'Conclusive Link' Between Fracking, Aquifer Contamination Found in Texas
Source: Common Dreams
Published on Friday, June 6, 2014 by Common Dreams
'Conclusive Link' Between Fracking, Aquifer Contamination Found in Texas
Scientists say water samples from Texas man's well show identical chemical signatures from nearby gas drilling operations
- Jon Queally, staff writer
Independent scientists who have reviewed a water analysis conducted by state authorities of a Texas resident's drinking well say the chemical signatures found in the water may provide "the nation's first conclusive link" between fracking operations and aquifer contamination.
Though a state investigation—conducted by the Texas Railroad Commission in response to an official complaint filed by landowner and Parker County resident Steve Lipsky—said it found the chemical analysis of the water inconclusive, experts shown the results say the commission was simply wrong. "And not just by a little," reports local ABC-affiliate WFAA News who shared the results with several scientists, "but by a lot."
Lipsky said he has long believed that nearby hydraulic fracturing by the Barnett Shale company was to blame for the increasing amounts of methane and other chemicals in his drinking water. Since 2010, he says, growing amounts of methane have been seeping into the groundwater beneath his land - enough of it so that he can literally light the water coming out of his well on fire.
Barnett says there is no connection between the methane in Lipsky's well and their drilling, but scientists shown the results from the water analysis—specifically one called an isotopic analysis—say the chemical composition shows they are an exact match to the gas being fracked at two nearby drilling sites—called Butler and the Teal—operated by Barnett.
Read more: https://www.commondreams.org/headline/2014/06/06-1
= new reply since forum marked as read
I shudder to think of how bad it could get without the ones we have now.
Good night Judy! Thanks for all you do. 
You might want to read up on it instead of looking at one single (and unrelated) definition in the dictionary 
Established by the Texas Legislature in 1891, it is the state's oldest regulatory agency and began as part of the Efficiency Movement of the Progressive Era. From the 1930s to the 1960s it largely set world oil prices, but was displaced by OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) after 1973. In 1984, the federal government took over transportation regulation for railroads, trucking and buses, but the Railroad Commission kept its name. With an annual budget of $79 million, it now focuses entirely on oil, gas, mining, propane, and pipelines, setting allocations for production each month.
Although it is only a state agency, the Texas Railroad Commission has been historically one of the most important regulatory bodies in the nation. This is because for much of the twentieth century it has strongly influenced the supply and price of oil and natural gas throughout the United States. As its name implies, the commission was originally established to oversee railroads. Riding a wave of Populist-style resentment of the railroads, James S. Hogg won the governorship in 1890 largely on his promise to have them regulated. The state constitution had been simultaneously amended to allow such a body, and in 1891 the legislature established the commission, giving it jurisdiction over rates and operations of railroads, terminals, wharves, and express companies. Governor Hogg's first appointments were John H. Reagan (chairman), Judge William Pinckney McLean, and Lafayette L. Foster. In 1894 the legislature made the agency elective, the three commissioners henceforth serving six-year, overlapping terms in Austin.
(more at the link, and it's a well-researched article)
