Westmoreland Marcellus Citizens’ Group Updates October 3, 2013
To view photos, please sign up for newsletter at: westmcg@gmail.com
* For articles and updates or to just vent, visit us on facebook;
* To view permanent documents, past updates,
reports, general information and meeting information
http://westmorelandmarcellus.blogspot.com/
* Our email address: westmcg@gmail.com
*
To discuss candidates: http://www.facebook.com/groups/VoteProEarth/
* To contact your state
legislator:
For the email address, click on the envelope
under the photo
* For information on the state gas legislation
and local control: http://pajustpowers.org/aboutthebills.html-
WMCG Thank Yous
*Thank
you to April and Allen Knizner for the loan of their tent for the Mother Earth
Fair.
*Thank
you to Allison Insley for conducting the Webinar regarding Health Effects from the
proposed Tenaska Generating Facility in Ruffsdale, South Huntingdon Township,
Westmoreland County and to Matt Walker of Clean Air Council for coordinating
the webinar.
*Thank you to contributors to our Updates: Debbie
Borowiec, Lou Pochet, Ron Gulla, Marian Szmyd, Bob Donnan, Gloria Forouzan, Elizabeth
Donahue, and Briget Shields.
Calendar
*** WMCG Steering
Committee Meeting This month we will meet the third Tuesday of the
month---October 15, 7:30 PM at Mike and Cindy’s, Greensburg. Email
jan for directions. All are invited.
***Southwest PA
Solar Tour-Oct. 12
See Pittsburgh's
best solar homes and businesses Saturday
Join The Sierra Club and
PennFuture for a free, self-guided tour of local homes and businesses that use
solar energy and other green technologies.
There are 22 different locations in Pittsburgh and across
western PA on the tour, so feel free to visit as few or as many as you'd like.
The 2013 tour is FREE, but you will need to register so that we can send you
the guidebook and a link to the Google map to plan your solar tour. Come out for a fun fall day and see solar in
action in Southwest PA.
Event Details
WHO: You and solar owners who want to show off their homes
and businesses
WHAT: Southwestern PA Solar Tour
WHEN: Saturday, October 12, 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
WHERE: All around the Pittsburgh region (map)
RSVP: http://action.sierraclub.org/PittsburghSolarTour
Questions: Contact
Randy Francisco at randy.francisco@sierraclub.org
You'll
find something spectacular around every corner - from the greatest new modern
green homes and facilities, to Pittsburgh area classics that have undergone
green renovations. From backyard solar farms to farms that use solar to power
nearly everything. Stay in the city or wander the countryside.
Thanks for all you do to protect the environment,
Randy Francisco PA Organizing Representative Sierra Club
***Fracking
Speaker Series: “Fracking and Your Health”, October 9
October 9, 2013 7:00
pm-9:00 pm
Presentation and
Q&A with workers from the shalefields
Speakers will address the jobs in the Marcellus Shale
This is the first in a series of
talks about the perils of fracking, made possible by public donations at the
premiere showing of Gasland II. Please join us for an insider look at the jobs
in the Marcellus gas drilling patch, along with a Q&A session.
Lawrenceville Moose
120 51st Street, Pittsburgh 15201
Free to
the public. Bring your friends and family! For more information, contact Steve
at shvozdovich@cleanwater.org or 724-485-9835.
Sponsors
include Marcellus Protest along with Clean Water Action, Marcellus Outreach
Butler, PennEnvironment, and Sierra Club-Allegheny Group.
***Youth Power
Shift Needs Housing
“This
fall, the largest gathering of social change makers in 2013 will happen in
Pittsburgh at Power Shift 2013, and we could really use your support. More
specifically, support in housing participants. Youth leaders from across the
country are counting on the Pittsburgh community to make their experience a
welcoming and empowering memory.
On October 18th-21st,
Power Shift 2013 will have over 10,000 young people converge at the David L.
Lawrence Convention Center. For the first time ever, Power Shift is being
hosted outside of Washington, DC.
This year we are coming to Pittsburgh, a city at the
crossroads of the fight for a clean and just energy future – at the center of
building the green economy, yet also directly in the crosshairs of the coal and
fracking industries. At Power Shift we
will not just tackle environmental
issues, but also encompass other social movements from LGBTQ to student debt to
food politics to fight systemic oppression. Here’s
how you can help:
Open your home.
Community is a huge focus at Power Shift and we want to
emphasize the importance of returning the empowerment attendees feel afterwards
to contribute to their communities. Pittsburgh’s collective power fighting for
clean energy is the same momentum we want our attendees to push when they return
home.
A housing board is set up for folks in the Pittsburgh
community who are able and willing to open their homes to Power Shift 2013
participants. A $10 discount code is now available for Pittsburgh locals
registering to attend Power Shift. Please push this housing board link out to
your network and connections: http://www.wearepowershift.org/travel/housing-board
Community
Spaces, Religious Institutions, etc.
Anybody
with connections to places with available floor space to house a larger group
of people over the weekend should get in touch with Jenna Grey Eagle our
coordinator for housing. We realize that requesting this type of space over
night can lead to extra work, so the option of requiring a fee is open. Any
available space would be posted on our website with information on what
supplies students should bring (sleeping bag, towels, etc.), what rules they
should abide by, payment options, and any other vital information to be included.
If
you are aware of other types of housing opportunities or have connections
within your community that can help out, please contact Jenna at
jenna@energyactioncoalition.org or <605-553-8327>
Be
a part in helping Shift the Power! We can’t do this without you!”
Power Shift
*** Pittsburgh
Environment and Health Conference-Oct 25
At
the Pittsburgh Environment & Health Conference we will talk about the links
between the environment and your health. They don't just affect you; they
affect your entire community.
The conference includes lunch, and
you will leave with information that can help you live a greener, healthier
life. With small changes, you can help your kids and their kids live healthier.
Featuring
Keynote Speakers:
Nancy
Alderman - Environment and Human Health, Inc.
Cecil
Corbin-Mark - WE ACT for Environmental Justice
Lois
Gibbs - Center for Health, Environment and Justice
Edward
Humes - Pulitzer Prize-Winning Journalist & Author
Richard
Louv - Children and Nature Network
David
Orr - Environmental Studies Program, Oberlin College
Ted
Schettler, MD - Science and Environmental Health Network
During
afternoon workshops you will hear from and interact with local experts who will
address a series of environmental and health-related topics and describe the
work that is taking place right in our communities.
Space is limited! Click here to register
today! http://pittsburghenvironmenthealth.org/
Where & When
David
Lawrence Convention Center
1000
Fort Duquesne Blvd.
Pittsburgh,
PA 15222
October
25, 2013
8:30
am - 4:30 pm
***Dr. Anthony
Ingraffea, Dwight C. Baum Professor of Engineering,
Cornell University -November 21- Butler On
the science, safety and
debate over hydraulic fracturing. More information to
follow.
*** Facing the
Challenges-- Duquesne University-- Nov 25, 26 Researchers present on: Air and water,
Animal and Human Health, Geological, Biological investigations.
***Fall Summit,
North Park- November 17
Hey
folks! Thank you to everyone who made
our 2013 Summer Summit a success. To all
who were unable to attend, I hope this next adventure works for you! With fall finally here, it is time for our
next gathering. On November 17, 2013 we
will hold our 1st annual Fall Shindig at North Park in Allison Park, PA. We anticipate the day running from 9-5pm. I’ve attached a save the date for your
use. The building has a capacity of 150
persons and we want to have great regional representation so please, invite
your friends and colleagues. We do
anticipate a $10 registration fee to cover the building and food. More details to come!!
Because we want this to be an
event YOU want to attend the steering committee would like to have some
feedback on the type of workshops that would be helpful. Below is a running list of suggestions. Please either choose your top 3 workshops, or write in your own and
e-mail them back to mailto:kathryn@mtwatershed.com. I’d like to have replies by 10/9/2013 to
ensure we have adequate time to prepare.
Suggested sessions:
-Communications,
social media instructions
-Building
connections across state and regionally
-Creative
expression, Art Therapy
-Frac
Water Treatment/where does the waste go
-Pipelines
and pipeline monitoring
-Radiation
-Non
Violent Communication
-Divestment
-Air
quality predictions/limiting exposure
-Natural
Gas power plants
Peace and solidarity,
Kathryn Hilton, Community Organizer, Mountain Watershed Association
For a full calendar of area events please see “Marcellus
Protest” calendar:
http://marcellusprotest.org/
Take Action!!
*** Call--- For renewable energy jobs in
Pennsylvania! (Sierra Club)
You can
help fight climate change here in Pennsylvania today!
State Senator Daylin
Leach is about to introduce a bill to increase the amount of electricity
provided by renewable sources to 15% by 2023. Even better, it would prioritize
wind energy produced in Pennsylvania!
Climate
change is a big problem, but the solutions are simple -- invest in homegrown
renewable energy that creates jobs for Pennsylvania families and stimulates a
growing industry. To make that happen we need to let our elected officials know
there's strong public demand to get Senator Leach's bill passed!
