"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 speakers, like James L.(the 23rd 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 because 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 

natural 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 that 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, from 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 make 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 side 
effects 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 drink 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 with 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 

Railroad 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 the 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 to 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