Hydrofracking: A Personal Testimony and Warning

Silica dust in the air

Hello: My name is Carl L. Mc Williams, I am married to Karen and we live in Garfield County, Colorado. There are over 10,000 active CH4 (methane) gas wells inside Garfield County, Colorado.

I spent one full year working on these CH4 wells. I was employed by  LONKAR US LTD. a Canadian company and I worked on a "swabbing rig". We were not part of the exploration (drilling). We serviced existing and producing natural gas wells. A swabbing rig is a "workover-rig" and our purpose was to remove water from the well that had stopped the flow of natural gas in a producing well. It turns out that the water we were removing was residual "fracing" water and we were never informed of the benzene and other chemicals that exist in this "production water".

In March of 2008, my swabbing rig was working on a well site where the gas company had reused the same "fracing" fluids in an attempt to save money. The problem with that is the reusing of "fracing" fluids causes the manifestation of H2S, (Hydrogen Sulfide Gas) which, in doses above 50 ppm for 30 minutes is deadly. My co-worker died and I spent three months in recovery. My employer and the billion dollar energy company basically lied and covered-up their gross negligence in ordering my co-worker and I to expose ourselves to the deadly H2S without proper safety equipment, such as supplied-air-respirators. Federal OSHA fined my employer. I blew the whistle to OSHA and was fired for doing so. My whistleblower case with OSHA is still pending and I have been black-balled from the industry.

That said, I do want to bring to your attention a very deadly practice that is taking place on every "fracing" job site. "Fracing" uses silica sand in the "fracing mix". The truck drivers, pulling "sand-cans" (box-car-size-trailers) full of silica sand arrive at the well site and using high pressure pumps unload from the "sand-cans" the silica sand into the "fracing tanks". During this process there is created a silica sand dust cloud that is much more dangerous than asbestos. Just as cut glass will lacerate the flesh of your arm, this silica sand dust is an airborne particulate, that when breathed into the lungs will cause lung damage that is a quicker death than asbestos exposure and extremely painful for the victim.

I informed Federal OSHA of this danger to Americans but nothing has happened from OSHA yet.

Therefore, I am informing you folks. The gas drilling industry has an expression: "WELL-FIELD-TRASH". The corporate officers of the natural gas industry considers all of their well workers to be "TRASH". The worker safety-protection measures on these gas well sites is non-existent.

Pass the word about the silica sand dust these Americans are breathing

Carl McWilliams
Silt Mesa, Colorado

This piece was originally published here.

There Goes the Lake: "Did we do that?"

There used to be a lake here.
Duke Lake provided Greene County (PA) residents with a popular spot to fish, boat, and swim.

Six years ago, the earth moved in Greene County, PA.  A dam at Ryerson Station State Park's 62-acre Duke Lake cracked as a result of longwall mining nearby.  The state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources was forced to drain the lake because of safety concerns.  Litigation ensued.  Consol Energy is responsible for the crack in the dam.  But now they don't want to pay to replace the dam.

Duke Lake is still dry.  Here is the latest advisory:

8/17/2011 1:56:00 PM

Duke Lake at Ryerson Station State Park was drawn down on 7/28/05 due to concerns about the dam. As a result there is currently no lake, no boating and only limited trout fishing available at the park until the concerns can be addressed and the lake refilled. The limited trout fishing areas are in the stream above what once was the lake near the iron bridge, and below the breached dam. The park is still open for camping, hiking, and picniking year-round and when in season, the swimming pool is open

Read the PennFuture article here.

Here's Don Hopey's article published August 25, 2011, in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.  A judge will issue a decision as to whether Consol Energy will have to pay for the damages soon.

Mining State Forests in PA: What Is Alan Walker Thinking?

Alan Walker

Alan Walker, secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, has proposed that we solve all of the state’s fiscal problems by taking a strip mine approach to the state forest.

Secretary Walker would do well to consider his duty under Article 1, Section 27 of the Pennsylvania Constitution:

The people have a right to clean air, pure water, and to the preservation of the natural, scenic, historic and esthetic values of the environment. Pennsylvania's public natural resources are the common property of all the people, including generations yet to come. As trustee of these resources, the Commonwealth shall conserve and maintain them for the benefit of all the people.

The Pennsylvania Environmental Council is distressed about Walker's appointment as Secretary of PA's Department of Community and Economic Development.
PennFuture's comment on this is compelling.

We can't drink (un)natural gas!

Protect public lands!

No drilling in state forests!

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) In Dryer Sheets

Baby, watch out!

This blog is usually all about un-natural gas drilling and the chemical hazards related to it.  Today news comes across my desk that in our own homes scented laundry products, for example, dryer sheets, have been found to contain hazardous chemicals.  Read more......

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!

   

New Billboard Targets Hydrofracking in Williamsport, PA

As seen on Route 15 in Williamsport, PA

Visit Responsible Drilling Alliance on Facebook.

Halliburton Comes Out With New Line of Fracking Products

Drink up?

