EPA goes after Halliburton on hydrofracturing

[As posted on Innovation Trail by Zack Seward 11/9/20]

The Wall Street Journal and other news organizations are reporting that the EPA and Halliburton are butting heads over hydrofracking.

On Tuesday the EPA said it had subpoenaed Halliburton after the energy giant refused to disclose the chemicals it uses in the controversial drilling technique.

Hydrofracking relies on injecting a slurry of water, sand and chemicals into underground rock formations. The millions of gallons of slurry are used to force open channels in the earth's crust, thereby allowing oil and natural gas to flow upward.

Of nine major energy companies contacted by the EPA, Halliburton was the only one to refuse the agency's request for its chemical formulas.

Through a company spokesperson, Halliburton told the Wall Street Journal they were disappointed by today's move:

In a written statement, Houston-based Halliburton said the EPA made "unreasonable demands" that would potentially require the company to prepare approximately 50,000 spreadsheets of data. The company said it had been working with the agency "in good faith" and has turned over nearly 5,000 pages of documents as recently as last Friday.

Drilling companies have long sought to protect their chemical formulas, calling them proprietary.

The EPA is studying whether hydrofracking affects drinking water and the public health. As we've been reporting, the study comes as natural gas companies stand poised to expand Marcellus Shale development into New York state.

Today's announcement from the EPA is especially interesting, considering President Obama's recent indication that natural gas would be one of his lead olive branches to newly-empowered Republicans in Congress.

To read the original article, including photos, please click HERE.

Farmers take up camera against fracking practice

"They’ve been labeled “farmers turned filmmakers,” but it’s what Jeff and Jodi Andrysick felt they had to do with their $10,000.

The couple, native Pennsylvanians, set aside the money for a multi-vendor farm market where they live in Keuka Lake, N.Y., in Finger Lakes country. But the fight against fracking became more pressing, so the money went to a high-definition camcorder.

This led to “All Fracked Up,” a documentary they made to rally people against fracking and what it could do to their areas. The couple was in Pennsylvania on Friday promoting the film, which will debut at the BTE Theatre in Bloomsburg, at 4:30 p.m. Oct. 2. Admission is $5, and they’ll host a discussion after the movie.

It all began when “a predatory gas corporation” — the Andrysicks’ lawyer advised them against using the name — tried to dump what is believed to be three-quarters of a billion gallons of toxic waste into an abandoned gas well in Pulteney, N.Y. The waste came from a drill site in Pennsylvania.

“We figured if Pennsylvania doesn’t want it there, why should we take it?” Jeff Andrysick said.

The people of the region successfully fought it back, and the Andrysicks want Pennsylvanians to know they can do the same.

“The gas corporations prey on ignorance,” said Jeff Andrysick, saying they play a smoke-and-mirrors game to get people and towns to buy into what they do."

Read the remaining text of Evamarie Socha's article by clicking here:  THE DAILY ITEM (as it appeared 9.24.2010).

Response to industry & PAC attacks on GASLAND

If you haven't already done so, click HERE and take the time to read the response to the recent attacks on the documentary GASLAND.  With good reason, it's admittedly lengthy:  it's full of meticulously documented facts.  The final 3 pages are a listing of references--*with* web addresses so that the curious or dubious might verify the facts set out in this report.  It will be interesting to see how the industry/PACs respond.

Tell your senators to support the FRAC Act!

If you haven't already, take a moment to ask your legislators to support the FRAC Act.  "Senators Casey (D-PA) and Schumer (D-NY), and Representatives DeGette (D-CO), Polis (D-CO) and Hinchey (D-NY) have introduced twin bills in the Senate (S 1215) and House (HR 2766) to close the so-called "Halliburton" loophole in the Safe Drinking Water Act that allows oil and gas drillers to inject hazardous materials -- unchecked -- directly into or adjacent to underground drinking water supplies.

The exemption is known as the "Halliburton loophole" because former Vice President Dick Cheney, ex-CEO of Halliburton, is associated with its creation. Halliburton developed hydraulic fracturing in the 1940s, and remains one of the three largest manufacturers of fracturing fluids."

Click on the link below to tell your elected legislators how YOU--their constituents--feel about this very important issue:

KEEP DRILLING TOXINS OUT OF OUR DRINKING WATER.

Don't forget: GASLAND documentary coming to Williamsport on Tuesday!

Don't miss the only showing in the Williamsport area of Josh Fox's prize-winning documentary GASLAND.  The film was honored at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival this past January and has continued to win rave reviews at smaller film festivals across the country.  


Need an even better reason to go?  Meet the man behind the movie:  
Josh Fox will be on hand for a discussion to follow the film.


WHEN:  Tuesday, May 11th @ 7:30pm
WHERE: Williamsport's Community Arts Center, 202 West 4th Street.
Click HERE for driving directions from your doorstep. 
Admission is FREE thanks to sponsorship from the Responsible Drilling Alliance.  

Congress Launches Investigation into Drilling Practices

Can I get a "woot-woot?!"  If you would like to send kudos, share information or your thoughts with the House Committee on Energy & Commerce, click HERE to email them.  


CONGRESS LAUNCHES INVESTIGATION INTO  DRILLING PRACTICES
By S Shankman & A. Lustgarten for ProPublica.org
2.19.2010
"Two of the largest companies involved in natural gas drilling have acknowledged pumping hundreds of thousands of gallons of diesel-based fluids into the ground in the process of hydraulic fracturing, raising further concerns that existing state and federal regulations don't adequately protect drinking water from drilling.  Rep. Henry A. Waxman, D-Calif., who released the information in a statement Thursday, announced that the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, which he chairs, is launching an investigation into potential environmental impacts from hydraulic fracturing."  To read the rest of this article in its entirety, click HERE.