Is anyone REALLY anti-fracking?

[OUMallen]

Just curious.

[sooner_born_1960]

Children shouldn't be fracking. Otherwise, I'm cool with it.

[The]

France. (http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=france-bans-fracking-2011-06-30)

[OUMallen]

France. (http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=france-bans-fracking-2011-06-30)

That's cool with me if they are. We don't have any real way to sell natural gas to them, but I like the idea that other countries won't produce their own.

[OutlandTrophy]

New Jersey

[okie52]

France. (http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=france-bans-fracking-2011-06-30)

For a country that gets 80% of its electricity from nukes this is pretty amazing.

[diverdog]

Believe it or not coal companies.

[okie52]

That's cool with me if they are. We don't have any real way to sell natural gas to them, but I like the idea that other countries won't produce their own.

LNG would be a way except France is largely dependent on nukes.

[Midtowner]

Could be. The fact is there's a lot of conflicting information on both sides. The energy industry, historically, hasn't had much of a penchant for the truth when the truth threatened profits. The coal industry would probably have you believe that lead and sulfur dioxide are vitamins. When industry tells us "science" has proven something is harmless, I take 'em with a grain of salt or two.

I also have a problem believing melodramatic eco-nerds who produce documentaries showing burning water coming from taps.

I honestly don't know who or what to believe.

[OUMallen]

Could be. The fact is there's a lot of conflicting information on both sides. The energy industry, historically, hasn't had much of a penchant for the truth when the truth threatened profits. The coal industry would probably have you believe that lead and sulfur dioxide are vitamins. When industry tells us "science" has proven something is harmless, I take 'em with a grain of salt or two.

I also have a problem believing melodramatic eco-nerds who produce documentaries showing burning water coming from taps.

I honestly don't know who or what to believe.

Actually, there isn't a lot of conflicting information, Mid.

[Midtowner]

Actually, there isn't a lot of conflicting information, Mid.

That used to be the case with cigarettes.

The industry has a strong interest in obfuscating any harmful data, and by saying there is none out there, I just don't think that's the case.

Wikipedia has links to peer review studies which show things like 17x the normal concentration of methane being in (on the average) water wells near fracking operations compared to water wells not near fracking operations.

The EPA has a major study due for completion in 2014. To say there's not a lot of conflicting data either means you think it's harmful or it means you aren't aware of the fact that there's actually a lot of data that might suggest that there are significant environmental drawbacks to fracking.

[Chuck Bao]

Honestly, I am really freaked out by the water table issue. Our next door neighbor got licenses to drill several commercial water wells next to our place to irrigate his vast pecan orchards. We didn't catch on until our other neighbor's and our own water wells ran dry. It was already too late to stop that one neighbor from continuing to pump massive amounts of water out. We could only fight back by getting licences for our own commercial water wells. But, we don't need that water but in cases of severe drought and to water our livestock.

I don't know what is involved with hydro-fracking. I would assume that some of it seeps up into the water table as the water table is drained.

Okay, some of you shoot me down. I really, really want you to shoot me down and put my mind at ease.

[okie52]

Could be. The fact is there's a lot of conflicting information on both sides. The energy industry, historically, hasn't had much of a penchant for the truth when the truth threatened profits. The coal industry would probably have you believe that lead and sulfur dioxide are vitamins. When industry tells us "science" has proven something is harmless, I take 'em with a grain of salt or two.

I also have a problem believing melodramatic eco-nerds who produce documentaries showing burning water coming from taps.

I honestly don't know who or what to believe.

Would you believe people at the corporation commission? Just ask them if there has ever been a case of fracking causing contamination of water tables in its 70 year history.

[StoopTroup]

I just like bumper stickers

http://fuelfix.com/files/2011/06/AP110411038190-306x240.jpg

[okie52]

'Fracking' is termed eco-safe at hearing

WITNESS
Oklahoma Corporation Commissioner Jeff Cloud: Gas-field hydraulic fracturing does not pollute groundwater, he said.
By JIM MYERS World Washington Bureau
Published: 4/13/2011 2:26 AM
Last Modified: 4/13/2011 9:14 AM


WASHINGTON - Oklahoma Corporation Commissioner Jeff Cloud told key U.S. senators Tuesday that his agency's record on protecting water from pollution makes it clear that states, not the federal government, should regulate hydraulic fracturing.


