Terry Greenwood- Living on the Shale (PA)

Published on Feb 21, 2015

This video was produced at our event Living on the Shale" on May 17th, 2014 by CECA, (Coshocton Environmental and Community Awareness Inc.). It featured citizens from around the nation who are at the forefront in the fight to protect our communities from the extreme environmental impacts of slickwater horizontal hydrofracking . The event was entitled "Living on the Shale" and was held in Coshocton, Ohio. Visit our website at www.Cecaware.org.

Music     "Elegy" by Lisa Gerrard (Google Play • AmazonMP3 • iTunes)

 

RIP Terry Greenwood:  October 26, 1947- June 8, 2014

PA Governor's Inaugural Speech: Protestors Chant Throughout!

Published on Jan 22, 2015

Concerned Citizens and Community Members protested and chanted, "Ban Fracking Now" and interrupted Gov. Wolf's Inauguration Speech and some in the bleachers were stopped and removed by the Police, arrested and taken away. Hear Gov. Wolf's total speech and hear the anti-fracking chanting in the background. Large group of protesters were situated about 300' behind the outside setup for the Inauguration....thanks, to the caring Citizens for your protest and letting the new Gov. hear that Fracking needs to be banned and is harmful and dangerous for us....at 9:24 into the video, Gov. Wolf addresses Gas and Pa. Resources and the Protesters....

Unprecedented relentless chanting throughout the entire speech!  Thanks to Vera Scroggins for the video!

Ban Fracking In Pennsylvania Now!

I Hate Goodbyes: Fracking Kills So Many Things

Resident of Susquehanna County, saying goodbye to the life she once had on her parents' property and growing up there and now grieving for the coming changes, as Fracking starts next door to her and her family homestead.....

Kelly Finan

Goodbye

Yesterday, I swam in the pond. It was November 9.


It started with a run. I’m not much of a runner, but in deer season there isn’t much woods walking to be done, and I needed to get outside. I donned my orange vest and started up the same hill that I have been running or walking for 25 years.
...

This time, I passed two gas pads. One has been there for a few years, but the most recent rig was towed away in pieces a few days ago. In better days it was a just a dairy farm and home to my bus driver and township commissioner. Now, periodic methane releases break the silence like a jet engine, sending me running the other way. A coyote darted across the road with the same idea.

The other started as a logging road. Months ago, I stood at the entrance on the edge of our property, holding my breath until a dirty logging truck limped out. My neighbor had never mentioned a surface lease, but the rig came anyway. The drilling was finished about a week ago.

Now I wait, in the space between drilling and fracking; the space between the life and death of our little place in the world. This land was a labor of love for my parents, who personally collected the fieldstones that they used to build our house, stone by stone. Three of our beloved dogs are buried by the pond, and my mother’s spirit still lingers in the garden.

Last week, a reporter asked me what brought me home. In the same way that I would sit at the bedside of a dying loved one, I choose to sit beside my land. If I can't stop it, I want to witness the sad reality. To have closure.

Yesterday, I wandered to the pond, as I often do after a jog. Even though I hate cold water, I realized this might be my last chance to swim here. I ran straight in.

Today, the frack trucks came.

 

Thanks to Vera Scoggins for this Facebook Post.

Shalefield Stories: "I will not be quiet anymore."

Michelle Beegle: PA farmer, nurse, grandmother
Clearville, Bedford County, PA

We’ve lived on our land since 1983. It was given to our generation by my father-in-law. I loved it here. It was quiet. If you saw more than one car all day something was going on. We could sit on
our porch and be out in the yard, and only hear birds singing all the time. We never worried about what we were drinking or breathing. Our three children were born and raised here. Back then everyone got along with their neighbors. Everyone is family. We keep an eye out for everyone. You could count on people. Now there’s a division between people.

In 2014 we applied for a second mortgage. We wanted to update the furnace, the bathroom, and put in a pool for the grandchildren and my husband, Robert. The water therapy is good for him. He suffers from severe back pain and neuropathy that was caused when a tree fell on him in January of 1988. We applied for a $15,000 loan. Our credit was excellent and our home had recently been appraised at $125,000. We didn’t expect a problem. Our home and our credit is all we have.
Robert doesn’t believe in credit cards. “If you can’t afford it, you don’t need it,” he always says. We had previously taken out a loan on the house to help pay for our youngest daughter to go to nursing
school. We’ve never missed a payment on the house and we paid off our last car loan early. We went straight to Hometown Bank of Pennsylvania. We have banked with them for the last 10 years. We filled out the paperwork and were initially approved. A few days later, Carol at the bank called us. She explained that the attorney had looked at the loan and it was too big of a risk for them. She said that since the water well was contaminated, the property wasn’t even worth the $33,000 we
still owed on it. They said it was worth nothing. We tried three other banks, but the result was the same. At first they would approve us but as soon as they saw the tax assessment said “contaminated well” they turned us down.


Read the full article here.

