VIDEO OF THE WEEK

Is fracking causing earthquakes in Ohio?



A Million Fracking Letters http://www.amillionfrackingletters.com/

Tell Governor Cuomo to say "No!" to fracking. Use this link to send a prepared letter, or better yet, write one of your own.

Governor Andrew Cuomo
State Capitol Building
Albany, New York 12224

And don’t forget to call too!

(518) 474- 8390


UPCOMING EVENTS

Rally: Ban Fracking Now!

Saturday, February 25,
1:00 - 3:00 pm
Cathedral of St. John the Divine
112th Street & Amsterdam Avenue,
New York, New York
A rally to ban fracking at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, the largest cathedral in the world.
Click here to register.



Search CCSE Learn More and Newsroom:


Economic Impact of Shale Gas Drilling

Read Selected Documents Authored by Jannette M. Barth, Ph.D.


What do You Know About Hydraulic Fracturing?

Catskill Citizens has prepared a brochure for people who've never heard of fracking. It has already been sent to every household in Delaware, Sullivan and Ulster counties. If you'd like to partner with us in sending this to residents in other counties, contact info@catskillcitizens.org


CLICK HERE to Learn More!


New Items in Learn More

The Marcellus Shale: Bridge to a Clean Energy Future or a Bridget to Nowhere? Environmental, Energy and Climate Policy Considerations for Shale Gas Development in New York State
    Pace Environmental Law Review by Beren Argetsinger, Fall, 2011

Radon in Natural Gas from Marcellus Shale--Executive Summary
    by Marvin Resnikoff, Jan 10, 2012

Cabot Letter to EPA Re: Testing Water Wells in Dimock, PA
    Jan 26, 2012

Obama’s Support for Natural Gas Drilling
    Last week, President Obama called the United States "the Saudi Arabia of natural gas" in a speech about boosting domestic energy production. That concerns Wyoming farmer John Fenton, who already has more than two dozen gas wells on his property. 39 minutes, Feb. 2, 2012, Democracy Now

Examining EPA's Approach to Ground Water Research: The Pavillion Analysis
    U.S. House of Representative Energy and Environment Subcommittee Hearing Feb 1, 2012 One hour and 47 minutes

HBO's Josh Fox arrested at House Science Committee Hearing
    HBO filmmaker Josh Fox arrested at the February 1, 2012 House Science Subcommittee on Energy and the Environment fracking hearing (Source: House Science Committee Democratic Staff) 2 minutes 40 seconds.

Josh Fox Arrested
    Josh Fox, director of Gasland, being arrested at meeting of the panel of the House Science Committee. Members of the committee objected to Fox filming a hearing on a natural-gas drilling technique known as hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking." They also objected to the presence of an ABC News 24 seconds.

Josh Fox on Ed Show after arrest at US House of Representatives Hearing
    Feb 1, 2012 5 minutes 35 seconds

Statement from Josh Fox on being arrested at House of Representatives Hearing
    I was arrested today for exercising my first amendment rights to freedom of the press on Capitol Hill. I was not expecting to be arrested for practicing journalism. Feb 1, 2012

Fossil Fuels vs. Renewables: The Key Argument that Environmentalists are Missing
    Sierra Atlantic Winter 2011 article by Kurt Cobb "No one knows the future. But making public policy based on industry hype could turn out to be disatrous."

Maurice Hinchey, Diana DeGette, Jared Polis--Members of Congress--Request Support for FRAC Act
    Feb 2, 2012 Letter to President Obama

Comments on dSGEIS by Amy Galford, Cornell Cooperative Extension
    Jan 11, 2012

Map: Ordovician Utica Shale

Map: Utica TOC

Map: Marcellus Utica Shale

Comments on rdSGEIS
    Jannette M. Barth, Ph.D., Jan 9, 2012

Some Scientific Failings with the dSGEIS and Proposed Regulations: Comments and Recommendations
    Anthony R., Ingraffea, Ph.D., P.E., Cornell University Jan 8, 2012

Chenango County Vote Where It Counts
    Description of where 2nd home owners can elect to vote.

NYC Council Committee on Environmental Protection--Resolution to authorize Council to file an amicaus brief
    Jan 31, 2012 Brief in support of NYS Attorney General's position that the court should enjoin the DRBC from issuing regulations until the Commission prepares environemental impact statement.

State of NY v US Army Corps of Engineers, et al--Resolution allowing Council of NYC to file amicus
    Brief in support of NYS Attorney General's position that the court should enjoin the DRBC from issuing regulations until the Commission prepares a draft environment impact statement.

Tompkins County Community Impact Assessment: High Volume Hydraulic Fracturing
    Greenplan, Inc. Dec. 15, 2011

Town of Bethel Land Use Analysis: Hazardous or Natural Gas and/or Petroleum Activities & Industrial Uses
    Greenplan, Inc. Jan 23, 2012

Moratoria, Bans, Resolutions
    NY, PA and other locations compiled Jan, 2012 by Keuka Citizens Against Hydrofracking

Jan. 10 Statehouse Fracking Protest Part 2.mov
    Jan 10, 2012 11 minute video of protest outside of the Ohio Statehouse.

Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Co--Motion to Intervene before Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
    Motion to intervene by Sierra Club, Food & Water Watch, New Jersey Highlands Coalition and Fight the Pipe Filed Jan 19, 2012

Local Health Department Concerns--Report of Environment Health Resource Needs
    NYS Conference of Environmental Health Directors Jan 5, 2012 Report prepared for NYS HVHF Advisory Panel

NYS Assoc. of County Health Officials Report to the HVHF Advisory Panel
    Jan 12, 2012

Effect of Inceased Natural Gas Exports on Domestic Energy Markets
    US Energy Iformation Administration, Jan 2012

Testimony of Conrad Daniel Volz, DrPH, MPH in the Matter of DRBC Hearing on Natural Gas Exploratory Wells
    Nov 23, 2011

Venting and Leaking of Methane from Shale Gas Development: Response to Cathles et al
    Robert W. Howard, Renee Santoro, and Anthony Ingraffea defend April, 2011 study challenged by Cathles at al.

