Steve Lipsky Responds To Report Clearing EPA of Wrongdoing in Fracking Water Contamination Study

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Steven Lipsky’s phone wasย busyย on the morning of Christmas Eve.ย Theย Environmental Protection Agencyโ€™s Inspector General had just released its report concluding the EPA was justified in intervening to protect drinking water from hydraulic fracturing in Weatherford, Texas, despite assertions to the contrary from the oil and gas industry and Congressionalย Republicans.

In 2010, Mr. Lipsky alerted the agency to his contaminated well water and the fact that he could light his water on fire. An EPA investigation determinedย thatย Range Resources’ hydraulic fracturing activities caused theย contamination.

Sixย Republican senatorsย had quicklyย initiated an investigation of the report, questioning the agency’s motivation and the validity ofย itsย findings.ย 

According to theย Associated Press, Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK) has dismissed the Inspector General’s report confirming that the EPA was justified in issuing an Emergency Order to Range Resources, the drilling company. Butย others, including Sharon Wilson, Gulf Regional Organizer forย environmental group Earthworks, filmmaker Josh Fox and former EPA Regional Administrator Al Armendariz see the report as vindication of theย EPA and Stevenย Lipsky.

So does Mr.ย Lipsky feel vindicated? No, he does not, andย he says he won’t until theย entire story is told andย the truth is completely revealed.ย Additionally, Lipsky wants to see an end to theย $3 million defamation lawsuit filed by Range Resources against him.ย 

When I spoke to Lipsky on Christmas day, he told me the findings in the Inspector General report are just the tip of the iceberg. ย His neighbors are still in a perilous situation and no specific actions are being taken to provide a remedy for explosive contaminates in their water.ย ย 

Steven Lipsky speaks out about the dangers facing his neighbors:

Here is an abridged version of my interview with Stevenย Lipsky:

Do you think the Inspector Generalโ€™s reportย wasย released right before Christmas in hope that it wouldn’t get much mediaย traction?ย 

Absolutely! Come on! I don’t know who is responsible for the timing, but the report was released when most reporters aren’t working. By the time they get back to work, it will be old news.
ย 

People are writing that this report vindicates you, yet you have stated you don’t feel vindicated yet. What more must take place for you to have a sense ofย vindication?

I give the Inspector General credit for this report.ย It is the first positive thing that has happened in the last couple of years.ย It’s aย start, but when the entire truth is told, that is when I’ll be vindicated.ย Our family has been through a tough time, but thatย is not in the report.ย ย 

The reportย citesย the financialย reasons the EPA rescindedย itsย emergency order, but it doesn’t bring up the role political pressure played.ย The EPA didn’t have the money to do the right thing?ย ย Though the scientific tests they ran show Range Resources contaminated the area’s water, they back away from their emergency order though circumstances have not changed? That isย political pressure notย financial

This report notes one of the reasons the EPA lifted the emergency order is because I found another water source for my family. So if you have $100,000 of your own money to protect yourself, you don’t needย the EPA‘sย help? What kind of conclusion is that?ย It isย political.ย 

The EPA no longer needed to protect you after you took preemptive measures to safeguard your family and have water trucked in. What is your reaction toย that?

I hope anyone whose water gets contaminatedย by industryย has the money to do what I did. I found an alternative solution to using my water well out ofย necessityย andย commonย sense.

I had to find a way I could live in my houseย without endangering myย family. I could not afford to walk away from my house. I still have mortgage payments toย make.

The EPAย stood backย when I wasย sued byย Range Resources for over $3ย million and did nothing about it. Range Resources has accused me of libel and the EPA knows it is notย true.ย 

Just because I canย afford toย pay for my own water,ย should theyย stepย aside?ย 

You sued Range Resources after the EPA concluded the company was responsible for contaminating your well. When the EPA later rescinded their order, what was the impact on yourย case?

They made me the sacrificialย lamb.

I’m notย aย scientist, but when the EPA did isotopic testing, which is like finger printing for contaminants, and told me the guilty party was Range Resources, I sued. I trusted the proof they came upย with.ย 

When the EPA rescinded their order they never contacted me to explain. They just left me hanging. I found out through the media.ย Basically the whole basis of my case was that the government said Range Resources didย it.ย 

The EPA‘s explanation for rescinding the order now helps nothing.ย The way I interpret EPAโ€™s rationale is, A) We don’t have the money to do the right thing; B) You have clean water now even though you paid to get it with your own money;ย C) We think the better thing to do with our moneyย ratherย than stand up to Range Resources is to do a cooperative study withย them.

