Gas Wells Are Not Our Friends

Bradford County Man Dies After Fracking Operations Started Nearby

2012-01-27T20:45:00.000-05:00

Here is the story of Carl Stiles who died this week from illness very likely caused by gas drilling contamination.
http://www.gasdrillingtechnotes.org/uploads/7/5/7/4/7574658/nys_assembly_003_judy_stiles.pdf

Judy and Carl Stiles lived in the Sugar Run Area of Bradford County. Carl's death came very swiftly. He and Judy moved to the area in November of 2010. In January of 2011 Chesapeake Energy knocked on their door and offered a lease and promised that they would not have a well, but would make a lot of money from a pipeline. They signed. Now Judy is very sick and Carl is dead from cancer.

Rest in Peace, Carl

by Dory Hippauf on Friday, January 27, 2012 at 3:50pm

Fracktivist Carl Stiles, of Bradford County, PA, died last night, after living with illnesses caused by shale gas drilling. Mr. Stiles was forced to move away from his Bradford County home as an environmental refugee.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbIOgfAddo&feature=youtu.be

Carl Stiles had intestinal cancer which he blamed on Chesapeake’s gas drilling. He and his wife abandoned their home last November at the urging of a toxicologist who found barium, arsenic, and VOCs (volatile organic chemicals) in Carl’s blood. Strontium, uranium and radium were found in their water. They’ve been told to expect to get leukemia within two years.

http://waterandmoreblog.com/2011/06/21/gas-drilling-disrupts-lives-endangers-health-in-bradford-county-pa/

Call the White House NOWask Obama how many more have to die before the corporate greed is satisfied

Call Obama at 1-888-925-7006.

When you dial 888-925-7006, you'll hear a message and then be connected to the White House Comment Line. Simply tell the volunteer on the line that President Obama must protect his constituents and walk away from fracking for shale gas.

The White House Comment Line is open Monday - Friday from 9am to 5pm EST

If you did get through on the phone - WRITE A LETTER TOO

http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/submit-questions-and-comments

REST IN PEACE, CARL STILES

It Pays To Pay Congress: Big Oil and Gas Profits

2012-01-26T22:28:00.001-05:00

President's Speech Misses Mark in Addressing Concerns Over Fracking

2012-01-25T17:20:00.000-05:00

The President Gives the State of the Union Speech January 24th

Environmental Working Group weighs in on the president's State of the Union Speech. Read the article here.

NY Department of Environmental Conservation Fines Driller For Polluting Stream

2012-01-25T10:21:00.001-05:00

Allegany State Park scene

This week New York environmental regulators are seeking $187,500 in fines against a gas drilling company in Pennsylvania for polluting Yeager Creek, a designated trout stream in New York's Allegany State Park. The drilling was done by U. S. Energy Development Corp. Storm water runoff from U. S. Energy's roads and well pads in Pennsylvania's Allegheny National Forest washed a large quantity of mud into the creek which is located in New York's Allegany State Park. So the problem occurred in Pennsylvania and then continued on into New York. Mud spills know no boundaries.

Read more here.

In the above Times Union article, you will read some very interesting facts:

U.S. Energy has repeatedly fouled Yeager Creek since August 2010.
U.S. Energy agreed to fix surface drainage problems but did not do so.
The wells causing this pollution were vertical, not horizontally hydrofracked.
U.S. Energy denied any problems and will dispute the fine.
In July 2009, PA environmental officials fined U.S. Energy and halted drilling at most of its wells because of hundreds of "persistent and repeated" environmental violations over the previous two years.

It appears that U.S. Energy Corp. has a very bad record on environmental issues. Repeat offenders in U.S. courts, for example, DUIs, are dealt with more harshly. Will this gas company be allowed to go merrily on its way and continue to disregard the environmental health of our valuable forest lands?

DEC Press Release

"This enforcement action should provide a strong deterrent to other oil and gas well operators in New York and neighboring states whose operations impact New York's natural resources," said DEC Deputy Commissioner and General Counsel Steven Russo. "We will not allow U.S. Energy's actions in Pennsylvania to negatively impact New York's waters."

Sandra Steingraber: "I feel like we're old friends."

2012-01-24T18:32:00.000-05:00

Dr. Sandra Steingraber speaks at Albany Rally January 23rd

Albany rally speech, 1/23/12 “Fracking Abolition” - Sandra Steingraber

by Raising Elijah by Sandra Steingraber on Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Hi, everybody. After three years of fighting fracking together, I feel like we’re old friends.

You know my story:

How I grew up in a heavily industrialized river valley in Illinois just downwind and downstream from the state’s biggest pollutors—dirty coal, ethanol distilleries, aluminum smelters.

How my hometown drinking water wells were contaminated.

How I developed bladder cancer at the age of twenty.

How, years later, as a biologist, I learned that I was just one data point in a cluster of cancers in the zipcode that I call home.

You know that when I became a mother—the most beautiful thing that ever happened to me—I moved my children to upstate New York to get away from all that, only to find myself in the crosshairs of the world’s largest and most polluting industry, with 40 percent of the land in my county already leased for the carcinogen-depended process of fracking.

And, as if that were not enough irony for English professors, hear this: The riverside bluffs of Illinois are now going to be strip-mined for frack sand. So the remains of the beloved landscapes of my childhood can be carted off and —absent our intervention—shoved into the fractured landscape of my children’s childhood.

Beautiful grains of Illinois River sand forced into fissures of shale, forced to prop open the shattered bedrock of New York so that all manner of explosive vapors and carcinogenic materials—arsenic, radium, uranium, benzene—can come flying out like bats out of Pandora’s box.

Exposing the people I grew up with in Illinois to carcinogenic silica dust. Exposing my children here to smog and radon.

Today, friends, let’s speak plainly.

Fracking is wrong.

Fracking is unmitigatable. Sooner or later, steel and concrete disintegrates. Sooner or later, gas wells open portals of contamination between drinking water aquifers and the toxic materials held in the bedrock below. Doing fracking “right” simply means building time bombs with longer fuses.

There are no places in New York and no children in New York that we are willing to sacrifice to the fracking gods.

So. Withdraw the sGEIS fig leaf and start the hell over.

Over the past three years, we have spoken many clear and beautiful words, in testimonies, in speeches, at hearings, on the banks of the Delaware River, and as far as I can see, there is just one word left to say. I offer it to you as a torch to carry with you into all your meetings today.

It’s the answer to the riddle, “What do Harriet Tubman and the Bulgarian Parliament have in common?”

And the answer is: ABOLITION

Harriet Tubman. Citizen of Auburn, New York. The most famous conductor of the Underground Railroad.

Harriet Tubman did not advocate for state of the art slavery or for promulgating 1500 pages of regulations about slavery or for allowing a few showcase plantations in the Southern Tier to demonstrate how slavery could be done right.

Harriet Tubman settled for nothing less than a total ban, on the grounds that slave labor—however useful to the economy—is a homicidal abomination.

Last week, Bulgaria announced a total ban on fracking. The ban covers the whole nation and it is permanent and unlimited. Permits to frack, held by Chevron, have been revoked. Bulgaria has abolished fracking. The Bulgarians are fracking abolitionists.

How did they do that?

The Bulgarians marched in the streets of twelve cities. The Bulgarians blew whistles and banged on drums and played fight songs on bagpipes. The Bulgarians employed giant, winged stilt-walkers, edgy street theater, and very cool public service announcements.

And when their parliament said, “Okay, fine, here’s a temporary moratorium, the Bulgarian people said, “Not good enough! We’ll settle for nothing short of abolition,” and they marched in the streets again until their parliament voted 166 to 6 for permanent ban.

So, New York, are we meeker than the Bulgarians?

Are we more frightened?

Are we more resigned to a toxic future?

Here is a loaf of bread from a bakery in my own village of Trumansburg, New York.

You’ve seen me hold this bread before. You’ve seen me carry it into the state assembly chambers and submit it as testimony. You’ve heard me say that the flour that makes up this bread is ground at a local mill and that the heirloom wheat that makes up this flour is grown in local fields. And that the flour in this bread makes up the bodies of my children.

Well, today, we’ve brought more than a hundred loaves of this bread, a symbol of the bounty of New York, and we’re going to bring them to our governor, with the message, “Break bread! Not shale!” To tell you about this plan, I would now like to introduce to you the baker of this bread, my hero, Stefan Senders, of the Wide Awake Bakery.

Wide Awake Bakery, 4361 Buck Hill Road, S., Trumansburg, New York 14886
The millers, Greg Mol and Neil Johnston, and the farmers,
Erick Smith and Thor Oeschner, make up Farmer Ground Flour of Trumansburg.

BREAK BREAD, NOT SHALE!

U.S. Cuts Estimate for Marcellus Shale Gas Reserves By 66%

2012-01-24T18:13:00.000-05:00

By Christine Buurma - Jan 23, 2012

The U.S. Energy Department cut its estimate for natural gas reserves in the Marcellus shale formation by 66 percent, citing improved data on drilling and production.

About 141 trillion cubic feet of gas can be recovered from the Marcellus shale using current technology, down from the previous estimate of 410 trillion, the department said today in its Annual Energy Outlook. About 482 trillion cubic feet can be produced from shale basins across the U.S., down 42 percent from 827 trillion in last year’s outlook.

“Drilling in the Marcellus accelerated rapidly in 2010 and 2011, so that there is far more information available today than a year ago,” the department said. The estimates represent unproved technically recoverable gas. The daily rate of Marcellus production doubled during 2011.

The estimated Marcellus reserves would meet U.S. gas demand for about six years, using 2010 consumption data, according to the Energy Department, down from 17 years in the previous outlook.
The Marcellus Shale is a rock formation stretching across the U.S. Northeast, including Pennsylvania and New York. Shale producers use a technique known as hydraulic fracturing, which involves pumping water, sand and chemicals underground to extract gas embedded in the rock.

Geological Data

The U.S. Geological Survey said in August that it would reduce its estimate of undiscovered Marcellus Shale natural gas by as much as 80 percent after an updated assessment by government geologists.

Shale gas will probably account for 49 percent of total U.S. dry gas production in 2035, up from 23 percent in 2010, the Energy Department said today.

Gas’s share of electric power generation will increase to 27 percent in 2035 from 24 percent in 2010, the report showed.

The department also said the U.S. may become a net exporter of liquefied natural gas in 2016 and a net exporter of natural gas in 2021. U.S. LNG exports may start with a capacity of 1.1 billion cubic feet a day in 2016 and increase by an additional 1.1 billion cubic feet per day in 2019, the department said.

LINK to article.

So the Marcellus Shale gas will provide about six years of energy? And we are destroying huge areas of the country for this? Six years? Is that a worthwhile plan?

Press Conference in Dimock, PA: January 20, 2012

2012-01-21T14:42:00.000-05:00

Today, 1-20-12, Press Conference at the Sautner House in Dimock, Pa., Susquehanna County, where Julia Walsh of Frackaction.org of NY introduces Dimock residents with polluted water. Craig Sautner speaks, followed by Victoria Switzer, then Silver Lake resident, Craig Stevens and Josh Fox, "Gasland", Producer. EPA decides to bring water in a large tanker for polluted residents after reviewing more test data received by Cabot Gas and DEP and EPA will test 61 homes in the area starting this Monday and Tuesday and continue to bring water to several homes in Dimock. Industrial chemicals, barium , arsenic and metals, besides methane found in the water. Four EPA people were there.

Only four homes in Dimock are slated to receive clean water from the EPA so far, but there are many more homes still in need of clean water.

THANK YOU, EPA, FOR BRINGING CLEAN WATER TO DIMOCK. A GOOD START, BUT THERE ARE MANY MORE FAMILIES IN NEED OF CLEAN WATER.