Halliburton came out with "first-of-its-kind fracture fluid system" comprised of materials from the food industry.  It is marketed under the name "CleanStim™."  

An employee of Halliburton was asked by his superior to take a sip of this stuff.  Here's the story.

I think I'll plan a Frack Tea Party!

NY Governor Cuomo's Legacy

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo

Quote of the Day:

In terms of an enduring legacy, what Andrew Cuomo has to be concerned about is the possibility of being remembered as the governor who brought upstate New York hot and cold running methane out of its water pipes.
                                                         
--Fred LeBrun, Times-Union 8/22/2011



Read more: http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Gas-fund-gives-cover-to-Cuomo-2134248.php#ixzz1VrVtMQ7s

Looking For Gas in All the Wrong Places

Andes, NY

Andes, NY, Delaware County, was the location of an important meeting last Friday. One hundred and sixty residents met in the school gym to hear a presentation on hydraulic fracturing and to share views on the impact of fracking should it come to town.  Read Stanley Fish's piece from the NYT here. You'll be heartened.

The day before this meeting an article appeared in the New York Post, entitled "Why Andes is worth a peek."  This is worth reading!  See what a gem this little town is.  So many treasures to be preserved, protected, and shared.

The overwhelming feeling after the town meeting Friday was that fracking does not fit in to the value and beauty of Andes.  Will the people prevail and ban hydrofracking?  I hope so.  If Andes stays strong and resists this destructive industry- the natural gas industry-,  not only will it dodge this lethal bullet, but it will also inspire others to do the same.

Tar Sands Action: Josh Fox

Tar Sands Action/ Josh Fox from JFOX on Vimeo.

Canada's boreal forest is being destroyed day by day by the extreme fossil fuel development of the tar sands. This operation uses obscene amounts of water and natural gas and produces obscene amounts of carbon dioxide and greenhouse gasses. The area, the size of Florida or England, will be destroyed beyond saving- total destruction without hope of reclamation- ever.  The Obama administration is now considering building a pipeline, known as the Keystone XL Pipeline,  in order to deliver the oil throughout the US, even as far as the Gulf Coast.  An action is planned, starting August 20th, ending September 3rd, in front of the White House in Washington, D.C.  Josh Fox, director of the documentary, "Gasland,"  is asking people to come to Washington to join the effort.  This will be a very civil civil disobedience action.  Many arrests are expected.  Training will be given to each day's group of protestors.

More information:  Tar Sands Action.

Feeling Tricked By Your Gas Lease?

Joe Heath, attorney for Onondaga Nation, and resident of Cortland, NY, talks about gas lease issues that you may have encountered, especially as pertains to renewing or not renewing a lease. How can you fight the Big Boys and stand up for your rights?  Mr. Heath explains how you can do it.  Look for such things as extension clauses, force majeure clauses, delay rental clauses, and automatic renewal clauses, and many more tricks that can make your life miserable.

From Essential Dissent.

Is Your Water at Risk from Fracking?

From Food and Water Watch, a clever, entertaining video that lasts 2½ minutes!

Food and Water Watch Mission Statement:

Our Mission

Food & Water Watch works to ensure the food, water and fish we consume is safe, accessible and sustainably produced. So we can all enjoy and trust in what we eat and drink, we help people take charge of where their food comes from, keep clean, affordable, public tap water flowing freely to our homes, protect the environmental quality of oceans, force government to do its job protecting citizens, and educate about the importance of keeping the global commons — our shared resources — under public control.

For more information, click here.

Gas Well Study Cooking Class: Making Fracking Gel

In this video we make slickwater fracking fluid using guar gum, kerosene and water and talk about the gel fluid, solvents used (like diesel, methanol or kerosene), and land application of fracture waste in West Virginia.

For more information see http://members.citynet.net/sootypaws/gws.

Laurel Lake Creek Pipeline Drilling Resumes (Susquehanna County, PA)

Salt Spring State Park
Laurel Lake Creek flows into Silver Creek which flows through this park.
[Photo: Gary Li]

It's a go for Laser Northeast Gathering Company!  They can now resume their installation of the 33-mile natural gas pipeline.  They had a little glitch- three "inadvertent returns" of drilling mud- this month, but now everything is back to drill, baby, drill normal.  The pipeline has to go under Laurel Lake Creek, a stream designated as an exceptional value waterway.  However, in eleven days, there were three accidents involving mud mixed with bentonite surging up into the pristine creek and making an utter mess.  The PA DEP is saying that there will be no lasting damage, no effect on aquatic creatures.  They say that most of the spilled material was recovered.  Think about this:  You pour gallons and gallons of mud into a creek.  How do you know you got most of it up?  And how do you really know how much mud actually did come up out of the ground and into that water? 

Laser CEO Thomas Karam met with DEP Secretary Michael Krancer in Harrisburg Monday and got the go-ahead to proceed with the pipeline project. They re-started drilling on Tuesday.  They are going to use a smaller drill to try and "intercept the existing pilot bore."  Laser already constructed a flume at the site to divert the water around the bore.  See video.

