Gasland’s Fracking Nonsense

[macdoc]

Still dodging around fracking specific

It only started in 2005 and only took off recently.

This source would beg to differ about "outside workers and companies"

70 Percent of Marcellus Workers Reportedly from Outside Pennsylvania

According to a recent article in the PA Environment Daily blog, Laura Fisher, senior vice president of the Allegheny Conference on Community Development, estimated that 70 percent of the drilling workforce in Pennsylvania is from out-of-state. Using that figure, the blog estimates that “there are easily over 10,000 gas workers in Pennsylvania from Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Colorado and Wyoming.”

Big Oil, Foreign Businesses Pay Billions to Get in on Marcellus Play

In 2005, Pennsylvania issued forty permits for companies to drill into the Marcellus Shale. This year, it will issue more than 2,300—a nearly 600 percent increase in just five years. Much of this rush is being fueled by billions of dollars from the world’s largest energy companies and foreign nations.

http://knowjoe.tumblr.com/post/929281855/no-f

It's unethical companies running ahead of regulations.....you know it - you just won't admit it.

43 Marcellus Operators Committed 1,400-Plus Violations Since January 2008

Forty-three Marcellus Shale natural gas companies committed 1,435 violations in the past two and a half years writes the Pennsylvania Land Trust Association in a new report. The report, citing Department of Environmental Protection records that were also provided to the legislature, shows violations of the Clean Streams Law, poor wastewater impoundment construction, inadequate plans to control erosion, and toxic chemicals being dumped onto the ground, or into streams.

In response to the findings, DEP Secretary John Hanger told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, “There has been too many leaks, too many spills, too many instances of gas migrating to water supplies. The industry on the whole needs to do a better job.” The high number of violations illustrates how diligently DEP is overseeing the industry, Hanger added.

Among those companies with the most violations were Chief Oil and Gas,

History
Chief Oil & Gas was founded in 1994 to focus primarily on developing reserves in the Bend Conglomerate area of North Texas.

Anadarko Corporate Office 1201 Lake Robbins Drive The Woodlands, Texas 77380
832-636-1000

91 wells

and of course this is a figment of fervent imaginations....

43 Marcellus Operators Committed 1,400-Plus Violations Since January 2008

In response to the findings, DEP Secretary John Hanger told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, “There has been too many leaks, too many spills, too many instances of gas migrating to water supplies. The industry on the whole needs to do a better job.”.

that's just the ones reported....you can bet there is a magnitude more going unseen.

 

[EHocking]

Still dodging around fracking specific

Only if you ignore the fraccing specific data. Why do you think I quoted figures for Marcellus gas wells specifically - fracced wells.

It only started in 2005.

Ah. You see, if you'd actually read the sources on that page you wouldn't be basing your statements on biased opinion instead of facts.

Of the Marcellus gas wells in those numbers, 9, yes 9, had permits to drill issued before 2005.

And here's the really funny part about your nitpicking. If you had actually read the references I gave you will have noticed that I'd miscounted on set of data and the total figures are not 38,638 wells but 5,825 and the percentage of PA managed wells is actually 55%.

But the argument remains the same - majority drilled in and after 2008, so directly related to the fraccing discussion.

You can keep accuse me of lying by the, frankly mealy-mouthed, use of "dodging" in your posts, but until you can come up with evidence for the accusation, I'd prefer that you didn't.

and only took off recently

Again, if you read the reports, you would know that the majority of the Marcellus shale gas wells have been drilled in or after 2008.

This source would beg to differ about "outside workers and companies"

http://knowjoe.tumblr.com/post/929281855/no-f

Sorry, you are countering numbers from the regulatory body with an opinion piece from a blog, that sources another blog?

It's unethical companies running ahead of regulations.....you know it - you just won't admit it.

This would only be true if you continue to misrepresent my posts here in order to support you assertions.

Too bad that statement, as many of your other criticisms of my posts, is, to say the least, inaccurate. Here is the salient part of the first of my posts in this thread that you responded to,

I and NOT defending poor practices by operators in the State nor am I defending the relaxation of regulations by the government bodies involved in the industry in the State. Remember. The companies need to seek permission from government before they started any ops.

91 wells

What on earth is this non sequitur about?
I'll just repost what I said in post 33:

If you are speaking of spills, I can only agree with you. The surface water systems are in more danger of being polluted by poor operations standards than migration of fluids from the wellbore through overlying formations.

