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Calendar of Events
***County Commissioners’ Meeting- 2nd and 4th Thursday of
the month at the county courthouse at 10:00
***WMCG Steering Committee Meetings 2nd Tuesday of every month at 7:30
***Election Day May
21
***Gasland II June
20
For a full calendar
of area events please see “Marcellus Protest” calendar:
http://marcellusprotest.org/
TAKE ACTION!
***Sign Petition for DEP Secretary who Cares
About the Environment
Tell Governor Corbett: Appoint an environmental expert without fracking
industry ties as Department of Environmental Protection Secretary,
As
Pennsylvania 's top environmental
regulator, Michael Krancer shilled for the fracking industry. That's why it's
exciting that he resigned from public service last month and returned to his
old job: lawyering for the oil and gas industry. His departure is an
opportunity to appoint an environmental regulator who will crack down on the
fracking industry's reckless disregard for Pennsylvanians' health and safety.
Tell Governor Corbett: Appoint an
environmental expert without fracking industry ties as Department of
Environmental Protection Secretary, not another shill for the industry. Click
here to sign the petition:
Videos
*** Gas Drilling Records in Pennsylvania
Squirrel Hill
Panel - May 9, 2013 (1:11:05)
Penn State Gas Advocate Terry Engelder,
environmental activist Robert Donnan, AP reporter Kevin Begos, Penn Future
president George Jugovic and media law attorney Gail Sproul.
http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/gas-rush-stories?c=activity
Large
screen version:
***Health Problems Forum
Mac Sawyer former gas field truck driver, Joe Giovannini mason and resident
of Cannonsburg, Robert McCaslin who worked as master driller. Larysa Dyrszka, MD, Board certified
pediatrician, former director of pediatrics at Holy Name Hospital in Teaneck,
NJ, attendee at the first US Health Impact Assessment Conference in Washington
DC., and affiliate member of Physicians Scientists and Engineers for Healthy
Energy and Lauren Williams, Esq, PA
attorney specializing in environmental and public law who focuses on land use
issues including those that related to gas drilling. Lauren Williams discussion
of the gag order on doctors is a good explanation of the problems surrounding
the gag order.
You must click on each speaker in turn to hear all the presentations
Frack News
1.
All Politics Are More Local Now Than Ever
by State Representative Jesse
White, D-Cecil
“With natural gas drilling of the Marcellus Shale and the infrastructure
that comes with it, such as pipelines and processing plants, local government
is more important now than ever,' state Rep. Jesse White rights.
Former
Speaker of the House of Representatives Tip O’Neill famously declared that “all
politics is local.” You can take such a statement in a variety of ways, but
there are some profound truths hidden in there.
The
2013 Municipal Primary Election is on Tuesday, May 21, and voter turnout is
expected to be extremely low. If not for the sea of campaign signs littering
landscapes everywhere, most people may not even know which offices are up for
election.
All
federal offices, such as president, senate and members of Congress run in
even-numbered years, along with statewide offices such as governor and the
state Legislature. In the odd-numbered years, local offices such as borough
council, township supervisor, school board director, along with county-wide row
officers and judges are elected.
Most
people don’t seem to care a whole lot about local elections unless they
personally know the candidate. That isn’t just my opinion—the voter turnout
numbers speak for themselves. It’s really unfortunate, because so many of these
races have a far greater impact than most people may imagine
With
natural gas drilling of the Marcellus Shale and the infrastructure that comes
with it, such as pipelines and processing plants, local government is more
important now than ever. It’s really interesting, because party affiliations
are often thrown out the window when it comes to the issue of what role, if
any, local government should play in natural gas development. Some of the most
progressive Democrats and some of the most conservative Republicans—people who
may not agree on much of anything—are often in lockstep in the desire to avoid
a big-government takeover of our local property rights.
I’ve
talked a lot about Act 13, the state law passed last year that pretty much took
away the rights of local municipalities to use zoning to help ensure natural
gas development is consistent and safe. A group of municipalities, including
Mt. Pleasant, Cecil, Robinson and South Fayette Townships challenged Act 13 in
court, with attorneys taking the case pro bono—at no cost whatsoever to
taxpayers.
These
townships are all very different, but they share one critical characteristic:
The elected township supervisors, both Republicans and Democrats, had the guts
to stand up and say they believed the people living locally in a community
should have more say about some things than Gov. Tom Corbett and the unelected
Harrisburg bureaucracy of the state Department of Environmental Protection and
the Public Utilities Commission.