No fines have been levied thus far. 

Comment regarding the mud return from Susquehanna River Watch: LINK

FIRST, DO NO HARM

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primum_non_nocere]

LINK to PressConnects article.

Laurel Lake Creek Mud Inadvertent Return: Update

Laser Pipeline drilling polluted Laurel Lake Creek, and this is their present resolution plan to stop the mud from further leaking into the creek. The Pipeline is presently stopped from drilling by DEP and waits new plans and approval from DEP to resume drilling. filmed 8-14-11

This unfortunate accident- actually 4 mud blowouts- in Laurel Lake Creek, Susquehanna County, PA, is just another example of what can happen in the gas drilling industry. The pipeline company has admitted that it is surprised. It is not familiar enough with the geology of PA. But that doesn't stop them from going right ahead and trampling all over the place, taking risks with an exceptional value creek.

Gas Royalties in Texas: New Deductions Affect Royalty Checks

Chesapeake Energy has decided to deduct post-production costs from royalty checks in the Barnett Shale Play in Texas.  About 20,000 royalty owners will likely see their royalty checks slashed by roughly 25 percent after the company deducts expenses associated with post-production, such as gas gathering, compression, and transportation, according to the Star-Telegram.  The changes took effect with the July royalty checks, based on May production.  Only those leaseholders who have specific clauses precluding assessments for post-production costs will be exempt from this new policy. Would you like to read the letter they sent to landowners who have signed leases with them?  Here it is:  http://www.askchesapeake.com/Barnett-Shale/Royalty-Owners/Pages/Gathering-Deductions.aspx

Chesapeake Energy can do this with leases that do not specifically prohibit the assessment.  That's how it works.  Pennsylvania, watch out.

A related article from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Read Sue Heavenrich's blogpost on The Marcellus Effect.

PA Governor Corbett Devalues Renewable Energy, Supports Gas Industry

Governor Corbett

Pennsylvania's primary energy office, the Office of Energy and Technology Deployment, has been severely slashed.  The directors of the office have been removed and reassigned to the Office of Energy Management and the Governor's Green Government Council, according to Don Hopey in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Sunday.  The governor has also put a stop to signing contracts that support clean energy supply. There are many negative ramifications to this change of focus, for example, losing possibly more than 100,000 good jobs.  Read more here:  LINK

Governor Corbett had the bright idea of paddling the Susquehanna River in a kayak recently, but he purposely avoided any citizens who might ask him the hard questions about the gas industry and its effect on the river.

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!!

Jake Brakes Prohibited in Wyalusing, PA

Noise pollution is a significant problem, especially in gasland areas wherever that may be.  This week Wyalusing Borough voted to prohibit the use of jake brakes which make a loud machine gun type of sound when applied. With all the gas drilling vehicles everywhere in Bradford County, this will perhaps make carrying on a conversation on a street corner or sleeping at night a little easier.  However, the slow and persistent destruction of the environment and the dangers to public health will continue despite tiny measures such as this.

LINK

Laurel Lake Creek Update: Another "Inadvertent Return" of Mud (PA)

A very sad situation gets worse. Another inadvertent return (mud blowout) in Laurel Lake Creek, Susquehanna County, PA. This pristine stream is supposedly protected by the PA DEP as an exceptional value stream. Such a designation means that it is protected more than other streams. So much for that plan. If you watch the men standing in the stream, trying to "fix" this mess, does it strike you that they seem to just be randomly throwing what look like sandbags haphazardly as if they have no clue what to do. Are they just trying to act busy and look like they are doing something beneficial? To me it looks like a lost cause. From crystal clear water to thick coffee. News is that there have been three mud blowouts in the last week or so in this creek. Drilling stops, then resumes, and then another blowout. Isn't there a definition of insanity? Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.

Here is Part Two of the video taken by a resident of the area on Monday, August 8th. You can see the mud coming up in the creek.

This just in from Vera, reporter from Susquehanna County (August 10th):

[The mud is] still leaking and being pumped out;

day 13 --first happened July 29th. The ban on drilling still on for that section--it's coming out of different spot in the creekbed; about 10 feet from the other spot-- our geology is a challenge for them--

thanks, to the Gaia Earth-- Be a challenge-

WHERE WILL WE GO AFTER OUR PLANET IS UNINHABITABLE?

Third Spill At Pipeline Muddies Susquehanna County Creek (PA)

This is very sad news. Three mud spills in just a few days. No small matter to ruin a creek deemed exceptional value.  But this kind of thing will continue in all probability because the pipeline industry cannot know that something is wrong before it happens.  Or maybe they can know, but they will continue to drill and install pipelines anyway.  A little collateral damage is okay, right?

Read more here. (Laura Legere, writer)

And here. (Marcellus Drilling News)

Marcellus Shale Reality Tour: Bradford County, PA

This 40-minute film shows a group of 15 citizens from Luzerne County, PA, including some public office holders, as they traveled by bus to Bradford County, PA, to see firsthand the drilling operations in all its stages, including compressor stations and pipelines. Compelling testimony from land owners who have been severely impacted by the gas drilling industry.