Considering it was ME that brought this to your attention, I really don't see your point.

and of course this is a figment of fervent imaginations....

that's just the ones reported....you can bet there is a magnitude more going unseen.

See my post 33.

I was the one that brought this to YOUR attention, and in fact in response to your first post in this thread I stated;
"No argument there, unfortunately that is a very real concern"

You are creating strawmen by misrepresenting my position on the subject.

 

[Soapy Sam]

i heartily suggest anyone who is doubtful go find a fracking site and hang around.

I was appalled and they were only the sites that were near the road - and the national forest in Penn is criss crossed with the trails to the wells.

Bottom line the companies are racing the EPA control.

One question. How did you get there?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/03/fracking-pollution-in-wat_n_803737.html

Anything that Haliburton has it's claws deep into is not likely to be environment friendly.

As a Halliburton employee, I suppose I should argue. But I won't. Instead I'll ask you what alternative energy supply plans you have for the area you live in?
Does subsurface fracturing have risks?
Yes.
So do nuclear power stations. Coal mines ain't much fun and Greenpeace get teed off if we go back to burning whale oil.
It's easy to complain- and complaint has it's place. But unless Americans are planning to stop using up other people's oil and gas at a rate that is truly obscene, they may need to find more of their own. All suggestions welcome.

 

[theprestige]

I agreed that they can be unsightly, unfortunately prospecting laws don't protect that.

Oh man. I would love to have a home with a view of a pristine wilderness, punctuated by a fracking pad.

Seriously.

 

[macdoc]

I love the smell of napalm in the morning .....

 

[EHocking]

I love the smell of napalm in the morning .....

You'll be further disappointed in this thread then. I checked the list of chemicals used in PA fraccing operations and napalm doesn't seem to be on there.

 

[EHocking]

...Anything that Haliburton has it's claws deep into is not likely to be environment friendly.

This comment is typical of the uninformed "Texas is stealing our jobs" opinion bandied about on this thread.

Why single out Halliburton?
The company wasn't even mentioned in the article you linked to.

You just assumed "Halliburton bad... everything Halliburton fault.".

Oh, I see, Halliburton is in a link to a different article at the bottom of the page.

But even from the title, you can see that Halliburton is not the sole demonised company in the article.

Halliburton, Other Gas Fracking Companies Violated Safe Drinking Water Act, Congressional Democrats Say

Let's read on shall we children?

The investigation found that 12 of 14 companies hired to perform hydraulic fracturing, also known as "fracking," used diesel alone or in a mixture from 2005 to 2009.

So, of the 14 companies hired to perform fraccing operations, why did you single out Halliburton?

 

[Nihilianth]

More.

Of the total active wells in PA,

102,885 of the 131,795 are owned and operated by PA companies (78%) and only 2142 are owned and operated by TX companies (2%).

I checked through another (incomplete) company list and checked the state or country that they are incorporated in, and even accounting for mergers and buyouts by larger companies, 68% of the operators in PA are incorporated in PA.

That 68% excludes out of state companies that merely have an operations office in PA, it is the state the company is incorporated in.

I don't know about the rest of the state, but what I am seeing in Williamsport, are 3 more hotels going up (after three of them just opened in the past two years,) two more parking decks (after they just built one that connects to the new transit center), and rent prices going sky-high. I am also hearing stories of people being kicked out by their landlords, once their lease is up. Either they get kicked out, or must pay twice as much as they were paying in rent before. And the landlords are no longer making leases for those people.

The reason, according to one landlord that I know, is that there are a lot of workers coming in from Texas for drilling operations, who need places to stay.

 

[Nihilianth]

One question. How did you get there?

It's pretty easy finding one of those sites which are complete eyesores. They are poppping up all over the place.

As a Halliburton employee, I suppose I should argue. But I won't. Instead I'll ask you what alternative energy supply plans you have for the area you live in?

Solar, wind, water, and ethanol. Lycoming County proposed plopping a windfarm in the north-east corner of the county. It got shot down by a bunch of really off-the-wall tree-huggers, because supposedly it put some bird at risk.

I could care less about one type of bird, if it could save having a bunch of forest land carved up.

Switch grass is a type of grass which can be grown in just about any environment, and is one of the most efficient sources of producing ethanol. You can grow the stuff on the sides of highways, and in the middle section between the north-south and east-west roadways.

Does subsurface fracturing have risks?
Yes.
So do nuclear power stations.

