regulated in the United States at the state level. No need for the EPA to stick it's oversized nose into the process.

    Frack A Phobia will not survive the light of factual examination.

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  3. "Natural gas drilling in the Barnett Shale in North Texas has inspired some backlash over concerns about chemicals used in the hydraulic fracturing process and possible effects on groundwater supplies"

    Regarding this part of the article. Please see the news report from Weatherford Telegram at the attached link.

    Texas RRC ruled that based on scientific evidence that the water well contamination was not caused by hydraulic fracturing.

    http://www.star-telegram.com/2011/03/28/2954643/texas-railroad-commission-says.html

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  4. Tom, you know anyone can find some source backing up whatever point of view they want to push for. I think it's good to scrutinize the process to make sure there is absolutely no water contamination going on with this fracking in Texas. Do rich people need money more than all Texans need safe drinking water? Of course not. Safe water is waaaaaay more important than anyone's vested interest in gas and/or oil drilling. The Drill baby Drill crowd is completely wrong in protesting the assurance of clean and safe drinking water.

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  5. Max, I am all for safe drinking water. But attacking a process with no facts is not the way to go. RGISC accused fracking of contaminating drinking water with no facts, but using only the movie's information.

    And to this day, they still "imply" that fracking is not regulated, while that is not true. It is regulated by the states. In Texas, the Texas Railroad Commision (at least for a while.) I think a college based institution should report facts versus a movie review.

    The EPA did not regulate fracking under the clean water act, because the EPA ruled after a hearing they conducted, there was no data showing that fracking had contaminated the drinking water.

    It is not about rich or poor, it is about the ability of this country to provide affordable energy for the people.

    I agree with you though. Water first, Energy second.

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