In 1930, my greatgrandparents purchased a beautiful farm in Bradford County, PA, in a little hamlet called French Azilum. In the summer, we spent time there, resting, breathing in the fresh air, enjoying the wild flowers, the bright stars and planets on a clear moonlit night, and swimming in the Susquehanna River. If gas drilling is allowed to continue, Bradford County and all of Pennsylvania will be forever changed, ruined beyond repair.
A Louisiana farmer lost 19( some accounts report as many as 30) of his cows on Tuesday. Many of the cows had calves, but none of the calves died. A spokesman for the LA Department of Environmental Quality reports that "It looks like some type of production fluid has run offsite and the cows got into it, ingested it." A nearby gas well owned by Chesapeake Energy may be the culprit, but no determination has been made yet until test results come in. The cows, referred to as "livestock," since they are destined for the slaughterhouse undoubtedly, died near rain puddles in their pasture which is about 150 feet from the well. Local residents said they saw the cattle foaming at the mouth, bellowing, and had bleeding tongues.
When the wells come to French Azilum, what will happen to our next door neighbor Farmer Brown's horses which his granddaughter rides when she competes? (He is so proud of her.) If the horses, barn cats, and valley dogs start keeling over, it will be way past time to leave. Will there be another peaceful, beautiful place left to go?
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