LINK-TV: “Fracking Hell — The Untold Story”

by Duane Nichols on April 13, 2013

LINK TV Video

Fracking Hell: The Untold Story

Video on Link TV*, Dish Channel 9410 & DirecTV Channel 375

An original investigative report by Earth Focus and UK’s Ecologist Film Unit looks at the risks of natural gas development in the Marcellus Shale. From toxic chemicals in drinking water to unregulated interstate dumping of potentially radioactive waste that experts fear can contaminate water supplies in major population centers including New York City, are the health consequences worth the economic gains?

Marcellus Shale contains enough natural gas to supply all US gas needs for 14 years. But as gas drilling takes place, using a process called hydraulic fracturing or “fracking,” toxic chemicals and methane gas seep into drinking water. Now experts fear that unacceptable levels of radioactive Radium 226 in gas development waste.

Fracking chemicals are linked to bone, liver and breast cancers, gastrointestinal, circulatory, respiratory, developmental as well as brain and nervous system disorders. Such chemicals are present in frack waste and may find their way into drinking water and air.

Waste from Pennsylvania gas wells — waste that may also contain unacceptable levels of radium — is routinely dumped across state lines into landfills in New York, Ohio and West Virginia. New York does not require testing waste for radioactivity prior to dumping or treatment. So drill cuttings from Pennsylvania have been dumped in New York’s Chemung and other counties and liquid waste is shipped to treatment plants in Auburn and Watertown New York. How radioactive is this waste? Experts are calling are for testing to find out.

New York State may have been the first state in the nation to put a temporary hold on fracking pending a safety review, but it allows other states to dump toxic frack waste within its boundaries.

With a gas production boom underway in the Marcellus Shale and plans for some 400,000 wells in the coming decades, the cumulative impact of dumping potential lethal waste without adequate oversight is a catastrophe waiting to happen. And now US companies are exporting fracking to Europe.

*NOTE: Upcoming Link-TV broadcasts of “Fracking Hell: The Big Story” with segments on Colorado and New Mexico can be seen on DIRECTV Channel 375 or DISH Channel 9410: Monday, April 15th at 3 am, Tuesday, April 16th @ 1 am and 7 pm, Wednesday, April 17th at 2 pm, Friday, April 19th at 4 am, and Saturday, April 20th at 12 am, 7 am and 11:30 pm.

{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }

R. Scott Mick April 14, 2013 at 12:32 pm

I recently saw two water trucks dumping on paved and dirt roads. I have video of both, and even though one of them tries to say its city water, he still stopped immediately and acted very paranoid.

The second of the two had his friend pull in front of him in an organized effort to stop my filming and get the water shut off. This was a residual waste truck. I suspect this was all flowback and toxic.

The streams and rivers, and soon the people and animals will pay the price for the cheap illegal disposal of oil/gas waste. If you see this take pictures so we can find out what trucks are freshwater and what truck are illegally disposing of flowback. I know the people of WV don’t deserve this and neither do our children.

Stop destroying our home, and way of life!!!!

Reply

FluxRostrum April 15, 2013 at 1:54 am
leslie April 20, 2013 at 3:45 pm

Thank you very much for the link!

http://www.linktv.org

Reply

S. Bloomberg April 21, 2013 at 4:24 pm

Hello. splendid job. I did not expect this.

This is very interesting information.

I hope that you can get some more volunteers

to help with the tracking of all the diverse components

of the “fracking story.”

Thanks for what you are doing!

Reply

Jen Dragg April 23, 2013 at 3:50 am

Thanks for the stories presented.

One thing I also believe. Investment money has been at very low interest rates so there is undoubtedly a huge debt at risk already in shale gas leases.

It reminds me of all the credit card debt in the United States, so easy to get into debt and so hard to pay off!

Reply

Tony Driscoll May 11, 2013 at 3:50 am

Does your site have a contact page? I’m having trouble locating it but, I’d like to send you an e-mail.

I’ve got some ideas for your blog you might be interested in hearing. Either way, great blog and I look forward to seeing it expand over time.

Reply

Kathryn Talbott April 14, 2014 at 2:17 am

Great article. Link-TV carries some very insightful programs. They are unbiased, at least to the extent of not being sponsored by specific companies or private interests. Seems to me that they are in the public interest, but do not recieve government funds for their hard work.

Reply

Cancel reply

Leave a Comment

Previous post:

Next post: