While the following was written by a gentleman living and experiencing fracking in Texas, the parallels with what's going on in Pennsylvania's backyards couldn't be clearer. His essay is incredibly moving. Here is an excerpt:
"Someone asked if I felt we had ‘won or lost’, obviously looking for details. That got me to thinking.
Regardless of where one lives in Gasland, whether it is the urban setting or rural, I’m hard pressed to say that there is no such a thing as ‘winning’, only degrees of losing...
When the drillers first show up, one loses any sense or belief one has about personal property rights. One learns the hard way the definition of ‘split estate’, and that somewhere along the line, someone decided that mineral rights trump all other rights, including any one thought they had according to the U.S. Constitution...."
Read the remainder of the essay...
Showing posts with label legal issues. Show all posts
Showing posts with label legal issues. Show all posts
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Monday, January 2, 2012
As Gas Drilling Spreads, Towns Stand Ground Over Control
NYT-- "As energy companies move to drill in densely populated areas from Pennsylvania to Texas, battles are breaking out over who will have the final say in managing the shale gas boom. The fight, which pits towns and cities against energy companies and states eager for growth, has raised a fundamental question about the role of local government: How much authority should communities have over the use of their land?
The battle is playing out in Pennsylvania as the Republican-controlled legislature considers bills that would in their current form sharply limit a community’s right to control where gas companies can operate on private property. Critics say the final bill could vastly weaken local zoning powers and give industry the upper hand in exchange for a new tax, which municipalities badly need.
The legislation has struck a nerve in a state where land control has long been considered quintessentially local.
'I’m a conservative Republican, and this goes against all my principles,' said Brian Coppola, the chairman of the Board of Supervisors of Robinson Township, in Washington County west of Pittsburgh. The pending legislation, he said, 'is an enormous land grab on the part of the industry.' He added, 'Our property rights are being trampled.'"
Read the remainder of the article...
The battle is playing out in Pennsylvania as the Republican-controlled legislature considers bills that would in their current form sharply limit a community’s right to control where gas companies can operate on private property. Critics say the final bill could vastly weaken local zoning powers and give industry the upper hand in exchange for a new tax, which municipalities badly need.
The legislation has struck a nerve in a state where land control has long been considered quintessentially local.
'I’m a conservative Republican, and this goes against all my principles,' said Brian Coppola, the chairman of the Board of Supervisors of Robinson Township, in Washington County west of Pittsburgh. The pending legislation, he said, 'is an enormous land grab on the part of the industry.' He added, 'Our property rights are being trampled.'"
Read the remainder of the article...
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Gas Drilling Vote Cancelled: Delaware Governor to Vote No
Trenton, NJ: The November 21, 2011 vote to be held at the Trenton War Memorial by the Delaware River Basin Commission has been cancelled according to sources. The vote was to seek approval of regulations that would have allowed shale gas drilling in the Delaware River Basin by the beginning of 2012. The last minute cancellation is the second time this vote has been put off. And this time is believed to be in response to an announcement by the Governor of Delaware that he would vote against the regulatory/drilling proposal.
Delaware Riverkeeper Maya van Rossum praised Governor Markell. “Governor Markell has listened to the will of the people, to the science and to the tremendous environmental and community harm being caused by gas drilling where it is happening. The issue of shale gas drilling has finally moved out of the political arena and is now being treated as an issue of genuine public policy concern,” said Delaware Riverkeeper van Rossum.
Read the remainder of the press release in full by clicking HERE.
Delaware Riverkeeper Maya van Rossum praised Governor Markell. “Governor Markell has listened to the will of the people, to the science and to the tremendous environmental and community harm being caused by gas drilling where it is happening. The issue of shale gas drilling has finally moved out of the political arena and is now being treated as an issue of genuine public policy concern,” said Delaware Riverkeeper van Rossum.
Read the remainder of the press release in full by clicking HERE.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Susquehanna County couple challenges shale gas contracts; case heads to Pa. high court
HARRISBURG, Pa. -- A case raising doubts about whether Pennsylvania's booming natural gas industry has the right to extract the methane from the thick shale more than a mile beneath countless properties is being appealed to the state's high court.
A Susquehanna County couple on Friday asked the Supreme Court to reinforce that a nearly 130-year-old ruling applies to the Marcellus Shale, which lies underneath much of Pennsylvania and is considered the nation's largest-known natural gas reservoir.
To read the article in full, please click HERE.
A Susquehanna County couple on Friday asked the Supreme Court to reinforce that a nearly 130-year-old ruling applies to the Marcellus Shale, which lies underneath much of Pennsylvania and is considered the nation's largest-known natural gas reservoir.
To read the article in full, please click HERE.
Monday, July 4, 2011
Wellsboro family struggles with well contamination
"One morning the salamanders in their pond, where the water was 'pristine' according to tests done prior to drilling, began to die...."
The following article by Cheryl Clarke appeared in the Sun Chronicle on July 2, 2011:
A Charleston Township family's experience with natural gas drilling has become the latest story of contaminated well water associated with nearby drilling, in the ongoing Marcellus Shale saga, according to family member Jeremiah Gee. Gee and his parents, Denise and Jerry, live next door to land that has been leased to Shell Appalachia for drilling, and last winter, a gas drilling site appeared about 100 yards from a pond on their property. It now is known as the "Vandegrift 290" well site.
