The Ethics of Fracking

Published on Jan 14, 2014

A film by Scott Cannon http://www.gdacoalition.org

This film explores the ethics of fracking though different professional and religious backgrounds. It also takes a look at the deceiving advertising the gas industry heavily relies on. It is for educational purposes only. If any groups would like a DVD or to host a screening of the film, they can request one by email at videoinnovation@epix.net

Acknowledgements for their participation in the film:
Bernard G. Prusak - Associate Professor of Philosophy and Director of the McGowan Center for Ethics and Social Responsibility at King's College

Congressman Matt Cartwright - Pennsylvania's 17th Congressional District

Brother David Andrews, C.S.C. - Senior Representative of Food & Water Watch

Rabbi Mordechai Liebling - Director of the Social Justice Organizing Program at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College

Marleen A. Troy, Ph. D. - Associate Professor of Environmental Engineering, Wilkes University

Dr. Alfonso Rodriguez, MD - Nephrologists, President of the Gas Drilling Awareness Coalition

Natural Gas Drilling: Noise Pollution> Dehydration Station

Published on Dec 21, 2012 http://www.gdacoalition.org

A video by Scott Cannon

People living by the Chapin Dehydration Station in Monroe Township, Pennsylvania are going through hell. From loud gas releases in the middle of the night, to constant vibrations shaking their homes, its one problem after another. "The opinions expressed in this video do not necessarily reflect the views of Gas Drilling Awareness Coalition."

Lathrop Compressor Station Blow Down

The video by Leland Snyder goes on for 13+ excruciating minutes.  Who can live near this kind of industrial activity?  There are diseases caused by sound and noise.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Excessive-Noise-Exposure-Can-Cause-Heart-Disease&id=971096
http://healthmad.com/health/noise-sensitivity-health-effects-of-noise-and-sound/

I think I would go stark-raving mad if I lived near this.   One such blow down, maybe this one, lasted more than 3 hours.

Sanford-Oquaga Concerned Citizens  (S-OCC)
TownOfSanford.org

What's It Like To Live Near a Frac Sand Mine

Residents of Maiden Rock, WI describe what it's like to live next to a giant industrial sand mine that operates 24/7, producing sand for hydraulic fracturing, aka: 'fracking'.

Yoko's Letter About Gas Drilling in PA

Read Yoko's poignant letter here.

"I was there.  I saw it.  It made me cry."

 

Yoko Ono and her son Sean Lennon visited Susquehanna County, PA, on January 17, 2013, accompanied by several others, including Susan Sarandon and Arun Gandhi.  Josh Fox was there with his camera as well.  The group spoke to several families  who have been severely affected by the gas wells surrounding their homes.



Constitution Pipeline: Rebecca Roter Speaks Up (PA)

Are people protected from harm when a pipeline goes in? Not if the area is Class One. No oversight for public safety. Hear from Rebecca Roter how a gas pipeline will impact this resident of Susquehanna County. She tells a lot about the facts of the situation, but then when the interviewer asks her about the emotional impacts of what is happening, you can see the human toll the gas industry is taking. The industry is ruining her property and her life. The worst thing is that Cabot and Williams Midstream really don't care about the people that live in the areas they are destroying.

Montrose (PA) Truck Traffic From Gas Industry

Published on Aug 10, 2012 by veraduerga

In Montrose, Pa. , on route 29 , around 6 pm. , through business district. Longest procession yet. I stopped taping at five minutes and it was still going on for another couple of minutes. Frack trucks, sand trucks, water trucks, etc..

New Yorkers do not want this-  I hope.

Hancock, NY, Compressor Station: How Loud Would It Be?

A creative edit of Steve Sullivan, spokesmen for Millennium Pipeline Company, with Anthony DePalma (Delaware Lake Assocation) and graphics illustrating what 15,000 horsepower is like... Will it sound like a refrigerator?

Mitchell Gas Well Site In PA: Flaring

Taken from the road, Bailey Rd., Franklin Twp., Susquehanna County, Pa., on 5-16-12.

Mitchell home is just below the site. WPX Energy is the gas company involved.

Video taken by Vera Scroggins.  Vera writes:

"See what it's like to live next to flaring of two wells; fortunately, it's the owners of this site that live next to it and have to experience this and see how they like it and whether they want all their neighbors to experience it, like they do. Their neighbors up to 3 miles away or more are hearing this throughout the whole day for days. [24/7]

Thanks, for disturbing our peace and country life and turning it into a gas field."

Vera

More here and here.

From Earthworksaction.org
Flaring
Flaring is the practice of burning gas that is deemed uneconomical to collect and sell. Flaring is also used to burn gases that would otherwise present a safety problem. It is common to flare natural gas that contains hydrogen sulfide (i.e., sour gas), in order to convert the highly toxic hydrogen sulfide gas into less toxic compounds.

