EPA Tussle With Texas Regulators Spreads to Gas Wells

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The Environmental Protection Agency, invoking a special "endangerment order" under the Safe Drinking Water Act, today ordered a natural gas drilling company, Range Resources, to provide clean drinking water and other assistance to two North Texas homes whose wells, the agency said, had been contaminated with methane and benzene to the point of being at risk of an explosion.

"EPA has determined that natural gas drilling near the homes by Range Resources in Parker County, Texas, has caused or contributed to the contamination of at least two residential drinking water wells," the agency said in a release. Residents had complained to the EPA about "flammable and bubbling drinking water coming out of their tap."

Al Armendariz, the EPA administrator for the region that includes Texas, was more explicit in comments to the Dallas Morning News: "I believe I've got two people whose houses could explode. So we've got to move."

http://www.texastribune.org/texas-state-agencies/texas-railroad-commission/epa-tussle-with-texas-regulators-spreads-to-gas-we/

[hatrack]

1. And with a defecting Democrat giving a supermajority to TX Republicans . . .

You just know it's going to be finger-fracking good!

[phantom power]

2. Make sure to pour your well water over ice, or the benzene gets lost