None of these municipalities tried to ban
drilling—they just wanted to protect the home and business owners in the
community from poor planning and a lack of accountability. The recent example
of the fertilizer plant explosion in West, Texas gave us all a grim reminder of
what happens when local zoning is ignored. There is a reason some
industries shouldn’t be within a stone’s throw of your kid’s school, your
church or your hospital, and the supervisors in these communities decided it
was important enough to stand up and fight for.
And
guess what? Despite the baseless pessimism of a handful of naysayers and a
never-ending string of nuisance lawsuits filed by a handful of drilling
companies intent on behaving like stubborn children, the municipalities are
actually winning.
The
Commonwealth Court ruled the zoning preemptions of Act 13 are unconstitutional,
so the law has not gone into effect. That could all change depending on what
the state Supreme Court does, and will likely be impacted in a huge way based
on whether Corbett tries to appoint a justice to replace Joan Orie Melvin who
will uphold Act 13, which could wreak havoc on our region. Concerns about your
property values potentially taking a nosedive are very real without fair zoning
to define what our communities should be.
Despite the
never-ending push by the public relations propaganda wing of the gas industry
to portray themselves as victims, zoning laws aren’t designed to punish anyone;
they’re designed to protect people and give them some certainty. If you bought
a house in a residential area, you made that very large purchase with a basic
understanding of what could be built around you and your family—to change the
rules in the middle of the game infringes on our fundamental Constitutional
right to enjoy our private property.
Like
I’ve learned from about two dozen commercials, drilling is just the beginning.
We’re looking at a massive buildup of pipelines and compressor stations as the
natural gas industry moves toward exporting our gas to foreign countries. We
need to decide right now how we want that to look.
Do we want
local officials who will ask the tough but fair questions and demand
accountability to protect the people and property of the community, or do we
want eager enablers who are content to stick their heads in the frac sand and
blindly repeat slick but largely untrue talking points?
You
can support the responsible development of Marcellus Shale while still
maintaining local zoning. Even the drilling nirvana of Texas allows local
communities to use zoning to control natural gas production, so let’s not act
as though this is some revolutionary concept. The gas industry has enough
cheerleaders in government; what we need are some fair and objective referees.
Decisions
are made by those that show up. Ask questions, demand answers and go vote on
May 21. Now more than ever, it really matters.”
http://canon-mcmillan.patch.com/articles/all-politics-are-more-local-now-than-ever
2. Letter to the Editor…
Supervisor Andy Schrader announces he will not attend private meeting
with Range
May 11,
2013 - This is in response to the article, “Cecil Township supervisors want
private meeting with Range Resources,” which appeared in the Wednesday edition
of the Observer-Reporter.
It
states that it was not known whether Schrader would attend the meeting. For
the record, I will not attend any private meeting with Range Resources. It
gives the appearance of some kind of secretive deal going on and I won’t be a
part of it. I have always said that I will meet with Range but it has to be
at a public meeting where our residents can hear every word that is said.
Andy
Schrader, McDonald
Cecil
Township supervisor. “
http://www.observer-reporter.com/article/20130511/OPINION02/130519879#.UY9484LD_cs
3. North Huntingdon Residents Want to Know Sunoco’s Pipeline Plans
By Paula and Andy Pollack
“After
months of debate, the proposed Sunoco Logistics pipeline that was planned to
run through North Huntingdon Twp was defeated and a new route has been chosen.
Ironically,
the new route will be even closer to Lincoln Hills. This pipeline will carry
liquid propane under extremely high pressure between Delmont and Houston, PA. The
new route will basically follow the high-tension power lines between Delmont
and Houston which crosses near the Irwin interchange. It is our
understanding from conversations with both North Huntingdon and Hempfield that
the proposed new route will happen.
We
have not seen or heard of any public hearings being held to allow us to express
our safety concerns.
You
can read about this change in an article written by Timothy Puko in the
Saturday, March 9, 2013 edition of the Tribune-Review, "Residents reroute
pipeline". http://triblive.com/news/allegheny/3624387-74/pipeline-gas-move” Please share any further information regarding this issue by forwarding
to Jan.
From the Tim Puko Article:
“Many
residents were surprised late last year to learn the company was seeking to
acquire land and hadn't ruled out trying to use eminent domain. Safety experts
had said the liquid gas cargo would be some of the most dangerous for a
residential area. During leaks, it forms a thick cloud and hovers until it
finds an ignition source, experts said.