Investing in America: Building an Economy That Lasts
    Jan, 2012 White House Report. See page 12-13 for comments on natural gas.


    Simona L. Perry, Ph.D., Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Nov 18, 2011

It's Like We're Losing Our Love
    This video documents Simona Perry’s research on the emotional and traumatic effects of the natural gas drilling, specifically in Bradford County, PA.

Schoharie Valley Watch NYS dSGEIS Comment Report
    Jan 10, 2012; links to a series of analyses

Delaware Riverkeeeper
    A look at the media coverage of the Natural Gas Industry Uplodaded Jan 12, 2012

Missing from the Table: Role of the Environmental Public Health Community in Governmental Advisory Commissions Related to Marcellus Shale Drilling
    Bernard D. Goldstein, Jill Kriesky, Barbara Pavliakova, Environmental Health Perspectives Study Jan 10, 2012

History of Oil and Gas Well Abandonment in New York
    by Ronald E. Bishop, Ph.D., C.H.O, Chemistry & Biochemistry Dept at SUNY College at Oneonta. Posted on Sustainable Otsego

Environmental and Social Implications of Hydraulic Fracturing and Gas Drilling in the United States
    An Integrative Workshop for the Evaluation of the State of Science and Policy. 1 hour 12 minute video of Duke U. workshop. Jan 11, 2012 loaded on YouTube.

A Million Fracking Letters
    1:54 minute video on the many reasons New Yorkers are writing Gov. Andrew Cuomo and asking him to prohibit fracking in our state.

An Ohio Landowner's Guide to Hydraulic Fracturing
    Harvard Law School Emmett Environmental Law and Policy Clinic June 16, 2011

Chloride Concentration Gradients in Tank-Stored Hydraulic Fracturing Fluids Following flowback
    Pamela J. Edwards, Linda L. Tracy, William K. Wilson; USDA/Forest Service and Northern Research Station research published July, 2011.

Comment to Revised dSGEIS on the Oil, Gas and Solution Mining Regulatory Program by NYC Bar Association
    8 page memo on ECL Sec. 23-0101 plus attachments dated Dec, 2011

Considering Shale Gas Extraction in North Carolina: Lessons from Other States
    Discussion draft from Duke U. Environmental Law & Policy Forum Nov 2011

Cooperstown Holstein Corp. vs Middlefield Complaint
    Filed Sept 15, 2011

Critique of PPI Study on Shale Gas Job Creation by Jannette M. Barth, Ph.D.
    Jan 2, 2012 10 pp

Drilling Doublespeak: Gas Drillers Disclose Risks to Shareholders--But Not to Landowners
    Dusty Horwitt, J.D. Environmental Working Group Dec., 2011

EHRA: A Human Rights Assessment of Hydraulic Fracturing for Natural Gas
    Enviornmental and Human Health Impacts Associated with Hydraulic Fracturing Operations. Dec. 12, 2011 Earthworks' Oil and Gas Accountability Project

Executive Summary: Tompkins County Community Impact Assessment HVHF
    Prepared by Greenplan, Inc. dated Dec, 15, 2011 Identifies Community, Environmental & Economic Impacts

FEMA: National Flood Insurance Program--Interim Tehcnical Guidance on Drilling Oil and Gas Wells in Special Flood Hazard Areas
    Minimum drilling requirements for a permit to drill in Special Flood Hazard Areas. Posted Sept 16, 2011

Ground Up: Cultivating Sustainable Agriculture in the Catskill Region
    Columbia University Urban Design Research Seminar Spring 2010

Is Fracking an Answer? To What?
    Negative Population Growth, Inc Paper by Lindsey Grant Dec., 2011

Jacobi Map of Criss-Crossed Earthquake Faults
    Jacobi Basement Faults andSeismiity in the Appalachian Basin of NY

Letter to Gov Cuomo et al re: Cancer Risk from Fracking
    Dec 12, 2011 Principal signatories: Sandra Steingraber, Lois Gibbs, Adelaide P. Gomer, Fran Drescher and 19 cancer organizations

Local Jurisdiction over Gas Drilling: Memorandum to Town of Middletown
    Bond, Schoeneck & King, PLLC May 12, 2011

New York debates merits of fracking
    The US state of New York is considering whether to go ahead with a controversial form of gas drilling. Al Jazeera's Kristen Saloomey reports from New York's Otsego County. Uploaded by AlJazeeraEnglish. 6 minutes video

Pipe Dreams? Jobs Gained, Jobs Lost by the Construction of Keystone XL
    Report by Cornell University Global Labor Institute Sept, 2011

Shale Gas in British Columbia: Risks to B.C.'s climate action objectives
    Sept, 2011 Report by Matt Horne of Pembina Institute, a national non-profit think tank that advances sustainable energy solutions. 31 pages

Shale Gas in British Columbia: Risks to B.C.'s water resources
    Sept, 2011 Report by Karen Cambpell and Matt Horne from Pembina Institute, a national non-profit think tank that advances sustainable energy solutions. 32 pages

The Case for a Moratorium on Drilling the Marcellus Shale in PA by Stephen Cleghorn
    1 hour presentation from an organic farmer in western PA assembles the case for a moratorium on unconventiaonal drilling for natural gas in the Marcellus Shale. Posted Dec. 5, 2011.