Will you call your state senator urging them to co-sponsor
Senator Leach's bill?
In a state the size of Pennsylvania we can make a big
difference for renewable energy and climate protection. Pennsylvania produces 1%
of the entire planet's greenhouse gas emissions!
We've
seen renewable energy projects create good family-sustaining jobs in the wind
and solar industries, as a result of the stimulus created by the original
passage of the Alternative Energy Portfolio Standard in 2005. But since that
time many of our neighboring states have adopted stronger renewable energy
policies while we have languished. As a result, the good green jobs created by
our AEPS are being lost to states like New Jersey, Delaware and New York. Let's
make Pennsylvania a leader in true renewable energy sources like wind and solar
again, not climate disrupting natural gas.
You can
help protect the climate and bring more renewable energy jobs to Pennsylvania
by urging your state senator to support Senator Leach's bill.
Thanks for all you do to protect the environment,
Randy Francisco
Pennsylvania Organizing Representative Sierra Club
P.S. After you take action, be sure to forward this alert to
your friends and colleagues!
***Stop NPR from
Accepting Natural Gas Industry $
(From Move on)
Petition Background
NPR receives underwriting funds from the
American Natural Gas Alliance (ANGA). In
exchange, NPR airs misleading ads promoting further development of natural gas,
which must now be mined by the environmentally damaging extreme extraction
process, “fracking”. This path would
commit the US to decades more of increasing dependence on fossil fuels. NPR refuses to disclose its policy on how
it selects sponsors from which to accept funding. (For a detailed account
of my two-year unsuccessful attempt to get through NPR’s corporate wall of
secrecy surrounding its underwriting practices go to http://wp.me/pJm45-33d.)
NPR (National Public Radio) should stop accepting funds and
airing underwriting announcements from the American Natural Gas
Alliance (ANGA). NPR must be transparent and accountable with its sponsorship
practices.
*** Take Action On
PA Endangered Species (Sierra Club)
Just
when you thought the special interests couldn't find another way to eliminate
environmental protection in Pennsylvania, "there they go again......"
This time they are going after the protectors of Pennsylvania's threatened and
endangered species, such as the osprey, the great egret, the bog turtle and the
banded sunfish.
The mining, gas drilling, and timber
industries want to undermine the independence of the PA Fish and Boat
Commission and the PA Game Commission to administer Pennsylvania's endangered
species laws.
House
Bill 1576 would send the Commissions' endangered species lists to the
Independent Regulatory Review Commission -- an agency dominated by the
legislature -- for additional scrutiny.
These
changes proposed in the bill blunt the effect of the Commissions' list of
threatened and endangered species of fish and wildlife, allowing more mining,
drilling and clear-cutting in Pennsylvania's lands. The Commissions would have
to go through a very cumbersome regulatory review process. To make matters even
worse, under the current versions of the bills the agencies would only be allowed
to protect fish and wildlife already listed by the federal government.
At the same time, permit applications for
mining, oil and gas drilling, and timbering would be approved, without any
on-the-ground check for their impacts on the PA endangered species.
This week, Sierra Club's
Conservation Chair Tom Au testified before a Joint House Committees hearing
urging opposition to HB 1576. He pointed out that the agencies' scientists are
better judges of the threats to wildlife and aquatic life. He explained that
the agencies make decisions proposals for protecting rare, threatened, or
endangered species in an open, transparent manner. The agencies publish the
scientific data collected, have it reviewed by other scientists, publish
proposed lists and protection plans, accept public comment, and hold public
hearings. It is hard to find fault with this deliberative process.
TELL
YOUR REPRESENTATIVE TO OPPOSE HB 1576.
Don't let the mining,
drilling, and timber industries drive our precious wildlife, fish and plants
into extinction in Pennsylvania!
Thanks, Jeff Schmidt, Director, Sierra Club Pennsylvania
Chapter
***Ask Pres. Obama
to Resume Fracking Studies
From Food and Water Watch
“Last
week, there was breaking news from EPA whistle-blowers that in 2012 the EPA abandoned an investigation of
fracking-related water contamination in Dimock, Pennsylvania after an EPA staff
member raised the flag that it was likely caused by fracking¹.
There's
an unfortunate trend here, because they've also abandoned their
fracking-related water contamination investigations in Pavillion, Wyoming² and
Weatherford, Texas³. This is
unbelievable, and totally unacceptable.
1.
Parker County, TX – The EPA began an investigation after a homeowner reported
that his drinking water was bubbling like champagne. But after fracking company
Range Resources threatened not to participate in another study in March 2012,
the EPA set aside the "smoking gun" report connecting methane
migration to fracking. EPA halted 'fracking' case
after gas company protested. USA Today, January 16, 2013.
2.
Dimock, PA – The mid-Atlantic EPA began testing water in Dimock, PA after
residents complained that their drinking water was contaminated from nearby
fracking operations. But the federal EPA closed the investigation in July 2012
even after the staff members who had been testing the water warned of methane,
manganese and arsenic contamination.
(Internal
EPA report highlights disputes over fracking and well water. LA Times, July 27,
2013.)
3.
Pavilion, WY – The EPA released a draft report in 2011 linking fracking to
contamination of an underground aquifer. After drawing criticism from the oil
and gas industry, the EPA handed the investigation over to the state of Wyoming
in June 2013 to be completed with funding from EnCana, the drilling company
charged with contaminating the water wells in the first place. (EPA Drops Fracking Probe in Wyoming. Wall Street
Journal, June 20, 2013.)
The
EPA abandoned citizens when they needed them most. This is no coincidence.
Tell
President Obama and the new EPA administrator, Gina McCarthy, to immediately
reopen these investigations and deliver safe drinking water to the residents of
these communities while the investigations commence.
We're
up against a powerful industry, but Americans know how dangerous fracking is —
and they're fighting back. Last month, along with our partners we delivered
over 600,000 petitions to President Obama to ban fracking on federal lands. In
the last two weeks, Los Angeles city council members introduced a fracking
moratorium and Highland Park, New Jersey became the first town in the state to
ban fracking. We're building a broad, powerful movement to fight back...and
win.
Will
you join me today in calling on President Obama and his new EPA administrator
Gina McCarthy to immediately reopen these investigations and deliver safe
drinking water to the residents of these communities while the investigations
commence?
Thanks
for taking action,
Sarah Alexander, Deputy Organizing Director, Food &
Water Watch”
***Sick of Dirty
Fossil Fuels? Consider Ethical Electric
From Sierra Club
“Would you rather power your home with dirty fossil fuels or
clean wind power?
Now you have a choice: Ethical Electric.
The
Sierra Club has partnered with Ethical Electric because they use only 100%
renewable energy and they stand with the Sierra Club fighting for clean air,
clean water, and protecting the environment.
Ethical
Electric recently started taking customers in Pennsylvania, and we’re
encouraging people like you to make the switch to clean energy now!
Ethical
Electric buys wind power from local sources and provides it to your utility who
then delivers it to you. You’ll take
thousands or even tens of thousands of pounds of climate-changing pollutants
out of the atmosphere every year that you power your home with Ethical
Electric.
And, since Ethical Electric obtains power from local wind
farms, you’re helping America shift to clean alternatives every time you pay
your electric bill.
Switching
to Ethical Electric is fast and easy. There’s no home visit. You get the same
bill, same service on the same power lines. The only thing that changes for you
is that your utility will be required to use local, clean electricity from our
new Sierra Club partner, Ethical Electric.
Enrolling
with Ethical Electric takes only a few minutes online through Ethical
Electric’s website. Or call 1-888-700-6547 to get started.
Make your choice for clean energy and switch to Ethical
Electric today.
Sincerely, Michael Brune, Sierra Club Executive Director
P.S. The more of us that switch to Ethical Electric, the
more demand there will be for clean, local power. Choosing an Ethical Electric
plan is fast and easy. Make the switch
*** ACT NOW TO PROTECT
ALLEGHENY COUNTY PARKS –
(from
Sierra Club)
Members
of Allegheny County Council are being heavily lobbied by County Executive Rich
Fitzgerald and Gov. Tom Corbett to vote down the call for a hold on drilling in
the regional County Parks system.
CONTACTING YOUR COUNTY COUNCIL MEMBER IS ESSENTIAL
and then find your member’s email address by clicking on
their photo in the members directory.
The message is simple:
"Please vote YES in favor of Councilwoman Daly Danko's resolution
that places a hold on any drilling within or beneath all county parks until a
thorough examination of the risks and liabilities has been
completed."
The important preamble to Danko's resolution is at
http://alleghenysc.org/?p=14140
Sign the ‘No Fracking in Our Parks’ PETITION.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP
Frack Links
***FrackSwarm.org (part of
Sourcewatch) is a new clearing house for information on all things frack
related. Both Coaolswarm and FrackSwarm's pages are housed
on SourceWatch, a 60,000-article open-source encyclopedia sponsored by the Center for Media and Democracy. CoalSwarm has been
widely praised by activists; it is frequently utilized by students, journalists
and lawmakers. Lester Brown of the Earth Policy Institute says, “CoalSwarm is
the central nervous system that this movement [against coal] needed.” Likewise
we believe FrackSwarm will fill a similar void within the anti-racking
movement, which, like the fight against coal, is diverse, dispersed and largely
grassroots.