Moving
the pipeline away from suburbs probably is a safer option, said Carl Weimer,
executive director of the Pipeline Safety Trust, an independent group in
Bellingham, Wash. It may seem that putting pipelines next to one another might
heighten risks during explosions, but several large pipeline explosions have
happened in recent years without damaging nearby lines, he said.
The
pipeline will be about a 45-mile spur from a processing plant in Chartiers to a
pipeline hub in Delmont. It's part of the Mariner East project, which will move
as many as 70,000 barrels of ethane and propane from Western Pennsylvania shale
gas wells for export from Philadelphia.
Range Resources
Corp., the dominant driller in Washington County, supplies most of that gas and
has contracts to ship half of it to Europe.
McGinn
didn't immediately have details about how many homes will be along the new
pipeline route. It still may have suburban areas to go through around
Canonsburg, Forward, Elizabeth, Jeannette and Penn. Sunoco Logistics
officials are still deciding the path of the line and plan to meet with
residents and emergency officials in its area, McGinn said.
Timothy Read more:
http://triblive.com/news/allegheny/3624387-74/pipeline-gas-move#ixzz2TMwtVIXP
4. Radioactive Frack Waste Triggers Concerns at Dump Sites
“The number of
garbage trucks setting off radiation monitors had a fivefold increase between
2009 and 2012, drawing renewed attention from state officials who hadn't
believed radiation would be a big problem from the s drilling industry.
South
Huntingdon is trying to block MAX Environmental Technologies Inc. from
receiving DEP permission to accept a higher level radioactive waste, supervisor
Melvin Cornell said.
“This
stuff they compile as they dump it. It will grow and grow and grow,” Cornell
said. “Hey, if there's nothing wrong, take it down, and make a playground
with it where they live. That might sound harsh, but we don't want it here.”
Radiation alarms went off 1,325 times in 2012,
with more than 1,000 of those alerts just from oil and gas waste, according to
data from the DEP.
The
state's landfills have to one day be fit for people to live on after they
close, so the state has to make sure they aren't allowing a dangerous build-up
of radioactivity, officials said.
State regulators, industry
supporters and some scientists say that treating shale waste properly
eliminates big health risk. But there are critics who argue that bringing
large quantities of even low-level radioactive particles to the surface can
lead to a slow, incremental build up of particles that people breathe or eat
throughout their lifetimes.
The state began requiring radiation monitors at landfills in 2002 because
of medical waste. But oil and gas waste — which brings up naturally occurring
radiation formerly locked a mile or so underground — has become an increasing
concern.
The
spike in radiation alarms roughly corresponds shale drilling activity.
Radiation detectors went off 423 times in 2008 and 1,325 times in 2012,
according to DEP data. Gas drillers punched 335 new shale wells in 2008 and
1,354 new shale wells in 2012.
The
average radium content in Marcellus shale wastewater samples was more than
double the content found in wastewater from other gas-producing formations, the
Geological Survey found in 2011.
It's
more than 40 times the federal limit for
industrial discharges, but it can be diluted in treatment or separated with
chemicals into a sludge, said Mark A. Engle, a groundwater expert and study
co-author. Engle said that the radioactive sludge should be safely contained by
a dump's liners.
“The
state isn't changing any rules while it does a year long study because past
research has shown problems are unlikely, state officials said. They will be
examining radioactivity in all facets of drilling, including sludge,
wastewater, drill cuttings, gas and the imprint radioactivity may leave on all
the equipment, pipes and trucks that haul it around.
Several
groups have criticized a state policy that allows drillers to bury some waste
at their well sites, as long as it's covered in its plastic liner and buried.
The DEP has proposed banning that practice …
Timothy Puko
Read more:
http://triblive.com/business/headlines/3945499-74/gas-radiation-radioactivity#ixzz2T8vZoGEZ
5. Air
Pollution in Colorado- Highest Ever Wintertime Ozone Levels
“Colorado
regulators have measured elevated wintertime ground-level ozone levels for
the first time, prompting an environmental group to petition the Bureau of Land
Management to halt all new oil and gas drilling on federal lands in NW Colorado
where the pollution was detected.
New
statewide data from the Colorado Air Pollution Control Division show high ozone
levels along the Western Slope, as well as a short-term increase in places
along the Front Range, including Rocky Mountain National Park, which never
before had measured high ozone.
