* Our email address: westmcg@gmail.co
* 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-
Facebook Site- Please see
the Westmoreland Marcellus Citizen’s Group county site for more articles and
photos.
Calendar/Events
If anyone wants your events listed, please
email them to me by the middle of the month. jan
***Marcellus
Shale Documentary Project-In Shadyside, Through July 31
"
The dangers of fracking are around us everywhere in Western Pennsylvania — from
water contamination, air contamination, land contamination and food chain
contamination. We need to do more to spread the word of dangers associated with
fracking, and I feel this project is a good vehicle to do that.”
For
“Marcellus Shale Documentary Project: An Expanded View,” Martha Rial of
Edgewood focused on trains moving through Pittsburgh.‘
Through July 31 from
10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesdays-Fridays; 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturdays; noon-4 p.m., Sundays.
Admission: $5
suggested donation
Where: Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, 6300 Fifth Ave.,
Shadyside
Details: 412-361-0873 or pittsburgharts.org
Comment from Sam Hoza
“There is a very powerful photo exhibit called the Marcellus Shale
Documentary Project at the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts in Mellon Park on
Fifth Avenue in Shadyside. I just went down to see it on Thursday, and it is
very striking, featuring photos taken by people who have been published in
National Geographic, Time, the New York Times, and many other publications.
Many of the pictures were taken right here in Western Pennsylvania, and there
were many familiar faces in the photos, including Ron Gulla, Terry Greenwood,
Janet & Fred McIntyre of the Woodlands here in Butler County, and Carrie
Hahn. It’s definitely worth checking out. Here’s some more info on the project:
http://www.thedocumentaryworks.org/msdp/
There is a small admission fee, but it’s only
$5 for adults, $4 for seniors (62+), and $3 for students with ID (any school).
***March
for a Clean Energy Revolution, Sunday,
July 24, 2016
Philadelphia, PA
With the eyes of the world on
Philadelphia during the Democratic National Convention in July, thousands will
march and present these demands directly to our current and future national
leaders:
BAN
FRACKING NOW
KEEP FOSSIL FUELS IN THE GROUND
STOP DIRTY ENERGY
JUSTLY TRANSITION TO 100% RENEWABLE ENERGY
KEEP FOSSIL FUELS IN THE GROUND
STOP DIRTY ENERGY
JUSTLY TRANSITION TO 100% RENEWABLE ENERGY
TEXT ‘REVOLUTION’ TO 69866 FOR UPDATES
***Citizens to Preserve Ligonier Valley Board Meetings are the Third Tuesday of each month at 7:30 PM at the Unitarian
Church on Rt. 30. All are welcome to attend.
The next meeting is July 19.
Videos
***Video of
Murrysville Meeting
Dr. McCawley and Dr. Haley
on Fracking: Health Effects, and Setbacks
***Wilma Subra on Cracker Plants and Shale
Zoning/Challenges /Court Cases
***PennFuture Files Challenges On Fracking/Ordinance Mt Pleasant,
Washington Co.
(June
2, 2016) – PennFuture has filed a legal
challenge to the zoning ordinance in Mount Pleasant Township, Washington
County arguing that it is constitutionally invalid because it allows industrial gas drilling across all zoned districts.
“Our
members have twice fought applications for well pads to be located within a
mile of the Fort Cherry K-12 school complex,” said George Jugovic Jr., chief
counsel for PennFuture. “The state Supreme Court has made clear that townships
have a duty and responsibility to protect the public health of its residents,
particularly its most vulnerable populations, and allowing industrial
activities throughout the township fails to fulfill that duty.”
The
ordinance in question provides for the following with no differentiation in
conditions to account for the varying purposes, population density, and other
uses allowed in each district:
Oil and gas wells as a conditional use in
all zoned districts;
Compressor stations as conditional use in
agriculture, rural and suburban residential, highway commercial, and light
industrial districts;
Oil
and gas processing facilities as
conditional use in agricultural and light industrial districts; and
Oil
and gas metering stations as permitted
uses in agriculture, rural, neighborhood and suburban residential, and highway
commercial districts.
“Citizens,
who moved to the area for its rural and agricultural setting, want the township
to uphold the character of their community,” said Jugovic. “The past
eight years of gas development has shown how the industrialization of the
township has had a disparate impact on area residents.”