The Economic Impact of Tourism for New York
    Calendar 2010 Reports for: Adirondacks, Capital-Saratoga, Catskills, Central NY, Chautauqua-Allegheny, Finger Lakes, Great Niagara, Hudson Valley, Long Island, New York City, and Thousand Islands by Oxford Economics Company

The Economic Impact of Tourism in New York -- Long Island Focus
    2010 Calendar Year Report for Long Island by Oxford Economics Co.

The Economic Impact of Tourism in New York -- Adirondacks Focus
    2010 Calendar Year Report for the Adirondacks by Oxford Economics Co.

The Economic Impact of Tourism in New York -- Capital-Saratoga Focus
    2010 Calendar Year Report for Capital-Saratoga by Oxford Economics Co.

The Economic Impact of Tourism in New York -- Catskills
    2010 Calendar Year Catskills Focus report from Oxford Economics Co.

The Economic Impact of Tourism in New York -- Finger Lakes Focus
    2010 Calendar Year report on the Finger Lakes from Oxford Economics Co.

the Economic Impact of Tourism in New York -- Greater Niagara Focus
    2010 Calendar Year report for Greater Niagara by Oxford Economics Co.

The Economic Impact of Tourism in New York -- Hudson Valley
    2010 Calendar Year Report for Hudson Valley by Oxford Economics Co.

The Economic Impact of Tourism in New York -- New York City
    2010 Calendar Year report NYC Focus by Oxford Economics Co.

The Economic Impact of Tourism in New York Central NY Focus
    2010 Calendar Year Report for Central NY by Oxford Economics Co.

The Economic Impact of Tourism in New York --Chautauqua-Allegheny Focus
    2010 Calendar Year Report for Chautauqua-Allegheny by Oxford Economics Co.

The Economic Impact of Tourism in New York Thousand Islands Focus
    2010 Calendar Year Report for Thousand Islands by Oxford Economics Co.

The Economic Value of Shale Natural Gas in Ohio
    Amanda L. Weinstein and Dr. Mark D. Partridge (Dept of Agricultural, Environmental and Development Economics of Ohio State U.) 38 page report dated Dec, 2011

Why the Water Industry is Promoting Shale Gas Development
    Dec., 2011 Food & Water Watch 5 pages

You Hired WHO? Smart Growth Strategies for Natural Gas Employers
    Among the topics covered in this power point the law firm of Steptoe & Johnson, "Union Avoidance"!

Introduction to Injection Wells
    International School of Well Drilling continuing education program 27 page discussion paper on injection wells.

Natural Gas Company Propaganda is BULL S*!T! The Ironic News Report Calls Them Out!
    The fossil fuel industry has left out a few details in their informational video about the process of drilling for natural gas. Comedian Julianna Forlano fills in the gaps in this special edition of The Ironic News Report. Oct 8, 2011 7 minute video

"How Can They Do This?"
    Sept 8, 2011 posted video from Berry Tales Excerpt Vol 3. 7:57 minute "Berry Tales" are real, first-hand accounts of how residents of Gardendale, TX have been treated by Berry Oil and their 'landman' representative, Gray Surface Specialties. This segment was excerpted…


Take The Pledge - Sign an Agreement to NOT lease your land!

Sign an agreement not to lease your land for natural gas drilling using High Volume Horizontal Hydrofracture.



Please donate to Catskill Citizens for Safe Energy by clicking on the button below.

WellWatch

WellWatch is a web site that allows citizens to better cope with natural gas facilities on their properties or in their communities. It allows them to find out information about companies or wells, and to record notes or complaints about facilities and enter them into the public record.

EPA Tip Line

Report suspicious drilling activities
to the EPA

If you see suspicious activity, such as possibly unauthorized water withdrawals, illegal wastewater dumping, or other questionable activity, call the EPA's Eyes on Drilling line at 1-877-919-4372 (toll free), or send a message to eyesondrilling@epa.gov.

If an emergency is observed related to a well drilling operation, call the National Response Center at 1-800-424-8802.

NY DEC Tip Line

In New York State you can also contact the DEC at http://www.dec.ny.gov/regulations/67751.html.

CCSE Updates

CCSE Update 01/26/2012
CCSE Update 01/17/2012
CCSE Update 01/06/2012
CCSE Update 12/30/2011
CCSE Update 11/02/2011
CCSE Update 10/10/2011
CCSE Update 9/29/2011
CCSE Update 9/13/2011
CCSE Update 8/30/2011
CCSE Update 7/21/2011
CCSE Update 7/6/2011
CCSE Update 7/1/2011
CCSE Update 6/28/2011
CCSE Update 5/12/2011
CCSE Update 5/05/2011

Speak Up!

Tell President Barack Obama how you feel about federal exemptions from the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act for gas drilling companies.

Energy & Environment -- Of the People, By the People

Sullivan County
Town Meeting Schedules

Welcome to Catskill Citizens for Safe Energy

Catskill Citizens for Safe Energy is an all volunteer grassroots organization working to prohibit dangerous hydraulic fracturing (fracking) since 2008.


Take Action!


What Do You Mean by "Safe"
Mr. President? 


Millions of people who listened to President Obama's State of the Union speech last Tuesday found themselves speechless after hearing what he had to say about shale gas extraction.  His remarks were by turns reckless, suspect and flat out wrong.

Flat Out Wrong:  "We have a supply of natural gas that can last America nearly 100 years."

In fact, America's proven gas reserves (272 trillion cubic feet) are only enough to last around eleven years at the current rate of consumption (24 tcf per year).   Even the much more speculative estimate of "unproved technically recoverable reserves" (482 tcf according to the US Department of Energy) is only enough to last around twenty years.

Suspect:  "Experts believe this [the natural gas industry] will support more than 600,000 jobs by the end of the decade."

