Stillwater, OK. It was July. We were driving in unfamiliar territory in central Oklahoma, navigating through dusty, hot ranching communities and along miles of barbwire fence that separated us from distant livestock. The GPS spouted off a series of commands that led to narrower roads with horses, cattle, and homes closer to the fence lines. A mile or so beyond where the pavement ended, we saw it. Continue reading
Documenting human health impacts of exposure to crude oil, tar sands oil, and fracking activities through education, testing & treatment of at-risk populations.
Strengthening policies to protect the public and our workers from oil and chemical exposures. Continue reading
The Pennsylvania Department of Health instructed its employees never to talk to residents who complained of negative health effects from fracking, StateImpact Pennsylvania reported Thursday. Two retired employees of the department detailed restrictions on attending meetings, lists of topics they could not discuss, and a general departmental hostility to the idea of health problems linked to shale gas drilling. The state’s governor, Tom Corbett, declined to comment for StateImpact Pennsylvania’s story. Continue reading
Federal worker safety investigators are looking into the dangers of flowback tanks at oil and gas sites, in response to the deaths of at least four men who collapsed while taking measurements at tanks in the Bakken Shale. Continue reading