PennFuture’s
challenge seeks to have the zoning hearing board declare the ordinance invalid
and put a halt to the issuance of drilling permits until a new zoning ordinance
can be enacted.
***Delaware
Riverkeepers, Amy Nassif --Congratulations to Amy Nassif , Delaware Riverkeepers, and
other defendants. Thank you for your
courage.
Amy Nassif and
Delaware Riverkeepers Right to Speak Freely and Petition Upheld!!
The Slapp Suit against Amy Nassif, Delaware Riverkeepers,
Clean Air Council and others was lost before Judge Yeager. The lawsuit brought
by a developer, Dewey Homes & Investment Properties, and its co-plaintiffs
claimed tortious interference with gas drilling contracts. The plaintiffs had
sought to make local residents and the nonprofit organizations Delaware
Riverkeeper Network and Clean Air Council pay them more than $500,000 for
pursuing a legal action challenging the ordinance that allowed gas drilling and
fracking near the town’s schools and residential neighborhoods The ACLU, Delaware Riverkeeper Network, and
Clean Air Council characterized the lawsuit as a SLAPP suit (strategic lawsuit
against public participation), which is a dangerous legal tactic designed to
stifle dissent and punish core First Amendment-protected activities, such as
speaking at public meetings and filing appropriate legal challenges to the
proposed commercial activity.
From the decision in the Butler Court of Common Pleas: "It this
case, it is clear to this Court that the Defendants engaged in protected
activity. ….Both she (Amy Nassif) and
Riverkeeper Defendants engaged in their basic and fundamental right to petition
the government as is provided by the First Amendment as outlined above…. It
is clearly found that the Riverkeeper Defendants “made a strong showing” that
their challenges to Ordinance 127 and the permit would succeed on the merits.
It is clear to the Court that the Riverkeeper Defendants did and still do,
believe in their cause as they have continued on with the appeal process to the
Commonwealth Court o f Pennsylvania……Complaint is dismissed in its entirety
with prejudice. (cannot be refiled, jan)
**Elizabeth Twp. Denies Variances to Invenergy!
"The
Elizabeth Township Zoning Hearing Board voted 4-1 to deny Invenergy's request for
variances to build a gas-fired power plant along the Yough in a residential
area. This is a huge victory for township residents and for the river!"
(From Mt Watershed)
And on June 20, they were able to
secure a 7-0 vote from their Board of Commissioners to be party to any appeal
filed by Invenergy to uphold the decision of our zoning board.”
**South Strabane Proposed Ordinance
From a resident:
“1500' Setbacks from protected structures
2500' Setbacks from schools and parks
The
ordinance is also requiring Environmental Impact studies from the
industry. ( The term "Environmental
Impact" appeared 13 times in 5 different sections.) This verbiage should be required in all
future (O&G) ordinances. (and for
ALL industrial uses!)”
**Braddock Hills
From a local resident:
“In 2014, someone bought the area Golf
Course in Braddock Hills for the express purpose of leasing it to a gas company
which he promptly did…… Many homeowners have leased their land as well. I
suppose this means that, unless things change, as soon as the prices go up,
drilling will begin in Braddock Hills.”
***Range Omits Contaminants in Water Tests Submitted to DEP (Voyles
Case)
“Had
the Voyles gotten the full results back in 2011, they would have learned that
their water had concentrations of nitrate exceeding recommended levels that
could result in severe health effects. The test results sent to DEP by Range also left out the presence of
semi-volatile compounds such as butyl benzyl phthalate, di-n-octyl phthalate,
and pyrene. The EPA tests found naphthalene, phenanthrene,
2-methylnapthalene, flouranthene, silicon, as well as uranium.
….Alan
Eichler, the former head of DEP’s oil and gas division, says he did not know
that the tests were altered.
The
incident that resulted in the contaminated water dates back to 2010, when fracking waste leaked from six
impoundment tanks, penetrating soil and groundwater. The DEP ended up
fining Range Resources $4.1 million in 2014 for the incident, but said at the
time that drinking water supplies were not impacted. Since then, the federal
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, in conjunction with the EPA,
have told the residents the water is not safe to drink.
The
software used by TestAmerica, which they call Total Access, provides clients
access to the test results in a database,
which can then be altered as their
customer sees fit.
