Posted on 12/02/2011 9:47:55 AM PST by Erik Latranyi
State police arrested a man who worked at a Marcellus Shale drilling site in Bradford County for dumping 800 gallons of dangerous materials.
Troopers says Josh Foster, 27, from Georgia admits he dumped the chemicals on state game lands in Warren Township.
State police said the man worked for Talisman Energy at one of its drill sites near the dump location on Regan Hill Road. Troopers said Talisman was cooperating completely with the investigation.
In arrest papers it said a drilling superintendant from Talisman met a state trooper at the scene of the spill. He told the trooper that someone intentionally dumped the substance used in drilling and said that substance is dangerous. It looked like an area of black sludge on the ground. That superintendent estimated about 800 gallons were spilled.
An internal investigation by Talisman led them to Foster. A passenger in a truck with him said he told Foster not to dump the chemicals because it wasn't right, but Foster did it anyway.
The arrest papers said in an interview with State Police, Foster admitted to the crime.
He is charged with "scattering rubbish." He is locked up in Bradford County on $100,000 bail.
Yep, with all the money that the drilling companies are making, they take every precaution they can to prevent accidental spillage, let alone this out right violation.
They can legally make millions and they know that the enviro-whackos are just looking for any excuse to raise hell, so they are extra careful.
This guy will lose his CDL and never legally drive a commercial truck again. What a mook.
Sack it up dirt and all and let the crew prove it is harmless, they can each have a bowl for lunch and dinner, no problem. Freeze dry it and use it for coffee, save money.
98% water, plus biocides (poisons?), emulsifiers, surfactants.
Among the most dangerous substances: benzene, ethylene glycol (antifreeze), methanol, lead, boric acid,
***Funny thing is that the punishment would be exactly the same if he had dumped milk or vegetable oil.***
He should have labeled it as septic tank or sewer plant sludge. No problem dumping it on land then. Might smell a little different.
I'm in favor of fracking if it is done safely and right.
However, I'm sad to say this country has become infected with greed, stupidity, laziness and irresponsibility. Stuff your own face at everyone’s expense.
I wouldn't trust anyone to do this kind of work near water supplies these days. The so called inspectors and regulators are far more corrupt than the roughnecks.
Reminds me of my adolescence when I drank gasoline, oil, transmission fluid (automatic and manual, there is a difference, btw), antifreeze, battery acid... when I sniffed glue (used to put together a lot of models), carbon tetrachloride, hydrotetrafuran and special solvents I can't even remember the name of. Tasted mercury, walked around in rank water with dead animals in it, right after puncturing my foot in three places by roofing nails.
Those were the days.
Biocides - you put those in your swimming pool
Emulsifiers - found is most ice cream
Surfactants - found in liquid soap
Yeah, we're all gonna die.
And see? It damaged our brains so badly that we hang out on right-wing extremist sites ;^).
We don’t know the whole story. We do need to know if this company has been dumping elsewhere. I LIVE here. As I have said many, many times before....I want them to drill but I want the drilling companies to be HONEST and having witnessed some of this...I am not sure they are! I live in a beautiful, very mountainous and rural area. These trucks could pull in areas and dump and no one would know it at all!
In this case, the drilling company turned the driver over to authorities after reviewing their records.
The simple FACT is that the drillers have gone to great lengths to be good citizens (supplying water to Dimmock residents before test results were known) and do not want bad apples within their midst.
Unfortunately, you cannot prevent bad apples. Some will get through and some will be setups by environmental groups.
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