“This is why I don’t think they will come to central Bucks or even Wrightstown to frack. And this is why I suggested that we should put the zone for fracking in the jointure in land next to a McMansion development. That said, none of that would stop them from fracking in upper Bucks in the Delaware watershed and jeopardizing our aquifers and water supply. This couple’s story also elucidates why we need money from frackers for at least pre-fracking water testing. That’s gotta be in a fracking ordinance if there’s a way to include it.” —Robin Hoy
With a contaminated well and no proof that drillers are responsible this couple buys their water by the truckload. [NPR]
If the greedy, dirty, profit addicted fossil fuel companies run out of shale gas, they will drill in Bucks County. They are also trying to route gas pipelines through Bucks County as New Jersey communities resist the siting of gas pipeline routes through their communities, NIMBY, or “not in my back yard” strategies are not going to stop fracking or pipelines. To drive up the price of natural gas they want to export the gas, build plastic(ethylene) plants and build pipelines to do so since there is a glut of natural gas right now, driving down the price. Gas line companies, in their attempt to maximize profits, are nickel and dime-ing lease holders with transport/pumping and extraction fees, and not paying royalty fees to them as well. The only strategy is the total banning of fracking and gas pipelines. We need to focus on the Delaware River Basin Commission or DRBC to totally ban fracking and not permitting anymore pipelines. It makes no sense to have New York state banning fracking, and allow fracking on the Pennsylvania side of the Delaware River.