FrackSwarm's
decentralized platform allows activists and others to update its content, while
editors work to ensure the material is up to date, accurate and adequately
sourced. Its unique in that FrackSwarm
leverages the power of the grassroots: anyone can add information, all
information is footnoted, the entire resource is linked smoothly from local
to international content and it builds collaborative spaces among groups
working on various issues related to fracking.
*** Shale Truth
Series -- Dr. Anthony Ingraffea of Cornell University says the gas
industry has changed communities, and that many people who once lived in rural
or suburban areas now find themselves living in industrial zones.
In the
previous two segments with Dr. Ingraffea we heard him discuss shale gas
drilling and the unique dangers it poses to communities and their drinking
water. How the gas and oil industry will
leave Pennsylvania a polluted landscape after it finishes tapping the Marcellus
formation.
A new
Shale Truth segment can be seen on The
Delaware Riverkeeper Network's YouTube channel every Wednesday at http://bit.ly/ShaleTruth
***Pa has only
seen tip of Fracking Iceberg-Dr
Ingraffea
***To sign up for
notifications of activity and violations for
your area:
***List of the Harmed--There are now
over 1600 residents of Pennsylvania who placed their names on the list of the
harmed because they became sick after fracking began in their area. http://pennsylvaniaallianceforcleanwaterandair.wordpress.com/the-list/
***Problems with
Gas?—Report It-from Clean Air Council
Clean
Air Council is announcing a new auto-alert system for notifying relevant
agencies about odors, noises or visible emissions that residents suspect are
coming from natural gas operations in their community.
Just
fill out the questions below and our system will automatically generate and
send your complaint to the appropriate agencies.
Agencies that will receive your e-mail: the Pennsylvania
Department of Environmental Protection (Regional Office of sender and
Harrisburg Office), the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Agency for
Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.
Take Action Here
If you witness the release of potentially hazardous
material into the environment, please also use the National Response Center's
online form below:
Thanks for your
help.
Sincerely, Matt Walker, Community Outreach Director, Clean
Air Council
***Dr. Brasch
Hosts Fracking Program-- Dr. Walter Brasch, author of the critically
acclaimed book, Fracking Pennsylvania,
is hosting a weekly half-hour radio show about fracking. "The Frack Report" airs 7:30 p.m.,
Mondays (beginning July 29) and is re-run 7:30 a.m., Wednesdays, on WFTE-FM
(90.3 in Mt. Cobb and 105.7 in Scranton.) The show will be also be live
streamed at www.wfte.org and also available a day after the Monday night
broadcast on the station's website. He will be interviewing activists, persons
affected by fracking, scientists, and politicians. Each show will also feature
news about fracking and the anti-fracking movement.
***Preview
- Glass Half Empty: An American Water War
Skytruth
Alerts
(A few examples of the violation reports issued daily by
Skytruth. jan)
***SKYTRUTH
ALERT: NRC REPORT: UNKNOWN MATERIAL NEAR HOUSTON,
PA
Incident Time: 2013-09-25 21:00:00
Nearest City: Houston, PA
Location: MARKWEST
CRYOGENIC PROCESSING PLANT WESTERN AVE
Medium Affected: AIR
Suspected Responsible Party: CRYOGENIC PROCESSING PLANT
Report Description
///THIS REPORT WAS RECEIVED VIA THE WEB REPORTING TOOL.///EXTREMELY LOUD
NOISE COMING FROM MARKWEST CRYOGENIC PROCESSING PLANT, SOUNDS LIKE AIRPLANE
ENGINES. LARGE FLARING FLAMES BURNING.
***WEB REPORT 10-2*** VAST AMOUNT
OF FLAME AND SMOKE RELEASED AT THE MARKWEST PLANT IN HOUSTON, PA. I DO HAVE
PICTURES AS I WAS DRIVING BY WHEN THE INCIDENT WAS OCCURRING. I DID NOT REMAIN
IN THE AREA FOR FEAR OF MY SAFETY. I DO HAVE PHOTOS THAT I AM ABLE TO PROVIDE.
***WEB REPORT 10-3 -2013*** BEGINNING AT APPROXIMATELY 2:15
PM THIS DATE MULTIPLE BURN OFF OCCURRING WITH LARGE AMOUNTS OF BLACK SMOKE
BEING BURNED OFF OF MARKWEST CRYOGENIC PROCESSING PLANT STACKS - LAST BURN OFF
OCCURRING AT 6:49 PM, WITH LARGE AMOUNTS OF BLACK CLOUDS OF SMOKE. AS OF 7:55
PM LARGE FLAMES CONTINUE TO BURN FROM THE PLANT LIGHTING THE ENTIRE SKY.
EXTREMELY LOUD ENGINE NOISES ALSO COMING FROM MARKWEST CRYOGENIC PROCESSING
PLANT- EXTREMELY LOUD AND ANNOYING
***Report
Details Nearest City: Smithfield, PA
Incident Time: 2013-09-28 10:00:00
Location: 132 VOLEK RD
Incident Type: FIXED
Material: BRINE AND
OTHER CONTAMINANTS IN THE WELL
Medium Affected: AIR
Suspected Responsible Party: ATLAS (GAS WELL)
Report Description
CALLER IS REPORTING THAT THE COMPANY IS DUMPING AT THE GAS
WELL WITH IS CAUSING SOLIDS TO BLOW OUT INTO THE AIR FROM THE GAS WELL. THIS
HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR ABOUT 2 YEARS AND THEY ALWAYS DO THIS ON A WEEKEND. THE
DEP HAS BEEN MADE AWARE. THERE ARE SEVERAL VIDEOS AVAILABLE AT REQUEST.
Gas Pipeline
Imagine the widespread
impacts this will have (Bob Donnan)
Applications Received under the Dam Safety and Encroachments
Act (32 P. S. §§ 693.1—693.27) and section 302 of the Flood Plain Management
Act (32 P. S. § 679.302) and Requests for Certification under section 401(a) of
the FWPCA.
WATER OBSTRUCTIONS AND ENCROACHMENTS
E03-07-002. EQT
Gathering LLC, 455 Racetrack Road Washington, PA 15301-8910. Kiskiminetas,
Parks, and Burrell Townships, Armstrong County, ACOE Pittsburgh District.
To construct an 8.1-mile long, 12-inch diameter natural gas pipeline and associated access roads
from a proposed well pad to an
existing natural gas gathering line (NITES004) in Kiskiminetas, Parks, and Burrell Townships,
Armstrong County,
Pittsburgh ACOE District, State Water Plan Basin 17-E, (Leechburg, Whitesburg
and Vandergrift, PA Quadrangle; Start at Latitude: N 40° 4155.27[1];
Longitude: W 79° 28 49.43[1]; End at N 40° 36 36.29[1]; Longitude: W 79° 30 29.26[1]), Crooked Creek Watershed.
The project will consist of 36 utility line crossings of 28 streams and 8 wetlands, 42 temporary road
crossings of 32 streams and 10 wetlands, and additional crossings eligible for the Department’s105.12(a)(2) waiver.
This project is proposed to avoid direct impacts to a 10+ acre wetlands by
using directional bore method of installation. All crossings with the exception of the 10+ acre wetland utility line
crossing are eligible as General Permits. A total of 0.48 acre of wet land
and 737 linear feet of numerous named and unnamed tributaries to Crooked Creek
(WWF) will be temporarily impacted. The applicant has submitted a Contingency
Plan if the directional drill underneath the10+ acre wetland would fail. If the
Contingency Plan is implemented, a permanent impact to 0.05 acre of PFO wetland
would occur, and wetland mitigation would be required.
Page 5738:
http://www.pabulletin.com/secure/data/vol43/43-39/43-39.pdf
FRACK News
All
articles are excerpted. Please use the links to read the full article.
1. Tenaska Generating Plant in Ruffsdale , Westmoreland County
—There has been a delay in the permitting process as there were modeling and revisions
needed that require review time on the part of DEP. This gives us more time to
comment and request public hearings. Matt Walker, Clean Air Council, will keep
us informed of timelines.