The decades-old practice has helped spark a natural-gas boom in parts of the country, along with growing controversy.

"During more than half a century of hydraulic fracturing experience, there has not been a single documented instance of contamination to groundwater or drinking water as a result of hydraulic fracturing," Cloud told the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.

That record, he said, covers more than 100,000 wells in Oklahoma.

Cloud's testimony triggered praise from an unlikely source, Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., who not only led Tuesday's hearing into natural-gas drilling and public health but who also represents a state that has imposed a moratorium on "fracking operations.''

Cardin was critical of both the industry, which he accused of failing to meet even minimally acceptable performance levels for protecting human health, and regulatory agencies that in his view also have failed to do what is necessary to protect drinking water supplies.

What especially impressed Cardin was Cloud's explanation that Oklahoma requires the fluids used in fracking to be either recycled or injected into wells.

Cloud repeatedly offered assurances that those fluids never get into the state's water.

Cardin urged other states to follow Oklahoma's lead.


.

[Midtowner]

Would you believe people at the corporation commission? Just ask them if there has ever been a case of fracking causing contamination of water tables in its 70 year history.

Jeff Cloud?? Are you freaking kidding me? If he said something bad about the natural gas industry, his political career would be over in a heartbeat. Jeff Cloud is a politician, not a scientist. His campaign coffers are stuffed with natural gas, railroad, telephone, etc. money. Probably not a dime from environmental groups.

The way lobbyist money is being thrown around, I think we can pretty much reject anything out of the mouths of elected officials on either side of the issue. I'm sure you industry insiders will say that methane in the water = vitamins or is unrelated to fracking--that's the data your companies are producing, and they definitely have profit motives for presenting that information to you and the public and no real incentive to be truthful.

So I'll wait until the EPA comes out with its report. If it sounds reasonable, I'll consider it. Leaving the states to regulate this issue is absurd though. We let the states regulate pollution of all sorts back until the late 60's. That left us with burning rivers and children with obscenely high levels of lead in their systems.

But if Aubrey McClendon says fracking is safe, I'll believe him. /sarc

[The Profit]

Jeff Cloud?? Are you freaking kidding me? If he said something bad about the natural gas industry, his political career would be over in a heartbeat. Jeff Cloud is a politician, not a scientist. His campaign coffers are stuffed with natural gas, railroad, telephone, etc. money. Probably not a dime from environmental groups.

The way lobbyist money is being thrown around, I think we can pretty much reject anything out of the mouths of elected officials on either side of the issue. I'm sure you industry insiders will say that methane in the water = vitamins or is unrelated to fracking--that's the data your companies are producing, and they definitely have profit motives for presenting that information to you and the public and no real incentive to be truthful.

So I'll wait until the EPA comes out with its report. If it sounds reasonable, I'll consider it. Leaving the states to regulate this issue is absurd though. We let the states regulate pollution of all sorts back until the late 60's. That left us with burning rivers and children with obscenely high levels of lead in their systems.

But if Aubrey McClendon says fracking is safe, I'll believe him. /sarc





Let me answer that for "Ole 52." Yes, he was kidding.

[Midtowner]

Let me answer that for "Ole 52." Yes, he was kidding.

It's hard to tell with some of the folks 'round here.

[okie52]

Jeff Cloud?? Are you freaking kidding me? If he said something bad about the natural gas industry, his political career would be over in a heartbeat. Jeff Cloud is a politician, not a scientist. His campaign coffers are stuffed with natural gas, railroad, telephone, etc. money. Probably not a dime from environmental groups.

The way lobbyist money is being thrown around, I think we can pretty much reject anything out of the mouths of elected officials on either side of the issue. I'm sure you industry insiders will say that methane in the water = vitamins or is unrelated to fracking--that's the data your companies are producing, and they definitely have profit motives for presenting that information to you and the public and no real incentive to be truthful.

So I'll wait until the EPA comes out with its report. If it sounds reasonable, I'll consider it. Leaving the states to regulate this issue is absurd though. We let the states regulate pollution of all sorts back until the late 60's. That left us with burning rivers and children with obscenely high levels of lead in their systems.