Apparently the "experts" the president is referring to are industry shills, not staff at the Bureau of Labor Statistics which predicts that the oil and gas industry will employ only 136,000 people by 2018.   And the president, like the industry, fails to estimate how many jobs will be lost as other economic sectors such as agriculture and tourism are crowded out by high-impact industrial development.

Reckless:  "America will develop this resource without putting the health and safety of our citizens at risk.  Development of natural gas will create jobs and power trucks and factories that are cleaner and cheaper, proving that we don't have to choose between our environment and our economy."

No Frack!


There's no way around it.  We do have to choose - between a sustainable, healthy future and a destructive industrial practice that will fuel climate change, contaminate drinking water and leave American taxpayers on the hook for uncounted billions in environmental cleanup and health care costs.  

The science is in Mr. President, there is nothing "clean" about shale gas; it's not a bridge fuel, it's a bridge to nowhere.



Take Action!


DEMAND LEGISLATIVE ACTION!

10,396 THANK YOUS!

Last week marked the end of the public comment period on the DEC’s plan to frack New York.   In all, the department received tens of thousands of letters from concerned citizens, the vast majority sharply critical of fracking.  Catskill Citizens extends heartfelt thanks to everyone who used our website to send over 10,000 letters to the DEC on such important topics as water contamination, radioactivity and the threat of fracking-induced earthquakes.  Special thanks to all those who helped print out the letters, pack them up, and ship them off to the DEC.

BILLS, BILLS, BILLS

At this point, more than two dozen fracking-related bills that have been introduced in the legislature; some of them are very good, but most of them stand little chance of passage in the current session.   Here are a few of the bills we’ll be championing in the year ahead.

  • S5830, the so-called “Home Rule” bill, clarifies the right of towns to enact zoning ordinances that prohibit fracking.   It will discourage industry-funded lawsuits, and encourage more towns to enact protective ordinances.  Albany insiders say S5830 has a good shot of being passed in the current session.

  • Another critically important bill is A7013/S4616, which will close the hazardous waste loophole that permits the oil and gas industry to get away with improperly disposing of toxic and radioactive wastewater.  It passed in the Assembly last year, but died in the Senate.    A robust discussion of A7013/S4616 will call attention to the dangerous disposal practices routinely used to get rid of fracking waste, and underscore the fact that the shale gas extraction industry seems to be incapable of operating under the same laws that apply to every other business in America.

  • A07218A/S4220-A, would prohibit hydraulic fracturing anywhere in the state.  If we can get this bill enacted, New York’s fracking nightmare will be a thing of the past,  but getting it passed is likely to be a drawn out and difficult struggle. 


Latest News

Search All News Items

Feb 6, 2012
Living with 'Fracking' Where the Water Catches Fire The profits and pitfalls of natural gas drilling are dividing Pennsylvanians
People
Nicole Weisensee Egan

One day last February, the water out of Jodie Simons's kitchen faucet was running black. Simons called the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection the next morning, and two days later an agent arrived, filled a bottle from her tap, took it outside and lit the water on fire. "She told u...  [Full Story]

Feb 4, 2012
Cabot: Recording error caused false arsenic result
The Times Tribune
Laura Legere

A high arsenic reading that a natural gas driller mistakenly attributed to the Montrose public water supply this week was in fact caused by a recording error when handwritten field notes were typed into the driller's database, Cabot Oil & Gas Corp. said Friday. The sample, which actually contai...  [Full Story]

Feb 4, 2012
Koch Brothers Convene Super-Secret Billionaires' Meeting for 2012 Elections
AlterNet
Lee Fang

At a retreat last weekend, dozens of wealthy donors convened in a large golf resort in Indian Wells, Calif. for a four day conference to raise money and plot out election year strategy, the Republic Report has confirmed. We traveled to the conference, and spoke to a few of the attendees. .............  [Full Story]

Feb 4, 2012
STOCK Act Opponent Richard Burr Stands To Gain From Natural Gas Investments
Huffington Post
Lucia Graves

WASHINGTON -- Sen. Richard Burr's vocal opposition to the STOCK Act raised some eyebrows in Washington this week, and with good reason. Burr, a North Carolina Republican who was one of just three senators to vote against the ban on congressional insider trading Thursday, owns investments in the n...  [Full Story]

Feb 4, 2012
Josh Fox, 'Gasland' Director, Talks Of Capitol Hill Arrest
Huffington Post


Documentary filmmaker Josh Fox and his crew on Wednesday walked into a congressional hearing on hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking," a controversial natural gas drilling technique. Fox left in handcuffs, charged with unlawful entry. The meeting of the House Subcommittee on Energy and Environment ...  [Full Story]

Feb 4, 2012
Sierra Club took $26 million from natural gas lobby to battle coal industry
The Daily Caller
David Martosko

A Time magazine blogger reported Thursday that the Sierra Club, America’s oldest and most august environmental organization, accepted millions of dollars in donations from one of the nation’s biggest natural gas-drilling companies for a program lambasting coal-fired power plants as environmental evi...  [Full Story]

Feb 3, 2012
As natural gas prices fall, so do hopes for change
The Washington Post
Steven Mufson

For the past three years, promoters of shale gas and environmentalists opposed to coal-fired power plants have hailed the sudden abundance of U.S. natural gas as a bridge to a renewable-energy future. But natural gas has become so cheap that many energy experts and environmentalists now wonder wh...  [Full Story]

Feb 3, 2012
Steve Israel: Filmmaker's arrest at Capitol Hill fracking hearing just plain wrong
The Times Herald Record
Steve Israel

No matter how you feel about gas drilling, you have to feel it was wrong to ban Pennsylvania filmmaker Josh Fox from a congressional hearing on the controversial natural gas extraction method of hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking." Fox, who made the Oscar-nominated documentary "Gasland" — which d...  [Full Story]

