EARTHblog » Nadia Steinzor
Flawed studies can make you sick
The idea that “what you don’t know can’t hurt you” may sometimes work on a personal level—but it couldn’t be further from the truth for communities living on the frontlines of gas development. Yet the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) doesn’t seem to have any problem hiding information from the people who most need it.
News broke this week that the basic conclusion of a widely touted DEP study on air pollution near gas wells and facilities—that detected contaminants wouldn’t trigger health problems—was wrong.
Tagged with: fracking, public health, pennsylvania
It’s definitely The Pits: new case study reveals lax waste management in PA
For most of us, cleaning up after oneself is a basic guideline for living and working with others. Taking responsibility for the environmental costs of products is an emerging business concept. Then there’s the oil and gas industry—which prefers a “you deal with it instead” approach to waste management. The result? Tainted rivers downstream from wastewater treatment plants, earthquakes near injection wells, and radioactive drill cuttings in landfills. And then there are the giant pits where operators store millions of gallons of waste at a time.
Tagged with: fracking, pennsylvania, pennsylvania department of environmental protection
Follow Earthworks