Wednesday, February 15, 2012

My Dear Susquehanna: French Azilum, PA


I know this landscape very well.  It is French Azilum in Bradford County.  If you look carefully, you can see the effects of the gas drilling industry. Well pads, water impoundments, frac water treatment facility.  They are all there in this snapshot.  And this is all just getting started.  What a sad story...one of the most precious places on earth for me is being invaded, yes, raped, by people who want the money.  My family summer home is being contaminated slowly but surely.  That's the Susquehanna River winding through this picture.  It is the most polluted river on the east coast already.

A family song we have been singing for decades goes like this:

Old Frenchtown, how we love the dear old name!
There's no other place can ever be to us the same.
Through this world we may wander up and down,
But always, we'll be coming back again to old Frenchtown.

Camp Hutchinson, French Azilum, PA
My sacred spot




7 comments:

smurfette said...

Such a crime!

Peacegirl said...

There is no other way to say it. It IS a crime. The destruction of the environment and the bodies of people and animals is a crime no matter how it is accomplished. Hurting other people as in assault or murder is a crime. Gas drilling is no different. It should not be exempt. One person we can thank for this is Dick Cheney. Anybody remember him?

Anonymous said...

There is no doubt some change will occurr. I have to say I have seen the river bubbling since 2007 when I bought my first home on it. There is no crimme in Energy independance. This country need to take this step and instead of squabble about it you look at how things are done and offer improvment. There is no doubt that you are very well off with you state of the art explanation and areial photos you just want to stay at the top of the food chain.

If the River is so polluted already how do you swim in it??

No thanks Support natural gas drilling save a soldier and a country.

Peacegirl said...

My dear Anonymous,
I appreciate your responding to this post. However, you apparently do not know that natural gas is not economically profitable at this point. It is sold to the highest bidder which is not here in the US. More likely China or other overseas destination. So we still have to import gas for us. I am actually not well off. I live on Social Security as a retired person. And, by the way, the aerial photo is a Google Map shot which anyone can access. Did you think I own my own plane and took the picture myself? I swam in the Susquehanna as a child and so did my children, but not anymore. It is not safe. As for saving soldiers, drilling will not save a single one. How do people come up with this idea? We are deeply entrenched in oil and gas-rich nations all over the world and will continue to do that for decades to come. Do you work for the gas industry?

Anonymous said...

that is wrong, yes sold on open market, but also being used by ugi in pa, also going into the main lines and heating ny as well as many other states. The constitution and the blue stone pipelines are underway which will give us the infrastructure for us right here in susquehanna to use the very gas we drill. I live in susquehanna, i am aware of the footprint it leaves, it is not that bad, and how can u for your summer home, deprive the struggling farmers and local people who have lived here all their lives the right to jobs, which have been scarces since this country killed industry many years ago and sent it overseas by over regulating it. The completed sights show hardly any footprint and blend here with the hillsides, so please stop the hate and allow the folks who live here to prosper for once.

Anonymous said...

Gas export is part of the larger plan. We do not have to import natural gas at this Point imports of natural gas have fallen dramatically.

This countries ports were setting up to import natural gas from Brazil one of George soros's energy investment area's. Once the Marcellus came along they were and being convereted to export it
. I understand the free market quite well. There is no crime in exporting a product which again will create many thousands of jobs.
There are several companies working on getting this country using it to make it more profitable for its producers. Clean energy, Westport Innovations are a couple of examples. Cummins as well. We need the infa structure in place so that these vehicle developers have an easy time refueling.

Saving a solder from being sent to war in Iraq or Iran in the near future is a very very large part of homegrown energy independance.

Yes as a child you swam in the Susquehanna which sounds more like a story you can come to our block and water and Jet ski in it along with swimming. When it rains sure there is runoff which causes high bacteria counts when it does not it cleans up.

Your part time farm has no business telling full time residents or anyone else for that matter not to participate in this countries next energy boom. It is here it is happening and we want it to continue. There are a lot of people around you that need the work, that deserve years of working hard to finally prospur do not infringe upon that right.

If this was the horror story you portray it would have never come along this far. Ever here of North Dakota. It is the second highest Oil producing state in the union just surpassed Alaska. The reason they are Horizontal Hydrofracking the oil from there. Now I do not see the North Dakota residents fighting to keep them away from there second homes do you. I guess the water is fine the pay better and a lot lower stress from the benefits of it.

Peacegirl said...

Anonymous,
Thank you for the comment. I can see you are quite knowledgeable on free markets and "infa structure." I'm totally convinced now.