Don't Mess with Texas Women

Congratulations, Chesapeake!!  It looks like another anti-fracking activist was born when one of your drill sites spewed toxic gas and wastewater near resident's homes during an ice storm.  Fort Worth resident, Janice Colston contacted us early this morning:

"Please pray for me. At 5:30 a.m. my dog woke me up to let him out and I heard another loud sound coming from across the street at the gas well. I looked out and saw the gas escaping. I couldn't leave because of the ice on the street. I called the fire department and the Chesapeake emergency numbers and they managed to shut it down. I am really struggling. It seems that we can't live in this neighborhood."

This is not the first time this sort of event has happened near Janice's home.  It also happened on the evening of November 2nd.  The Fort Worth Star Telegram wrote about that initial gas release, but the article is confusing because it it reports: 

"City officials in Fort Worth, Arlington and Denton say such incidents are not common."  

(Maybe that is a typo.)

The story goes on to read:

"Ed Ireland, who heads the industry-sponsored Barnett Shale Energy Education Council, called the shutdown systems “highly reliable” and simple to use. “Most of these producing sites within cities have what’s called ‘the big red button.’ And that’s the training: You enter the site and push the button,” Ireland said.  

"Those procedures didn’t work as scripted, however, that evening at Chesapeake’s well site at 6990 Ederville Road, at the southeast corner of Interstate 30 and East Loop 820, near Janice Colston’s home."

(We understand the fire department did not have access to the pad site.)

Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2013/12/03/5388994/leaks-at-urban-gas-wells-uncommon.html?rh=1#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2013/12/03/5388994/leaks-at-urban-gas-wells-uncommon.html?rh=1#storylink=cpy

Click here for the full story.  

Below is a satellite image showing the close proximity of this Fort Worth, Texas gas drill site in relation to homes and a park:

Arial view of Ederville Gas Drill Site, Fort Worth, Texas

Do these operators have no shame?  We feel for all the people in North Texas who are prisoners in their own homes.   It is tragic that so many residents are traumatized by gas drilling activities in their own backyards.  It's time to stop the madness.  Time to end the greed.  Time to stop messing with Texas women!

Gassed

A resident called 911 at 1:14 a.m. today when he heard a loud noise coming from the Bruder Gas Drill Site near his home on Glen Springs Drive in Arlington, Texas.  This site is operated by Chesapeake.

This is how close gas drill sites are zoned for residential neighborhoods:

While we did not receive a response from the City, the Fire Department promptly released this Incident Report to us when we requested information:

Bruder Gas Drill Site Incident Report 052113 by fishcreek

Apparently, these incidents are fairly common in the gas patch. We heard Fire Chief Crowson testify at a recent Energy Resources Hearing in Austin that there have been approximately twenty gas releases in Arlington over the past year.  That's too many.  We were gassed.  These residents were gassed.  Who will be next?

Backyard Chickens in the Gas Patch

Rest in Peace Maisy

March 11, 2008 - May 14, 2013

Our first baby chicks.  (March 2008)

The chick on the left is a Buff Orpington.  After researching various chicken breeds, we selected her because we read that they have docile temperaments and are good with children.  That turned out to be true.  We named her Daisy because I love daisy flowers, and the name's meaning ~ "Day's Eye" seemed fitting as chickens religiously get up and going at sunrise.

While Daisy survived Maisy, we believe she has endocrine disruption.  Immediately following a huge gas release on April 11, 2011 Daisy quit laying eggs.  She was laying regularly until our property was covered in toxic fracking chemicals and gas from the Fulson Drill Site in southeast Arlington, Texas operated by Chesapeake.  She hasn't laid an egg since.

The chick on the right was our beloved Maisy.  We selected her because we thought it would be novel to have a chicken that lays blue/green eggs and were intrigued by the fact that her breed originated from South America.  While not meeting all of APA's (American Poultry Association) breeding standards of  Ameraucanas, Maisy had the characteristic muff and beard and layed green eggs.  She was known as an Easter Egger.

She also quit laying eggs after that toxic gas release, but she did resume laying after one full year of cessation of drilling activity at the Fulson Drill Site.  This observation  leads us to believe that drilling activity next to our homes, schools, and parks is harmful.  We must ban shale gas drilling in our residential communities until it can be proven it is absolutely 100% safe, and we know intuitively it is NOT safe.  NO WAY.  NO HOW.

Maisy thought she was a lapdog.   We miss her.

Chickens are great pets providing enjoyment and relaxation.  They also provide wonderful, healthy eggs and free organic fertilizer.  While our chickens ate a superb diet consisting of freshly grown organic veggies and insects, Maisy's life span was cut short due to ~ what we believe ~  is toxic gas drilling near our home.  If gas drilling can cut a chicken's life span in half, what is it doing to your life span, health, quality of life, or your developing child's body?   When will people get disgusted enough to say, "Enough is enough!"

Until then, "Welcome to life in the Gas Patch."

If you live near gas drilling activities and are experiencing new health effects, please e-mail us.