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.

New Video from Environment America: Drilling and Health

Go to environmentamerica.org

Fracking: Should We Inject Poisons Into the Earth?

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 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....

New Photos: Leroy, NY, Toxic Spill Site

More on the LeRoy, NY, Mysterious Illness Case

Read a post about the LeRoy, NY, case of an illness cluster involving high school students.

LINK  Excellent photos.

Meet "Tricky."

National Groups Getting Involved In LeRoy Cluster Case

LeRoy, New York, is the location of a mysterious cluster illness at the Junior Senior High School.  Fifteen students have exhibited varying degrees of involuntary twitches and verbal outbursts not unlike those associated with Tourette's syndrome.  I have seen these students on the news here locally.  Absolutely NO mention has been made until yesterday (at least I have not heard about it) of the five natural gas wells owned by the LeRoy school district and ring the school building which opened in 2003.  These wells have been hydrofracked and are active wells.  Why hasn't the presence of these wells been part of the investigation to discover what is causing the illness of these young people?  In addition, there was a major train derailment there on December 6, 1970, within three miles of what is now the school site.  There are still rumors that the school is built on land that was used 42 years ago as a dump site for the contaminated soil. Thirty thousand gallons  of the solvent trichloroethylene and also one ton of cyanide crystals were spilled in this accident.  Was the school built on a toxic waste dump?  [Note: The area where the toxic spill occurred is designated as the Lehigh Valley Railroad Derailment Superfund Site.]

Read more here...

Here is the MSDS for trichloroethylene.

There has not been adequate testing at the school  It is way too soon to make any judgements as to the cause of the illness.  Erin Brockovich, known for her legal research on a huge California water contamination case many years ago, has said,

While we don't have the answers, we are suspicious that the all-clear has been sounded on the environmental side, and we don't believe that it should have been.

A long time ago Ms. Brockovich uncovered the fact that Pacific Gas and Electric had been poisoning the water of Hinkley for over 30 years.  Her story was made into a movie starring Julia Roberts.

Here is a must read article about Erin Brockovich's investigation of the rare illness in LeRoy, New York. She already has a prime suspect.

Press Conference in Dimock, PA: January 20, 2012

Today, 1-20-12, Press Conference at the Sautner House in Dimock, Pa., Susquehanna County, where Julia Walsh of Frackaction.org of NY introduces Dimock residents with polluted water. Craig Sautner speaks, followed by Victoria Switzer, then Silver Lake resident, Craig Stevens and Josh Fox, "Gasland", Producer. EPA decides to bring water in a large tanker for polluted residents after reviewing more test data received by Cabot Gas and DEP and EPA will test 61 homes in the area starting this Monday and Tuesday and continue to bring water to several homes in Dimock. Industrial chemicals, barium , arsenic and metals, besides methane found in the water. Four EPA people were there.

Only four homes in Dimock are slated to receive clean water from the EPA so far, but there are many more homes still in need of clean water.

THANK YOU, EPA, FOR BRINGING CLEAN WATER TO DIMOCK.  A GOOD START, BUT THERE ARE MANY MORE FAMILIES IN NEED OF CLEAN WATER.

The Trouble With Health Problems Near Gas Fracking: NPR Interview

Read the article here.

If you go for a walk in the country and there are gas wells around,  can you feel safe?  Can you be sure that you won't inhale toxic chemicals or become contaminated in some way while you are strolling by? This story tells of a woman from Parachute, Colorado,  who became very ill while working on her property in 2005.  She didn't think about the connection to gas wells until she began talkng to some of her neighbors.  They had problems, too, in some cases.  Now she believes the gas drilling was the cause of her illness.  We simply do not have enough data yet to be sure we are safe from negative gas drilling effects.  Until we have data, we can assume we are at risk.

In loving memory of my Dad

The Reverend Robert F. Shippee

November 29, 1922-September 29, 2010

He loved the Earth and opposed natural gas drilling until his dying day.

RIP Troy Anthony Davis: Abolish the Death Penalty

Troy Davis and his mother

Violence in all its forms must end on this planet.  The legal murder, listed as homicide on the death certificate, of a very possibly innocent man (there is too much doubt about his guilt),  is a macabre,  grisly act carried out, in this case, by the State of Georgia.  The purposeful act of injecting a drug into the arm of a human being in order to stop his heart from beating is something that must be stopped from ever happening again.  Georgia has 104 more people on death row.  How many more Troy Davises will there be?  Killing a man who is in prison and therefore helpless is a barbaric act.

The rape of the Earth by hydrofracking is another violence which pervades our world and must be stopped.  Capital punishment and environmental destruction are related.  Our belief in the sacredness of all life touches both the execution of a human being and the killing of the environment,  human beings, and animals with toxic chemicals.  We are putting toxic fluids into the Earth just as lethal fluids were injected into the arm of Troy Davis on September 21, 2011.