The
wintertime ozone phenomenon had previously been seen only in the Uinta Basin in
northeast Utah and in the Upper Green River Basin in southern Wyoming -- both
of which are in areas that have heavy oil and gas drilling.
"Certainly
there's an indication that there's a problem out there," said Garry Kaufman,
the state Air Pollution Control Division's deputy director.
Kaufman, however, cautioned that much more
quality assurance and quality control are needed with the data. He noted that
the Rangely area shares the same airshed as the heavily drilled Uinta Basin in
neighboring Utah, and that pollution from the nearby basin could be drifting
into Colorado.
Sgamma
noted that EPA last year implemented new oil and gas industry regulations
addressing emissions of (VOCs), which
along with emissions of nitrogen oxides from automobile tailpipes and industry
smokestacks are the chief ingredients in the formation of ozone pollution.
But
the new ozone numbers shine a spotlight on increased oil and gas development in
the state, according to WildEarth Guardians. The group points to a state
report earlier this year that found nearly half of all emissions of VOCs in
Colorado are attributed to the industry.
WildEarth
Guardians today filed a formal petition asking BLM to halt new oil and gas
leases and applications for permits to drill in the White River Field Office.
"Our
request is simple: Stop polluting the air and start fixing the problem,"
said Jeremy Nichols, WildEarth Guardians' climate and energy program director
in Denver. "With ramped up oil and gas drilling and fracking, and more
coal mining on the horizon, the Bureau of Land Management can't ignore the fact
that Colorado's clean air is at risk and that they have an obligation to do
something about it."
EPA
last year determined that the Upper Green River Basin,
Wyoming which is home to oil and gas fields, is out of compliance with the
federal ozone standard and gave the state three years to fix the problem.
EPA
monitors in 2011 registered 13 days in three months, from January to March,
when ozone levels in the basin exceeded the health-based standard, including a
March 2, 2011, reading of 124 ppb -- higher than the worst ozone levels
recorded that year in Los Angeles.
At
such high concentrations, ozone can trigger asthma attacks and inflame the
conditions of those suffering from bronchitis and emphysema, with small
children and the elderly the most at risk.
A
recent study conducted by researchers with the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention and the Wyoming Department of Health measured daily ozone concentrations
in Sublette County, Wyo., between 2008 and
2011 and found that increases in ozone concentrations had adverse health
impacts for residents -- most notably an increase in the number of people
visiting doctor's offices with respiratory complaints (Greenwire, April 12).
In
Utah, ozone monitors this winter have measured
concentrations as high as 130 ppb in some parts of the Uinta Basin.
A
two-year study led by the Utah Department of Environmental Quality, together
with EPA, and partly funded by $2 million contributed by members of the Western
Energy Alliance, concluded that oil and gas drilling operations are the
primary source of the problem (EnergyWire, Feb. 20).
EPA has already designated
seven Colorado counties, including the state's most heavily drilled county of
Weld, as part of a "nonattainment area." The state faces a
December 2015 federal deadline to bring those seven Front Range counties into
compliance, Kaufman said, and the latest data certainly could threaten that
effort.
"With
Colorado's Western Slope now violating federal smog standards, it's critical
that the state respond quickly to restore our clean air and the health of this
state," Nichols said. "Smog is clearly a statewide issue, and it
deserves statewide solutions that work."
6. Drilling Boom Complicates Clean and Green
“
Since 1974, PA’s Clean and Green program has allowed farmers and landowners
to pay a lower property tax rate on plots of land larger than 10 acres that are
used for agriculture or are forests or open space. But with the booming
development of the Marcellus Shale, many area farms now also have gas wells on
them. In 2010, state legislators voted to amend the law so that any land
used in gas and oil drilling could no longer claim the tax break. Owners
would be responsible for paying the difference between the higher rate and
their reduced amount from as early as 2007.
No collection notices have been sent out in
Washington County thus far, but there’s potential for significant tax income.
For example, Boni said a Washington County farm that had to pay rollback taxes
on five acres from 2007 to the present would owe roughly $700 in rolled-back
Clean and Green taxes. Seventy to 80 percent of the money generated would go to
local school boards and the county and local municipalities would get the
difference. Boni said of the nearly 8,000 Clean and Green properties in
Washington County, roughly 1,000 have had wells drilled on them. So far the
county has begun surveying 22 properties, but has not yet sent collection
notices.”
http://www.observer-reporter.com/article/20130511/NEWS01/130519893#.UZAL9ILD_cs
Definition of C&G from the Bureau of Farmland Preservation:
WHAT IS
CLEAN AND GREEN?