In an email sent by TestAmerica employee Barbara
Hall to a colleague, which is part of the court record, Hall is effusive about
the reaction of Range Resources’
employees, describing them as “wild about it,” and the software a “great
selling point” to oil and gas producers.
TestAmerica argues that it did not
participate in any fraud because it was Range Resources, not the testing
company, that altered the data in the printouts sent to DEP. And it was the DEP, not Range Resources or
TestAmerica, that sent the results to the residents.”
Local Permits
of Interest
Salem Twp Township
Gas
permit issued on 2016-05-26 00:00:00 to APEX ENERGY (PA) LLC for site MCILVAINE
CENTRAL PAD 15 8H in Salem Twp township, Westmoreland county
PA Gas Drilling Permit Issued in
Salem Twp Township
Gas
permit issued on 2016-06-09 00:00:00 to APEX ENERGY (PA) LLC for site MCILVAINE
CENTRAL PAD-15 7H in Salem Twp township, Westmoreland county
PA
Gas Drilling Permit Issued in Salem Twp Township
Gas
permit issued on 2016-06-09 00:00:00 to APEX ENERGY (PA) LLC for site MCILVAINE
CENTRAL PAD-15 6H in Salem Twp township, Westmoreland county
PA Gas Drilling Permit Issued in
Salem Twp Township
Gas
permit issued on 2016-06-09 00:00:00 to APEX ENERGY (PA) LLC for site MCILVAINE
CENTRAL PAD-15 5H in Salem Twp township, Westmoreland county
The following Permit Applications have changed as of
Saturday, June 04, 2016.
Cook Municipality:
Authorization # 1139520 has
been overdue as of 6/2/2016.
Authorization # 1139520 has been updated on
6/2/2016.
Fracking
News
***Mass. Senate Passes 10-Year Moratorium
"The Massachusetts Senate
approved a bill to place a ten-year moratorium on fracking and the disposal of
fracking wastewater.
“The harm caused by fracking has
no place in Massachusetts,” said Senate President Pro Tempore Marc R. Pacheco.
“Fracking releases harmful chemicals into
our air while contaminating fresh groundwater, causing seismic events, flaring
methane and severely harming public health."
More than 1,000 health
professionals called on state and federal officials to protect the public from
the harms posed by fracking." http://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2016/06/10/mass-senate-passes-10-year-fracking-moratorium
***Quigley Forced Out- Range's $8.9 Million Fine Rescinded
Thank you DEP and Gov Wolf. The Gas industry
again reigns supreme in PA
"Last
month, Quigley was forced out of his job amid complaints about his
hard-charging style, On his very first day of unemployment. Quigley picked up a
Harrisburg newspaper and was shocked by a story that he read. The $8.9 million fine against Range
Resources, and thus the penalty itself, had been killed -- "rescinded,"
"The last I knew, the investigation was ongoing," Quigley said.
"The only person at DEP who can approve walking away from a fine was me --
and I didn’t."
." http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/attytood/Mystery-in-Harrisburg-Who-killed-states-largest-environmental-fine.html#wCvdPqrfObt5yoic.99
***Federal Report on
Dimock Says 27 Wells Contaminated
“The new report says the water
wells had high levels of contamination in 2012 that could have affected peoples
health, created a physical hazard or otherwise been made unfit to drink in its
raw form. Methane buildup could have
created a hazard at 17 wells. Cabot has been barred from drilling new gas wells
until water quality returns to pre- drilling conditions at 18 wells.” (AP, Latrobe Bulletin ,
5-26-16)
***Bad News For
Air and Health-- Shell Will Build Petrochemical Plant in Beaver Co.
A major polluter affirms its site
in Beaver but all news is about construction jobs.
"Shell
Chemical Appalachia says it is definitely building a petrochemical plant in
Beaver County. The plant will be one of the largest of its kind in North
America."
http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2016/06/07/shell-announces-plans-to-build-cracker-plant-in-monaca/
***Release from Clean Water Action: EPA
Bans Discharge of Fracking Wastewater from Sewage Plants
“Myron Arnowitt, Pennsylvania
Director for Clean Water Action stated, “We are pleased to see EPA set clear
rules to stop this practice. Pennsylvania residents have learned the hard way
that when the oil and gas industry is allowed to use sewage plants as their
dumping sites our water becomes undrinkable."
