Westmoreland Marcellus Citizens’ Group Updates October 17, 2013
* For articles and updates or to just vent, visit us on facebook; https://www.facebook.com/groups/MarcellusWestmorelandCountyPA/
* 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 PA state gas legislation
and local control: http://pajustpowers.org/aboutthebills.html-
WMCG Thank Yous
*Thank you to contributors to our Updates: Debbie Borowiec, Lou Pochet,
Ron Gulla, Marian Szmyd, Bob Donnan, Gloria Forouzan, Elizabeth Donahue, Bob Schmetzer.
*Thank you to Cynthia Walter and
Mike Atherton for accompanying young adults who are here in Pittsburgh with
Power Shift. Kathryn Hilton of the Mt
Watershed organized a flyering for the weekend in Crabtree and North Derry.
*Thank you to Joe and Judy Evans
for their kind donation of the printing of fracking tri-folds that we have been distributing.
Calendar
*** WMCG Steering
Committee Meeting We meet the
second Tuesday of every month at 7:30 PM in Greensburg. Email Jan
for directions. All are invited.
***Youth Power
Shift -Oct 18-21
“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
*** Oct
19 March for Our County Parks-
Allegheny Co.- In conjunction with the 2013 Power Shift
gathering.
2:00 pm. Saturday October 19
Start at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center and proceed up Grant
Street to the Allegheny County Courthouse. http://alleghenysc.org/?p=13340
***Oct.
25 - Mike Stout - Benefit Concert for Protect our Parks-Allegheny Co. To
stop plans to frack Allegheny County's parks.
http://www.marcellusprotest.org/event_calendar/2013-10-25/mike-stouts-album-release-benefit-concert-protect-our-parks
***Oct.
30- Sen. Ferlo with Protect Our Parks to hold a Town Hall Meeting – Allegheny
Co.
*** 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
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, PA 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 calendar of area events please see “Marcellus Protest”
calendar:
http://marcellusprotest.org/
Take Action!!
Volunteers Needed!!
We need volunteers
who will take an hour or so to distribute flyers in Westmoreland Neighborhoods. You can help to inform your own area or we
can suggest an area where people are leasing. Some rural areas are best reached
by car and flyers can be put in paper boxes.
Please contact Jan if you would be able to distribute flyers. Meetings
are good venues for distributing flyers as well—church meetings, political,
parent groups, etc. If you can only pass out fifteen, that is fifteen people
who may not have been reached.
The following petitions are still active.
*** 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”
***Legislation
Would Make 300,000 Acres of State Forest Land Available
For Gas Development
(From the Forest Coalition)
“The bill says
"Bridge Safety", but would require
DCNR to make 300,000 acres of our State Forest land available for natural gas
development.
Rep. Rick Saccone has asked House members to cosponsor
the legislation that would end the moratorium on drilling on DCNR lands. Money from the leases would not go to DCNR,
but to PennDOT. .
The natural gas
industry would smile over that, because the recent weight restrictions on 1,000
structurally deficient bridges resulted in some gas drillers being hit with
detours for their 80,000 lb. rigs.
It would hurt DCNR
and the public because ending the Rendell Moratorium on new gas leases would be
selling resources that belong to the people and irrevocably damage our State
Forests. Former DCNR Secretary John Quigley had compared this to burning the
furniture to heat the house.
See DCNR's study, which concluded that there
just isn't any DCNR land available for drilling: http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/cs/groups/public/documents/document/d_000603.pdf
Click here for a copy of the
draft legislation. http://www.legis.state.pa.us/WU01/LI/CSM/2013/0/13205_3908.pdf
Call or email your representative (see link for addresses at
the top of this newsletter)
Please tell your State Representative to not co-sponsor or
support this legislation and to inform you of every action taken on the
HB 1717. And let us know what they say.”
***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
*** New Action----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 member’s 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 Coalswarm 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.
A
new Shale Truth segment featuring various speakers, 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
Dr Ingraffea explains that fracking has just begun, far more
is planned, and consequently related impacts. 30-40% of all gas wells are
leaking presently and this will be the case in the future.
5-10% leak immediately. Of all wells drilled between 2010 and today in
PA, 10 % are leaking.
Over 1000 people in PA have said their water was affected by
fracking. . DEP has confirmed 161 incidents.
***A simple
explanation of fracking
***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
*** Report: Fracking
by the Numbers
Environment America Research & Policy Center
Elizabeth Ridlington Frontier Group
*** Report: UPMC/University
of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences
International Journal of Occupational and
Environmental Health
Authors: Kyle Ferrar, Jill Kriesky,
Ph.D.; Charles Christen, Dr.P.H.; Lynne Marshall; Samantha Malone, M.P.H.,
C.P.H.; Ravi Sharma, Ph.D.; and Drew Michanowicz, M.P.H., C.P.H., all of Pitt
Public Health.
