Westmoreland Marcellus Citizens’ Group Updates
October 24, 2013
* 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 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 Joe
and Judy Evans for their kind donation of the printing of fracking tri-folds that we have been distributing.
*Thank you to Jenny Lisak for
working with the group’s suggestions to create our logo.
*Thank you to Kathryn Hilton, Mt
Watershed, for expediting the completion of the information sheet on seismic testing as
requested by many people in our group.
There have been many emails about the water problem in
Westmoreland. An advisory was triggered
after a filter plant evaluation Wednesday by the state Department of Environmental
Protection. Households in 33 communities may be affected by a “deficiency of
the filtration barrier” at the George R. Sweeney Treatment Plant in Bell
Township, said Manager Chris Kerr.
All affected customers in the Beaver Run Reservoir system
will be alerted via an automated phone message within 12 hours of the warning,
Kerr said.
The authority asks all affected customers to boil the water
for at least one minute, then let it cool before using, or use bottled water.
Any water used for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth,
washing dishes and food preparation should be boiled, according to the release.
Read more:
http://triblive.com/news/adminpage/4943736-74/boil-customers-according#ixzz2ihRtAFrb
This is a DEP
Guidance Document forwarded to the group..
“This is from the DEP's FPPE guidance
document, and reflects why we got the advisory:
The regional FPPE staff will immediately conference with
regional, district, and central office staff when the laboratory MPA results
show that the filter plant, based on the sample analysis, is not effective in
removing sufficient quantities of
Giardia -sized or Cryptosporidium
-sized microscopic particulates. Staff
will review and discuss the filtered MPA results and onsite FPPE findings to
determine if a breakdown in treatment occurred and whether a boil water
advisory is
needed.
• In situations where both the filtered MPA results and the
FPPE findings show that a break down in treatment occurred, the appropriate
response is to issue a boil water advisory and require Tier 1 public notice.
Other situations, where findings are less definitive, should be discussed in detail
as a BWA may still be needed.
• If a decision is made to issue a boil water advisory, then
during the same conference call, a discussion should take place concerning the
steps that are needed for lifting the boil water advisory. The decision to lift
a boil water advisory should not hinge solely on the results of follow-up
sampling. The primary operational and physical deficiencies that caused the breakdown
in treatment in the first place should be corrected before follow-up sampling
occurs and before consideration to lift the boil water advisory. An on-site
visit to verify reported plant improvements and review applicable performance
data should also occur prior to lifting the BWA. The long-term reliability and capability
of the plant should be considered when
determining follow-up actions. In addition, the distribution
system should be flushed to remove any contaminated water and sampling should
occur to demonstrate that the water is safe to drink.
These steps often become part of the consent order agreement
if one is issued.
• Elevated chlorine is often used in conjunction with a boil
water advisory as an additional level of protection against viruses, bacteria,
and some protozoan. However, elevated chlorine should not be used in lieu of a
boil water advisory, because elevated chlorine does not protect against Cryptosporidium
Oocysts.
• The regional and district regulatory enforcement staff
should take the lead with regard to contacting the water supplier, issuing the
boil water advisory and requiring the Tier 1 public notice.
• Regional FPPE staff should complete a Boil Water Advisory
Summary Sheet after all requirements have been met and the boil water advisory
has been lifted.
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.
*** Oct 25 Pittsburgh Environment and Health Conference
“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”
***Oct.
25 - Mike Stout - Benefit Concert for Protect our Parks-Allegheny Co.
Stop plans to frack Allegheny County's parks
Time to Build a New World-CD Release Party
Mike
Stout is a socially conscious singer song-writer and community leader. He leads
crusades against local and global economic injustice, rallying people with his
music to take action.
Doors
Open 6pm Show Time 7pm
Admission
$20
Club
Cafe (on the Southside)
56-58
South 12th Street, Pittsburgh PA 15203
Purchase
tickets online
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.
Join us and State Senator Jim Ferlo on Wednesday, October 30th
for a discussion on the good, the bad and the ugly effects of drilling and
fracking for natural gas in and around Deer
Lakes Park. We need your support to ensure the protection of our county
parks! Can you join us? Wednesday,
October 30
7:00
– 9:00 p.m.
Highlands
Middle School Auditorium
1350
Broadview Road
Natrona
Heights, PA 15065
RSVP
to attend or get more information here
Jan
Jack, you know how vital our 9 County Parks are to our community. They provide
free recreation and enjoyment to you, your neighbors, and county residents and
are a key part of our local economy. Come join Clean Water Action at the
hearing and make sure our parks are preserved for our children’s children. If
we allow drilling in Deer Lakes which one of our county parks will be targeted
next? Can you make it?
http://cleanwateraction.org/webform/learn-more-about-drilling-our-county-parks
For
Clean Water,
Tom
Hoffman, Western Pennsylvania Director
Nov 12- Radioactive Drill Cuttings
Reclassified - Columbus Ohio
Public forum Columbus
Public Library
Tuesday Nov. 12th, 7pm.
The Ohio
state legislature snuck language into the 2013 budget bill in June that
reclassifies shale production drill cuttings from TENORM (Technically Enhanced
Normally Occurring Radioactive Materials) to NORM (normally-occurring
radioactive
materials), which makes radioactive content invisible to the
regulatory environment. The
"beneficial uses" clause of the bill allows these potentially
radioactive materials to be used in applications, such as in landfills as clay
liners.
The
test case is right here in Columbus, where the Ohio EPA has permitted Ohio Soil
Recycling
(http://www.soilrecycling.com/services/ ) to receive drill cuttings (and
according to the website, this material includes drilling muds which are still
classified as TENORM) to be used as a claytopper to the Integrity Drive drum
dump. This landfill is a legacy dump
where barrels full of toxic wastes were buried over the past decades, and has a
history of leaching toxins into the nearby Alum Creek. There are 39 licensed landfills in Ohio now
susceptible to receiving these radioactive
materials
which are completely de-regulated.
Presenters
at the forum include -
Yuri Gorby - expert on microbe
effects, particularly pertinent to the soil
remediation
process used by Ohio Soil Recycling
http://faculty.rpi.edu/node/1179
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tssuNWKyLSI
Dr. Julie Weatherington Rice - geologist, Adjunct
Faculty The Ohio State
University
and Bennett & Williams
http://www.ernstversusencana.ca/radioactive-drilling-waste-shipped-to-landfi
lls-raises-concerns
http://www.ohiowater.org/otco/new%20site/docs/presentations/2013/Water_Works
hop/Day_2_Groundwater/Shale%20Gas%20Wastes.pdf
Terry Lodge, attorney from Toledo area
who specializes in industrial
radiation
contamination issues
http://www.beyondnuclear.org/nuclear-power/2013/7/19/davis-besse-hearing-docket.html
There
will be other speakers as well.
If
you can share this with any networks that you are a part of, we would
look
forward to having audience members from Pennsylvania as well.
Take
care,
Greg
Pace
Fresh
Water Accountability Project www.fwapoh.com <http://www.fwapoh.com>;
Radioactive
Waste Alert Organization www.radioactivewastealert.org
<http://www.radioactivewastealert.org/>;
www.globalcommonstrust.org
<http://www.globalcommonstrust.org/>;
Guernsey
County Citizens Support on Drilling Issues
***Nov 21 Dr. Anthony Ingraffea, Dwight C.
Baum Professor of Engineering,
Cornell University Butler, PA On
the science, safety and debate over hydraulic fracturing. More information to
follow.
*** Nov 25, 26 Facing
the Challenges-- Duquesne University Researchers present on: Air and
water, Animal and Human Health, Geological, Biological investigations.
***Nov 17 Fall
Summit, North Park
“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/
Donations
We are very appreciative of donations
to our group .
With your help, we have handed out thousands of flyers
on the health and environmental effects of fracking, sponsored numerous public
meetings, and provided information to citizens and officials countywide. If you
would like to support our efforts:
Checks to
our group should be made out to the Thomas Merton Center and in the Reminder
line please write- Westmoreland Marcellus Citizens’ Group (no abbreviations).
You can send your check to: Thomas
Merton Center attn. Ros Malholland , 5129
Penn Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15224. Or you
can give the check to Lou Pochet or Jan Milburn. Cash can also be accepted.
To make a contribution to our
group using a credit card, go to www.thomasmertoncenter.org. Look for the contribute
button, then scroll down the list of organizations to direct money to. We are
listed as the Westmoreland Marcellus Citizens’ Group.
Please
be sure to write Westmoreland Marcellus Citizens’
Group on the bottom of your check so that WMCG receives the funding since we are just
one project of many of the Thomas Merton Center. You can also give your
donation to any member of the steering committee.
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 reaches fifteen people
who may not have been informed.
The following petitions are still active.
***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.”
*** 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-fracking
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
***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.
***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.
***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 when they became sick after fracking began in their area. http://pennsylvaniaallianceforcleanwaterandair.wordpress.com/the-list/
*** Report: Fracking
by the Numbers
Environment America Research & Policy Center
Elizabeth Ridlington Frontier Group
John Rumpler
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
*** 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. “
***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
)
Table
1 of the report 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.