But if Aubrey McClendon says fracking is safe, I'll believe him. /sarc

Oh good Lord, you do ramble on. The point, which was obviously lost on you, was that the corporation commission has data on 100,000 wells in OK
and no record of water table contamination due to fracking in OK (or anywhere else for that matter). Surely if such a threat was genuine there would be compelling evidence to establish that as fact in over 70 years of fracking history.

If the EPA says it is not a risk then you'll consider it....wow, big leap for you there. I'm sure it won't matter if McClendon or Obama said it was safe you would have your reservations because it is the oil and gas industry and its all about "profit". Now that is funny coming from a lawyer that thinks innocent people should still be stung for legal costs. Everyone knows that trial lawyers are big fans of the oil and gas industry.

A petroleum engineer or geologist could tell you much better than I could about how hard it would be for frack fluids to migrate from 6,000' to 500' but surely some enviromental zealot could chart such a path. Amazingly it would take hydrocarbons thousands of years to make such a journey and then it would only be possible if no faults and/or caprocks/impervious stone formations were between the source formation and the water table.

The federal government has their own agendas just like you believe exists in the state governments. I much prefer an experienced entity like the Corporation Commission to regulate this issue (as well as others) than a bunch of greenhorns like the EPA which probably doesn't know the difference between the crown and a substructure.

[Midtowner]

So... you're not kidding?

[okie52]

So... you're not kidding?

I thought you were.

[EnragedOUfan]

I am, wholeheartedly.......

In South Texas, they haven't had rain in a very long time........The state is dryer than a fresh set of clothes removed from the dryer.

Yet, they pump millions upon millions of gallons of water mixed with a chemical into the ground........

To me, its a f@cking waste of water, and when they infiltrate (pollute) their drinking aquifer, God help them.

[okie52]

I am, wholeheartedly.......

In South Texas, they haven't had rain in a very long time........The state is dryer than a fresh set of clothes removed from the dryer.

Yet, they pump millions upon millions of gallons of water mixed with a chemical into the ground........

To me, its a f@cking waste of water, and when they infiltrate (pollute) their drinking aquifer, God help them.

Brilliant. Do you ride a bike or just walk to work?

Have they polluted a drinking aquifer?

Do you know where they are pumping the used water into the ground,,,,any idea or just a talking point from some other ignorant website that doesn't care about facts?

[pphilfran]

Brilliant. Do you ride a bike or just walk to work?

Have they polluted a drinking aquifer?

Do you know where they are pumping the used water into the ground,,,,any idea or just a talking point from some other ignorant website that doesn't care about facts?

Enraged folks generally don't think clearly....

[Turd_Ferguson]

I much prefer an experienced entity like the Corporation Commission to regulate this issue (as well as others) than a bunch of greenhorns like the EPA which probably doesn't know the difference between the crown and a substructure.The crown is what the derrick sets on, and the substructure is what the block and kelley hangs from....DERR:rolleyes:

[Chuck Bao]

Come on guys. There is always room for some healthy skepticism and discussion. We are not all as smart or educated as you geologists.

I have a few really stupid questions. How far down does the aquifer go? Is there a horizontal flow underground? Can you drain the aquifer under a few hundred acres without affecting the aquifer under the surrounding hundreds of acres. If there is a horizontal flow underground, why not a vertical flow of water or moisture from several hundred feet below that?

It just seems that hydro-fracking involves pumping water down under considerable pressure to force gas out since gas is lighter than water. At the same time water is lighter than rocks and sand and clay and if there is a fissure the water will tend to seep upwards. Okay, where did I go wrong in my thinking. Shoot me down, please and put my mind to ease.

As I mentioned before, these are really dumb questions and I am currently benefiting financially from this hydro-fracking practice.

[The Profit]

So... you're not kidding?




No, he is an oil and gas zealot.

[OUMallen]

That used to be the case with cigarettes.

The industry has a strong interest in obfuscating any harmful data, and by saying there is none out there, I just don't think that's the case.

Wikipedia has links to peer review studies which show things like 17x the normal concentration of methane being in (on the average) water wells near fracking operations compared to water wells not near fracking operations.

The EPA has a major study due for completion in 2014. To say there's not a lot of conflicting data either means you think it's harmful or it means you aren't aware of the fact that there's actually a lot of data that might suggest that there are significant environmental drawbacks to fracking.