2. General Permit for Compressor
Station-In Derry Township, Westmoreland County
(There is no comment period for this station since it is a general
permit. Matt Walker, Clean Air Council)
General Plan Approval and Operating Permit Usage Authorized under the
Air Pollution Control Act (35 P. S. §§ 4001—4015) and 25 Pa. Code Chapter 127 to construct, modify, reactivate or operate
air contamination sources and associated air cleaning devices. Southwest Region: Air Quality Program,
400 Waterfront Drive, Pittsburgh, PA 15222-4745
Contact: Mark Gorog and Barb Hatch, Environmental Engineer
Managers—Telephone: 412-442-4163/5226
GP5-65-01028: EQT
Gathering, LLC (EQT Plaza 625 Liberty Ave., Suite 1700, Pittsburgh, PA 15222)
on September 5, 2013, to authorize the installation and operation
of a natural gas compressor station consisting of three lean burn natural
gas-fired compressor engines rated at 4,735 bhp each and controlled by
oxidation catalysts, three tri ethylene glycol dehydrators (including
reboilers) rated for 120 MMSCF/day and controlled by enclosed flares, and one
10,000 gallon produced fluids tank. Other miscellaneous sources include seven
lube oil, ethylene glycol, and tri ethylene glycol storage tanks, five microturbines
rated at 200 kW each, and one natural gas-fired line heater rated at 0.38
MMBtu/hr. The facility will be authorized under GP-5 for
natural gas production, named Derry Compressor Station, and located in Derry
Township, Westmoreland County.
From: Matt Walker Clean Air
Council Community Outreach Director
215-567-4004 ext. 121
http://aapdistrictii.org/update-on-hydrofracking/
3. Cecil Board Listens to Residents On
Impoundment
“September 4, 2013 – Cecil Township’s public hearing
regarding the Worstell impoundment addressed the content of what was discussed
at two separate private meetings with the state DEP and Range Resources.
Chairman of Township Supervisors, Cassiola, asked residents if the township should try to negotiate with Range to
improve the impoundment, or to push for its elimination altogether.
A majority of
those who spoke out called for the impoundment to either be shut down or
monitored more closely. Several residents called for either Range Resources or
the township to fund groundwater and air quality tests for properties near the
impoundment.
Tom and Kathy Bullions, of Swihart Road, said they have
seen smoke rising from the water they collect (I assume from the impoundment
pit. Jan) . The couple, in addition to another resident, Kathleen Konechney,
said the number of dead birds or birds without feathers in that area is
abnormal. Casciola said that because of Act 13, the township does not have much
power to administer environmental tests because that is within the DEP’s
domain. State Rep. Jesse White, D-Cecil, said he was disappointed that Range
representatives did not attend, but he thought the hearing was productive.”
http://www.observerreporter.com/article/20130903/NEWS01/130909869#.UicElYLD_cs
4. PA Creates the Market for More Fracking
by Marcellus
Protest Group
“HARRISBURG:
Political favors to the fracking industry didn’t end with enactment of
Pennsylvania’s notorious Act 13. That law ripped our communities open for the
drillers; now a new batch of legislation is being drawn up, aimed at turning
our state into a captive market for fracked gas.
Under the
Orwellian banner of Marcellus Works, Republicans propose to wrap layer upon
layer of natural gas give-aways into state law, inviting the gas industry to
feast upon Pennsylvanians for years to come.
Nine special-interest bills will be on the
docket this fall. If adopted, they will suck up to $100 million per year from
the state budget, using it to guarantee future consumption of natural gas
across the state.
Ironically, Act 13 itself contains earmarks for “natural gas
development.” In the first year of gas “impact fees”, more than 5% of such
payments were plowed back into building markets for fracked gas. But the GOP
now proposes to tap directly into the state’s General Fund, for ten times as
much more money, while leaving Act 13’s handouts in place. The new bills
include:
HB 301 (Saylor, R—York) Tax credits to fleet
owners for purchase of natural gas-powered trucks. $25 million per year.
HB 302 (Moul, R—Adams) and HB 303 (Watson,
R—Bucks) Grants and loans to transit agencies for natural gas vehicles and
generation for electric rail service. $12.5 million per year.
HB 304 (Marshall, R—Beaver) Statutory mandate on
transit agencies to buy natural gas buses. (Unspecificed cost, which will fall
on local transit authorities.)
HB 305 (Denlinger, R—Lancaster) Tax credits to
build vehicle refueling infrastructure. $5 million per year.
HB 306 (Pickett, R—Bradford) Redirecting
“Alternative Fuel” incentive funds to natural gas vehicles. (Cost not
determined.)
HB 307 (Evankovich, R—Westmoreland) Exempt natural gas vehicles from
air pollution standards. (Cost not determined.)
HB 308 (Saylor, R—York) Tapping the Clean Air
Fund for additional grants for natural gas vehicles. $6 million per year.
HB 309 (Grove, R—York) Establishing a “Natural
Gas Vehicle Credit” program for businesses to invest in natural gas vehicles.
$30 million per year.
Only vehicles using “solely … natural gas” will qualify for these
programs; thus every awardee (family, business or community) becomes locked-in
to buying natural gas fuel for the life of these new capital assets, regardless
of how high gas prices may rise.
The implementation
of these bills would involve transferring money from other state agencies to
the DEP, who would administer the pro-fracking awards. As a result, DEP will be
carried even further away from its role of safeguarding Pennsylvania’s air,
soil and water.”
5. Draft Regulations -- EQB
Hearings
First Update of PA
Oil and Gas Laws in 30 Years
“This fall,
the state's Environmental Quality Board
will be conducting the public hearings across the state to receive comments
on this proposed regulation related to surface activities on oil and gas well
sites. It will be citizens' only chance to offer verbal comments about the
proposed rules.
DEP and the EQB have not yet
announced when and where those hearings will be held, but Vilello said he hopes
that at least one of the sessions can be held in the tri-county area comprised
of Clinton, Lycoming and Centre counties.
The proposed
regulations represent the first comprehensive update and strengthening of
Pennsylvania's oil and gas laws in almost three decades.
According to state officials, the
changes are partly based on "significant input from statewide
environmental organizations," along with local government groups,
residents living near well sites and industry representatives.
Of particular
importance to Clinton County, where 80 percent of the drilling activity is
occurring on state forest lands, the
draft regulations would enhance consideration of impacts to public resources,
such as parks and wildlife areas, protected trout streams, hiking areas,
recreational facilities and sensitive environmental areas. The new rules would
require companies to notify state resource agencies where they plan to drill,
so agencies can recommend ways to mitigate potential impacts - but only gives
them 15 days in order to do so.
The
proposed regulations also seek the
prevention of spills; the management of waste, and the restoration of well
sites after drilling. The proposed regulations and supporting documents are
available for viewing by clicking the "Draft Oil and Gas Regulations"
button on the main page of the DEP website ( http://www.dep.state.pa.us/ ).”
6. Radioactive Wastewater From Fracking Is Found in a Pennsylvania
Stream
Journal
Environmental Science and Technology
“New testing of
treated wastewater from fracking shows that it contains high levels of radioactive radium, along with chloride and
bromide. In Pennsylvania, 74
facilities treat wastewater from “fracking”
and release it into streams. There’s no national set of standards that guides
this treatment process—the EPA notes that the Clean Water Act’s guidelines
were developed before fracking even existed, and that many of the processing plants “are not properly equipped to treat
this type of wastewater”—and scientists
have conducted relatively little assessment of the wastewater to ensure it’s
safe after being treated.
Recently, a group of Duke University scientists
decided to do some testing. They contacted the owners of one treatment plant, the Josephine Brine Treatment Facility on
Blacklick Creek in Indiana County, Pennsylvania, but, “when we tried to
work with them, it was very difficult getting hold of the right person,” says Avner Vengosh, an Earth scientist from
Duke. “Eventually, we just went and tested water right from a public area
downstream.”
Their analyses,
made on water samples collected repeatedly over the course of two years, were
even more concerning than we’d feared. As published
today in the Journal Environmental
Science and Technology, they found high concentrations of the element
radium, a highly radioactive substance. The concentrations were roughly 200
times higher than background levels. In addition, amounts of chloride and
bromide in the water were two to ten times greater than normal.
“Even
if, today, you completely stopped disposal of the wastewater,” Vengosh says,
there’s enough contamination built up that you’d still end up with a place that
the U.S. would consider a radioactive waste site.”
The
scientists tested wastewater released by the Josephine Water Treatment plant
(black square) into Blacklick Creek, which feeds into the Allegheny River, a
drinking water source for Pittsburgh.
Between 10 and 40 percent of the
fluid injected during the fracking process resurfaces, presenting a treatment
problem for processing plants.
Much
of the concern over fracking has related to the seepage of these chemicals or
methane from drilling wells into groundwater or the fact that high-pressure
injection can trigger earthquakes, but the wastewater recently tested presents
a separate, largely overlooked problem.
Between
10 and 40 percent of fluid sent down during fracking resurfaces, carrying
contaminants with it. Some of these contaminants may be present in the fracking
water to begin with. But others are leached into the fracking water from
groundwater trapped in the rock it fractures.
Radium,
naturally present in the shales that house natural gas, falls into the latter
category—as the shale is shattered to extract the gas, groundwater trapped
within the shale, rich in concentrations of the radioactive element, is freed
and infiltrates the fracking wastewater.
Other states
require this wastewater to be pumped back down into underground deposit wells
sandwiched between impermeable layers of rock, but because Pennsylvania has few of these cavities, it is the sole state that allows fracking wastewater to be processed
by normal wastewater treatment plants and released into rivers.