Clean and Green is a preferential tax
assessment program, that bases property taxes on use values rather than fair
market values. This ordinarily results in a tax savings for landowners. The
Pennsylvania General Assembly enacted the program in 1974 as a tool to
encourage protection of the Commonwealth's valuable farmland, forestland and
open spaces. Currently, more than 9.3 million acres are enrolled statewide.
WHAT IS
THE PENALTY FOR A CHANGE IN USE OF LAND?
A landowner who breaches the covenant is
subject to seven years of rollback taxes at 6% interest per year. The rollback
tax is the difference between what was paid under Clean and Green versus what
would have been paid, if the property had not been enrolled, plus 6% simple
interest per year.
MAY I
ENGAGE IN ENERGY DEVELOPMENT ON MY CLEAN AND GREEN PROPERTY?
The program was recently amended to provide
for oil and gas development with a limited rollback tax penalty. Rollback taxes are only due with respect to
those areas of the property devoted to the activity - as determined by the
county assessor upon submission of a well production report to the Pennsylvania
Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). Similarly, commercial wind production is now
permitted with rollback taxes limited to those areas devoted to the
activity. Tier one alternative energy
systems - such as solar and biomass - are permitted without any rollback tax
penalty if the majority of energy is utilized on the enrolled tract.
MAY I
ENGAGE IN MINING ON MY CLEAN AND GREEN PROPERTY?
The program was recently amended to allow for
one small non-coal surface mining permit on enrolled land. Rollback taxes are due on the affected areas.
Bureau
of Farmland Preservation
(717) 783-3167
7. Consol Shuts Out Media,
“
Consol Energy became the only company in the Pittsburgh region to bar
reporters from attending its annual meeting, shutting the press out of a
gathering that attracted about five shareholders. The Cecil-based coal and
natural gas producer closed its doors to the media for the second year in a
row, saying the secret proceedings allow executives to focus on business, and
that the company is transparent throughout the year.
The practice is not illegal,
but "it's not appropriate," said Lev Janashvili, managing director at
GMI Ratings, a corporate governance research firm in New York. "What
does that decision reveal and suggest about the quality of leadership at the
company?" The other driller with headquarters in the region, EQT Corp.,
had security guards located inside the Downtown conference room that held its
shareholder meeting in April, and had all attendees wanded with metal
detectors.” http://pipeline.post-gazette.com/news/archives/25155-consol-shuts-out-media-cites-need-for-focus-in-shareholder-talks
8. History of a Fracked Park
Bob Donnan researched and recorded this data
Waste from Marcellus shale drilling in Cross Creek Park kills fish
June 5, 2009
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
A
leaking waste water pipe from a Range Resources Marcellus shale gas well
drilled in Washington County's Cross Creek Park has polluted an unnamed
tributary of Cross Creek Lake, killing fish, salamanders, crayfish and
aquatic insect life in approximately three-quarters of a mile of the stream.
The state Department of Environmental Protection said Range Resources reported
the May 26 wastewater discharge from a coupling on a 6-inch pipe running from a
recently drilled well to a wastewater impoundment.
Part of Pa. DEP inspection report:
Condensate tanks near the gas well where radiation levels were detected
at twice the background level in the park. Range has been
using the ‘alternate waste disposal’ method to bury drilling pits inside the
park.
A
USGS study showed very high levels of radiation during some spot testing. The
produced water from these wells was being hauled to Wheeling, WV for disposal
into the Ohio River.
CLEARCUTTING BLUNDER IN COUNTY PARK COSTS RANGE
October 21, 2011 - Washington County solicitor J.
Lynn DeHaven used the term "reparations" when announcing an agreement
he reached with Range Resources over clear-cutting done in error at Cross Creek
County Park near West Middletown. Clear-cutting by a Range Resources
contractor was done "in an area specifically off-limits. It was one of the oldest stands of hardwoods
in the park, the hillside we didn't want them touching," said Lisa Cessna.
Range had first encroached on West Middletown Cemetery property, then
moved into an area of the park that was off-limits. But the mood among the
county commissioners was anything but belligerent Thursday morning, because
Range agreed to provide $100,000 worth of in-kind services at the park. Range
is also to reimburse the county $14,247, which is double the value of the trees
cut, based on estimates given by the company's forester.