Mid. There is not one, not one, reported instance of fracking causing any damage whatsoever to groundwater out of tens of thousands of wells in any state.

Gasland is not even a documentary. It is a political hit piece that has been debunked in so many ways it isn't even funny. I'd easily suggest here that it is you that is uninformed/naive.

Neeeeext.

[Chuck Bao]

Mid. There is not one, not one, reported instance of fracking causing any damage whatsoever to groundwater out of tens of thousands of wells in any state.

Gasland is not even a documentary. It is a political hit piece that has been debunked in so many ways it isn't even funny. I'd easily suggest here that it is you that is uninformed/naive.

Neeeeext.

I thought that there was a lawsuit in Colorado with evidence of contaminated ground water. Wait, maybe that was a NYT article and should be completely discounted as false and biased.

[Midtowner]

Mid. There is not one, not one, reported instance of fracking causing any damage whatsoever to groundwater out of tens of thousands of wells in any state.

Gasland is not even a documentary. It is a political hit piece that has been debunked in so many ways it isn't even funny. I'd easily suggest here that it is you that is uninformed/naive.

Neeeeext.

What's a "reported instance"? There is no regulatory body to oversee fracking because current law exempts it from EPA regulations.

So you're right, there's no "reported instance" because there's no one to take the reports or make them to.

The EPA is studying the issue, which tends to mean that maybe there is something here. I'm not saying that there is, just that those who depend on fracking for their livelihood and who have only read industry studies are about as credible as the doctors of the early 20th century who told us that cigarettes were good for us and that we had nothing to fear from lead or mercury.

[JohnnyMack]

I don't know whether it's harmful or not. But expecting to hear a fair and balanced argument on a message board in Oklahoma is just naive.

[texaspokieokie]

I'm really anxious to hear what the (Obama) epa has to report. of course, he may be gone by then & we'll have a "drill,baby drill kinda guy in office.

saw in this mornings DMN that obammer wants car & trucks to achieve
56 mpg by 2025.

by then we'll all be used to "mopeds".:P

[texaspokieokie]

if "fracking" was as bad as some say, OK would be a vast wasteland !!!

the complainers are the ones without any mineral rights.

[hawaii 5-0]

Fracking is completely safe. Trust the people that should know.....the owners.


Also completely safe is offshore drilling, nuclear power and oil pipelines through Yellowstone.


5-0


Trump/ Teddy 2012

[pphilfran]

Fracking is completely safe. Trust the people that should know.....the owners.


Also completely safe is offshore drilling, nuclear power and oil pipelines through Yellowstone.


5-0


Trump/ Teddy 2012

The National Park was not affected...the leak was downstream of the park...still a shame that the river itself was contaminated...


There is nothing 100% safe...

[pphilfran]

There was far more harm to Yellowstone from the 1988 fires...fires that were caused by terrible US Forest Service Policy of stopping every fire asap...that allowed an overgrowth of small trees and dead brush...

The result of this US policy was the devastation of nearly 800k acres...nearly 1/3 of the park was impacted....

Long term the fires will actually be a benefit...

[hawaii 5-0]

The National Park was not affected...the leak was downstream of the park...still a shame that the river itself was contaminated...


There is nothing 100% safe...



A little good news is better than bad news. Thanks Phil.



5-0


Trump/ Muir 2012

[pphilfran]

I'm really anxious to hear what the (Obama) epa has to report. of course, he may be gone by then & we'll have a "drill,baby drill kinda guy in office.

saw in this mornings DMN that obammer wants car & trucks to achieve
56 mpg by 2025.

by then we'll all be used to "mopeds".:P

Current law states that by 2016 CAFE standards for autos will be 39mpg and 30 for light trucks...

If the consumer does not want the fuel efficient vehicles and they buy all gas hogs causing the manufacturer to miss the CAFE target the producing company is fined...

I am not a fan of CAFE standards....fuel costs drive efficiency and consumer purchases not CAFE standards...

[Chuck Bao]

if "fracking" was as bad as some say, OK would be a vast wasteland !!!

the complainers are the ones without any mineral rights.

I am not sure I that I can completely agree with your first part there, texaspokieokie. Maybe you are right. It seems that the vast majority of Oklahomans now get treated drinking water from lakes and rivers instead of artesian wells.

