You may have been introduced to Calvin Tillman, mayor of Dish, Texas in the natural gas drilling documentary, Gasland. Tillman, you’ll recall, was devoting his office to regulating natural gas drilling.
The town of Dish is located on top of the Barnett shale which contains 735 billion cubic meters of natural gas. There are 60 active gas wells. Residents have complained of nosebleeds, pain, and poor circulation since the first natural gas facilities were built in 2005. While the health issues have not directly been traced to the fracking, the air in Dish has been proven to contain high levels of the carcinogen benzene.
Last May, a strong odor from the natural gas facilities filled the town and mayor Tillman’s young sons began to experience severe nosebleeds. Choosing his families health and well-being over politics, Tillman has decided to leave Dish.
Get the exclusive interview at Huffington Post.
