This dissenting judge says a 20% chance of poisoning the neighbors isn’t reason enough to deny a permit, since the practice of extractive commerce is so holy and sacred.

In the long run, what are the odds that these tens of thousands of wells will be abandoned and either never capped, releasing toxins and bacteria into the environment for decades, or capped at the expense of local taxpayers? Given how many abandoned wells there are from the past, the experience with the coal industry, and the fact that the drillers are not currently profitable, I’d say it’s a virtual certainty.

Some residents are making good money now from royalties or jobs in the industry, but in the long run the whole region will be left with a health, environmental and financial burden far outweighing what a few made from it.

Mary Wildfire, Roane County, WV