These plants, many
scientists note, are not designed to
handle the radioactive elements present in the wastewater. Neither are they
required to test their effluent for radioactive elements. As a result, many
researchers have suspected that the barely-studied water they release into
local streams retains significant levels of radioactivity.
This new work
confirms that suspicion for at least one plant—which is about an hour east of
Pittsburgh, and releases effluent into the watershed that supplies the city’s
drinking water—and Vengosh believes that the findings would likely be similar
for many of the other facilities in Pennsylvania. Especially concerning is the
fact that, apart from in the water, the team found high levels of radioactivity
accumulating on the sediments at the bottom of the stream over time. Radium has
a half-life of 1600 years, so unless these sediments are removed, they’ll keep
releasing radiation into the water for an extremely long period.
In addition, the
high levels of bromide found in the wastewater is a concern, because even in
slight quantities, the compound can trigger the formation of a toxic class of
chemicals called halomethanes when it’s combined with chlorine. This is a
problem because in rural areas, many residents treat well water by chlorinating
it.
The study—which is part of a larger Duke project studying the effect
of fracking on water—doesn’t show that fracking is inherently unsafe, but does
show that without proper controls, the wastewater being dumped into the environment
daily represents a very real danger for local residents.
Vengosh notes that
there are better methods of treating fracking wastewater (he points to the
plants operated by Eureka Resources as a model for adequately removing
radioactivity), but these are more expensive to operate. But currently, without
the push of federal regulations, companies looking to dispose of wastewater
have no incentive to pay for this type of solution.”
http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/science/2013/10/radioactive-wastewater-from-fracking-is-found-in-a-pennsylvania-stream/#ixzz2gaB8X86f
7. Fine Print of EPA Rules Reveal Huge Giveaways to Big Coal and
Gas
“Obama can't fight 'war on coal' by giving industry $8 billion in
government subsidies, say critics.
"The EPA announced new
regulations for the energy industry which will limit, for the first time, the
amount of carbon that gas- and coal-fired plants can emit into the atmosphere.
And though many of the larger environmental groups in the country welcomed the
new restrictions, more critical observers of the EPA announcement argue the
rules don't go far enough in terms of limiting emissions. Meanwhile the Obama administration, in fact, is preparing to use huge
amounts of public money to prop up the U.S. coal industry. Such a scheme,
according to one critic, "will make only modest cuts to power plant
emissions" at a moment in history when much more dramatic actions are
needed.
Pushing back
against the idea that Obama has somehow initiated a "war against
coal"—an argument used by Republicans and Conservatives to blast the new
rules and conversely used by groups like NRDC and Sierra to champion them—the
Campaign for America's Future Bob Scher asked his readers to take a closer look
at the proposal. Citing New York Times reporting
which shows the Obama administration plans to support the fossil fuel industry
with "as much as $8 billion" in order to help it build the
"cleaner" plants the rules will require, Scher concludes that
"Obama is not launching a war on coal. He’s bending over backwards to keep
coal viable."
And the Center
for Biological Diversity, striking a much more adversarial tone than its larger
environmental colleagues, declared the EPA rules and Obama's effort are far too
imperfect to adequately address the climate crisis facing the country and the
planet. “If we’re really serious about tackling the climate crisis – and
morality dictates that we must be – we just have to do more than this,” said
Bill Snape, the Center’s senior counsel. “That means a stronger rule for power
plants and other serious measures that lead to deep cuts in greenhouse
emissions.”"
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2013/09/20
8. Municipal Authority of Westmoreland to Audit Royalties Received From Fracking Near The
Reservoir
“September 20,
2013 - The Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County could earn up to $6.5
million this year in royalties from shale gas drilling on its 8,000 acres. And
officials want to make sure they receive every penny they are owed. So the
authority board on Thursday hired a consultant to audit the books for the 32
deep wells, along with other gas-producing facilities, on its properties.
Royalties from gas production
have been a boon for the utility, which sells water to more than 125,000
customers in five counties. Through the first quarter of the 2013-14 fiscal
year, the money received from gas royalties has outpaced expectations and has
bailed the authority out of a projected revenue shortfall. Revenues from water
sales fell $750,000 short of projections for the first four months of the
current fiscal year.”
9. Residents Harmed by Fracking Present
Petitions In DC
“Residents personally harmed by fracking held
a press conference in front of the White House and delivered 250,000 petition
signatures from concerned citizens across the U.S. to EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy.
The residents—including Ray Kemble from
Pennsylvania, Steve Lipsky and Shelly Perdue from Texas and John Fenton from
Wyoming—were all part of the EPA fracking investigations in their respective
states that the EPA abandoned despite evidence of water contamination.
The petitions were
collected by Stop the Frack Attack and Americans Against Fracking and its
advisory committee member, actor Mark Ruffalo. The petitions demand that the U.S. EPA reopen investigations into
fracking-related drinking water contamination in Pennsylvania, Texas and
Wyoming and provide residents with safe drinking water in the interim.
This event comes a
month after Dimock, Pennsylvania resident Ray Kemble and Susquehanna County
resident Craig Stevens delivered more than 50,000 petitions to the EPA asking
it to reopen its investigation into the possible connection between gas
drilling and water contamination in Dimock.
“For years now, I
have had to live with toxic, poisoned fracked water in my home,” added Ray Kemble,
a former gas industry employee and an affected Dimock area resident, who was part of the EPA investigation. “When
the EPA finally stepped in and tested my water, I thought ‘Thank God. Someone
is finally here to help us.’ But then it became apparent to those of us on the
ground that they were playing politics. EPA
officials officially told us that our water was safe to drink but then told us
off-the-record not to drink it. Now the truth is out and we want justice.”
In late 2010 in Parker County, TX, the EPA’s investigations led it to issue a rare
emergency order because at least two homeowners were in immediate danger
from a well saturated with flammable
methane. More than a year later, the
agency rescinded its mandate without explaining why. A subsequent
Associated Press story reported that although the EPA had scientific evidence
connecting the driller, Range Resources, with drinking water contamination,
they changed course after political
pressure from the company and its lobbyists.
“President Obama
told us that we would only extract natural gas if it didn’t pollute our water,”
said Steve Lipsky of Parker County, TX.
“The EPA knows my water was polluted by fracking, their own investigator told
them so. Now I have to truck in my drinking water. President Obama, you need to
tell the EPA to reopen its investigations.”
“The purpose of
the EPA is to protect us all from these types of health and safety hazards,”
said Shelly Perdue, of Parker County, TX, whose water and air have also been contaminated
with methane. “The methane at my house
is 18 times the explosive level. It’s time for President Obama and Gina
McCarthy to stand up for our communities.”
More recently, the EPA abandoned its fracking study in Pavillion, WY, which found benzene, a
known carcinogen, at 50 times the level that is considered safe. However,
even with this evidence, the EPA handed its investigation over to the state of
Wyoming, whose lead politicians have vocally supported fracking. Moreover, this
research will be funded by EnCana, the very company whose drilling and fracking
operations may have caused the groundwater contamination in question.
“The
EPA conducted an investigation into the contamination of our aquifer, and
discovered that drilling was responsible,” said John Fenton a rancher from
Pavillion. “But rather than finish, they knuckled under to political pressure
and turned the investigation over to the very state and company that denied
there was a problem in the first place. President Obama needs to tell the EPA
to reopen its investigations.”
This
action follows the one million public comments delivered to Obama
Administration against fracking on public lands as part of a growing movement
demanding that the Obama Administration do its job in protecting Americans from
dangers of fracking.
Organizations
involved in the EPA petition delivery include: Berks Gas Truth, Catskill
Citizens for Safe Energy, Catskill Mountainkeeper, Center for Biological
Diversity, Delaware Riverkeeper Network, Earthworks, Energy Action Coalition,
Environmental Action, Food and Water Watch, Frack Action, Gasland, MoveOn.org, Public
Citizen and Western Organization of Resource Councils.”
10. Air Pollution Destroys Health of Texas Fracking Communities
“September 20, 2013 – In the five
years since the shale boom hit, the once-beautiful hills of south Texas have
been transformed into a scarred, industrial landscape. Myra Cerny, her husband Mike, and their 15-year-old son, Cameron,
suffer from a plethora of symptoms, from bone pain, rashes, and migraines to
daily breathing issues and chronic bronchitis. Cameron has frequent nosebleeds
and suffers from joint pain and other problems rarely found in teenagers.
Mike’s blinding headaches prompted his doctor to order a CT scan. They live on
antibiotics, painkillers and inhalers.
The family is
living in the midst of an industrial zone. Eighteen
wells sit within a mile of their house, 37 wells are within two miles – a
normal density for the region – and there are several processing facilities.
The chemical rotten egg stench can be overpowering, making the Cernys dry
heave, eyes watering. The air carried hydrogen sulfide, which can cause
dizziness, headaches and breathing and heart problems; toluene, a source of
fatigue, neurological problems and kidney damage; benzene, prolonged exposure
to this chemical can cause leukemia; and a host of other chemicals. Proving
conclusive cause and effect from environmental exposures is always difficult.