***Watchdog
Accuses EPA Of Cover-up of Emissions
"An environmental watchdog
alleges a years-long, systematic cover-up of the true data surrounding toxic
emissions from fracking. That cover-up
was at the hands of at least one EPA researcher who accepted payments from the
oil and gas industry.
Indeed, a graphic included in the
complaint demonstrates that malfunctioning
equipment is relied upon to measure methane emissions at nearly every point in
the fracked gas production process:The EPA's failure to order feasible
reductions of methane leaks and venting has robbed humanity of crucial years to slow the climate crisis."
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2016/06/09/this-heated-fight-over-methane-emissions-is-almost-as-hot-as-the-gas/
http://www.commondreams.org/news/2016/06/09/whistleblower-epa-officials-covered-toxic-fracking-emissions-years
***LNG Has No
Climate Benefit
“An explosive new report from the
U.S. Department of Energy makes clear that Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) is
likely a climate-destroying
misallocation of resources
if one uses estimates for methane leakage
based on actual observations.
But despite multiple studies to the
contrary, the DOE is asserting that the leakage rate is very low in the U.S.
(but not in Russia, of course) — so low
that U.S. LNG just happens to be better for Europe than its own coal. For DOE, 1.6 percent leakage
is the highest leakage rate they considered!! And 1.4% is what they expect for
shale gas.
In fact, leakage rates are almost
certainly at least double that! Yes, the
EPA has lowered its estimate to about 1.5 percent — based solely on industry-provided numbers. But multiple studies
in the last two years based on actual observations have made clear the EPA was
simply wrong.
A comprehensive Stanford study
found “… this generates a high-end estimate of 7.1% gas
leakage.”
If one were to use 3 percent as
the leakage rate, LNG-fueled power plants would be worse than coal from a
climate perspective for decades.” “http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/06/04/3443211/energy-department-lng-no-climate-benefits/
***Toxic
Chemicals Found in Blood of Residents Living Near Oil/Gas
“If your drinking water is
contaminated with toxic chemicals you might be able to make do with another
source, but if your air is toxic you can’t choose to breathe somewhere else...”
“No matter which way the wind
blows, gas development involves so many emissions sources that people can’t
help but to be exposed to toxic chemicals from their operations." “Our family has experienced phantom
odors, rashes, hair loss, respiratory conditions, neurological problems,
epileptic seizures, cancer and huge hits to how we think and reason,” said John Fenton, a Pavillion resident and
farmer. http://ecowatch.com/2016/06/16/toxic-chemicals-pavillion-wyoming/
***Radioactive Ranchers? Elements Found
Downwind of Intensive Fracking
“Songbirds disappeared from the
Lochend area, where the Hawkwoods live,
while the chemistry of groundwater started to show changes in the amount of
sodium, chloride, barium, strontium, and uranium.
“Then came reports from nearly a
dozen nearby residents about hair loss, respiratory problems, skin rashes, and
rare cancers. Many families later moved from the region.
''When my own hair loss became
extreme, I Googled hair loss and fracking and realized it was a frequent
symptom,'' recalled Nielle.
After losing an unprecedented
number of cattle in 2013, the Hawkwoods
tested soil where the cattle had urinated and found high levels of radioactive
materials. Not even seeds would germinate in the soil. That discovery
convinced the couple to test themselves for radioactive elements and to
purchase a Geiger counter."
http://thetyee.ca/News/2016/06/11/Radioactive-Elements-Downwind-Fracking/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_content=061116-1&utm_campaign=editorial-0616
**Presbyterian
Church Proposal To Stop Investing in Fossil Fuels
“A
recommendation that all agencies of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) stop
investing directly in fossil-fuel companies was approved by the Immigration and
Environmental Issues Committee of the 222nd General Assembly (2016). However,
as with all other GA committee action, the recommendation does not become final
until the committee submits its report.”
***A
Map of Populations Threatened from Oil and Gas Exposure http://oilandgasthreatmap.com/threat-map/
“The
Oil & Gas Threat Map shows health risk from oil and gas air pollution in
two different ways:
On
individual state maps, it plots the
location of all active oil & gas wells in the United States , then
counts the people, schools, and hospitals that live within ½ mile of these
facilities.
Using
EPA data & models, it shows which counties have health risks because of oil
& gas toxic air pollution.”
