State Lawmakers Let Shale Gas Industry Call the Shots on Fracking

State Lawmakers Let Shale Gas Industry Call the Shots on Fracking by Press Action, April 1, 2012
“The industry is very, very powerful in all of these states. The industry has such political influence at the state capitals and in the legislative process.” … As a result, people became living laboratories in this unprecedented mineral play, Subra told the Dallas Observer. “We’re seeing surface water contamination from leaks and spills of produced water. We’re seeing deeper groundwater contamination from the failure of cement and casing. We’re seeing air emissions from produced fluids, compressor stations, and along pipelines,” Subra told the Dallas Observer. Exposure begins with respiratory problems, skin rashes, neurological impairments and finally cardiovascular issues. … “If the local governing authority denies the exemptions, then the gas company comes in and says, ‘we’re going to sue you for denying these exemptions,’”