That's like comparing apple-to-oranges. The potential devestation of nuclear plants is likely greater than then potential devestation of carving up forest lands. But the risks are no where near the same. Nuclear power plants are, for the most part, perfectly safe. Subsurface fracturing inherently destroys the land around it. Or seems to, due to the incredibly piss-poor job Haliburton does at respecting the land they are using.

Coal mines ain't much fun and Greenpeace get teed off if we go back to burning whale oil.

Whose burning whale oil? Coal is not exactly a viable source of fuel anymore either. There is the whole global warming issue (which is a completely separate debate altogether.) There is the issue of the devastation that coal mining leaves behind for local areas. Look up Centralia, Mt. Carmel, and Shamockin PA, as examples of just how bad coal mining is.

It's easy to complain- and complaint has it's place. But unless Americans are planning to stop using up other people's oil and gas at a rate that is truly obscene, they may need to find more of their own. All suggestions welcome.

And this is a great point. We need to stop using up our oil and gas at such an obscene rate.

Not sure what you mean by "other people's" oil and gas. Or "they have to find their own." The gas that is being drilled up out of PA is not being used in PA. It is going all over, not just PA. This is true of all energy resources that are not natural.

 

[EHocking]

I don't know about the rest of the state, but what I am seeing in Williamsport, are 3 more hotels going up (after three of them just opened in the past two years,) two more parking decks (after they just built one that connects to the new transit center), and rent prices going sky-high.

I can only suggest you take that up with your mayor or Chamber of Commerce, since they are the ones promoting Williamsport as "The Epicentre for the Natural Gas Industry".

I am also hearing stories of people being kicked out by their landlords, once their lease is up. Either they get kicked out, or must pay twice as much as they were paying in rent before. And the landlords are no longer making leases for those people.

Again, it sounds like Pennsylvanians chasing the oil dollar screwing over other Pennsylvanians.

The reason, according to one landlord that I know, is that there are a lot of workers coming in from Texas for drilling operations, who need places to stay.

And you can be assured these landlords are making money hand-over-fist by jacking up lease rates. Again, Pennsylvanians screwing over other Pennsylvanians.

It also sounds like the birthplace of the oil industry is seriously lacking in experienced oilfield workers.

How are Texans to blame for this?

 

[Nihilianth]

I can only suggest you take that up with your mayor or Chamber of Commerce, since they are the ones promoting Williamsport as "The Epicentre for the Natural Gas Industry".

Yeah, that's pretty dumb as well. "The Epicenter of the Natural Gas Industry," indeed. They leave out other areas which are far more important than WIlliamsport, that yields far more gas than we do. I think they want to reclaim the city's "glory days" of being the "Lumber Capital of the World."

Again, it sounds like Pennsylvanians chasing the oil dollar screwing over other Pennsylvanians.And you can be assured these landlords are making money hand-over-fist by jacking up lease rates. Again, Pennsylvanians screwing over other Pennsylvanians.

Sounds more like the supply-and-demand side of market economics to me.

It also sounds like the birthplace of the oil industry is seriously lacking in experienced oilfield workers.

How are Texans to blame for this?

And this last argument is kind of a cop-out. I never said it was Texas's fault. Not sure what Titusville has to do with all of this. Rather, the fault of gas companies from Texas. But you provided links that showed that Texan gas companies are not in the majority. I dunno about all of that, I just know what I am seeing in my neck of the woods.

 

[EHocking]

Yeah, that's pretty dumb as well. "The Epicenter of the Natural Gas Industry," indeed. They leave out other areas which are far more important than WIlliamsport, that yields far more gas than we do. I think they want to reclaim the city's "glory days" of being the "Lumber Capital of the World."

And why not?
According to this economic study, "...the total economic impact of the Marcellus industry measured by valued added was $2.3 billion during calendar year 2008".
Considering the worldwide economic climate this is good news for PA.

Sounds more like the supply-and-demand side of market economics to me.

So what was the point of you bringing it up?
It sounded like you didn't approve?

And this last argument is kind of a cop-out. I never said it was Texas's fault. Not sure what Titusville has to do with all of this. Rather, the fault of gas companies from Texas.

OK, "Texan gas companies". But they are not to blame for the shortage of an experienced workforce in PA.

The thing is, it is not the State that an Operator comes from, but the State of origin of the rig Contractor. If PA doesn't have the rigs locally, rigs (and their crews) will be brought in from out of state. It's the same for Texas and any other oil and gas State, it's not a problem exclusive to PA.

