“Fracking” Causes Environmental Problems in Pennsylvania

Fracking or "hydraulic fracturing” is a process in which oil and gas drillers blast millions of gallons of water, sand and hazardous chemicals at high-pressure into sub-surface rock formations that facilitate the flow of recoverable oil or gas. According to the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission, 90 percent of all oil and gas wells in the U.S. are "fracked" to boost production. The outcome is causing environmental problems in Pennsylvania.

After a series of Pennsylvania accidents requiring Pennsylvania personal injury attorneys, such as Seeger Weiss, the process has come under attack as dangerous to both human health and the environment. The most common problem involves the disposal of the toxic sludge. Texas-based XTO Energy, for instance, has received 31 fracking-related pollution violations at 20 wells in Pennsylvania's Marcellus Shale in 2010 alone. But even more troubling is the fact that between 20 and 40 percent of the chemicals remain stranded underground--where they can contaminate drinking water. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), a least nine different chemicals commonly used in fracking are injected into oil and gas wells at concentrations that pose a threat to human beings and environmental problems in Pennsylvania.

Since George W. Bush in 2005 exempted oil and gas companies from federal regulations designed to protect our drinking water, the Oil and Gas industry has gotten a free ride to contaminate our underground drinking water supply and are forcing lawsuits from Pennsylvania personal injury attorneys. Besides potentially polluting our water supply and overburdening our wastewater systems, Pennsylvania personal injury attorneys state that fracking can also poison grazing livestock costing ranchers and farmers tens of thousands of dollars. Fortunately, Pennsylvania ranchers and farmers are fighting back through the assistance of a Pennsylvania personal injury attorney.

Currently, there are no regulations in place that require oil and gas companies to report the volumes or names of chemicals being used in extraction (benzene, chloride, toluene and sulfates are among them), which makes working with a Pennsylvania personal injury attorney all the more important. According to the non-profit Oil and Gas Accountability Project, allowing fracking without oversight gives our country's dirtiest industries an exclusive right to "inject toxic fluids directly into good-quality groundwater.” It’s time to break the cycle and force these for-profit companies to think about their deadly practices.

EPA Study

In response to public concern and the dedicated work of Pennsylvania personal injury attorneys, the EPA recently commenced a comprehensive study on the topic. Oil companies and environmentalists alike hope that the study puts to rest any debate over the environmental impacts of the process. In the meantime, the city council in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania recently voted to outlaw fracking due to increase in Pennsylvania accidents, while New York governor David Paterson extended a moratorium on fracking in his state through July of 2011, citing concerns about whether the technique is safe enough to allow it at all moving forward. Other municipalities and states are waiting to see what the EPA finds before making their own decisions on fracking.

If you’ve experienced severe illness and think it could be related to your drinking water, contact us.

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