Interesting Sources

The Bailout has produced so much abuse, waste and comment, that the media is missing much and it's difficult to keep up. Taxpayers for Common Sense offers an email subscription that provided the following headline articles ---

Bailout Lacks Measures of Success and Oversight Tools

Bailout Bank Bio: Bank of America (and Merrill Lynch)

Uncle Sam Should Review Sports Sponsorships by Bailout Banks

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The issue of the safety of chemicals used in drilling has been raised elsewhere ( Oil & Gas Drilling Safe? ), so it was surprising when OMB Watch (email subscription also available) published the following, excerpts below, but worth reading in its entirety --

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Gas Drilling Threatens Public with Undisclosed Chemicals
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The natural gas drilling industry refuses to disclose what potentially harmful chemicals are used in thousands of hydraulic fracturing gas wells across the country, despite evidence that the chemicals are poisoning drinking water supplies. As concerns mount, several states are considering action to curb use of the process despite the federal government's efforts to encourage it with large subsidies and environmental exemptions.
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During hydraulic fracturing, also known as "fracking," large amounts of sand and water are pumped at high pressure into a well. This causes small cracks and fissures to open deep in the layers of rock, releasing previously trapped molecules of natural gas. The mixture pumped deep into the ground usually contains a small proportion of chemicals included to reduce friction, prevent clogging of the fractures, and to prevent corrosion of machinery. These chemicals may end up in underground drinking water supplies, be spilled into surface waters, or evaporate as air pollution.
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Among the reports of damage to environmental and public health resulting from hydraulic fracturing are more than 1,000 cases of documented water contamination in Colorado, New Mexico, Alabama, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. In addition to contamination from the below-ground drilling, leaks and spills from trucks and waste pits are also causing problems. Tracking the contamination is especially difficult because drillers refuse to disclose the chemicals being used. Despite the secrecy, some information on the chemical mixture has been pieced together. Among the identified chemicals are volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene, and xylene.
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Since Middleboro is home to its own toxic waste site in the Rockland Industries site (C.E.H.I.C.) and knows firsthand the devastation caused by this type of contamination, maybe we should re-think our Drill, Baby, Drill support. Can we justify elevated rates of ALS, breast cancer, and other illnesses to drive gas guzzlers?