Gee, a doctorate candidate at Penn State University, said shortly thereafter the family noticed a change in its well water. "We noticed that early on our faucets were sputtering, and the water was milky looking," Gee said. The reason it looked like milk, he said, is "because there were a billion tiny gas bubbles in it, and if you set it on the counter, it clears up." The gas bubbles also can be heard and seen in the Gee's water well, he said. "If you open the casing you can see the gas bubbling in the well," he added. Though there are no other contaminates in the well water-yet "we are not drinking the well water at this time," Gee said. "If you took a match out and dropped it in the well casing right now you would get a boom."
Gee said six natural gas wells have been drilled from the one pad, and "we noticed this after the completion activities began. They call the whole process of completion activities a cycle," he said he was told by Shell officials. "They go to the end of a horizontal hole, perforate it, frack it, plug it and then move back and repeat the process a dozen or more times so," he added. Shell had just started perforating two of the bores when the Gees noticed a difference in their water. "Gas started bubbling in the 'cellars,' a deep culvert put around each well head to prevent gravel from collapsing the hole," Gee said. "It is not supposed to do that; the gas is supposed to be in the casing," he added.
DEP informed
Gee said Shell did not stop operations on the wells until the fact that his family could light their tapwater on fire was brought to the attention of the state Department of Environmental Protection. Shell began taking steps to "mitigate" the problem last week. Gee said the family has spoken to everyone involved with Shell from "the average Joe on up to the operations manager," with less than satisfactory results.
To read the remainder of the article in its entirety, please click HERE.
The following article by Cheryl Clarke appeared in the Sun Chronicle on July 2, 2011:
A Charleston Township family's experience with natural gas drilling has become the latest story of contaminated well water associated with nearby drilling, in the ongoing Marcellus Shale saga, according to family member Jeremiah Gee. Gee and his parents, Denise and Jerry, live next door to land that has been leased to Shell Appalachia for drilling, and last winter, a gas drilling site appeared about 100 yards from a pond on their property. It now is known as the "Vandegrift 290" well site.
Gee, a doctorate candidate at Penn State University, said shortly thereafter the family noticed a change in its well water. "We noticed that early on our faucets were sputtering, and the water was milky looking," Gee said. The reason it looked like milk, he said, is "because there were a billion tiny gas bubbles in it, and if you set it on the counter, it clears up." The gas bubbles also can be heard and seen in the Gee's water well, he said. "If you open the casing you can see the gas bubbling in the well," he added. Though there are no other contaminates in the well water-yet "we are not drinking the well water at this time," Gee said. "If you took a match out and dropped it in the well casing right now you would get a boom."
Gee said six natural gas wells have been drilled from the one pad, and "we noticed this after the completion activities began. They call the whole process of completion activities a cycle," he said he was told by Shell officials. "They go to the end of a horizontal hole, perforate it, frack it, plug it and then move back and repeat the process a dozen or more times so," he added. Shell had just started perforating two of the bores when the Gees noticed a difference in their water. "Gas started bubbling in the 'cellars,' a deep culvert put around each well head to prevent gravel from collapsing the hole," Gee said. "It is not supposed to do that; the gas is supposed to be in the casing," he added.
DEP informed
Gee said Shell did not stop operations on the wells until the fact that his family could light their tapwater on fire was brought to the attention of the state Department of Environmental Protection. Shell began taking steps to "mitigate" the problem last week. Gee said the family has spoken to everyone involved with Shell from "the average Joe on up to the operations manager," with less than satisfactory results.
To read the remainder of the article in its entirety, please click HERE.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Should you have a right to know?
The American Gas Association, Gas Processors Association and Chesapeake Energy Corporation have all filed suit against the EPA that would undermine the public's right-to-know laws. At issue: inventorying and disclosure requirements for all oil and gas discharges into the environment. Click HERE to read the recent press release issued by the Environmental Defense Fund.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Speak out...and risk being named a terrorist.
Last time I checked, I was an American citizen living *in* America. And then I see something like this:
Thanks to http://dearsusquehanna.blogspot.com for posting.
Thanks to http://dearsusquehanna.blogspot.com for posting.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
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.
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.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Tioga County man stabbed to death by gas industry worker
[Please note: this article was originally posted on www.stargazette.com, 11.5.2010]
Gas industry worker charged in Pa. stabbing death
Landry being held in death of his landlord
By Jason Whong
jwhong@gannett.com
CHARLESTON TOWNSHIP, TIOGA COUNTY, Pa. -- A gas industry worker from Texas has been charged in the Thursday night stabbing death of a local man from whom he rented a room.
Pennsylvania State Police in Mansfield arrested Billy Holden Landry, 49, of Liverpool, Texas. He is charged with criminal homicide and aggravated assault in the death of Shawn Charles Miller, 44, of Cherry Flats Road in Charleston Township, east of Wellsboro.
Police were called just before 11:30 p.m. Thursday to 158 Cherry Flats Road, where Miller rented two upstairs bedrooms to Landry and another gas industry worker.
Miller had no pulse when medics arrived, according to a criminal complaint against Landry filed in District Court in Wellsboro.
Miller was pronounced dead at the scene by the Tioga County Coroner's Office.
Police said the men were arguing before the stabbing.
Kimberly A. Hess said she witnessed the argument at the home that her mother, Connie Everitt, shared with Miller, Everitt's boyfriend of 13 years. Miller rented the two upstairs bedrooms in the three-bedroom home to "oil-riggers," she said.
Hess said she spent the night on the couch and was awakened by Miller asking Landry and the other man, Mike Helton, to be quiet.
"They were drunk, and one had a girl over, and they were all just rowdy and making noise," Hess said.
Hess said she heard a voice from upstairs taunting Miller and asking him to come upstairs.
