about the disastrous effects on the health of the citizens of his town
caused by hydraulic fracture gas drilling. Please tell all your friends and neighbors!
ONEONTA, Tuesday, February 16 from 7-9, Unitarian Universalist Society, 12 Ford Avenue.
DOWNSVILLE, Wednesday February 17 from 7-9 p.m., Downsville Central School, Room A 15.
It’s not often that a mayor of a town with a population of less than 200 becomes the focus of national attention, but since last summer, DISH Texas Mayor Calvin Tillman has been in the spotlight.
In response to numerous health complaints, Tillman and the DISH City Council spent almost 15 percent of the town’s annual budget on an ambient air study that confirmed what many DISH residents long suspected – the natural gas infrastructure around their town was emitting high levels of toxic emissions and making them sick. (DISH is located in the heart of the Barnett Shale gas fields. It has 11 compressor stations, three metering stations and 20 pipelines within two square miles.)
The independent study, conducted by Wolf Eagle Environmental engineers and consultants, confirmed the presence of high concentrations of carcinogens and neurotoxins in the air, and reported that some town residents tested positive for chemicals being emitted from the natural gas facilities. According to Wolf Eagle, almost all the town’s residents who participated in the study reported smelling noxious odors and over two thirds of them reported respiratory illnesses including breathing difficulties and bronchitis. DISH residents also reported many other diseases associated with high concentrations of airborne toxins including burning eyes, nausea, dizziness, irregular heartbeat and pre-cancerous lesions.
In response to the Wolf Eagle report, the state of Texas announced that it will take a closer look at air quality in the state’s natural gas fields, and has promised to respond more quickly to odor complaints. The Texas Department of Health and Human Services has agreed to test DISH residents in what will be the state’s first look at the impact of drilling toxins on human health. The federal Center for Disease Control has also announced that it will sample the blood and urine of DISH residents for a study of its own.
Tillman will be coming to the Marcellus region this month to speak at public meetings, and to confer with public officials in Broome, Delaware, Otsego and Susquehanna (PA) counties. He is scheduled to appear at the Unitarian Universalist Society, 12 Ford Avenue, on Tuesday, February 16 from 7-9 and at the Downsville Central School, Room A 15 on Wednesday February 17 from 7-9 p.m. These events are free and open to the public.
Tillman insists on paying his own travel expenses, and he refuses to accept any compensation for his public speaking engagements. In recognition of his extraordinary efforts to protect the health of his townspeople, Tillman was recently honored with the 2009 Gold Star Texan award by the Texas Progressive Alliance.
For more information, visit the town’s website (www.townofdish.com) and see Mayor Tillman’s blog at http://baddish.blogspot.com. It provides links to the Air Quality Assessment and a number of relevant news articles.