Feb 3, 2012
The Really Negative Story on Natural Gas .
The Wall Street Journal
Liam Derring

Natural-gas prices are on the floor. Could they go negative? The probability that wholesale gas prices will drop below $2 per million British thermal units, from today's almost $2.50, is rising. Gas hasn't closed below $2 since September 2009. Today's market shares one critical similarity to th...  [Full Story]

Feb 3, 2012
Water utility rebuts Cabot arsenic claims
The Times Tribune
Laura Legere

Pennsylvania American Water released six years of test results showing no evidence of arsenic at its Montrose public water supply on Thursday after a natural gas driller said this week that a Dimock Twp. water sample showing high levels of the chemical originated from the Montrose system. Annua...  [Full Story]

Feb 3, 2012
Medical mystery: Is gas being extracted by fracking?:VIDEO
CNN
Dr. Drew

The call for answers grows louder in Upstate New York. Why is a cluster of people in the town of Le Roy suffering from twitches and tics. A new question is being raised: Is gas being extracted using a technique called fracking? HLN correspondent Jim Spellman talked to HLN’s Dr. Drew Thursday ...  [Full Story]

Feb 3, 2012
Congressional leaders push Obama to expand fracking study
The Colorado Independent
Troy Hooper

U.S. Reps. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.), Jared Polis (D-Colo.), and Maurice Hinchey (D-N.Y.) are calling on President Obama to strengthen environmental and public health standards to protect against risks posed by hydraulic fracturing. In a letter to the president, the Democrats ask the president to sup...  [Full Story]

Feb 3, 2012
'Gasland' director Joshua Fox vs. the Republican oil lobby
The Los Angeles Times
Dean Kuipers

The battle between "Gasland" director Joshua Fox and Republicans in the House who support fracking has now turned into a tussle over the First Amendment. Fox was arrested by Capitol police on Wednesday and charged with unlawful entry when he walked into a congressional hearing on the controversia...  [Full Story]

Feb 3, 2012
Canadian Natural Gas Rises as Drilling Rigs Drop to 26-Month Low
Bloomberg
Gene Laverty

Canadian natural gas rose after a report showed that the number of rigs drilling for the fuel in the U.S. slumped to a 26-month low. Alberta gas gained 0.2 percent. Prices recovered from an earlier decline after Baker Hughes Inc. said the rig total fell 32 to 745, the lowest level since Nov. 20, ...  [Full Story]

Feb 3, 2012
Obama's Support for Natural Gas Drilling 'A Painful Moment' for Communities Exposed to Fracking
Democratic Underground


...AMY GOODMAN: I want to turn to President Obama’s recent comments about natural gas drilling. This is what he said just last week in his State of the Union address. PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: We have a supply of natural gas that can last America nearly 100 years. And my administration will take...  [Full Story]

Feb 3, 2012
Donations to Sierra Club Raise Ire
New York Times
Felicity Barringer

The Sierra Club’s president, Michael Brune, has acknowledged in a blog post that beginning five years ago, the club accepted $26 million from people connected with Chesapeake Energy, the country’s second-largest natural gas producer. He added that the club had turned down $30 million pledged by thos...  [Full Story]

Feb 3, 2012
Pre-Budget Brief: Environmental Programs Were Cut $1.5 Billion, When Is It Enough?
PA Environment Digest


Gov. Corbett presents his budget proposal Tuesday to a joint session of the General Assembly and about the only good news expected is-- we're not as broke as the federal government. So far what Budget Secretary Charles Zogby said during his mid-year budget briefing in December is hold...  [Full Story]

Feb 2, 2012
Hinchey, DeGette and Polis Call on President to Endorse Stronger Protections from Hydraulic Fracturing, More Study
Press Release
Maurice Hinchey

Hinchey, DeGette and Polis Call on President to Endorse Stronger Protections from Hydraulic Fracturing, More Study Members Also Highlight New EIA Data on Lower Shale Gas Reserves in Response to the State of the Union Address Washington, DC - Congressman Maurice Hinchey (D-NY), Congresswoman Diana...  [Full Story]

Feb 2, 2012
Authors of WSJ Climate Piece Have Industry Ties, Report Finds
Inside Climate News


Donate to SolveClimate News InsideClimate Oil Sands ColumbiaJournalismReview Article Once a day Get Articles by e-mail: or subscribe by RSS Also Get Today's Climate by e-mail: or subscribe by RSS See Our Stories on Reuters Waterless Fracking: Gas Drilling Game-Changer? (Po...  [Full Story]

Feb 2, 2012
U.S. May Be ‘Saudi Arabia of Natural Gas,’ But Shale Gas Rush Is Slowing
National Geographic
Mason Inman

Following on last week’s State of the Union address that supported hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking” in shale gas deposits, President Obama called the U.S. “the Saudi Arabia of natural gas” and unveiled a new proposal to provide tax breaks to boost the use of natural gas as a fuel for trucks. B...  [Full Story]

Feb 2, 2012
Ohio Officials Growing Wary Of Fracking Waste
NPR- State Impact
Scott Detrow

Ohio Gov­er­nor John Kasich is a big sup­porter of nat­ural gas drilling, but that doesn’t mean he wants Pennsylvania’s frack­ing waste. As this Bloomberg News arti­cle reports, the Buck­eye State took in 369 mil­lion gal­lons of used frack­ing fluid last year. Much of that liq­uid came from Penn...  [Full Story]

Feb 2, 2012
Exclusive: How the Sierra Club Took Millions From the Natural Gas Industry—and Why They Stopped [UPDATE]
Ecocentric
Bryan Walsh