RANGE VIOLATES
PARK LEASE
September 16, 2011 - Range
Resources' violation of a lease with Washington County on the site of a natural
gas well pad on park property in Hopewell Township was raised Thursday after a
Peters Township resident told county commissioners "drilling in Cross
Creek Park has run amok."
County solicitor J. Lynn DeHaven
said Range was told to "cease and desist." "They were cutting trees where we had not authorized them
to cut trees, so we stopped them. The pad site was not where we approved,"
Fergus said. "It was an engineering error on their part. They thought
they were on the county property when they were on cemetery property.
Range Resources’ 2nd
documented spill inside the park….
DEP investigating
spill at Cross Creek County Park
OBSERVER-REPORTER By Barbara Miller
March 15, 2013 - The state DEP
has issued a notice of violation to Range Resources Corp. in connection with a water spill last month at Cross Creek
County Park, a DEP spokesman said Friday. John Poister, DEP spokesman in
Pittsburgh, said workers on the Marcellus Shale natural gas drilling site
noticed what is known as “re-use” water entering a secondary containment area.
“It appears open-top storage tanks were overflowing. Water flowing into these
tanks was not being monitored." Range reported the spill to DEP, which
sent inspectors. “We consider this a significant spill, and we will evaluate
the entire incident, response and cleanup before we make any decisions on a
civil penalty,” or fine.
Lisa Cessna, director of the Washington County Planning Commission,
which oversees county parks, said the Feb. 12 spill involved about 40 barrels
of water (1,680 gallons). She has had a representative of the Washington County
Conservation District and parks superintendent Kevin Garrison monitor the site,
which has been mulched. Range drilled its first horizontal well in the
3,500-acre Cross Creek Park in 2008.
9. Why Obama Favors Exporting Gas
“The
Financial Times reports that President
Obama is likely to weigh in on the side of more exports. Why is that?
Administration officials reportedly think that the trade and geopolitical
benefits of increasing exports outweigh the possible downsides: A vocal lobby of energy-intensive
manufacturers, including Dow Chemical and Alcoa, has urged the administration
to limit export permits, arguing unrestricted LNG sales overseas could erode
the energy cost advantage created by the shale boom’s cheap gas.
However, US
officials believe that being seen to restrict exports for the benefit of
domestic industry would send a terrible signal about the country’s support for
free trade. So what’s the thinking here? A recent report from
the Congressional Research Service breaks down some of the key trade issues.
Technically, Article XI of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade forbids
restrictions on exports through quotas and licensing. The United States could
conceivably get an exception for natural gas — because it’s a limited,
exhaustible resource.”
10. Grassroots Can Stop Fracking One Town At A Time
City councils and local
activists have stymied shale gas mining in New York, and could prove an example
for others to follow
"And
what Rendell failed to mention is that the drilling of over 150,000 wells for
natural gas has transformed large swaths of rural Pennsylvania into what
basically are industrial zones, bristling with monster trucks, wastewater
ponds, and traffic jams. Air pollution is higher in counties with drilling than
those without and residents complain about round-the-clock noise. Ed Rendell also didn't mention the McIntyre
family, who live in Butler County – western Pennsylvania's frack zone – and
whose members suffer from projectile vomiting, headaches, breathing problems,
mysterious skin rashes … the list goes on. The family dog died suddenly, after
lapping up some water the family believes was problematic. The McIntyres no
longer drink, brush their teeth, or do their laundry with the water piped into
their home.
New
Yorkers worried about fracking have been looking at the impact it's had on
their neighbors in Pennsylvania. Increasingly, they don't like what they see
there. After a fact-finding tour to the town of Troy, in northern Pennsylvania,
Terry Gipson, a New York state senator, reported that, despite signs of renewed
economic activity in the region, he couldn't help wonder what will happen when
the gas boom goes bust, as all booms inevitably do."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/may/13/fracking-new-york-grassroots-campaign-to-stop?guni=Network%20front:network-front%20main-4%20Pixies:Pixies:Position12
Front yard sign in Amwell Twp, Pa.
Photo by Bob
Donnan
Westmoreland Marcellus Citizen’s Group—Mission Statement
To raise the public’s general awareness and
understanding of the impacts of Marcellus drilling on the natural environment,
health, and long-term economies of local communities.
Officers:
President-Jan Milburn
Treasurer-Wanda Guthrie
Secretary-Ron Nordstrom
Facebook Coordinator-Elizabeth Nordstrom
Blogsite –April Jackman
Science Subcommittee-Dr. Cynthia Walter
To receive our news updates, please email
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