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Neighbor News

Community Update

*** *** *** SAVE INDIAN SPRINGS FROM UNDERGROUND WASTE INJECTION *** *** *** PUBLIC COMMENTS ACCEPTED THRU NOV 25 : MILLER.ANNA@EPA.GOV

Thanks to White Lake Twp for the Anti-fracking resolution and regards to Highland Township for being more proactive, diverting damage from their community with ordinances against the trucks and equipment used for horizontal drilling. Much appreciation to our water commissioner Jim Nash for empowering information and options for our communities energy resources. 

Please contact our representatives, including the environmental chair @ mich.gov and let them know you care how your community will be used to export your resources to profit Michigan's biggest fracking investors, China and Japan. It brings no jobs or benefit or even lower fuel costs to the communities for the risk and loss and damages we bear. 

Beside lingering hydrogen sulfide fumes over White Lake Rd marshes and open pits for runoff from rigs near Huron Clinton headwaters, there has already been unusual well water contamination (black water from faucets) coinciding with Indian Springs oil wells for neighbors on separate water wells. They were denied any response and unable to afford the water test admitted by the State. 

How much is it worth to poison families in our community ? Without demanding testing and transparency of drilling operations and impacts, we are responsible for allowing this now. The companies claim "no fracking" but whatever they call it, they are already producing gas as well as oil with horizontal drilling here. Oil and gas industry websites baiting investors will tell you more about the wells in your own neighborhood than DEQ or MSU. DrillingEdge.com has 2013 maps, company names and production rates. Incident reports of contamination however, cost hundreds of dollars to obtain from the State.

Unfortunately the State is under pressure to develop resources and can be sued by the companies for not complying. The DEQ is funded wholly by the companies themselves, as stated by Hal Fitch at the Highland Township meeting last Fall, there is no general funding. With only a handful of personnel to attend thousands of wells, they can only regulate on paper. 

Thanks to campaign funding, our Michigan officials are indebted to allow the oil and gas industry to produce as it pleases. Michigan is leasing minerals at a few $dollars / acre unlike most states at $hundreds or thousands, and unlike most states we give drillers our water for free, offering them to quickly ravage sensitively connected water systems and habitats, which can't be repaired or reproduced for generations. 

The current oil gas development is not being offered in an above-board legitimate way. The leases are being pushed illegally because the companies do not stand by what their salesmen say. Please warn neighbors: The leases are not written to profit or protect landowners, but remove land use rights and deny liability for damages and contamination. Everyone should first get a lawyer and groundwater test ! 

These drilling companies have claimed if you don't lease you will lose out, they will take care of you but if you don't let them, someone else can come do something worse.. They say if you drive a car you have no right to refuse. This is not lawful business practice, if you deserve to drink oil in your well water because you drive a car ! 

These companies are bullying, unsafely exploiting and exporting resources from communities, funded by multinationals corporations and investors. They use different company names for the same operators and many operators use the same office address. They pitch themselves as local family-owned operations, but it is an industry-wide system the mega multinationals call their non-operating interests. They are set up this way to deny cost and liability for communities loss and damages. 

This oil and gas movement is invested in marketing and profits but not safe practice. They don't own our life, land and resources. Please, take care of our community and don't be swindled. Honorable, safe and legitimate businesses don't need these fast-pressuring tactics. 

It is up to us each as citizens to protect ourselves and resources for future generations by refusing predatory interests who are not here to profit the community but at the communities expense. They like to make an advertisement of you, but the benefit is not going to local families and communities, our resources are being taken surreptitiously at our communities expense and detriment.

 DON'T LEASE IF YOU LOVE WHITE LAKE !! ~ Lifelong White Lake Resident :)

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