Personal
account from the Marcellus Shale
JUNE CHAPPEL
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Life in the small, bucolic village of Buffalo Pennsylvania
drastically changed in 2009 when Range Resources Appalachia
purchased 171 acres of land and began extensive industrial-grade
development on this rural property. The change was even more drastic
for June Chappel’s family, since the rapid development was occurring
on two sides of their formerly peaceful country home. By Labor Day
of that year, Range had clearcut all the trees from a large area
beside their home, excavated a large drilling pad, drilled 7
Marcellus Shale gas wells and created a
huge impoundment dam behind
their home. Labor Day weekend brought about the flaring stage of
Range’s well completions. They were told there would only be one
flare, but there ended up being two. Imagine everyone’s surprise when
the flaring caught the pit liner on fire!
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In an interview
June described it this way:
“We didn’t ask them to come into our
neighborhood. It’s right next to my property, I believe
it’s 800 feet from my property. When they started doing
the drilling I didn’t know if we were safe or not. The
pit that was behind my house, it was the size of a
football field, and the smell was terrible. It smelled
like gasoline and kerosene. I was breathing in these
fumes and my son and I had headaches for a year. As time
went on it got worse, the smell got stronger and
stronger, and one night I couldn’t breathe. I just don’t
feel safe living here, and I feel like they have
destroyed the value of my property, I still owe a
mortgage, and who would ever buy this?”
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The
football-field-sized impoundment behind her home had changed from
holding fresh water to flowback and drilling wastewater. Other times
she compared the smell to a beauty salon when someone was getting a
perm. The stench was so bad that she and her neighbors couldn’t sit
outside at night to enjoy the evening air. What Range called their
“Best Production Pad” had become "June’s Worst Nightmare." This
situation came to a head during a township meeting when she and her
neighbors faced-off with a group of Range personnel, who can be seen
seated at the front of the meeting room, along with the Hopewell
Township supervisors (who are on the right front) in this YouTube
video, with June Chappel beginning to speak at the 4:09 mark:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbWqR9KoVp4
Several months
after that meeting, Range removed the impoundment.
Photos below show the Best Production Pad and Impoundment to further
illustrate what has already been described.
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April 2009
Drilling 7 Marcellus wells next to June's home
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Summer 2009
Fracking next to June's home
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Early morning scene on Labor Day 2009
Looking across June Chappel's driveway
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Candlestick flare
One of the two flares next to June's home
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Video
of twin Labor Day flares next to June's house
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Labor Day 2009
Fire Department extinguishing pit liner fire
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View from June's kitchen window
After the fire, the flare was relit the next day
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April 2010
Overview of Wotring Road area
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June Chappel's house on
right
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April 2010
Final preparations before removing the impoundment
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August 2010
Impoundment being restored |
LINKS
Pam Judy's
story
Beth Voyles
story
Terry
Greewood's story
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