Miller remained at the bottom of the stairs and asked them to "shut up, be quiet," she said.
Hess said the men came downstairs, one with a knife, as Everitt tried to keep the men apart.
Everyone was "eventually pushed down on top of Shawn," Hess said, as the fight moved toward the television.
"There was a candle that got broke, and I seen blood coming ... from Shawn's wrists, from the top of his hand, actually. And I thought it was from the candle getting broken," she said.
Miller took a few steps, then fell over. "That's when we realized he had gotten cut ... right below his chest," Hess said, as she traced a line across her abdomen with her finger.
"We were trying to give him CPR."
Landry and Helton left immediately afterward, she said. "They left without their shirts on or anything. They didn't grab their bags or nothing."
Just after midnight, Landry went to state police in Mansfield and told the dispatcher that he wanted to speak with a trooper "about a situation he was involved in," according to the complaint.
Landry told the dispatcher that "two females had beat him up" and that he had stabbed a man "in self-defense," according to the complaint.
When a trooper interviewed Landry, he said he was protecting himself and that "nobody should take a beating and not protect themselves."
To read the remainder of the article in full (including photos), please click HERE.
Gas industry worker charged in Pa. stabbing death
Landry being held in death of his landlord
By Jason Whong
jwhong@gannett.com
CHARLESTON TOWNSHIP, TIOGA COUNTY, Pa. -- A gas industry worker from Texas has been charged in the Thursday night stabbing death of a local man from whom he rented a room.
Pennsylvania State Police in Mansfield arrested Billy Holden Landry, 49, of Liverpool, Texas. He is charged with criminal homicide and aggravated assault in the death of Shawn Charles Miller, 44, of Cherry Flats Road in Charleston Township, east of Wellsboro.
Police were called just before 11:30 p.m. Thursday to 158 Cherry Flats Road, where Miller rented two upstairs bedrooms to Landry and another gas industry worker.
Miller had no pulse when medics arrived, according to a criminal complaint against Landry filed in District Court in Wellsboro.
Miller was pronounced dead at the scene by the Tioga County Coroner's Office.
Police said the men were arguing before the stabbing.
Kimberly A. Hess said she witnessed the argument at the home that her mother, Connie Everitt, shared with Miller, Everitt's boyfriend of 13 years. Miller rented the two upstairs bedrooms in the three-bedroom home to "oil-riggers," she said.
Hess said she spent the night on the couch and was awakened by Miller asking Landry and the other man, Mike Helton, to be quiet.
"They were drunk, and one had a girl over, and they were all just rowdy and making noise," Hess said.
Hess said she heard a voice from upstairs taunting Miller and asking him to come upstairs.
Miller remained at the bottom of the stairs and asked them to "shut up, be quiet," she said.
Hess said the men came downstairs, one with a knife, as Everitt tried to keep the men apart.
Everyone was "eventually pushed down on top of Shawn," Hess said, as the fight moved toward the television.
"There was a candle that got broke, and I seen blood coming ... from Shawn's wrists, from the top of his hand, actually. And I thought it was from the candle getting broken," she said.
Miller took a few steps, then fell over. "That's when we realized he had gotten cut ... right below his chest," Hess said, as she traced a line across her abdomen with her finger.
"We were trying to give him CPR."
Landry and Helton left immediately afterward, she said. "They left without their shirts on or anything. They didn't grab their bags or nothing."
Just after midnight, Landry went to state police in Mansfield and told the dispatcher that he wanted to speak with a trooper "about a situation he was involved in," according to the complaint.
Landry told the dispatcher that "two females had beat him up" and that he had stabbed a man "in self-defense," according to the complaint.
When a trooper interviewed Landry, he said he was protecting himself and that "nobody should take a beating and not protect themselves."
To read the remainder of the article in full (including photos), please click HERE.
Saturday, October 2, 2010
PA Chief of Homeland Security resigns over monitoring gas drilling activists
Appearing in yesterday's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
By Tom Barnes: tbarnes@post-gazette.com
HARRISBURG -- State Homeland Security Director James F. Powers Jr.-- under pressure for a heavily criticized contract -- today announced he's resigning from state government.
There were numerous calls for Gov. Ed Rendell to fire Mr. Powers, ever since word got out two weeks ago about a $103,000 contract Mr. Powers signed with the Institute for Terrorism Research and Response a year ago. Civil libertarians, state Sen. Jim Ferlo, Pittsburgh Councilman Doug Shields and others were angry about a so-called anti-terrorism contract he agreed to.
It led to tracking and monitoring of many protest groups around the state, including gay/lesbian parades and protests against Marcellus Shale drilling. Mr. Ferlo and Mr. Shields said he should be fired for violating people's constitutional right of free speech.
Mr. Rendell was sharply critical of the contract, which he canceled, calling it a severe lapse in judgment. But Mr. Rendell refused to fire Mr. Powers and said today that Mr. Powers decision to leave is his own. The governor praised Mr. Powers for serving the country during a 30-year career with the Army.
The director said he was resigning "with deep regret'' but said all his actions during his four years with Homeland Security were meant to foster "the security and wellbeing of the commonwealth citizenry -- our greatest resource.''
He earlier had apologized for unintended consequences of the contract and said he hadn't meant to infringe on anyone's rights. He said he was trying to protect public safety by keeping a watch out for terrorist attacks.
Click HERE to read the original article on the Post-Gazette's website.
By Tom Barnes: tbarnes@post-gazette.com
HARRISBURG -- State Homeland Security Director James F. Powers Jr.-- under pressure for a heavily criticized contract -- today announced he's resigning from state government.