Seismic Testing Announced in
Westmoreland Co.
(Some of the seismic testing listed below is for gas
drilling, some for coal mining. I have been told (since e-notice has not been
working for my computer) that the 998 numbers are for seismic testing by
companies affiliated with gas development . You can sign up for enotice if you
would like to be alerted by the DEP about testing in your area. Jan
PA DEP to receive email notifications of
permits issued for drilling: http://www.ahs2.dep.state.pa.us/eNOTICEWeb/CreateUser.aspx )
Date: October 18, 2013 Subject: eNOTICE - Changes to Tracked Permits
The
following Permit Applications have changed as of Friday, October 18, 2013.
Bell Municipality:
Authorization # 996095 has been updated on
10/16/2013.
Subfacility
ID=990311 Name=WHITESELL MINE eMapPA search
Authorization # 998044 has been updated on
10/16/2013.
Delmont Municipality:
Authorization # 998044 has been updated on
10/16/2013.
Derry Municipality:
Authorization # 996241 has been updated on
10/16/2013.
Authorization # 996599 has been updated on
10/16/2013.
Authorization # 998044 has been updated on
10/16/2013.
Export Municipality:
Authorization # 998044 has been updated on
10/16/2013.
Fairfield Municipality:
Authorization # 997369 has been updated on
10/16/2013.
Greensburg Municipality:
Authorization # 998044 has been updated on
10/16/2013.
Hempfield Municipality:
Authorization # 998012 has been updated on
10/16/2013.
Authorization # 998044 has been updated on
10/16/2013.
Ligonier Municipality:
Authorization # 997369 has been updated on
10/16/2013.
Loyalhanna Municipality:
Authorization # 998044 has been updated on
10/16/2013.
Murrysville
Municipality:
Authorization # 998044 has been
updated on 10/16/2013.
New Alexandria Municipality:
Authorization # 998044 has been updated on
10/16/2013.
Penn Municipality:
Authorization # 998044 has been updated on
10/16/2013.
Salem Municipality:
Authorization # 998044 has been updated on
10/16/2013.
South Huntingdon Municipality:
Authorization # 993650 has been updated on
10/16/2013.
Subfacility
ID=1116285 Name=BONDI UNIT 1H eMapPA search
Authorization # 993651 has been updated on
10/16/2013.
Subfacility
ID=1116288 Name=BONDI UNIT 2H eMapPA search
Authorization # 993653 has been updated on
10/16/2013.
Subfacility
ID=1116292 Name=BONDI UNIT 3H eMapPA search
Authorization # 993654 has been updated on
10/16/2013.
Subfacility
ID=1116293 Name=BONDI UNIT 4H eMapPA search
Unity Municipality:
Authorization # 998044 has been updated on
10/16/2013.
Washington Municipality:
Authorization # 998044 has been updated on
10/16/2013.
Youngwood Municipality:
Authorization # 998012 has been updated on
10/16/2013.
Please note: The eMapPA search links provided in this
email represent subfacilities for which DEP has collected locational
information. The eMapPA system may not necessarily display data for a
subfacility if there are additional security restrictions in place. Note also
that the Locate button used to display a subfacility in eMapPA may only work
provided you are using Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 or greater as your web
browser. The DEP eNotice Application is a service provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection
FRACK News
All
articles are excerpted. Please use the links to read the full article.
1. Protesters Rail Against Drilling in Allegheny County Parks
“Oct 20 - The outdoor courtyard at the Allegheny County
Courthouse is usually a quiet, restful place, but on Saturday it was the site
of some seriously raucous street theater. About 250 people marched from the
David L. Lawrence Convention Center to the courthouse to protest gas drilling
in Allegheny County parks, led by county Executive Rich Fitzgerald -- in
effigy. "Hey! Fitzgerald! Do not put our parks in peril!" the
marchers chanted during a 15-minute walk to the courthouse, with Ben Fiorello,
of O'Hara, hoisting the giant papier-mache and wood puppet of the county
executive on his shoulders.
`Once
they were in the courtyard, one young man shouted through a megaphone,
"Everyone knows benefits from these projects only trickle down and all we
get are crumbs!" "No more crumbs! No more crumbs!" the crowd
shouted back. Then two people holding giant cardboard drilling rigs sporting a
logo of Range Resources -- the Texas-based oil and natural gas producer --
hurled them to the ground.”
http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/neighborhoods-city/protesters-rail-against-drilling-in-allegheny-county-parks-708335/
Protesters Sit-in At Fitzgerald's Office
Urge Plans to Frack County
Parks Be Dropped- Deer Lakes
Monday October 21 – Pittsburgh – At around 12:30pm, 10
protesters began a sit-in at the Allegheny County Courthouse, blocking the main
hallway in County Executive Rich Fitzgerald's office suite. The protesters are
calling on Fitzgerald to drop plans to open up Allegheny County Parks for
fracking.
The County Executive's office is currently
reviewing proposals from gas drilling companies to lease the oil and gas rights
under Deer Lakes Park for fracking.
“Fitzgerald
is trying to cut a deal with the natural gas industry without seeking formal
input from the residents of Allegheny County on this issue. There is no public
participation process, so we have to create it and that's what we're doing
today with this sit-in. We are bringing our message straight to Fitzgerald that
the residents of Allegheny County do not want fracking in our parks.” said Ben
Fiorillo of O’Hara Township.
The sit-in is part of a day of action against
dirty energy to culminate the Power Shift conference. The sit-iners are joined
by hundreds of supporters from Power Shift who participated in an un-permitted
march to the County Courthouse following a rally on the North Shore's Allegheny
Landing earlier this morning. The rally involved over 2,000 conference participants
who are calling for a rapid transition away from fossil fuels
including fracked natural gas. The marchers arrived to the
courthouse shortly after the sit-in began and are rallying outside in support.
Opponents
to the plan to frack the parks highlight the health and safety risks associated
with shale gas development.
“This plan will bring many more wells to
the Deer Lakes area, and with it heavy truck traffic, noise, stadium lighting,
and air pollution, all of which will impact park-goers and nearby residents,
whether the well pads are in the parks or not,” according to Jessica McPherson
of Pittsburgh who also joined the sit-in.
The three
lakes which give Deer Lakes its name, are all fed by springs, which could also
be impacted by fracking under the parks. McPherson continued, “What I'm most
worried about is that fracking under the park will contaminate the groundwater
which feed these three lakes. These lakes are a destination for hundreds of
local residents. An accident
like that could ruin this treasured fishing hole and expose
park-goers to dangerous fracking chemicals.”
2. Power Shift Marches In Pittsburgh
“More
than 2,500 youth activists at Power Shift 2013 marched through the streets of
Pittsburgh to confront corporate polluters and demand they join the fight for a
clean and just economy.
“Big corporations, and elected officials all the way up to President
Obama should know that our generation will use political and financial power to
stop financing fossil fuels and permitting dangerous fracking,” said Maura
Cowley, executive director of Energy Action Coalition, “We’re marching to
demand PNC and elected officials stop being complicit in fossil fuel
destruction like mountaintop removal and fracking, and work with us to build a
strong, green economy”
Deb
Thomas of the Power River Basin Resource Council in Wyoming, kicked-off the
rally by enlisting the 2,500 participants to
join the call on President Obama and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) to take real action on fracking, starting by re-opening the investigation
into fracking-water contamination in Dimock, PA, Pavillion, WY and Parker
County, TX. More than 270,000 petitions already been sent to the EPA by a
coalition of organizations including Energy Action Coalition, Stop The Frack
Attack, Americans Against Fracking, MoveOn.org, Food & Water Watch and more.
“The EPA
studies in Dimock, PA, Parker County, TX, and Pavillion, WY, need to be
re-opened because impacted people, who are forced to live with oil and gas
development need information about what they have been exposed to. It’s
critical to protect their families and their health. Our government must
protect people not toxic industry” said Thomas.
The
march went across the Roberto Clemente
Bridge where a massive banner was dropped that said “Don’t Frack Our Water”
and then marched across Pittsburgh, stopping at PNC Bank branches to demand
they stop financing mountaintop removal mining, one of the most destructive
forms of mining that is destroying communities in Appalachia.
The rally and march capped off
Power Shift 2013, a national convergence of nearly 8,000 student and youth
activists working on climate change, environmental justice and building a clean
energy economy.”
http://ecowatch.com/2013/10/21/rally-in-pittsburgh-for-green-economy/
3. Report: Know Your Driller- Shell
A project
of Energy Justice Network
Executive Summary
“This
report analyzes data provided by PA DEP
regarding violations cited for gas
development by Shell Oil Co. subsidiaries through the end of 2012.
Key findings include:
Shell has a 5:6 violation-to-well ratio. Out of 603 wells drilled, we found that Shell
subsidiaries, East Resources Inc., East Resources Mgmt. LLC and SWEPI LP, were
cited for 494 violations by PA DEP. (I believe this statistic is reversed and should be
6:5, wells to violations. Jan)
90 percent of Shell’s violations
were environmental in nature. Out of
494 violations, we identified 443 that were environmental in nature, which
have, or are likely to cause harm to the environment.