But Wilma Subra, an environmental scientist and a co-author of the Earthworks
report, said that the Cernys’ health complaints correlate closely with those
expected from these chemicals.”
http://ens-newswire.com/2013/09/20/air-pollution-destroys-health-of-texas-fracking-communities/
11. Fracking Chemicals May Be Unknown,
Even To Gas Drillers, Lawsuit
Documents
“The documents are
part of an appeal that a resident of Washington County, Pa., has made to the
state's Environmental Hearing Board. The plaintiff in the case alleges that a Range wastewater impoundment,
which holds water left over from hydraulic fracturing operations, contaminated well water.
As part of the
discovery process in this case, a judge
directed Range to release the full list of chemicals used in its drilling operations,
including the components of all the products that are used at every stage in
the gas drilling process. But Range says
in its filing that it has been unable to obtain from its suppliers the
ingredients in many of the products. Range has been inquiring with its
manufacturers about the ingredients in 55 different products, including
lubricants, drilling fluids, slurry and surfactants, according to documents.
But in many cases, Range had not yet been able to obtain the information.
One example on the list is Airfoam HD, a
type of surfactant used to release gas from wells. The list indicates that
Range sent an email and made a phone call seeking a full list of components of
the product, but had not yet received a response. The company that provides another product known as Flo Stop P, informed Range that it
doesn't actually produce the product, they just apply a label to it and resell
it. The reseller could not provide additional information about the
contents. Other companies said they would not provide the information without a
protective order.
One company, Hi-Mar Specialties, declined to provide additional information about
its defoaming agent Hi-Mar DFC-503, saying that the information was
"proprietary" and disclosure "would cause substantial harm to
Hi-Mar's business," according to Range's filing.
"Range admits that it does not have an
all-encompassing knowledge of the complete chemical formula of every product
used at the Yeager Site by Range and/or its subcontractors, as some products
contain proprietary compounds which may not be known to Range and many of the MSDS do not list
the non-hazardous components of products," the company's environmental
engineering manager stated in another document, posted in full below.
The documents
derive from a case that dates back to 2011, when Loren Kiskadden, a resident of
Amwell, Pa., first asked the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental
Protection to look into potential contamination of his well, which is located
near a Range drilling site. In June 2011, the DEP concluded that, while
chemicals like butyl alcohol, chloroform, methane and acetone were found in
Kiskadden's water, they could not be directly linked to Range's drilling
operations.
Kiskadden is now
appealing to the state's Environmental Hearing Board, alleging that the DEP did
not do adequate analysis when it made that determination. An agency scientist
also testified in a deposition related to the case that when it reported its
findings, the DEP omitted some data on toxic metals identified in its tests on
Kiskadden's water.
"The fact that Range does not know and
cannot determine all of the chemicals used at its drill sites and placed into
the Pennsylvania Environment is, in and of itself, almost inconceivable,"
the plaintiff's lawyer argues in the filing. They also argue that the DEP is "irresponsible" in not
requiring Range to provide that information, and that Range should be found in
contempt of the court for failing to do so.
Amanda Witman, a
spokeswoman for the DEP, said the department could not comment on the case, as
litigation is pending. But she said that, under
a new law governing oil and gas drilling passed in 2012, companies must provide
a report to the DEP within 30 days of beginning production at a well that
"includes a list of ALL the chemicals used to fracture the well,"
including both hazardous and non-hazardous chemical constituents, as well as
information claimed as trade secrets. Before that law, companies were supposed
to disclose that sort of information to the DEP as part of their spill
containment and cleanup plans. Witman said that, under current law, obtaining
the chemical information is "the obligation of the operator."
Critics say that the DEP can't
possibly enforce that requirement if Range itself says it doesn't have a full
accounting of all the chemicals used in its processes. "How can
Range Resources ever claim they aren't responsible for contaminating the water
and air now that they have admitted they don't even know what chemicals they're
using?" said Jesse White, a state representative from the 46th district
that has been a vocal critic of the natural gas industry. "If they don't
know what's in there, what can they test for?"
Range
was one of the first companies to announce, in July 2010, that it would
voluntarily disclose all of the chemicals that it uses in the fracking process.
"It's the right thing to do morally and
ethically, but it's also right for our shareholders," John Pinkerton,
Range's executive chairman, said at the time.
In
2011, industry groups, with a grant from the Department of Energy, launched an
online database, FracFocus, to provide companies with a platform to voluntarily
disclose the chemicals they use. But independent studies have criticized
FracFocus for providing incomplete information, with many wells not listed in
the database at all. Fracking critics say that voluntary reporting requirements
are not strong enough.
White
said he plans to introduce legislation that would force companies to disclose
all chemicals used throughout the fracking process, and would require the DEP
to keep a list of the chemicals that companies intend to use in a database
before the companies are given a permit to drill. "Range has this very
well-varnished public perception that they're disclosing what they're
using," White said. "Range has been bragging that they're the first
to voluntarily disclose for years now, which is clearly a lie."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/27/fracking-chemicals_n_3998319.html
12. Looking For Sites To Inject Region’s Fracking Residue
‘Battelle scientists are leading a
search for sites where companies can pump fracking waste underground in Ohio,
Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
The two-year project, funded by a $1.8 million U.S. Department
of Energy grant, is a response to the growing amount of polluted wastewater
that bubbles out of fracked shale wells. Millions of barrels of the
waste are pumped into disposal wells, many of which are in Ohio.
“That’s one of our objectives. Where is the
injection capacity?” Gupta said.
Right now, it’s in Ohio, where more than 14.2 million
barrels of fracking fluids and related waste from oil and gas wells were pumped
into 190 disposal wells last year. That was a 12 percent increase over 2011.
Much of the waste — 8.16 million barrels
last year — came from Pennsylvania, which has seven active disposal wells.
West Virginia has 63 disposal wells.
Environmental
advocates say they worry that old, poorly maintained disposal wells will leak
pollutants to groundwater.
“Ohio
has injected enough waste into all of the different strata,” said Teresa Mills,
fracking coordinator for the Buckeye Forest Council. “They just need to stop
it.”
http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2013/09/23/sites-sought-for-fracking-residue.html
13. Water Contamination in Parker County Texas Exceeds Explosive Limits
Range’s Water Tests Do Not Match Independent Testing
‘PARKER COUNTY — Parker County residents say their problem has
gone from bad to explosive. They also say they have the test results to back up
their assertions.
A handful of Parker County residents said it all started around 2009
when their tap water started to bubble and stink.
Their water wells were filling
with volumes of methane gas. Logic told them two newly drilled natural gas
wells near their homes were to blame.
Their complaints to state oil and gas regulators at the Texas Railroad
Commission went nowhere.
Tests performed by the drillers themselves
showed only minor contamination. What methane
was there, they claimed, has been naturally occurring for years. They said
one of the residents' wells was actually drilled 70 feet too deeply into a
shallow gas-bearing formation called the Strawn.
` By 2011, the Texas
Railroad Commission declared the case closed.
Unwilling to give up, homeowner Steve
Lipsky has now paid for his own series of tests. He used the same
instrumentation and the same kind of tests conducted two years ago. The findings now show the levels of methane
coming from their water wells are off the charts.
One day earlier
this month, the fumes coming out of Lipsky's water well measured 162,000 parts per million; 50,000 ppm is
considered "explosive."
"And just by knowing that the methane levels normally at 50,000
parts per million is extremely explosive, this is scary,” said air monitoring
technician Buddy Alexander with Stacy Systems of Fort Worth.
A few blocks away,
at Shelly Perdue's water well, the same
test was conducted with the same instrumentation. Inside Perdue's house with the tap water
running, the technician discovered another danger — the inside ambient air detecting 63 parts per million of methane. When
asked if that figure represents a dangerous level of gas in Perdue’s home,
Alexander replied: “Yes it is; yes it is."
So now, more than ever, Lipsky and Perdue suspect the gas well just
down the street is to blame.
An environmental
scientist hired by Lipsky, Dr. Bryce Payne of Pennsylvania, witnessed the
recent tests and even conducted his own. His greatest concern: A buildup of
methane gas inside Perdue’s water tank.
"That
holding tank was functionally a methane bomb that could ignite at any time,
explosively,” Payne said.
But tests conducted in 2010 by the drilling
company, Range Resources, showed only minute levels of methane around Perdue's
water wellhead.
The company hired
by Lipsky recorded 140,000 parts per million in that same space three years
later. The air around Lipsky's water wellhead tested even higher — 158,000
parts per million of methane.
Yet the same tests done by the drilling company in 2010 recorded zero
methane.
Zero.
But there's more.
Last December, Duke University scientists measured methane levels in
Lipsky and Perdue's water itself. Anything above 10 parts per million is
considered unacceptable.
Duke’s
researchers found methane levels of 41 and 54 parts per million.