The film project was done by GDAC. (Gas Drilling Awareness Coalition)  Check out their website.

Heavy Fraffic

A clip from a movie called "Groundswell." Heartbreaking truths about what the gas industry is doing to us- destroying the life we wanted to live. David Kagan, a retired English and mathematics teacher, has lived in Pine Creek's southernmost village of Torbert since 1991. Here he talks about what the natural gas industry has done to him personally.

To read some of David Kagan's work, click here.

Another Truck Overturns, Spills Fracking Fluid in PA

A tractor trailer carrying an acid used in hydrofracking overturned around midnight in North Mahoning Township, Indiana County, PA.  Another sharp turn in a road- perhaps driving too fast?  Nine of the ten of the containers on the truck started leaking along with diesel fuel.  Ten houses were evacuated.

When is this going to stop?  Truck accidents are too common.  The driver was injured and taken to a hospital. Imagine being awakened at midnight by a knock on the door and told you must get out.  Scary and a rude awakening for sure.

Click here to read the original article.

Laurel Lake Creek Mud Spill: Susquehanna County, PA

An eyewitness covering this accident continues her report:  "Next day , I went to see more clean-up activity than ever and more mud oozing out and two containment pits-- and it's spreading over a 1/2 mile to the next creek-- they can't stop it so far-- it's powerful mud and a lot a pressure under the earth pushing this out-- the creek is all brown and muddy and it was pristine clear-- what a sad sight--"

A PRISTINE WATERWAY IS RUINED

GAS DRILLING IS HAZARDOUS TO OUR HEALTH AND THE HEALTH OF OUR PRECIOUS ENVIRONMENT

Drilling Mud Truck and Car Collide in Susquehanna County, PA: One Fatality

John Jones, age 57, was killed in this accident. He had at least two children.

Water Tanker Tips Over Into Ditch: Susquehanna County, PA

This accident was minor.  Yet it took several hours to get the truck out of the way while more trucks waited in a long line to get through.  No one was hurt.

I applaud the brave person who filmed this incident.  She goes wherever she finds the real news and provides videos for us who can't be there on the scene.  Indy Media at its best!

Mud Blowout in Exceptional Value Watershed: Susquehanna County, PA

Laser Pipeline mud and bentonite blow out into exceptional-valued Laurel Lake Creek, Silver Lake Township, Susquehanna County, Pa. Videotaped 8-1-11. Rockford company drilling and drill bit came out into creek spilling the mud. Company pumped and contained the spill into a containment pond but it's still seeping downstream into the creek as we witnessed. DEP has been there and investigating. The latest impact on our delicate environment.

To read the Pennsylvania Code for High Quality or Exceptional Value Waters, click HERE.  This accident has impacted a body of water designated as exceptional value.

(Click on map to enlarge.)

From the DEP website:

The highest quality streams are rated as ‘EV’ and DEP testing must show a high biotic integrity and health with test data from over a year period to obtain this rank. EV streams include all streams that flow through state natural areas, or federally protected wilderness areas, other waters that receive a score of 92% biotic integrity ranking, and wilderness trout streams. Once a stream has been defined in such a way, the stream is protected in that DEP regulation does not permit uses along the stream that would lead to any degradation of the stream quality. The ‘HQ’ streams are the next level of quality (slightly degraded) and must show a macro-invertebrate community score of 83% or better, or be a state designated class A trout stream. HQ streams are defined as still sustaining cold water fisheries. The EV streams are mostly found in undeveloped areas of a watershed and represent, perhaps, some of the more pristine streams remaining in the state. One road block in this designation system is the number of streams that are untested or evaluated. Evaluations are usually made by DEP staff although the public can petition for a review. Because of staff limitations, many streams remain unevaluated.

IS THERE A SAFE WAY TO DRILL?

CAN A MESS LIKE THIS BE REVERSED?

Danger: Pipelines

Pipeline in Bradford County, PA (2009)
Photo: Carol Manuel

If you are like me,  the millions of gas pipelines, a virtual web,  which lay beneath our feet have been no cause for concern in the past.  I never gave them a thought.  But now, gas pipelines have been more and more in the news as old ones explode and new ones have poor safety records.  Just Google pipeline accidents, and you will see what I mean.

It was reported in the Times Herald-Record online article July 23rd that the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission is investigating the Columbia Gas Transmission Line Company for a "possible pollution event" in Pike County, PA. The investigation will center around the Clean Streams Law.

Susan Beecher, executive director of the Pike County Conservation District, reports that there have been problems with this pipeline project from the very beginning.  Columbia is replacing a 14-inch diameter gas line installed in 1947 with new 20-inch pipes. So far at least 11 violations of the Clean Streams Law have been noted since June 27. 

Beecher asked the PA DEP to issue a compliance order to stop work on the project.  But that did not happen.  The DEP suggested that there be a conference to talk about the problem.  That took place July 8.  So now the Columbia Gas Company is making an effort to ensure more erosion control measures. I think it is troubling that gas companies get so many chances to fix accidents and are rarely fined.  When fines are levied, they are so small that it is a joke.