Health Effects of
Fracking There are cancer and non-cancer risks from exposure to
fracking-related chemicals. But there is also a health risk from merely the
fear of exposure. “
National Environmental
and Public Health Impacts of Fracking
Fracking
Wells since 2005- 82,000
Toxic
Wastewater Produced in 2012 (billion gallons)-
280
Water
Used since 2005 (billion gallons)- 250
Chemicals
Used since 2005 (billion gallons)- 2
Air
Pollution in One Year (tons)- 450,000
Global
Warming Pollution since 2005 (million metric tons CO2-equivalent)- 100
Land Directly Damaged since 2005-
(acres)-360,000
Skytruth Alert- An example of violations
published
Chevron Appalachia Llc
Violation
Type Administrative
Violation
Date 2013-10-01
Violation
Code 78.56PITCNST - Impoundment not structurally sound, impermeable, 3rd party protected,
greater than 20" of seasonal high ground water table
Violation ID
679523
Permit API 129-28820
Unconventional Y
County Westmoreland
Municipality Sewickley Twp
Inspection Type Routine/Complete Inspection
Inspection Date 2013-10-01
Comments At the time of inspection the well has been
drilled and stimulated. The Operator was in the process of equipping the wells
for production. The Department notes that the Drill Pit located onsite has been
backfilled. The final report addressing
the torn pit liner and the subsequent release of pollutional material has been
reviewed. The following violations are issued for the Operators failure to
detect and address a compromised pit liner, which resulted in a spill to ground
and the addition of Portland cement to drill cuttings without prior approval.
FRACK News
All
articles are excerpted. Please use the links to read the full article.
1.
Allegheny County Parks Fracking Update
“On October 8 County Executive
Rich Fitzgerald presented his budget proposal for 2014 to County Council, with
a 2 percent increase in spending but no reliance on revenue from drilling or
mining in County Parks. The Executive did propose outsourcing the ski
operations in Boyce Park and introducing naming rights for park pavilions.
After Mr.
Fitzgerald left, seven people continued testimony related to shale gas drilling
and coal mining in the County Parks. Several people focused on the recent
discovery of radioactive waste water from drilling, another mentioned the need
for an Environmental Impact Statement before any leasing of mineral rights is
decided, and a stand-alone, sustainable 10-year funding plan was recommended
for the regional park system. In response to a Councilwoman’s question it was
stated that the 3-year moratorium resolution will be reported out of committee
before November 1.”
2. Industry Meeting Informs Local
Officials in Smith Twp.
Public
and Representative Jesse White Not Invited
“While more than
100 local officials convened inside the Slovan VFW building in Smith Township
Thursday for an invitation-only Marcellus
Shale Coalition event; four
anti-fracking activists waged their own discussion outside.
Craig Stevens of
Montrose, who kept a hand-held copy of the Constitution in his back pocket,
decried the event, arguing officials were not being educated by the coalition,
but rather “indoctrinated” by the Marcellus Shale industry.
At times, the
conversation grew heated, as Stevens confronted Steve Forde, vice president of
policy and communications for the coalition and asked him about water
contamination. Stevens held out a stack of fake bills and asked, “How much can
I pay you to poison your own kids?”
Forde slapped the
bills out of his hand and said, “I appreciate you telling me how to raise my
children.” Smith Township police Chief Bernie LaRue stood by during the
exchange, but all parties kept the peace, and the discussion continued without
incident.
Inside, Officials from more than 25 municipalities
across Washington County listened to presentations on the state Act 13 and
impact fees, and afterward had the chance to ask questions about the industry.
Joy Ruff, community outreach manager of the coalition, described the sessions
as “educational workshops” the coalition holds periodically throughout the
region. Sen. Tim Solobay, D-Canonsburg,
who helped organize the event hosted by Smith Township, said similar briefings
have been held over the past month in Greene County and the mid-Mon Valley.
Solobay said the
purpose of the event was to discuss impact fees and ensure local officials were
“aware of the funding that has been presented, what has been part of the Act 13
dollars that are coming back to the municipalities, how it’s divided, how it
can be used and then ask if there’s any questions that anybody is having,
whether good, bad or indifferent as far as the industry itself.”
According to Act 13, impact fees
generated by natural gas drilling could be used by townships for
infrastructure, recreational facilities or social services, to name a few
options.
Despite being open
to government officials, State Rep.
Jesse White, D-Cecil, said he never received an invitation and only heard about
the event from other officials. White sent one of his staff members to
attend the event in his place, but questioned why his opponent, Paul Walsh, a Burgettstown attorney, was invited despite
not being an elected official.
“That
was the thing that mystified me,” White said. “On the one hand, we’re being
told it was for elected officials only, and then, lo and behold, my announced
opponent is there working the room, and he’s not an elected official at all. To
me, it’s been more like a Tim Solobay–sponsored political event.”
Solobay said Thursday that a
few independent contractors and representatives from the MarkWest natural gas
processing plant in Chartiers Township were also at the event.
Stevens, along with activists Ray Kemble, of Dimock, Robert
Lee McCaslin, of Bath, N.Y., and Randy Moyer, of Portage, said he travels
around the region to raise awareness about environmental and property issues
pertaining to Marcellus Shale drilling.
Stevens said they were not planning a protest, but
wanted to attend the event to speak with elected officials.