Amy Goodman of Democracy Now covered the execution of Troy Davis live, the only media to do so.  Go to www.democracynow.org for more on this tragic killing.

Our hearts go out to the family of Mark MacPhail, the young man who was killed in 1989.  We also pray for the family of Troy Davis who have suffered, too.

I am Troy Davis.

PA Sierra Club Worried About Frack Fluids in Flood Water

Bridge in Wyalusing, PA

For Immediate Release

September 9, 2011

Contact:

Jeff Schmidt, Sierra Club - Pennsylvania Chapter, 717-602-5431

Tracy Carluccio, Delaware River Network, 215-692-2329



Pennsylvania Groups Express Concerns over Fracking Fluids in Flood Water

Demand Disclosure of Chemicals and Number of Well Pads in Floodplains

Harrisburg, PA-As tropical storm Lee continues to dump massive amounts of rain throughout Pennsylvania, concerns are growing over natural gas drilling pits overflowing and spilling their toxic contents into flooded creeks, streams and rivers.

There are no currently safeguards in place by the State of Pennsylvania to prevent natural gas drilling and the placing of open pits containing toxic fracking fluids in flood plains.

The groups call on the DEP to immediately disclose to the public and emergency response professionals how many wells are located within the floodplain, how many may have potentially leaked into our waterways, and what types of chemicals residents and emergency responders may have come in contact with.

Pennsylvania Environmental groups released the following statements in reaction to the heavy rainfall and potential for contaminated flood regions:

"Given the significant flooding over the past several days, there is much concern over how many well pads, open pits and chemical storage tank fields have been inundated with toxic chemicals washing into our waterways and flooded communities," states Jeff Schmidt, Director with the Sierra Club Pennsylvania Chapter. "It is imperative that the PA DEP not allow natural gas wells and infrastructure to be located in floodplains."

"The human devastation experienced by flooding is largely the result of bad decision making - building in the wrong place and the wrong way," said Maya van Rossum, the Delaware Riverkeeper. "Because we have once again put the priorities of industry above the health, safety and protection of people, which includes protecting the environment that feeds and sustains them. We have created a catastrophic situation - and the damage we see here will far surpass what we are able to see with our eyes, the chemical slurry of the drillers will spread its poison, becoming an insidious and unseen threat that will cause sickness and harm for years to come."

"We can only assume that the runoff from gas well sites during this terrible flooding is a toxic flood," said Tracy Carluccio, Deputy Director of DRN. "PA should shut down all drilling now and must immediately revise its regulations to prohibit any gas well development within the floodplains adjacent riparian areas, for the sake of public health and safety."

B. Arrindell, Director of Damascus Citizens for Sustainability, said, "We have verified that there is a spreading oil slick in the Wyalusing area along the flooding Susquehanna River. This is indicative of not just oils, but also all the chemicals being used and released materials brought to the surface by the drilling that are now being spread everywhere the flood waters travel. This has profound ongoing health implications for everyone living, working, farming or visiting the area. Pennsylvanians are being denied their constitutional right to a clean environment."

"While the industry mouths rhetoric about 'safe and responsible' drilling, they do the absolute opposite in fact, storing hundreds of millions of gallons of toxic flowback fluid in open frack pits, now flowing into floodwaters," said Iris Marie Bloom, director of Protecting Our Waters. "Fracking fluid chemicals, and even worse, the radioactive materials, arsenic and other deadly contaminants brought up from the deep shale, should never come into contact with air, water or earth. But here they are flowing with flood waters irreversibly into our ecosystem. This is a public health disaster in the making. Not one more fracking permit should be issued. All open frack pits must be permanently abolished and life-cycle cumulative impact studies done."

Nature Abounds President Melinda Hughes-Wert commented on the situation, "Prior to the epic flooding, we already knew that toxic water from the wells was seeping into our waterways through inefficient containment ponds placed in mountainous topography. Now with the epic flooding, we have even more toxic chemicals in our ground and surface waters. This is truly a significant problem for the commonwealth and it should be addressed by our officials with urgency. Anything less, is an insult to the intelligence of the citizens of Pennsylvania."

"The devastating flooding occurring in Pennsylvania is just another chilling reminder that we are all downstream of poorly regulated, poorly understood, and inherently dangerous natural gas drilling operations. Natural gas drilling in Pennsylvania needs to stop," said Karen Feridun, Founder of Berks Gas Truth.