Gas Industry Apology For Explosion: Free Pizza

A young gas worker, age 27, an expectant father, was killed February 11th, in Greene County, PA, when there was an explosion on  a Chevron well pad.  The explosion caused a fire which burned out of control for 4 days.  Ian McKee's body was reduced to bones which were finally discovered this week after the fire was out.  Chevron sent out gift certificates for pizza and soda to nearby residents in an attempt presumably to mollify any strong negative reactions.  Read more here to see some comments from these pizza certificate recipients.  Kudos to Protecting Our Waters for its coverage of this news.

Here are two comments from people:

“Worst apology ever: Sorry our fracking well exploded. Here’s a free pizza,” one angry Twitter user wrote Tuesday.
“Nice community relations: if you are frightened by fire and explosion, relax, have a pizza!” another tweet stated.

This Blogger's comment (that's me!):  It is a very common tactic to try to appease the victims or soon-to-be victims of the serious, sometimes fatal, consequences of the gas industry.  I truly think the industry thinks people are generally willing to be manipulated by little gifties.  The people who have been harmed are not in any way gullible or uneducated or anything else one might say about them.  They are us, you and me.  If I am not among them yet, it is just luck, and I could easily join their ranks in the near future.

Clean Air, Clean Water, Clean Soil, not Free Pizza!

You can't buy this home in Bradford County, PA

Gas Drilling: Worker Safety

Chilling, important short film upcoming from Josh Fox, on worker safety in the gas fields. Please watch and share the trailer, here. Josh Fox says, "Senator Tony Avella of NY has taken up their cause, drafting a worker safety bill for New York that will serve as a template for workers in the oil and gas fields across the US. ... Negligence on sites and unsafe working conditions including risk of chemical exposure cannot be acceptable by our governments that are touting a jobs boom in the gas fields any longer."

Marcellus Gas Drilling: The Mannings Tell Their Story

In less than 10 minutes, this video shines a light on the Mannings in Pennsylvania whose water is ruined. Listen to how their life has changed since hydrofracking began near their home. How much help have they gotten from the DEP or the gas company?

Vera took this video last night on her way home. Can you imagine what it must be like to see this happening not far from your home? It is alarming. What is being emitted into the air here? This can't be healthy, can it? There are homes nearby. Vera wrote: Taped 10-9-12. Saw this tonight on my way home. Flaring on Valley View Rd., but seen from Laurel Lake Rd., and something I hadn't noticed before. Looks like Gas Fumes comes up off the two flares. Franklin Twp. , Susquehanna County, Pa. Why is this being allowed ?

A Letter About Fracking in Ohio: Read by Melissa Leo

Published on Aug 14, 2012 by NYAgainstFracking Jamie Frederick's letter regarding her experiences with fracking in Ohio, as read by Melissa Leo at the New Yorkers Against Fracking Rally & Concert at The Egg in Albany NY on May 15, 2012. Read more about this here.

Flaring in PA

Flaring: wasting natural gas while polluting the atmosphere.  This is part of the dirty natural gas industry.  How much natural gas is wasted this way?

Read more here and here.

And from Earthworks Oil and Gas Accountability Project:  Click here.

People Flee As Chemical Cloud Hovers Near New Columbia (PA)

Last Thursday, August 9th, a horrifying emergency unfolded during the late hours of the night, causing panic among residents and emergency workers alike.  A Halliburton truck carrying hydrochloric acid had a leak.  The driver pulled in to a convenience store and got out to try to deal with the situation. Read more..........

Click here.

Having to flee in the middle of the night with your young children and drive away from your home in fear- is this what it has come to?  The natural gas industry is an extremely dangerous industry.  They are invading our highways, our neighborhoods, our schools, our homes.  And for what?  A few years of fossil fuel energy?   We must quit this insanity and develop sustainable energy programs.  It is completely possible.  Other countries are way ahead of us.

Fracking Waste Messes With Texas: Rachel Maddow Show

Terrence Henry, energy and environment reporter for StateImpact Texas, talks with Rachel Maddow about the sudden rash of earthquakes in Texas, apparently the result of the disposal of waste fluid resulting from natural gas fracking. From the August 7th, 2012 edition of The Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC.

A Huge Sinkhole In Louisiana Near Gas Well and Pipeline

Breaking news with updates from Assumption Parish, LA  (from Texas Sharon).......yesterday a huge sinkhole covering several acres appeared, swallowing trees and causing the area to be evacuated.  You won't hear this on network news.

Read more here. Photos included.

Visit Marcellus Effect blog for the story there.  Thanks to Sue Heavenrich for her great reporting.