MARC 1 Gas Pipeline To Be Installed Near Elementary School

2012-01-20T11:45:00.000-05:00

If your child attends the Wyalusing Valley Elementary School in Wyalusing, PA, I suppose you will be glad to know that measures will be taken during the installation of the MARC 1 pipeline to insure your child's safety. Noise pollution will be kept to an acceptable minimum, and the school district's water well will be protected from contamination. Great! No problem. However, if you think perhaps there might still be a problem with putting in a 30-inch wide major pipeline a mere 897 feet from the school building, you might not be so impressed with all the precautions the Central New York Oil and Gas Company is taking. The Susquehanna River is near the school. This pipeline operation will bore beneath the river only 40 feet underneath the river bottom. Noise-producing equipment used to drill under the river will be located 875 feet from the school. Central NY Oil and Gas has hired a noise consultant. Sound barriers will be put up. Nice touch there. And the best part- a full-time environmental inspector will be on site. So all bases have been covered I guess. The drilling company has assured Wyalusing residents that the pipeline would not pose any danger to students. So don't we all feel better now?

Read the article from the Towanda Daily Review here. LINK
Read what Standing Stone resident Diane Ward said about the approval process for this pipeline. Very interesting. Also Google "pipeline accidents." You might be surprised. Here's one site to start with: LINK.

And if you would like a broader perspective, here is a presentation from 2005 entitled "Restoring Public Trust in Pipeline Safety."

Pipelines are very dangerous. They should not be installed near ANYTHING, much less an elementary school. Are we crazy to allow this to happen? I think we are.

The Glow in the Night Sky: Liberty, PA

2012-01-19T18:58:00.000-05:00

Liberty, PA (WBNG Binghamton) An orange glow illuminates the sky in the Northern Tier as what appears to be a contained fire erupts from a Pennsylvania gas well.

After many phones calls and e-mails from viewers wondering why the mountains appear to sparkle from Interstate 81, Action News ventured down to see the blaze and find out what neighbors have to say.

A resident near the well pad said,

"Our fire company has been dispatched to it but there is obviously nothing they can do about it," stated Crook, "I just wonder how long they're going to have it burning for and if there are any pollutants in the air from it. I don't know."

From Earthworksaction.org
Flaring
Flaring is the practice of burning gas that is deemed uneconomical to collect and sell. Flaring is also used to burn gases that would otherwise present a safety problem. It is common to flare natural gas that contains hydrogen sulfide (i.e., sour gas), in order to convert the highly toxic hydrogen sulfide gas into less toxic compounds.

Flares emit a host of air pollutants, depending on the chemical composition of the gas being burned and the efficiency and temperature of the flare. Flaring results in hydrogen sulfide emissions if hydrogen sulfide is present in large enough amounts in the natural gas. There may also be additional by-products formed if some of the chemicals used during the drilling or hydraulic fracturing process are converted to a gaseous form and are burned along with the natural gas.

The Ventura County Air Pollution Control District, in California has estimated that the following air pollutants may be released from natural gas flares: benzene, formaldehyde, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs, including naphthalene), acetaldehyde, acrolein, propylene, toluene, xylenes, ethyl benzene and hexane. Researchers in Canada have measured more than 60 air pollutants downwind of natural gas flares.

Emotional and Traumatic Effects of Natural Gas Drilling

2012-01-18T11:43:00.000-05:00

In November of 2011, Simone L. Perry, PhD, gave a presentation entitled, "It's Like We're Losing Our Love," a quote from one of the people she interviewed in Bradford County, PA, in the course of her recent and on-going research. The subtitle of her talk was "Documenting and Evaluating Social Change in Bradford County, PA, During the Marcellus Shale Gas Boom." I have viewed this talk and highly recommend it. A good use of 33 minutes!

http://mediasite.cidde.pitt.edu/mediasite/SilverlightPlayer/Default.aspx?peid=689293c50f404f12b8c628b8f2285780

Give it a look.

Gas drilling hurts people where they live in more ways than one.

Great Song: You Can't Drink Money!

2012-01-16T17:07:00.000-05:00

Jenny Morgan of Columbus, Ohio, singing her song, "You Can't Drink Money" at the fracking protest at the Ohio statehouse today.

In addition to the infamous "Halliburton Loophole" exempting fracking from the Safe Drinking Water Act, the gas industry benefits from a host of sweeping exemptions to our most basic environmental and public health protections. Other laws that the gas industry is exempted from include key provisions of the Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, CERCLA (Superfund Act), Resource Conversation and Recovery Act (hazardous waste act), and the Environmental Policy Act.

Between all these exemptions, the gas industry has often been described as completely free of all federal oversight. However, federal law does still prohibit the gas industry from one particular practice: the injection of diesel fuel as a fracking fluid. While gas companies are permitted to inject hundreds of known carcinogenic compounds as fracking fluids (without informing the public of what chemicals they are using), the Safe Drinking Water Act still mandated that gas companies not use diesel fuel as a frack fluid. But on January 31, 2011, the House Energy and Commerce Committee announced their preliminary results of a year-long investigation into the practices of gas companies. The congressional investigation found that oil and gas companies injected over 32 million gallons of diesel fuel into gas wells in 19 states between 2005 and 2009—in direct violation of the one federal provision from which they were not exempt. Despite having federal laws carved to suit their profits and need for secrecy, the gas industry could not follow the one guideline it had set for itself.

Ohio House Bill 351, would regulate injection wells and create safeguards for the public and environmental health. However, House Bill 351 is stuck in the Agricultural and Natural Resources Committee. We need to build support for HB 315 and let our representatives know we want them to support it.

House Bill 345, and Senate Bill 213 would put a moratorium on fracking in Ohio until the US EPA completes an impact study. Help raise awareness about these bills and support the Democrats who are sponsoring them.

HATS OFF TO JENNY MORGAN!

GREAT SONG, JENNY!

Mysterious Earthquakes in Ohio: Caused By Injection Wells?

2012-01-14T16:01:00.000-05:00

Youngstown, Ohio has seen 11 earthquakes since March and scientists say injection of fracking waste deep underground triggered them.

Wyoming Natural Gas Compressor Station Explodes

2012-01-14T15:45:00.000-05:00

The Falcon natural gas compressor station south of Pinedale (Wyoming) burns and then explodes into a column of flame midday Dec. 6, 2012, in this submitted video. Nobody was directly injured in the fire and explosion, which was triggered by venting natural gas at the station, which is part of a system to collect natural gas from the Jonah and Pinedale Anticline fields. The fire was allowed to burn out, under the watchful eyes of area firefighters.

Read more.

A Trip To Dimock, PA, Part Two

2012-01-13T07:51:00.000-05:00

A video by Scott Cannon On January 10, 2012. I drove to Dimock Pennsylvania to find out what's going on with the DEP and the EPA's investigation on the water well contamination alleged by Cabot Oil & Gas.

Methane in three private water wells in Lenox Twp. seeped there from a flawed natural gas well drilled by Cabot Oil & Gas Corp., state environmental regulators have found.

An investigation by the Department of Environmental Protection determined that the gas migrated from at least one of three Marcellus Shale wells on the Stalter well pad about a half-mile west of Interstate 81 in Susquehanna County.

The gas was found seeping into three water supplies in August. A fourth water well for a hunting cabin is still being evaluated, DEP spokesman Daniel Spadoni said.

Video from inside one of Cabot's gas wells showed that a string of steel casing meant to seal off the aquifer from contaminants was improperly constructed, according to a notice of violation sent by DEP in September.

Methane was also found between the cemented strings of casing in all three gas wells on the Stalter pad, a sign state regulators view as evidence of flaws in a well's construction.

The dissolved methane in one nearby water supply jumped from 0.3 milligrams per liter before drilling began to 49 milligrams per liter on Aug. 16 and 57 milligrams per liter on Aug. 18, according to the violation notice.

Cabot installed methane detection alarms in three homes and vented the three affected water wells to keep the methane from accumulating and creating an explosion risk. The company is also delivering replacement drinking water to two of the homes, Mr. Spadoni said. The methane in the third water well has decreased so the home does not require an alternate water supply, he said.

Cabot spokesman George Stark said Friday that the company submitted a detailed response to the DEP and is working with regulators on the issue.

"Cabot is committed to safe and responsible operations and takes matters like this very seriously," he said. "We believe in fact-based, scientific research to guide any necessary corrective actions."

Department regulators sent Cabot a violation notice on Sept. 19, but neither the department's public eFACTS compliance database nor its monthly oil and gas violations report noted the inspection or violations until last week, when a Times-Tribune reporter asked about the investigation.

DEP policy requires the oil and gas program to update the eFACTS database within 10 working days of completing an inspection or mailing a notice of violations.

Mr. Spadoni said the missing information was "an oversight."

Part One here.

EPA To Dimock Residents: Water Is On the Way- NOT!

2012-01-07T21:17:00.001-05:00

This weekend Dimock residents were under the impression that the EPA planned to deliver emergency water to them. But the decision was reversed, and the reason is unclear. The affected families literally have no water with which to cook, bathe, wash clothes, and flush toilets. This is just wrong.
Read more.

Chesapeake Energy Blowout, Rig Lost

2012-01-06T12:27:00.001-05:00

Jan. 5th 2012 10pm

Nomac Rig #17 drilled into a shallow gas pocket soon after spudding in at a drilling depth of 900' northwest of Sweetwater, Oklahoma this evening around 6pm and burned to the ground. No injuries were reported.

Workers stated that they encountered the abnormally pressurized zone at relief time around 6pm when the relief crew was in the change house. It was first thought that they had encountered a shallow air pocket but after testing with a "sniffer" (a device to determine the presence of hydrocarbons) the well soon caught fire.

Witnesses 3/4 of a mile to the north reported hearing a loud "boom" from their residence "and then it sounded like a jet engine was right outside our home". When they drove down to the drill site to investigate the well was discharging fluid, soon after that something ignited the gas and the rig caught fire.

Bar Hoppers (used to increase the mud weight and counter downhole pressures) were not yet rigged up. A gas separator, chokes and a BOP stack were also on location and waiting to be rigged up and tested as soon as the surface portion of the hole was completed. Without these blowout prevention devices in place there is little to nothing that can be done to control the well.

It's very unusual to hit a shallow air pocket in the area and even rarer to encounter any hydrocarbons at this shallow depth above the planned surface casing.

El Reno based Nomac Drilling is a wholly owned subsidiary of Chesapeake Energy, one of the nations most active drillers.

Read more.

Frac Sand Mine Troubles Maiden Rock (WI) Residents

2012-01-05T18:02:00.000-05:00

Maiden Rock, Wisconsin, residents tell about what is happening near their homes. A frac sand mine has taken over their lives in many respects. It's not just gas wells that are ruining the earth. Other industries related to gas drilling are also creating enormous problems for people. This is just another example.

Signs and symptoms of silicosis:
Because chronic silicosis is slow to develop, signs and symptoms may not appear until years after exposure. Signs and symptoms include:
Dyspnea (shortness of breath) exacerbated by exertion
Cough, often persistent and sometimes severe
Fatigue
Tachypnea (rapid breathing) which is often labored
Loss of appetite and weight loss
Chest pain
Fever
Gradual dark shallow rifts in nails eventually leading to cracks as protein fibers within nail beds are destroyed.

Ever hear of silicosis?

Truck Accident in Pennsylvania Results In Spill of Frack Fluid

2011-12-28T10:14:00.000-05:00

Only a tiny article in the Star-Gazette mentioned this accident involving two trucks, tractor-trailers, and resulted in a toxic spill into a creek. The accident occurred early Monday afternoon, December 28, on Route 287 in Mifflin Township, PA. Accidents like this happen and will continue to happen over and over again. The natural gas industry is too dangerous to continue to grow and expand all over the country and the world. It must be stopped.

Read the short article here.