There were numerous calls for Gov. Ed Rendell to fire Mr. Powers, ever since word got out two weeks ago about a $103,000 contract Mr. Powers signed with the Institute for Terrorism Research and Response a year ago. Civil libertarians, state Sen. Jim Ferlo, Pittsburgh Councilman Doug Shields and others were angry about a so-called anti-terrorism contract he agreed to.
It led to tracking and monitoring of many protest groups around the state, including gay/lesbian parades and protests against Marcellus Shale drilling. Mr. Ferlo and Mr. Shields said he should be fired for violating people's constitutional right of free speech.
Mr. Rendell was sharply critical of the contract, which he canceled, calling it a severe lapse in judgment. But Mr. Rendell refused to fire Mr. Powers and said today that Mr. Powers decision to leave is his own. The governor praised Mr. Powers for serving the country during a 30-year career with the Army.
The director said he was resigning "with deep regret'' but said all his actions during his four years with Homeland Security were meant to foster "the security and wellbeing of the commonwealth citizenry -- our greatest resource.''
He earlier had apologized for unintended consequences of the contract and said he hadn't meant to infringe on anyone's rights. He said he was trying to protect public safety by keeping a watch out for terrorist attacks.
Click HERE to read the original article on the Post-Gazette's website.
Friday, October 1, 2010
Dimock *finally* gets public water. Cabot continues to deny responsibility.
Kudos to the DEP for not waiting until this fiasco plays out in court before doing the right thing. While it's no shock that Cabot continues to deny any wrongdoing whatsoever, now the fight begins to make sure they are ultimately held accountable (legally and fiscally) for what happened in Dimock. PA residents should not have to fund a $12 million dollar project because of Cabot's negligence.
Amid drilling fight, Dimock gets public water. The state, which will fund the project, says Cabot Oil & Gas contaminated wells.
DIMOCK – Residents of Dimock, the Susquehanna County community at the center of a nationwide debate over natural gas drilling, will soon be connected to a public water supply, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Secretary John Hanger announced Thursday. The state-funded project will connect Pennsylvania American Water’s Lake Montrose treatment plant to 18 homes in Dimock.
For two years, drinking water for 33 Dimock residents has been supplied by Cabot Oil & Gas Corporation, the natural gas drilling company that DEP says contaminated the water wells of some Dimock residents with methane and natural gas.
More than 100 reporters, photographers, filmmakers, spokespersons and residents of the Susquehanna County community packed the tiny Dimock Baptist Church to hear the announcement.
Hanger said DEP will fully fund the project, now slated to cost $11.8 million, though the department still insists that Cabot foot the bill. Hanger said DEP will pursue litigation against Cabot if necessary to recoup the cost of the project, but that the department did not want to wait any longer to provide a permanent source of clean drinking water to Dimock residents.
“We have had people here in Pennsylvania without safe drinking water for nearly two years,” Hanger said. “That is totally unacceptable. It is reprehensible. We have given Cabot every opportunity to resolve this matter.… We’re not going to wait to go through long legal proceedings with Cabot to get this started.”
A new 12-inch transmission main will transport water approximately 5.5 miles from the Pennsylvania American Water’s Lake Montrose plant south along state Route 29 into Dimock. Approximately seven miles of 6-inch distribution mains will connect the main to the homes of 18 families. Other Dimock residents seeking connection to the water supply may also contact Pennsylvania American Water about gaining access, Pennsylvania American Water President Kathy Pape said.
Pape said the project, which will also involve the installation of pressure regulating systems, hydrants and water treatment systems, will take 18 months to complete once ground has been broken. The company is also waiting on a state grant to come through before that happens, however, and Pape said work on the project will most likely not begin for a few months.
On Wednesday, Cabot published full page ads in several newspapers around the Dimock area, and also sent out press releases and 29-page letter defending the company. In those documents, Cabot denies responsibility for water well contamination in Dimock and claims that DEP is waging a public relations war against the company.
“They have even gone so far as to say that they signed these under duress,” Hanger said, later adding, “the last time I checked, (Cabot President Dan O.) Dinges is not a 90-year-old widow sitting in a nursing home who is incompetent to sign a legal document … he is fully capable to sign documents without counsel, but he had counsel.
A Cabot spokesman, George Stark, attended the meeting but was not allowed to speak by Hanger.
“I am not interested in hearing from Cabot at this point,” Hanger said.
Stark spoke outside the church following the meeting, saying Cabot is investigating all its options and would schedule meetings with DEP to discuss the matter. Stark said Cabot would like DEP to consider other, less expensive measures to deal with the problem, such as drilling new water wells, refurbishing and reconditioning existing wells and installing water filtration systems.
“We understand what is being laid on the table today, but we still believe there are other options,” Stark said.
Josh Fox, the filmmaker who put Dimock at the center of the national debate over natural gas drilling and hydraulic fracturing in his documentary Gasland, also attended the meeting and staged a small demonstration highlighting the precedent he thinks Hanger’s announcement may set.
Fox distributed signs depicting water towers, each labeled with the name of a different Pennsylvania community, including Towanda, Lenox, and Clearville, followed by the phrase “needs municipal water.”
“It looks like this is setting a trend in Pennsylvania, that once this drilling starts, you’re going to have municipal water coming in,” Fox said.
Fox said there have been “significant reports” of water contamination near gas drilling sites in other parts of the state, and asked Hanger whether the state would also connect those areas to a municipal water supply.
Hanger responded that, in a worst case scenario, DEP would need to take similar action, but said that confirmed reports of contamination are rare, and that other companies have been much better than Cabot at resolving the contamination in those cases.
