COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA
Dept. of Environmental Protection
Commonwealth News Bureau
Room 308, Main Capitol Building
Harrisburg PA., 17120

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

07/1/2010

CONTACT:

Justin Fleming, Department of Agriculture

717-787-5085

Cattle from Tioga County Farm Quarantined after Coming in Contact with Natural Gas Drilling Wastewater

HARRISBURG — The Department of Agriculture announced today that it has quarantined cattle from a Tioga County farm after a number of cows came into contact with drilling wastewater from a nearby natural gas operation.
Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding said uncertainty over the quantity of wastewater the cattle may have consumed warranted the quarantine in order to protect the public from eating potentially contaminated beef.
“Cattle are drawn to the taste of salty water,” said Redding. “Drilling wastewater has high salinity levels, but it also contains dangerous chemicals and metals. We took this precaution in order to protect the public from consuming any of this potentially contaminated product should it be marketed for human consumption.”
Redding said 28 head of cattle were included in the quarantine, including 16 cows, four heifers and eight calves. Those cattle were out to pasture in late April and early May when a drilling wastewater holding pond on the farm of Don and Carol Johnson leaked, sending the contaminated water into an adjacent field where it created a pool. The Johnsons had noticed some seepage from the pond for as long as two months prior to the leak.
The holding pond was collecting flowback water from the hydraulic fracturing process on a well being drilled by East Resources Inc.
Grass was killed in a roughly 30- x 40-foot area where the wastewater had pooled. Although no cows were seen drinking the wastewater, tracks were found throughout the pool. The wet area extended about 200-300 feet into the pasture.
The cattle had potential access to the pool for a minimum of three days until the gas company placed a snow fence around the pool to restrict access.
Subsequent tests of the wastewater found that it contained chloride, iron, sulfate, barium, magnesium, manganese, potassium, sodium, strontium and calcium.
Redding said the main element of concern is the heavy metal strontium, which can be toxic to humans, especially in growing children. The metal takes a long time to pass through an animal’s system because it is preferentially deposited in bone and released in the body at varying rates, dependent on age, growth status and other factors. Live animal testing was not possible because tissue sampling is required.
The secretary also added that the quarantine will follow the recommended guidelines from the Food Animal Residue Avoidance and Depletion Program, as follows:
• Adult animals: hold from food chain for 6 months.
• Calves exposed in utero: hold from food chain for 8 months.
• Growing calves: hold from food chain for 2 years.
In response to the leak, the Department of Environmental Protection issued a notice of violation to East Resources Inc. and required further sampling and site remediation. DEP is evaluating the final cleanup report and is continuing its investigation of operations at the drilling site, as well as the circumstances surrounding the leaking holding pond.

It’s not like the gas companies are hurting and need our support — they control Pennsylvania now–as practically every square inch of wildland and farmland has been sacrificed to them there- and they aren’t even required to pay a severance tax.

Virginia, Colorado, Texas and other states are also under their charm. Land is being offered to them at such an increasing rate than never before in the history of the U.S. The gas companies don’t need your support, but the still uncontaminated land you own–with wildlife– DOES need your support.

I reccomend you Google “Dimock, Pa Fracking disaster” and read about the horrors and permanent gas fracking contamination that occured there recently. Noone wants to buy their homes now–they are forced to live there and their environment, streams, water areas are all permanently contaminated– Livestock dying, fish dying. Methane gas coming out of household faucets,etc. They have to use a water buffalo now to obtain their drinking/cooking and cleaning water.

It doesnt matter how deep they drill — if they make a shortcut along the way to save money and time, a disaster inevitably results. Once contamination occurs, it’s not like you can actually clean it up as you would the Valdez oil spill. It’s permanent.

Many of our legislatures in PA are asking for a temporary moratorium–so that the drillers are made to slow down a little and perfect this fracking method so that we dont have another Dimock, Pa on our hands again.– especially with the excessive amount of land that will be drilled this year as never before in Pa.

Money isn’t everything– the love of money truly is the root of all evil. We need to learn to say No to ourselves and the gas companies- and ignore their lures. It will pay off for you in the long run.

Again, the gas companies don’t need your support- they have more than enough gas at their disposal now, in the U.S. Your up to now uncontaminated acreage needs your support more!

Since most of us don’t enjoy being “Lab Rats”, drinking toxic drilling fluids, below you will find 2 petitions:
A State Petition & A Federal Petition

It takes 30 seconds to fill in your name on both the state and federal petitions.

Your name can be withheld and not published if you are shy from making your support known to “Ban toxic chemicals used in the drilling fluids” or the “Villains & Toxic Genocide” petitions. Click the box to remain anonymous if you desire.

But every vote counts. Let’s get “Poison” out of the drilling fluids, Lady Obama believes in “Organic” and so do we.

Note: An official in DC is currently taking a stand requesting a moratorium in PA against gas lease permits.

This is easy…just fill in your name, zip code and it will go to your state official.

Click the link below to view and fill in the state petition:

http://www.change.org/petitions/view/ban_toxic_drilling_chemicals_which_threaten_humans_wildlife_and_aquatic_life

Now click this link to go to the Federal Government. Letter to First Lady Michelle Obama

This is easy….fill in your name, and you can remain anonymous if you so desire but we need your vote.

Click the federal link below.

http://humanrights.change.org/petitions/view/toxic_villains_and_toxic_genocide

Thanks for your comment. I’m with you. On top of that, I can’t believe that some people would have people go overseas to protect their country, only to sell that country out from under them while they are away.

Keep safe and keep up the good work you do,

Brian