To be or not to be

EPA Promises Water for Dimock PA, Reneges 24 Hours Later

The news out of Dimock, PA is coming so fast and furious, it’s hard to keep track of it all. First, a brief background on the situation in Dimock, the context you almost never read in the mainstream media:
 

In 2008, Cabot Oil & Gas drilled a number of Marcellus Shale gas wells in Dimock Township in Pennsylvania, a rural area in the northeastern part of the state, in Susquehanna County. Homeowners located along the Carter Road area noticed high levels of methane in their drinking water. After an investigation by the PA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), the DEP fined Cabot in 2009 stating that Cabot’s operations in the area caused methane to migrate into a local water aquifer serving anywhere from 13 to 19 houses, depending on the changing storyline.
 

The PA DEP worked out a deal whereby Cabot would deliver fresh water via tanker to each of the homes, and while doing so, would be required to install filtration systems that would remove methane from their water. Drinking water that has methane (natural gas) does not harm humans. But methane can lead to explosions if it concentrates and comes into contact with a spark or flame. The DEP also ordered Cabot to compensate affected families twice the value of their property, so those affected could buy new homes should they chose to.
 

Here’s where the issue gets murky, and what you don’t read in press accounts most of the time: 11 of the 19 families receiving water from Cabot refused to let Cabot install filtration systems and refused compensation for their properties. In fact, many (all 11?) have denied Cabot the right to test their water. Instead, they are suing Cabot, hoping for a huge payout. The PA DEP grew tired of their refusals to allow more testing, and after two years finally told Cabot they could stop water deliveries to the families who refuse to settle and will not allow testing. So Cabot stopped delivering water Nov. 30, 2011, and of course anti-drillers and the complicit media have had a field day demagoguing the issue....