LINK

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.

Susquehanna River Still Bubbling

Susquehanna River, Wilmot Township, Bradford County, PA
Photo: Don Williams

Don Williams checked out this spot on July 17.  The bubbling is still going on in the Susquehanna River.  Know one seems to know how the bubbles got there or what to do about it.  We do know that these are methane bubbles.

Gas Industry: Great Jobs?

Vera Scroggins in Dimock, PA

Comments from Vera Scroggins:
Believe me, you won't be wanting these "great" jobs for your families--
12 hour days with 14 days on and 14 days off  with rates of $10 to $13 an hour
and exposed to dirty conditions with exposure to possible toxins
and dangers--
not something I want my children involved in or our husbands, dads, etc..--
the gas companies think we are so desperate here in Susquehanna County that
we will take any kind of low-level, donkey work--

the better, choicer jobs are for the out-of-staters--  
and they're not so great either--
 
The Gas Companies can't get enough people interested in their offerings--
I wonder why ?? !! 
and they have the nerve to say our people don't want to work--
I told them to offer humane jobs and conditions--
that went over their heads!!
   
Vera Scroggins
Citizens for Clean Water

This American Life: Game Changer

This episode of This American Life presents the issues surrounding natural gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale.

Click here to listen to the podcast.

Prologue.

Host Ira Glass tells the stories of two professors, each making a calculation that no one had made before. One gets acclaim. One ends up out of a job. The first, Terry Engelder, a geologist at Penn State, was estimating the amount of natural gas that's recoverable from the Marcellus shale, a giant rock formation that's under Pennsylvania and several other Eastern states. The second, Conrad "Dan" Volz, at the University of Pittsburg, estimated how much toxic crap—chemicals and pollution from gas exploration—might be getting into water supplies. (6 1/2 minutes)

Act One. You've Got Shale.

Producer Sarah Koenig continues the story Terry Engelder and Dan Volz, their rival calculations about natural gas in Pennsylvania, and how each was treated by his university. She explains how Pennsylvania's universities, politicans and industry have united to develop natural gas. Other states have been more cautious. (26 1/2 minutes)

Act Two. Ground War.

Sarah takes us to Mt. Pleasant, PA, where a gas exploration company called Range Resources has leased 95% of the township's land. This led to a standoff between Mt. Pleasant and Range, starting with zoning disputes and ending in a full scale PR war—a war in which the town was seriously outgunned. (23 1/2 minutes)

Exposing the Oil and Gas Industry: Ponzi Scheme?

Food and Water Watch has created a new video exposing the oil and gas industry for its misleading claims and calling on Governor Cuomo to ban fracking in New York.

Click here to find out more.

This Picture Is Changing Due To Gas Wells and MARC1 Pipeline

Join 22,000 other people who’ve already spoken out against the construction of a huge gas pipeline that would ruin the beauty of Pennsylvania’s Endless Mountains – a region of rolling green hills, farms, covered bridges, and waterfalls. Trouble is brewing as developers plan a massive 39-mile gas pipeline, known as the MARC 1 Hub Line Project, that would cut through 610 acres in Bradford, Sullivan, and Lycoming Counties and bring with it heavy machinery, roads, and other unwanted development.  It will cross high quality streams as well and spur gas drilling in previously undeveloped areas while threatening public health and the environment. 

EarthJustice hopes to persuade a court that a full environmental impact statement is necessary to approve the MARC 1 pipeline.  If this effort is successful, it will be the FIRST such study of Marcellus Shale impacts in Pennsylvania.

Click here to go to the EarthJustice page. There is a map of the pipeline there.  Look for the Take Action button to take you to the page where you can click on "Which do you like better? Picnics or Pipelines?  You can add your name to those opposed!

Take action now before the July 11th deadline!

The photo above: You are looking down at French Azilum in Bradford County as seen from Route 6 at the Marie Antoinette Lookout.  Why do we need to destroy this view?

Frack Truck Impacts On NY Villages and Towns

Click here to see this presentation by Chip Northrup and Jeff Reynolds about frack trucks and what they will do to your town if you don't have good road use ordinances in place.  When dealing with the gas industry, think local.  The federal and state governments and regulatory agencies do not address road and land use. Yet the potential for terrible problems looms large on the horizon for any area where hydrofracking is being done.  We must give this issue our full attention.

Shale Gas Industrialization: What a New York Town Should Do

This 20-minute presentation by Chip Northrup could mean the difference between a good future for your town and a disastrous situation for you and all your neighbors.  In New York State, towns are allowed by law to limit heavy industry in numerous ways.  What about massive truck traffic, hazardous materials, compressor stations, waste disposal wells, waste processing?  These are all subject to local control under NY State law.

We will get NO help from the EPA.   The DEC regulations don't address land use and road use ordinances at all.  Albany doesn't get any money out of this gas industry.  Governor Cuomo will not help us.  President Obama will not help us.  It all comes down to local LAND USE PLANS.

