EPA Subpoenas Halliburton Over "Fracking"

[sabra]

Source: CBS News

The battle over the controversial natural gas process known as "fracking" got a little hotter today after the Environmental Protection Agency announced it has subpoenaed energy giant Halliburton after the company refused to submit information for a congressionally mandated study.

A method of extracting natural gas from deep underground, hydraulic fracturing or "fracking" has been the subject of intense debate in several states, including Pennsylvania, New York and Wyoming. It's supported by businesses and landowners who tout its benefit to a struggling economy, and opposed by those who charge the process -- where millions of gallons of water, sand, and potentially toxic chemicals are injected into the earth -- contaminates wells and threatens public health.

The EPA is currently collecting information for a lengthy study designed to examine the impact of the fracking process on water quality. In September the agency sent voluntary information requests to nine companies that provide fracking services.

The information the EPA requested included the chemical composition of fluids used in the fracking process, data on the impact of the chemicals on human health and the environment, and locations of sites where fracking has been conducted.

...

As part of the agency's effort to move forward as quickly as possible, today EPA issued a subpoena to the company requiring submission of the requested information that has yet to be provided," the agency said in statement.

"We are disappointed by the EPA's decision today," Halliburton spokesperson Teresa Wong said in a statement. "Halliburton has been working in good faith in an effort to respond to EPA's September 2010 request for information on our hydraulic fracturing operations over a five-year period. "

Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-31727_162-20022247-10391695.html?tag=stack

[polichick]

1. Good news - seems that if there's something despicable going on...

...you'll eventually find Cheney's Halliburton.

[maxsolomon]

2. GOP house of representatives in a race against time!

can they defund, cow, or eliminate the EPA in time to save Halliburton from a fate worse than corporate responsibility? will evil socialists stop america's god-given right to BTUs?

tune in january 21st!

[disillusioned73]

5. Seems like a race against time doesn't it.....

PA is in for some serious fracking if Corbett isn't slowed down... stay tuned

[Meatball]

3. No fracking way! nt

[realisticphish]

4. I have a feeling

that any hearings will be hilarious to BSG fans...

[NuclearDem]

11. Frak yeah!

[christx30]

14. Little known fact:

The Cylons were built by Halliburton.

[robertpaulsen]

24. Halliburton can go frak themselves!

:thumbsup:

[indimuse]

6. KNR! n/t

[glinda]

7. Someone please add subpoenas for crimes against the Country in several

areas.

[aquart]

8. Are we going to apologize to them?

[tomm2thumbs]

9. Meet the Frackers

hopefully they'll have to spend a lot of their hardly-earned money on answering to the inquiry

no doubt writing it off and moving a few more jobs overseas

[maryf]

28. Let them drink the water they poison...

it's perfectly safe, you know... ;)

[tomm2thumbs]

32. that's the best idea yet - it's ok? then drink up!

[tanyev]

10. Oh, Halliburton is disappointed by the EPA's decision. Boo fracking hoo.

:cry:

[RoccoR5955]

12. Check out the movie, "Gasland"

Here's the website: http://www.gaslandthemovie.com

More info on fracking: http://www.nofracking.com

[lies and propaganda]

13. i read this as Fragging initially and was like WHAAA?

this makes more sense. Though the other is plausible, Im sure.

[thereismore]

15. They hate Nixon's soshulist EPA with a vengeance. nt

[Blue Owl]

16. They're above the law like Bu$h, Cheney, and Rove

The laws of our land don't apply to them, as clearly stated in the U.S. Constitution/Bill of Rights.

:sarcasm:

[aggiesal]

17. If you haven't seen the movie GASLAND, . . .

I highly recommend it. It was on HBO recently, but I'm sure you can
find it on DVD at the outlet of your choice.

It basically discusses exactly this method of removing natural gas embedded into the
earth. In the mean time the natural gas leaks into the aquifers that supply water to
potentially millions of people.

When it leaks into private wells, homes with gas in their water, can literally ignite
the water from the faucet. Multiple examples in the movie.

The drawback is, the people who own homes with natural gas in their water, first don't
know it exists, until they start getting sick or someone points out the condition.
Second, the price of their homes plummet because the house is unusable.

Can you imagine all your water pipes throughout our house filled with natural gas?
They now have to turn the water off before entering the house drain the pipes of
water (& gas), purchase an alternate water system to connect to their house, just
to make it usable.

One last bit of info. When the Bush administration created the law that allowed these
companies to use the "Fracking" method, the also wrote into the law that these companies
don't have to follow the EPA laws governing "Fracking".

So basically, screw the public, we got a "Get-Out-Of-Jail" free card.

[maryf]

29. Won't be out until December for general public, I hear...

but it's being shown around...well worth it, realistic, not hyperbolic, truth, not conjecture... thanks!

[Name removed]

18. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[cutlassmama]

19. I'd rather have clean drinking water than natual gas prices lowered.

Humans can survive without gas, but not water.

