Stories

A struggle with toxics in the Barnett Shale

By Megan Collins

A house in the country

I had always hoped for a nice, quiet, country setting where we could raise our children. Little did I know it would be the cause of unexplained illnesses and heartache.

In 2004, my husband Mike and I found this quiet little cul de sac in the small town of Clarke, Texas now known as DISH. At the time there were only two homes built, so we met with the builder and picked what we thought was the perfect lot. Just beyond the back fence there stood a single natural gas compressor station.

Deborah lives in Fort Worth where industry claims the gas is dry so the emissions are less harmful.

Chesapeake began drilling near Deborah's home in April 2010. She reported egregious odors to the Texas Commision on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) hotline but the response time was unsatisfactory.

The following compounds were detected on Deborah Rogers' property:

Sandra DenBraber lives in Arlington 600 feet from University of Texas, Arlington's Carrizo natural gas extraction operations. She has the following chemicals in her blood:

• Ethylbenzene
• m,p-Xylene
• Hexane
• 2-Methylpentane
• 3-Methylpentane

Wyoming Landowners Face Condemnation or Loss of Homeowners' Insurance

Under the current laws of the State of Wyoming, landowners who own their surface but not the minerals lying underneath (commonly referred to as split estate) face a desperate decision:

Either agree to allow a seismic company to place explosives on your property and detonate them, or be condemned under eminent domain.

But wait, there's more...Should the landowner agree to allow the explosive seismic testing to take place in order to avoid condemnation, they may lose their homeowners' insurance. So, what do you do? You call the Governor, right?

A family's water well was contaminated after hydraulic fracturing near their home

By Laura Amos

My husband Larry, our daughter Lauren and I live south of Silt in the heart of what we call Encana's Industrial Wasteland.

We were among the first in our area to have natural gas drilling on our property.We are among the unfortunate who do not own the mineral rights under our property.

Bob, Lisa and Emma Parr live in Wise County Texas surrounded by 21 gas wells.

Shortly after moving to the area, Lisa's excellent health began to deteriorate. She began having breathing difficulties, nausea and headaches. She had violent rashes from the top of her head to the bottoms of her feet that have left her body scarred with pockmarks.