Sandra Steingraber Testifies at NY Senate Committee in December 2011

2011-12-21T17:47:00.001-05:00

Sandra Steingraber, Distinguished Scholar in Residence at Ithaca College, Environmental Biologist and author. NYS Public Hearing, Senate Standing Committee on Energy Conservation. Sponsored by NYS Senators Mark Grisanti and Patrick Gallivan to examine waste water produced by hydraulic fracturing. The Inn on the Lake, Canandaigua, NY December 12, 2011.

“So, imagine standing in front of the Niagara Falls for 35 hours. Now imagine that all the cascading water you see is radioactive and full of toxic chemicals, and your job is to figure out where to put it so that it won’t come in contact with any person or any other body or water or the soil or the air. Forever.”

Walter Hang Tesitifies at Senate Standing Committee On Energy Conservation Hearing

2011-12-21T15:22:00.000-05:00

Walter Hang, president, Toxics Targeting. NYS Public Hearing, Senate Standing Committee on Energy Conservation. Sponsored by NYS Senators Mark Grisanti and Patrick Gallivan to examine waste water produced by hydraulic fracturing. The Inn on the Lake, Canandaigua, NY December 12, 2011.

Email Governor Cuomo: http://www.governor.ny.gov/contact/GovernorContactForm.php

Call Governor Cuomo:

Albany: 518-474-8390
New York City: 212-681-4580
Binghamton: 607-721-8367

Twitter: @NYGovCuomo

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GovernorAndrewCuomo?sk=wall

A Gift Idea For the Person Who Has Everything

2011-12-21T13:49:00.000-05:00

SRBC: OM- We Honor the River

2011-12-19T19:50:00.000-05:00

Another way we can honor the Susquehanna River and try to change the hearts and minds of the people who sit on the Susquehanna River Basin Commission. This Commission is not listening to the citizens of New York, Maryland, and New Jersey. When will they start listening?

Senate Passes a Bill With Strings Attached: Keystone Pipeline

2011-12-17T14:51:00.000-05:00

The Senate has passed a bill onto the President which forces him to make a decision on the Keystone XL oil pipeline within 60 days. All eyes are now focused on the oval office. Help us get the word out that the crucial decision we've all worked so hard for is now rapidly approaching.

Photo: Amy Dewan— with Deborah Dee Jacobs.

White House Comment Line:

1-202-456-1111

SRBC Testimony: Will you be good Germans?

2011-12-17T14:39:00.000-05:00

Rabbi Mordechi Liebling testified recently at the SRBC hearing in Wikes-Barre, PA. His impassioned remarks were totally ignored by the commission.

Here are more details about the hearing:

A powerful public comment was ignored at the SRBC meeting in Wilkes-Barre on December 15, 2011.

The manager of project review for the Susquehanna River Basin Commission, Dehoff - with the help of his staff - is responsible for recommending to the commission whether to approve water withdrawals from the basin. That includes suggesting whether the commission should allow natural gas companies to withdraw water used for the controversial drilling and hydraulic fracturing of gas wells.

In front of more than 50 people at the commission's meeting Thursday morning at the East Mountain Inn just outside of Wilkes-Barre, Dehoff made it about halfway through his recommendations before the cacophony of boos and chanting forced commission Chairwoman Kelly Heffner to threaten to clear the room, hastily adopt all of Dehoff's recommendations and adjourn the meeting early.

Fracking Hollenbeck Gas Well: Susquehanna County, PA

2011-12-16T13:51:00.000-05:00

This video by Vera really puts me in the Christmas Spirit. No. The worst part of this video, not counting the environmental devastation which is taking place here, is seeing the house within spitting distance of this well pad. I guess this family has their Christmas tree up now and is planning to have a normal holiday celebration (if they celebrate Christmas- I don't know, of course). I don't know how I would manage to be oblivious to the noise, light, and other disturbances associated with this fracking operation. How does anyone maintain a normal life with this? Can it be done?

I appreciate Vera's willingness to put herself in harm's way potentially so that others can see the realities of this terrible method of keeping us all addicted to gas and oil. Only a very few people benefit while most of us suffer ill effects, at times deadly. Will this oppression bring us peace?

Gas Drilling Gone Bad: This just in from West Virginia....

2011-12-16T11:32:00.000-05:00

A well pad in West Virginia, the Marshall pad, has been shut down by the state's DEP. Violations include chemical releases into adjacent streams. Read the whole sordid story here.

SRBC Hearing: Citizens Oppose Water Withdrawals, Then Commission Approves Permits Anyway!

2011-12-16T11:05:00.000-05:00

The Susquehanna River in French Azilum, Bradford County, PA
Photo: Carol Manuel

Jay Sweeney's testimony before the members of the Susquehanna River Basin Commission at the hearing in Wilkes-Barre, PA, December 15th:

"The mission of the Susquehanna River Basin Commission (SRBC), which is defined in the Compact, is to enhance public welfare through comprehensive planning, water supply allocation, and management of the water resources of the Susquehanna River Basin.

DEP reports over 1300 wells were drilled in 2010 and over 300 in the first quarter of this year. At 5 million gallons per fracked well, that is approximately 8 billion gallons of water used in the hydrofracking process in 16 months. The International Lake Environment Committee estimates the volume of Harvey’s Lake at .03 cubic kilometers or 8 billion gallons. In less that 2 years time, the equivalent of Pennsylvania’s largest natural lake by volume will have been squandered, turned into untreatable radioactive wastewater. This does not enhance the public welfare. It is a threat to the public welfare. This is unconscionable!

We are tired of hearing pandering politicians, insulting industry insiders and radio, television and print advertizing trying to convince us that the natural gas industry is here to create jobs and benefit our community when in reality, they are here to rape, pillage and plunder our natural resources. make their profits and leave a devastated environment in their wake.

The SRBC has been culpable in this travesty. Pennsylvania’s water is our commonwealth property. It is time for SRBC to live up to its mission.

We the people of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania say, stop stealing our water! Stop selling it to an industry that turns it into radioactive sludge! Stop dumping it into our rivers and streams! No more permits! No more withdrawals!

From The Times Leader report:

"Opponents of hydraulic fracturing, the controversial process used to extract natural gas from the Marcellus Shale, urged SRBC not to approve 26 applications for water withdrawal permits within the Susquehanna River Basin on its agenda, most of which were submitted by gas drillers.

SRBC regulates water withdrawals within the basin through permitting.

The commissioners approved 24 of those applications, denying one driller’s application and deferring another from an individual, and in doing so prompted angry shouts:

This proceeding is a joke! You’re not taking our water!

The meeting closed with protestors chanting an apparently prepared statement read from cards and nearly chasing commission members from the room.

“Members of the Susquehanna River community, this is a crisis,” they chanted.

The Susquehanna River is being sacrificed. Natural gas drilling is poisoning our water. We know this. We will stop this. We have no choice. We will protect our water. We are here to help, and everyone must help. Our future depends on it. We honor the river; we honor our lives.

Click here to see photos of the members of the SRBC.

The SRBC is a rubber stamper .

They are not protecting the Susquehanna River or the people who live near it. It's shameful!

SRBC Meets in Wilkes-Barre Today: Hurray To the Protesters!

2011-12-15T21:01:00.001-05:00

At a meeting on December 15, the Susquehanna River Basin Commission (SRBC) was to consider several water withdrawal applications from gas operators, and vote on proposed regulations that speed up approvals of gas development projects and the transport of hazardous drilling wastewater.

Jay Sweeney, who testified at the hearing, filed this report: "There was about an hour or two of awesome testimony. All opposing the withdrawals. After a break they began reviewing the applications one by one. One was recommended to be denied and a couple reduced volumes of water withdrawal, but, when they continued to recommend applications the crowd got confrontational. There were questions, calling out, finally a mic check. It ended in shouts of "Whose water?" "Our water". The chairwoman called for a motion to approve the applications. There was a motion, a second, a vote and the meeting was adjourned. "

Then a demonstration ensued! This is what happened (see video above). People care about the river, and they care about water. Today they spoke up.

Background: The Susquehanna River Basin Commission coordinates the use of water resources among Maryland, New York, and Pennsylvania—the three states across which the river flows for over 400 miles—and the federal government. The Commission’s work is governed by a Compact adopted in 1970 by the U.S. Congress and legislatures of the three member states.

In November, the SRBC received a letter signed by more than 40 organizations across the region urging the Commission to stop its rulemaking on gas drilling until it conducts necessary comprehensive environmental studies.

Our grandson fishing in the Susquehanna River in Bradford County, PA

Thanks to Don Williams for providing this video.

Nearly 2000 Staffers at the NY DEC Send a Strong Message To New Yorkers at the DEC Hearings

2011-12-15T17:40:00.000-05:00

Stephanie Low brings a message from a DEC staff person to the hearing in New York City. She ended her comments with a plea:

Say no to fracking in New York State!

The Questionable Economics of Shale Gas

2011-12-14T18:18:00.000-05:00

Photo: “American Gasland,” artwork by River Side (marcellusprotest/Flickr)

So is unconventional tight gas going to generate enormous profits? Isn't that the message that we hear frequently? This article by Chris Nelder (smartplanet.com/blog) casts serious doubt about the economic benefits of natural gas drilling. Nelder claims that, our shale gas resources, "while much ballyhooed in the press, are far from certain." We have only an 11-year supply of gas on the books, but beyond that, the future of natural gas is only "probable, possible, and speculative." The US, he writes, could become a net gas importer by 2035. Admittedly, he says, we are producing a lot of gas for the moment, but it may come at the cost of profitability.

The article asserts that on an averaged annual basis, shale has been unprofitable since 2008. As to why there is so much drilling activity, read the entire article.

The uncomfortable truth is that, at this point, we simply don't know how big our shale gas resources are, how much of the gas can be technically or economically produced, or how profitable producing the gas actually is. And that should give us pause.

I'll say! Don't believe everything you hear!

LINK

News from the UN Climate Change Conference in Durban, South Africa: Rajendra Pachauri

2011-12-10T11:32:00.000-05:00

One of the world’s most prominent experts on climate science, Rajendra Pachauri, is criticizing negotiators at the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Durban for not paying enough attention to science. Pachauri is chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which won the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize along with Al Gore.

"What we have done is we have increased the concentration of these greenhouse gases in the atmosphere far beyond what has taken place over the last 650,000 years," Pachauri says.

"As a result, during the 20th century, we had average warming of about 0.74 degrees Celsius, sea-level rise of about 17 centimeters, and a whole range of impacts, as I mentioned, on human health, on agriculture, on ecosystems... The IPCC Fourth Assessment Report had clearly brought out that if we want to limit temperature increase to two degrees or thereabouts, two to 2.4 degrees Celsius, and if we want to do it at least cost, then emissions will have to peak no later than 2015. And we are now talking about 2020. That means the world will incur a much larger expense in reducing emissions. And in the meantime, we’ll also suffer far more serious impacts of climate change." When asked about the position of the United States in the negotiation, Pachauri says,

"I would also ask President Obama to listen to the voice of science. And he has an absolutely outstanding science adviser in John Holdren. Maybe he should get John to organize a meeting of the scientists soon after he’s re-elected—if he’s re-elected—and then determine U.S. policy, as should be the case with every country in the world, based on the scientific evidence that’s available."

Pachauri continued,

"Actually, to be honest, nobody over here [at COP 17] is paying any attention to science."

Get It Done: Urging Climate Justice, Youth Delegate Anjali Appadurai Mic Checks UN Summit

2011-12-10T11:15:00.001-05:00

"Deep cuts now. Get it done." Anjali Appadurai, a student at the College of the Atlantic in Maine, addressed the United Nations Climate Change Conference on behalf of youth delegates. "What's radical is to completely alter the planet's climate, to betray the future of my generation, and to condemn millions to death by climate change."

Man charged in spill near PA gas-drilling site (With Update)

2011-12-02T12:36:00.001-05:00

You can read all about it here. (There's a picture here which says it ALL.)

