Is Pennsylvania ignoring health issues on shale drilling?

[PA Democrat]

PITTSBURGH -- The Pennsylvania Department of Health says it investigates every claim by residents that gas drilling has caused health problems, but several people say the agency's actions don't match its words.

Two Western Pennsylvania residents told The Associated Press that health officials have fallen short in responding to their health complaints.

The AP also found that the toll-free number the agency gives out for gas drilling complaints doesn't mention the issue in its automated menu, and the agency's website doesn't have a specific place for people to file such complaints.

And the AP inquiry showed that the agency didn't begin keeping track of possible health complaints tied to gas drilling until 2011, several years after a surge of activity in the gas-rich Marcellus Shale.

http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/state/is-pennsylvania-ignoring-health-issues-on-shale-drilling-635703/

The Department of Health was expecting to receive some of the tax revenues generated by the new Marcellus Shale law, but the state Senate and Corbett's office cut all funding for monitoring health problems out of the bill. Once again, Corbett and his Republican buddies show Pennsylvanians that they don't give a damn about the negative impacts to the citizens of our state of Marcellus Shale drilling.

[tech3149]

1. I think the name Gov Gashole is entirely appropriate.

I can hardly believe the people of this state would elect such an obvious corporate tool. It is truly an embarrassment.

[malthaussen]

2. Hey, there's a huge labor surplus

If a few of the peons die, so what? It doesn't effect our bottom line one iota.

-- Mal

[Curmudgeoness]

3. When I read that, I was rather shocked...

and I don't know why. Why did I expect anything less? But that they have not funded the Dept of Health for the additional work required to monitor this is beyond evil. I hope that the voters of this state wake up soon and realize that the GOP stands for "gotta oppress peons". We can all be put in danger by industry, but as long as industry is protected, that is all that matters.

Thanks to my local paper, this was a front page story today. Kudos to them.

[Pat Riot]

4. Not only that

What about the gag orders on doctors even talking about it?

[JPZenger]

5. NPR story yesterday about search for links between gas drilling and health problems

http://www.npr.org/2012/05/16/152204584/towns-effort-to-link-fracking-and-illness-falls-short

The end result of the piece - we don't know, and we might not know for 20 years, until there is a cluster of the same types of tumors showing up.