Thursday, June 26, 2014

Panda Liberty Power Plant in Asylum Township, PA



Published on Jun 26, 2014 This is in Asylum Township, Bradford Co., Pa. There is two-gas-fired combined cycle powerblocks with combustion turbines and heat recovery steam generators with duct burner. Also, there will be a 1464 bhp diesel-fired, emergency generator, 460 bhp diesel-fired fire pump, 1600 gallon diesel tank, 300 gallon diesel tank, and two, lube oil tanks at 1500 gallons each. From the Plan Approval, here are the emissions permitted by PA DEP/EPA.

233.5 tons per year CO 206.8 tons per year
NOX 2.48 tons per year formaldehyde
12.5 tons per year HAP
105 tons per year PM (PM/PM10/PM2.5 including condensable PM)
28.4 tons per year SO2
4.4 tons per year sulfuric acid mist
2,960,271 tons per year greenhouse gases (CO2 equivalent)

This is the latest in the ongoing, expanding footprint of Gas Extraction; costing hundreds of millions. This site is surrounded by homes....  

Thanks to Vera Scroggins for this video.

In addition to many residential homes which are very close to this power plant,  there used to be fields and farm land, too, which is gone forever.

Check out the permitted air pollution!  Wow!  If I were sitting on the porch across from this, I sure would look forward to a summer evening breathing sulfuric acid mist. Let's just look at that for a minute.  I looked it up and found:

"Sulfuric acid mist irritates the skin, eyes, nose and throat, and lungs. Exposure to high concentrations can cause severe damage at all these sites.
Exposure over many years could cause difficulty breathing or erosion of the teeth.
The NIOSH studies indicate that acid mist may cause larynx and lung cancer."

What will the residents do?  Will they sell, or try to sell?  Who would buy a home across from this massive industrial plant?

This power plant has an address of 151 Liberty Lane.  It is located on State Route 187 not far from the intersection of Route 6.

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Where does the frack waste go? New Yorkers, beware!

Notes from No Fracking Way

Chip Northrup writes:

Neither the waste haulers nor the NY DEC can be trusted regarding frack waste. There is simply more frack waste coming out of Fracksylvania than the frackers know what to do with. Fracksylvania’s DEP does not track the filth beyond state lines, so once the truck is in New York, it’s home free. The hauler will say that it is “salt water” that it is “brine” that it smells like roses. The haulers get paid by the load, not by the hour, so it is in their best interest to simply make the stuff go bye-bye as expeditiously as possible.
When it comes to fracking, the lead agency within the NY DEC is the Division of Mineral Resources - which is literally a revolving door to fracking. The DMR is the fracker’s auxiliary in Albany. Full stop.
The result is that loads of frack waste are coming across the border into New York state. Most of it untested, Some of it entirely unaccounted for.
There is only one plausible solution: ban the disposal of oil and gas waste products – at the town, county and state level. Take your pick.

Scientists predict increased rain, floods for Pennsylvania

Flooded well pad in Towanda, PA, September 2011

 
My dear Susquehanna is being so affected by industrialization, especially the natural gas industry which is accelerating climate change by leaps and bounds. "Last year, drilling companies created more than 300 billion gallons of flowback from fracking operations in the United States...In Pennsylvania, drillers are still allowed to mix up to 10% of the volume of large freshwater pits with flowback water."  Spills and leaks happen all the time.  Rain, snow, and wind move toxic chemicals into groundwater, streams, and rivers.  "Increased rainfall also increases the probability of pollution from spills from our decaying pipeline systems. About half of all oil and gas pipelines are at least a half-century old."  Increased truck and train accidents are also causing a huge increase in spills, many of which are in wetlands and flow into groundwater and streams. "A primary reason for increased rainfall is because of man-made climate change, the result og increased carbon dioxide from fossil fuel extraction and burning."  We don't have much time left to reverse this dangerous course.

Read article here.


 
A house floats down the river in Tunkhannock in September 2011.  It hit the bridge.