“We try to come and ask a few serious questions at
meetings in front of elected officials and guess what we get – thrown out,”
Stevens said.”
http://www.observer-reporter.com/article/20131010/NEWS01/131019969#.UmCGIChuLFk
3. DEP Approves Fracking
Permit For Unleased Property
Shared by Melissa Troutman on October 17, 2013 · Public
Herald
“The (DEP) has issued a permit to
Talisman Energy to drill a natural gas well under unleased
property in Susquehanna County, according to landowners Steve and Joyce
Libal and state documents provided to Public Herald. The permit would allow
for fracking.
“The
only reason we know about the permit concerning our property is because a guy
stopped by our farm to buy beans…thank God this man’s wife likes to pickle
beans,” the Libals wrote in an announcement posted in an online natural gas
forum. Their bean customer, Grove Dody, turned out to be a councilman of the
neighboring borough of Friendsville.
According to Pennsylvania oil and
gas law, drilling companies must notify municipal officials of plans to drill
for natural gas. However they aren’t required to notify nearby or even adjacent
landowners.
“Neither
Talisman Energy nor the DEP notified us of this application,” wrote the Libals,
who doubled checked their property deed again just to be safe. They own all of their mineral rights, and
have turned down companies looking to lease their land. But, they are
surrounded by leased properties.
Steve attended the local township meeting and asked to see Talisman’s application packet. It contained a map
showing 12 wells. One of the wells is routed right through Libals’ unleased
property. They immediately notified DEP via email on September 18th and
sent certified letters to DEP Office of Chief Counsel Richard Morrison, Deputy
Secretary of Oil and Gas Scott Perry, and geologist Mark Ansell, who conducted
the technical approval for Talisman’s permit.
After a
week of silence, emails were sent to Ansell again on September 26th. He
replied, “The application has been the subject of much discussion within the
Department. Presently the situation is
under review by the Legal Staff.”
The Libals also contacted Talisman Energy. But according to
the couple, instead of an explanation or apology, a landman claiming to
represent Talisman called to ask how much money it would take for them to lease
their gas rights. The Libals couldn’t be bought out, and Talisman went missing.
On
October 7th, they emailed Ansell again requesting the status of Talisman’s
permit approval process. The next day Ansell forwarded an email from DEP’s
Geologist Manager, Brian Babb:
“[I]t has been determined that the Department does not
concern itself with lease issues on wells that are not subject to the
Conservation Law. As is stated in the standard conditions of the permit, the
permit does not give any rights the applicant doesn’t already have. Neither the Oil and Gas Act nor Chapter 78
address leasing issues. Our review is based on the Act and the Regulations,
which is exclusive of leasing issues.
“If an operator fails
to acquire necessary rights before drilling, the operator could be subject to
the laws of trespass as applicable.”
This requires the Libals to hire an attorney and take
Talisman to court for the permit DEP approved.
(Note: Pennsylvania’s Conservation Law does not apply to
wells drilled into the Marcellus Shale. It does apply to Utica Shale drilling.)
DEP Issues Permit
Despite Libals’ Complaint
October 11th, DEP issued the permit
to Talisman for the company’s plans to drill the Olympic Lakes Estates 9H
wells, which included a route under the Libals’ property. According to
the Libals, they received a letter from DEP on October 15th stating that if
they had a complaint about the permit to contact the state Environmental
Hearing Board within 30 days.
In an email to Public Herald, Oil and Gas Deputy Secretary Scott Perry
wrote, “DEP does not have the statutory authority to deny a well permit based
on a property rights dispute.” He added, “the landowner could certainly appeal
the issuance of the well permit to the EHB if they wanted to. A better course
of action would be to seek some kind of injunction in county court.” Perry
believes his agency would not “be
liable for the trespass and or theft by the well driller.”
Spilling The Beans
In the
month Councilman Dody ‘spilled the beans’ the Libals’ have been consumed by
worry and their own search for answers — and they’re not alone. After sharing
their story online, the couple got an email from John Hotvedt, who alleges that in February he learned that
drilling company WPX has plans to drill under his property without his
knowledge.
In an
email offering advice to the Libals, Hotvedt wrote, “We learned through our
lawyer that DEP never involves itself in lease disputes…DEP seems to have
issues with regulating anything that isn’t strictly an environmental
concern. But it sure seems to me to be a
prudent regulatory step for some agency.”
.Both Hotvedt and the Libals think state law should be
changed to prevent unnecessary and unfair costs to landowners.
“We hope
Pennsylvania’s state legislators will prevent the DEP from doing this to other
landowners by immediately working to modify existing laws or make new laws that
do the following: 1) Prevent DEP from conducting reviews of gas-well permits
that include unleased property, 2) Enact penalties upon any gas company that
submits a gas-well application for unleased land, [and] 3) Require gas
companies to notify all landowners whose property is included in a gas-well
application,” suggest the Libals.
“What if
we had been in negotiations to sell our house while all of this was going on
unbeknownst to us? Certainly we couldn’t have disclosed what we were unaware of
to a potential buyer. What would have happened if that person had purchased the
property and later discovered a gas well had been approved to run through it?”
