As mentioned,that area will never be the same.
Coal company's have been taking mountain tops off in this part of Appalachia,Kentucky, for years ... it ain't a pretty picture.

The land looks as if machinery raped Mother Earth, and basically just left her,until local politicians started barking. Now it looks like a beautiful mountain, with the top cut off ... with a few elk on it and grass.

I'm afraid the concerns of World-Class trout will be last in line and get the most "fracking!"

It's all 'bout the Benjamins!

The area where I live in NE PA is relatively rural by eastern standards. The gas wells are sprouting up everywhere, even on what use to be my grandparents farm. Now where wetlands use to be is a fracking pond that drains into a much larger wetlands area filled with native wildlife and fish. Most of the area is relatively low income, so the people taking the money being paid by these gas companies are seeing how it will help them survive. These gas companies have already been responsible for contaminating the ground water to the point it is undrinkable and in some cases flammable, not to mention what they are doing to the native environment. The PA DEP from what I see and the local county conservation districts have done little to regulate these mining operations, hopefully people and the state will open their eye's to see that we are on the edge of another environmental mining catastrophe (like the abandoned coal mines). I hope I can help open their eye's.

There are a few problems made with the staements above at least wehre PA is concerned. 1st the 5 acre well pad is only there for like 6 months then the companies have to put everything back. PA is extremely regulated which is why so many companies are pulling out. 2nd drilling was never done in PA cause we did not have the technology to do it before. I love huntin in the woods around me and fishin in local streams but the idea of use a cleaner burning fuel in the future will benifit in the long run. the earth has dealt with larger impacts before some drilling here and there is not going to damage it forever and i think the cleaner burning fuel is better in the long run.

I’ve been working in the oil and gas industry for 30 years and currently work with the Marcellus shale in PA. I believe that some of the article is misleading and there are some omissions and exaggerations.

I have never heard of a 9 million gallon frac job, nor are wells frac’d “a few times during its life” – a typical well is frac’d only once and the largest jobs are about 4 million gallon. While that sounds like a lot of water, it isn’t much in comparison to other water users. For example, all frac jobs over the entire Marcellus shale area will use much less water than golf courses use to water grass in the same region.
About the comment - “it’s cheaper to run a fire hose to a local source” - a typical water withdrawal is done at a rate more like a garden hose. Before being granted a permit to withdrawal water from any source many hydrologic and environmental studies are completed. We spend many hours collecting and researching data and then submit a detailed application to the DEP - all for a single, specific withdrawal site. If the DEP does grant a permit for withdrawal, the allowed rate is only a small fraction (about 1%) of the typical stream flow. In a typical stream the temporary water level reduction is about 1/16 of an inch. In the event of drought, we would need to shut down. In addition, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission regulate the withdrawal to minimize the effect on fish and habitat.

In regard to “Toxic Chemicals” in frac fluids – plain old water and sand comprise over 99.5% of the frac fluids. The following link contains a list of the remaining small amount of additives. You will notice that nearly all of the chemicals are also found in food and household products. When the fluids are produced back water treatment is also highly regulated by the DEP.
http://www.pamarcellus.com/MSC-Fracing.pdf
About the concerns over run-off and habitat fragmentation – only about 2% to 3% of the surface is affected by development. This minimal impact is an amazing accomplishment that is possible only through the use of new drilling technologies. In addition, after drilling is complete we completely restore well sites to only a 100 ft radius around the well which further reduces the impact during the producing life of the well. After the well is finished we restore the remainder of the site. The footprint of a shale gas well is much smaller than other forms of energy.

I have worked all over the world in the oil and gas business. In nearly all countries the government own and develop minerals. One of the great things about America is that we - individuals - own the oil and gas along with other minerals. Individuals have leased their land to gas companies. Thus, the gas companies are acting on behalf of the land owner. As pointed out in the article, many land owners have had Jed Clampett like experiences with the Marcellus shale. The rest of us throughout America will get lower energy prices where we can live the good life with affordable energy.

One last thing - I know some great fishing spots in crystal blue water next to offshore oil platforms in the Gulf ..... but I’m going to keep those a secret.

people tried to do that to a hunting club uth lnd my dad bellongs to and my cousins and their neighbors houses hbut they didnt do it cause they heard it could posion peopls waters

I am not even close to being a tree hugger. However, we need to preserve our environment. We should allow SOME drilling, but it should happen on a much smaller scale. Maybe allow 1 well to be drilled per every 1,000 acres or more. After the well has stopped producing, the gas company should be required to return the well site to its previous condition, removing any signs of the well ever being there. However, our politicians will never be able to agree on anything. For the politicians it will be either black or white, either we drill or we don't drill. But as someone already said, it's all about the benjamins...

Who's the right folks to contact about this? Rendell? Congressmen?

I was travelling from Potter County, PA south to York County. Every so often I would see what looked like tractor trailer containers with pumps attached to them. Is this what they are doing, pumping water into these wells?

ironpeteo827, Yes, we are pumping water from the Allegheny up to SGL 59. The Allegheny has no issues with it, the river has been at flood stage much of the summer and taking water for the four wells in the area and reusing it for each well will harmless water than the allegheny electric plant near Warren PA.

My hunting/fishing cabin is about 2 miles south of NY state. Gas companies approached every landowner within like a 35 mile radius. Everyone took the deal. They better not "frack" my stream. If they do, they will be killing hundreds of Pennsylvania's state fish, the Brook trout. Shouldn't there be some kind of law against that or something?

i like this article because where i hunt, in the last couple of months they have taken over the mountain and it is horrible they are tearing up the place.they have big trucks in and out 24-7 and the main area is right by our camp.and i have seen a decline in the deer i usually see already.i know its state land but the hunt club my father inlaw belongs to is private,(right next to the stae land) but unfortunatley they dont own the mineral rights so they are tearing it up to..i wish there was something we could do because i was out checking my trail cam today and i see the flagging where they are planning on almost going through our camps front yard..this sucks i wlsh everyone was like me i dont care about money as much as i enjoy taking my family up to the middle of no where to see,hunt and enjoy the outdoors,now thers a big drilling operation,cutting of trees,and laying pipe line all through our (use to be)peaceful spot.thanks for letting me vent im sure it wont be the last.hope everyone has a good season regardless.......