But you provided links that showed that Texan gas companies are not in the majority. I dunno about all of that, I just know what I am seeing in my neck of the woods.

The current oil and gas boom in PA is really only 2 or 3 years old, and it's on a huge scale, it's going to take probably as many years for the PA workforce to catch up in order to jump on that wagon.

ETA: I forgot to welcome you to the Forum. Welcome. I see by your post count that you seem to have found a home here!

 

[Nihilianth]

And why not?
According to this economic study, "...the total economic impact of the Marcellus industry measured by valued added was $2.3 billion during calendar year 2008".
Considering the worldwide economic climate this is good news for PA.

(Quick quesion that is off-topic. Why does the forum smush seperated issues in a conversation into one large block of text, when you hit the "Quote" tag?")

Anyway, 2.3 billion dollars in 2008? Then why's the roads feel worse than driving through the African bush, and PA ranks only 28th in education, while still practically being bankrupt? (rhetorical question, being sarcastic.)

I know my hometown has much higher standards for roads and education than most of the rest of the state. But it's been that way for years. Long before the Marcellus Shale drilling.

So what was the point of you bringing it up?
It sounded like you didn't approve?

I don't really approve people being kicked out, and/or rent being doubled. But landlords gotta do what landlords gotta do. It isn't their fault either. Not strictly speaking, anyway.

OK, "Texan gas companies". But they are not to blame for the shortage of an experienced workforce in PA.

But they are to blame for bringing in too many workers from Texas, rather than training some people in PA in the operations of well boring. People gotta be trained anyway, why not train PA workers?

The thing is, it is not the State that an Operator comes from, but the State of origin of the rig Contractor. If PA doesn't have the rigs locally, rigs (and their crews) will be brought in from out of state. It's the same for Texas and any other oil and gas State, it's not a problem exclusive to PA.The current oil and gas boom in PA is really only 2 or 3 years old, and it's on a huge scale, it's going to take probably as many years for the PA workforce to catch up in order to jump on that wagon.

Yeah, but it's been longer than 2 or 3 years. Well, OK, I suppose it REALLY got underway about 2-3 years ago or so. But none of the hotels and/or landlords are expecting a decrease in numbers of out-of-state workers any time soon. In fact, they are gearing up for more workers to come in.

ETA: I forgot to welcome you to the Forum. Welcome. I see by your post count that you seem to have found a home here!

lol, thanks! You're the first person to give me a welcome!

I may be new to these forums, but am far from new to the ways of the interwebnets and debating. I really like this place. I came over form OOTP, (Out of the Park), which was my primary place of bickering with other people on the web.

 

[EHocking]

(Quick quesion that is off-topic. Why does the forum smush seperated issues in a conversation into one large block of text, when you hit the "Quote" tag?")

You could try the Tutorials in the Help section for that?

But they are to blame for bringing in too many workers from Texas, rather than training some people in PA in the operations of well boring. People gotta be trained anyway, why not train PA workers?

The shortage of experienced oilfield workers was identified in 2006 by the PA Oil and Gas Extraction Industry Partnership.

It's been 5 years from when this was identified and 2 years before the current boom.

This presentation from 2010 seems to indicate (pg28) that it is not skills and experience that is lacking (running at 78% of the workforce), but an unwillingness for that workforce to work the expected hours (56%).

Further, most of the job availability is in General Labour and General Office positions (pg.26).

From that you could conclude that Texan companies are not to blame for PA not being able entice locals into the industry.

Yeah, but it's been longer than 2 or 3 years. Well, OK, I suppose it REALLY got underway about 2-3 years ago or so. But none of the hotels and/or landlords are expecting a decrease in numbers of out-of-state workers any time soon. In fact, they are gearing up for more workers to come in.

Initially there will be out of state workers dominating the work force, but there is the potential for PA workers to get in on the boom.

This is borne out by a comment in studies regarding the PA Marcellus Shale work force.

"The experience of natural gas plays in other areas have shown that the majority of jobs created by natural gas development in Central and Northern Pennsylvania will be initially filled by workers either transient or non‐local in nature, but that the majority of these jobs have the potential to eventually be filled locally if the properly trained skilled workers are available."

lol, thanks! You're the first person to give me a welcome!

I may be new to these forums, but am far from new to the ways of the interwebnets and debating. I really like this place. I came over form OOTP, (Out of the Park), which was my primary place of bickering with other people on the web.

Ah, then you'll soon be able to determine for yourself which posters on this forum are worth engaging with and those that are not.

