Can you light your water on fire? Bill Ely of Dimock, Pennsylvania can.<br /> <br /> The  Elys are among 14 families near Carter Road in Dimock whose drinking water wells became contaminated with methane and other chemicals after gas drilling on their properties. Cabot Oil and Gas, the company held responsible by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, has had at least 21 spills in Dimock township in less than two years. The Elys' well has so much methane that the water appears carbonated and Bill regularly lights his water on fire to show visitors.<br /> <br /> Hydraulic fracturing or &quot;fracking&quot; is new method of drilling for natural gas: millions of gallons of water, sand and proprietary chemicals are pumped down a well under high pressure. The pressure fractures the shale, opening fissures so that natural gas can flow more freely. In August 2010, fracking is being widely used in the Marcellus Shale formation under Pennsylvania while New York considers a moratorium until the environmental effects can be reviewed. <br /> <br /> The 2005 Energy Policy Act exempted natural gas drilling from the Safe Drinking Water Act (plus some regulations of the Clean Water Act and Clean Air Act), and exempts companies from disclosing the chemicals used during fracking. Scientists have identified volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as benzene, ethylbenzene, toluene, methane and xylene that have been found in contaminated drinking water near drilling sites. Other environmental concerns include surface water contamination, air pollution, forest fragmentation, plus human health problems. On the other hand, gas companies and property owners stand to earn up to one trillion dollars in profits from drilling in the Marcellus Shale.<br /> <br /> &copy; Michael Forster Rothbart<br /> www.mfrphoto.com <br /> 607-267-4893 o 607-432-5984<br /> 5 Draper St, Oneonta, NY 13820<br /> 86 Three Mile Pond Rd, Vassalboro, ME 04989<br /> info@mfrphoto.com<br /> Photo by: Michael Forster Rothbart<br /> Date: 8/2010    File#:  Canon 5D digital camera frame 70054
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