Shell has been cited for a casing
failure rate of about one percent of wells for a total of six citations. It is important to note that well casings are
meant to protect aquifers from contamination by chemicals used in the
“fracking” , process.
Shell was cited violations 45
times for Improper Construction of Waste Impoundments, 37 times for Faulty
Pollution Prevention Practices, 25 times for Discharge of Industrial
Waste. This presents imminent danger to
surface and ground water supplies.
` The PA
DEP classifies violations using two categories, “Environmental Health and Safety”
and “Administrative”. Shell’s Environmental Health and Safety violations in
Pennsylvania through December 31, 2012 totaled 298.
Of the
196 violations PA DEP classified as Administrative, 145 were environmental in
nature (Table 1). In other words, nearly three quarters of all Administrative
violations addressed issues capable of negatively affecting the environment.
Administrative
violations were not counted as environmental in nature in this research if they
were classified as “General”, “Failure to Notify Landowners/PA DEP of Activity
Prior to Commencement of Drilling”, or “Operating Without the Proper Permits”.
The goal
of this report is to provide a frame through which decision makers at an
institutional, local, state and federal level can review the frequency and
categories of violations Shell Oil Co. subsidiaries have accrued in
Pennsylvania. It does not take into account air quality, microeconomic,
macroeconomic, public health, midstream, or downstream concerns related to the
gas industry.
Most
urgently, Shell is drilling in proximity
to Slippery Rock University and Mansfield University where university
presidents now hold discretion as to whether or not to lease state-owned campus
land for drilling. We hope that this report informs those campus
communities, as well as our neighbors, about the risks of doing business with
Shell.”
4. Research Study: Gas/Oil Air Pollution Associated with Leukemia
and
Lymphoma
“Our
study was designed to test what kinds of concentrations could be encountered on
the ground during a random visit downwind of various facilities. We’re seeing elevated levels of carcinogens
and other gases in the same area where we’re seeing excess cancers known to be
caused by these chemicals,” said UC Irvine chemist Isobel Simpson, lead author
of the paper in Atmospheric Environment. “Our main point is that it would
be good to proactively lower these emissions of known carcinogens. You can study it and study it, but at some
point you just have to say, ‘Let’s reduce it.’ “
Carcinogens detected in emissions downwind of ‘Industrial Heartland’
Journal: Atmospheric Environment
“ Levels of contaminants higher than in some of the
world's most polluted cities have been found downwind of Canada's largest oil, gas and tar sands processing zone, in
a rural area where men suffer elevated rates of cancers linked to such
chemicals.
The findings by UC
Irvine and University of Michigan scientists, published online this week, reveal high levels of the carcinogens
1,3-butadiene and benzene and other airborne pollutants. The researchers also
obtained health records spanning more than a decade that showed the number of
men with leukemia and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma was greater in communities closest
to the pollution plumes than in neighboring counties. The work is a
dramatic illustration of a new World
Health Organization report that outdoor air pollution is a leading cause of
cancer.
While the scientists stopped short of saying that the
pollutants they documented were definitely causing the male cancers, they
strongly recommended that the industrial emissions be decreased to protect both
workers and nearby residents.
"Our study
was designed to test what kinds of concentrations could be encountered on the
ground during a random visit downwind of various facilities. We're seeing
elevated levels of carcinogens and other gases in the same area where we're
seeing excess cancers known to be caused by these chemicals," said UC
Irvine chemist Isobel Simpson, lead author of the paper in Atmospheric
Environment. "Our main point is that it would be good to proactively lower
these emissions of known carcinogens. You can study it and study it, but at
some point you just have to say, 'Let's reduce it.' "
Co-author Stuart Batterman, a University of Michigan
professor of environmental health sciences, agreed: "These levels, found
over a broad area, are clearly associated with industrial emissions. They also are evidence of major regulatory
gaps in monitoring and controlling such emissions and in public health
surveillance."
The researchers captured emissions in the rural Fort
Saskatchewan area downwind of major refineries, chemical manufacturers and tar
sands processors owned by BP, Dow, Shell and other companies in the so-called
"Industrial Heartland" of Alberta, Canada. They took one-minute
samples at random times in 2008, 2010 and 2012. All showed similar results. Amounts of some dangerous volatile organic
compounds were 6,000 times higher than normal.
The team compared the Alberta plumes to heavily
polluted megacities. To their surprise,
the scientists saw that levels of some chemicals were higher than in Mexico
City during the 1990s or in the still polluted Houston-Galveston area.
"For any community downwind of heavy industrial
activity, I would say it's certainly prudent to conduct surveys of both air
quality – especially carcinogens – and human health," Simpson said.
"For decades, we've known that exposure to
outdoor air pollutants can cause respiratory and cardiovascular disease,"
Batterman said. "The World Health Organization has now also formally
recognized that outdoor air pollution is a leading environmental cause of
cancer deaths."
Longtime residents near industrial Alberta have
struggled to bring attention to bad odors, health threats and related concerns.
The peer-reviewed study is one of few in the region and more investigation of
the large and complex facilities is needed.
For example, Simpson said, it appeared in some cases that the companies were not reporting all
of the tons of chemicals they release. She and her colleagues documented high
levels of 1,3-butadiene that could only have come from one facility, but she
said the company had not reported any such emissions.”
Other authors are Josette
Marrero, Simone Meinardi, Barbara Barletta and Donald Blake, all of UC Irvine.
5. Air Pollution Officially
Recognized as Carcinogen
(Reuters) - The air we breathe is laced with
cancer-causing substances and is being officially
classified as carcinogenic to humans, according to the World Health
Organization's cancer agency .
The
International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) cited data indicating that in 2010, 223,000 deaths from lung cancer
worldwide resulted from air pollution, and said there was also convincing
evidence it increases the risk of bladder cancer.
In a
statement released after reviewing the literature, the Lyon-based agency said both air pollution and "particulate
matter" - a major component of it - would now be classified among its
Group 1 human carcinogens.
That
ranks them alongside more than 100 other known cancer-causing substances in
IARC's Group 1, including asbestos, plutonium, silica dust, ultraviolet
radiation and tobacco smoke.
Wild
said he hoped the comprehensive evidence would help the WHO, which is revising
its global 2005 guidelines on air quality. The U.N. agency makes on
recommendations on public health issues to its 193 member states.
Asked
why it had taken so long to reach the conclusion, he said that one problem was
the time lag between exposure to polluted air and the onset of cancer.
"Often
we're looking at two, three or four decades once an exposure is introduced
before there is sufficient impact on the burden of cancer in the population to
be able to study this type of question," he said.”
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/17/us-cancer-pollution-idUSBRE99G0BB20131017
6. Review by ‘Stronger’ Praises DEP
GAS/Oil Regulations But…..
The Only Staff Member of
‘Stronger” is James Erb Who Runs the Reviews
Erb Worked for DEP Oil and Gas
and Now Works For the Petroleum Institute
DEP’s Scott Perry Serves on the Board
of Stronger
“A review of the Pennsylvania DEP’s oil and gas
regulations has given the agency high marks.
This was the fifth such evaluation of the DEP, conducted by the
nonprofit organization, STRONGER Inc. (State Review of Oil & Natural Gas
Environmental Regulations).
“Pennsylvanians can be assured
that DEP is protecting their health and environment while oil and gas
operations continue to grow,” Secretary Chris Abruzzo said in a statement.
A team of six reviewers spent
about five days examining the agency’s responses to a questionnaire about
regulations and interviewing staff members at its Harrisburg headquarters.
The report praises the agency for
its handling of the state’s recent natural gas boom: The review team commends
DEP for increasing its staff levels to address additional permitting,
inspection and enforcement activities related to increased unconventional gas
well development. Over the past four years, as unconventional gas well
development has increased in Pennsylvania, the Office of Oil and Gas Management
has increased its staff from 64 to 202 employees.
STRONGER’s only current staff member, James Erb, was the director of
the DEP’s Oil and Gas Bureau from 1984 to 2004. He helped found STRONGER in
1999. Since then, it’s conducted similar reviews in 22 states.
“I established the [DEP's oil and gas] program back in the 1980′s,” says Erb. ”It’s changed
since I retired, with the Marcellus. I think they have a pretty good program in
place.”
Erb now works as independent consultant for the American Petroleum
Institute and the Independent Petroleum Association of America, in addition to
his job with STRONGER.
“I run the reviews and do the training sessions and run work groups
that develop the guidelines,” he says.
While Erb is the facilitator for the evaluations, the reviewers for
this report were a mix of two representatives each from environmental groups,
government, and industry.
The current head of the DEP’s Office of Oil and Gas Management, Scott
Perry, also serves as a STRONGER board member.
The reviews are voluntary and free for states. STRONGER is funded
through grants from the federal Environmental Protection Agency and Department
of Energy, as well as grants from the American Petroleum Institute.
Despite the overall high marks,
the report did find areas the agency could improve, including making its
websites more user-friendly and issuing violations more consistently:
The review team has determined
that DEP has not historically used a consistent method for issuing violations,
making it difficult to evaluate compliance with regulations and DEP performance
over time.