The Libals’ sent letters to
PA Attorney General Kathleen Kane and PA Auditor General Eugene DePasquale as
well. Attorney General Kane’s Assistant Press Secretary, Carolyn Myers,
confirmed receipt of the Libals’ letter in an email to Public Herald. “The
referenced matter is under DEP’s umbrella…You may want to contact that agency,”
wrote Myers in response to a question about whether DEP or any other state
agency handled property rights issues associated with such cases.
Auditor
General DePasquale, who’s currently investigating DEP’s procedures for handling
water contamination cases, did not reply to Public Herald’s request for
comment.
DEP’s Scott Perry wrote to Public
Herald on October 14th that Talisman would be withdrawing the permit
application. However, the Libals’ haven’t heard anything from DEP or Talisman
since receiving their letter about the approved permit.”
About Melissa Troutman
Melissa
Troutman is a Public Herald co-founder. She has experience as a traditional
print and multimedia journalist and has a passion for photography, teaching,
songwriting, and dance. As Managing Editor for Public Herald, Melissa strives
to unearth, or sometimes dust off and reorganize, stories that are valuable to
all readers. You can email her at melissa@publicherald.org. Follow on twitter:
@melissat22 View all posts by Melissa Troutman »
4. Political Booth at Cecil Festival Sparks Two Resignations
Booth solicits signatures to
remove Rep Jesse White
“Two members of the Cecil Township
Parks and Recreation Board have resigned over an ideological divide sparked by
a controversial political booth at the township’s Fall Festival last weekend.
Al DePaoli resigned Monday over the stir caused by the booth, which was manned
by the “Concerned Citizens of the 46th
District.”
“I resigned because I joined the
park board to help the park, and not to fight political issues,” said DePaoli,
who has served on the board for almost one year. “We’ve made some terrific
progress improving the parks and doing much-needed work, so it’s unfortunate
this issue came up.” Jean Gardner, who served on the board for three months,
also resigned, but declined to comment. Volunteers operating the Concerned Citizens booth solicited
signatures for a petition to remove state Rep. Jesse White, D-Cecil, from
office.”
Bob Donnan Commentary---Background on the story…
“If one were to guess, they would
have to suspect that Cecil Supervisor
Elizabeth Cowden was directly involved in this latest effort since she has
taken such a lead role in the past, even travelling all the way to Harrisburg to campaign for Jesse White’s removal from
office. “
June 18th TV news
report on Cowden’s trip to the state capitol:
“ PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Cecil
Township Supervisor Elizabeth Cowden had a very personal reason for making the four-hour trip from Washington County
to Harrisburg Tuesday. “He should be removed by the Democratic caucus or he
should resign,” said Cowden.”
5. Fracking
Shallow Wells-Westmoreland County
“Horizontal
Exploration LLC has drilled 3 horizontal
wells so far and has permits for 8 more in PA. The wells are approximately 2,000
feet deep and extend 3,300 to 5,300 feet horizontally and use about 120,000
gallons of fluid to frack the shallow wells. The cost is about $800,000 to $900,000
per well.
By
contrast a Marcellus well costs from $4 million to $10 million and requires
about 5 million gallons of water. Horizontal
Exp. LLC Shallower wells are
opportunities for smaller gas companies “Conventional laterals will never
produce anywhere near the amount of oil and gas coming out of the deeper
Marcellus wells” said Mr. Thompson, founder of Horizontal Exploration LLC, but LLC is
hoping for at least 10 times the bounty of a traditional vertical shallow well
and a quicker payback period of about 18 months compared to 4 years.
Shale
rock is considered relatively impermeable, but sandstone is porous and gas
flows easily through its tunnels so the pressure needed to frack is far less
than what’s required for deep shale drilling.
Penneco
in Delmont has been fracking horizontal shallow wells for several years now at
a depth of about 3,200 feet.
The
wells are closer to the surface and water aquifers but DEP says there’s no
reason to think the frack fluids or fuel will reach water. “We certainly have
less history on these wells, but so far no problems, said Alan Eichler, DEP SW
regional gas/oil program manager.”
(Post Gazette, Sept 22, Anya Litvak, Directional Drilling)
6. Salem, WVA Residents Sue Antero
Quality of Life Suit
“CLARKSBURG
— Twenty-four Salem area residents have sued Antero Resources Corp. and a
leasing partner, claiming the Denver energy company’s operations have
substantially hindered their quality of life.
The
lawsuit was filed on behalf of the residents by the Hill, Peterson, Carper, Bee
& Deitzler law firm of Charleston. Defendants are Antero Resources, Antero Resources
Blueston and Hall Drilling LLC.
“Since living in Harrison County, the
Plaintiffs had come to expect and enjoy the quiet, fresh air, fresh water,
privacy, darkness of night and overall peacefulness of the area,” the lawsuit
contends.
Antero’s
hydraulic fracturing ventures have ruined water wells, damaged roads and
homes (the latter through vibration) and created excessive traffic, light,
noise and diesel fumes, the lawsuit alleges.
Additionally,
some of the defendants’ employees have harassed or menaced the residents,
the lawsuit alleges. The plaintiffs are requesting a jury trial seeking
damages. The case has been assigned to Harrison Chief Judge James A. Matish.”
http://www.exponent-telegram.com/news/court_and_police/salem-area-residents-file-suit-over-fracking-operations/article_da0ddae6-3221-11e3-9260-001a4bcf887a.html
7.
