Monday, February 28, 2011
Doug McLinko: Everything's Comin' Up Roses
According to Doug McLinko, Commissioner in Bradford County, PA, the gas drilling in his county is doing very well. And it is completely safe, no problems at all. Who is he kidding? Actor and Callicoon, NY, resident, Mark Ruffalo, along with a lot of people, does not agree with Mr. McKlinko.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
The Grand Old Susquehanna Keeps On Rollin'
http://vimeo.com/20310339 from Don Williams on Vimeo.
This short video was taken February 20, 2011, by Don Williams. Wyalusing, Route 6
This river and ALL our rivers are the lungs of our fragile planet and need to be protected. The gas drilling industry does not care about our rivers. They are pouring toxins in the Susquehanna via inadequate water treatment facilities (and some illegal discharges caught on video, too).
Kudos to The Susquehanna River Sentinel for its excellent coverage of this environmental crisis.
Walter Hang Speaks Up About Gas Drilling Dangers in NY
"I believe this could be the Achilles heel of natural gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale."
Walter Hang
Read the article in the NY Times.
"While the existence of the toxic wastes has been reported, thousands of internal documents obtained by The New York Times from the Environmental Protection Agency, state regulators and drillers show that the dangers to the environment and health are greater than previously understood.
The documents reveal that the wastewater, which is sometimes hauled to sewage plants not designed to treat it and then discharged into rivers that supply drinking water, contains radioactivity at levels higher than previously known, and far higher than the level that federal regulators say is safe for these treatment plants to handle."
ToxicsTargeting website: LINK
Friday, February 25, 2011
Marcellus Gas Wells of Bradford County, PA
Map created by the Bradford County Office of Planning & Grants
Active Wells by Company (February 15, 2011)
Unbearable Regulations
An entertaining puppet show with a very serious message......
This is a reenactment of the puppet show Allan Rubin gave at the DRBC hearing in Liberty NY 2/24.
Visit the Sustainable Otsego website: http://sustainableotsego.org/
Sign the petition to ban hydrofracking in NYS here:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/NY-Statewide-Ban-On-Natural-Gas-Drilling/
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Drilling Pollutes Home and Groundwater in Bradford County, PA
A young family in Terry Township in Bradford County (PA) is now faced with the possibility of an explosion from methane gas. They cannot drink their water or cook with it. They have an ugly water buffalo tank in their front yard which has to be filled every 2 days. They say their home was once worth $250,000, but now is worth perhaps $35,000. No one wants a home with bad water.
Chesapeake Energy is responsible for this serious problem, but have they accepted that? And aren't there some public officials and gas industry representatives that will tell you there has NEVER been an instance of water contamination due to gas drilling? How can they get away with that?
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Frack Spill in PA (Woodward Township) Accident
Residents near frac truck crash awaiting tests of well water, soil
February 23, 2011 - From staff reports
SWISSDALE - A cluster of residents near the horseshoe curve along Coudersport Pike in Woodward Township are awaiting the results of tests of their well water and soil following the weekend crash of a tank truck hauling frack water from a natural gas well site. The truck was full of frack water when it tipped over on the curve at Berry Lane and plowed through guardrails, spilling its load and injuring the driver, finally identified Tuesday by township police as Richard Hollabaugh, 41, of Morrisdale.
The truck was heading to another well site in Lycoming County and was hauling what officials called filtered frack or flush water about 10:45 p.m. Friday night. Since then, Berry Lane resident Rebecca Dunlap and her family - among the closest to the spill - are not drinking water from their well.
The crash, the second within nine months at the curve involving a gas industry vehicle, was unnerving. Upon hearing the crash, Rebecca said she ran outside to discover the driver, who was trapped in the truck's cab. "I immediately talked to the driver and he was alert. We're thankful he is fine and has been discharged from the hospital," she said. "I immediately noted water flowing out of the tank," she recalls, so she asked the driver if it was fresh or frack water, and "he said fresh." "I think that maybe his definition of fresh water is different than mine," she said. "I could smell that it was not fresh water."
Emergency crews responded quickly upon receiving calls to the 9-1-1 center. The driver had to be extricated from the cab and was taken to Lock Haven Hospital for treatment, according to township police investigator Miles Houseknecht.
