A Dairy Farmer Shares Her Story About Fracking: “What Have We Done?”

Carol French stands on her dairy farm in Bradford County, Pa., with heirloom tomatoes harvested from her garden. Once a supporter for fracking with a lease, she turned against it after her neighbors began to experience problems and her water became undrinkable.

In the early spring of 2006, a nice man was in the area, promoting a chance to dream of better times for Bradford County and its farmers. There was promise of jobs for everyone and the farmer would generate money from signing a lease, and if a gas well was drilled on the farmer’s property he would become rich. Two years passed with little activity. By now, the older leases were about to expire, gas companies were beginning to drill, and excitement was in the air. Here, the majority of farmers signed early, receiving $5- $85/per acre. There was this belief that the person with the gas well would become the next “shaleionaires.” We later found out small acre properties started signing leases at $2,500/ per acre. By the spring of 2009, there was uneasiness among some of the farmers who had a gas well drilled on their property. The local newspaper was reporting contamination found in water wells, death occurring on a gas pad and the farmer was facing the fact that he could lose his farm due to a lawsuit based on the gas companies operation. For myself, I was thinking that our lucky neighbor was going to become the next Millionaire, because they had the gas well drilled on them. Soon my mind changed. Those farmers were facing penalties lodged against them, due to their land becoming industrial use instead of agricultural use.

Locals Fight Against Act 13, Pennsylvania’s New Fracking Law

A natural gas well pad in Bradford County, Pa., employing the controversial method hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. Local legislator's want to decide where these wells are located in their districts, but Act 13 would strip them of that authority and pass it on to the state. photo: J.B.Pribanic

Local leaders sue for right to control location of gas wells Natural gas contributions, lobbying dollars flow by Alice Su for iWatch News When Pennsylvania passed a state law that stripped local authority over where potentially hazardous natural [...]

Top Photos, Natural Gas, DEP: The 2012 Letter to Readers

The Public Herald's top photo for 2011, John Strong Bag in "These Economies." An iconic tribute to the occupation of Wall Street and economic uncertainty. © Joshua B. Pribanic

Dear PublicHerald.org readers: As we look ahead at this important year, we’d first like to thank all of our readers. The unfettered nature by which you share, invest in, and contribute to +Truth and +Creativity energizes our original [...]

Chesapeake Energy Helps Pennsylvania Afford Study of Natural Gas Blowout

An out of focus photograph of the well pad in Tioga State Forest, that highlights the difficulty in bringing subjects about natural gas into focus when the Department of Environmental Protection ignores questions from the press about the topic. photo: Joshua B. Pribanic

Chesapeake Fixes Water Well After Blowout to “Be a Good Neighbor” Well Incident Shares Anniversary with BP Gulf Spill, Both Failed Wellheads Manufactured by Cameron International According to Chesapeake Energy (CHK) and its consultant SAIC, the company is [...]

Interview for Hydraulic Fracturing Investigation: Resident/Business Owner Jack Krafft Discusses Bradford County, PA

In Jack's previous work he retired as the director of public safety for the state of Maryland, and before that served as a military intelligence operative traveling worldwide for the armed forces. Recently, Linda retired from the Culinary Department of Gettysburg College and now takes care of the Lodge full-time with her husband. Jack's story about Bradford County is a necessary piece of information when connecting the pieces to what's happening with Natural Gas Drilling in that area.