In Oklahoma (and other states) the oil and gas companies simply buy the political system...

If any other entity- say ISIS- were poisoning the drinking wells of entire towns, and causing damage to homes and structures over an entire state we would go to war- probably nuke them...

But the companies doing it have bought the politicians and sold the populace a pack of lies- so instead of being annihilated, they get record profits... of which they use a small percentage to buy off the next round of politicians.

In oklahoma, and other states, you can own a piece of land, build a house on that land, raise a family on that land- and if a gas company owns the 'mineral rights' to that land they can come in and destroy the land to put in gas wells, and holding ponds... they can poison your water and make your land unfit for living- because the companies have bought the process and fixed it so that mineral rights will trump property rights.

If you buy some land and don't buy the mineral rights as well, a company can do whatever they want to your land.