Tests conducted by Range
Resources measured methane levels of only 2.3 and 2.8 parts per million.
Next
door to Lipsky, Elizabeth Falconer's well water is so contaminated with
chloride or salt, the wellhead installed in 2000 is corroded and flaking. She
has spent thousands of dollars on a water filtration system since the gas wells
were drilled in 2009.
"My water was fine when we first moved here
in 2000,” Falconer said. “Today, without super cleaning it, I wouldn't drink
it."
Earlier
this summer, News Eight obtained documents showing that one of the two nearby
gas wells called the Butler Unit
experienced problems right after it was drilled. Natural gas pressure was
building-up at the wellhead.
News 8 later discovered that the drilling company had not sealed off all of the down well gas zones
with cement, as recommended throughout the industry.
A
recently released Duke University study in Pennsylvania links well water
contamination with faulty gas well construction.
Dr.
Payne believes failure to properly cement the well is causing the problem here
in Texas. "It is my opinion that it is likely to be because the amount of
the contamination, the speed of onset, and recent observations indicate that
it's spreading over an area that looks like it's spreading away from location
of the Teal and Butler wells," Payne said.
Lipsky
said regardless of the cause, he knew the contamination was worse than was
reported to the state by Range back in 2010. Now he wants the state to act.
"I don't feel any vindication until the
Railroad Commission or someone comes forward and admits that this is a severe
problem," he said. "Regardless of who did it or what caused it, we
need to determine what's happening, what's causing it, and try to stop
it."
Range
Resources stands by its test results from 2010, and says evidence and testimony
has proven that its operations are not causing water well contamination which,
again, they say is naturally occurring in that area.
They
say evidence suggests upset residents’ water wells were drilled too deeply into
a shallow gas formation called the Strawn.
However,
the Texas Railroad Commission has
re-opened the case and plans to conduct its own air and water tests soon.
‘http://www.wfaa.com/news/investigates/Water-contamination-in--225126652.html
14. As Well Permits Decline, Wastewater Reuse Plateauing
‘As
the rate of annual well permits issued in Pennsylvania decline, well operators are beginning to wonder what
to do with all their wastewater. Each fracking job requires between 3 million and 5 million gallons of water per
well. Finding sources for this water and dealing with wastewater left
over from the operation is a constant challenge for well operators.
Yet, this ability to reuse wastewater has most
likely plateaued, said Devesh Mittal, vice president with Aquatech, a
Canonsburg-based company that handles water treatment for the industry. With
the number of well permits in decline since 2011, "the industry is facing a waste disposal challenge," Mr. Mittal
said. Dealing with salts in the wastewater will also be a challenge. University
of Pittsburgh environmental engineering professor Radisav Vidic estimated that
if current drilling projections hold true, 8 million tons of sodium chloride
would be drawn from wastewater every year. ‘
15. Colorado Spills/Flood
“As reported on
EcoWatch last week, displaced condensate tanks near Greely and Kersey, CO, used
to store liquid waste from drilling operations, have tipped over and are
leaking.
According to the
AP, the three new spills include: 5,100
gallons of oil from a Noble Energy facility east of Kersey; 2,500 gallons from
a PDC Energy location east of Greeley; and an unknown volume from a Mineral
Resources operation west of LaSalle. The three new spills were discovered as
flood waters began to recede. This brings the amount of crude spilled to more
than 34,500 gallons, or about 822 barrels, so far since flooding began.
. “The more we know, the worse it gets, and
it’s not over yet,” said Gary Wockner of Clean Water Action. “The State of
Colorado needs to continue inspecting and reporting, and then testing water and
soil for contamination.”
The COGCC teams are now tracking 11 “notable leaks” but continued to
be hampered by wet and slow-going conditions.
“The industry
needs to clean it up and be held accountable,” Wockner continued. “Afterwards, the
state needs to initiate new rules for drilling and fracking near rivers and in
floodplains to avert this kind of disaster in the future.”
liquid leaks from a tank south of Milliken, CO, Sept. 19, as flood
waters are starting to recede from last weeks floods Photo credit: AP Photo/The
Denver Post/ Andy Cross
http://ecowatch.com/2013/fracking-and-flooding-in-colorado/
16. Report: Update on
Hydrofracking
The Preventive Medicine and Family Health Committee of the
Medical Society of the State of New York
Sheila
Bushkin-Bedient, MD, MPH, Geoffrey E. Moore, MD, and The Preventive Medicine
and Family Health Committee
of the Medical
Society of the State of New York
Introduction and
Background
Because of growing
industrial and political interest in harvesting natural gas reserves trapped
within the Marcellus Shale region, New York State physicians have expressed
concern about potential short term and long term health consequences of
fracking. MSSNY’s Preventive Medicine
and Family Health Committee was charged with studying the subject and informing
MSSNY policy on fracking, and
recommended delaying the onset of operations. MSSNY Council adopted a
policy on December 9, 2010 (Position Statement # 90.992) to “support a
moratorium on natural gas extraction using high volume hydraulic fracturing in
New York State until valid scientific information is available to evaluate the
process for its potential effects on human health and the environment.” 1 Access this directly at: file://localhost/(http/::www.mssny.org:mssnycfm:mssnyeditor:file:2011:About:Position_Statements:2011_Position_Statements.pdf
)
Following the publication of the Draft Supplemental Generic Environmental
Impact Statement by the Department of Environmental Conservation in September
2011, MSSNY responded to the request for comments on November 22, 2011. This
letter reiterated MSSNY’s concerns about
human health consequences and the impact on the environment. In addition, MSSNY
recommended ongoing monitoring and analysis, including a Health Impact
Assessment which should be conducted by the New York State Department of
Health or a different, non-governmental, health organization.
The Preventive
Medicine and Family Health Committee maintains the position that it is not
possible to balance potential economic benefits with the risks to health and
the environment until the Health Impact Assessment is completed.
Environmental Changes from Fracking and Their Impact on
Human Health
Environmental changes inevitably accompany natural gas operations.
Well pads must be built to support drilling rigs, and dirt roads are created to
transport the millions of gallons of water, sand and hydrofracking chemicals to
the drilling site. A similar volume of fracking fluid has to be hauled out,
too.
These industrial
activities disturb the natural environment by:
*Round-the-clock bright lights, noise pollution, and clouds of dust
*Air pollution from venting and leaking of toxic gases (including
volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and hydrocarbons including benzene, toluene,
ethylbenzene and xylene
*Increased smog production (this occurs when VOCs combine with
nitrogen oxides (NOx) from truck exhaust and ground-level ozone
*Deforestation and loss of land for agriculture and raising livestock
*Disturbance of wildlife
*Likely contamination of local water wells, springs, creeks and rivers
*Likely contamination of pastures, woods and backyards
*Contamination of fish and wild game from water pollution
*Loss of recreational space and clean air
*Leaking of methane, a highly potent greenhouse gas
*Increasing the possibility of earthquakes
Chemicals used
in Hydrofracking
….Moreover, when
the resulting brine is withdrawn, there are residual compounds from the shale,
including naturally-occurring radioactive materials (known as NORM). The
resulting brine is toxic, and cannot be cleansed by wastewater treatment
facilities. The drilling industry is exempt from being required to handle the brine
as industrial waste. Thus, one important
issue needing to be addressed in the Health Impact Assessment is the handling
of hydrofracking wastes.
Dr. Theo Colborn
and colleagues at The Endocrine Disruption Exchange (TEDX) in Colorado recently
studied the chemical composition of hydrofracking products used by different
drilling companies in various states. They identified almost 1000 chemical products
and nearly 650 individual chemicals used in hydrofracking, with at least 59 of
them identified as involved in natural gas operations in New York. It is widely
believed that there are many more, but these 59 are known with certainty. Using
these data, 40 of the 59 chemicals
(67.8%) had the potential to cause multiple adverse health effects and 19
(32.2%) were known to potentially cause deleterious effects to the environment.
The complete spreadsheet of hydrofracking chemicals can be accessed here:
Potential Health
Effects from Hydrofracking Chemicals
….. Many toxins cross the placenta, and newborns today are born with
at least 200 to 300 chemical contaminants in their cord blood, and in meconium,
amniotic fluid, placenta or in their mother’s breast milk. Furthermore, mixtures of different chemicals
can act synergistically to potentiate adverse developmental effects and many
serious chronic diseases including cancer, later on in life. These alarming facts caution us to pursue
greater awareness and wiser, more carefully regulated approaches to future
industrial endeavors such as hydrofracking.
Table 1 shows a list of 12 chemicals used in fracking, or found in the
brine drawn out of the well. Most physicians will recognize that these are
highly toxic substances.
(See Table 1 below, jan)
The following list briefly summarizes common effects of exposure to a
wide spectrum of additional fracking chemicals.
