operations had contaminated the water In May 2011 the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection DEP ordered Chesapeake Energy to pay a 900 000 fine for contaminating the drinking water at 16 homes including Vargson's It sounds like the state is going to get a chunk of change But I still have contaminated water said Vargson A FRACKING MESS In Dimock Township Pennsylvania residents have also complained about water contamination due to drilling by Cabot Oil Gas Some of the contamination may be natural The town however has attracted a media frenzy partially due to the 2010 documentary film Gasland which painted an unpleasant picture of a town poisoned by gas drilling The film fed a growing anti fracking movement even though many of the stories in the film are unreliable MOST OF US BELIEVE METHANE IS THE LEAST OF OUR WORRIES WE LL NEVER DRINK OUR WATER 14 and not backed up by scientific VICTORIA SWITZER RESIDENT OF DIMOCK PENNSYLVANIA evidence The issue has split Dimock down the middle One group blames fracking 10
MORE TO THE STORY WELCOME TO DIMOCK PENNSYLVANIA On January 1 2009 Norma Fiorentino's well exploded She was not home at the time but the blast broke an eight foot 2 4 m wide concrete slab into pieces and rained them onto her lawn After the explosion she and other residents of Dimock worried about the safety of their water Cabot Oil Gas had recently started drilling for natural gas in the area Fifteen families sued Cabot The company claimed the methane contamination happened naturally But the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection DEP disagreed The DEP ordered the company to stop all drilling activity pay a fine of 120 000 and pay for a pipeline to bring clean water to residents In 2012 the Environmental Protection Agency EPA reported finding toxic chemicals in the water at five homes but treatment systems could make the water safe The sampling and an evaluation of the particular circumstances at each home did not indicate levels of contaminants that would give EPA reason to take further action said regional administrator Shawn Garvin In 2012 the DEP also lifted its suspension on drilling in the area Meanwhile the town of Dimock became ground zero for the fracking debate The issue has pitted neighbor against neighbor Some still refuse to drink their water Others say the water is fine and that antifracking activists are blowing things out of proportion
for health problems ranging from dizziness to skin sores The other side claims the water is fine and argues fracking boosts the economy The controversy goes WE WANT DRILLING TO PROCEED AS NORMAL AND BEEF UP OUR ECONOMY AND CREATE JOBS 6 beyond Dimock The debate has played out on a national LOREN SALSMAN RESIDENT OF DIMOCK PENNSYLVANIA and global scale as well Environmentalists liberal citizens and even celebrities have banded together to oppose fracking They claim the process of drilling for natural gas pollutes the environment contributes to global warming contaminates water causes earthquakes and damages the health of people and animals Meanwhile people in the energy business along with citizens and lawmakers with more conservative views tend to support fracking Their arguments note that natural gas drilling spurs industry creates jobs and will bring energy independence to the United States In addition they claim natural gas is a clean fuel that helps reduce the dangers of climate change They also say many of their opponents claims about fracking are either wrong or greatly exaggerated Moreover all citizens of the United States
BE Natural gas generates a large portion of the country's electricity heats people's homes and provides energy for manufactured goods liberal and conservative alike benefit from natural gas production Whether they like it or not Americans depend on fracking to get the energy they use every day
