Up close and personal ... Journalism teacher Chris Stein speaks with Mayor Tillman after a hydro-fracturing meeting in Binghamton.
Calvin Tillman Visits Binghamton to Warn Against Hydro-Fracturing
By Erika C. and Ross A.
“Anything in this process is a hazard,” declared Calvin Tillman in a presentation on natural gas drilling.
Tillman, the mayor of DISH, Texas, spoke to a crowd in the auditorium of Binghamton East Middle School on February 18 about the experiences his town has had with the gas drilling process.
DISH is a small town in Denton County, Texas. With a population of around 180, you would not think it is well known. That, however, is not the case.
Originally known as Clark, the town received national publicity in 2005 when it changed its name to DISH in exchange for free satellite service.
Recently, the spotlight has returned to DISH with natural gas drilling companies in the town and Tillman’s efforts to improve their practices. DISH has been a major drill site since 2004 when the first lease was signed with Enbridge Energy. Located in the middle of the Barnett Shale, the largest and most active natural gas deposit in the country, DISH is where 11 high pressure natural gas lines converge. Five gas companies dominate the area, including Enbridge and Energy Transfer. There are 80 wells inside the town limits, and more than 50 outside.
When residents of DISH first signed leases, they were optimistic that gas drilling would bring in money and create jobs. But the boom was short-lived.
Shortly after drilling began, residents started complaining about the odor and the noise, and began experiencing health problems.
In one case, a family was horrified when drilling began just 200 feet from their house where their nine-year-old daughter played. When they asked for the location to be changed, the company responded by turning high powered spotlights on the house all night.
When residents began complaining about the smell, which they did for a year, they were told it was an “odorant.” When it got progressively worse, the five major gas companies conducted a joint air study. They concluded that “no natural gas leaks were found that would be detectable to the human nose.” The problem was, however, that these companies did not look for any specific toxins in the air.
Tillman was dissatisfied with the results of the study and took matters into his own hands. DISH spent 15% of its annual budget to perform its own air study. Samples were taken at different locations on private property and the results were alarming. The study showed that the toxins in the air were 100% over what would be safe to inhale. Carcinogens, 16 different toxins, and numerous neurotoxins were all detected. “When the air study came back I was left thinking, “What am I going to do next?” Tillman said.
Tillman followed up by conducting a health assessment in DISH. He surveyed 31 former and current citizens asking them about their health complications. When the data was analyzed, it showed that 61% of the health conditions reported were common side effects caused by the toxins that were found in the air study previously conducted. The health effects include: difficulty breathing, sinus problems, severe headaches, brain disorders, increased fatigue…etc.
The study performed by Tillman caught the attention of the Texas State Health Services and The Centers for Disease Control. They have started their own study by taking blood and urine samples from 28 residents of DISH. The results are expected to be released in a few weeks.
Since his study was conducted and while awaiting the results of the CDC’s tests, Tillman has been trying to clean up the mess that natural gas drilling has imposed upon his small community. He has been in contact with the government and is trying to raise awareness about the risks that hydro fracking entails. Tillman is speaking to communities in the Marcellus shale, like Binghamton and Dimock, Pa. so that if and when natural gas drilling occurs in New York, both landowners and the community are protected and well informed.
Some of Tillman’s suggestions are urging gas companies to employ “green-completions,” which include several different devices and methods that can be used to reduce the environmental and health risks that drilling poses. He also suggests imposing a severance tax on gas companies, developing separate groups for the environmental decisions, and giving the local governments the major control over the process. He also thinks that wells should never be too close to houses or in risky places such as schoolyards or parks.
“I hope that this makes the situation that you have better than what we have in the Barnett Shale,” said Tillman.
