Immediate action should be taken to stop drinking water contamination from leaking natural gas well in Ohio

I just learned from a news article that, in 2008, two families in Medina County, Ohio, reported that their drinking water became contaminated after nearby natural gas drilling and fracking. After the fracking, their water smelled and tasted bad, bubbled, became flammable, and contained a gray slurry of cement. Even though there were documented flaws in the cementing of the wells, state authorities repeatedly told the families that the contamination could not have been caused by the nearby industrial activity. One family has spent $15,000 of its own money for a water cistern so they can have clean and safe water.

In October, 2009, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources documented another source of contamination--an abandoned well near these homes. This natural gas well on a neighbor’s property is not properly sealed and is leaking into the local aquifer.

I am very upset to learn that in two years no action has been taken to reseal that well. This is just one illustration of why Americans across the country do not want new oil or gas drilling in their communities. State or federal regulators should take immediate action to clean up this dangerous contamination. They have the authority to protect an underground source of drinking water. Why haven't they?