In essence, a Georgia man has admitted to PA State Police that he dumped approximately 800 gallons of dangerous materials from a Bradford County gas well site onto state game lands early Thursday morning. He now sits in a West Burlington correctional facility with bail set at $100,000.

The discovery was made by a man as he pulled out of his driveway and saw the pool of viscous black liquid. It was described as a gooey, black material which was about 3 inches deep, covering approximately 100 X 30 feet. The man who discovered the problem said he believes the liquid was dumped Wednesday night.

Tire tracks likely tell the story, he said. What it looks like to me is a tanker truck pulled out in there. It looks to me like they were going to go out into a field and dump, and they got stuck, so they just dumped it there and just left.

This will be happening more and more in gas fields everywhere.

Latest Update: (12/03/2011)
http://thedailyreview.com/news/cleanup-continues-of-dumped-sludge-in-state-gamelands-in-bradford-county-1.1240352

Craig Sautner Speaks Out About Water (Gas Drilling Contamination)

2011-11-28T11:33:00.000-05:00

Listen to Mr. Sautner's comments about the victory in delaying drilling in the Delaware Watershed and also about his dilemma in Dimock, PA, where Cabot Oil destroyed his water supply. November 30th is the day when Cabot will no longer deliver fresh water to his home. His contaminated well has never been restored.

http://youtu.be/9_LFQWFAedI

How Taxpayers Help the Gas Industry: Free Services

2011-11-28T11:24:00.000-05:00

Photo: The Rocket Courier

The Bradford County Prothonotary Sally Vaughn shows a stack of paperwork she and her staff must attend to for the gas industry. Our tax dollars at work. The impact the gas industry has made on county services is substantial and puts an enormous burden on the prothonotary office. This stack of forms in the picture represents at least two weeks work by a county employee. Ms.Vaughan reported that a fulltime employee is needed in the front office almost continuously just to assist title searchers with computers and other machinery that often incur mechanical problems.

Sandra Steingraber: The Ecosystem Beneath Our Feet and Other Concerns from Hydrofracking

2011-11-28T10:18:00.000-05:00

Sandra Steingraber is an acclaimed ecologist, cancer survivor, and author of "Living Downsteam" and "Raising Elijah". She gave a fascinating account of the apos;extremoophileapos; bacteria that feed in the hydrocarbon rich shale layer which are responsible for fouling up the works when the shale is fracked. Biocides are one constituent of fracking fluid that poses an unacceptible risk to our health. What is the ecological relationships of the subterranean biota to the rest of life on the planet? No one knows. She was the fourth speaker at the public forum "Fracking the Fingerlakes: The Rest of the Story" held in Hammondsport, NY on September 15, 2011.

Is high-volume, slick water hydrofracking constitutional in PA?

2011-11-27T15:18:00.000-05:00

Article I, section 27 of the Pennsylvania Constitution

Sec. 27. Natural Resources and the Public Estate

The people have a right to clean air, pure water, and to the preservation of the natural, scenic, historic and esthetic values of the environment. Pennsylvania's public natural resources are the common property of all the people, including generations yet to come. As trustee of these resources, the Commonwealth shall conserve and maintain them for the benefit of all the people.

This amendment, which was adopted in 1972, encompasses two basic principles. First, Pennsylvanians have a right to a decent environment, and second, Pennsylvania government has a trusteeship responsibility to protect that environment on behalf of future generations.

Is hydrofracking constitutional in PA?

Dallas, PA, School Compressor Station

2011-11-27T14:56:00.000-05:00

How about a nice compressor station right next to your child's school? Perfect.

Denmark Aims For 100% Renewable Energy By 2050

2011-11-27T14:30:00.000-05:00

So Americans are told that we cannot do without fossil fuels. We must have fossil fuels to live. Then why can Denmark exist on renewables, possibly by 2050? Do they know something we don't know?

Read more....

Sandra Steingraber on Democracy Now!: Health Crisis and Shale Gas

2011-11-19T13:49:00.000-05:00

About 30 states allow hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” the natural gas drilling process that injects millions of gallons of water, sand and chemicals deep into the earth in order to break up shale rock and release natural gas. New York has imposed a partial moratorium on the drilling process pending the outcome of an environmental impact study this July. Yesterday, New York state lawmakers held a hearing on the health impacts of fracking, an issue that until now has received little media attention. We talk with Sandra Steingraber, a biologist who testified at the hearing. She is author of Raising Elijah: Protecting Children in an Age of Environmental Crisis.

Sandra Steingraber, biologist who has testified on natural gas hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) at state and federal hearings and before the European parliament. She is the author of several books that link the U.S. reliance on fossil fuels with environmental hazards and the climate crisis, including Living Downstream and her latest, Raising Elijah: Protecting Children in an Age of Environmental Crisis.

May 27, 2011

Sandra Steingraber Talks About Shale Ecosystems

2011-11-19T13:37:00.000-05:00

Sandra's poetry and science combine brilliantly in this beautiful short talk in a Binghamton music club on November 17: the relationship of deep ecosystems to our wellbeing on the sunlit surface of the planet.

Bringing a human rights approach to the environmental crisis, Dr. Steingraber urges governments to adopt policies that safeguard the healthy development of children and the abiding ecological systems on which their lives depend. Dr. Steingraber has deployed her rare combination of abilities as a lyrical writer, disciplined scientist and passionate advocate to the pursuit of a healthier world for us all, saying, "What we love we must protect."

What we love, we must protect!

Methane Still Bubbling in Susquehanna at Sugar Run, PA: Day 444

2011-11-19T11:12:00.001-05:00

Today it will be 444 days since methane began bubbling up in the Susquehanna River at Sugar Run in Bradford County. Still no resolution to the problem. Where is it coming from? When will it be stopped? Unanswered questions.

And another video:

From the Wyoming County Press Examiner, CLICK HERE.

And from Don Williams, filmed on July 17, 2011:

VIDEO

When will we get this problem resolved?

Mic Check at DEC Hearings in Binghamton November 17

2011-11-18T23:43:00.000-05:00

In Occupy Wall Street style, a citizen uses the Mic Check technique for his 3-minute comment. Note what the DEC rep said after the man was finished. It seems he did not approve of the presentation!

Say It Ain't So, Joe: A Video For VP Biden from Josh Fox and Bill McKibben

2011-11-16T22:38:00.000-05:00

Say it Ain't So, Joe! by Josh Fox/Bill McKibben from JFOX on Vimeo.

Take a moment to watch this. There are ways we can help save the water in the Delaware Water Basin.

The Colbert Report: Stephen Tackles Hydrofracking

2011-11-14T09:44:00.000-05:00

The Colbert Report
Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,Video Archive

You won't want to miss Stephen Colbert's discussion on hydrofracking and the Talisman Coloring Book.

Gas Drilling in New York State: We Must Stop This From Happening

2011-11-14T09:39:00.000-05:00

From Shaleshock, a short video with a powerful message that must be heard. Please send this to your friends. Attend one of the NY DEC hearings coming up starting next week. (The video has the information on where and when.)

WE ARE BEING INVADED!

THIS MUST NOT BECOME A REALITY!

BAN HIGH-VOLUME, SLICKWATER HYDROFRACKING IN NEW YORK STATE!

Gas Rush Stories: Farmers Tell Their Stories About Gas Drilling

2011-11-13T23:13:00.001-05:00

http://vimeo.com/31702628

Gas Rush stories is a series of short documentaries on gas drilling. Gas Rush Stories examines the effects of gas drilling on people's lives and environment from different perspectives. Only by putting ourselves in the other person's situation can we begin to see the bigger picture of this complex issue.
Gas Rush Stories, part 2: A Farmer is a story of Terry Greenwood, a small-scale cattle farmer from southwestern Pennsylvania. Based on his own experiences with gas drilling Greenwood is concerned about the food safety when agricultural lands are turned into drilling fields.

Please help me tell new Gas Rush Stories and support my Kickstarter project.
kickstarter.com/projects/kirsi/gas-rush-stories

Another link: http://vimeo.com/30918409

This film maker needs donations to make three more short documentaries by the end of this year.
More info: kirsijansa.com/Gas_Rush_Stories.html

Biologist Sandra Steingraber at Shale Gas Outrage Conference

2011-11-13T22:44:00.000-05:00

Ecologist Sandra Steingraber at Shale Gas Outrage Conference (10 min) from Kirsi Jansa on Vimeo.

Dr.Steingraber gives the keynote address in Philadelphia at the Shale Gas Outrage Conference on September 8, 2011. She states that science tells us we could be off fossil fuels in 30 years by switching to solar and wind (not nuclear). Japan and Europe are planning on this. She also describes fracking as a form of substance abuse. She gives us hope as well as food for thought.

Interview with Chip Northrup: Can natural gas drilling be done safely in NY?

2011-11-09T14:37:00.000-05:00

Chip Northrup

http://www.capitaltonight.com/2011/11/fracking-opponents-include-oil-industry-veteran/

Check out this short interview with Chip Northrup, a 30-year veteran of the gas industry in Texas, who now spends a good part of the year in Cooperstown, NY, and is telling all of us about the real truth about the gas industry and its harmful effects on the environment and human health. The interviewer from YNN does a superb job of asking great questions. She obviously had done her homework.

Urgent Message About the Delaware Watershed

2011-11-09T12:43:00.000-05:00

SAVE THE DELAWARE from JFOX on Vimeo.

savethedelawareriver.com
This is an urgent call to the fans of GASLAND and to the fracking movement across the nation, please act now to Save the Delaware River. On November 21st, the Delaware River Basin commission will vote on a plan to allow 20,000 gas wells in the Delaware River basin. We need calls to come from all over the nation and we need people from all over the region to come out in protest on November 21st.

CALL GOVERNOR CUOMO (NY)

518-474-8390

CALL GOVERNOR CORBETT (PA)

717-787-2500

WHITE HOUSE COMMENT LINE

202-456-1111

Hydrofracking: Rochester, NY, Forum, October 2011

2011-10-31T11:27:00.003-04:00

This is the quick way to look at the Rochester forum held at Temple B'rith Kodesh, October 23, 2011. You can click on selected portions of the forum for easy viewing as time permits. This was an excellent forum, full of information we all need. Time is of the essence, friends. The NY DEC is in the process of deciding our future. Will high-volume, slick water horizontal hydrofracking be allowed in New York State? Permitting may commence as soon as early 2012.

How Hydraulic Fracturing Will Impact Rochester (NY)
Panelists: Anthony Ingraffea, PhD, PE, professor, Cornell University
                 Jannette Barth, PhD, economist
                 Roger Downs, NYS lobbyist for the Sierra Club, Atlantic
                    Chapter

Click here to check it out.

Visit R-CAUSE   (Rochesterians Concerned About Unsafe Shale gas Extraction), organizers of this event.

For help in writing your letter to the NY DEC, click here. The public comment period has begun and will continue through December 12, 2011. I am working on my comment, and I encourage everyone to submit something, too. We are encouraged to address only one issue. So pick the one you are most concerned about.

Submit your letter to the NY DEC ASAP!

Living the Drill: Bradford County Farmers Share Gas Drilling Experiences (Part 3))

2011-10-31T10:13:00.000-04:00

Part 3 of a talk by Carol French and Carolyn Knapp, both of Bradford County, PA, who have been severely impacted by the natural gas industry. They both leased their property. Are they happy they leased? Watch and decide for yourself! Bottom line: They know whereof they speak, and they are passionate about the topic. Why? Because their lives are affected on a daily basis and their livelihoods depend on the success of their farms.

Video from Essential Dissent.

Living the Drill: Bradford County Farmers Speak Out (Video Part 2)

2011-10-31T09:56:00.000-04:00

Carol French and Carolyn Knapp, dairy farmers from Bradford County PA, describe how gas drilling has affected their lives, families, farms, and community, and relay warnings and advice to New York residents.