The report also notes that
although the agency has increased its staff significantly in recent years,
“certain sections of DEP’s Oil and Gas Bureau remain understaffed.”
7. Forced Pooling Case-First
in PA
From Jim Rosenberg
***
WE NEED HELP! *** The only attorneys currently in the case are representing the
driller, Hilcorp Energy, and the DEP. There ARE landowners who will be
force-pooled against their will if Hilcorp wins this case, and they cannot
afford an attorney. The activist on the ground there in Lawrence & Mercer
Counties is:
Carrie Hahn,
<pencil@centurylink.net>
If you want to help, please
either contact Carrie or me. We are hoping to get a pro bono attorney, but so
far no luck. (Yes, we have contacted Deborah Goldberg; Earth Justice doesn't
have the capacity.)
Speaking personally, I am not
fond of holding my hand out and asking people for money, but it's looking like
a fundraiser may be necessary. This is a really important case, and we don't
want to mess it up. Jim Rosenberg
Forced Pooling Article posted by Jim Rosenberg
10/19/2013 “Most
people who pay attention to Oil & Gas Law have focused almost entirely on
the Oil & Gas Act, now replaced by Act 13. However, a much older law dating
to 1961 called the Oil & Gas Conservation Law remains on the books.
Supposedly, the Oil
& Gas Conservation Law only applies below the Marcellus Shale -- at
"the Onondaga Horizon" and below, to be more specific. This law,
never before invoked, includes a Forced Pooling provision. Forced Pooling
amounts to a form of subsurface eminent domain, in which a driller can request
"the Oil & Gas Conservation Commission" to issue a Well Spacing
Order which includes an Integration Order. The Well Spacing Order allows many
parcels to be developed together as a unit;
the really nasty part is the Integration Order, which allows an unleased
subsurface property to be integrated into the unit and fracked against the owner's
will. Pennsylvania now has its first case under this law. The company
asking for a Well Spacing Order is called Hilcorp Energy, a privately owned
Texas company. The "producing interval" for this case is the Utica
Shale.
The case has already become
a bit convoluted even before getting started. The Oil & Gas Conservation
Law was amended, giving the duties of "the Oil & Gas Conservation
Commission" to the DER (Department of Environmental Resources). Then DER
was split into today's DCNR (Department of Conservation and Natural Resources)
and DEP (Department of Environmental Protection). But they were a bit sloppy
when the Oil & Gas Conservation Law was first amended: rather than actually
changing the wording of the law to amend "the Commission" to read
"the Department", the law still refers to "the Commission".
Figuring out what this means was left to the reader. Readers assumed it meant
the DEP. So, Hilcorp applied to DEP for its Well Spacing Order. But the DEP had
a different idea. Because the power to adjudicate was given to the
Environmental Hearing Board (EHB), DEP told Hilcorp to file its application
there. The idea that "the Commission" meant EHB not DEP has come as a
mighty big surprise to the EHB, but here we are:
At this writing, the only parties
to the case are Hilcorp and the DEP. There are landowners who are not leased,
do not want to lease, and are at risk of being force-pooled.”
8. First Drilling, Then Pipelines, Then Compressor Stations
Expansion of Compressor Station
–Washington County
(from Bob Donnan)
(If you have noticed, the pattern is that DEP permits
compressor stations then down the road, the industry requests expansion. jan )
` “This latest Pa DEP permit alert appears to be an
expansion of an existing EquiTrans LP compressor station located between
Finleyville and El Rama . EquiTrans
is part of EQT. EQT is preparing to do some new drilling at nearby Trax Farm
where Chesapeake first began drilling on the same drilling pad.
Now
that a major pipeline has been brought up from the south into the Finleyville
area there should be more action around there and on that side of our township
where they are in the process of doing seismic testing. There is at least one
other Chesapeake well in that area that is finally getting connected to a
pipeline.
We’ve seen many compressor stations around
Washington County begin with anywhere from one to three of these 1,350 HP
compressors, with some of those stations eventually growing to 5 compressors of
that same size (6,750 HP total).
However, we have also seen some jumbo compressor stations built recently
on each side of Burgettstown with horsepower in the 15,000 to 20,000 HP range.
My old saying
is: “First comes drilling, then the pipelines, then the compressor
stations.” So look for more of all three
in the coming years.”
THE NEW PERMIT ALERT
INCLDES 3 NEW 1,350 H.P. COMPRESSORS FOR
THE EQUITRANS LP HARTSON COMPRESSOR STATION IN FINLEYVILLE (MAY HAVE INITIALLY
BEEN BUILT AROUND 1997)
MAJOR FACILITY PLAN APPROVAL MACT AIR TOXICS
PART 63
(4111 GASTONVILLE ELRAMA RD FINLEYVILLE, PA 15332
9. GASP’s Recent Legal
Actions Reduce Compressor Station Emissions
“GASP’s (Group Against Smog and Pollution) legal team
regularly comments on draft air permits and files appeals when necessary to
reduce harmful emissions from natural gas compressor stations. Our recent work
on two compressor stations in Southwestern Pennsylvania has helped limit air
pollution from these sources and ensure that regulators are correctly applying
air quality regulations.
Pa. DEP aggregates natural gas
compressor station with nearby well pad
In response to comments submitted by GASP, the DEP recently aggregated a natural gas
compressor station with a nearby well site for purposes of air permitting.
The Jupiter Compressor Station is located in Greene
County and operated by EQT Gathering, LLC. In April, GASP submitted comments on
this station’s draft operating permit. Our
comments pointed out that there are a number of facilities near Jupiter whose
emissions should be grouped together, or “aggregated,” and treated as a single
source for air permitting purposes. Under the Clean Air Act, sources of air
pollution must be aggregated if they are contiguous or adjacent to each other,
under common control, and share the same Standard Industrial Classification
(SIC) code. This rule can be challenging to apply in the oil and natural
gas industries, which often involve many relatively small sources spread out
over a large area.
Last October, DEP issued a guidance document
explaining its policy on how these single source determinations should be made
for the oil and natural gas industries. In practice, DEP has applied this
policy in an overly restrictive manner that is inconsistent with the definition
of a “source” under the federal Clean Air Act. DEP’s policy states that sources
located within 1/4 mile of each other are presumed to be “adjacent” to each
other; sources located at a greater distance may be considered adjacent on a
case-by-case basis. In practice, however, DEP has tended to ignore any sources
located beyond 1/4 mile, even though U.S. EPA has clearly stated that there
should be no bright-line rule concerning how far apart sources can be located
and still be considered adjacent to each other.
In this case,
the Jupiter station and the Pyles Well Pad are located within 1/4 mile of each
other; as such, under DEP’s policy, these sources are presumed to be
adjacent to each other. Jupiter is operated by EQT Gathering, LLC, and the
Pyles Well Pad is operated by EQT Production; these are both wholly-owned
subsidiaries of EQT Corporation, and thus Jupiter and the Pyles Well Pad are
considered to be under common control. These facilities also share the same two
digits of their SIC codes. GASP pointed
out that all three aggregation requirements were met here, and DEP agreed.
As a result, emissions from the Pyles Well Pad were considered in the Jupiter
station’s operating permit.
This station is the first example we have seen where
DEP has aggregated a compressor station with a nearby well site in response to
public comments. GASP has argued many times in comments and in litigation that
similar sources should be aggregated, but DEP has not agreed with those
arguments in the past. Although the
decision in this instance did not result in any significant changes to
Jupiter’s permit, it provides a useful example of a case where DEP has
correctly aggregated these sources.
GASP appeal of Kriebel
Compressor Station results in emission reductions
“In response to
an appeal filed by GASP, the Allegheny County Health Department’s (ACHD)
Air Quality Program and Kriebel Minerals, Inc. agreed to reduce nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from the Rostraver Rt.
51 Compressor Station by 87%.
Kriebel Minerals’ Rostraver Rt. 51 facility is located
in Forward Township, Allegheny County. It
compresses and dehydrates gas received
from nearby conventional wells. GASP
appealed the permit, arguing that greater engine emissions reductions were
technically and economically feasible, and required as a matter of law.
Ultimately, Kriebel Minerals and ACHD agreed. Kriebel will install a more effective
engine exhaust catalyst, and maximum allowable NOx emissions from the engine
will be reduced from 5.12 tons per year to 0.66 tons per year. While engines
like the one operating at the Kriebel facility are relatively small, emissions
from this type of source are worth the attention because there are so many
small stationary engines in operation, and add-on controls to reduce their
emissions are incredibly cost-effective. Better control of this category of sources has the potential to
greatly improve air quality at minimal cost, and would be a wise approach for
air pollution control agencies to consider as they work to meet revised
National Ambient Air Quality Standards for NO2 and ozone.”
10. Pipeline- Westmoreland,
Allegheny, Washington Counties
Commentary
from Ken
“Again,
the Tribune Review paper slants the story as to how environmentally neutral
such pipelines are. To paraphrase .......”and pay a market price rent to the
landowners, and what’s the big deal?”
