****If any of you want to sign on to the NRDC letter to ODNR requesting an extension of the public comment period for the “well construction” regs, please note that the deadline is tomorrow.
Nov. 14, 2011. The Public Herald. In an October 15, 2011 news release, Chesapeake Energy stated “the public was never in danger ” when a well blowout, also called a well control incident, resulted in the uncontrolled release of toxic hydraulic fracturing fluids in Leroy Township, Pennsylvania in April 2011.
However, the spill, which occurred during fracking, prompted authorities to ask seven families to evacuate the area, as reported by Patriot-News and other sources.
Chesapeake’s news release called the assessment of soil, sediment, and shallow groundwater — where in the spill occurred — an “independent report.” But the company that conducted the environmental assessment, SAIC, shares a clear conflict of interest with Chesapeake.
Louis A. Simpson is on the board of directors for both SAIC and Chesapeake. The Public Herald contacted both the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to learn more about why this report had been validated as independent. But the DEP has not returned phone calls or emails about the topic, and the EPA has asked for the questions to be submitted through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). http://www.publicherald.org/archives/13931/investigative-reports/energy-investigations/fracking-energy-investigations/#comment-213