“We have companies that are actually solving problems, as opposed to denying problems,” Hanger said.
--MATT HUGHES mhughes@timesleader.com
[Note: this article, written by Matt Hughes, appeared Oct 1, 2010 in the Times Leader of Wilkes-Barre. Click HERE to see the original article which includes photographs.]
Amid drilling fight, Dimock gets public water. The state, which will fund the project, says Cabot Oil & Gas contaminated wells.
DIMOCK – Residents of Dimock, the Susquehanna County community at the center of a nationwide debate over natural gas drilling, will soon be connected to a public water supply, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Secretary John Hanger announced Thursday. The state-funded project will connect Pennsylvania American Water’s Lake Montrose treatment plant to 18 homes in Dimock.
For two years, drinking water for 33 Dimock residents has been supplied by Cabot Oil & Gas Corporation, the natural gas drilling company that DEP says contaminated the water wells of some Dimock residents with methane and natural gas.
More than 100 reporters, photographers, filmmakers, spokespersons and residents of the Susquehanna County community packed the tiny Dimock Baptist Church to hear the announcement.
Hanger said DEP will fully fund the project, now slated to cost $11.8 million, though the department still insists that Cabot foot the bill. Hanger said DEP will pursue litigation against Cabot if necessary to recoup the cost of the project, but that the department did not want to wait any longer to provide a permanent source of clean drinking water to Dimock residents.
“We have had people here in Pennsylvania without safe drinking water for nearly two years,” Hanger said. “That is totally unacceptable. It is reprehensible. We have given Cabot every opportunity to resolve this matter.… We’re not going to wait to go through long legal proceedings with Cabot to get this started.”
A new 12-inch transmission main will transport water approximately 5.5 miles from the Pennsylvania American Water’s Lake Montrose plant south along state Route 29 into Dimock. Approximately seven miles of 6-inch distribution mains will connect the main to the homes of 18 families. Other Dimock residents seeking connection to the water supply may also contact Pennsylvania American Water about gaining access, Pennsylvania American Water President Kathy Pape said.
Pape said the project, which will also involve the installation of pressure regulating systems, hydrants and water treatment systems, will take 18 months to complete once ground has been broken. The company is also waiting on a state grant to come through before that happens, however, and Pape said work on the project will most likely not begin for a few months.
On Wednesday, Cabot published full page ads in several newspapers around the Dimock area, and also sent out press releases and 29-page letter defending the company. In those documents, Cabot denies responsibility for water well contamination in Dimock and claims that DEP is waging a public relations war against the company.
“They have even gone so far as to say that they signed these under duress,” Hanger said, later adding, “the last time I checked, (Cabot President Dan O.) Dinges is not a 90-year-old widow sitting in a nursing home who is incompetent to sign a legal document … he is fully capable to sign documents without counsel, but he had counsel.
A Cabot spokesman, George Stark, attended the meeting but was not allowed to speak by Hanger.
“I am not interested in hearing from Cabot at this point,” Hanger said.
Stark spoke outside the church following the meeting, saying Cabot is investigating all its options and would schedule meetings with DEP to discuss the matter. Stark said Cabot would like DEP to consider other, less expensive measures to deal with the problem, such as drilling new water wells, refurbishing and reconditioning existing wells and installing water filtration systems.
“We understand what is being laid on the table today, but we still believe there are other options,” Stark said.
Josh Fox, the filmmaker who put Dimock at the center of the national debate over natural gas drilling and hydraulic fracturing in his documentary Gasland, also attended the meeting and staged a small demonstration highlighting the precedent he thinks Hanger’s announcement may set.
Fox distributed signs depicting water towers, each labeled with the name of a different Pennsylvania community, including Towanda, Lenox, and Clearville, followed by the phrase “needs municipal water.”
“It looks like this is setting a trend in Pennsylvania, that once this drilling starts, you’re going to have municipal water coming in,” Fox said.
Fox said there have been “significant reports” of water contamination near gas drilling sites in other parts of the state, and asked Hanger whether the state would also connect those areas to a municipal water supply.
Hanger responded that, in a worst case scenario, DEP would need to take similar action, but said that confirmed reports of contamination are rare, and that other companies have been much better than Cabot at resolving the contamination in those cases.
“We have companies that are actually solving problems, as opposed to denying problems,” Hanger said.
--MATT HUGHES mhughes@timesleader.com
Thursday, September 30, 2010
SPLIT ESTATE documentary wins Emmy Award, special rebroadcast upcoming on Planet Green
SPLIT ESTATE wins an Emmy for "Outstanding Individual Achievement in a Craft: Research."
Imagine discovering that you don't own the mineral rights under your land, and that an energy company plans to drill for natural gas two hundred feet from your front door. Imagine having little recourse, other than accepting an unregulated industry in your backyard. Split Estate maps a tragedy in the making, as citizens in the path of a new drilling boom in the Rocky Mountain West struggle against the erosion of their civil liberties, their communities and their health.
Zeroing in on Garfield County, Colorado, and the San Juan Basin, this clarion call for accountability examines the growing environmental and social costs to an area now referred to as a "National Sacrifice Zone."
This is no Love Canal or Three Mile Island. With its breathtaking panoramas, aspen-dotted meadows, and clear mountain streams, this is the Colorado of John Denver anthems -- the wide-open spaces that have long stirred our national imagination.
