Le gaz naturel et l'asthme

Graphique: earthworksaction.org

Une bloggeuse au Texas pense que les cas nombreux d'asthme chez les enfants qui vivent dans la région de Dallas-Fort Worth sont causés pas l'exploitation du gaz naturel. Les comtés qui ont le plus d'enfants asthmatiques coïncide avec les régions qui comptent le plus de puits de forage dans la formation de schiste Barnett.

Il y a des puits de forage dans des cours d'école et pratiquement dans les cours arrrières des gens. Il y en a partout. Selon une scientifique, les fuites et les déversements pendant le forage contaminent le sol, l'eau souterraine et les cours d'eau. Le gaz naturel peut contenir du benzène, un cancérigène reconnu. Pour les propriétaires terriens qui ont signés des baux, ils ont des droits de surface mais pas des droits miniers. Tout d'un coup, un jour tout l'équipement lourd s'amène et ils endurent tous les impacts négatifs.

Pour ceux qui vivent au-dessus des schistes qui contiennent du gaz naturel, on conseille de s'assurer que les gouvernements exigent les meilleures pratiques de forage . Un pamphlet "Drill-Right Texas" a été mis disponible en ligne pour télécharger sur le site de EarthWorks afin d'assurer les meilleures négotiations possible entre l'opérateur et le propriétaire terrien, la meilleure protection pour l'eau et les sols, la santé humaine et la protection de la vie sauvage environnante.
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"Shale gas drilling harms the environment and poses health risks

Sharon Wilson believes asthma rates among children in the Dallas-Fort Worth area reached staggering heights because of shale gas drilling. "Is it coincidence that the counties with the highest numbers of childhood asthma coincide with the core and most heavily drilled areas of the Barnett Shale?" she wrote in her blog in January.

Wilson, who owns land and mineral rights above the Barnett Shale, began working to help people negatively affected by oil and gas development in January. Her independent blogging and part-time work with the Texas Oil and Gas Accountability Project grew out of the concern she had for her community, where drilling is pervasive and harming the environment, she said. "Here they have drilling rigs sitting in school yards, and there are just some places where they ought not to drill," Wilson said. "The problem is natural gas is everywhere," she continued. "They're drilling practically in people's backyards. If you look at the map, it's just everywhere."

The activity leads to a number of environmental and health risks, said Wilma Subra, a scientist and environmental advocate. Spillage and leakage during drilling may contaminate the soil, groundwater and surface water bodies, she said. Natural gas may contain benzene, a known carcinogen, which may be found in water and in air emissions. It can be particularly harmful for the people who live near drilling wells, Subra said. "You don't want to have it to where you're exposed to it all day everyday in your home," she said. For landowners collecting royalty checks from the gas companies, it isn't always a picnic. "If you don't own the mineral rights but own the surface rights, just one day and the equipment starts rolling in, and then you have all these impacts," Subra said.

Wilson, who said she is very concerned for the people in South Texas, urged people living on top of the Eagle Ford to ensure that their governments enforce the best drilling practices. They can do that by printing out "Drill-Right Texas," a document written by the organization EarthWorks that details best practices for operator-landowner negotiations, water and soil protection, human safety and wildlife protection, she said."

Excerpts of article written by Jj Velasquez published in the Victoria Advocate here: http://www.victoriaadvocate.com/news/2010/apr/11/jv_con_shale_gas_041210_91900/?business&local-business

Link to the EarthWorks site and to download "Drill-Right Texas" here: http://www.earthworksaction.org/publications.cfm?pubID=444