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Year to Date News Items Feb 6, 2012Living 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 us the methane levels were so high we should keep our windows open to make sure our house didn't explode," says Simons, a bartender in Monroeton, PA. [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. .......................................................... A jet owned by Continental Resources, a large fracking company that dominates the Bakken shale formation in North Dakota, arrived at the event. The company, headed by Obama critic Harold Hamm, refused to answer any questions about the Koch meeting. [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 natural gas industry that would benefit from legislation he co-sponsored offering tax credits for natural gas-fueled vehicles. Burr has investments in the gas industry valued from $133,298 to $219,337, according to his 2010 filings. His portfolio includes $36,000 worth of stock in Chesapeake Energy Corp., the second-largest U.S. producer of natural gas. He also holds more than $25,000 in shares of Loews Corp., a holding company with subsidiaries engaged in the exploration, production, marketing and transmission of natural gas. He was on the losing side of Thursday's 96-3 passage of the STOCK Act, that would tighten rules for lawmakers and their aides using inside information for personal investments. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor said he'll bring the STOCK Act to the House floor next week. [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 was focused on the Environmental Protection Agency's Dec. 8 draft report on links between fracking and water contamination in Pavillion, Wyo. Fox, working on the sequel to the HBO documentary "Gasland," planned to attend the hearing because the EPA investigation highlights subjects from both "Gasland" and the sequel. Thus, he told HuffPost, "we were not really going to be told 'no.'" [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 evildoers. The total take for John Muir’s conservation group? A whopping $26 million over four years from Chesapeake Energy and its subsidiaries, mostly through Chesapeake CEO Aubrey McClendon. The news rocked the environmental movement, sent the Sierra Club headlong into explanation mode, angered coal companies that the organization targeted with natural gas money, and had free-market advocates shaking their heads. [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 contained none of the chemical, was taken from water drawn from Pennsylvania American Water's Lake Montrose treatment plant and trucked to Dimock Twp. in August 2010 as a replacement for well water found to have been tainted with methane from drilling operations. Test results that found no arsenic in the water were recorded properly by a Cabot contractor in the field, spokesman George Stark said Friday. But somehow the numbers for the arsenic and barium readings were switched when the data was uploaded to a computer. The company apologized for the error. Pennsylvania American Water asked for a review of the test data after Cabot released a statement Tuesday alleging arsenic nearly four times the federal drinking water limit originated from the utility's Montrose system - a claim the utility rebutted with six years of tests showing no evidence of arsenic in the public water. "We are glad that Cabot reviewed their records, identified the error, and clarified this information," spokeswoman Susan Turcmanovich said. "However, we feel they should have done a more thorough analysis of the information prior to issuing such a serious allegation." Cabot made the claim as it criticized federal regulators' interpretation of the same data. The Environmental Protection Agency attributed the sample to a Dimock water well during its review of past water tests and the high arsenic level prompted the agency to provide replacement water to the home. The EPA is delivering water to four homes and testing as many as 66 as it investigates potential contamination from gas drilling in a 9-square-mile area of Dimock. The contested arsenic result was one of two that federal toxicologists identified above drinking water limits in Dimock wells. The second, which was two-and-a-half times the drinking water limit, was not an error, Mr. Stark said, but was detected during a sampling of "very heavy solids" that came from a water well before purging it. The water was then run through the home's treatment system and came out with no detection of arsenic, he said. In a statement Friday, Cabot said the well water for the four homes receiving water from the EPA does not pose a health risk. "The transcription error is an example of why a single anomalous result should not be used as the basis of a decision when a volume of data exists," the company said. But the EPA issued a strong defense of its investigation Friday, saying that it was inspired to act both by "data items that presented sufficient health concerns" as well as a need to gather "validated data â?¦ to fill information gaps and develop a sound scientific basis for assessing the need for further action," since much of the past data it reviewed was "incomplete and of uncertain quality." "This latest explanation by Cabot about their data further underscores the need for EPA to have reliable validated information," the agency said. The EPA dismissed Cabot's criticism that the agency "cherry-picked" test results with the highest contamination in order to justify its probe - the agency's standard practice is to consider the highest levels to which the public may be exposed, it said - and challenged Cabot's characterization of chemicals in the Dimock water as naturally occurring. "This is misleading," the agency said, "since although these chemicals are naturally occurring in Susquehanna County, the levels of arsenic, manganese and sodium found in the Dimock area are not consistent with background concentrations typically found in the zones from which Dimock home owners draw water for their private wells." Cabot said Friday that it asked to meet with EPA to discuss the data before the agency began its investigation, but the EPA countered that Cabot began supplying it with 10,000 pages of water test results only nine days before the sampling was announced. "Until that point, Cabot had not provided EPA any data," it said. Cabot has since indicated it will turn over an estimated 100,000 more pages of data, the EPA said, adding that it will carefully consider both the test results and any information that the company provides to help interpret them. [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 support the Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals (FRAC) Act, which would require the disclosure of chemicals used in the natural gas extraction process called “fracking.” In his State of the Union speech last month, Obama emphasized natural gas as a key resource in his “all-of-the-above” strategy to reduce the nation’s reliance on foreign oil and to make the United States a global leader in clean energy. Obama followed it up with speeches at Buckley Air Force Base and another in Nevada in which he called the United States “the Saudi Arabia of natural gas.” “With hydraulic fracturing expanding across the country, it is more important than ever we ensure the economic benefits of natural gas do not come at the expense of the health and safety of our families,” DeGette said Thursday. [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 holding up, unfortunately. He expected an end-of-fiscal year deficit of $500 million and as of now we are at $497 million. Some are now saying the deficit