We’ve added two new videos to the GasWellStudy channel at YouTube (youtube.com/gaswellstudy). In the first, Gas Well Study Cooking Class: Making Fracking Gel, we make a gallon of liquid gel fracking fluid. This results from part of our continuing study of the effects of chloride on vegetation. This year we began applying other components in waste that is normally land applied, in this case fracture gel alone and then with chloride.

The second video consists of two interviews with West Virginians who have lost their domestic water supplies due to the effects of Marcellus drilling. It is titled Bottled Water because once their supplies were poisoned, the only solution now for them is buying their water. The state doesn’t seem to intervene when a driller contaminates water. Affected persons must seek redress through the courts.

We’re working on more videos and have lots of great interview material from both Bonnie and Paul who appear in Bottled Water.

Once I can figure out how to configure the YouTube embedding for size, I’ll start put in the normal video links. Until then, clicking on the titles will get you there, or go to www.youtube.com/gaswellstudy.

We put up another YouTube video yesterday, titled Natural Gas: Blunders and Numbers.

The state was not able to pass new regulations for the oil and gas industry in the most recent session earlier this winter. That’s not really a huge surprise, considering how much pressure the industry was putting on both the legislative and executive branches to do nothing. It’s always putting pressure so that nothing is done which is why things are in the shape they are now: contaminated streams and rivers, contaminated ground water, well site accidents, and more.

Our newest video is about what we’ve seen in our area in respect to industry’s compliance to the state’s laws. It’s not a pretty picture, especially when the numbers get totaled and compared to the 55,000 producing wells in this state. West Virginia has a serious problem.

Attempts now are being made to pass new regulations during an interim session. Our fears are that whatever happens it will be more of the same.

More soon!