It was early the next morning when the truck was pulled up from the bottom of the embankment and towed away. After being notified, the response by the state Department of Environmental Protection; the owner of the truck, A&A Construction of Clarence; along with officials from Anadarko Petroleum Corp., whose well the truck was serving, also was very quick, she said. "My husband called the DEP and they responded immediately and identified it as frack water. He said it was 9 percent, but I don't quite understand what the 9 percent referred to," she explained.
The DEP estimates between 3,400 and 3,600 gallons of frack water leaked from the truck. The spill is within about 200 feet of her well, she estimated. "That's concerning. We had our well water tested last year, almost one year to the date, in fact, so that we have a baseline water quality data," she said. And while her well is on a slight upslope from the spill, she explained, "hopefully, most people understand that geology doesn't have to follow surface contour."
"I have to say that I contacted Anadarko myself and they immediately called back, insuring they would look into the situation."
Dunlap subsequently arranged for a neighborhood meeting Saturday afternoon, attended by 10 surrounding property owners, three staff members from Anadarko and three from A&A Construction. Among those attending were Ralph and Cathy Padilla, who live across Route 664. They also are not drinking water from their well for fear of contamination. Ralph said the truck knocked down power lines, something he noticed upon running to see if the driver was OK. We cleared everyone out of the area after the driver said he was OK but that he was trapped," Ralph said. Ralph said he also noticed the water leaking from the tank truck.
A&A hired a consultant, GEF, and a respresentative took samples from water wells, then came back and took soil samples, Rebecca said. "That's where this stands. We're waiting for preliminary analyses from the samples. They'll tell us what they found and we'll go from there," she said. "In the meantime, we're not drinking the water, of course." The family is buying its water for consumption and "Anadarko told us to keep the receipts."
Dunlap said the test results could be available as early as today. The initial report that the truck did not leak water was a "miscommunication," Rebecca surmised. "We had a huge snow melt Friday and maybe that's why" it was initially unclear to certain emergency responders whether water from the tri-axle truck spilled from its tank, she thought.
This morning, Anadarko issued the following statement, "The safety and well being of these families is our priority, and we are working with the service provider to take action by providing drinking and cooking water, while water sampling is under way. A&A Construction, Inc. has hired independent experts to conduct the sampling on water wells and soil under the supervision of the Pennsylvania DEP."
It was last June 22 when a Florida man driving a tri-axle flatbed truck and hauling a pickup truck crashed through the same guardrail at the horseshoe curve again, right next to Rebecca's home - after coming from a drill site north of Woodward Township. The driver was trapped in the truck for nearly two hours before being freed from the wreckage and taken to a hospital for treatment. That truck was hauling "drill steel" at the time.
LINK Drilling Concerns
LINK to article above
February 23, 2011 - From staff reports
SWISSDALE - A cluster of residents near the horseshoe curve along Coudersport Pike in Woodward Township are awaiting the results of tests of their well water and soil following the weekend crash of a tank truck hauling frack water from a natural gas well site. The truck was full of frack water when it tipped over on the curve at Berry Lane and plowed through guardrails, spilling its load and injuring the driver, finally identified Tuesday by township police as Richard Hollabaugh, 41, of Morrisdale.
The truck was heading to another well site in Lycoming County and was hauling what officials called filtered frack or flush water about 10:45 p.m. Friday night. Since then, Berry Lane resident Rebecca Dunlap and her family - among the closest to the spill - are not drinking water from their well.
The crash, the second within nine months at the curve involving a gas industry vehicle, was unnerving. Upon hearing the crash, Rebecca said she ran outside to discover the driver, who was trapped in the truck's cab. "I immediately talked to the driver and he was alert. We're thankful he is fine and has been discharged from the hospital," she said. "I immediately noted water flowing out of the tank," she recalls, so she asked the driver if it was fresh or frack water, and "he said fresh." "I think that maybe his definition of fresh water is different than mine," she said. "I could smell that it was not fresh water."
Emergency crews responded quickly upon receiving calls to the 9-1-1 center. The driver had to be extricated from the cab and was taken to Lock Haven Hospital for treatment, according to township police investigator Miles Houseknecht.