Protect your own town!  Look at your town boards.  If your board has individuals who do not support adequate land use plans, then throw them out and replace them, so says Chip Northrup.

This presentation lays out concrete, doable actions we must take now before it is too late.  Slide 27 lists local control resources.  Pause there and write down the names!

Click here to see the presentation.  It only takes 20 minutes!

Land & Road Laws in New York State: What We Can Do To Protect Ourselves Against Fracking

Chip Northrup commends this presentation to all of us in New York State:
"Excellent summary. Covers all the key points of using land use controls in New York to prohibit shale gas industrialization."

Click here to watch this short power point presentation.  You can pause the slides to read them carefully.  No voice or music.  Just plain good information!

PUT AN END TO SHALE GAS DRILLLING IN NEW YORK STATE! 

Why Home Rule Matters: New York State Will Be Fracked Unless......

Do you have about 35 minutes to spare?  Learn more about what will happen in New York State if localities do not hurry up and get land use and road use ordinances in place NOW!  We will be fracked.  No question.  Watch this excellent power point presentation narrated by Chip Northrup of Cooperstown, NY.  He tells it like it is.

Here is the link.

New York State DEC Releases Revised Report on Hydrofracking

DEC Commissioner Joe Martens declares that slick water, high volume hydrofracking can be done safely, but not in the watersheds of New York City and Syracuse.  Why is that?  If it is safe, it should be OK for the whole state.   Joe Martens is wrong in my view.  Hydrofracking CANNOT be done safely.  Therefore it should be banned permanently everywhere.

T. Boone Pickens Wants Your Water

Texas oil billionaire T. Boone Pickens

Water- is it a commodity or is it a resource for all of us?  T. Boone Pickens is making a fortune by stealing water and selling it.  Politics for profit.  Water isn't for drinking anymore.  It's for profit.  Them that has the money gets the water.  Isn't access to clean water a human right?  Natural resources for profit?  How is this a good thing?

Read more.....

Natural Gas: A Giant Ponzi Scheme?

A well head

According to the New York Times article published June 25th,  the gas industry may be overstating the productivity of their wells and the size of their reserves.  Are gas wells just a giant Ponzi scheme? Do the economics work?  Read more...

This article is a show stopper.  It brings up questions like:  Do wells produce for 30-50 years?  Now it looks like pure speculation.  The most gas is extracted in the first year.  Will lease holders experience a reversal of fortune? This is a boom-and-bust scenario. Are investors being misled?  Will this end up being an Enron moment?  A former Enron executive wrote in 2009 while working at an energy company:

I wonder when they will start telling people these wells are just not what they thought they were going to be?

In Texas where the Barnett Shale has been drilled for ten plus years, a review of more than 9,000 wells (2003-2009) shows that less than 10% of the wells had recouped their estimated costs by the time they were seven years old.

Towanda Area (PA) Ground Zero For Drilling Boom and its Opponents

Main Street, Towanda, PA
Non-stop traffic compliments of the natural gas industry
Photo: Carol Manuel


 

I have heard from the locals that it often takes upwards of 25 minutes to go about two miles through downtown Towanda these days.  Welcome to Boomtown and the Occupation of the Gas Drilling Industry where gas reigns supreme.  The people who deal with leases have virtually taken over the court house.  Try to find a place to sit down in the hallway these days.  And every eatery is thriving.  You will find roughnecks in most of them. Well, they do deserve a good meal.  But they don't change clothes or boots.  What are they bringing in with them?  Some say drilling chemicals. 

Traffic concerns are many.  Elderly citizens are intimidated by the traffic, both when walking and trying to drive in their cars.  School bus drivers are hampered by heavy traffic and road closings. Emergency vehicles have encountered problems in answering calls for help due to road conditions.

Unemployment has gone down according to Commissioner Mark Smith.  However, Michael Lovegreen, District Manager for the Bradford County Conservation District, recently told me that he has had to let people go in his office because he cannot compete with the pay offered by gas drilling-related jobs.  When the boom is over, the unemployment may very well rise to even greater proportions.  Not only that, but what kind of jobs are currently available?  Are they jobs with decent pay?  I talked with a 31-year-old man in June who is living with his parents because his pay working for a company that prepares well pads (I won't mention the company just in case someone could identify him and cause a problem) doesn't pay enough and the rents have gone sky-high as a result of the influx of gas workers.

As for the gas drilling jobs providing a great  future for our young people, where is the moral outrage in encouraging them to seek jobs in oil and gas?  These are very dangerous jobs in regard to health and mortality.  Constant exposure to toxic chemicals is only one issue.  Wouldn't it be better for all of us if our young people could be trained in green technology jobs which would lead to energy sustainability? 

Read the article in the Rocket-Courier (the fourth in a series of five articles) by Rick Hiduk.

Aubrey McClendon Has a Hard Time at Lecture in Boston (2010)

CEO Aubrey McClendon

Poor old Aubrey is confronted with real people about the real problems they are experiencing due to his gas drilling ventures in Pennsylvania.  Watch as he tries to stay above water.  It would be funny if it weren't so sad.

