This article was originally posted Dec. 8 here

By RAMIT PLUSHNICK-MASTI
Associated Press © 2010 The Associated Press

HOUSTON — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued an emergency order against a Texas gas driller Tuesday, accusing the company of contaminating an aquifer and giving it 48 hours to provide clean drinking water to affected residents and begin taking steps to resolve the problem.

This article was originally published on Nov. 6, 2010, in The New York Times.

By CLIFFORD KRAUSS and TOM ZELLER Jr.

In the sparsely populated pastures of De Soto Parish in Louisiana, the ability to extract gas from shale — which can involve a process known as fracking — has been welcomed as an economic windfall. Some residents call it a gift from God.