Texas homeowner vents methane from water well, sets it on fire

By Laura Conaway
Last week on the Rachel Maddow show, we reported on a decision by the Texas state government about suspected methane pollution in a county west of Fort Worth.

The Texas Railroad Commission, which regulates the oil and gas industry in that state, issued the results of a new study of homeowners’ complaints about methane in their well water in Parker County. The commission staff say they have determined there is not enough evidence to conclude that drilling in the area “has caused or contributed to methane contamination in the aquifer beneath the neighborhood.”

This is the second time the Texas Railroad Commission has closed the case. It first studied the issue in 2011, then took more samples in 2013 after continued complaints from homeowners. Among those homeowners was Steve Lipsky, from the town of Weatherford. We showed video of Lipsky venting methane gas from his water well, from the headspace at the top of the well, and setting it aflame.

As you can see in another video from Lipsky below, he describes drawing methane from the wellhead through the garden hose, while water runs out a different pipe. Lipsky says that when he began complaining about methane in his water, he was advised by the Texas Railroad Commission to vent the well. “They said, ‘You’re not from around here,” he tells us. “They were claiming that if you vent it, your water will be fine.”

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http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/the-flaming-wells-texas