Video from Essential Dissent.

Living the Drill (video): Deposit, NY, Meeting on Gas Drilling

2011-10-31T09:49:00.000-04:00

State Theatre
Deposit, NY

Introduction by Mark Ohe.

Despite some initial rowdiness (and a couple of F-Bombs) from the audience, Laurie Stratton gives a preliminary presentation as to how leaseholders and local communities can expect to be treated by gas drilling companies.

[With apologies for the sound interference- It's worth watching inspite of that!]

I admire Laurie's composure in the face of rude, crude people. The disruptive people did get sorted out very quickly.

Gas Worker Drinks Tainted Coffee: Treated Frack Water Used To Brew!

2011-10-26T11:38:00.000-04:00

If you work on a well site, you might want to buy your coffee off-site. A gas worker inadvertently put a jug of treated frack water in the break room at a Dimock worksite in June. Coffee was brewed using this toxic water. It made a worker sick for about 5 days.

Read the story here.

Homicide Charge In Crash That Killed Elmira Woman

2011-10-24T09:18:00.000-04:00

On Friday morning, October 21st, Lauralee Michelle Widmer of Elmira lost her life to a drunk driver. She was 36 years old.

Jackson Township, Pa. — A Texas man is facing a vehicular homicide charge in connection with Friday morning’s crash in Tioga County, Pa. that killed an Elmira woman...Davidson works in the natural gas industry and is an employee of T3 Energy Services, located in Elmira, according to Pennsylvania State Police. He was driving a company truck at the time of the accident, according to police... (The Corning Leader)

Read more here.

Yes, I know that accidents happen everywhere. Yes, I know that people other than gas drillers drive drunk and abuse drugs. Yes, I know that this accident is not the fault of the gas industry- not directly anyway. So please refrain from posting comments that say these things. I've heard it all quite a few times. These gas employees work 2 weeks on, 2 weeks off. They have a lot of time on their hands. They are far away from their families. They populate the local bars. The police in Bradford County have said so. These jobs invite problems. The gas industry does add many problems to living in gasfields.

Check here and here.

A quote from the DA of Bradford County: (August 2011)

In Bradford County, Pa., drunken driving arrests are up 60 percent. Criminal sentencing was up 35 percent in 2010. And in Towanda, the county seat, DUI arrests were up 50 percent.
Why? The frenzy of Marcellus Shale natural gas drilling, which has boosted the economies of some of Pennsylvania's smallest and most rural counties in recent years, has also led to rapid population swells and -- by extension -- more crime.

"Economic boom equals crime boom," said Daniel J. Barrett, the district attorney of Bradford County, which borders southern New York.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11227/1166928-499-0.stm#ixzz1bhhah0ii

Zombies Occupy Dimock: A Halloween Walk

2011-10-23T23:19:00.002-04:00

Exploding water wells, broken promises, gas drilling gone bad!

Sunday, October 30th, 4 p.m.
Meet at Dimock Baptist Church

PADEP has agreed to allow Cabot Oil & Gas to stop providing fresh water to the people in Dimock who have contaminated water. This sets a precedence for water contamination cases in PA.

What if this was YOUR water?

All Zombies are invited to Dimock to join in a walk to illustrate what happens when the gas industry leads State policy. Come in a costume or come as you are. We will meet for Kabot Kool-aid at the Dimock Baptist Church at 4 and walk down Carter Rd. to the site where a water well blew up on New Year's morning, Jan 1, 2009. We will then return to the church for a viewing of the film" Frac Attack!" and refreshments. Shuttles will be available from the church to Carter Rd. and back. Map for the church location can be found here.

http://tinyurl.com/3d2osnz
Dimock Baptist Church
State Route 2024
Dimock, PA 18816
More information here.

DON'T EXPECT PROTECTION

DEP

What is hydrofracking?

2011-10-22T21:07:00.000-04:00

Rev. Billy says:

Fracking is murder.

Can that be any clearer?

More about Rev. Billy here.

Sandra Steingraber Speaks: Living Downstream Highlights

2011-10-20T22:57:00.002-04:00

Common Hour: Living Downstream (Highlights) from Franklin & Marshall College on Vimeo.

"Every other breath you take is brought to you by the ocean's plankton." Find out why this matters to those in an audience in central Pennsylvania - or anywhere on earth. Franklin & Marshall College has posted both a two-minute "highlights" video as well as Sandra's recent full hour-long talk. Short video linked here; full-length talk to follow.

Ecologist, cancer survivor and author, Sandra Steingraber is an authority on the environmental links to cancer and human health and presents cancer as a human rights issue.

To watch a full version, click here.

Join the Scavenger Hunt To Find Abandoned Wells in PA

2011-10-17T16:34:00.000-04:00

There are thousands of unmapped, abandoned oil and gas wells in PA. Help find them! Kick off is November 1st!

Check the Scavenger Hunt PA website.

The hunt will end when every abandoned well is properly plugged in Pennsylvania!
Help locate and photograph these wells!

The mission is:

To promote awareness by photographing these wells and matching the photos with the GPS locations on a Google map that will be easily accessible for online viewing.

To call upon our state government to recognize the hazards posed by these wells and provide the resources to plug them adequately.

Pennsylvania is home to thousands of orphan, abandoned, and un-plugged oil and gas wells. Over the years thousands have been left behind, abandoned by the oil and gas industry. Many have been left unplugged. Some wells were inadequately plugged years ago with pine trees or cement that has deteriorated or cracked over time.

Orphan, abandoned, unplugged, or improperly-plugged wells may and often do act as a conduit, or pathway, allowing methane or other fluids to travel to the surface. These wells have the potential to significantly contaminate and harm the environment. Many abandoned wells have not been located. The DEP has records on just over 140,500 wells.

Some experts estimate that more than 325,000 wells have been drilled in Pennsylvania since 1859.

FOR THE HUNT:

You will need a digital camera and a GPS device (or a GPS-enabled mobile phone) so that you can record the GPS coordinates of the well. You will also need to consult the following link to Pennsylvania's DEP map of these orphan and abandoned oil and gas wells.

(Note: many of these wells have the GPS coordinates listed.) http://www.dep.state.pa.us/dep/deputate/minres/oilgas/AbandedOrphanWells-2-17-11.xls

You can also view the location of the known Orphan and Abandoned oil and gas wells in Pennsylvania by visiting the Fractracker.org map here.

To view the GPS coordinates on the Fractracker map, click on the "i" next to the magnifying glass and then click on a marker.

Ponder This: Venting and Flaring in Ponder, TX

2011-10-15T20:14:00.000-04:00

I couldn't stand listening to this for 87 seconds. Imagine having to listen to this for an hour or two in the middle of the night. Some of these facilities are as close as 100 feet from houses. This video was taken from quite a distance.

Dallas, PA, Natural Gas Compressor Station

2011-10-15T10:38:00.000-04:00

Natural Gas Drilling: The Ironic News Report

2011-10-14T20:49:00.000-04:00

Huge Conflagration in Waxahachie, TX: Fracking Chemicals Explode

2011-10-11T17:46:00.002-04:00

The Magnablend plant in Waxahachie, TX, was the scene of a huge explosion and fire on Monday, October 10th. Management at the plant may have tried to downplay the severity of the emergency. EPA officials said no harmful chemicals had been detected in the air. But a day later on Tuesday, more information was coming out. The plant was primarily producing a dangerous cocktail of chemicals blended specifically for hydrofracking, according to WFAA.com out of Dallas/Fort Worth.

The fire is under investigation. No specifics about the cause of the fire is being disclosed yet. News 8 reporters noticed 8 railroad tanker cars parked next to the burned out plant. Hazardous materials placards on 7 of them indicated that volatile chemicals may have been involved. The plant owner, a Mr. Pendery, was not interested in answering questions about these toxic chemicals. He ignored the reporter's questions as he walked to his car and got in.

Even the Waxahachie Fire-Rescue Chief was not aware that 80% of what Magnablend produces is fracking chemicals. EPA officials said they had no idea what was produced at this site. Furthermore, in violation of federal law, the company has not filed a risk management plan.

Read the article here.

Kerr Well Pad at Night: Susquehanna County

2011-10-10T21:49:00.002-04:00

Do you want to see what fracking operations really look like?
The workers tried to get Vera, the videographer, to stop filming, told her she couldn't because they didn't want negative media. She was standing by the side of a public road, and was not trespassing.

Taken at night at 10:15 on 10-8-11. Lots of smoke and hellish scene and sounds.

GO, VERA!

Another Explosion on PA Well Pad: Second Accident in Two Days

2011-10-07T22:01:00.001-04:00

By Jim Hamill

5:18 p.m. EDT, October 7, 2011
For the second time in two days there has been an emergency at a
natural gas drilling site.

Thursday's was in Bradford County. Today there was one in Lycoming
County. State environmental officials said there was an explosion at an Anadarko well pad north of Jersey Shore. Emergency crews responded along Dam Run Road at the Larry's Creek Fishing and Hunting Club a little after noon.

Authorities said a gas production unit, something similar in size to a
backyard shed, exploded. A spokesperson for Anadarko Petroleum said no one was hurt in the explosion and all operations were taken offline.

DEP officials said some gas escaped, but soon after the equipment
safety mechanisms worked. Newswatch 16 was not able to see the site, but the Larry's Creek site has six gas well pads.

According to Anadarko, production at the entire site has been shut down until a complete investigation is done to make sure it is safe. DEP and Anadarko are looking into what caused the explosion and what if any impacts it's had on the environment.

Larrys Creek

Accident on PA Well Pad Injures Worker

2011-10-07T11:23:00.001-04:00

A gas well worker was airlifted to Robert Packer Hospital in Sayre, PA, October 6th, after an emission of gas under pressure, described by Chesapeake Energy as "an inadvertent release of pressure." The incident occurred in Terry Township, Bradford County, PA.

Well, I would be surprised if Chesapeake would say this was done on purpose. Of course, it was inadvertent, just like all spills and accidents resulting in injuries, deaths, and illness. Does that make it more acceptable?

The newspaper article described what a resident close to the accident felt:

Spring Lake Road resident Larry Shenk, who lives about a half mile away from the well site, said he was walking out of his house onto his porch, when he heard a loud boom, followed by about 15 seconds of a whooshing sound, which sounded like air blowing.

I believe this well was put in in 2009 and was a producing well. The injured man was performing routine maintenance at the site.

Read the whole article here.

The road near our summer homestead
Photo: Carol Manuel

Note: This incident is personal for me because it happened just 10 miles south of our family summer homestead in French Azilum. French Azilum is being destroyed by gas drilling. I say this because any beautiful place which is turned into an industrial zone is, by definition, destroyed. It becomes a Sacrifice Zone. There are many such zones in our country and more on the way. All for greed and profit.

Flood Victims in PA Can't Find or Afford Housing

2011-10-04T15:38:00.000-04:00

Pennsylvania residents who lost their homes to Tropical Storm Lee more than three weeks ago are having a tough time finding affordable housing, or any housing at all, because workers in the area's natural gas drilling boom have filled nearly every room, this according to an article by Michael Rubinkam, Associated Press. Read the article here.

I find this to be reprehensible. The problem has been there for a long time, but the storm has exacerbated it to extreme levels. Gas workers are taking up almost all motel rooms and apartments and houses. The gas companies hoard entire motels, such as the Towanda Motel. They lease the rooms for extended periods. Drive by the parking lots of many motels and you will see license plates from Texas and Oklahoma. It is a real occupation. I find this to be unacceptable.

David Rovics Performs His Song "No Fracking Way"

2011-10-01T23:22:00.000-04:00

From Garden-concert at Alværn, Nesoddden by the Oslofjord August 8. 2011.

More about David Rovics here.