All of my family gets their drinking water piped in from Lake Oteka and not from our own water wells. We only use those to water the garden or fill the swimming pool. The older wells are running dry anyway.

I would hope that somebody like Fraggle will be around to tell us that there are harmful substances in the lakes or rivers that cannot be screened out in the filtering process. I guess monitoring the fish and frogs would be an early indication that something could be wrong.

The second part of your post is probably very accurate. But, you can't really blame surface rights owners for complaining. I think I own more mineral rights than surface rights, or at least that is what my dad told me. It is just too confusing to add up all those fractions by the acres, especially since my granddad decided that everybody in the family gets a share in everything concerning mineral rights.

My family's mineral rights are all in southern Oklahoma. Over the last 6-8 months there has been a mini-boom in leasing in the county and the terms are pretty tremendous. I guess hydro-fracking and directional drilling are two very important reasons making gas wells in the county more attractive. I assume that enough commercial gas wells would justify a gas pipeline to ship the gas or building a gas-fired power plant to sell electricity to Dallas.

So, I have a stake in hoping this turns out well for all of us.

I do know that I don't trust the oil and gas companies. They do not deal directly with the mineral rights owners. There is that middleman, the land man, who plays that role. There is no such thing as transparency. Maybe that is just part of the business.

My mom loves our favorite land man. He had sent my family a smoked turkey every Christmas for about 30 years. When another land man offered us a lot of money, my mom was like we can't do that. Give the old fella a chance to match it. We did and he didn't. I really don't think he cares, but probably we won't get a turkey from him this year. So, I guess it is all pretty cut-throat and mean out there in this business.

I think my whole point is that you really can't take what the oil/gas companies say at face value. They hire the land men. They hire the lawyers. They hire the lobbyists. They hire the PR people. It is just what they do.

[I Am Right]

Yep, I am for!!!!

[okie52]

Gov: Drilling report is just the 'fracks'

By FREDRIC U. DICKER State Editor

Last Updated: 2:40 AM, July 2, 2011

ALBANY -- Gov. Cuomo yesterday strongly backed a new report saying the state can safely permit controversial "hydrofracturing" to drill for natural gas upstate, insisting it was based on "facts and science" and "not politics or ideology."

The latter comment was widely seen as a direct shot at a handful of Democratic politicians and some environmental activists who blasted the 900-plus-page state Department of Environmental Conservation report -- even before they had a chance to read it.

"The report comes after tens of thousands of work hours by dozens of professional experts," Cuomo said.

"The DEC carefully balances the need to protect our environment and ensure the safety of the drinking water of millions of New Yorkers and at the same time charts a possible path forward to extract these natural resources safely and under aggressive and effective regulation."


Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/gov_drilling_report_is_just_the_AQKlMPHnuGyp9MGGOX ccwL#ixzz1REsvQve8

.

[Midtowner]

Not a single report of groundwater contamination, huh?


TROY - Calling it "big news," state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Secretary Michael Krancer announced Tuesday in Troy the DEP's fine to Chesapeake Energy of $1,088,000 for violations related to natural gas drilling activities in Pennsylvania, $900,000 of which is for violations in Bradford County.

In a news release, the DEP stated that, under a Consent Order and Agreement (COA), Chesapeake will pay DEP $900,000 for contaminating private water supplies in Bradford County, of which $200,000 must be dedicated to DEP's well-plugging fund. Under a second COA, Chesapeake will pay $188,000 for a Feb. 23 tank fire at its drilling site in Avella, Washington County.

http://thedailyreview.com/news/dep-fines-chesapeake-1-1m-for-violations-chesapeake-and-dep-come-to-agreement-1.1148316

[OutlandTrophy]

DEP determined that because of improper well casing and cementing in shallow zones, natural gas from non-shale shallow gas formations had experienced localized migration into groundwater and contaminated 16 families' drinking water supplies."


this wasn't caused by fracking. Try again.

[Midtowner]

Everything involved with fracking, including well casings and cementing in shallow zones is involved.

[OutlandTrophy]

That was not caused by fracking. I'm sorry you don't know enough about the subject to intelligently discuss it.

This was caused by poor cementing/casing design.