Exempt from federal protections like the Clean Water Act, the oil and gas industry has left this idyllic landscape and its rural communities pockmarked with abandoned homes and polluted waters. One Garfield County resident demonstrates the degree of benzene contamination in a mountain stream by setting it alight with a match. Many others, gravely ill, fight for their health and for the health of their children. All the while, the industry assures us it is a "good neighbor."
Ordinary homeowners and ranchers absorb the cost. Actually, we all pay the price in this devastating clash of interests that extends well beyond the Rockies. Aggressively seeking new leases in as many as 32 states, the industry is even making a bid to drill in the New York City watershed, which provides drinking water to millions.
As public health concerns mount, Split Estate cracks the sugarcoating on an industry touted as a clean alternative to fossil fuels, and poignantly drives home the need for real alternatives.
Watch the trailer for the documentary, and don't miss a special airing October 16 at 10 p.m. on Planet Green.
Meet the Split Estate activists, and take a look at a slideshow on drilling for oil.
Press release as published on PLANET GREEN'S website.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Look Before you Lease (and after too): workshops this weekend!
This weekend, Earthworks' Oil and Gas Accountability Project will be holding workshops for landowners considering leasing or who have already leased, and anyone concerned about surface owner rights, leasing, and the impacts of gas development. Gas drilling is taking off across the Marcellus Shale region, and many landowners and communities wonder what it means. Spend time with experts in mineral leasing and accounting, corporate accountability, and gas development regulations. Learn about the leasing process, industry tactics, and what leasing means for you, your neighbors, and community.
There are 3 locations for the workshops: Friday, October 1, 6-8:30 pm. Ohio Room, Kilcawley Center, Youngstown State University, Youngstown, OH · Saturday, October 2, 9:30 am-12 pm. Ulmer Planetarium, Lock Haven University, Lock Haven, PA · Saturday, October 2, 4:30 pm-7pm. Pearn Auditorium, Brennan Hall, University of Scranton, Scranton, PA.
Earthworks is a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting communities and the environment from the destructive impacts of mineral development, in the U.S. and worldwide.
For more information about these workshops or Earthworks, click HERE.
There are 3 locations for the workshops: Friday, October 1, 6-8:30 pm. Ohio Room, Kilcawley Center, Youngstown State University, Youngstown, OH · Saturday, October 2, 9:30 am-12 pm. Ulmer Planetarium, Lock Haven University, Lock Haven, PA · Saturday, October 2, 4:30 pm-7pm. Pearn Auditorium, Brennan Hall, University of Scranton, Scranton, PA.
Earthworks is a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting communities and the environment from the destructive impacts of mineral development, in the U.S. and worldwide.
For more information about these workshops or Earthworks, click HERE.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Upcoming protest on Marcellus drilling
What promises to be a large protest rally & march on Marcellus drilling is scheduled for October 1st in western PA. The rally will be held in concert with the industry's SHALE GAS SUMMIT taking place at the David Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh. The Shale Gas Summit is bringing together industry executives, financial experts, legislators and gubernatorial candidates and other key stakeholders in Marcellus drilling. Such a rally could take advantage of the many Marcellus players gathered in one place and would send a clear message that PA residents will not sit quietly as their wells are contaminated; farmlands are ruined; homes are devalued and tourism dollars disappear. For more information on the rally, click HERE to visit the Marcellus Shale Protest website.
What better way to join forces with other Pennsylvanians and have our collective voices heard!
What better way to join forces with other Pennsylvanians and have our collective voices heard!
Friday, July 9, 2010
Exactly how is Marcellus drilling impacting PA residents?
If you missed this article by Hannah Abelbeck, please take the time to read it now. Ms. Abelbeck does a fantastic and thorough job of investigating the myriad of ways drilling is impacting our land, water supply, health, and our local economies--many of which are heavily dependent on tourism dollars.
Marcellus drilling transforms the state
By Hannah Abelbeck
As the scale and pace of Marcellus gas well drilling picks up, people in rural Pennsylvania are learning how to fight traffic jams, research deed histories, encounter the FBI, self-monitor streams and light their tap water on fire.
Innovations in drilling technology have fueled the rush to extract natural gas from the Marcellus shale, a geological formation that underlies 70 percent of Pennsylvania and portions of Centre County.
The gas rush is on, and money is fueling all of it. Companies and lending institutions willing to invest the big money needed up front want a fast return, resulting in quicker and more intense drilling in rural areas desperate to save their sluggish economies. Residents are signing leases, desperate to supplement sagging incomes. Workers, hungry for jobs, hope to sign up for long, dangerous work days, if they can get them. And the industry promotes the benefits and downplays the costs of massive speculation, while opposing regulations that might shrink profit margins.
Meanwhile, the environment, health, and financial well-being of Pennsylvania residents is at risk like never before.
“I don’t think anybody realizes how big and ridiculous this whole situation is,” said Dave Bailey when describing what he and his neighbors have experienced in the last two years. All of his neighbors on Hedgehog Lane, a rural street in Bradford Township, McKean County had their private water wells contaminated when one company drilled and fractured 26 non-Marcellus wells near their homes two years ago.
“I’m not opposed to domestic drilling,” said neighbor Lorrie Trumbull. “What we don’t like is shoddy workmanship.” The layer of concrete that is supposed to seal the well bore from sources of underground drinking water was not properly installed on several wells, say the neighbors.
Marcellus wells are scattered over two-thirds of Pennsylvania. The 29 wells in Centre County are concentrated in a band north and west of State College.
Two neighbors had well water with so much methane they could light it on fire. One of them was Bailey. When the water in his pipes contained 89 percent free gas, he and his family had to move into a hotel for three months to avoid an explosion. Running his washing machine still sets off his gas detectors sometimes, he said. Although he was told it was safe to shower, the two or three times they tried, members of his family had rashes and burns.