The big
deal is that fracking does untold harm to our fresh water supply. For example, ask your local elected official
if its okay to inject some hospital waste into your drinking water supply? Of course not. But the myriad of chemicals
used in fracking do not have to be disclosed (thank you Dick Cheney rule) and
are injected into the earth. If you
think that is as safe as the industry claims, then you’re ignoring the future
of tainted drinking water.
It's not their water, it's all our water.” Ken
Sunoco pipeline meeting attracts friends, foes
by Joe Napsha
“The
proposed 50-mile pipeline that will slice through southern and central
Westmoreland County drew opponents, supporters and concerned emergency
management officials to an informational session in the Hutchinson Fire Hall in
Sewickley Township.
“If
there is an accident (along the pipeline), I want to know how we can gain
access to the site,” Paul Rupnik Jr., director of the Sewickley Township
Emergency Management Agency, said as he viewed a map of the route of the Sunoco
Logistics Partners L.P. pipeline.
The pipeline would transport the
byproducts of the region's Marcellus gas well production from the MarkWest
Energy Partners L.P. gas processing
plant near Houston in Washington County to Sunoco's terminal near Delmont.
From there, it would
be transported by an existing pipeline to Sunoco's refinery in Marcus Hook,
south of Philadelphia along the Delaware River.
The ethane, a component of natural gas, is used as a
feedstock in the production of plastics.
The pipeline will
affect about 400 property owners in Washington, Allegheny and Westmoreland
counties, said Joseph McGinn, a spokesman for Sunoco Logistics. It will
cross the Monongahela River into Forward in Allegheny County, then cut through
35 miles in Westmoreland County. It will enter the county at Rostraver, cross
the Youghiogheny River at Collinsburg and enter South Huntingdon. It will run
through parts of Sewickley, Hempfield, Jeannette, Penn Township, Murrysville
and Salem.
McGinn said that Sunoco Logistics
takes a 50-foot permanent right of way for the pipeline, plus a temporary
25-foot right of way to work on the pipeline.
Michael J. Zima and
his wife, Laurie, whose farm on Wachs Road in South Huntingdon would be
affected by the pipeline, are fighting Sunoco Pipeline in court. An evidentiary
hearing on the company's attempt to obtain a right of way through the family's
property by eminent domain is
scheduled for Nov. 19 in the Westmoreland County Court of Common Pleas.
“We're really upset,” said Carol Gracon, Zima's sister and
one of the three defendants in Sunoco's lawsuit. Gracon said she had planned to
build a house on the property where the pipeline would be placed.
Gracon said Sunoco did not try to negotiate with the family.
“In the process of negotiations (with a property owner),
eminent domain is the last resort,” McGinn said.
Another informational meeting with Sunoco representatives is
planned for 5:30 to 9 p.m. Oct. 28 in the Penn Township Municipal Building at
1010 Mill St., Harrison City. “
http://triblive.com/news/westmoreland/4920491-74/pipeline-sunoco-county#ixzz2iSPGvxdo
___________________________________________
A 50-mile pipeline to cross from
Washington to Westmoreland
By Tom Barnes
“Folks
who live in parts of Washington and Westmoreland counties can expect to see a
"big ditch" being dug across the region starting in midsummer.
Sunoco Oil Co. plans to construct an underground pipeline
about 50 miles long, starting in Houston, Washington County, and stretching to
Delmont, Westmoreland County. It will carry liquid products derived from
natural gas, such as propane and ethane.
When
they reach Delmont, the "hydrocarbon derivatives" from the natural
gas will be shipped through an existing pipeline that stretches all the way
across the state to the southeastern Pennsylvania town of Marcus Hook, on the
border of Pennsylvania and Delaware.
The
natural gas products to be shipped under high pressure through the new
Houston-to-Delmont pipeline will come from the massive area of Marcellus Shale
that is deep underground.
Sunoco
said the pipeline is one part of a $600 million project called Mariner East.
Mr. McGinn said Sunoco is "in the
site survey process to determine the route of the pipeline."
The pipeline will be run just south and east of the
Pittsburgh border, but the exact route
and the exact properties involved haven't been disclosed yet. The precise route
probably won't be known for at least two more weeks.
Construction
"will follow existing utility rights-of-way wherever possible, to minimize
impacts to communities," Sunoco said in a statement.
Houston
Mayor James Stubenbordt said he hasn't been told which properties in his area
will be affected. "Nobody has met with us to discuss this," he said
in a phone interview Tuesday.
Delmont zoning enforcement officer William
Heaps also said, "We haven't been told anything by anybody." He said
a couple friends have told him their land in Penn Township, Westmoreland
County, may be involved but he does not know anything specific.
"Outreach
meetings" with officials and residents along the 50-mile route will be
held at some point, according to Sunoco.
Mr.
McGinn said the new pipeline will be 12 inches in diameter and is expected to
be operational in the second half of 2014. The pipeline will be able to carry
70,000 barrels of liquid natural gas per day.
The
majority of the ethane will be shipped overseas from Marcus Hook, while much of
the propane will be used along the East Coast.”
Tom Barnes: suburbanliving@post-gazette.com or 717-623-1238.
11. Protect Our Children From the Nightmare of Dangerous Drilling
By MOB (Marcellus Outreach Butler)
“Currently,
under Act 13, day care centers, schools, and hospitals are treated no
differently than outhouses or industrial facilities in regards to protections
from fracking. With so little known about the long-term effects of
dangerous drilling and its impact on air and water quality, why would some
insist on permitting toxic fracking and its associated infrastructure next to
vulnerable populations? Concerned parents and community members have
formed Protect Our Children to
address such concerns.
On Sept 26, 30 parents and
residents attended an educational meeting on the health risks of Marcellus gas
drilling with presentations by Raina Ripple by Southwest PA Environmental
Health Project and Dianne Arnold of MOB to discuss the recent flaring at Summit
Elementary in Butler. On Oct 7, 11
people spoke out at a Slippery Rock School Board Meeting about the proposed
lease of Moraine Elementary School.
Protect Our Children is planning two educational events in the month of
November. MOB will send out a MOB Alert
when we are given more details.
A new PennEnvironment study found that
there are permitted well sites within two miles of 190 day care facilities, 223
schools, and 5 hospitals in the Marcellus region. In PA, the number of day care facilities rose
60 percent from late 2010. Six different
PA schools have had five or more fracking permits issued within a half-mile
radius. As the drilling frenzy
increases, it is clear that an increasing number of sites will be located next
to vulnerable populations unless something is done to stop it.
The Fort Worth League of Neighborhoods commissioned a team of
scientists and experts versed in drilling emissions and pipeline issues to study air quality around natural gas
drilling sites near Fort Worth, TX schools and make recommendations. The study found significantly high levels of
the pollutant carbon disulfide, which can travel over two miles from the source
and is known to cause neurological, cardiovascular, behavioral and psychotic
abnormalities.
They also found
thousands of new sources of pollution (e.g. wellheads, tank batteries and
compressor or processing sites) contributing to a steady flow of toxins. Benzene and carbon tetrachloride were key
hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) at each site.
Benzene is six times more likely to cause cancer in children than adults
(a study conducted by the University of Texas School of Public Health in 2008).
The industry paints a rosy picture
of the vigilant monitoring of activities and an unwavering commitment to safety,
yet several recent revelations expose the fact that they continue to operate in
the dark.
The Fort Worth study mentioned above discovered
that there is no known pipeline impact radii (PIR) used when placing pipelines
in communities. The PIR is the zone
or area around the pipeline which will be impacted should an explosion
occur. This is obviously crucial to
calculate so no school falls within a potential PIR.
The early warning system failed
when a 20,600-barrel pipeline spill in North Dakota was discovered by a farmer
in his field. Apparently it went
undetected by safety sensors that the industry often cites to reassure the
public that pipelines are monitored 24/7 for even small drops in pressure that
could indicate a break in the line or that oil has begun to seep out. The owner
of the pipeline, Tesoro didn’t respond to questions about whether monitoring
equipment was in place and working correctly on this pipeline. It took 11 days to alert the public of the spill.
In Oct.
2013, Range Resources admitted in a
court filing that it doesn’t know the full list of chemicals used in 51 of the
55 compounds in its fracking fluid that is alleged to have cause contamination
in Washington County, PA. When a
judge ordered Range to provide a comprehensive list of the substances they use
during the drilling process, they were able to procure the necessary
information regarding chemical makeup for only four out of the 55 products they
use. [read more below]
So if they don’t know what a safe distance is from operations, they
don’t know when leaks occur until it is too late, and they don’t know what
chemicals they are using, how can they guarantee the safety of those who live,
work, or attend school near a fracking operation?”
Report:
Fort Worth League of Neighborhoods Recommendations
For Policy Changes For Gas Drilling Near Schools, Feb. 2011
12. Seismic Testing- PA DEP Fact Sheet:
Exploration Blasting Associated with Shale Gas
extraction
How are explosives
used to support seismic exploration?
The small high explosives charges
used in seismic exploration operations are similar to the small high explosives
charges used in mining and construction to detonate larger amounts of
explosives. However, the detonation of explosives used in seismic exploration
is not intended to break rock as it is in mining and construction. The goal is
to produce a vibration wave that will travel into the ground to help map the
subsurface.