I just came home from a concert by David Rovics in Rochester, NY. If you haven't experienced a Rovics concert, you must try to catch up with him. His songs are riveting, intense, and show a thorough knowledge and understanding of world events, both current and in history. David Rovics is a class act.

No Seismic Testing Sign

2011-10-01T10:56:00.000-04:00

Click the sign to enlarge.

This sign is by law, a binding and sufficient legal notice that will hold up in court. If you don't want seismic testing contucted on, or under, your property, post it. Never be afraid to stand up for your rights.

If you've signed a seismic testing letter and no longer wish them to do this testing on your property just contact the company.

It is also recommended that you post signs on your property that prohibit seismic testing so there is no error by Geokinetics or any other company as to your wishes.

Transition Lancaster Visits PA Gasland

2011-09-30T12:17:00.002-04:00

Concerned citizens from Lancaster, PA, trek up to Northern PA to witness natural gas rigs, well pads, storage facilities, and transport trucks in action. They visit with fellow Pennsylvanian land owners effected by the drilling and subsequent contamination of local waterways and diminishing air quality; who are standing up for their constitutional and human rights to clean air and clean water.

Spraying roads in Terry Township Route 187
Photo: Carol Manuel

So when we see a gas truck labeled brine or fresh water, do we really know what is in that vehicle? I don't trust the markings on those trucks.

What is Transition Lancaster? Click here.

The Trouble With Health Problems Near Gas Fracking: NPR Interview

2011-09-29T21:11:00.001-04:00

Read the article here.

If you go for a walk in the country and there are gas wells around, can you feel safe? Can you be sure that you won't inhale toxic chemicals or become contaminated in some way while you are strolling by? This story tells of a woman from Parachute, Colorado, who became very ill while working on her property in 2005. She didn't think about the connection to gas wells until she began talkng to some of her neighbors. They had problems, too, in some cases. Now she believes the gas drilling was the cause of her illness. We simply do not have enough data yet to be sure we are safe from negative gas drilling effects. Until we have data, we can assume we are at risk.

In loving memory of my Dad

The Reverend Robert F. Shippee

November 29, 1922-September 29, 2010

He loved the Earth and opposed natural gas drilling until his dying day.

A Pipeline Comes To Town: Dallas, PA

2011-09-28T15:19:00.000-04:00

In Dallas, PA, this pipeline preparation gouges the forest, plucking up the old trees like matchsticks and hauls them off as if they are of no value. A resident who treasured this place wrote:

Every school day for 8 years, I traveled past this corner . Admiring the beautiful stone walls on the property - wondering: who built them, how did they build such magnificent perfect walls, where did the stone come from, how long did it take to build it.... now it's all gone. Breaks my heart.

Check out Susquehanna River Sentinel. Excellent views about the gas drilling industry from a PA resident.

Retirement Ruined: Personal Story of Truman Burnett (2009)

2011-09-28T11:55:00.000-04:00

Mr. Burnett's simple story of how his beautiful property was ruined forever by gas drilling spills nearby speaks for itself. The gas corporation that is responsible for this tragedy? Chesapeake Energy. Our good neighbors.

More Floods in PA This Week

2011-09-28T10:27:00.000-04:00

Last night (Sept. 27) the rains came again to an area of PA near Scranton. Flash flooding caused traffic nightmares and more nervous businesses and homeowners as streams and creeks swelled and heavy rain came down. Some areas got as much as 5 inches of rain in a matter of 5 hours. The region was already saturated from recent weather events: Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee.

An employee of a local mart and gas station in South Abington, PA, said she's been through this before. "Too many times," she said. In Clarks Green Borough, the council president said "This is a major water event for an area that is already saturated."

Read the Times-Tribune article here.

Do we have emergency plans in place for gas wells and other gas facilities when these quite common weather events occur?

Michael Moore @ Occupy Wall Street (YouTube)

2011-09-27T09:59:00.000-04:00

By now you have heard, I hope, about the occupation of Wall Street. Connecting the dots is always essential to any view of history. We must connect the dots from what has happened on Wall Street with what is happening on gas well pads. Corporations rule in this country. That must change.

Hear what Michael Moore has to say. His words are being repeated by the crowd because they have no microphones, and Michael wanted everyone to hear what he was saying. It worked beautifully!

THEY ARE THIEVES! MAKE THEM PAY!

Berry Tales: Personal Stories from Gardendale, Texas (Video)

2011-09-25T22:09:00.000-04:00

"Berry Tales" are real, first-hand accounts of how residents of Gardendale have been treated by Berry Oil and their 'landman' representative, Gray Surface Specialties. In this segment, long-time Gardendale residents with a thriving horse farm are virtually put out of business by Berry Oil.

Berry Tales: How can they do this? (video)

2011-09-25T22:05:00.000-04:00

"Berry Tales" are real, first-hand accounts of how residents of Gardendale, TX, have been treated by Berry Oil and their 'landman' representative, Gray Surface Specialties. This segment was excerpted from a lengthy interview with a 77 year old widow suffering from a heart condition. Including her home, she lives on 12 acres of land. Berry Oil has staked 2 oil wells on her 12 acres.

The Real Cost of Fracking: Angela and Wayne

2011-09-24T15:51:00.000-04:00

Angela and Wayne Smith live in Clearville, PA. They have beef cattle and grow bluberries. In 2007 gas companies put in storage wells near the Smiths. Water pollution ensued. A horse died an agonizing death (*footage disturbing), followed by the deaths of a cow, a dog, and a chicken. The Smiths suffered headaches. They had to install and pay for an $11,000 water treatment system. A compressor station was built near them which blew up, spraying everything with oil. Their blueberry sales went down. They had wanted to give the farm to their grandchildren eventually. Angela says, "Why give death to our grandchildren, because that's what this is. Who would want to live here?"

Video filmed and edited by Kellan Davidson. For more information, go to Coalition To Protect New York.

The Real Cost Of Fracking: Jenny

2011-09-24T15:36:00.000-04:00

Jenny and her family live in Punxsutawney, PA. In 1983, she and her fiance bought a farm. They got married on their farm and gave birth to their children at home there. They have an organic garden and grow blueberries. Their neighbor, who does not live in PA, but rather lives in Colorado, leased to EOG Resources. Jenny found out some bad things about what was coming to the land next to hers. She called the PA DEP and asked them not to approve the permit. But, of course, the DEP told her it was there duty to approve the permit as long as the gas company met all requirements.

Listen to this short video and hear what Jenny is worried about.

The video was filmed and edited by Kellan Davidson. For more information, go to the Coalition To Protect New York.

Fracking the Finger Lakes (NY): Sandra Steingraber (video)

2011-09-22T22:37:00.001-04:00

Sandra Steingraber gives a talk in Hammondsport, New York, on September 15, 2011. She describes the earth below the surface as a living eco-system, especially in the Marcellus Shale. It is not a dead, inert place, just rock and dirt, as many of us might assume. She tells the story of how New York State was formed.

Then she addresses the effects of natural gas drilling on air, water, food production, tourism, and road safety. She explains that the Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement that is now being vetted does not even mention these impacts.

She says, inspite of gas industry representatives' claims to the contrary, there are now 1000 documented cases of ground and/or surface water contamination from the natural gas drilling process. That contamination includes the carcinogen benzene.

If you have 40 minutes, please watch this talk. At the end, she shows some visual aids which are presented in a very poignant and clever way.

RIP Troy Anthony Davis: Abolish the Death Penalty

2011-09-22T09:15:00.000-04:00

Troy Davis and his mother

Violence in all its forms must end on this planet. The legal murder, listed as homicide on the death certificate, of a very possibly innocent man (there is too much doubt about his guilt), is a macabre, grisly act carried out, in this case, by the State of Georgia. The purposeful act of injecting a drug into the arm of a human being in order to stop his heart from beating is something that must be stopped from ever happening again. Georgia has 104 more people on death row. How many more Troy Davises will there be? Killing a man who is in prison and therefore helpless is a barbaric act.

The rape of the Earth by hydrofracking is another violence which pervades our world and must be stopped. Capital punishment and environmental destruction are related. Our belief in the sacredness of all life touches both the execution of a human being and the killing of the environment, human beings, and animals with toxic chemicals. We are putting toxic fluids into the Earth just as lethal fluids were injected into the arm of Troy Davis on September 21, 2011.

Amy Goodman of Democracy Now covered the execution of Troy Davis live, the only media to do so. Go to www.democracynow.org for more on this tragic killing.

Our hearts go out to the family of Mark MacPhail, the young man who was killed in 1989. We also pray for the family of Troy Davis who have suffered, too.

I am Troy Davis.

Don't Get Fracked: NRDC Has New Website For Citizens

2011-09-21T09:58:00.002-04:00

Click on the map to enlarge

NRDC is very pleased to announce the launch of Don't Get Fracked, a toolkit for citizens around the country looking for sources of information on the permitting and drilling processes, legal rights, environmental information, health resources, local organizations working on these issues, and more.

From the Overview of the toolkit:

Drilling for natural gas is growing across the United States. The use of hydraulic fracturing has opened up gas shale resources in many parts of the country where drilling was not previously occurring. Although drilling can create jobs and income, many fear the effects of drilling on their health, land and quality of life. Current laws need to be changed to catch up with the drilling explosion.

In the meantime, you can act now to protect yourself and your family. These pages provide tools to learn about

The drilling planned for your community
The harm drilling can cause
Steps you can take to limit the dangers to yourself and your family
Resources in each state in which drilling is or is likely to occur.

Here are the categories in the Toolkit:

Overview
Health Effects
Your Rights
Environmental Impacts
Pollution
Resources by State

This website is worth a look. Amy Mall of NRDC asks that people send information as well so that everyone can benefit from the experiences of others.

Don't Get Fracked!

House Floats Down Susquehanna River, Hits Bridge

2011-09-17T18:08:00.000-04:00

A house floats down the Susquehanna River on September 8, 2011, and hits bridge in Tunkhannock, PA. The bridge won.

A Letter To the Editor From the Past: Floodplains

2011-09-16T16:31:00.000-04:00

A road floods in Sugar Run, Terry Township, PA
September 2011

A friend of mine wrote this LTE years ago, but it has significance now as well. In light of the devastating flood in PA September 8th, would we not be wise to re-evaluate the safety or risk of natural gas drilling in floodplains? My cousin, a resident of Wysox, PA, is now facing a major reconstruction of his home on the Susquehanna River after 5-6 feet of water flowed into his home uninvited last week. Floods are not the least bit uncommon in that area. Will frack wastewater be released into raging rivers and streams in the future? It could happen. Can we prevent that from happening?

Dear Editor:

Floods happen. They are an integral and permanent part of a river's natural cycle. Even with dams, levees and all the engineering innovations of the past, the present & the morrow...rivers will continue to inundate their floodplains until the end of time. Man may delay the outcome, but nature always prevails. People construct homes and buildings of commerce on floodplains. After each flood, these same people cry for more protection. "Raise the levees - dredge the river"...not realizing neither action will prevent future floods. Prior to the 1700's, Pennsylvania - "Penn's Woods" - was covered by forests from the Delaware River to Lake Erie. It was once written that a squirrel could travel from the Atlantic shores to the Mississippi River without ever having to touch the ground. And amidst the forests were the swamps, a.k.a. wetlands. More than half the wetlands are gone, and even today the forests are sold to the highest bidder behind closed doors.

Think about the travels of a raindrop back then. It would first contact the upper reaches of the arboreal canopy maybe 150 feet above the forest floor. Layer upon layer of pine, oak, hemlock and maple would slow its descent. When it eventually reached the ground, which was cooled by almost constant
shade, it would slowly seep into the dense humus-rich soils and percolate into and become part of the water table. Any dust or impurities were removed either by chemical or physical processes. The forests & wetlands acted as buffers, reservoirs and filters. How was water quality back then? You can't even imagine.