 

[ectoplasm]

Keep up the good work, EHocking. I check this topic just to read your sensible responses.

 

[Nihilianth]

You could try the Tutorials in the Help section for that?The shortage of experienced oilfield workers was identified in 2006 by the PA Oil and Gas Extraction Industry Partnership.

It's been 5 years from when this was identified and 2 years before the current boom.

This presentation from 2010 seems to indicate (pg28) that it is not skills and experience that is lacking (running at 78% of the workforce), but an unwillingness for that workforce to work the expected hours (56%).

Further, most of the job availability is in General Labour and General Office positions (pg.26).

From that you could conclude that Texan companies are not to blame for PA not being able entice locals into the industry.Initially there will be out of state workers dominating the work force, but there is the potential for PA workers to get in on the boom.

This is borne out by a comment in studies regarding the PA Marcellus Shale work force.

"The experience of natural gas plays in other areas have shown that the majority of jobs created by natural gas development in Central and Northern Pennsylvania will be initially filled by workers either transient or non‐local in nature, but that the majority of these jobs have the potential to eventually be filled locally if the properly trained skilled workers are available."
Ah, then you'll soon be able to determine for yourself which posters on this forum are worth engaging with and those that are not.

hhhmmm....they still do a shoddy job at respecting the local environment. And that is my main concern with this subject.

(Note: I have already found one or two people not worth engaging with on here, over in a couple of the holocaust denial thread. lol)

 

[EHocking]

Keep up the good work, EHocking. I check this topic just to read your sensible responses.

Thanks for that. I and two other posters, Tricky and Soapy Sam (and othres), also tried to educate on the the fact that were being bandied about during the Macondo disaster as well.

You'll find that we were never defendents of the oil industry, but rather, were trying to identify the misinformation being spread by media sensationalism and others with agendas.

It was a case of people being scared of an imaginary bogeyman under their bed and ignoring the axe murderer in their closet.

At least the NY Times article quoted here concentrates on the axe murderer - suface contamination of water systems rather than the bogeyman of fraccing causing gas migration underground.

It's just that video of a householder igniting gas coming out of their domestic water tap is better theatre than facts.

 

[EHocking]

[FONT=TimesNewRoman,Bold]

Comparing fracking to other wells I think is a dodge...the pressure to fracture the formations is enormous. This has to be a weak point for damage to the well casing....which may indeed not show for years.

Actually, the weak point would be the cement between the wellbore and the casing.

Just a follow up from this.[/FONT]

[FONT=TimesNewRoman,Bold]A press release from the PA EPA in Nov 2009.

The consent order and agreement caps a DEP investigation that began early this year when numerous Dimock area residents reported evidence of natural gas in their water supplies. DEP inspectors discovered that the well casings on some of Cabot’s natural gas wells were cemented improperly or insufficiently, allowing natural gas to migrate to groundwater.
​

[/FONT]
[FONT=TimesNewRoman,Bold]In short - fraccing operations did not cause gas migration from Marcellus shale (or any other formation) through the overburden and into the aquifer in Dimock. [/FONT][FONT=TimesNewRoman,Bold]In fact, because of the finding, the DEP allowed Cabot to continue frac operations once they sorted out their well design and execution.

On Sept. 25, following a series of wastewater spills, DEP ordered Cabot to cease hydro fracking natural gas wells throughout Susquehanna County. The prohibition was removed after the company completed a number of important engineering and safety tasks.
​

[/FONT]
[FONT=TimesNewRoman,Bold][FONT=TimesNewRoman,Bold]The above release was made 8 months before Gasland's director Josh Fox replied to "debunkings" of his movie, mostly with accusations of the industry and government lying or making misleading statements.[/FONT][/FONT]


[FONT=TimesNewRoman,Bold]It is a pity that he did not apply the same rules of conduct to his own statements, instead, he intimated that the gas that contaminated these people's water supply was due to fraccing operations by a bit if obfuscation regarding whether the gas was biogenic in origin.[/FONT]

[FONT=TimesNewRoman,Bold][FONT=TimesNewRoman,Bold]Biogenic gas can migrate as a result of gas drilling. [/FONT]And hiding behind “biogenic” gas classification is yet another common industry obfuscation tactic.[/FONT]​

[FONT=TimesNewRoman,Bold]

...[/FONT]

[FONT=TimesNewRoman,Bold][FONT=TimesNewRoman,Bold]The industry is using this [/FONT][FONT=TimesNewRoman,Bold]biogenic/thermogenic distinction, often with the collusion of state agencies [/FONT]who are not properly investigating, to dispute citizen’s claims of contamination, [FONT=TimesNewRoman,Bold]but it has [/FONT][FONT=TimesNewRoman,BoldItalic]no basis in science.[/FONT][/FONT] [FONT=TimesNewRoman,Bold]​

I guess it is more impressive to have someone lighting their tapwater on fire in your documentary than it is to present all the facts....[/FONT]

 

[Nihilianth]

[FONT=TimesNewRoman,Bold]Just a follow up from this.[/FONT]

[FONT=TimesNewRoman,Bold]A press release from the PA EPA in Nov 2009.

