The Rising Influence of Rising Affluence

[OakesCS]

PA shale gas

in spite of the title this story is about the groundwater contamination problem.

http://www.rigzone.com/news/article.asp?a_id=91872&hmpn=1

Cabot O&G Begins Plugging Operations in Susquehanna County

...In terms of the permanent water solution requirements, the necessary equipment started arriving on April 26 and is ready for installation. This solution is designed to remove methane, a constituent of natural gas, from the water stream before it enters a home.

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In regard to the water supplies of Pennsylvania, methane was present long before Cabot began its operations in Susquehanna County. In fact, the PaDEP website has contained information about the migration of natural gas into water supplies for many years. This natural migration is also well-documented in other official government publications. Nevertheless, as a business decision Cabot has accepted the responsibility for remediating the situation, even though the Company believes its operations did not cause this gas migration. After the complaints surfaced, Cabot began testing natural gas levels in aquifers before it drilled in an area. These tests have revealed that a majority of water wells in Susquehanna County already contain measurable quantities of naturally occurring gas...