Flares emit a host of air pollutants, depending on the chemical composition of the gas being burned and the efficiency and temperature of the flare. Flaring results in hydrogen sulfide emissions if hydrogen sulfide is present in large enough amounts in the natural gas. There may also be additional by-products formed if some of the chemicals used during the drilling or hydraulic fracturing process are converted to a gaseous form and are burned along with the natural gas.

The Ventura County Air Pollution Control District, in California has estimated that the following air pollutants may be released from natural gas flares: benzene, formaldehyde, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs, including naphthalene), acetaldehyde, acrolein, propylene, toluene, xylenes, ethyl benzene and hexane. Researchers in Canada have measured more than 60 air pollutants downwind of natural gas flares.

Compressor Stations In Our Backyards?

A leader in the fight against the anti-health, anti-environment, anti-people, greed-filled gas industry speaks at a DEP Public Meeting at Elk Lake School in Susquehanna County.  She and others testified about our concerns. Four more Gas Compressors are coming to Susquehanna County in the north along the Laser Gathering Line. Tons of emissions are allowed for each and constant noise emissions. Taped 4-26-12.

We cannot allow Big Gas to pollute our residential areas.  Gas drilling is unhealthy for children and other living things.

Thank you, Vera, for your work to save Pennsylvania and all areas being destroyed by Big Gas.

Compressor Station: Be the First On Your Block To Have One Next Door

The Teel Compressor Station on Button Road in Dimock, PA. Vera's video from yesterday. The noise is unacceptable.

Natural Gas Drilling: Flaring Within Feet of a House

Taped 4-1-12. Flaring at night Holbrook Well. Susquehanna County, Bridgewater Township. Near homes. Can be heard about a mile away. Goes for about a week per well. One well here. Lessens pressure and removes impurities.

Video by Vera.

Toward the end of the video, Vera pans to the right to reveal a house which is very, very close to the flare. How can the inhabitants of this house live through this process?

Frac Sand Mine Troubles Maiden Rock (WI) Residents

Maiden Rock, Wisconsin, residents tell about what is happening near their homes. A frac sand mine has taken over their lives in many respects. It's not just gas wells that are ruining the earth. Other industries related to gas drilling are also creating enormous problems for people. This is just another example.

Signs and symptoms of silicosis:
Because chronic silicosis is slow to develop, signs and symptoms may not appear until years after exposure. Signs and symptoms include:
Dyspnea (shortness of breath) exacerbated by exertion
Cough, often persistent and sometimes severe
Fatigue
Tachypnea (rapid breathing) which is often labored
Loss of appetite and weight loss
Chest pain
Fever
Gradual dark shallow rifts in nails eventually leading to cracks as protein fibers within nail beds are destroyed.

Ever hear of silicosis?

Fracking Hollenbeck Gas Well: Susquehanna County, PA

This video by Vera really puts me in the Christmas Spirit. No. The worst part of this video, not counting the environmental devastation which is taking place here, is seeing the house within spitting distance of this well pad. I guess this family has their Christmas tree up now and is planning to have a normal holiday celebration (if they celebrate Christmas- I don't know, of course). I don't know how I would manage to be oblivious to the noise, light, and other disturbances associated with this fracking operation. How does anyone maintain a normal life with this? Can it be done?

I appreciate Vera's willingness to put herself in harm's way potentially so that others can see the realities of this terrible method of keeping us all addicted to gas and oil. Only a very few people benefit while most of us suffer ill effects, at times deadly. Will this oppression bring us peace?

Dallas, PA, School Compressor Station

How about a nice compressor station right next to your child's school? Perfect.

Ponder This: Venting and Flaring in Ponder, TX

I couldn't stand listening to this for 87 seconds.  Imagine having to listen to this for an hour or two in the middle of the night.  Some of these facilities are as close as 100 feet from houses.  This video was taken from quite a distance.

Dallas, PA, Natural Gas Compressor Station

Kerr Well Pad at Night: Susquehanna County

Do you want to see what fracking operations really look like?
The workers tried to get Vera, the videographer, to stop filming, told her she couldn't because they didn't want negative media. She was standing by the side of a public road, and was not trespassing.

Taken at night at 10:15 on 10-8-11. Lots of smoke and hellish scene and sounds.

GO, VERA!

The Real Cost Of Fracking: Jenny

Jenny and her family live in Punxsutawney, PA. In 1983, she and her fiance bought a farm. They got married on their farm and gave birth to their children at home there. They have an organic garden and grow blueberries. Their neighbor, who does not live in PA, but rather lives in Colorado, leased to EOG Resources. Jenny found out some bad things about what was coming to the land next to hers. She called the PA DEP and asked them not to approve the permit. But, of course, the DEP told her it was there duty to approve the permit as long as the gas company met all requirements.

Listen to this short video and hear what Jenny is worried about.

The video was filmed and edited by Kellan Davidson. For more information, go to the Coalition To Protect New York.

A Compressor Station Comes to Your Neighborhood

Compressor Station in Hickory, PA

  According to the next door neighbor, "It is lit up like a Walmart parking lot at night." A recent visitor to the house next door reported bad odors and loud noise from this compressor station and wondered aloud, "How can people live next to this? What are they breathing?"

