FW CanDo!

WARNING: Some readers may find the following content and photographs unsuitable for children and sensitive adults.More photos available at TXsharon Bluedaze: http://txsharon.blogspot.com/2009/08/drilling-chain-of-life.html/We hear a lot about how gas drilling operations make people sick. What about wildlife, pets and livestock? Check out these headlines:1) Exxon pleads guilty to killing migratory birds in five states:http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/2009/August/09-enrd-795.html2) 17 cattle drop dead next to Chesapeake well:http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2009/05/natural-gas-drilling-rig-kills-cattle3) Recent incidents raise issues on drilling, environment:http://www.shreveporttimes.com/article/20090809/NEWS01/908090333/www.deq.louisiana.gov/4) XTO Energy pleads guilty in Golden Eagle deaths:http://www.trib.com/articles/2008/05/22/news/wyoming/ab22553a6a41e259872574510001ee51.txt5) What's in that fracking fluid?:http://www.riverreporter.com/issues/08-12-04/fracking.pdfRegarding the case of the poisoned cattle (see #2 above):Authorities suspect the recent death of 17 cows in Louisiana was caused by a water-based fracking solution that, reportedly*, contained only 1% toxic chemicals and 99% clean water. *(Refer to Rule #1. "Never believe anything gas drillers say. Never.")Most animals including livestock are attracted to the sweet smell and taste of ethylene glycol (anti-freeze) and other chemicals that make up the toxic recipe for fracking fluid. Animals lap up these watered down poisons at their peril. The deer in the pic above was drawn to the sweet-tasting drilling wastewater that was dumped by a gas driller on farmland in Ohio. Why? To save money. The farmer who took this picture also reported a sudden absence of wildlife after the spill. Wildlife mortality near oil and gas wells has been widely reported and documented for years. What else is new? How about over 10,000 NEW gas wells in the Barnett Shale, alone. Wildlife populations across the country are now afflicted by shale drilling in areas never before drilled. Natural gas production impacts wildlife at all stages and in a variety of deadly ways: > Habitat and forage fragmentation and destruction> Seismic testing impacts all subsurface creatures and their habitat> Poisoning from toxic produced saltwater> Inhalation of toxic gases> Ingestion of poisoned food supplies > Entrapment in frack ponds> Food sources disrupted and compromised> Transfer of toxins from the feet of breeding animals to their young> Feather and fur insulation damage> Noise and light impacts on raising young> Consumption of poisoned carcasses by other animals and humans moves heavy metals up the food chain> Explosion and fire impacts> Road kill from trucks and equipment> Pipeline spills on soil and in water> A multitude of crippling illnesses > Close contact with radioactive byproducts brought to the surface> Stillbirths, embryonic damage, mutations and deformed growth> Declining numbers result in an imbalanced ecosystemAll living creatures including birds, fish, amphibians, reptiles, mammals and insects are affected by gas drilling operations. Recovery can take decades and only then with significant effort, cost and luck. Coupled with ongoing drought and urban sprawl, wildlife is getting a double whammy. Why should this matter to you? > Fewer songbirds, butterflies and bees for starters; > More rats and other vermin; > Fewer migratory birds and wildlife to marvel at; > Fishing and hunting grounds at risk; > Additionally, researchers now report that air pollution has impeded pollinating insects ability to find flowers. The full impact on wildlife is yet to be seen as drilling grows like cancer across the USA. In a larger sense, the breathtaking diversity of Mother Nature is being perverted by an uncaring industry that is literally breaking the chain of life.Solutions to these problems begin with your awareness of them. Your legislators need repeated reminders that natural gas production needs wide-ranging regulation beginning now by supporting the Frac Act. Read more about that here:http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/676/t/572/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=1203#TEXTENDYou don't have to be a card-carrying PETA member to be concerned about wildlife mortality near gas wells. You don't have to remember the Exxon Valdez disaster. This is happening NOW in or near your backyards, parks and ranches. It is affecting your pets and the wildlife that share the environment with you. The gas drilling industry has spent millions of dollars to "Greenwash" this dirty secret. Don't but it!>>> Support Doing Drilling Right in Texas by making a donation to Texas OGAP:https://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/676/t/5240/shop/custom.jsp?donate_page_KEY=4483&track=txOGAPbdFurther reading resources and photographic record:1) Earthworks - Pit pollution info:http://www.earthworksaction.org/pitpollution.cfm2) Pet Education.com - Antifreeze poisoning info:http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=1+1411+1418&aid=28013) U.S Fish & Wildlife Service - Pit info:http://www.fws.gov/mountain-prairie/contaminants/contaminants1a.html4) Gas Wells are Not Our Friends - PA Bloghttp://dearsusquehanna.blogspot.com/2009/05/gas-drilling-wildlife-dont-often-mix.html5) Valley Journal (Colorado) - Wildlife mortality report:http://www.valley-journal.com/article/20081204/NEWS/812039974/1010/NONE&parentprofile=10016) Los Padres Forestwatch (California) - Threats to endangered species:http://www.lpfw.org/projects/oil.htm7) Bluedaze Drilling Reform for Texas - Video of cattle drinking Barnett Shale wastewater and more:http://txsharon.blogspot.com/2009/03/video-cattle-drink-barnett-shale.htmlhttp://txsharon.blogspot.com/search?q=cattle8) TDEX- Lists of pit, drilling and frack chemicals in NG operationshttp://www.endocrinedisruption.com/chemicals.introduction.php9) Corrosion Doctors.org - Excellent report on pipeline spills:http://corrosion-doctors.org/Pollution/oil-pipes-example-2.htm10) U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service - PDF of produced water impacts in Wyoming:http://www.fws.gov/mountain-prairie/contaminants/papers/r6718c02.pdf11) U.S. Geological Survey - Mercury contamination of streams is widespread:http://water.usgs.gov/nawqa/mercury/majorfindings.html12) Willdlands CPR.org - Seismic testing info and impacts:http://www.wildlandscpr.org/biblio-notes/shake-rattle-roll-understanding-seismic-testing13) Ranch los Malulos - Exxon Mobil loves little tweeting birds:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1MdvnEgkt0