Gas Fracking/Oil Drilling In North Dakota: What Could Possibly GLOW Wrong?

Gas Fracking & Oil-Drilling: "It's not just about earthquakes, anymore".

Oil companies overjoyed with their massive fracking/drilling boom in North Dakota are celebrating by throwing confetti... er, no... they're celebrating by throwing socks.

No, I'm not kidding: They're throwing socks away.  Which wouldn't be all that noteworthy if the socks I'm speaking of weren't industrial filter "socks" that are loaded with RADIOACTIVE WASTE.

And, no, of course they aren't throwing them into sealed, radiation leak-proof containers (if such things exist - I don't think so.) and placing them in official radioactive-waste dumps (cringe).

No... These brain-donors are dumping radium-contaminated filter socks - by the many thousands - into industrial waste bags full and then dumping those inside unsuspecting businesses' dumpsters, inside Native American Reservations, inside abandoned vehicles and - in the worst case (sigh), thus far, they filled an abandoned gas station with them.  That one ranks as the worst, human-caused radioactive accident in N.D.  And, again, I say "thus far".

Because these gas/oil guys don't quit.  And (obviously) they don't care.

When you're making that much money, hand over fist, the chorus line goes:

"Drill, baby... Drill...".

*Hey! I have a great idea: Since we all know they won't stop fracking/drilling/polluting, let's make each and every company that does so account for each and every sock filter they purchase!

Taa-daa... Another Problem Solved!

Check out this Happy Fracking video from The Rachel Maddow Show...

4.0 Earthquake In Youngstown; Official Cause: Natural Gas Fracking

4.0 Earthquake In Youngstown; Official Cause: Natural Gas Fracking
From the "I (Don't) Hate To Say, 'I told you so.'" Files:

Surely, you recall the recent flurry of earthquakes in Ohio?

Ohio, a state not known for having significant seismic activity and yet, within a series of smaller ones, it was shaken by one measuring around 4.0-4.3 recently?

A while back, when I recommended the film "Gasland" for it's subject - natural gas fracking poisoning well-water and causing faucets to behave like blow-torches - I hadn't thought to add "causing earthquakes", too...

Until, that is, they started cropping up.

And now?

Well, now it's Official: Gas Fracking = Earthquakes. (Hurray?)

Here's the link to the NPR story:

Earthquake Strikes Near Ohio Fracking Site*

(*Just ignore the little (Ohio Natural Resource Director) man who's still shouting: "The sky isn't falling on fracking! The sky isn't falling on fracking!". He's just visualizing lots of Big Gas Company $ disappearing much like the supporters of gas-fracking.)

Fracking Anyone?: 5.6 Earthquake Hits Central Oklahoma After Earlier 4.7 (... among others)

What the Frack??*...

Late yesterday (Saturday), a magnitude 5.6 earthquake - Oklahoma's strongest on record - hit near Sparks, 44 miles northeast of Oklahoma City. It was felt throughout the state and in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, northern Texas and parts of Illinois, Wisconsin.

This quake came in the wake of Saturday's magnitude 4.7 quake that was felt from Texas to Missouri.

"Oklahoma typically has about 50 earthquakes a year, but a burst of quakes east of Oklahoma City has contributed to a sharp increase."

"Researchers said 1,047 quakes shook Oklahoma last year, prompting them to install seismographs in the area. The reason for the increase isn't known, and Turner said there was no immediate explanation for the weekend spurt in seismic activity."

"Turner said an active spate of earthquakes started in the region in February 2010 and the latest activity appears to be part of that trend."

"But experts are still puzzled why the latest quakes have been concentrated in such a small geographic area around Sparks, she said."

(*As in "Natural Gas-Fracking, anyone?"...)

Link to MSNBC story:

5.6 Earthquake Hits Central Oklahoma After Earlier Shakers