The consent order and agreement caps a DEP investigation that began early this year when numerous Dimock area residents reported evidence of natural gas in their water supplies. DEP inspectors discovered that the well casings on some of Cabot’s natural gas wells were cemented improperly or insufficiently, allowing natural gas to migrate to groundwater.
​

[/FONT]
[FONT=TimesNewRoman,Bold]In short - fraccing operations did not cause gas migration from Marcellus shale (or any other formation) through the overburden and into the aquifer in Dimock. [/FONT][FONT=TimesNewRoman,Bold]In fact, because of the finding, the DEP allowed Cabot to continue frac operations once they sorted out their well design and execution.

On Sept. 25, following a series of wastewater spills, DEP ordered Cabot to cease hydro fracking natural gas wells throughout Susquehanna County. The prohibition was removed after the company completed a number of important engineering and safety tasks.
​

[/FONT]
[FONT=TimesNewRoman,Bold][FONT=TimesNewRoman,Bold]The above release was made 8 months before Gasland's director Josh Fox replied to "debunkings" of his movie, mostly with accusations of the industry and government lying or making misleading statements.[/FONT][/FONT]


[FONT=TimesNewRoman,Bold]It is a pity that he did not apply the same rules of conduct to his own statements, instead, he intimated that the gas that contaminated these people's water supply was due to fraccing operations by a bit if obfuscation regarding whether the gas was biogenic in origin.[/FONT]

[FONT=TimesNewRoman,Bold][FONT=TimesNewRoman,Bold]Biogenic gas can migrate as a result of gas drilling. [/FONT]And hiding behind “biogenic” gas classification is yet another common industry obfuscation tactic.[/FONT]​

[FONT=TimesNewRoman,Bold]

...[/FONT]

[FONT=TimesNewRoman,Bold][FONT=TimesNewRoman,Bold]The industry is using this [/FONT][FONT=TimesNewRoman,Bold]biogenic/thermogenic distinction, often with the collusion of state agencies [/FONT]who are not properly investigating, to dispute citizen’s claims of contamination, [FONT=TimesNewRoman,Bold]but it has [/FONT][FONT=TimesNewRoman,BoldItalic]no basis in science.[/FONT][/FONT] [FONT=TimesNewRoman,Bold]​

I guess it is more impressive to have someone lighting their tapwater on fire in your documentary than it is to present all the facts....[/FONT]

Whatever the reasons for the gas to get into the water supply, it is still a pretty horrifying fact that the very "water" coming out of your spiggot can actually be set on fire!

On the other hand, it would be a good source of selling your own gas for your own profits. I mean, what better source of income can you get, than to have literal liquid gold running from your water faucet!

But I do see what you are saying, in the dishonesty with the documentary. To be frank, I don't trust any documentary as a general rule of thumb.

 

[EHocking]

Whatever the reasons for the gas to get into the water supply, it is still a pretty horrifying fact that the very "water" coming out of your spiggot can actually be set on fire!

Even if it occurs naturally?

But it is totally dishonest to claim that it is being caused by gas wells when in fact it is being caused by biogenic processes in the aquifer itself.

On the other hand, it would be a good source of selling your own gas for your own profits. I mean, what better source of income can you get, than to have literal liquid gold running from your water faucet!

But I do see what you are saying, in the dishonesty with the documentary. To be frank, I don't trust any documentary as a general rule of thumb.

I used admire Michael Moore (and others) until he started bending the truth to make his point.

No, let me get that right. Until I recognised the fact that documentary makers bent the truth to support their agendas.

While I support the reason behind Gasland's story, the manner in which facts are treated does itself a disservice.
But then again, most people believe what they read in the papers or see on TV without question - usually by people who wouldn't read the NY Times, so I'm not surprised there is so much ignorance about the actual implications about hydraulic fraccing operations.