Getting the problem fixed has been an ongoing headache. After the Pa. Department of Environmental Protection found the Schreiner Oil and Gas Co. responsible, the company vented Bailey’s well so that it wouldn’t explode. It didn’t solve the methane problem, so they drilled him a new well into the same water source. Then they had Culligan install a filtration system in his house, which did not remove the methane. In February DEP finally ordered the company to provide a permanent solution.
Bailey said the company plans to install a whole house osmosis system that uses lots of energy, takes up half his basement, and includes no maintenance plan. From the beginning, Bailey said, the residents have requested they be connected to the municipal water system.
Water isn’t the only problem. Schreiner’s drilling partner, Aiello Brothers Oil and Gas, built a gas processing plant, a so-called “stripper plant” right behind their houses. Trumbull said her house has filled with gas fumes several times. Bailey said he once went through two weeks of constant gas alarms.
What really bothers the neighbors is that Aiello’s New Century Pipeline Group built the plant dangerously close to their houses without a permit and in violation of zoning ordinances. The Bradford Township Zoning Hearing Board unanimously voted to deny the company’s last appeal and ordered it to remove the stripping plant altogether in February. The company is appealing the decision to the McKean County Court of Supreme Pleas and continues to operate. Click HERE to read the remainder of the article & view accompanying photographs.
Marcellus drilling transforms the state
By Hannah Abelbeck
As the scale and pace of Marcellus gas well drilling picks up, people in rural Pennsylvania are learning how to fight traffic jams, research deed histories, encounter the FBI, self-monitor streams and light their tap water on fire.
Innovations in drilling technology have fueled the rush to extract natural gas from the Marcellus shale, a geological formation that underlies 70 percent of Pennsylvania and portions of Centre County.
The gas rush is on, and money is fueling all of it. Companies and lending institutions willing to invest the big money needed up front want a fast return, resulting in quicker and more intense drilling in rural areas desperate to save their sluggish economies. Residents are signing leases, desperate to supplement sagging incomes. Workers, hungry for jobs, hope to sign up for long, dangerous work days, if they can get them. And the industry promotes the benefits and downplays the costs of massive speculation, while opposing regulations that might shrink profit margins.
Meanwhile, the environment, health, and financial well-being of Pennsylvania residents is at risk like never before.
“I don’t think anybody realizes how big and ridiculous this whole situation is,” said Dave Bailey when describing what he and his neighbors have experienced in the last two years. All of his neighbors on Hedgehog Lane, a rural street in Bradford Township, McKean County had their private water wells contaminated when one company drilled and fractured 26 non-Marcellus wells near their homes two years ago.
“I’m not opposed to domestic drilling,” said neighbor Lorrie Trumbull. “What we don’t like is shoddy workmanship.” The layer of concrete that is supposed to seal the well bore from sources of underground drinking water was not properly installed on several wells, say the neighbors.
Marcellus wells are scattered over two-thirds of Pennsylvania. The 29 wells in Centre County are concentrated in a band north and west of State College.
Two neighbors had well water with so much methane they could light it on fire. One of them was Bailey. When the water in his pipes contained 89 percent free gas, he and his family had to move into a hotel for three months to avoid an explosion. Running his washing machine still sets off his gas detectors sometimes, he said. Although he was told it was safe to shower, the two or three times they tried, members of his family had rashes and burns.
Getting the problem fixed has been an ongoing headache. After the Pa. Department of Environmental Protection found the Schreiner Oil and Gas Co. responsible, the company vented Bailey’s well so that it wouldn’t explode. It didn’t solve the methane problem, so they drilled him a new well into the same water source. Then they had Culligan install a filtration system in his house, which did not remove the methane. In February DEP finally ordered the company to provide a permanent solution.
Bailey said the company plans to install a whole house osmosis system that uses lots of energy, takes up half his basement, and includes no maintenance plan. From the beginning, Bailey said, the residents have requested they be connected to the municipal water system.
Water isn’t the only problem. Schreiner’s drilling partner, Aiello Brothers Oil and Gas, built a gas processing plant, a so-called “stripper plant” right behind their houses. Trumbull said her house has filled with gas fumes several times. Bailey said he once went through two weeks of constant gas alarms.
What really bothers the neighbors is that Aiello’s New Century Pipeline Group built the plant dangerously close to their houses without a permit and in violation of zoning ordinances. The Bradford Township Zoning Hearing Board unanimously voted to deny the company’s last appeal and ordered it to remove the stripping plant altogether in February. The company is appealing the decision to the McKean County Court of Supreme Pleas and continues to operate. Click HERE to read the remainder of the article & view accompanying photographs.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
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.
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Widener Law School sets up toll free hotline, offers free legal advice
Thanks to one of our Facebook 'fans' for sharing the following information: "Widener Law School has set up an Environmental helpline with both a toll free phone number, 1-888-953-6853, and an online form to request help. They offer free legal advice to anyone regarding environmental issues, and have specifically talked to local residents about gas issues. The goal is to advise people who cannot afford attorneys and who don't know what their options are. Please spread the word about this resource!" Read more about Widener's Environmental Law Center and the services they offer by checking out their blog:
http://tinyurl.com/Widener-hotline
This information was posted on http://nepagasaction.org , a site designed by Citizens for Clean Water to provide "information and action items for protecting our northeastern Pennsylvania home from the negative effects of natural gas drilling and fracking."
http://tinyurl.com/Widener-hotline
This information was posted on http://nepagasaction.org , a site designed by Citizens for Clean Water to provide "information and action items for protecting our northeastern Pennsylvania home from the negative effects of natural gas drilling and fracking."