Panama Canal Expanded to Transport US Liquid
Gas
“The
many LNG export projects planned on the US Gulf Coast are relying on transit through
the canal to reach Asia where customers pay the world’s highest prices for
their gas.
Global
energy flows are set to be transformed by the $5.6 billion expansion of the
Panama Canal, vastly expanding the volume of gas that will reach Asia from the
US and raising pressure on the $100 billion-plus of proposed Australian
liquefied natural gas projects to lift competitiveness.
While
the opening of the deepened and widened canal in 18 months’ time will enable
increased volumes of coal exports from the US to Asia, the major impact will
be on LNG and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).
The
enlargement of the canal will enable large gas tankers and LNG vessels to
pass through the crucial transit point for the first time, cutting shipping
days from the US east coast to Asia from 41 days at present (via South
America’s Cape Horn) to 25 days.
Freight
costs could be almost halved, putting the US on a par with the Middle East
for transport to Asia.
“While
the opening of the Panama Canal will lead to unexpected changes to energy trade
flows, it will surely accelerate energy arbitrage between the US and Asia,” Mr.
Beveridge said. “The opportunities appear to be more related to LNG and LPG
rather than coal and oil.”
http://www.afr.com/p/australia2-0/panama_canal_expansion_to_draw_us_pcKvGanRKDqJNYGZgTPVcK
8.
Drilling Water Wells One Way to Foil Frackers
“ It's been called the "water
well gambit" -- the 11th-hour drilling of a private water well on the very
spot a company has staked for commercial gas production. Sometimes the
tactic used by landowners as a way to stop, or at least delay, gas development
works. Sometimes it doesn't. Pittsburgh-based EQT Corp. is hoping it's the
latter case as the company battles landowners for the bounty that's found
underneath their properties.
The
blocking strategy has been used in West Virginia for years, according to David
McMahon, a West Virginia attorney who co-runs a website counseling landowners
on matters such as how to stop unwanted gas activity. In a battle with oil and
gas companies, "You don't have much on your side," he said.
"They've got the money, they've got the experience, they've got the
lawyers, and the element of surprise. And so one of the ways you can stand up
for your rights, to have some reasonable use of your surface, is to drill a
water well," he said. "Some gas companies may think that's not fair. We don't think fairness has ever been the
standard on what gas companies can do to surface owners."
9. Voters
in 4 Colorado Cities Will Decide On Timeout On Fracking
“Oct 13 - Front Range residents are forcing
faceoffs over oil/ gas drilling in their midst, challenging the power of state
regulators charged with balancing drilling and protection of health and the
environment. Four ballot measures put forth by residents of Boulder,
Broomfield, Fort Collins and Lafayette will give voters the chance to declare
timeout — and, in one case, ban new drilling and industry-waste disposal.
This
resistance reflects Colorado's emergence as a battle zone for hashing out the
national problem of wanting increased domestic energy production but also an
environmentally sustainable future. Proponents say they're driven by health and
environmental concerns as companies operating about 51,000 gas and oil wells
around Colorado invest billions to expand — including drilling near neighborhoods
and rivers.”
10. North Dakota-- Huge 865,000 Gallon
Oil Spill Not Reported Due To Government
Shut down
“Over
20,600 barrels of oil fracked from the Bakken Shale has spilled from a Tesoro
Logistics pipeline in Tioga, North Dakota in one of the biggest onshore oil
spills in recent U.S. history.
Though the spill
occurred on September 29, the U.S.
National Response Center - tasked with responding to chemical and oil spills -
did not make the report available until October 8 due to the ongoing government
shutdown.
"The center
generally makes such reports available on its website within 24 hours of their
filing, but services were interrupted last week because of the U.S. government
shutdown," explained Reuters.
At more than
20,600 barrels - equivalent to 865,200 gallons - the spill was bigger than the April 2013 ExxonMobil Pegasus pipeline
spill, which spewed 5,000-7,000 barrels of tar sands into a residential
neighborhood in Mayflower, Arkansas.
So far, only 1,285
barrels have been cleaned, and the oil is spread out over a 7.3 acre land mass.
Kris Roberts,
environmental geologist for the North Dakota Department of Health Division of
Water Quality told the Williston Herald, "the leak was caused by a hole that deteriorated in the side of the
pipe."
http://www.desmogblog.com/2013/10/10/20600-barrels-fracked-oil-spill-north-dakota-publicity-halted-due-government-shutdown
11.
Fracking Company Sent Packing in Rockingham Co. Virginia
(Note that
in Virginia, the supervisor went to W VA to visit a fracking site and to become
better informed. In Westmoreland County, supervisors and commissioners have refused to attend informational meetings
or do their homework . That absence of concern and willingness to be educated is
negatively impacting our environment,
property values, and health. Let’s question candidates about where they stand
on fracking and vote accordingly. Jan)
Rockingham County,
VA: Rockingham County had a problem. A fracking company had leased a
swath of land. Residents were concerned that fracking for gas in
their backyards would jeopardize their health, their water and land, and the
local infrastructure. But the community rallied together and sent the oil and gas company
packing.