It turns out the EPA‘s sacrifice didn’t get them what they were promised. Range Resources hasn’t given them the access they need to do the planned testing, as far as Iย know.ย 

The report states: The EPA believes the risks to homeowners in the area have been reduced. ย However you have seen recent test resultsย to theย contraryย from an ongoing Duke University study, and tests of your ownย doneย with the same testing equipment industry uses. The new data shows things are more dangerous than ever for your neighbors. Are you surprised this report didn’t reflect the current test results you have sharedย with theย agency?ย 

The Inspector General didn’t review the new tests.ย Iย went to the EPA a few months ago, to Lisa Feldt, and gave her documents and video of everythingย that showย that the Texas Railroad Commission still isn’t doingย itsย job. The EPA has all the numbers from Dukeย and from tests done with Stacey Systems equipment which meets the industry standards that prove it is still a dangerous situationย here.ย 

So, in fact,ย your neighbors are notย safe?

Absolutely, they remain in danger.ย And whenever I re-hooked up my own well to check the readings,ย they areย higher thanย ever.ย 

Your case is not the only one the EPA backed away from. They did similar things in Dimock, Pennsylvania, and Pavillion, Wyoming. Why do you think the agency is backing away from their own findings when it comes to the effects hydraulicย fracturing has on privateย property?ย 

Politics. And limited resources. ย Without naming names, so as not to cause trouble for anyone, I can tell you a person in the EPA told me it isnโ€™t about Range Resources. It is about the entire oil and gas coalition.ย The industry has the resources, and this is a battle the government couldn’t afford toย fight.ย 

What tollย hasย this fight taken and what you have learned fromย it?

This has been a nightmare. The world turned on me and it put me in a depression that almost killed me. It wasn’t until I started getting the information from documents obtained via the Freedom of Information Act giving me proof of what was going on that I began to feel better.ย ย 

From the documents I have obtained,ย there’s enough information for theย guiltyย partiesย to hang themselves. ย So I’veย rolled my sleeves up. Enough is enough. I could give up and die, or do the rightย thing.

Every day I fight back, I get more information. I have enough information to give to the public so that they can see the truth. As long as I can get the truth to the public, things will change.ย ย 

It might take years forย all the factsย to come to the surface, but theyย will. You can try to hide it or bury it, but the truth will emerge.ย  So nowย that’sย my job: to make the world know the truth, to get this all to the public.ย ย 

I’m not against all hydraulic fracturing. ย I’m not saying to shut it all down, but there needs to be regulations to protect people and their homes.ย When industry makes mistakes, they need to admit them, fix the damage, make things right, learn from them and not do itย again.

People are in danger of losing their lives. The EPA needs to come out here and do the proper testing and see for themselvesย thatย these people, my neighbors, are inย danger.

This is not a Steve Lipskyย problem.

People were given falseย information: told theย water is safe to drink and they areย safe.

The intimidation from Range Resources is clearly working โ€” that people haven’t been told otherwise by a government agency shows this.ย Then releasing this report on Christmas Eve,ย purposely trying to keep this informationย down?ย 

The gas company has the right to be arrogant because they have money, resources and political clout to do what ever they wantย to.ย 

It’s not enough toย sit back and pray people in the government do the right thing.ย While they’re getting their act together, I will keep fighting and get the truthย out.

There is one thing in the report’s conclusion thatย seems unclear. It says,ย โ€œIn its official comments and in subsequent meetings, the EPA agreed with and provided corrective actions that address our recommendations. All recommendations are resolved with corrective actions underway. No final response to this report is required.โ€ย 
What corrective measures are those, since the emergencyย orderย wasย rescinded?

None that I’m aware of. ย I welcome them to come and stay in my guest house after I hook the well water back up to it. ย If there is no danger, whyย not?


Lipskyโ€™s house in Weatherford, Texasย ยฉ2013 Julieย Dermansky


Lipskyโ€™s well water set ablazeย ยฉ2013 Julieย Dermansky

Julie-Dermansky-022
Julie Dermansky is a multimedia reporter and artist based in New Orleans. She is an affiliate scholar at Rutgers Universityโ€™s Center for the Study of Genocide and Human Rights. Visit her website at www.jsdart.com.

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