Click here to see the video.

Note:  I was recently in Pennsylvania (Bradford County) where I just happened to run into three young men who work for a company that constructs well pads.  One of the men told me that Mr. McClendon recently did a flyover of several Chesapeake well pads in a helicopter.  The men had to clean up the well sites so that McClendon would be pleased with the neatness and orderliness of the pads.  They said even a stray Coke can would be noticed.  Wouldn't it be great if McClendon would be so concerned about what he is putting in the ground underneath these beautifully kept well pads? 

Frackonomics 2.0: Ponzi Gas Frackers

Click here to watch Chip Northrup's presentation about the Ponzi-like scheme that is the natural gas industry. It is clear, concise, and downright infuriating to find out how we are being scammed out of our collective future.

We are being had.  Get control of your town and county boards now before it is too late for New York State.

Major Gas-Fired Power Plant Proposed for Asylum Township, PA

The Susquehanna River at Old Mill Park, French Azilum, PA
Photo: Carol Manuel

Today the Rocket-Courier, a weekly newspaper published in Wyalusing, PA,  printed an article announcing Moxie Energy's plan to propose a gas-fired power plant to be built in Bradford County, PA, in Asylum Township.  This troubling news is fraught with problems.  I hope the Asylum Township Planning Commission, which will review the proposal, if and when it is formally presented, will have the foresight to recognize the inadvisability of such a plan.  The facility would need a large parcel of land.  One spot that has been considered is a  30-acre tract owned by Larry Fulmer located on Route 187. However, Tom Hughes, Chair of the Asylum Township Planning Commission,  made it clear to me that nothing is decided about location at the present time. In fact, Moxie has not made any formal overtures yet.  This is all speculation right now.  Any action will take time, perhaps years, before a power plant would become a reality there.

Yet red flags are everywhere.  This whole plan ignores the elephant in the room.  Power plants need natural gas, and therein lies most of the problems.  Extracting natural gas from deep in the earth's surface is a very dirty process.  Water, air, and soil contamination are very common.  The industry will tell you that the gas industry has a very safe record.  They can claim a 95% safety record.  However, a 5% failure is very significant when we consider how many wells there are now and how many more are coming soon.  For every one thousand wells, we are talking about fifty wells where an accident, spill, or blowout will occur.  Who will volunteer to live next door to these 50 wells?

The article also presents reasons why this gas-fired power plant is a great idea.  By citing these benefits, it admits that there are problems with the industry, for example, using good water from the Susquehanna River.  This plant would not require river water.  A casual reading of that statement might look good to the local people who are concerned about the millions of gallons of water being taken out of the hydrolic cycle, never to be suitable for anything ever again.  Of course, another ploy is to dangle money out there to hook people into thinking they might have a better life.  During the building phase, this project is expected to have a payroll of $40 million and indirect income of $80 million.  It would be completed in 2015 and then provide a steady tax base and provide a whopping 25-30 high-paying jobs. 

Next the issue of noise and visual impacts are addressed,  thereby admitting that these issues are problematic and that people do become concerned about them, especially because they live near these industrial areas.  The promise is that efforts will be made to minimize these problems.  Air pollution would be low compared to older plants, they claim.

This shift away from inefficient, dirty power is both a local benefit and a regional benefit in terms of air quality.

The article does not remind readers that the air pollution caused by the extraction process all over the area will already have had major impacts on public health and the environment.

Next we have the problem of waste.  All wastes will be managed on-site in accordance with state and federal regulations and will be shipped off-site for recycling or disposal.  Well, on-site waste management is not always good.  We know that sludge pits are sometimes just plowed under in the clean-up process, putting toxic chemicals into the ground, at least the stuff that didn't leak through tears and holes in the plastic liners.  Admittedly, frack pits are not involved in these power plants, but the industry has a bad record in regard to waste disposal.  How careful will it be this time?   As for off-site disposal, will it go to New York?

Moxie Energy calls this natural gas energy "clean power."  I don't think this lie is going to be so easily perpetrated on the public anymore.  We are smartening up.  When considering the entire cycle of getting this "magical" energy source from deep in the ground to our homes, we are not talking about a clean process at all. 

Let us hope that the Asylum Township Planning Commission will not approve this proposal.  Here is some basic information about Asylum Township government:

Today, Asylum Township is run by a board of Supervisors and has an active Planning Commission, which consists of 5 members. In 2003, the planning commission adopted a comprehensive plan. Although the Township currently has no zoning regulations, they do have a set of regulations for their own subdivisions and land development projects that was updated in the summer of 2008.

The Township boasts an historic landmark; the French Azilum Site is open to the public during the months of May through October and remains to be a popular tourist and educational site for locals and visitors alike. Aside from the Historic Site, there is a public Asylum Township park (Old Mill Park) that is open from dawn to dusk and has boat access to the Susquehanna River and picnic sites.