Video archive of Marcellus Shale town hall meeting
On April 22, M&T Bank hosted a town hall meeting on issues surrounding Marcellus Shale drilling in Pennsylvania. The meeting included a panel of representatives from legal, banking, state agency and gas industry professions; it was broadcast live and archived on PCNs (PA Cable Network) website. There doesn't appear to be direct links to the archived videos but to access them, go to www.pcntv.com/streaming/streaming.html , click on "Special Presentations" from the menu along the right, and scroll down until you find "April 22, 2010--Town Meeting--Marcellus Shale." Please note that there are parts 1 &2 and that you will need Quicktime on your pc to view the video. If your pc doesn't already have Quicktime installed, you will be prompted to do so. The program is free and legitimate.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
EPA Official: State regulators doing fine on hydrofracturing
Seriously?
Another shocker detailed below: the EPA is *not* currently investigating any possible links between fracking & water contamination. Why not? How many wells have to be contaminated immediately following fracking operations before they launch a formal investigation? At least they're asking for money in next year's budget to study the environmental effects of fracking; Unfortunately, measures should have been put in place *before* the drilling started.
By Ian Talley
DOW JONES NEWSWIRES
WASHINGTON (Dow Jones)--State regulators are doing a good job overseeing a key natural gas production technique called hydrofracking and there is no evidence the process causes water contamination, a senior federal environment official said Monday.
DOW JONES NEWSWIRES
WASHINGTON (Dow Jones)--State regulators are doing a good job overseeing a key natural gas production technique called hydrofracking and there is no evidence the process causes water contamination, a senior federal environment official said Monday.
Environmentalists and some lawmakers are pressing to give the Environmental Protection Agency federal oversight of the process, concerned that the drilling technique is contaminating water supplies.
State regulators and the natural gas industry have been fighting against federal regulation, saying it could prevent or delay development of trillions of cubic feet of new resources.
The process, which injects water, sand and a small amount of chemicals into natural gas reservoirs under high pressure, has opened new deposits to development, dramatically expanding estimates for domestic production.
"I have no information that states aren’t doing a good job already," Steve Heare, director of EPA’s Drinking Water Protection Division said on the sidelines of a state regulators conference here. He also said despite claims by environmental organizations, he hadn’t seen any documented cases that the hydro-fracking process was contaminating water supplies.
In its 2011 budget, the EPA is seeking to spend $4 million to study the environmental impacts of the process.
Bill Kappel, a U.S. Geological Survey official, said contamination of water supplies is more likely to happen as companies process the waste water from hydrofracking. In some instances, municipal water systems that treat the water have reported higher levels of heavy metals and radioactivity. "Treatment of the [waste] water hasn’t caught up with the hydro-fracking technology," Kappel said.
But both re-injection of that waste water and water treatment at the surface is already regulated by the federal government under the Safe Drinking Water and Clean Water Acts.
Although legislation in the House and Senate to bring greater federal oversight of the hydro-fracking process has gained momentum, Heare said even if such proposals are approved, it wouldn’t likely have a dramatic affect on regulation. States would still have the right under the Safe Drinking Water Act to use their own regulatory standards. The National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners has pushed to maintain state primacy in oversight of oil and gas activities.
Contrary to some press reports, Heare also noted that the EPA wasn’t conducting any current investigations linking hydrofracking to water contaminations.
Companies such as Range Resources Corp. (RRC), EOG Resources Inc. (EOG), Devon Energy Corp. (DVN), Royal Dutch Shell PLC (RDSA) and Chesapeake Energy Corp. (CHK) say the process is multiplying their reserves. For example, the Marcellus deposit that lies under Pennsylvania, Virginia, Ohio and New York is estimated to hold more than 500 trillion cubic feet, compared to total conventional natural-gas resource estimates in the U.S. of around 378 trillion cubic feet, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
Friday, December 11, 2009
Recent Bradford County spill results in $52/gal fine. Company investigated by US Dept of Justice, US Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Back in February of this year, an estimated 295 gallons of hydrochloric acid spilled from a tank located at a well site in Asylum Twp, Bradford County. On Monday, December 7, PA's Department of Environmental Protection issued a press release stating the two companies involved--Chesapeake Appalachia LLC and Schlumberger Technology Corp of Midland TX would each be fined $15,557 (or roughly $50 per gallon spilled). According to the PRESS RELEASE, clean up involved the following:
- A contractor "removed free-standing acid from the ground with absorbent pads"
- Trenches were excavated to contain the spill
- Contaminated soil was neutralized with "soda ash and hydrated lime"
- Approximately 125 tons of contaminated soil had to be excavated
- Nearly 14,000 gallons of hydrochloric acid and water mixture were removed from the site
- An additional 11,000 gallons of acid was transfered from the faulty tank to temporary tanks
- that of a team led by Erin Brockovich (remember the movie?) for a spill in Midland, TX. You can see footage of Brockovich on a CBS appearance HERE
- STC is suspected to be the cause of 16 cattle dropping dead in a field recently in Louisiana after drinking a mysterious fluid in a field next to a drilling rig.
- recently been investigated by the US Dept of Justice for having violated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act in their oil & gas business in Nigeria.
- Investigated and fined by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission for having "willfully failed to perform required radiation surveys" in Montana resulting in the exposure of 31 workers to hazardous radioactive material. Read the full Notice of Violation HERE.
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