Chesapeake Energy: Redefining the Art of the Lie

 
I just love this quote - taken from the Philadelphia Inquirer - attributed to Chesapeake Energy's Brian Grove:

Brian Grove, Chesapeake's senior director of corporate development, said that snow melt and precipitation had overwhelmed the site's approved erosion and sediment-control plan and that the company had already halted work to take corrective measures.

Now, to repeat, the company had already halted work. That's past tense. Moving forward, check out this quote, attributed to PA's DEP, from the American Agriculturist:

A routine site inspection on March 8 turned up several infractions of the Clean Streams Law and the Oil and Gas Act. The company didn't respond to the notice. Then, March 21 and 22 inspections discovered additional violations and impacts that resulted in the shut-down order.

Now, if I got this timeline right, the DEP sent Chesapeake a notice of violations discovered during a field inspection on March 8th. Chesapeake ignores it. The DEP comes back a few weeks later and finds even more violations, and shuts Chesapeake down. And Brian Grove claims the work had already been halted. And, if you read any of the many other articles about this shutdown, the local ( Galeton - Potter County ) Water Authority had to find another source of drinking water for its customers thanks to Chesapeake's complete disregard for sediment and erosion control laws!!

Fellow Frackeroos, not only is this not right, it ain't passing the smell test, either. 

I gotta call it like I see it. Chesapeake Energy and the rest of the natural gas industry doesn't give a rat's a$$ about you, me, ours kids or our grandkids ad infinitum. They don't. All they care about is profit, period. They'll suck our rivers dry and turn our commonwealth into the world's largest Superfund site and not    even    blink. The saddest part about this is that there are people out there who just don't get it - who actually believe paid shills like Tom Ridge and the rest of the Marcellus Shale Coalition when they say they care about the environment and our well-being.

Pferd Scheisse.

I wonder what our new governor, and PA's former top cop, has to say about Chesapeake thumbing their nose at the DEP's March 8th notice? Considering he's owned by the NG Industry, probably not too much.

My fellow Pennsylvanians, I'll close with a passage directly from our commonwealth's Constitution:

Political Powers

Section 2.
All power is inherent in the people, and all free governments are founded on their authority and instituted for their peace, safety and happiness. For the advancement of these ends they have at all times an inalienable and indefeasible right to alter, reform or abolish their government in such manner as they may think proper.
 

What are we waiting for?