If you wish to express your opinion about this gas-fired plant proposal in Asylum Township, call the Asylum Township Planning Commission secretary, Billie Jo Tuttle, at 570-265-4339.

Call 570-265-4339

LINK to the article about the proposed gas-fired power plant as it appeared today in the Rocket-Courier.

Related reading:

Read about Professor Howarth's recent study concerning natural gas compared to coal, "Natural Gas From Fracking Could Be 'Dirtier' Than Coal"

Here is an article which appeared in the NYT April 11, 2011, entitled "Studies Say Natural Gas Has Its Own Environmental Problems."

Another article worth looking at: "Cornell Scientist Tarnishes Natural Gas's Clean Image"

Finally, read the letter submitted by Robert W. Howarth, Renee Santoro, and Anthony Ingraffea, entitled "Methane and the Greenhouse-Gas Footprint Of Natural Gas From Shale Formations"

A gas-fired power plant

Doesn't this look appalling appealing?

Colorado Man Speaks in Vestal, NY, About His Life After Hydrofracking

Appaloosa horses

Rick Roles comes from Colorado to warn us in Vestal, NY,  about the effects of hydrofracking. It has poisoned his land and destroyed his livestock, including his beautiful Appaloosa stallions, all but one dead and buried. The rancher's health is ruined, too, and his story will bring you to tears.           

Watch Rick Roles' talk here:

http://vimeo.com/25542499

Rafters Paddling Down the Susquehanna, Listening To Local Stories

Film crew ties up along the Susquehanna River

I spent about four hours with these delightful, thoughtful, creative, and intelligent women last week in French Azilum, PA.  The feature length film "The River Twice" will come out in about a year.  Watch for it! Here's the trailer (filmed during their 2010 river adventure). LINK

Read this article from the Rocket-Courier:  LINK

Meryl O'Connor, Dagmar Weaver-Madsen, and Cecily Anderson are an impressive group.  They are great listeners, interested in stories about living on the Susquehanna River.  I wish them the very best in making this feature film.  They are still on the river until July 4th.

Morning on the river

Good luck to the crew!

Pennsylvania Gas Industry: Not Everyone Loves Gas



On Route 187 in Bradford County, PA
Photo by Carol Manuel

Not everyone is happy about natural gas drilling in Pennsylvania. 

[The finger on the left hand is not the index finger.]

Athens Township Says No To Frack Water Treatment Plant

The Athens supervisors turned down an application for a frack water treatment facility in Sayre.  Why?  Because there was concern that it was next to a soccer field and residential areas which depend on well water.  Finally people are thinking about the inevitability of accidents.  Here's the link.

Water Well in Geneva, NY, Tainted After Hydrofracking

Here is a woman who lives in Geneva, NY, whose well water became discolored right after Chesapeake Energy fracked a gas well nearby.  She is being interviewed by Walter Hang of toxicstargeting.

http://www.youtube.com/embed/DTfjWta2Krc

What are her immediate concerns?  She has quite a few.  Who will be next?

Proposed Frack Water Treatment Plant in Sayre, PA

The Athens Township supervisors will hold a hearing tonight, June 16th, on Integrated Water Technologies Inc.'s proposal to construct a plant to treat for waste water from hydraulic fracturing.  My family has a summer home on the Susquehanna downstream from this site.  I do not want a frack water treatment facility upriver from our home.  I pray that this conditional use application will be denied.

Read the article from the Towanda Daily Review here.

Sinkholes and Gas Drilling Go Hand in Hand

A sinkhole in Troy causes a problem
Photo: Eric Hrin

 Tuesday a resident of Troy, PA,  found herself in a pickle.  Her car got stuck in a sinkhole in a parking lot.  My question is:  Is the gas drilling in the area possibly responsible for this sinkhole?    It was reported by the car's owner that there have been at least 7 cars stuck in the sinkhole before.

According to marcellusgas.org, there are 71 wells drilled so far in Troy.  It is something that should be investigated.

Read the Towanda Daily Review, click here.

 Here is a blog post dealing with the sinkhole issue in Texas:
http://txsharon.blogspot.com/2009/07/sinkholes-and-gas-drilling-go-hand-in.html

Bradford County, PA: Gas Drillers Get Religion

Sign on Main Street, Towanda, PA
Photo: Carol Manuel

Marcellus Shale: Cabot Hearts Animals?

Mule deer

Cabot Oil and Gas has done it again.  It is showing us how much they care about the local community and animals.  Their gas drilling is destroying animal habitat and providing light and noise pollution that disrupt the lives of animals.  And well pads cause runoff which puts toxic chemicals in local fields and streams which serve as water sources for animals.  Fish kills and sick and dying farm animals are reported with regularity.  Nonetheless,  Cabot is offering to match donations to True Friends Animal Welfare Shelter in Montrose, PA.  The gas company is described as "a good corporate citizen for the community."  They are offering $10,000.  Such a pittance compared to the harm they are doing to animals every single day.  If only animals could read signs:  Do not drink the water.

Read the article in the Rocket Courier: LINK