Some call them mudfarms and some call them landfarms. Either way, they stink.
Railroad commission investigating ‘mud farm’
By BRIAN PORTER
joshuastar@thestargroup.com
The state railroad commission has been called in to investigate an illegal dump by a subcontractor for EOG Resources, an operator of gas wells outside the Joshua city limits.A to Z Mud, Inc., the subcontractor, relocated mud from a drilling site outside the city’s southern border to “mud farm” land off State Highway 174 behind Plum Creek Elementary School.
“It was not permitted,” said Mike Peacock, city director of operations. “We have a lot of concern with where it is.”
A to Z Mud inquired about a city permit, but never returned to file a site plan and request for the permit.
“We believe it to be a felony violation of the law,” City Manager Paulette Hartman said. “If charges can be filed, we are going to be filing them.”
A railroad commission investigator visited the dump site Tuesday to collect soil samples and determine if further action would be taken. The railroad commission is the regulating authority for oil and gas drilling in Texas.
“We’ve had some tests done and have some concerns,” Peacock said. “We’ve shut it down and will not allow them to put anything else on the property.”
For full story, check out the May 13 edition of the Crowley Star. To receive current hometown news everyday, subscribe on this website by clicking the My Star link on the the left or by calling: 817-295-0486.
Every Mother’s Day, I take a drive around my beloved Wise County Countryside. It’s so lovely that time of year except for all the scars on the land created by drilling. Below are the most recent pictures of where drilling waste was illegally dumped in Wise County 2 years ago and still nothing grows there.
This was produced water that the industry likes to say is “saltwater, like in the ocean, you know, where your children swim and play.” This is what they want to pipe through neighborhoods.
About Sharon Wilson
Sharon Wilson is considered a leading citizen expert on the impacts of shale oil and gas extraction. She is the go-to person whether it’s top EPA officials from D.C., national and international news networks, or residents facing the shock of eminent domain and the devastating environmental effects of natural gas development in their backyards.
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I wonder if the RRC, TCEQ, and the O&G industry people ever heard of Love Canal? It seems to me that history is repeating itself with all of this surface dumping and injection of chemicals underground. What makes it worse is that it's on a much larger scale. How can we be ignoring the lessons of that disaster?
I just found out I live near a landfarm Nort East of Cresson.
http://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=_jy8TC5Cu20
I'm thinking about starting my own Cresson Toxic Tour, gas mask/resperator required.
This time of year is beautiful, and we are blessed with a fair amount of property where thousands of wildflowers grow. Lots of yellows, reds, oranges and blues. I have to take close up pictures because there's either a DANGER PIPELINE sign, condensate tanks, more condensate tanks or a damn tanker truck in the background. Not to mention the thermal oxidizer blowing flame and black soot into the air.