Our DEP is hard at work. But not for us.

[grntuscarora]

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has created incomplete lab reports and used them to dismiss complaints that Marcellus Shale gas development operations have contaminated residential water supplies and made people sick, according to court documents and other sources.
As a result, state Rep. Jesse White, D-Cecil, today called on state and federal law enforcement agencies to investigate the DEP for "alleged misconduct and fraud" described in sworn depositions in a civil case currently in Washington County Common Pleas Court.

snip

Mr. White's call for an investigation came after the release of two depositions of DEP employees, one of whom, Taru Upadhyay, the division director of DEP's Bureau of Laboratories, said the department's lab reports to property owners didn't contain a full array of contaminants found by the lab's testing.

snip

In her deposition, Ms. Upadhyay said the department's oil and gas division directed the lab to generate water test reports to homeowners that omitted the full menu of findings for heavy metals, including lithium, cobalt, chromium, boron and titanium, some of which are human carcinogens, as well as volatile organic compounds that are associated with hydraulic fracturing fluids.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/marcellusshale/state-representative-calls-for-probe-of-dep-water-testing-reports-660215/#ixzz2B1Bdf9r8

[GitRDun]

1. Sadly, IMO this policy issue will follow the path of climate change

There will be a long line of these kinds of stories until there is a major event that wakes the public up to the reality that the industry does not completely understand under what conditions a frack will cause fluids to migrate into the water supply.

The industry already uses infrared pictures from satellites to find actual hydrocarbons that have migrated to the surface, lol, without a frack.

Why the heck would anyone think frack fluids could not migrate up. The stupidity of media coverage is just staggering.

[blue neen]

3. The worst part is...

in some cases industry does understand what will cause the carcinogens to get into the water supply.

They just don't happen to care.

[GitRDun]

4. Sure you are right

There have been enough lawsuits. The problem in my mind is these politicians won't stand up to prevent something that could happen. They always seem to close the barn door after the horse has already run out!

[blue neen]

5. Tom Corbett and his Big Oil and Gas Buddies have done enormous damage to Pennsylvania.

I hope that more and more people who have been harmed file lawsuits and continue to speak out. The property owners have been bamboozled into thinking they're going to get rich. They don't get rich, they just get sick.

In fact, we all need to speak out more to let the politicians and the corporations know how we feel. They are ruining our state for the sheer sake of greed.

[Curmudgeoness]

2. That's Corbett's DEP all right. Protect your ass

and the asses of the drillers at the expense of your citizens.....hell, they are expendable!