The Sky Is Pink: Josh Fox's New Movie For NY

Dear Friends,

I know I don’t have to tell any of you what a vulnerable moment this is for New York and all New Yorkers. The New York Times has reported that Governor Andrew Cuomo will soon announce that drilling will be permitted in parts of the following five New York Counties: Broome, Chemung, Chenango, Steuben and Tioga in the Southern Tier. The Governor’s office has made no official announcement as yet, but all indications suggest that the counties listed above will be the first to be sacrificed and that drilling may be permitted as early as this summer. We’ve made a new short film, The Sky is Pink, which has just been released at Rolling Stone Magazine online. The Sky Is Pink details the shocking campaign of misinformation perpetuated by the gas industry, their flagrant disregard for the health and safety of the communities they ravage, and the historic decision that Governor Cuomo is about to make. We’re telling Governor Cuomo that there are no expendable counties or communities in New York State and that we are not willing to allow the gas industry to exploit or endanger any of our fellow citizens. Governor Cuomo and his administration must be held to their promise to make decisions on behalf of New Yorkers based on sound science and they must provide the people of New York with a full Health Impact Assessment. We demand that no weak compromises or deals are cut that send New York down the slippery slope toward a full-scale assault by the gas industry. I’m asking you to help us make sure this film reaches far and wide. Clearly the 60,000 comments received by New York’s Department of Environmental Protection have been ignored. Clearly, we’re going to need to be even louder this time if we are going to be heard. We need to tell Governor that hydraulic fracturing is not safe, not now, not ever and not in New York State.

Read Jeff Goodell's article at Rolling Stone Magazine here: You`can also watch the full film here:
 http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/blogs/national-affairs/new-anti-fracking-film-by-gaslands-josh-fox-targets-cuomo-governor-what-color-will-the-sky-be-over-new-york-20120620

 Please, send it to everyone you know. Post it everywhere you can.

Love, Josh

Unearthed: The Fracking Facade

Published on May 4, 2012 by uneartheddocumentary Un•earthed: Setting the track record straight - A video exposing a flawed claim often abused in the sales pitch for promoting shale gas development across the world: "With a history of 60 years, after nearly a million wells drilled, there are no documented cases that hydraulic fracturing ('fracking') has lead to the contamination of groundwater." Brought to you by the team behind the upcoming South African feature documentary, Un•earthed, that is investigating natural gas development and the controversial method of extraction known as "fracking" from a global perspective. Should South Africa and other countries drill down?

https://www.un-earthed.com https://www.facebook.com/uneartheddocumentary

Natural Gas: The Rest of the Story (Dr. Theo Colborn)

Water trucks idling in Asylum Township, Bradford County, PA

Natural Gas: The Rest of the Story from Hutman Media on Vimeo.

Theo Colborn of the Endocrine Exchange (Colorado-based) speaks to the issue of air pollution and gas drilling. This is the often overlooked aspect of the drilling industry, but one which causes illness and death just the same. Dr. Colborn emphasizes that fracking has become the big worry, but it only part of the story.

Fracking Undermines NY Farming

Bryn Roshong is a farmer from Gardiner, NY.  She faces a real dilemma- can she safely grow food for her neighbors on land covered with gas wells?  She is not willing to farm fracked land.  Where can she go?  What will happen to her plans for the future as a farmer?  Will the beautiful NY landscape provide her and us with nutritious food in the future?  Or will we allow our soil to be virtually murdered by toxic chemicals?  As Bryn points out,  there is no way to restore contaminated soil and water.  Ruined land cannot be used for growing anything ever again.  At least not in our lifetimes.

Read more here....

Williams Partners Disregard PA DEP Request At Compressor Station

A compressor station in Susquehanna County, PA, was the site of a huge explosion March 29. Gas seeped into the building and ignited, blowing off part of the roof and damaging two of its seven compressor engines. Despite the DEP's advice NOT to run the station, Williams restarted operations the next day, March 30. It was a "procedural misunderstanding," according to a company spokesperson said. However, a DEP representative said there was no lack of clarity and the DEP is disappointed that its advice was not followed. No enforcement order is being considered, and there may or may not be a fine for either the explosion or the disregarding the DEP shutdown request.

This is totally unacceptable. Is there no way to enforce safe procedures? Gas companies are not scared of regulations or fines. The fines are puny and ineffective. And PA does not have enough inspectors to do the job they need to do to protect people and the environment. Compliance is optional. A company can always argue some fine point of any agreement and get off the hot seat. Even the state Public Utility Commission, which has inspectors on site, is apparently not sure it has jurisdiction over the Lathrop station. In most rural areas (places with 10 or fewer homes within a 220-yard radius of a facility), it does not have jurisdiction. The PUC is still trying to determine if it has oversight authority for the Lathrop station.

So while the gas company Williams, the PA DEP, and the PA DUC all weigh in on this situation, the public remains in possible danger.

Natural Gas Exxposed

Natural Gas Exxposed tells the stories of Americans whose lives have been devastated by gas drilling.

All across the country, gas companies are poisoning water, tearing apart communities and destroying the American dream for thousands of families who can't protect their children from what comes out of the tap.

Please join us in rejecting this dangerous bridge to nowhere and working to build a renewable energy economy.