In small-scale, 2-D, seismic
exploration operations 20-foot deep, 3-inch diameter holes are drilled in a
line. These holes are loaded with small explosive charges. Crushed stone is
placed on top of the explosives. The crushed stone confines the energy of the
detonation allowing the vibration wave to travel down through the ground while
reducing the energy released at the top of the hole. In 2-D exploration, the
explosives are usually detonated the same day they are loaded. The charges are
placed no closer than 300 feet from buildings or water supplies, including
private wells or springs.
In large-scale, 3-D, seismic
exploration operations 20-foot deep, 3-inch diameter holes are drilled in a
rectangular pattern on an approximately 200-foot by 200-foot grid. The holes
are loaded with small explosive charges and the remainder of each hole is
filled with crushed stone as they are in 2-D operations. 3-D projects require
the coordination of the placement of an extensive network of recording
equipment over a vast area and the sequential detonation of a large number of
holes by several crews of workers. Due to the scale of these operations,
explosive charges may remain in the ground for months prior to detonation.
During this period, the seismic exploration operator must ensure that the
charges remain undisturbed and secure.
What should I expect
to see at seismic exploration sites?
Seismic exploration operations
that use explosives are conducted in two phases. The first phase consists of
drilling boreholes and loading the explosive charges. Compact drill rigs that
have all-terrain capability are used to drill the holes. These operations are
usually conducted by two-man crews—a driller and an assistant. Sometimes,
explosives are hauled in portable magazines mounted on the drills. Other times,
explosives are supplied to the drilling or loading crew in all-terrain
vehicles. Usually, there also will be some additional all-terrain vehicles to
carry the material to back fill the holes after loading and to load tools and
other supplies necessary to complete the operation.
The second phase of seismic
exploration operations using explosives is laying out the recording equipment
and detonating the explosives charges. On 2-D seismic exploration operations,
and some small 3-D operations, the recording equipment is delivered to where it
is used by all-terrain vehicles. On large 3-D projects, the recording equipment
is delivered to where it is used by helicopters. The helicopters carry the recording
equipment in large, brightly colored, usually orange or yellow, bags. The
equipment is lowered to the recording crews on the ground. After the
recording crews set up their grid of cables and position the portable recording
devices, they detonate the explosives that were placed in the ground by the
drilling or loading crews. The explosive charges are detonated sequentially.
After all of the explosive charges have been detonated, the crews on the ground
gather the recording equipment and prepare it for helicopter transportation.
Who regulates these
activities?
The Pennsylvania Department of
Environmental Protection (DEP) is responsible for regulating the storage,
handling and use of explosives in the commonwealth. This includes explosives
used during seismic exploration operations. DEP regulations cover the following
aspects of seismic exploration:
*Blaster’s
Licenses: Before conducting blasting operations, a blaster must obtain a
blaster’s license. Candidates for a blaster’s license must have on-the-job experience,
attend a blaster’s training course, and pass an exam specific to the category
of license sought. On seismic exploration operations, a licensed blaster is
responsible for loading explosives into the borehole or supervising the loading
of explosives to ensure that the explosive products are not damaged during
loading and that the charge is well confined. A licensed blaster also must be
present at the detonation of explosive charges to secure an area around the
detonation and ensure that the charge detonated properly.
*Blasting Activity Permits: All blasting activities in
Pennsylvania, including seismic exploration operations using explosives,
require a blasting activity permit (BAP). DEP’s blasting and explosives
inspectors review applications for BAPs. Blasting and explosives inspectors are
licensed blasters. The BAP application must include information that
demonstrates that the blasting activity proposed can be conducted safely and in
compliance with Pennsylvania’s blasting regulations.
*Explosives Storage Licenses: Explosives
must be stored in explosives magazines approved and licensed by DEP. As with
BAPs, storage license applications are reviewed by blasting and explosives
inspectors. The explosives storage license application must include information
that demonstrates that the explosives storage proposed can be conducted in
compliance with Pennsylvania’s blasting regulations.
How do the blasting
regulations protect the public?
Pennsylvania’s blasting
regulations provide protection to people and property beyond the blast site as
well as to personnel on the blast site. Standards are set to minimize the
adverse effects of blasting to protect people and property, including those
designed to reduce the risk of airborne rock and dust, propagation of
near-surface ground vibrations, and limit the effects of air vibrations
(airblast). The risk to people or property from seismic exploration operations
is minimal due to the nature and scale of the explosives used. However, the
regulations that apply to mining and construction blasting apply to seismic
exploration operations as well.
Questions
or complaints regarding blasting associated with shale gas exploration can be
directed to the following District Mining Offices:
Knox
District Office, White Memorial Building, P.O. Box 669, Knox, PA 16232,
814-797-1191 Greensburg District Office, Armbrust Professional Center, 8205
Route 819, Greensburg, PA 15601, 724-925-5500 Cambria District Office, 286
Industrial Park Road, Ebensburg, PA 15931, 814-472-1900 Moshannon District
Office, 186 Enterprise Drive, Philipsburg, PA 16866, 814-342-8200 Pottsville
District Office, 5 West Laurel Boulevard, Pottsville, PA 17901, 570-621-3118
For
more information, visit www.dep.state.pa.us, keyword: Blasting.
13. Mt. Watershed
Association:
Seismic
Testing Facts and Information:
(A copy of this document is also attached to the Updates.
Jan)
Seismic Testing - Protect your interests: Know your
rights!
Nine steps
you can take to protect yourself
1. Know
your lease: If you do not own your gas rights your deed may or may not
authorize seismic testing. If you own your gas rights and are leased, your
lease may or not authorize seismic testing. It is important to read and
understand the language of the existing oil & gas lease for clarification.
If you own your mineral rights, seismic testing is your decision. The County
Recorder of Deeds is where records are kept.
2. Know
your tester: Seismic tests are conducted either by; A. Gas/oil companies
looking to industrialize an area. B. Seismic analysts interested in selling the
results to gas/oil companies looking for profitable areas to industrialize for
gas/oil production–If the oil & gas lease on your property allows for
seismic testing, this only applies for seismic firms authorized by the lessee.
3. Know
your area: Whether or not seismic testing is happening on your property, it
is important to know what is around you. Seismic
Survey crews conduct archeological surveys before blasting. There is a
legal obligation for the seismic company to map sensitive areas and plan
accordingly. Communicate knowledge of active or abandoned oil/gas or water
wells, earth disturbing activities, mines, quarries, historic buildings and
sites, artesian springs, etc. to company representatives. If appropriate
actions are not taken, contact the Greensburg District Mining Office:
724-925-5500.
4. Know your protections: If damage to
property occurs, legal recourse requires documented proof of conditions before
and after. The seismic firm may offer to complete a home survey before testing
occurs, or you may ask them. Seismic
firms are not required to do a pre-test survey. Requests from community
members and area officials may influence a company’s offering of home surveys.
To file a claim, it is necessary to have binding evidence.
5. Know your rights: Typically, agreeing
to allow seismic testing does not enter one into a lease for drilling or
related industrial activity on one’s property. However, it is important to read
all documents carefully before signing. Consider having an attorney review any
agreements for seismic testing.
6. Know
their rules: Employees of seismic crews are required to carry
identification. Asking for identification is your right.
7. Know their rate: If a seismic firm
offers compensation, it if often marginal. The standard land use compensation
per acre is $5-25 for seismic activities.
8. Know their game: If it is not in
writing it is not likely enforceable.
9. Keep a
copy of everything! Your detailed record keeping can protect you in the
event an issue arises as a result of seismic testing. Keep detailed records of
all activities and conversations and copies of all documentation in a safe
place. Follow up complaints to the seismic firm with a call to the DEP. MWA
assists community members by providing resources, information and support.
If you seek more information
or involvement, please contact the Mountain Watershed Association at mcsp@mtwatershed.com or
724-455-4200. If you have legal questions, contact an attorney. Direct
complaints and other issues to the Greensburg District Mining Office:
724-925-5500.
Produced
10/23/2013
Information Specific to Ion
Geophysical, Ground Hog 3D Blasting Activity Permit: 03124002
* Indiana,
Westmoreland, Armstrong Counties.
* 30,000 holes are
permitted to be loaded with explosives.
* Blasting will not
occur within 200’ of an underground utility line.
* Blasting will occur
within 800’ of a road.
o “When holes are drilled and loaded within 800’ of a
roadway, these holes will be stemmed completely with crushed stone....With this
type of loading and the 19’+ of crushed stone stemming, we are certain no
debris will be ejected into the air.”
o “During detonation of holes 300’ to 800’ from a public
roadway- traffic will be monitored for an all clear period and the hole will be
detonated.”
o “When detonating holes within 300’ of a roadway- guards
will be posted on the roads and traffic will be stopped or monitored for a
clear period, prior to detonation and held until the all clear is given by the
shooter.”
* Depth of holes will
range from 6-20 ft; stemming (crushed rock fill) will range from 5-18 ft.
