GhostBlogger
Ponder this as gas gathering & transmission pipelines go in all over gas shale areas.
When John stopped his vehicle at the top of a hill on 329, about four miles from his house, his fears were confirmed: “You could see the orange glow and the flames above the house … and a roar like you couldn’t believe,” he said.”
Kathy was cleaning the house for Christmas, room by room, and was starting on the kitchen when the pipeline exploded.
It hit like a bolt of lightning. The entire house was shaking, the ceiling started falling in and there was a roar that sounded like a jet plane, she said. It wasn’t until she saw melted vinyl siding dripping down the window that Kathy realized what had happened.
At first, she thought the world had ended and God was coming back, she said.
Kathy grabbed her purse, cellphone, a jewelry box and a few pictures and walked out the front door.
“I put on a coat, and down the driveway I went,” she said. “I was lucky to walk away
from that one, and so was the girl next door. They told (John) I would have been blown through the walls if the house wasn’t brick.”
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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And in Texas the cities manage to get the shale gas pipelines placed so close to our communities by saying that since they are “utilities” (and no different than the distribution lines that come into our homes) they have no jurisdiction over them. They actually do have a say in where these things go. But they often take the money, try to keep it hidden from the citizens via Consent Agendas and never look back. Our neighborhood streets below ground in North Texas are being covered with non-odorized gas gathering pipelines. These are all potential disasters waiting to happen in and near highly populated areas.
If they treat gas transmission & high pressure gas gathering pipelines like a regular gas distribution line, then they will have explaining to do when all the homes burn down within 40 to 1200 feet radius of one of those failing.
Is this really that hard to figure out? It’s not like there are no alternatives, even if some of those are more expensive to have. Think of ot this way: When the solar panel malfunctions (if there is such a thing) nothing explodes. When a windmill stops turning, no one gets injured or killed.
Anyone who has natural gas lines into their homes is supporting this dirty industry. Not only is there an ever-growing risk to pipelines exploding, there’s also the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.
The main reason, in my opinion, that energy companies are continuing to invest in oil and increasingly in natural gas, is because it’s the continued cycle of cash and profit generation.
Most of us have no option when it comes to vehicles. Electric or hybrids are a wonderful start, but the price is too stiff. The energy companies know this, and they know that we’re an oil-based country and will continue to be so as long as no viable or affordable options exist. Natural gas development is largely ‘permit by rule’ with painfully little oversight. Solar companies must meet strict regulations, and step by step inspections before the next stage can be installed. Natural gas companies spend loads of cash on making business difficult for solar companies. Why? Because if you install solar, you can say goodbye to monthly electric bill. It takes 5-7 years on average to pay off a windmill (how ironic that’s the average life span of a natural gas well) At the outside, you’re free from electric bills after 7 years.
If you heat and cool your home with gas, you’re stuck with the gas bill for life. Set up solar and/or wind, and you’re free and clear after 5-7 years.
With solar or wind, there’s ZERO chance of explosion, contaminated water, contaminated air, leaking condensate tanks, compressor noise and pollution, semi truck traffic, toxic waste pits, pipelines, transmission lines, dehydration units, the whole bit. Oh, and I almost forgot to mention- solar panels actually ADD value to your home, where drilling obviously destroys it.