Fracking the Marcellus Shale: A Quaker Perspective

What do Pennsylvanian Quakers think of Marcellus Shale fracking in their midst? Not much good.

Read more here.

"First they frack the community, then they frack the land."

A Dear Sister In the Fight: Reflections on Living In a Gasfield

My friend writes:

I live in Susquehanna County, but I will not shop here or participate in their Stepford wives activities-especially there free hot dog give aways. I drive the extra distance for everything now. Yes, I must pay taxes if I want to keep my home. I am torn between just giving them our home-who else would buy it? Would you move your family to a gasfield? Would you pay a price for a beautiful contemporary timberframe in the middle of all this? We moved here with the intent of participating and living in a lovely quiet part of the world. We saw art and artists. We saw organic farming and a few nice looking farms. The roads were quiet and the nights were heaven under the stars. We made friends, enjoyed neighborhood barbeques, hikes in the woods. I walked fearlessly and happily for miles each day with my big handsome dog. Now I will not walk these roads or woods. I do not know who lives in many of the places and many are empty. My community scorns me for keeping them from their gas wells. Sit down with the folks who maligned me and called us liars? What I know to be true of this place now is that the folks do not care about quality of life or truth or honor. They laugh at folks who care about clean streams and protected wetlands and wildlife. They ignore the science on air pollution. They do not want to know because I believe they have made their deal. They serve a different god and it is the gas lords.

Drilling Gas Wells Affects Dairy Farmers in Bradford County, PA

French Azilum, Bradford County
Photo: Carol Manuel

"The dash for unconventional gas may have brought financial benefits to some, but for struggling dairy farmers in Bradford County, PA, the arrival of drilling wells could be the final nail in the coffin."

"Bradford County, a bucolic region in northern Pennsylvania full of woodlands, rolling hills, and pastures dotted by red barns and hay bales, with a population of just 63,000 people, has been undergoing a massive industrial transformation for the past few years, as both American and international companies have joined the rush for gas."

"...the gas rush threatens to undermine the venerable farming and dairy operations in the area, while creating a host of environmental and social problems."

Read the article from The Economist here.

Emotional and Traumatic Effects of Natural Gas Drilling

In November of 2011, Simone L. Perry, PhD, gave a presentation entitled, "It's Like We're Losing Our Love,"  a quote from one of the people she interviewed in Bradford County, PA, in the course of her recent and on-going research.  The subtitle of her talk was "Documenting and Evaluating Social Change in Bradford County, PA, During the Marcellus Shale Gas Boom." I have viewed this talk and highly recommend it.  A good use of 33 minutes! 

http://mediasite.cidde.pitt.edu/mediasite/SilverlightPlayer/Default.aspx?peid=689293c50f404f12b8c628b8f2285780

Give it a look.

Gas drilling hurts people where they live in more ways than one.

Living the Drill: Bradford County Farmers Speak Out (Video Part 2)

Carol French and Carolyn Knapp, dairy farmers from Bradford County PA, describe how gas drilling has affected their lives, families, farms, and community, and relay warnings and advice to New York residents.

Video from Essential Dissent.

Bradford County Children Go To Foster Homes: Gas Drillers Push Rents Sky High

Boomtown rents go up sky high.  Poor people cannot compete and get pushed out so landlords can charge more rent.  Gas drillers have the money to pay.  This year 6 children have been put in foster care, not because their parents were bad parents, but because their parents could not afford the rising rent costs and were evicted from their homes.  They can't find new affordable housing in Bradford County (PA).  This is an intolerable by-product of the natural gas industry which will become worse in the years to come if something isn't done about it.  We must fund efforts to make affordable housing available to those less fortunate.

Read the whole article here.

MUST OUR CHILDREN SUFFER SO GAS COMPANIES CAN MAKE PROFITS?

Family Matters: Is Signing a Gas Lease Worth It?

Walking down our path to the Susquehanna River, French Azilum, PA. Our family's sacred spot since 1930.


Families are being stressed by the gas drilling industry, some almost to the breaking point. This serious effect of natural gas wells is not getting much press. I can tell you from personal experience that, in my case, a major rift has occurred in my family in the last year because of controversy surrounding our options. Should we sign a lease or not? That is the question. Here is an excerpt from a recent article in pressconnects.com of Greater Binghamton:

.... is it worth it?

Not for Pennsylvania landowner Wayne Smith. He told Reuters recently that he regrets the $1 million in royalties he earned over three years from drilling on his land. Smith says his blood has elevated iron levels, his drinking water is tainted, and four cattle have died from drinking contaminated water.

Then there's Stephanie Hallowich and her husband, Chris, who moved with their two children from suburban Pittsburgh to enjoy rural life in Hickory, Pa. Now they are hemmed in by four gas wells, a three-acre reservoir containing water for drilling, a liquid extraction plant, and a gas compressor station. Hallowich would like to relocate because of noise and health concerns but can't imagine that anyone would buy their home.

A reader commented:

Hello Jennifer - Tough decision about drilling for your family, the lure of easy money is strong, even though landmen can't say how much your royalties will actually be. Remember that most things that sound too good to be true usually aren't true.
I look back over the last 2 weeks around Hickory and Pittsburgh, oily-looking stream pollution from one spill by Red Oak cleaned up by Weavertown Environmental. That story never made the news, hence industry-types can continue to falsely brag that there are no documented cases of drinking water pollution -- Get Real! These streams run into the rivers where Pennsylvanians get their drinking water.

Another reader wrote:

Ms. Tomsey,
If you are asking advice - don't sign! We didn't. At least you can say you tried to stop the damage and put your ethics and morals above "dirty money". I have a neighbor that signed the lease some time ago and spent a lot of time trying to convince us to sign - I haven't spoken to him in quite some time because of this. He talked to my husband the other day and now wishes he didn't sign and that the drilling can be stopped. He signed in part because he was blinded by the prospect of all that money and because he wasn't aware of the damage to the environment because of the gas company's lies. Now that he is more aware he's sorry for the damage he may be a part of. It's not too late!

The writer of the article from pressconnects says she has educated her family "about the risks of the largely unregulated drilling process," but she is not sure what her family will ultimately decide. This hits home with me. I have spent a year researching the gas industry on behalf of my family, but have been shunned because of it. Most family members are apathetic or, worse, hoping to get free money in the form of royalties. The Board of Directors (we are incorporated) is not even convinced it should inform family members about potential health risks as the wells are drilled all around us. This industry is capable of breaking relationships between family members and neighbors alike. At a time when people need to come together and support one another, just the opposite can happen.

Read the article here.

ARE YOUR FRIENDS, NEIGHBORS, AND RELATIVES NOT GETTING ALONG ANYMORE?
DON'T LET THE GAS INDUSTRY BREAK UP YOUR RELATIONSHIPS!