This is by far the best reporting I’ve seen to date on the Range Resources water contamination case in Parker County.
How One Man’s Flaming Water Fired Up a Battle Between Texas and the EPA
Steve Lipsky’s epic battle and what it means for the future of fracking.
By Brantley Hargrove Thursday, Apr 26 2012
It’s a long article–seven pages–so I know most people won’t bother to read it. The Big Gas Mafia loves it that people don’t read anymore because it makes for easier victims.
One of my favorite parts of the article is about the so-called “misleading video.” Start reading on the bottom of page five about the “crippling blow” dealt by the Parker County judge (two whole paragraphs). Then go to page six where you will find this:
Loftin concluded that a jury might agree. “This demonstration was not done for scientific study but to provide local and national news media with a deceptive video, calculated to alarm the public into believing the water was burning,” Loftin wrote. Lipsky, he reasoned, could not set his water on fire, as he so often claimed. The judge believed Lipsky attached the green garden hose to the gas vent to intentionally “alarm the EPA.”
His order disregarded the photo filed in evidence of a well service tech flaring both gas and water from Lipsky’s well.
Even Range’s own expert, petroleum engineer McBeath, said in his testimony that the water well company had attached the hose to burn the gas off further from the wellhead. The purpose was to avoid an accidental fire, not to conspire against Range. After all, the EPA hadn’t based its order on a video. The agency’s investigators had seen it all for themselves.
OOPS!
(Sorry but that was a really big oops so I needed to present it as such here.)
I love how this article highlights the real tragedy and collateral damage left behind by politicizing this case.
If you want to keep up with the list of those receiving subpoenas in this case you can do that HERE. Watch for Brantley’s name to appear next.
Also watch for the new board game “You’ve Been Served” a reality based game based purely on a fairy tale. Coming soon to a blog near you.
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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The TRRC needs to clue in that if they don’t act on high benzene levels, the EPA should. I don’t see why they should protest if they did nothing to fix the situation.
I had heard that the drilling of that water well, and the associated gas, predated the range resources well by 5 years. Someone please enlighten me.
If you are referring to the Lipsky water well, there was no gas in their well. If you read that article referenced above you will see that. The author of the article spent time at the courthouse reading through court documents and transcripts. Also read the EPA documents.