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April 21, 2011

Thousands Of Gallons Of Toxic Fluid Released In Natural Gas Well Blowout 
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Thousands of gallons of toxic drilling fluid used in hydraulic
fracturing spilled into a Pennsylvania waterway Tuesday night after a
blowout at a natural gas well. The spill occurred in Bradford County,
Pennsylvania, at a well operated by Chesapeake Energy. Local residents
in Leroy Township had to be evacuated from their homes. The blowout
could heighten concerns about the safety of a controversial process to
extract gas from shale rock known as fracking. House Democrats recently
issued a report warning that 29 chemicals used in natural gas drilling
are human carcinogens or considered hazardous under federal clean air
and water rules. For years, companies—including Halliburton—have
attempted to keep secret the list of chemicals used in fracking.



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