* No blasting will
occur within 300’ of any dwelling, water supply or other structure.
* Sleep time for
explosives loaded in the ground is 120 days.
* Notification must
be given for when and where loading and detonating of holes will occur. This
notification must be given to the District Mining Office which issued this
Blasting Activity Permit 48 hours prior to these activities being conducted.
(§211.124(a)(15))
* Explosives may not
be left unattended nor be abandoned. Must be under permittee’s supervision and
control and must be under continuous observation of the blaster-in-charge or a
designee until safely detonated or removed from the ground. Measures must be
taken to ensure the security and integrity of explosive charges that have been
loaded in the ground until those charges are safely detonated. Acceptable
measures include, but may not be limited to, using electronic detonators,
providing 24 hour roving security personnel to check on the loaded holes,
burying detonator lead wires to minimize the risk of them being tampered with,
and minimizing the length of time between loading and detonating of the
explosives (sleep time) to within two months of their loading is an acceptable
with electric detonator use, electronic detonators are more tamper resistant
and somewhat longer sleep times can be allowed with their use. Limiting sleep
time with all types of detonators increases the likelihood of successful
detonation of the charges as detonators are known to deteriorate over time.
§211.153(e),(f),(I))
* Explosive charges
should not be placed in areas subjected to ground disturbance such as areas
where mining, farming, logging, construction occur. Explosives are to be kept
under the permittee’s supervision and control. §211.153(e) For explosives to be
under the permittee’s direct supervision and control when placed in an area
subject to ground disturbance, the permittee must have the full cooperation of
the person who is conducting the ground disturbance activity to ensure that the
explosives charges remain unaffected, uncompromised, and not lost. Placing
charges in the ground in close proximity to ground disturbance operations causes
unacceptable risk for workers on those sites and the seismic explorations
employees who drill the holes and load the charges as well. An additional
reason seismic exploration operations must not be conducted on coal mining
sites or quarries is that the Federal Mine Safety and Health Administration
(MSHA) and DEP have regulations that state that only individuals with MSHA
approved training are permitted to be on mine sites.
*Information in this document
comes directly from the Ion Integrated Seismic Solutions Blasting Activity
Permit issued by the Department of Environmental Protection Greensburg District
Mining Office issued in October 2012 and expiring on December 31, 2013. Permit: 03124002
Produced
10/23/2013
14. Solar Called The Solution to America’s Energy and Economic Crisis
“Rhone
Resch, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA),
praised the rise of the solar energy sector while attempting to galvanize its
stakeholders at the Solar Power International 2013 event in Chicago.
Resch
welcomed visitors to the gathering, with
the following address:
“Since
2006, when the solar Investment Tax Credit first went into effect, we’ve gone
from being an “upstart industry”—one that our critics predicted would fail
miserably—to one of the fastest-growing industries in the United States, today employing 120,000 Americans at more than
6,000 companies from coast to coast and pumping billions of dollars in the U.S.
economy.
When
it’s all said and done, 2013 will go down as a record-shattering year for
America’s solar energy industry. And if we’re smart—and we keep working
together as a team in the future, speaking with one powerful voice—the best is
yet to come.
You know
it. I know it. And a lot of people in Washington, D.C. know it, too, including
the President of the U.S.
This year, America heard us roar. By the end of this year, we expect to
have 13 GW of cumulative solar electric capacity installed in the U.S.—enough
to power more than 2 million American homes, including the White House!
But we are just
beginning. Next year, it’s estimated that an additional 5.5 GW of PV and 700 MW
of CSP will be installed, which is enough to power another 1 million homes
across the nation. All totaled, we’re talking about the capacity very soon
to power more than 3 million American homes.
To put
that in some perspective, our industry—by the end of 2014—will be cranking out
enough electricity to effectively power every home in Delaware, Alaska, Hawaii,
Maine, North Dakota, South Dakota, Rhode Island, Vermont and Wyoming combined. Like I said, welcome to the Big Leagues!”
http://ecowatch.com/2013/10/22/solar-solution-americas-energy-economic-crisis/
15. Thousands Worldwide Urge Leaders to Ban Fracking
“On
Saturday, Oct. 19, thousands of people joined together in an international day
of action, with more than 250 events on six continents, calling for a ban on
fracking.
The
second annual Global Frackdown 2, a
project of Food & Water Watch, challenged policy makers to oppose
fracking and support investment in renewable energy.
“Fracking is a global issue with
significant policy and political implications both in the U.S. and overseas,”
said Food & Water Watch Executive Director Wenonah Hauter. “In January,
President Obama promised to take ‘bold action’ on climate change, but his plans
to accelerate drilling and fracking will only exacerbate the problem. It’s time
for him to be a leader on the global stage and reject fracking as many
communities around the world have already done.”
A recent poll released by the Pew Research Group finds that opposition to
fracking has grown significantly across most regions and demographic groups,
according to Food & Water Watch. Overall, 49 percent are opposed to
increased fracking, up from 38 percent in March. Scientific studies
continue to confirm the inherent dangers of fracking to the environment and
public health. American people are seeing through the millions of dollars being
spent on advertising by the oil and gas industry, and are increasingly opposing
fracking, according to Food & Water Watch.
Polls in
key states such as New York, California and Pennsylvania also show high levels
of opposition to fracking. A recent poll released by Siena College finds that
45 percent of New York voters oppose the state Department of Environmental
Conservation plans to move forward with fracking in the Southern Tier.
“Fracking is an
environmental nightmare–from contaminated water in New Mexico to residents
getting sick in Pennsylvania to tons of global warming pollution released,”
said John Rumpler, senior attorney at Environment America and co-author of
Fracking by the Numbers: Key Impacts of Dirty Drilling at the State and
National Level. “As the truth gets out about all the damage done by this dirty
drilling, more and more people are calling for a ban on fracking.”
Last week, the European Parliament voted to require energy
companies to conduct environmental audits before commencing drilling and
fracking, and a French court upheld a ban on fracking. Bulgaria and some Swiss
and German states have also adopted a ban or a moratorium on fracking activities,
and other European Union member states, such as the Czech Republic, Romania and
Germany are considering a moratorium on fracking until an adequate regulatory
framework has been is in place for unconventional energy projects such as
shale gas, according to Food & Water Watch. To date, 383 communities in the
U.S. have passed measures against fracking.
“All over the world people are
rising up to say, ‘Instead of fracking for ever dirtier fuel, it’s time to tap
the endless energy of the wind and sun,’” said Bill McKibben, founder of
350.org.”
16. DCNR & DEP - A
Failure to Communicate
The public is puzzled by the reluctance of the DCNR and DEP to
reveal basic reports - even when
required by law.
1 . The Climate Change Report which was required by Act 70 (PA Climate
Change Act) was a year and a half late - and it took a Right to Know Law
request to prod the administration into releasing it.
See the Patriot-news
editorial. http://www.pennlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2013/10/corbett_not_eager_to_issue_global_warming_reports_required_by_state_law_editorial.html
- incart_m-rpt-2
Note that the DEP Office of Policy attempted to have a
section of the report deleted.
2. A second report,
by DCNR, was due in the Spring of
2012. That agency's State Forest Monitoring
Program was supposed to report on the Impacts
of Gas Drilling on Our State Forests.
In the August 2012 State Forest
Certification Audit, DCNR promised to make the report public. Upon checking with DCNR, we were told that
the report "might be out this fall". . . Now
we hear "it's being rewritten".
Write to your
legislators and ask their help to get DCNR's report released
(cc your newspaper also).
Governor Corbett should allow his agencies to do their jobs
in a timely, scientifically responsible way - without political interference.
R.Martin, coordinator www.PaForestCoalition.org
17. Fractivist barred from Cabot sites
Vera Scroggins SLAPP'd by Cabot
Bill Huston’s Blog:
“Oct
21 – Our friend and Citizen Journalist
in Fracksylvania Vera Scroggins was dragged into court this morning by Cabot
Oil and Gas. The relief was a temporary preliminary injunction to enjoin
Vera from "trespassing on Cabot's property", because she is causing
"irreparable harm to Cabot". After 4 hours of testimony and a dozen
witnesses for Cabot, she was SLAPP'ed with the preliminary injunction. These
kinds of nuisance lawsuits are called SLAPP suits, and are meant to intimidate
people who are making a difference against corporate polluters and bullies like
Cabot:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strategic_lawsuit_against_public_participation
http://williamahuston.blogspot.com/2013/10/vera-scroggins-slappd-by-cabot-with.html
+++++++++++++++++
“Oct
22 - A gas driller gained a preliminary
injunction Monday barring a local anti-fracking activist from trespassing onto
its leased well sites and access roads. Houston-based Cabot Oil & Gas Corp.
filed the petition for injunction in Susquehanna County Court against natural
gas opponent Vera Scroggins. A hearing date for a permanent injunction has not
yet been set by the court.
In
court documents filed last week, Cabot maintained that Ms. Scroggins has
repeatedly trespassed onto several of the gas company's leased and owned
properties, exposing herself, the company and workers on the sites to potential
safety hazards. "What we've seen is an increase in frequency and also the
number of visitors she is putting harm's way," said company spokesman
George Stark.”