Mainstream environmental groups have struggled to find the right line on shale natural gas and the hydraulic fracturing or fracking process. Gas has a much smaller carbon footprint than coal—according to most scientists—and produces far fewer air pollutants. That was enough for many major green grou...  [Full Story]

Feb 2, 2012
Hydrofracking comments present new problem: Scanning shoulder
Press Connects
Jon Campbell

ALBANY -- It may not be tennis elbow or writer's cramp, but the crush of 46,000 comments the state has received on hydraulic fracturing may have caused its own occupational hazard: scanning shoulder. The state Department of Environmental Conservation is conducting an ergonomic review of a tempora...  [Full Story]

Feb 2, 2012
‘GasLand’ director Josh Fox tells Cenk, ‘This isn’t government, this is thuggery’:VIDEO
Current TV
Cenk Uygar

Cenk talks to “GasLand” director Josh Fox, who was arrested during a Congressional hearing while trying to film for the sequel to his documentary. Fox says, “This access used to be granted quite regularly when the Democrats ran the House. The video you see [of Fox being handcuffed] was shot by Congr...  [Full Story]

Feb 2, 2012
Residents Want Answers on Gas Drilling
WYTV


The Ohio Department of Natural Resources is expected to release a report sometime in February on injection wells after recent earthquake activity in Youngstown. Residents concerned with oil and natural gas drilling and injection wells met Thursday night at the First Unitarian Universalist Church...  [Full Story]

Feb 2, 2012
"Gasland" Director Josh Fox Arrested at Congressional Hearing on Natural Gas Fracking:Video
Democracy Now
Amy Goodman & Juan Gonzales

The Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Josh Fox was handcuffed and arrested Wednesday as he attempted to film a congressional hearing on the controversial natural gas drilling technique known as fracking, which the Environmental Protection Agency recently reported caused water contamination in Pavill...  [Full Story]

Feb 2, 2012
Brutal Crimes Grip an Indian Reservation
New York Times
Timothy Williams

WIND RIVER INDIAN RESERVATION, Wyo. — At a boys’ basketball game here last month, Wyoming Indian High School, a perennial state power, was trading baskets with a local rival. The players, long-limbed and athletic, are among the area’s undisputed stars, and their games one of its few diversions. On t...  [Full Story]

Feb 2, 2012
Obama’s Support for Natural Gas Drilling "A Painful Moment" for Communities Exposed to Fracking:Video
Democracy Now
Amy Goodman & Juan Gonzales

Last week, President Obama called the United States "the Saudi Arabia of natural gas" in a speech about boosting domestic energy production. That concerns Wyoming farmer John Fenton, who already has more than two dozen gas wells on his property. The Environmental Protection Agency ruled in December ...  [Full Story]

Feb 2, 2012
About that Public Hearing that Gasland Documentary Director, never got to see
Daily Kos


Here are some of the low-lights -- that Josh Fox never got a chance to film:   [Full Story]

Feb 2, 2012
Natural gas gets cheaper as Exxon keeps drilling
Futures Mag
Phil Flynn

Stupid is as stupid does and after Exxon Mobil, the world’s largest publicly traded oil company, reported a net income of $9.4 billion for the quarter, up from $9.25 billion the year before and revenues of $121.6 billion, up 16 % from the year before, T. Boone Pickens seemed to suggest that it was s...  [Full Story]

Feb 2, 2012
"Gasland" Director Josh Fox Fires Back at Republicans After His Unfair Arrest:VIDEO
AlterNet
Lauren Kelley

On last night's Ed Show, Ed Schultz interviewed Gasland director Josh Fox, who was arrested this week, in violation of his first amendment rights, while covering a Congressional hearing on fracking. In the interview, Fox fires back at the Republicans who have been targeting him. Watch the clip below...  [Full Story]

Feb 2, 2012
Fracking Rules on U.S. Lands Seen by Interior as Model
Bloomberg
Mark Drajem & Katarzyna Klimasinska

Federal rules for fracking on public lands, set to be released in a few weeks, may serve as a model for states to get companies to disclose the chemicals used in the drilling process, an Obama administration official said. The proposed federal standards will be compatible with rules already in p...  [Full Story]

Feb 2, 2012
Lawmakers Fault EPA in Fracking Hearing Delayed by Arrest
Bloomberg
Mark Drajem

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released 622 documents related to its study of water contamination tied to hydraulic fracturing in Pavillion, Wyoming, as Republican lawmakers criticized the findings. The discussion over Wyoming took place in a Capitol Hill building where Josh Fox, the ma...  [Full Story]

Feb 2, 2012
Fund set up for Mansfield's fracking fight
Mansfield News Journal
Linda Martz

MANSFIELD — The City of Mansfield has set up an account for residents’ donations in support the city’s fight against injection wells. Finance Director Linn Steward has established a “Donations Against Injection Wells” account, at the request of Mansfield Law Director John R. Spon and Mayor Timoth...  [Full Story]

Feb 2, 2012
DEP Investigating Three Spills at Gas Well
WNEP
Jim Hamill

State environmental officials are investigating three separate spills at a gas well pad in Lycoming County. It is not the first time the company Pennsylvania General Energy has been in the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection's crosshairs. Last spring residents along Pine Creek ...  [Full Story]

Feb 1, 2012
Oscar-nominated director arrested at House hearing
The Hill
Andrew Restuccia

Capitol Police arrested Josh Fox, the Oscar-nominated director of “Gasland,” on Wednesday, charging him with “unlawful entry” for refusing leave a House hearing. Capitol Police spokeswoman Kimberly Schneider confirmed Fox’s arrest to The Hill Wednesday. She said Fox was arrested at about 10:30 a....  [Full Story]

