News Reporter Claims Threats of Being Shot and Intimidated While Attempting to Cover Cleafield Gas Well Explosion

We linked to this article a couple of days ago on the Marcellus Shale page, but thought it worth publishing the story now as it gains traction in the media.

Michael Morrill, a reporter for Daily KOS, alleges that he was threatened to be shot and intimidated while attempting to cover the gas well explosion recently in Clearfield County.  Here is an excerpt from the article.

Along the way I saw still and flowing water with oily residue. Some of it may be from the spill, but most of it was uphill from the accident site. That means the water in this area is likely contaminated from the numerous gas wells being drilled.

I found a road on a ridge that appeared to head close to the accident site and walked about a half mile on that road when I was stopped by two men in a Gator. They asked me what I was doing out there and I said I was just taking a hike. They told me that I was on property owned by the Punxsutawney Hunt Club and the members didn’t appreciate trespassers. They told me, in a veiled threat, that I should leave now and as long as I was heading out I would probably not get shot.

I’m not one to back down easily, but I wasn’t ready to take a bullet for a grainy video of the spill site. I wished them a good day and turned back to my car, a couple of miles and bridgeless brook away. As I crossed the brook barefoot I noticed another pickup truck parking on the opposite hill, blocking the path. When I approached the truck two men got out. The older man got in front of me and said “Show me some ID.”

I asked him who he was and he grabbed my arm and told me I was on private property.

He also states later on that one of the men made a threat against his life,

As a parting shot the younger one said,” Don’t come back.” I replied, childishly, “I’ll do what I want.” He said, “If you come back you won’t leave.”

The entire article can be found here.