I don't think Dickinsonians have a thing to worry about with regard to oil wells and salt-water disposal wells in and around Dickinson. They've been drilling wells in North Dakota since 1951 and I am unaware of significant risks to the general public; if there were, The Dickinson Press would have had a three-part series by now, perhaps even a special supplement.
Perhaps the editorial staff should take a drive up to Tioga and Stanley to see how many wells are in and around those towns, or up to Williston to see the new wells inside city limits. Some of the Madison wells were put in during the last boom -- let's see, when was that? Oh, yes, back in the 80s, and some of those wells have been producing for 20 years or more, near where folks live.
Farmers routinely work around these wells; countless numbers of "looky-Lou's" have driven out to the wells to look at them, trespassing on the oil well pads, and then making U-turns on the pads, even those pads that have warning signs for poisonous gas. In fact, I'll bet the editors and staff of many newspapers have trespassed on oil well pads. But probably just once.
But this is the bigger story: in California there are pumpers less than fifty feet from homes in urban neighborhoods. Some are located within a toddler's stone throw of Wal-Mart, K-Mart, or Target. I assume it's the same in other urban states like Pennsylvania and Ohio, but I don't know. But in California it is such an accepted sight -- wells in neighborhoods -- that no one even thinks about them any more.
It is expected that blogs and relatives of such should take a particular stand on a particular issue, but it amazes me that a city newspaper is unable to ever publish positive news about the oil industry.