How did they do
it? Education is key, according to Chris Bolgiano, who refers to herself as a “mildly amusing nature writer.” She says
that Carrizo, the oil and gas company that came to the area with a 2010 permit
application to drill a natural gas well in Bergton, originally intended to
drill in a small, pastoral area of the county.
“There had been gas drilling in
these parts since 1935 and people thought they knew what gas drilling was all
about,” says Chris, “so lots of people signed leases that allowed companies to
drill on their land. These people thought
a drilling rig would come in then pipe or truck the gas away. You could simply
plant a tree in front of the well head and it wouldn’t be seen. But times
change.
“We had a few leaders in our
community put together public meetings to explain what fracking is all about,”
Chris explains. “Then a district
supervisor (who had been pro-fracking) visited a hydro-fracking site in West
Virginia: He was appalled by what he saw and is now fervently opposed to
fracking.”
Chris says that several things changed the
supervisor’s mind about fracking.
1.
The extent of the
industrialization. He saw massive sites; instead
of just one well pad there were many different kinds of pads, from compressor
pads to truck transfer stations that had totally fragmented and torn up the
countryside.
2.
Truck traffic.
The supervisor had been fighting to improve the roads; now the trucks were tearing them up physically. Add
to the fray noise and air pollution - 24/7. Only if the county enforces
some kind of indemnity could they hope to get something back. In other words,
the county has to have regulations in place so that the gas and oil companies
fix their mess, otherwise the county has to cough it up, adding insult to
injury. And accidents occur. Some towns even reported that children were killed
in truck and pedestrian accidents. Trucks
spilled fracking fluid into creeks, killing wildlife. Some counties allow the
gas company to spray fracking fluid on the road to keep down the dust, making
people ill.
3.
The fracking companies promised employment. The supervisor
looked at the license plates of workers, and very few locals were hired. Most company employees are transients - they follow the drilling
rigs. A huge cohort of relatively young men bring with them alcohol and drug
problems, prostitution and crime.
The fracking
companies also promised that the community would benefit economically by
renting out rooms, bring business to local restaurants and grocery stores, etc.
But that boom to rural towns is
temporary. “The increased job scene that fracking promises is a myth,” says
Chris. “When I toured and researched West Virginia, I concluded that you are
undertaking an enormous risk when you frack and for what? To make a few people
rich. And now they want to export it!”
How to say NO to Fracking
Chris advises people to start with
neighborhood meetings and share information. “When people sign leases, the gas
companies will offer you the absolute lowest amount of money for a lease and
there can be enormous discrepancies,” she says. “For instance, your neighbor could
get ten times more money than you. But if you all band together and decide not
to sign, you will deny them access. Now they might go down the road to another
community, or even to another state.
“When it comes to
horizontal drilling, they might be drilling under your land if your neighbor
signs a lease. You may not even know it is happening. It depends on the kinds
of laws and ordinances your particular community has, so find someone - ideally
at your town hall - who can explain the laws and what is permitted.”
Generally before a
company is granted a permit to drill there is a public hearing. Again this
depends on the locality. Chris suggests the role of education comes into play
before they consider giving a drilling permit or not. “Of course the request to
drill is what generates interest so there may not be much time to act,” she
adds. “Be proactive and go to those meetings, and if you are living in a
community on top of those shale formations, you really should start looking at
the issue long before a company comes in.
“Most people in these parts own their own
land. If the owner signs a lease and a drilling company comes in, everyone in
that area can potentially be impacted. Gas and oil companies are moving
closer to towns, and on campuses. Start by protesting.”
Carrizo, the oil and gas company that was sent
packing, had a permit application in 2010, and leased more than 7,100 acres of
private land in the county. It gave up on gas drilling in Rockingham County,
and is not renewing any of its local oil and gas leases.
Chris is right: on its website, Carrizo states: The company has
accumulated significant expertise in the drilling and completion of complex
extended reach horizontal wells in resource shales located in densely
populated urban areas and difficult terrains. Our business strategy is to
leverage this core competency in pursuing exploitation and development
opportunities in the most prospective North American resource shale
regions.
Richard Thompson, Carrizo’s vice-president for investor relations, said that pressure from residents combined
with low natural gas prices prompted the company to leave Rockingham County and
it has no plans to return.
(I received
this encouraging story from a friend. It was published in a newsletter for
lawyers.
Claudia)
12. Arizona Solar Farm Ready to
Power 70,000 Homes
“A $2 billion solar farm in
southern Arizona is ready to power nearly 70,000 households.
Spanish
company Abengoa announced this week that its massive Solana solar farm passed a
series of commercial operation tests and is ready to go live. Solana is located
about 70 miles southwest of Phoenix. The farm has 280-megawatt capacity and is the first solar farm in the country
with thermal energy storage.
The company believes Solana is
the world’s largest parabolic trough plant. The farm contains 3,200 mirrored
trough collectors that are 500 feet long, 25 feet wide and 10 feet high. The
mirrors are mounted on structures that track the sun and concentrate its heat,
later transforming water into steam to power a steam turbine. The thermal
storage will provide six hours of energy for use after sunset or if conditions
are cloudy.