Feb 1, 2012
'Gasland' Journalists Arrested At Hearing By Order Of House Republicans (UPDATES)
Huffington Post
Zach Carter

WASHINGTON -- In a stunning break with First Amendment policy on Capitol Hill, House Republicans directed Capitol Hill police to detain a highly regarded documentary crew that was attempting to film a Wednesday hearing on a controversial natural gas procurement practice. Republicans also denied the ...  [Full Story]

Feb 1, 2012
‘Gasland’ Filmmaker Arrested at Capitol Hearing
The New York Times
John Broder

Josh Fox, whose HBO documentary “Gasland” raised questions about the safety of the natural gas drilling technique known as horizontal hydraulic fracturing, was handcuffed and led away on Wednesday as he tried to film a House Science Committee hearing on the topic. The Capitol Police said that Mr....  [Full Story]

Feb 1, 2012
EPA stands by ‘fracking’ study but calls reach limited
The Hill
Ben Geman

The Environmental Protection Agency is holding firm against critics of its explosive draft report that concluded hydraulic fracturing, the controversial gas-drilling method, probably caused groundwater contamination in Wyoming. But the agency is warning against use of the finding as a broader ind...  [Full Story]

Feb 1, 2012
'Gasland' director Joshua Fox arrested filming House panel
The Los Angeles Times
Neela Banerjee

At the behest of the Republican leadership of a House of Representatives subcommittee, Capitol Police arrested Joshua Fox, the maker of the Oscar-nominated documentary “Gasland,” when he tried on Wednesday to film a subcommittee hearing on hydraulic fracturing, a controversial method used to tap oil...  [Full Story]

Feb 1, 2012
Personal Statement, Video: Losing Carl Stiles and Feeling Fractured
Protecting Our Waters
Iris Marie Bloom

Last Thursday Carl Stiles, a gentle, soft-spoken and understated man who became an environmental refugee after drilling and fracking contaminated his water and his home in Sugar Run, Bradford County, Pennsylvania, took his own life. He was 46 years old. I have been, and continue to be, sad, shock...  [Full Story]

Feb 1, 2012
Hinchey: Arrest of Filmmaker is Shameful
Maurice Hinchey, Member of Congress
Press Release

Washington, DC - Congressman Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) today released the following statement upon learning that Gasland Director Josh Fox was arrested for attempting to film a public congressional hearing on hydraulic fracturing. The Chairman of the Energy and Environment Subcommittee of the U.S. Hous...  [Full Story]

Feb 1, 2012
Hold Drillers 'responsible'
Corning Leader
Opinion Peter Mantius

For nearly a quarter century, New York state has managed a fund financed by the petroleum industry to clean up petroleum product spills large and small. The states' Oil Spill Fund provides for quick cleanups and prompt out-of-court reimbursements for victims. It also protects the state's taxpaye...  [Full Story]

Feb 1, 2012
Front groups wage PR warfare in ‘fracking’ debate
O'Dwyers
Jon Gingerich

On New Year’s Eve, a 4.0 magnitude earthquake shook parts of northeastern Ohio. Earthquakes aren’t exactly common in the Buckeye State, so officials hired a team of Columbia University experts to study data from the tremor. What they discovered was alarming: the earthquake wasn’t the result of natur...  [Full Story]

Feb 1, 2012
New Law Aimed At Fracking Industry Takes Effect
Pro 8 News


A new state law taking affect today targets the fracking industry requiring companies to disclose exactly what chemicals are being used in the process on a public website. But some people say the law is just not enough to safeguard the public and say there are many loopholes that companies can tak...  [Full Story]

Feb 1, 2012
Congressional Hearing on EPA Fracking Research in Pavillion
K2 Radio
Karen Snyder

The Environmental Protection Agency’s study of groundwater contamination and links to hydraulic fracturing in Pavillion was the topic of a U-S House subcommittee hearing Wednesday. No one locally affected was invited to the hearing, which was expected to include criticism of the E-P-A’s scientific a...  [Full Story]

Feb 1, 2012
Colorado ‘fracking’ protesters booted from Winter X Games
The Colorado Independent
Troy Hooper

ASPEN — A revolt against hydraulic fracturing in Colorado went worldwide Sunday night as a group of self-described “fractivists” flashed anti-drilling signs along the superpipe of the Winter X Games. About a dozen local twenty-somethings waved signs reading “Keep Our Water Pure,” “Rig Free For Yo...  [Full Story]

Feb 1, 2012
Corbett urges legislative leaders to limit what towns can require of gas drillers
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Timothy Puko

With a multi-billion-dollar project in the balance for Pennsylvania, Gov. Tom Corbett wrote legislative leaders this week to insist they pass limits on local control of the oil and gas industry. It's "paramount" that any oil and gas law reform bills bring uniform standards for when and where dri...  [Full Story]

Jan 31, 2012
EPA report links groundwater contamination to natural gas drilling
Chesapeake Bay Journal
Rona Kobel

The EPA has issued a draft report confirming what many environmental groups have long suspected: Natural gas drilling is causing groundwater contamination. The agency conducted its water testing in Pavilion, WY - a town that is replete with gas wells, and where residents have long complained of ...  [Full Story]

Jan 31, 2012
Illuminating history of natural gas in the watershed sheds light on need for caution
Chesapeake Bay Journal
Dr. Kent Mountford

Whatever view one takes, how combustible gas came to fit into the economy of the densely settled Washington, DC, Metropolitan Area provides an interesting piece of Chesapeake history.  [Full Story]

Jan 31, 2012
Drillers must provide air emissions data
the times-tribune
ROBERT SWIFT

HARRISBURG - Operators of Marcellus wells, drilling rigs and compressor stations are being notified by state officials to provide air emissions data by March 1, highlighting an issue activists want more attention given in pending impact fee legislation. A notice by the Department of Environmental...  [Full Story]

