"Tommy Swanson" <randrtravel4@embarqmail

.com>

08/05/2010 12:15 PM To CCG

- ONG@EPA, Bruce Moore/RTP/USEPA/US@EPA, <sarah.eulert@gmail.com>

cc

Subj

ect Oil and Gas: Public

- Arlington, TX Meeting 8/2/10

To Whom It May Concern:

My fiancée and I recently attended the EPA meeting on air quality regarding gas drilling. We sat through four hours of the meeting from 12:00PM

– 4:00PM on August 2, 2010 in Arlington, TX. We heard about 30 speakers from both sides of the fence voice their concerns about drilling for natural gas and the EPA’s involvement in studies that could lead to regulation of the industry. Most of the people opposed to the EPA’s involvement argued that it would affect their bottom

line. Those who were there to ask for help from the EPA were concerned about the health and wellbeing of their families and communities.

We heard a handful of speakers that were opposed to the idea of any regulation on the gas drilling industry. Yet we have seen what happens when we allow industry to regulate itself. I do not think I need to remind anyone of the 100+ days of oil spilling into the Gulf of Mexico or the recent spill in the Kalamazoo River in Michigan. The latter of which was caused by a leak in a pipeline that is owned by the same company, Enbridge Energy Partners, that is replacing leaking storage tanks in the town of Dish, TX. The company did this only after the mayor made public the atrocities caused by the natural gas industry. Many spea kers, like James L.(the 23 rd speaker), opposed to regulation seemed to avoid the health issue completely by rattling statistics on how much tax revenue the gas companies bring to the states and municipalities. Do these people or companies think that becau se they pay taxes they should be exempt from the laws that we all must face? I pay my taxes as well; does that make me exempt from laws that prevent the destruction our air, land, and water? The only other argument I heard against regulation is that

natu ral gas is a clean burning fuel. I do not disagree with this statement. However, this statement applies to ONLY the burning of the fuel. The production of this fuel causes damage to our air, land, and water supplies that is virtually irrevocable. If we cannot produce this fuel in an environmentally safe fashion, I cannot say that it is a clean form of energy. I am not naive. I know we need this fuel, my breakfast was cooked with the use of natural gas, but I believe that we can produce it in a way tha t is safe for the environment and for the people who live and work around the drilling industry.

We also heard from many speakers who were asking for help from the EPA. They asked for regulations on an industry that has been exempt, for far too long, fr om any laws that protect the citizens of our nation. The gas industry likes to say that there is no data that proves what they have been doing is harmful. However, I heard too many speakers with horrible personal experiences around drill sites, which mak e it hard for me to believe it is a coincident. These experiences are not localized to any one spot. You can hear the same stories anywhere there has been drilling for natural gas. Industry standards do not protect the public from the harmful sideeffec ts of drilling. I would like to know if the CEOs of these companies would be willing to live

300 feet from one of these wells, which seems to be the typical setback from homes, businesses, and schools. Would they feel safe allowing their children to drin k from a water well that is close to a drill rig, or breathe the toxic air that is belched from their heavy machines and condensation tanks? I believe they would stay as far from a drill site as possible. The speakers asking for help are concerned only w ith the health and wellbeing of their families and communities. Their feelings are not skewed by money and greed. They state a genuine concern for the people and environment around them. These are the same people who have asked for help from the Texas

Ra ilroad Commission and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. These agencies have been given the responsibility of protecting the citizens of the State of Texas, and have done nothing to improve the quality of life for the people living and working around drill sites. These two agencies have turned a blind eye to the matter. Even when they have found air quality to be harmful, there have been no fines or repercussions for the well operators.

What I learned from your wonderful meeting is that t he gas industry is against regulation because they say it will cost them money and jobs. I do not believe this would be the case, but you are the EPA, remember, Environmental Protection Agency, not the Economic Protection Agency. Your agency was formed t o protect this country and the citizens of this country from dirty industry. It should not be your concern how much it costs these companies to clean up their act. It is not their right to make money at the expense of OUR clean air, water, and land. It is, however, the citizens of the United States of America’s right to breathe fresh air, drink clean water, and live on unpolluted lands. I urge you to step up and do what is right for the citizens of

OUR nation and OUR environment.

Tommy Swanson

Krum, TX