*Neurological – behavioral and/or cognitive symptoms, may be
associated with autistic disorders, behavioral and psychosocial disorders 18
*Respiratory – both acute and chronic respiratory effects,
exacerbation of asthma, chronic obstructive lung disease, chronic restrictive
lung disease, chronic bronchitis, lung cancer
*Cardiovascular – congenital heart disease, thickening of peripheral
vessels
Gastrointestinal – nausea, vomiting and diarrhea
*Renal – acute and or chronic renal insufficiency
*Urological – Arsenic increases the risk of bladder cancer
*Reproductive – infertility, stillbirth, congenital deformities,
decreased sperm production and poor sperm mobility
*Immunological – allergies, autoimmune diseases and immunosuppressant
disorders
*Mucocutaneous / Dermatologic – irritant to eyes, ears, oro-pharynx,
nose and sinuses
*Hematopoietic – blood dyscrasias
*Oncological – some chemicals are direct mutagens, laying the
groundwork for later onset of various cancers. Other carcinogens, while not
directly mutagenic or genotoxic, support the carcinogenic process by
down-regulating tumor suppressor genes or by up-regulating tumor promoter
genes.
*Endocrine – endocrine disruptors mimic the action of hormonal tissues
or, alternatively, block endogenous hormonal activity of the thyroid, ovaries,
testes.
Veterinary
medicine provides a sentinel for potential human health outcomes, and reveals
reason to be concerned about the effect of fracking on food supply. Animals are
exposed to the same environmental challenges that we are, but are more
vulnerable because they have fewer protections and more exposure. Anecdotal reports have found that both
companion animals and livestock that lived in pastures or barns and drank water
from nearby run-off from natural gas drilling operations have experienced
direct mortality, and among survivors, failure to breed, stillborn and
congenitally deformed offspring, and worsening reproductive health in
successive breeding seasons. Additionally, some animals have developed unusual
neurological conditions, anorexia, and liver or kidney disease 20. Some
livestock that were exposed wound up in the food chain, either as feed for
other animals or perhaps even on a supermarket shelf. Also, there are reports
of deleterious effects on wild mule deer populations, with an increased risk of
early mortality, reproductive failure, as well as weakness and death of
newborns.
Table 1: Selected
Toxins Associated with Hydraulic Fracturing
|
Chemicals
|
Route
of Exposure
|
Effects
in Humans
|
Effects
in Animals
|
|
Acetic
Anhydride
|
Inhalation
Ingestion
Eye/skin
contact
Highly
volatile
|
Severe
irritation of eyes, upper
respiratory
mucous membranes
and
skin to very low
concentrations
Permanent
corneal scarring
Explosion
related injuries
|
Highly
corrosive to eyes, upper
respiratory
mucous membranes
and
skin
Direct
mortality
|
|
Arsenic
|
Oral
– drinking contaminated water
Inhalation
|
IARC
Group 1 Carcinogen:
Adenocarcinoma
of the lung
Cancers
of skin, digestive tract,
liver,
urinary bladder, kidney,
lymphatic
and hematopoietic,
meningioma
Noncancer
chronic effects:
Severe
peripheral vascular disease, “blackfoot disease”
Arsenicosis:
arsenic poisoning
|
Carcinogen:
Adenocarcinoma
of lung
Lymphocytic
leukemia
Lymphoma
|
|
Benzene
|
Inhalation
Oral
–drinking contaminated water
|
IARC
Group 1 Carcinogen:
Leukemia
(acute myelogenous)
Noncancer
acute effects:
Neurological:
drowsiness, headaches, unconsciousness, convulsions
Skin,
eyes and upper respiratory tract Irritation
GI:
Nausea, vomiting
Noncancer
chronic effects:
Blood
dyscrasias, aplastic anemia, excessive bleeding, leukopenia
Immunosuppression
Developmental:
low birth weight,
delayed
bone formation
|
Carcinogen
in experimental animals
In
rodents:
Oral
cavity
Malignant
lymphoma
Lung
Cancer
Mammary
gland
Noncancer
acute effects:
Neurologic,
immunologic, hematologic
Low
toxicity from inhalation
Moderate
toxicity from ingestion
Noncancer
chronic effects:
Similar
to human findings
|
|
Chlorine
dioxide
|
Inhalation
|
Severe
respiratory and eye irritant,
Congestion
of lungs, chronic bronchitis
Mortality
at 19 ppm
|
Severe
respiratory and eye irritant
Purulent
bronchitis
Mortality
at 150-200 ppm
|
|
Ethylene
glycol
(commonly
known as antifreeze)
|
Ingestion
of contaminated water
|
Acute:
Neurotoxicity
Cardiopulmonary
effects
Renal
Low
dose effects: eyes, nose and throat
|
Hepatic
and renal damage
Fetotoxicity
in rodents
|
|
Formaldehyde
|
Inhalation
Ingestion
in contaminated water or food
|
IARC
Group 1 Carcinogen:
Nasopharyngeal
and sinonasal cancer
Lymphohematopoietic
cancer
Noncancer
acute effects:
Respiratory
Eye,
nose and throat irritation
Noncancer
chronic effects:
Respiratory
Eye,
nose, throat
Skin
irritation; contact dermatitis
Menstrual
disorders
|
Carcinogenic
in experimental animals:
In
rodents:
Nasal
squamous cell carcinoma
Leiomyosarcoma
of stomach, intestines
Lung
cancer
Noncancer
acute and chronic effects:
Lesions
on nasal epithelium and
lower
respiratory system
Weight
loss
|
|
Lead
|
Inhalation
Ingestion
Dermal
contact
|
IARC
Group 2B Carcinogen:
Associated
with cancer of:
Lung
Stomach
Urinary
bladder
Noncancer
effects:
Neurotoxicity
(especially fetal and childhood development)
Kidney
damage
Anemia
Immune
system
Cardiovascular
system
Male
infertility (decreased sperm
count)
|
Carcinogenic
to experimental animals:
Adenocarcinoma
of the kidney
Tumors
of brain
Hematopoietic
system
Lung
Noncancer
effects:
Birth
defects
|
|
Phenol
|
Inhalation
Ingestion
Eye/skin
contact
Absorption
through
skin
|
IARC
Group 3 Carcinogen:
(not
classifiable in humans)
Non
cancer acute effects:
Severe
irritation to eyes, skin, mucous membranes
CNS
impairment
Damage
to liver and kidneys
Mortality
following high dose exposure
(
1 gram oral ingestion=lethal,
Death
associated with respiratory failure)
Noncancer
chronic effects:
Systemic
disorders including
Gastrointestinal,
neurological,
dermatological
|
Carcinogenic
to experimental animals:
Leukemia
and lymphoma
Non
cancer acute effects:
Severe
irritant of eyes (immediate
corneal
opacification in rabbits)
Irritant
of upper respiratory
mucous
membranes;
Neurotoxic
to motor centers in CNS (twitching, convulsions)
Tachy/bradycardia,
hypotension
Dyspnea
Noncancer
chronic effects:
Damage
to lung, liver, kidneys, heart
|
|
Toluene
|
Inhalation
Ingestion
|
IARC
Group 3 Carcinogen
Noncancer
acute effects:
Neurotoxic;
fatigue, drowsiness,
headaches,
nausea, unconsciousness
Cardiac
arrhythmia
Oral
ingestion, high dose=lethal
(associated
with severe CNS
depression,
pulmonary hemorrhage, myocardial necrosis, and acute tubular renal necrosis)
Noncancer
chronic effects:
CNS
depression, ataxia, tremors,
cerebral
atrophy, impaired speech, hearing and vision
Inflammation
and degeneration of
nasal
epithelium,
Pulmonary
lesions
Maternal
Reproductive : increased spontaneous abortions
Developmental:
neurotoxicant,
attention
deficit, cranial-facial and limb anomalies
|
Acute:
Central
nervous system depression
Immunosuppressed
(increased risk of pulmonary infection)
Chronic:
Hepatic
Renal
Pulmonary
Impaired
hearing
Developmental
toxicant
|
|
Uranium-238
|
Ingestion
(food, water)
Inhalation
|
No
information on acute effects.
Chronic
effects:
Renal
toxicity
|
No
information on acute effects.
Chronic
effects:
Inflammation
of nasal mucosa
Renal
toxicity
|
|
Radium-226
|
Ingestion
(drinking water)
|
IARC
Group 1 Carcinogen
No
information on acute effects.
Noncancer
chronic effects:
Anemia,
necrosis of the jaw, brain abscess, bronchopneumonia and death
(from oral ingestion)
Acute
leukopenia (from inhalation)
|
|
|
Radon-222
|
Inhalation
|
IARC
Group 1 Carcinogen
No
information on acute effects.
Non
cancer chronic effects:
Chronic
lung disease, pneumonia,
Pulmonary
fibrosis
|
Weight
loss, hematologic disorders
|
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 and Thomas Merton Society Liason-Lou Pochet
Secretary-Ron Nordstrom
Facebook Coordinator-Elizabeth Nordstrom
Blogsite –April Jackman
Science Subcommittee-Dr. Cynthia Walter
To receive our news updates, please email
jan at westmcg@gmail.com
To remove your name from our list please put
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