Jan 31, 2012
Helicopter makes 700 pound drop near home
the times-tribune
STACI WILSON

JACKSON TWP. - Kathy Kaminsky had just come inside Sunday after playing in the yard of her Susquehanna County home with her 10-year-old granddaughter when she heard what she said sounded like a tornado passing over the roof. Ms. Kaminsky and her granddaughter dived for cover. After the shaking...  [Full Story]

Jan 31, 2012
Landowners fight eminent domain in Pa. gas field
Wall St. Journal
Associated Press

LAPORTE, Pa. — When federal regulators approved a 39-mile natural gas pipeline through northern Pennsylvania's pristine Endless Mountains, they cited the operator's assurances that it would make sparing use of eminent domain as it negotiated with more than 150 property owners along the pipeline's ro...  [Full Story]

Jan 31, 2012
Council of Delegates advances Chapter’s position on fracking
Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter
Ken Baer

At the recent annual meeting of the Council of Club Leaders in San Francisco, the Atlantic Chapter made some headway in its effort to change the Sierra Club’s policy regarding fracking and natural gas. The council, which consists of delegates from each of the Club’s 63 chapters, advises th...  [Full Story]

Jan 31, 2012
Black Gold for the GOP Trevor Rees-Jones made his name as a Dallas fracking pioneer. So what's he doing bankrolling political attack ads halfway across the country?
Mother Jones
Josh Harkinson

One evening this past October, I went prospecting for natural-gas man Trevor Rees-Jones at the posh Hilton Anatole in Dallas. He was there to receive the Robert S. Folsom Leadership Award, a philanthropic prize that in recent years has gone to the likes of Laura Bush and former Cowboys quarterback T...  [Full Story]

Jan 31, 2012
Tainted-Well Lawsuits Mount Against Gas Frackers Led by Cabot
Bloomberg
Jim Snyder

For 36 years, Norma Fiorentino drew water from a well near her home in Dimock, Pennsylvania. “It was the best water in town,” she says. Then on Jan. 1, 2009, she says her well blew up. State regulators later blamed natural gas drilling by Cabot Oil & Gas Corp. for elevating methane levels in...  [Full Story]

Jan 31, 2012
Cabot questions EPA's justification for delivering water to Dimock
The Patriot-News
DONALD GILLILAND

Home > Breaking Midstate News with The Patriot-News > Breaking News Cabot questions EPA's justification for delivering water to Dimock Published: Tuesday, January 31, 2012, 5:00 PM Updated: Tuesday, January 31, 2012, 5:06 PM By DONALD GILLILAND, The Patriot-News The Patriot-News Follow 9 ...  [Full Story]

Jan 31, 2012
Md. bill would ban import of fracking wastewater
Philadelphia Inquirer
Associated Press

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Bringing natural gas drilling wastewater into Maryland for treatment or storage would be banned under a bill introduced by a Montgomery County lawmaker. Delegate Shane Robinson told the Cumberland Times-News that Maryland treatment plants lack the capability to safely treat dril...  [Full Story]

Jan 30, 2012
Huhne Keeps Solar Industry in Limbo
The Energy Collective


Chris Huhne, energy secretary, has taken another step to undermine the solar industry in seeking to appeal to the Supreme Court to defend his feed in tariff cuts. The saga of the cuts started back in October when Chris Huhne first proposed that the rate that home-owners received for their excess ene...  [Full Story]

Jan 30, 2012
SRBC Modifies Public Participation Process, To Reconsider December Actions, To Hold Feb. Hearing
New York Water Law


The Susquehanna River Basin Commission (SRBC) has announced changes to its public participation process. It will now conduct a public hearing on project applications one month before the Commission acts on the projects. In accordance with these changes, the SRBC will conduct a public hearing on Febr...  [Full Story]

Jan 30, 2012
The week ahead: House GOP to begin work on infrastructure, drilling package
The Hill (blog)
Andrew Restuccia

House Republicans will begin moving legislation this week that would fund infrastructure reforms with revenue generated from expanded oil-and-gas drilling. House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said Sunday that Republicans will likely attach language to the package aimed at overturning President Ob...  [Full Story]

Jan 30, 2012
Bulgaria may need to revise new shale gas law
SE European Times
Svetla Dimitrova

A new law in Bulgaria to ban hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, may need to be revised, as experts say it effectively blocks all drilling and field survey procedures associated with the exploration and extraction of oil and natural gas in the country. Experts say that a provision in law, under w...  [Full Story]

Jan 30, 2012
Agreement reached on legislation for natural gas drilling
Idaho Reporter


The Idaho Association of Counties and the Idaho Petroleum Council say they have come to an agreement on legislation they plan to present in February. Both groups say the legislation would give some control to counties involving natural gas exploration and processing. However, one conservation gr...  [Full Story]

Jan 30, 2012
Fracking practices guidelines issued by Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers Industry group releases list of six operating practices
Galgary Herald
Dan Healing

CALGARY — Getting ahead in the public relations battle over hydraulic fracturing of natural gas wells will be costly but is vital to the continued health of the industry, its association says. In announcing best operating practices for “fracking” Monday, Dave Collyer, president of the Canadian A...  [Full Story]

Jan 30, 2012
Is President Obama A Fracking Wonk?
State Impact PA
Scott Detrow

Pres­i­dent Obama gave shale gas extrac­tion a spe­cific men­tion dur­ing last week’s State of the Union address. “We have a sup­ply of nat­ural gas that can last Amer­ica nearly one hun­dred years, and my Admin­is­tra­tion will take every pos­si­ble action to safely develop this energy,” he said on...  [Full Story]



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