***Radioactive Waste –Little Oversight
“A report from the Center
for Public Integrity calls the radioactive waste stream from horizontal oil/gas
operations “orphan waste” because no single government agency is fully managing
it. Each state is left to figure out its own plan. Ohio, for example, hasn’t formalized waste rules, while
New York, which banned fracking, still allows waste disposal “with little
oversight,”.
The trucks that arrived in
Irvine, Kentucky last summer left more than 400 tons of low-level radioactive
waste in a facility that was not engineered or permitted to accept that sort of
material. That has left the community, the parents of schoolchildren, and
especially the Smiths with a lot of questions and concerns.
…Antero is building a wastewater
facility in WVA. A filtering system
would recover about two-thirds of the water, which could be reused in drilling. But that filtration system leaves behind
thousands of tons of salt and hundreds of tons of sludge from the sediment,
which concentrates the radioactive materials. Baston said that sludge — as
much as 180 tons a day — will be disposed of elsewhere.”
wvpublic.org
***Report:
Gas Industry Spent $8 Million Lobbying Pa. Legislature in 2015
“The
natural gas industry spent $8 million lobbying Pennsylvania politicians last
year, according to a new analysis from the nonpartisan government reform group,
Common Cause/PA, and the Conservation Voters of PA.
The
project, called MarcellusMoney, is an ongoing effort to track the political
influence of Pennsylvania’s gas drillers, who have spent $55.9 million on
lobbying since 2007.” stateimpact.npr.org
Research/Studies
***Cancer Risk Increases in 8 PA Counties Due to Gas/Oil Operations
"Based on EPA’s projection
of 2017 emissions, eight counties in Pennsylvania will face a high cancer risk
due to toxic emissions from oil and gas operations—Armstrong, Clarion, Fayette, Forest, Greene, Indiana, Jefferson, and
Washington counties." This new analysis finds that toxic pollution
from oil and gas development threatens 12.4 million Americans in 1459
counties.”
***Chemicals in Blood of Residents Pavillion, Wy, 2016
“Environmental
health groups and community members from Pavillion, Wyoming released the first
study of its kind linking chemicals released from gas and oil production sites
to those in bodies of residents living near the wells. The report found that residents who live near the gas sites have a
higher amount of the chemicals in their urine than the general population.
Scientists focused on how oil and gas fields can pollute the air and how that
pollution ends up in humans living nearby. For instance, the median level of
ttMA — a benzene chemical, in the
residents of Pavillion was 10 times higher than the general population. For
hippuric acid — a toulene chemical — the
median level was 80 percent higher than the general population. Benzene is
highly carcinogenic and linked to gene mutation, reproductive toxicity, and
developmental toxicity. Toulene is linked to reproductive and developmental
toxicity.”
And: “Eight chemicals that were detected both in the air
near Pavillion and in the bodies of project participants are linked to chronic
diseases such as cancer or other illnesses including reproductive or
developmental disorders and to health problems such as respiratory
difficulties, headaches, nosebleeds, skin rashes, and depression.”
When the Wind Blows:
Tracking Toxic Chemicals in Gas Fields and Impacted Communities is a report documenting
Coming Clean’s collaborative, community-based research project to monitor toxic
volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in gas fields in rural Pavillion, Wyoming a -
See more at: http://comingcleaninc.org/wind-blows#sthash.pSuNfAoo.dpuf
Frack Links
***Link to
Shalefield Stories-Personal stories of those affected by
fracking http://www.friendsoftheharmed.com/
***To sign up for Skytruth notifications of activity and violations
for your area:
*** List of the Harmed--There are now
over 1400 residents of Pennsylvania who have 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/
*** To See Water Test Results of the Beaver
Run Reservoir
IUP students test for TDS, pH, metals- arsenic, chromium, and strontium.
We have not seen results for
other frack chemicals including the organics BTEX group, or cesium for example.
Here is a link to the IUP site:
***Oil and Gas Map
Shows Wells and Populations at Risk
“On individual state maps, the map plots the location of all active oil &
gas wells in the United States, then counts the people, schools, and
hospitals that live within ½ mile of these facilities.
Using
EPA data & models, it shows which counties have health risks because of oil
& gas toxic air pollution.”
For more information contact Jan Milburn
A Cracker Plant. 
