“Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.” – John Adams

Over the past few days, people from all over the country have been asking about the depositions of two high-ranking DEP officials which touched off the firestorm of criticism over DEP’s practices when it comes to water quality testing near natural gas drilling sites. Many have been quick to attack the facts contained within these depositions without actually reading them, which doesn’t do anyone any good. So I decided to put the links up to each deposition, as well as the letter I received which connected the dots and made me realize I could not in good conscience keep quiet.

There are lots of very concerning details in these depositions which never made it into the letter and have not yet been discussed in the press, so if you have any real interest in the subject you should definitely read up. First up is the deposition of Taru Upahaday, the Technical Director of the DEP Laboratory:

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Next is the deposition of John Carson, DEP Water Quality Specialist. This document hasn’t been discussed much, but there is a ton of info in here and it’s a relatively easy read.

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Finally, here’s the letter I received which really connects the dots. You may actually want to start here first.

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Remember, these are the words taken under oath from DEP’s own employees. So the next time you read the comments from some spokesperson spinning away or some industry-funded attack site trying to distract you, remember where the actual facts came from- within the DEP itself.