[maryf]

27. Amen...and I heard they'll be selling the gas to Europe...

ways to create a shortage here, instant profit, and peak water, ching, ching, ching

[MisterP]

30. the (post)modern order is one of endless deferral:

things are always "from somehwere" or "to somewhere": things are manufactured in China and sold elsewhere, Cote d'Ivoire's booming population grows less food than it should and buys it from elsewhere; Europe's growing population was sent to farm the U.S. and Argentina; consumerism and population growth's effects are masked and deferred
defer, defer, defer

[katty]

20. well let's HOPE something comes of this....

[alp227]

21. Saw an investigative report of fracking on PBS's "Need to Know" in August

www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/environment/the-price-of-gas-a-need-to-know-investigation/3170/

Glad the EPA is taking some action. Oh, Cheney just walked up to my computer and smirked at me.

[Altoid_Cyclist]

22. On a related note, I had an email discussion with PA State Sen. John Eichelberger today.

He was on our local public access station discussing the Marcellus Shale and why these bastards have been allowed to be exempt from the Clean Drinking Water Act.

He said that it has to be because it has been shown to be completely harmless!!!

This was my email to him attempting to set him straight as to the real reason followed by his response and my counter response.



I happened to see Speak Out with Lois Kaneshiki and Sen. Eichelberger
last night.

In regard to the Marcellus Shale industry, they were either both badly
misinformed and/or bought off by the industry.

The fact that both of them claimed to not know the reason for the EPA
Clean Water Act exemption for the "Fracking" process is mind
boggling.

A simple 5 second search on the web would have supplied the answer.

In case they're still ignorant of the facts, the reason that they are
exempt is because of what is called the "Halliburton Loophole". This
was inserted into law by none other than Dick Cheney while he was Vice
(in more ways than one) Prsident. As you are probably aware, Cheney
stood to benefit from anything that served to benefit his former
company (Halliburton). Halliburton as you might not know developed
the "Fracking" process and stood to prosper as long as there were no
regulations to safeguard people and property exposed to this form of
"clean energy".

Please inform Sen. Eichelberger that he really needs to be either more
honest or more diligent in his duties before he proclaims this
procedure as non-harmful.

Here are a few links if he's interested:

http://www.donnan.com/Marcellus-Gas_Hickory.htm

http://solveclimatenews.com/news/20090929/fracking-accidents-prompt-calls-oversight

http://frackmountain.wordpress.com/beta/

http://gaslandthemovie.com/whats-fracking

http://www.vanityfair.com/business/features/2010/06/fracking-in-pennsylvania-201006


(His reply)
Simply put, you are wrong on all counts. Please don't fall for a lot of bad information found on the internet like the "Halliburton Loophole" story. I didn't state that because it's not true. I have diligently spent hours looking into many issues surrounding Marcellus drilling. For the record, I have not received any money from that industry either and am not part of some vast conspiracy.
John Eichelberger

(my reply)
Thank you for clearing up the mystery of whether you're just misinformed or dishonest. Tell the people in Dimock, PA or Hickory, PA that no water contamination has taken place. I realize that facts only get in the way of your continued anti- environmental voting pattern, but for the record, you have accepted money from Dominion. That's public knowledge that wasn't hard to locate.

Of course I'm sure that you'll just label that as an internet rumor also. The truth seems to be an entirely dismissable entity to people when they're under the heel of the lobbyist community. You might also want to ask US Sen. Casey why he and others feel the need to introduce the FRAC act if it's so safe.

Not that this will pass your rumor theory, but you might want to read this.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/03/opinion/03tue3.html

Excerpt:
Among the many dubious provisions in the 2005 energy bill was one dubbed the Halliburton loophole, which was inserted at the behest of - you guessed it - then-Vice President Dick Cheney, a former chief executive of Halliburton.

It stripped the Environmental Protection Agency of its authority to regulate a drilling process called hydraulic fracturing. Invented by Halliburton in the 1940s, it involves injecting a mixture of water, sand and chemicals, some of them toxic, into underground rock formations to blast them open and release natural gas.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/03/opinion/03tue3.html

Enjoy your continued ignorance and/or corruption.

[ArcticFox]

23. Fracking chemicals are probably very hazardous

Just like the "mud" they pump down shafts when drilling for oil. Using very toxic chemicals in these ways has the added benefit of avoiding the cost of properly disposing of them in certified toxic waste disposal sites. Instead of paying big bucks for disposal according to environmental laws, the companies get to secretly pump them down into the earth (and make big bucks by doing so).

[ocd liberal]

25. YES!!!

Now there is some good news. Sure glad I watched "Gasland" or I wouldn't have known what you were talking about!

[maryf]

26. big K&R

I went to an EPA hearing in Binghamton, NY, the last of the public hearings...so glad to see this!

for more info for anyone interested I've posted links at these two threads lately:

from Sunday:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x9505023

from today:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x9518599

[felix_numinous]

31. About time the EPA

started doing their job on this.