It was early the next morning when the truck was pulled up from the bottom of the embankment and towed away. After being notified, the response by the state Department of Environmental Protection; the owner of the truck, A&A Construction of Clarence; along with officials from Anadarko Petroleum Corp., whose well the truck was serving, also was very quick, she said. "My husband called the DEP and they responded immediately and identified it as frack water. He said it was 9 percent, but I don't quite understand what the 9 percent referred to," she explained.
The DEP estimates between 3,400 and 3,600 gallons of frack water leaked from the truck. The spill is within about 200 feet of her well, she estimated. "That's concerning. We had our well water tested last year, almost one year to the date, in fact, so that we have a baseline water quality data," she said. And while her well is on a slight upslope from the spill, she explained, "hopefully, most people understand that geology doesn't have to follow surface contour."
"I have to say that I contacted Anadarko myself and they immediately called back, insuring they would look into the situation."
Dunlap subsequently arranged for a neighborhood meeting Saturday afternoon, attended by 10 surrounding property owners, three staff members from Anadarko and three from A&A Construction. Among those attending were Ralph and Cathy Padilla, who live across Route 664. They also are not drinking water from their well for fear of contamination. Ralph said the truck knocked down power lines, something he noticed upon running to see if the driver was OK. We cleared everyone out of the area after the driver said he was OK but that he was trapped," Ralph said. Ralph said he also noticed the water leaking from the tank truck.
A&A hired a consultant, GEF, and a respresentative took samples from water wells, then came back and took soil samples, Rebecca said. "That's where this stands. We're waiting for preliminary analyses from the samples. They'll tell us what they found and we'll go from there," she said. "In the meantime, we're not drinking the water, of course." The family is buying its water for consumption and "Anadarko told us to keep the receipts."
Dunlap said the test results could be available as early as today. The initial report that the truck did not leak water was a "miscommunication," Rebecca surmised. "We had a huge snow melt Friday and maybe that's why" it was initially unclear to certain emergency responders whether water from the tri-axle truck spilled from its tank, she thought.
This morning, Anadarko issued the following statement, "The safety and well being of these families is our priority, and we are working with the service provider to take action by providing drinking and cooking water, while water sampling is under way. A&A Construction, Inc. has hired independent experts to conduct the sampling on water wells and soil under the supervision of the Pennsylvania DEP."
It was last June 22 when a Florida man driving a tri-axle flatbed truck and hauling a pickup truck crashed through the same guardrail at the horseshoe curve again, right next to Rebecca's home - after coming from a drill site north of Woodward Township. The driver was trapped in the truck for nearly two hours before being freed from the wreckage and taken to a hospital for treatment. That truck was hauling "drill steel" at the time.
LINK Drilling Concerns
LINK to article above
Monday, February 21, 2011
Natural Gas Drilling Causes Truck Traffic Nightmares
Frack truck impacts on New York towns and villages: What will our future look like?
Thanks to Sustainable Otsego for this excellent presentation by Chip Northrup and Jeff Reynolds.
Distribution courtesy of Teresa Winchester.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Compressor Stations Emit Toxic Gas Into the Air
My name is Scott Cannon. I shot this video. I am a professional videographer and have been employed by PBS and NBC. I mention in the video that the second site is owned by Cabot. It is a compressor station, and a compressor station being built by a school is what were are questioning. I will protect the name of my source who lives in that area and has been studying the drilling operations for some time..
Peacegirl writes: Listen to the sound of the working compressor station in Dimock. Look at the methane being emitted into the air. It can't be seen by the naked eye.
Friday, February 18, 2011
Freedom of Speech In America Hillary-Style
Ray McGovern, retired CIA agent and peace activist, is brutally removed from a speech at George Washington University. Read the story HERE. The title of this video calls McGovern a heckler! He stood in silence in the room as Hilary spoke. I think of a heckler as something very different than that.
Anti-gas drilling activists have also been treated this way. Freedom of speech for whom? I guess not us!
OUR FREEDOM OF SPEECH IS HANGING BY A THREAD!
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Video Addresses Hydrofracking in PA and NY
A short video well-worth watching. Here is the transcript of the video.
Thanks to the blog Protect the Endless Mountains of Northern Pennsylvania.
"Minor Spill" Reported in Bradford County, PA
A "minor spill" occurred on Saturday, February 12, 2011, at a Talisman well pad near Alba, Bradford County, PA. A spill of 1-3 barrels of frack flowback water was discharged (sprayed) onto the snow according to Daniel Spadoni of the PA DEP. This sounds so innocuous. However, it is the cumulative effect of all the minor spills and the major spills that will eventually cause a lot of damage. Gas companies minimize the scope of these accidents. I think we need to be very concerned about every one of them.