Picture that same raindrop hitting a parking lot, driveway or city landscape of today. Surface runoff - storm drain - sewer system - stream. It gets to the nearest waterway a lot faster, dirtier and warmer than its counterpart of yesteryear. Envision that same area covered by thousands of umbrellas at various levels, with the ground itself covered with sponges wrapped in fine, porous filters. A very simple example, yes. But that's what is missing today. The forests and wetlands were nature's flood protection and water purification system for hundreds of thousands of years. Today, we pay for a far inferior substitute that once was perfectly free.

The Army Corps of Engineers knows it...they just won't tell you. As more land is developed, as more forests are felled, wetlands filled and streams channelized...floods along the Susquehanna are going to increase in magnitude. If an event equal to Hurricane Agnes in 1972 occurred today...the newly raised levees in the Wyoming Valley would not provide the level of protection anticipated. In the last 30 years, people have been very busy upstream - and they have not been planting trees and saving wetlands.

Regards,

Don Williams
H*******, PA

http://srs444.blogspot.com/

Gas Wells in Floodplains Should Be Banned: CBF and TU

2011-09-10T18:16:00.002-04:00

Flooded well pad next to Wyalusing Creek
Stone Energy
January 26, 2010
Photo: Susquehanna River Sentinel

February 18, 2009
Press Release

CBF and TU Call for Ban on Marcellus Gas Wells in Floodplains

Hydrofracking in Floodplains is an Environmental Disaster Waiting to Happen

(HARRISBURG, PA)—In the rush to develop the Marcellus shale formation in Pennsylvania, natural gas wells are being permitted and drilled in floodplains. Two such wells, one operated by Stone Energy along Wyalusing Creek in Rush Township, Susquehanna County, and one operated by XTO along Muncy Creek in Shrewsbury Township, Lycoming County are already experienced flooding events. The Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) and Trout Unlimited (TU) call upon the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to remedy this clear environmental and public health hazard.

"The handling of fracking chemicals and highly contaminated drilling wastewater in floodplains is an environmental disaster waiting to happen. It has to stop," said Matt Ehrhart, Executive Director of CBF's Pennsylvania Office. "Permitting well pads in floodplains causes a very serious threat of pollution. We call upon DEP to use its authority under the Clean Streams Law to order the companies operating these wells to permanently cap and abandon them, and then reclaim the sites to their natural condition."

While current regulations do not allow well pads to be located within 100 feet of streams or within the floodway without an encroachment permit, neither the Pennsylvania Oil and Gas Act nor its regulations prohibit siting wells in floodplains. Because horizontal drilling technology is used to drill into Marcellus shale, the gas underneath streams and floodplains can easily be accessed from a pad location in an upland area, avoiding risk of flooding and catastrophic pollution to Pennsylvania's rivers and streams. There is no reason to site wells in floodplains.

"This loophole must be closed immediately," said Dave Rothrock, President of the Pennsylvania Council of Trout Unlimited.

In late January, heavy rains hit northern Pennsylvania and several streams and rivers experienced flooding events, including Wyalusing and Muncy Creeks. Both the Stone Energy and the XTO sites were flooded as a result of these events.

"The risk of pollution to our streams will increase exponentially in a matter of weeks," said Rothrock. "As we head into the season of snowmelt and spring rains, there should be absolutely no more well drilling activity in floodplains anywhere in Pennsylvania."

The Stone Energy site was permitted along Wyalusing Creek by DEP without the necessary encroachment permits. While DEP issued a notice of violation to the company the week before the flood, the agency should have never issued the well drilling permit in the first place. CBF has previously highlighted serious flaws in the fast track permitting process implemented by DEP since April 2009, where permit applications do not receive careful environmental review but are instead pushed quickly out the door.

In August 2009, CBF appealed three erosion and sediment control permits issued by DEP for drilling sites in Tioga County. CBF's appeals resulted in a DEP review of the plans and revocation of all three permits because of serious deficiencies.

"The Stone Energy site is yet another example of permits being issued without the necessary review," said Ehrhart. "DEP should not have issued a drilling permit that close to the creek, plain and simple. If the agency was spending any time looking at the proposed location, it would have known that."

Governor Rendell recently announced plans to hire 68 new DEP staff to bolster inspection and environmental compliance as Marcellus shale development expands, and DEP announced plans to open a new regional office in Scranton to increase its presence in the northeast, where much drilling is already taking place.

"We are glad Pennsylvania has taken these actions," said Ehrhart. "We hope that DEP will take advantage of these new staff and resources to ensure more careful review of permits."

Credit: Don Williams
Susquehanna River Sentinel

A History of Flooding in the Susquehanna River Basin

Bradford County, PA, Flood 2011

2011-09-10T15:12:00.000-04:00

Chesapeake CEO McClendon Has Harsh Words For Protestors

2011-09-10T08:56:00.001-04:00

Chesapeake CEO Aubrey McClendon
Why is he smiling? We know.

Billionaire Aubrey McClendon smiles because he is filthy rich. He gets millions and millions of dollars every year for being CEO of Chesapeake Energy Corporation, a company that drills and drills and drills into our Mother Earth to get the final dribs and drabs of un-natural gas out of her before we all have to develop sustainable energy. He minimizes Mother Earth's agony and the suffering of human beings because, well, he really is more focused on money. Here are some of the sensitive, caring (and inaccurate) things he said a few days ago in Philadelphia at a big gas conference:

“Looking back, was anybody hurt? Was there any permanent or even temporary environmental damage? No, no and no. Some folks were inconvenienced, for sure, and for that we're deeply sorry,” McClendon said. But he said the industry's benefits — including lower home-heating bills, tens of thousands of new jobs, and millions of dollars of landowner wealth — more than outweigh the isolated cases of contamination.

“We moved into an area that hadn't seen a lot of drilling, that had pretty unusual surface geology,” he said. “We had some problems in the beginning. We think we've got them fixed.”

“Remind me: What value have the protesters outside created? What jobs have they created? You know the answer and so do I,” he said. “So it's time that we contrast what we do for a living with what they do for a living.”

“What a glorious vision of the future: It's cold, it's dark and we're all hungry,” said McClendon, who co-founded Oklahoma City-based Chesapeake, the most active gas driller in the Marcellus Shale and nationwide. “I have no interest in turning the clock back to the dark ages like our opponents do.”

Read the article here.

PA Sierra Club Worried About Frack Fluids in Flood Water

2011-09-09T20:06:00.000-04:00

Bridge in Wyalusing, PA

For Immediate Release

September 9, 2011

Contact:

Jeff Schmidt, Sierra Club - Pennsylvania Chapter, 717-602-5431

Tracy Carluccio, Delaware River Network, 215-692-2329

Pennsylvania Groups Express Concerns over Fracking Fluids in Flood Water

Demand Disclosure of Chemicals and Number of Well Pads in Floodplains

Harrisburg, PA-As tropical storm Lee continues to dump massive amounts of rain throughout Pennsylvania, concerns are growing over natural gas drilling pits overflowing and spilling their toxic contents into flooded creeks, streams and rivers.

There are no currently safeguards in place by the State of Pennsylvania to prevent natural gas drilling and the placing of open pits containing toxic fracking fluids in flood plains.

The groups call on the DEP to immediately disclose to the public and emergency response professionals how many wells are located within the floodplain, how many may have potentially leaked into our waterways, and what types of chemicals residents and emergency responders may have come in contact with.

Pennsylvania Environmental groups released the following statements in reaction to the heavy rainfall and potential for contaminated flood regions:

"Given the significant flooding over the past several days, there is much concern over how many well pads, open pits and chemical storage tank fields have been inundated with toxic chemicals washing into our waterways and flooded communities," states Jeff Schmidt, Director with the Sierra Club Pennsylvania Chapter. "It is imperative that the PA DEP not allow natural gas wells and infrastructure to be located in floodplains."

"The human devastation experienced by flooding is largely the result of bad decision making - building in the wrong place and the wrong way," said Maya van Rossum, the Delaware Riverkeeper. "Because we have once again put the priorities of industry above the health, safety and protection of people, which includes protecting the environment that feeds and sustains them. We have created a catastrophic situation - and the damage we see here will far surpass what we are able to see with our eyes, the chemical slurry of the drillers will spread its poison, becoming an insidious and unseen threat that will cause sickness and harm for years to come."

"We can only assume that the runoff from gas well sites during this terrible flooding is a toxic flood," said Tracy Carluccio, Deputy Director of DRN. "PA should shut down all drilling now and must immediately revise its regulations to prohibit any gas well development within the floodplains adjacent riparian areas, for the sake of public health and safety."

B. Arrindell, Director of Damascus Citizens for Sustainability, said, "We have verified that there is a spreading oil slick in the Wyalusing area along the flooding Susquehanna River. This is indicative of not just oils, but also all the chemicals being used and released materials brought to the surface by the drilling that are now being spread everywhere the flood waters travel. This has profound ongoing health implications for everyone living, working, farming or visiting the area. Pennsylvanians are being denied their constitutional right to a clean environment."

"While the industry mouths rhetoric about 'safe and responsible' drilling, they do the absolute opposite in fact, storing hundreds of millions of gallons of toxic flowback fluid in open frack pits, now flowing into floodwaters," said Iris Marie Bloom, director of Protecting Our Waters. "Fracking fluid chemicals, and even worse, the radioactive materials, arsenic and other deadly contaminants brought up from the deep shale, should never come into contact with air, water or earth. But here they are flowing with flood waters irreversibly into our ecosystem. This is a public health disaster in the making. Not one more fracking permit should be issued. All open frack pits must be permanently abolished and life-cycle cumulative impact studies done."

Nature Abounds President Melinda Hughes-Wert commented on the situation, "Prior to the epic flooding, we already knew that toxic water from the wells was seeping into our waterways through inefficient containment ponds placed in mountainous topography. Now with the epic flooding, we have even more toxic chemicals in our ground and surface waters. This is truly a significant problem for the commonwealth and it should be addressed by our officials with urgency. Anything less, is an insult to the intelligence of the citizens of Pennsylvania."

"The devastating flooding occurring in Pennsylvania is just another chilling reminder that we are all downstream of poorly regulated, poorly understood, and inherently dangerous natural gas drilling operations. Natural gas drilling in Pennsylvania needs to stop," said Karen Feridun, Founder of Berks Gas Truth.

Chesapeake Energy Entices Towanda's Police Chief to Take Gas Job

2011-09-08T18:03:00.000-04:00

Towanda Borough Police Department has revealed that the Chief of Police, Mitch Osman, will leave the department to accept a job with Chesapeake Energy Corp. [Chief Osman may also have been frustrated (only guessing here) by the lack of extra funding and personnel needed to address the growing police needs of the area mostly due to the gas drilling industry.)A classic example of how the gas industry is siphoning off local people from public service jobs. A few months ago, I attended a meeting about hydrofracking in Rochester, NY, at which Mike Lovegreen was a panel member. Mike is the district manager for the Bradford County Conservation District, headquartered in Towanda, PA. At the meeting Mike told me that several of his employees had left to accept jobs with the gas industry because the salaries were significantly higher. He simply could not compete with that, given his budget. And he said it was hard to find new people to fill these positions vacated by employees who left for better pay.

Boomtowns have this effect on local economies. The Big Boys ride in to town, offer great (at least a little better) salaries to often economically depressed people. The local people are enticed to go to work for them, in an effort to provide a better life for their families. The local businesses take a hit. It becomes a mono-economy, dependent on the gas industry. Gas industry eventually leaves. The area returns to its original condition or worse.

Will Bradford County experience this boom/bust cycle in the future?

Read the full article here.

