Frackers are chewing up Pennsylvania’s forests

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http://grist.org/news/frackers-are-chewing-up-pennsylvanian-forests/

Frackers don’t just foul the air and the water — they trample nature and carve up ecosystems into inadequate little pieces.

That’s the message coming out of the U.S. Geological Survey, which studied aerial photographs of a handful of Pennsylvania counties where gas companies are using hydraulic fracturing to tap deposits in the Marcellus Shale. The survey’s analysis revealed sweeping damage and forests fragmented by new well pads, roads, and pipelines.

Jason Bell, a member of Marcellus Outreach Butler, told the Valley News Dispatch that the new study offers yet another example of why more careful regulation of the fracking boom is needed. “Often we don’t get a bird’s-eye view of what’s happening,” he said. “It’s easy to see one or two wells and think it’s having isolated effects.”

Here’s what the boom looks like when viewed from above. “Before” shots are on the left, “after” on the right:

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Examples of how drilling permits have led to the fragmentation of habitat in Pennsylvania’s Washington County.

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1. I clicked on the link to the USGS study, and got a message saying that due to the shutdown,

the information is not available.

I'm starting to see red.

Thanks for the post.