Here is the link to the Daily Review article.
LINK
Here is the link to the Daily Review article.
LINK
Monday, February 14, 2011
Contaminated Public Water in Ulster, PA
This all happened in 2009, but some people are just finding out about it. What happened to contaminate the public water well in Ulster, PA, in 2009? This article does not explain that. How did the water get polluted? And why did the 12 other test wells dug to attempt to find good, safe water, turn up nothing acceptable? They had to spend $3 million dollars to remedy the situation which affected only 183 customers. The money was obtained through the PennVest program. This is a state agency, so I would assume the taxpayers of PA are funding it.
LINK to Daily Review article (02/14/2011)
LINK to related article from Dear Susquehanna blog. (04/2010)
LINK to Daily Review article (02/14/2011)
LINK to related article from Dear Susquehanna blog. (04/2010)
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Puppet Gas
Puppets dealing with the real truth about Gas Drilling and Fracking. The reviews are in. BRAVO! FABULOUS! From Gas Drilling Truth..........
See more videos from Gas Drilling Truth here.
Uintah County (Utah) may violate environmental laws
"30-year practice in Uintah County may violate environmental laws: "...That's because the high-temperature water used by the county's road crews to de-ice culverts is the minimally-treated byproduct of oil and natural gas drilling, which means it can contain drilling fluid, hydrocarbons and other unknown contaminants. The county's practice — which may have been in place for as many as 30 years — was brought to the health department's attention on Jan. 10 by a homeowner near 500 West and 1500 North. The man provided Brown with video he captured of a road department employee who had just unloaded produced water into a roadside ditch. The video, obtained by the Uintah Basin Standard through a public records request, shows the homeowner climbing into the ditch and scooping out a jar full of steaming, cloudy water. It also clearly shows the door of the truck with the words "Uintah County" emblazoned on the side...The water used by the county came from ponds owned by Western Energy Operating LLC, based in Casper, Wyo., he said..."
LINK
Kudos to this citizen who got the contaminated water sample and made the video.
Gas Drilling Accident Goes Virtually Unreported in PA
A fracking blowout in a state forest in PA (Tioga County) occurred January 17th, 2011. Did you hear about it? I didn't. The location of the blowout was on PA State Forest lands in Ward Township about nine miles southeast of Mansfield.
According to an article in the Ithaca Journal (http://www.theithacajournal.com/), the accident caused an uncontrolled discharge of sand and fracking fluids onto state forest lands in Tioga County.
There were three violations identified to date:
Potential pollution of fresh water streams near the well site
Releasing fracking fluids onto the ground
Failing to contain hydraulic fracturing fluids
Talisman said it had modified the design of the failed component. (Question: They haven't got it right yet??? Are they practicing on us? Of course, they are.) They said they strive to continuously improve well site operations. So reassuring.
In 2010, PA DEP conducted 187 inspections of Talisman well sites. Ninety-one of these inspections found 151 violations. In my opionion, that is way too many violations.
G. Jeffrey Aaron wrote the source article for this post.
LINK
According to an article in the Ithaca Journal (http://www.theithacajournal.com/), the accident caused an uncontrolled discharge of sand and fracking fluids onto state forest lands in Tioga County.
This was a serious incident that could have caused significant environmental harm had it not been brought under control....Talisman Energy began having problems controlling the well in the early afternoon of January 17th. A needle valve on a casing wing valve failed, which caused a loss of well control.During the blowout, fracking fluids and sand discharged from the well into the air. There was no fire or explosion, and no one was injured.
There were three violations identified to date:
Potential pollution of fresh water streams near the well site
Releasing fracking fluids onto the ground
Failing to contain hydraulic fracturing fluids
Talisman said it had modified the design of the failed component. (Question: They haven't got it right yet??? Are they practicing on us? Of course, they are.) They said they strive to continuously improve well site operations. So reassuring.
In 2010, PA DEP conducted 187 inspections of Talisman well sites. Ninety-one of these inspections found 151 violations. In my opionion, that is way too many violations.
G. Jeffrey Aaron wrote the source article for this post.
LINK
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