More Flood Pictures in Bradford County, PA

2011-09-08T17:55:00.000-04:00

Looks like a gas truck at the pump
Wyalusing, PA

Sand tankers under water near Wyalusing Valley Elementary School

Train track washed out and train cars topple
Near Wyalusing Valley Elementary School
Wyalusing, PA

Photos: Wyalusing Rocket-Courier
September 8, 2011

Flooding in Bradford County, PA

2011-09-08T16:47:00.001-04:00

The Bradford County Court House and Susquehanna River flooding behind it

Susquehanna River from Wyalusing Rocks
Bradford County, PA

Photos: Wyalusing Rocket-Courier
September 8, 2011

Shale Gas Outrage Protest in Philadelphia, PA, today

2011-09-07T20:39:00.003-04:00

Two thousand people marched in the streets of Philadelphia, PA, today! Hurray for all who marched!

Read more about the event here and here.

Heavy Rains Close Some Bradford County Schools (PA) Today

2011-09-07T12:35:00.003-04:00

The Susquehanna River in French Azilum, PA
Photo: Carol Manuel

Breaking News from the Wyalusing Rocket-Courier: (09/07/11)

Heavy rains and increasing reports of flooding and road closings have prompted the early dismissal of classes at Wyalusing Area Schools, where elementary students will be dismissed today at 12:15 p.m. and high school students at 12:30 p.m. Towanda area schools will be dismissed at 12:50 p.m. and Canton at 11:15 a.m.

My thoughts: With many gas well pads in this area, floods may well transport toxic chemicals randomly over a wide area, both on land and in the waters of the area. This will take place unbeknownst to anyone. Flooding is a common occurrence in NEPA. Have the gas drillers taken this into consideration in their methods and plans for containment of toxic fluids? Is this acceptable? No, but people are not important to the gas companies. Money is. This fact will never be admitted by the gas companies, but that doesn't change the reality. We are collateral damage along with animals and plants.

UPDATE:
Wyalusing Area School District officials have announced that due to flooded roadways, all schools will be closed tomorrow, Thursday, Sept. 8, 2011. Watch our website for developing stories as this storm continues to impact our region.
http://www.rocket-courier.com

Gas truck on Route 187, Bradford County, PA
September 7, 2011
Photo: Wyalusing Rocket-Courier

Chesapeake Energy Accused of Operating Without a Permit (with Update)

2011-09-05T15:31:00.002-04:00

The Arnold pad on Kerrick Road at Sollick Road
Taken in 2009 before it became a residual waste treatment facility
Photo: Carol Manuel

This would be just another bad story about Chesapeake if it were not so close to my family's summer home in French Azilum, Bradford County, PA. In this week's Rocket, there is news that Chesapeake is already hauling residual waste/frack fluid up to the Arnold site on Kerrick Road. The pad was there in 2009, but no well was put there. A group of neighbors with property on the border of Terry and Asylum Townships is making a lot of noise. They are claiming that Chesapeake Energy is "operating several wastewater treatment facilities in the area that were either improperly permitted, not permitted at all, or operating on sites that were not adequately prepared for such usage."

David Bohlander and Patrick Blow are angry that Chesapeake is so bold and DEP seems less than adequate in oversight.

They don't understand why this remote rural area was chosen for what they feel is a regional facility.

Chesapeake is claiming that these local people are just making a fuss over nothing.

The Asylum Township supervisors have taken an active role in questioning the operations. They noted that no Land Development Application had been submitted to the municipality as required in the township's 2008 subdivision/land development ordinance. Lee Allyn also expressed concern about the truck traffic on Herrick Rd. [Note: I know this road very well. It is very hilly, some steep hills. Much of it is dirt, not paved. I frankly cannot think of a less desirable location for a centralized facility. It is literally out in the boonies! I kid you not!]

Bohlander and Blow say they would be "willing to put up with 300-600 trucks daily passing their homes on their way to the Arnold pad" if they could be assured that the watershed would be properly protected. Blow has a personal reason for being worried. He has lost two parakeets and a dog to ontaminated well water.

Both men say this is a matter of public health.

The Arnold facility, just up the hill from the family homestead for all intents and purposes, is being used to treat waste drilling mud as we speak even though the permit for such an operation is not in place yet. How can this be? Gas drilling activity with no permit? The audacity is impressive. Meanwhile, my family is in jeopardy of contamination, both air and water. The recent hurricane, not to mention the earthquake which was felt in Frenchtown by none other than Cousin Mark, are reminders that weather happens. Rains and wind come, and the earth shakes. Unusual, at least the earthquake is unusual. At least it used to be unusual. Some say that fracking can cause earthquakes. It is a real problem in Arkansas and Texas.

Update: I called the PA DEP Friday to speak with Lisa Houser, environmental waste manager. She was not at her desk, but called back and left a message. She said that indeed Chesapeake Energy is operating what will be called the Arnold Centralized Fluids Processing Facility, as yet not fully permitted, though an application was filed in March. Ms. Houser said there are a few minor issues yet to be worked out, for example, they are using a different kind of truck than originally stated in the application. But she did not seem terribly concerned. (I will talk with her this week to get more information and verify this. You can't always determine too much in a voice message.)

Click to read the whole Rocket-Courier article.

Important Update:
I had a very good conversation with Lisa Houser of the DEP today. She called me in response to my phone call to her last Friday before Labor Day. She told me that the DEP does not regulate the number of trucks that can go back and forth. It regulates the amount of frack fluid that can be processed per day: 940,000 gallons. She said there are many kinds and sizes of trucks, so it is impossible to know how many trucks it will take on a given day. However, the average capacity is about 9,000 gallons per truck load. So that would add up to about 200 truck trips up and down the mountain daily. That number would change if the trucks used are smaller, of course.

Even more important: I was in error (technically at least) to say that the Arnold facility is operating without a permit. They do have a valid permit (issued last July) to operate a 123 facility. However, the DEP has several issues still unresolved, involving the size of trucks and the kind of tanks that were listed in the permit. Ms. Houser said that the facility was not constructed in accordance with the permit. She has spent a lot of time the last two weeks in conversation with Chesapeake in regard to this facility. She told me that she only has four inspectors to cover 14 counties! She added that, even if she had 100 inspectors, it wouldn't be nearly enough to do the proper oversight. I have to sympathize with her frustration.

It is exasperating to think that gas companies can wiggle out of situations. For one thing, they have scads of money in case fines are levied. I think they "go ahead and apologize later." And the chances of being caught in a remote area up on a mountain like the Arnold site are small. Also, as Ms. Houser explained, these drillers are used to the way things are done in Texas and environs. They are not used to the regulations in PA. And they seem to treat the regs in a somewhat cavalier manner in my opinion. The consequences are not harsh anyway.

I am beginning to see that permit issues can be messy. It is impossible to police what is going on. Violations are discovered perhaps by luck, random inspections, or maybe through citizen reports. As for the latter, it is almost impossible to observe what is going on because most well pads are off limits. No Trespassing signs bar people from legally going on pad sites.

Sign at Arnold Site
Arnold Centralized Fluids Processing Facility
238 Sollicks Road at Kerrick Road
[Click to enlarge photo]
Photo: Carol Manuel
Asylum Township

Another Fatality Related To Gas Drilling: Bradford County, PA

2011-09-05T10:17:00.000-04:00

Gas truck on a PA road

In a nutshell, there was a fatal accident early Sunday morning (a few minutes after midnight) in Terry Township (Bradford County, PA), involving a 2008 Ford F-150 welding rig truck driven by a North Dakota man. The man killed, the passenger, was from Arkansas. It appears that speed and alcohol were involved.

My thoughts:
The two people involved were NOT local residents. So this is an example of job opportunities for Pennsylvanians. Just anecdotal, but interesting. The workers are so often from somewhere else.

This accident was at night on a curve in the road, and the truck was allegedly going too fast. a) Roads in rural PA are typically curvy. b) I have found through personal experience that gas drilling trucks do go too fast- ridiculously fast. They scare me to death.

Alcohol was allegedly involved. Drug and alcohol abuse is rampant among gas workers. A gas worker I talked to last June told me that every worker has to take a breathalyzer test before being allowed to enter the drilling pads. That is good. However, there is still a problem with drinking and drugs, especially on the roads.

So send the comments in. Will you tell me that I should not single out gas workers? That accidents happen to anybody? There is some truth in that. However, the ~~occupation~~ presence of the gas industry brings with it many more dangerous elements, including vehicle accidents. And often it is a local citizen who dies or is seriously injured.

Here is the article from the Daily Review (Towanda): http://thedailyreview.com/news/man-killed-in-terry-township-accident-1.1198104

Another Mud Spill In Laurel Lake Creek in Susquehanna County, PA

2011-09-03T19:58:00.001-04:00

Eye Witness Report From Vera:

Just passed Laurel Lake Creek at noon and saw the pumping going on again for the escaping pipeline drilling mud entering the creek bed. All the guys and tankers and trucks and pumping station back again with Southeast Directional Drilling working to pump this out and contain it.

I called Tom Karam , the owner of this Laser Pipeline and told him what is happening and he didn't know!

I videotaped the latest "blow-out"--they supposedly tried some different tactics and the mud escaped again !! The Creek is not wanting this mud to stay underground and it is barfing it up--

Here are Vera's reports after the other accidents in this creek last month:

http://dearsusquehanna.blogspot.com/2011/08/laurel-creek-mud-spill-susquehanna.html (08/05/11)

http://dearsusquehanna.blogspot.com/2011/08/laurel-lake-creek-update-another.html (08/11/11)

http://dearsusquehanna.blogspot.com/2011/08/laurel-lake-creek-mud-inadvertent.html (08/16/11)

http://dearsusquehanna.blogspot.com/2011/08/laurel-lake-creek-pipeline-drilling.html (08/17/11)

And this from the staff blog of the Natural Resources Defense Council:
http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/amall/pennsylvania_citizen_intimidat.html

THANK YOU, VERA!

INDEPENDENT MEDIA REPORTER

EXTRAORDINAIRE!

Remembering a dear friend who fought against unconventional gas drilling in Pennsylvania:

Karen Korell

1944-2010

Fracking Hurting Health Right Now

2011-09-02T12:15:00.001-04:00

Sugar Run on the Susquehanna River
Site of methane bubbling since September 2010
Chesapeake Energy has accepted responsibility, but the bubbling continues
Photo: Carol Manuel

This is an original transcript of an article by Iris Marie Bloom of ProtectingOurWaters. It was published in the University City Review. (Philadelphia)

Ms. Bloom went for a bike ride August 10th, and, based on her experience, she wrote this piece. Here are a few excerpts:

If I didn't personally know people being hurt by fracking right now in Susquehanna County and Bradford County, in Washington and Greene Counties in southwestern PA, and elsewhere in the state and country- I could really imagine the seductive appeal. How much more appealing it must seem to those who have not been listening to hydrologists, biochemists and climate scientists make the case for a moratorium on fracking.

Carl and Judy Stiles of Sugar Run in Bradford County were told by a toxicologist to get out of their home last November after they'd been suffering severe abdominal pain, muscle tremors, dizziness, racing heart and other cardiac symptoms for months......They have been told by one doctor to expect to get leukemia within two years.

The health impacts from gas drilling are so new, and the chemicals and other contaminants brought up by the drilling and fracking, compressor stations and condensate tanks, pipelines and frack pits, are so little understood, that the current wave of families whose health is being severely impacted by fracking in Pennsylvania are literally guinea pigs for a process being sold to the public as "clean." Nothing could be farther from the truth.

Read the entire article.

Methane bubbling at Sugar Run
Used by permission

Fracking: Air Quality

2011-08-29T22:52:00.000-04:00

Dr. Sandra Steingraber speaks about the effects of hydrofracking on air quality. There are harmful health effects which will compromise our children's future. Will we be able to spend more money on special education and health care for our children?

Fracking: Water Quality

2011-08-29T22:45:00.000-04:00

Dr. Sandra Steingraber, author and college professor, speaks about her well water in the Ithaca, NY, area, and asks important questions which have not yet been answered. Shouldn't we hold off on fracking until we know the answers, she asks?