“These six hours will satisfy
Arizona’s peak electricity demands during the summer evenings and early night
time hours,” according to the company. “Dispatchability also eliminates
intermittency issues that other renewables, such as wind and photovoltaics,
contend with, providing stability to the grid and thus increasing the value of
the energy generated by Concentrating Solar Power.”
The U.S. Department of Energy
loaned Abengoa $1.45 billion in 2010. Construction of the three-square-mile
farm provided more than 2,000 jobs since
building began three years ago. Construction required a supply chain that
spanned 29 states, the company said.
In addition to 65 full-time jobs
for plant operation, Abengoa guarantees $420 million in tax revenues over the
next three decades.”
13. Norway Invests in Renewables
“With more than $750 billion of
holdings in its sovereign wealth fund, Norway is on the brink of potentially
making renewable energy investments around the world.
Erna
Solberg, who will be named Norway’s second female prime minister, has already
heard proposals from her government to use sovereign wealth fund money to
invest in sustainable companies and projects in developing countries, Climate
News Network reported today. Leader of the conservative party, Solberg won the
election in September.
World Wildlife Fund is calling
for more investment in renewable energy and decrease investment in coal, oil
and gas. She hasn’t publicly discussed the specific companies and projects the
country might invest in, but there are already high hopes.
“If Norway actually does this, it will be an unprecedented shift in the
global investment community and also for tangible action on climate change,” said
Samantha Smith, head of the global climate and energy initiative at the World
Wildlife Fund (WWF).
Financial analysts predict that
other nations will follow Norway’s lead and also invest in renewable energy
projects. Pension funds in Denmark and the Netherlands already support the
renewables sector.
Legally, Norway’s fund can invest
60 percent of its money in stocks, 35 percent in bonds and up to 5 percent in
real estate around the world. The fund owns large portions of some of Europe’s
leading companies. Experts estimate that one in every $80 invested in global
equities is owned by Norwegians.”
http://ecowatch.com/business/renewable-business/norway-renewable-energy-could-change-world/
14. Vagt
Steps Down as Head of Heinz Endowments
“Formerly
the president of Davidson College in North Carolina, Mr. Vagt came under fire
from environmentalists earlier this year for his connections as a board member
and stockholder in a Texas pipeline company. Critics said he didn't fully
disclose his ties to the oil and gas industry as the endowments launched the Center for Sustainable Shale Development, a
coalition of foundations, environmental groups and gas developers.
In August, the endowments fired
two key staff members, including its top environmental officer, Caren
Glotfelty. Speculation swirled at that time about whether Mr. Vagt might also
leave the philanthropy. Environmentalists criticized the endowments and said
Mr. Vagt had a conflict of interest because he is a board director and
stockholder in Kinder Morgan, an energy business based in Houston, Texas, that
either has an ownership stake or operates a total 80,000 miles of gas and
petroleum pipelines. He spent 17 years with oil and gas companies in New York
and Texas before becoming president of his alma mater.”
http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/region/vagt-stepping-down-as-head-of-heinz-endowments-707569/
15. French
Court Upholds Ban on Fracking
“France's constitutional council has
upheld a law banning fracking in France, keeping in place a law that had been a
centerpiece of the Socialist president's campaign.
Activists say fracking is
disastrous for the environment, spewing dirty water, fouling the air and
sickening people and animals. France banned the practice in 2011 over the objections
of the oil industry. European Union lawmakers voted to require environmental studies from companies that want to use
fracking.”
16. Romania Anti-fracking Protesters Block Chevron test Drilling
“Pungesti — Hundreds of Romanian
villagers opposed to fracking blocked a convoy of vehicles intending to start
test drilling for US energy giant Chevron.
Around 400
inhabitants of the eastern village of Pungesti, including many children and
women, rallied on a nearby field where Chevron plans to start drilling its
first exploration well.
The convoy was forced to turn
around as protesters, some of whom had come in horse-drawn carts, called on
Chevron to "go home".
."We will not let them drill
here if we must die for this," said one of the villagers, Gheorghe Hrum, a
retired forest warden.
"They
came with policemen and bodyguards to scare us but all we want is to be left
alone, even if we are poor," he added.
The protesters also called on
Prime Minister Victor Ponta to resign, accusing him going back on pledges to
block shale gas drilling before he took power by granting Chevron exploration
permits.” http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5i7YvNyBQXR5cL2fS7vxQfALA2_yQ?docId=c2cca27c-7ddb-43bd-8aeb-6f7ebbdd53af&hl=en
17. Gas Production Decline
From
Bob Donnan
“After
hearing Deborah Rogers speak a couple years ago, I decided to track nearly 200
Marcellus Shale wells to see if they resembled the same rapid decline in
production that has been seen in Barnett Shale wells. As I recently reported to you in “Dropping like
a Rock” -- they do. Deborah Rogers is
set to speak in Colorado next week, and this recent post by Texas Sharon lends
more details:
Analysis of
more than 60,000 oil and gas wells shows:
- Shale well
production declines more rapidly than predicted.