Heavy Rains Close Some Bradford County Schools (PA) Today

The Susquehanna River in French Azilum, PA
Photo: Carol Manuel

Breaking News from the Wyalusing Rocket-Courier: (09/07/11)

Heavy rains and increasing reports of flooding and road closings have prompted the early dismissal of classes at Wyalusing Area Schools, where elementary students will be dismissed today at 12:15 p.m. and high school students at 12:30 p.m. Towanda area schools will be dismissed at 12:50 p.m. and Canton at 11:15 a.m.

My thoughts:  With many gas well pads in this area,  floods may well transport toxic chemicals randomly over a wide area, both on land and in the waters of the area.  This will take place unbeknownst to anyone.  Flooding is a common occurrence in NEPA.  Have the gas drillers taken this into consideration in their methods and plans for containment of toxic fluids?  Is this acceptable?  No, but people are not important to the gas companies.  Money is.  This fact will never be admitted by the gas companies,  but that doesn't change the reality.  We are collateral damage along with animals and plants.

UPDATE:
Wyalusing Area School District officials have announced that due to flooded roadways, all schools will be closed tomorrow, Thursday, Sept. 8, 2011. Watch our website for developing stories as this storm continues to impact our region.
http://www.rocket-courier.com

Gas truck on Route 187, Bradford County, PA
September 7, 2011
Photo: Wyalusing Rocket-Courier

Natural Gas Drilling: It's Horrible What They Do (frack parody)

Another frack parody for Catskill Citizens http://www.catskillcitizens.org/. This time it's a parody of James Blunt's "You're Beautiful".

Here are the lyrics:

my life was brilliant
now it's a joke
turn on my faucet
and then I choke

the gas that their drilling for
is probably killing me
they can filter it all night but it still won't be clean

it's horrible
it's horrible
it's horrible what they do
it just ain't right when your water ignites
and it smells repulsive too
would you care if it were you

well it comes out brown
and makes a hissing sound
and it kills all the grass whenever it hits the ground
and they're so good at passing the blame
to them life and death are just part of the game

it's horrible
it's horrible
it's horrible what they do
begging on your knees
but you signed that lease
so there's nothing you can do
and here's what they think of you

la la la
la la la
la la la loser

it's horrible
it's horrible
it's horrible what they do

everyone at Haliburton should be ashamed of themselves
they only care about money they don't care about you
But it's time to face the truth,
cause they're coming next for you.


A huge thank you to Josh Fox and everyone who had anything to do with Gasland the Movie or supporting the cause!!

Footage of Susquehanna River Bubbling

Don Williams of Wyalusing, PA, kayaked at Sugar Run July 17th and took this footage.  Click on the link:

LINK

Why are these bubbles coming up from the river bed?  Where are they coming from? And why can't the gas companies do something about it?  Well, I think it is because, despite claims by gas drillers that what they are doing is safe and predictable,  we are still forced to live by the geology of the region which means we have no way of knowing where methane and other chemicals used in gas drilling, especially hydrofracking, go after they are put down the hole under immense pressure.  Not even half of the chemicals ever come back to the surface.  Where do they go?  They go wherever they find a pathway, and no one can even guess about that. 

Gas drilling is not a safe operation.  Too many unknowns.  And that is true no matter how many regulations and safeguards are followed.

Health Effects of Natural Gas Drilling: Sandra Steingraber, PhD

PhD distinguished scholar in residence at Ithaca College, Sandra Steingraber speaks at the New York Assembly Public Hearing on Health Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing Techniques, Thursday, May 26. The audio is a little hard to hear, but listen carefully! Dr. Steingraber has a PhD in Biology from the University of Michigan. Her book, "Raising Elijah: Protecting Our Children In an Age of Environmental Crisis", is worth checking out.

Endocrine Disrupters: Updated List From TEDX

There are about 800 chemicals known to be used in gas drilling that are called endocrine disruptors.  Take a look at this list here. 

Endocrine effects include direct effects on traditional endocrine glands, their hormones and receptors (such as estrogens, anti-androgens, and thyroid hormones), as well as signaling cascades that affect many of the body’s systems, including reproductive function and fetal development, the nervous system and behavior, the immune and metabolic systems, the liver, bones and many other organs, glands and tissues.

So if you are pregnant, or plan to become pregnant,  have an immune system-related illness (such as MS, ALS, lupus, celiac disease, rheumatoid arthritis, gluten sensitivity, diabetes Type 1),  liver disease, or osteporosis, etc., stay away from gaslands wherever they are.  Young and old alike are at risk around gas wells.  I am not a doctor, but this is just common sense.

Take a look at the list of endocrine disruptors used in gas drilling.  It is an eye-opener.

Natural Gas Drilling: The Gasman Comes and What d'ya get?

Sometimes music has a way of telling the story best. 

Frack ABCs

Alphabet sing-along!

Half-polluted or Half-protected?

Credit: Marquil

empirewire.com

DEMAND ACCOUNTABILITY!