18. Will Democrats Fracture Over Fracking
“Some environmental leaders and fracktivists are
hopeful the party will turn against the industry. And they have some reason for
optimism. Already, Democratic governors and presidential prospects Andrew Cuomo
and Martin O'Malley have upheld moratoriums on the controversial process in New
York and Maryland, suggesting the issue could emerge as a potent one in a
presidential primary. And this summer, the Pennsylvania Democratic State
Committee passed a resolution calling for all drilling to temporarily halt in
the Keystone State. The resolution was nonbinding, but it was nonetheless
significant in a state seen as ground zero for the country's natural-gas boom
and where Democrats have been friendly to the industry.
However, any political
shift within the Democratic Party won't come easily. And many party insiders
and operatives think it won't come at all—because
the booming industry offers too many economic benefits to too many groups,
including members of the Democratic coalition. In addition, the
environmental fallout, while a concern, doesn't stir as much worry as that from
oil and coal.
At first glance, Pennsylvania's Democratic
gubernatorial primary next year looks like a prime opportunity for the party to
swing left on natural gas. Fracking is a major issue in the state's politics.
Primaries are driven by the party's base, which is friendly to environmental
causes. And many of those voters live in or near Philadelphia, the one region
of the state that hasn't benefited economically from the natural-gas boom. On
top of all that, two of the candidates, John Hanger and Katie McGinty, are
former heads of the Pennsylvania Environmental Protection Department.
But operatives connected to many of the campaigns predict the
campaigns won't veer left on natural gas. The politics of opposing fracking are
complicated, even within the Democratic Party, they say, because most Democrats believe it brings jobs that
are worth the environmental risk. "The flip side to appeasing the
environmental lobby is that you open yourself up to getting roasted on killing
jobs in Pennsylvania," said one Democrat working one of the campaigns.
The
front-runner in the race, Rep. Allyson
Schwartz, has already publicly opposed the state party's moratorium resolution.
Few expect other contenders for the nomination, including Hanger, McGinty,
State Treasurer Rob McCord, or businessman Tom Wolf, to take a stand in sharp
opposition to the industry. The Democratic contenders will talk a lot about
being sure to regulate the industry and levying larger taxes on it, said Chris
Borick, a professor and pollster at Muhlenberg, but they won't go further.
Traditional
members of the Democratic Party back the industry, not just in Pennsylvania but
around the country. Among them are unions that stand to benefit from building
the pipelines. And absent an environmental catastrophe connected to fracking,
most mainstream Democratic voters haven't taken enough notice. Even Democratic
leaders in deep blue, environmentally conscious states, like California Gov.
Jerry Brown, have signaled they want to allow fracking.
"For the
first time in my memory, you have a real live issue where environmentalists are
lined up on one side, and pretty much the entire rest of the Democratic
coalition is lined up the other side," said Matt McKenna, an energy
lobbyist for MWR strategies.
The 2016 primary might offer a better chance for
environmentalists to change the politics within the Democratic Party. Unlike
Pennsylvania, voters in Iowa, New Hampshire, and other primary states don't
benefit economically the same way those in Pennsylvania do. O'Malley and
Cuomo—two of the presidential race's likely strong contenders should there be a
primary fight—have already delayed allowing fracking in their states, so it's
an issue that's already on the table.
"I'm
not of the view that going into 2016, the entire Democratic coalition and base
of the party is really 'We're happy with where we are on environmental issues.'
I guarantee that's not the case," said Mark Longabaugh, a Democratic
strategist with close ties to the party's environmental movement. He predicted
that a Democratic candidate could push for an outright nationwide ban on
fracking. "In the run-up to 2016, you may see candidates emerge pushing
the party farther out there," Longabaugh said.
The
Pennsylvania governor's race will offer a template for national candidates who
want to move in that direction, but it will highlight the risks as well.”
19. Oil Companies Are Sued for Waste of
Natural Gas
“In the sharpest
challenge yet to the surge in flaring of natural gas in the Bakken shale oil
field, North Dakota mineral owners filed
10 class-action lawsuits seeking millions of dollars in lost royalties from
some of the nation’s largest oil companies. Roughly
1,500 fires burn above western North Dakota because of the deliberate burning of natural gas by companies rushing to drill for oil
without having sufficient pipelines to transport their production. With
cheap gas bubbling to the top with expensive oil, the companies do not have an economic incentive to build the necessary
gas pipelines, so they flare the excess gas instead.
Bakken Flaring From Space
Flaring is environmentally less
harmful than releasing raw gas into the atmosphere, but the flared gas still
spews climate-warming carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. (And
other toxic air pollutants . The group has several studies of flaring on file. Jan) The quantities of gas burned are so large
that the fires rising above wheat and sunflower fields look like a small city
in NASA photographs taken from satellites.
Flared gas has
nearly tripled in the last two years in North Dakota, with almost 30 percent of the output in the state
burned at wells, producing emissions equivalent to more than two medium-size
coal-fired power plants.
The value of
flared gas in the state is roughly $100 million a month, leading property
owners who lease their lands to the oil companies to believe they are losing
money even though they are earning increasing royalties from the fast expansion
of oil production in North Dakota. Oil output has risen by 100,000 barrels a
day since May alone.
“The lawsuits
seek to force operators to comply with state law and pay royalties to mineral
owners on the value of flared gas,” according to a statement released by
one of five law firms that filed the suits, “and by so doing create a compelling economic incentive for producers to
reduce and eliminate the wasteful practice of flaring.”
Companies being sued include Continental Resources, XTO
Energy, SM Energy and Marathon Oil.
North Dakota
regulators allow companies to seek exemptions for flaring as they connect their
wells to gas-gathering lines. But the suits accuse the companies of violating
deadlines and other limitations.”
20. Canadians Unite to stop Fracking in
New Brunswick
“An
unprecedented coalition of members of the First Nation have blockaded a
compound in the Canadian town of Rexton, New Brunswick, where trucks and
equipment used in the process of fracking, are stored. The company that
owns the facility — SWN Resources Canada — has
been conducting seismic tests as the first step in the fracking process.
While the natural gas derived from the drilling would primarily be sold over
the border in the United States, the impacts of extraction — namely polluted
water and air — would be felt in these communities for generations to come.
In New Brunswick, the provincial
government owns all underground mineral and gas rights. The local people have
little influence over their own land. In some cases, citizens only receive a
written notice within 24 hours of seismic testing and drilling on their land.
Realizing their lack of legal power in the decision-making process, impacted
landowners began organizing in New Brunswick’s Kent County about three years
ago, when shale gas companies moved in to start exploration. Groups like Our
Environment, Our Choice and Upriver Environment Watch began educational
campaigns — including speaking tours, lobbying the provincial and local
governments, and public actions such as a blue ribbon campaign for clean water,
where activists tied ribbons along the major roads in the area to publicize the
issue. “
Denise
Vautour, a local Acadian, got involved in the Upriver group after seeing the
2010 anti-fracking documentary Gasland. As a retired medical social worker,
Vautour has focused on what she perceives as the immorality of exposing the
populous to fracking. Sam Koplinka-Loehr October 14, 2013”
Much
of the activism so far has focused on blocking the so-called “thumper” trucks,
which send vibrations through the ground — similar to an earthquake — to help
determine where to drill. In June and July, 30 people were
arrested for blocking backwoods testing sites. On July 24, after months of
direct action, as well as standoffs with the police, the Geptin of the Mi’gmag
Grand Council — the pre-contact traditional form of government in Mi’kma’ki
that still exists today — issued an eviction notice to SWN.”
http://truth-out.org/news/item/19525-protectors-vs-destroyers-canadians-unite-to-stop-fracking-in-new-brunswick
21. Fracking Fluid Blows Out Nearby Well
COUNSELORS, N.M. - More than 200 barrels of fracking fluid, oil
and water blew out of a traditional oil well on BLM land in the San Juan Basin
in late September raising questions about who is responsible for the spill. State regulators say the blowout on a Parko
Oil well happened because of pressure from nearby fracking operations run by
Encana Oil. On Sept. 30, one of
Encana's fractures reached Parko's neighboring vertical well. The pressure was
too much for the older well to handle. Encana's operations were approximately
0.5 miles from the Parko well that had the blowout.
"An Encana well, undergoing stimulation operations, may have
communicated with the well of a nearby operator," said Encana
spokesperson Doug Hock. "That operator's well became over-pressurized
resulting in the release of fluid from both the wellhead and a nearby
tank." Some fracking operations are installing wells as close as 800 feet
from traditional vertical wells. "I don't understand why the state or the
BLM or anyone else is letting them get so close to other wells," said
Floyd Parker. New Mexico has no standard minimum spacing requirement between
wells. Some experts warn New Mexico could be facing huge problems ahead with
the close proximity of high-pressure
fracking operations and aging wells.
http://www.kasa.com/news/local/fracking-fluid-blows-out-nearby-well
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
remove your name from our list please put “remove name from list’ in the
subject line
WMCG is a project of the Thomas Merton Society.