[Midtowner]

So hydraulic fracturing wasn't being used at the site at the Marcellus Shale where the blowout preventer failed, contaminating a stream and causing seven families to be evacuated?

[JohnnyMack]

I case mine in Magnums.

[okie52]

Everything involved with fracking, including well casings and cementing in shallow zones is involved.

Umm, no. Surface casing is set on any well, whether it is productive or not...whether it has been fracked or not. The report also stated:


"A PA DEP-certified independent laboratory performs the test. Previous tests have identified instances of pre-existing methane in local groundwater prior to the start of any drilling activity. Data from the testing programs shows approximately 25 percent of the sampled water sources have pre-existing detectable levels of methane present and 20 percent fail one or more of the EPA's drinking water standards. The PA DEP, United States Geological Society and Pennsylvania State University have shown similar results from their testing programs."


No comment on Cuomo and the NY environmental study? Figures.

[OutlandTrophy]

So hydraulic fracturing wasn't being used at the site at the Marcellus Shale where the blowout preventer failed, contaminating a stream and causing seven families to be evacuated?

are you talking about another well or the one in the article you posted?

[OutlandTrophy]

wait, you post an article about Chesapeake not setting casing deep enough and not cementing properly and you try to use that to rail on fracking?

Then when you are exposed as being ignorant on the subject you post about an EOG well that the BOP failed and now you're trying to use that to say that fracking is bad for waterwells?

you are funny

[okie52]

are you talking about another well or the one in the article you posted?

Yeah, he is talking about a different well that Chesapeake had a blowback on 2 months ago. It blew out frack fluid to the surface that then spilled into a stream before Chesapeake regained control of the well.

[OutlandTrophy]

Midtown, you do realize that Chesapeake and EOG (formerly Enron Oil & Gas) are not the same company and the two different circumstances you mention are not even close to being similar to each other.

You do understand that don't you?

[OutlandTrophy]

http://solveclimatenews.com/news/20100715/blowout-preventer-failure-gas-well-pennsylvania-potentially-catastrophic


Pennsylvanians are wondering if their state could become the next environmental ground zero after officials confirmed Tuesday that irresponsible drilling practices and a failed "blowout preventer" caused the June 3 blowout of a gas well in Clearfield County, Pennsylvania.

Well operator EOG Resources uses controversial "fracking" techniques to harvest gas from the massive Marcellus Shale reserve, where the state has permitted thousands of wells.

No one was injured, but the busted well spewed highly-combustible natural gas and an estimated 35,000 gallons of wastewater that contaminated a nearby spring and stream, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).

[XingTheRubicon]

somebody, no one in particular, needs to stick to stretching out custody litigation

[OUMallen]

So hydraulic fracturing wasn't being used at the site at the Marcellus Shale where the blowout preventer failed, contaminating a stream and causing seven families to be evacuated?

OMFG Mid. Someone was also smoking cigarettes on or near the wellsite. Let's blame that too.

You have no clue what you're talking about, it would appear.

[OutlandTrophy]

Mallen, your avatar always looks like an eagle to me when I first see it.

[OUMallen]

Mallen, your avatar always looks like an eagle to me when I first see it.

People see what they want to see, Outland. People see what they want to see. (Write that down.)

[OutlandTrophy]

:D

[okie52]

OMFG Mid. Someone was also smoking cigarettes on or near the wellsite. Let's blame that too.

You have no clue what you're talking about, it would appear.

That appears to be true, but he does have an agenda.

[tator]

are you talking about another well or the one in the article you posted?
I had a flat tire on the way to work today. I blame faulty spark plugs.

[Aldebaran]

I probably lean toward the green more than most, but I don't have an opinion on it. I have a duo gas/charcoal grill, and I like using both sides of it.

Whether or not we nose it in as a species probably isn't gonna hinge on whether or not we get natural gas out of shale, and obviously we have to be realistic about our energy solutions or live in abject poverty.


And I am just starting to really love my big *** flat screen teebee and 72 degree air conditioning.

[okie52]

I had a flat tire on the way to work today. I blame faulty spark plugs.

That doesn't make any sense....much more likely to be your fuel pump. It has to be due hydrocarbons.

[texaspokieokie]

That doesn't make any sense....much more likely to be your fuel pump. It has to be due hydrocarbons.

and it's Bush's fault.