- The rate of drilling must increase to
maintain current production.
- Shale gas production has become uneconomical
in many areas at current prices.
- Wall Street has played a key
behind-the-scenes role in hyping the fracking boom.
- Industry is
largely unwilling to invest in future shale development.”
For more
information:
http://www.texassharon.com/2013/10/14/coming-to-colorado-a-public-discussion-of-frackings-false-economic-promise-with-deborah-rogers/
18. Kevin Begos-The Industry’s Reporter
(“I filed an ethics complaint regarding Kevin
Begos with the head of AP, Pennsylvania, concerning the hatchet job he did on
me; thin on facts, loaded with errors, and laced with innuendo.” Bob Donnan.)
Editorial from “Times On Line” Oct.
14
The Slippery Business
of Fracking
By the Editor
“If you are concerned about the effects of
fracking, why shouldn’t you talk to AP
reporters Kevin Begos and Mike Rubinkam? Because you might end up like Bob Donnan, Victoria Switzer and Rebecca
Roter.
Donnan, a long-time anti-fracking veteran,
was well aware of Begos’s reputation as an industry-friendly “reporter” and
refused to speak to him when Begos and co-writer Michael Rubinkam were creating
“Anti-Drilling Activists Change Tactics, Tone.” Published October 6, it should
have been titled “Pro-Drilling Reporters Maintain Tactics, Tone.”
Since
Donnan refused to speak to Begos, Begos simply made things up about him. Since
Switzer and Rotor did speak to Rubinkam, Rubinkam merely slanted their words
and actions to portray the gas industry in a more favorable light, while making
the occasional factual error.
According
to the article, anti-fracking activists are now rushing to embrace the gas
industry. They do this either 1) because they‘ve come to realize that the
industry, deep in its heart, really wants to protect our air and water, or 2)
because they’ve made sneaky-Pete leasing deals behind everyone’s back.
Switzer
and Rotor, supposedly in the former category, are members of Breathe Easy
Susquehanna County, a new organization founded and fueled by desperation.
Surrounded by drilling rigs, their air and water already contaminated by
chemicals, exhausted from shouting into the deaf ears of Pennsylvania’s
pro-fracking politicians, BESQ was formed by its founders in what they
considered to be a last-ditch attempt to work with the gas companies to
safeguard already-compromised public health.
“I
support a moratorium and a ban,” writes Roter on the BESQ website. “But best
technology and strict well-enforced regulations are what we need now as our air
impacted 24/7. We live in the sacrifice zone… the poster children… and no one
is saving us.”
Note
to Begos/Rubinkam: BESQ was formed by over 20 residents of Susquehanna County,
not by Switzer and Rotor; Roter does not live in Dimock; and, according to
Roter, “Mike Rubinkam twisted my words and story.”
According to the article, Bob Donnan, an
outspoken fracking opponent, sold out to Range Resources in February, then
continued to badmouth the industry while raking in the fracking dollars. In reality, in late 2012 Donnan discovered
that his family-owned 74-acre parcel of land was already in the process of
being drilled by Range Resources, even though no one in the multi-member family
had signed a lease.
Oh
yes, said Range Resources, two members of the family had signed a lease, and
that was enough to start drilling. Donnan soon discovered that the two signers
were not, in fact, related to him at all; when he decided to sue, not only did
he realize how much it would cost him, but he also learned that should he do
so, the legally-equipped Range Resources could simply blame it on an error of
the landman.
Meanwhile,
spooked by Range Resources’s heavy-handed approach and the idea that one family
member could sign a lease and destroy the entire property – of which she owned
most of the surface rights – Donnan’s cousin hired a lawyer to draft the most
protective lease possible. Donnan, who
owned 1.5 acres out of the 74, was given a choice: sign the lease and receive
royalties from Range Resources, or don’t sign the lease and let the company
pocket his money.
And
that is how Bob Donnan sold out to the gas industry. I urge you to read more
details on Bob’s blog, and here is an aerial video of what Range Resources has
done to nearby Cross Creek County Park.
Note to Begos/Rubinkam: Donnan “has” been
an outspoken critic of drilling in general, not “had;” he is not a member of
the anti-drilling group Marcellus Protest; and he did not speak to you because,
according to Donnan, “I knew all they would do is twist my words around, and
we’re talking about my family.”
I
am an opinion writer, which means my opinion can be so slanted it almost aligns
with the horizontal pipes the gas industry is installing beneath most of
Pennsylvania. Kevin Begos and Michael Rubinkam, however, are reporters, which
means they are not supposed to have opinions. Or, for that matter, to make
stuff up.
Whoops!
It must have been a slip of the pipe. I mean, the pen. Slippery business, this
fracking.”
***********************************************************************************
Photos By Bob Donnan
These images leave little doubt about the rapidly expanding
infrastructure and wet gas processing in the tri-state area.
MARCELLUS AIR-Photos
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 and Thomas Merton Society Liason-Lou Pochet
Secretary-Ron Nordstrom
Facebook Coordinator-Elizabeth Nordstrom
Blogsite –April Jackman
Science Subcommittee-Dr. Cynthia Walter