This compressor station near Hickory has plans to go from housing two to four Cat 1340 HP compressors.

Fulton Compressor Station Washington Avenue, Hickory, PA

Permitted total facility allowed emissions are:NOx - 38.94 TONS per year
VOC - 12.40 TONS per year
CO - 49.02 TONS per year

 

The emission figures above are for the original two compressors,
with four compressors these amounts would double to:NOx - 77.88 TONS per year
VOC - 24.80 TONS per year
CO - 98.04 TONS per year

A personal story:
July 20, 2011

Dear Council:

Thank you for the opportunity to share with you my family’s personal story as it relates to various health issues we have been experiencing after a Marcellus Shale compressor station was built near our home.

My name is Pam Judy. I am a resident of Carmichaels in Greene County.

In April 2006 we built a new home on property originally belonging to great grandparents and a part of the family farm. For three years my family enjoyed the peace and quiet of living in the country. However, in the spring of 2009, that quiet way of life abruptly came to an end when a compressor station was built 780 feet from our home on an adjoining landowner’s property.

Due to the noise and the fumes from the engines and dehydration unit that settle in our yard we can no longer spend time outdoors. Shortly after operations began, we started to experience extreme headaches, runny noses, sore/scratchy throats, muscle aches and a constant feeling of fatigue. Both of our children are experiencing nose bleeds and I’ve had dizziness, vomiting and vertigo to the point that I couldn’t stand and was taken to an emergency room. Our daughter has commented that she feels as though she has cement in her bones.

In November of last year our son was out on our property scouting for deer in preparation for the opening day of the season. Some of these areas were in close proximity to the compressor site. Within one day of being out, he developed blisters in his mouth and throat, had extreme difficulty swallowing, and on Thanksgiving morning he went to the emergency room of a nearby hospital.

After conducting research regarding possible emissions from facilities such as this, and the associated illnesses, I contacted Calvin Tillman, Mayor of Dish Texas. Dish residents had experienced a similar problem a few years ago when drilling was done into the Barnett Shale. Mayor Tillman provided me with a list of blood and urine tests which could be done to determine exposure. In May 2010 I had those tests performed and the results revealed my body contained measurable levels of benzene and phenol.

This prompted me to become even more vigilant in determining what we were being exposed to. In June 2010, I was able to convince the PA DEP to conduct an air quality study which focused on concentrations of volatile organic compounds typically found in petroleum products. The study consisted of a 24 hour canister air sampling in my yard and 4 days of monitoring at the site where an infrared camera was used.

The results of the 24 hour canister sampling revealed 16 chemicals including benzene, styrene, toluene, xylene, hexane, heptane, acetone, acrolein, propene, carbon tetrachloride and chloromethane to name a few.

Most, if not all, of the aforementioned compounds are known carcinogens and, if exposed, carry with them the very symptoms my family and I have been experiencing. Benzene has been directly linked to various blood cancers including leukemia and Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.

In November 2010 the DEP released their final report regarding findings at this site as well as four additional locations. That report states the department could find no emission levels that would constitute a concern to the health of residents living near Marcellus operations and that the sampling results were used to characterize the acute non-cancer health risks associated with industry emissions. The report further states that they did not address the cumulative or long-term impact of air emissions or the lifetime cancer risks because this was a short-term study.

Given the health issues we have been experiencing since this facility began operations, I am extremely concerned that as a result of prolonged exposure to the previously mentioned chemicals, we will develop even more serious health issues including cancer. Yet this report focused on the non-cancerous health risks.

As the Marcellus industry continues to grow so does the number of compressor sites required. With every compressor site comes increased atmospheric hydrocarbon emissions that will, in my opinion, and in the opinion of former DEP Secretary John Hanger, have a huge cumulative impact on air quality in PA.

As a local governing body you have the authority to impose restrictions on companies wanting to do business in your community. I would implore you to exercise that authority and establish set-backs so that compressor sites cannot be built 780 feet from a residence. I realize that such facilities are a necessary evil of this industry. However, they should be built in more desolate areas with the least amount of impact.

I have likened the Marcellus industry to that of the asbestos industry years ago. Both our government, and the asbestos industry, through very elaborate public relations schemes led us to believe there was no harm in being exposed to asbestos. Only to find out years later the true cancer risks. I truly believe we could be facing a similar situation as a result of the Marcellus industry. And for those of who have been exposed it could be too late.

For this reason, I would ask that you take every precaution to protect the residents of your community. It is your duty as elected officials to insure their welfare and safety. A charge you should not take lightly.

Should any members of council wish to speak with me in person, I would be more than happy to do so. And if I can be of any assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Respectfully,
Pam Judy

Check out this excellent web site:  http://www.marcellus-shale.us/
The information and photos in this post are all from this great site.  Take a look.  There are many pictures which, of course, are worth a thousand words.  Thank you, Stephanie Hallowich!

Compressor Station, Washington County, PA
More than just a colossal eyesore!