will go as high as $800 million. He also said the Governor's budget will have to accommodate more than $1 billion in unavoidable spending growth in the 2012-13 state budget. He pointed to a $520 million in increase school ($320 million) and state employee ($200 million) pension costs, $400 million increase in Medical Assistance and an $80 million increase in debt service, in spite of efforts to cut costs. [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 those donors since August 2010. Chesapeake uses a natural gas extraction method called hydraulic fracturing, which environmental groups say can pollute water sources. The club’s position on fracking, as it is called, has been nuanced, calling for “rigorous best-management practices to limit environmental damage.” Some club members reacted to the news with outrage — one response to Mr. Brune’s post called the club “as corrupt as the worst politicians” — but many praised him for banning further donations. The donations were first reported by Time and the blog Corporate Crime Reporter. [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 controversial practice of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, a method of extracting deposits of natural gas which Fox criticized in his Oscar-nominated film. The arrest, it turns out, was no surprise to anyone. Fox and "Gasland" co-creator Matthew Sanchez had been trying to get permission or credentials for most of the two previous days. In fact, they had tried and failed to get credentials for similar hearings for a year and a half. When they got no response from the office of Rep. Andy Harris (R-Md.), an outspoken proponent of fracking who was chairing Wednesday’s hearing before a subcommittee of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee, he just marched in. Fox considered it an act of civil disobedience. “This is part of a pattern of obstruction of us and documentary filmmakers in general in Congress that should not continue,” said Fox, interviewed by phone on Thursday. [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, 2009. “U.S. gas rig counts are now falling sharply,” said Stephen Smith, an energy analyst and president of Stephen Smith Energy Associates in Natchez, Mississippi. “I doubt gas production growth will flatten to zero before late this year.” [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 every possible action to safely develop this energy. Experts believe this will support more than 600,000 jobs by the end of the decade. And I’m requiring all companies that drill for gas on public lands to disclose the chemicals they use, because America will develop this resource without putting the health and safety of our citizens at risk. The 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. And by the way, it was public research dollars, over the course of 30 years, that helped develop the technologies to extract all this natural gas out of shale rock, reminding us that government support is critical in helping businesses get new energy ideas off the ground. [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 drilling supporters liken to anti-fracking propaganda — was placed in handcuffs and removed from the hearing before it even began. The focus of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee subcommittee session was the Environmental Protection Agency's finding that fracking was probably responsible for the contamination of ground water in Pavillion, Wyo. The reason Fox and another film crew were removed was that they didn't have media credentials to cover the hearing, according to Energy and Environment Subcommittee Chairman Rep. Andy Harris, R-Maryland. Fox said he tried to get credentials for the hearing, which was scheduled on short notice, but he never got an answer. The top subcommittee Democrat, Rep. Brad Miller of North Carolina, wanted to allow the filming and called for a committee vote to allow "all God's children" to film. The Republican-dominated subcommittee voted no. Forget, for a moment, the great divide between Republicans and Democrats, and those for and against drilling — a divide that is paralyzing us. Or that Fox is public enemy No. 1 to pro-drillers. This shouldn't be about whether you're Republican or Democrat, for or against fracking. Banning Fox, or any journalist, from the PUBLIC hearing is wrong no matter which side they're on. It would be wrong for a Democratic-controlled committee to ban a news crew from filming a hearing about the safety of fracking — or its economic benefits. It's wrong for a Republican-controlled committee to ban a news crew from a hearing about the dangers of drilling. If there's one thing folks on both sides of the issue say they agree on, it's this: The more scientific information on fracking, the better. That way, we can decide whether it's safe or harmful. We should also be able to get as much information as possible about the politicians who will have a huge say on whether drilling is allowed. Harris, the subcommittee chairman, who accused the EPA of a "single-minded pursuit of the hydraulic fracturing smoking gun," noted the hearing was broadcast on the Internet — something most of us had no clue about until Wednesday's incident made the news. So what? We should have as many outlets as possible reporting on our representatives working on an issue that's already having a huge impact on our lives — even before it's allowed in New York. That means letting Josh Fox or Fox News film a public hearing. If folks then think Josh Fox twists or manipulates what's said — as he's been accused of doing in "Gasland" — let them turn to another news source that filmed the hearing to prove it. Our government — the people we elect and pay to serve us — should be shining a light on an issue like gas drilling, not keeping us in the dark. [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 then: bulging gas inventories. This overhang of excess supply could crash prices even further this spring. Like squirrels with nuts, we humans store gas during the summer and then deplete those inventories in the winter. But this winter has been mild and comes amid rising gas production. The latest official figures, released Thursday, show the U.S. has about three trillion cubic feet of stored gas, up 25% from this time last year and the five-year average. [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. Annual samples taken at the Lake Montrose treatment plant between Feb. 6, 2006, and June 1, 2011, all show no detection of arsenic, which is known to cause cancer in humans. The water utility brought attention to the clean results Thursday to counter a claim by Cabot Oil and Gas Corp. this week that a water sample cited by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in its investigation of gas drilling's impact on water supplies was trucked to Dimock from Montrose. Cabot raised the issue to criticize the foundation of the EPA's ongoing investigation in Dimock. The federal agency is conducting widespread water sampling and delivering replacement water to four homes as it tries to determine the source of several constituents of concern in Dimock well water, including arsenic, manganese, barium, glycols, sodium, phenol and the manufactured chemical commonly called DEHP. The contested sample contained arsenic at 37 micrograms per liter, or nearly four times the federal drinking water limit. Cabot said the EPA selectively cited or misinterpreted water quality data to reach a "predetermined" conclusion to justify its investigation - including mistaking replacement water delivered to backyard tanks for native Dimock well water. Pennsylvania American Water is now probing the source of Cabot's claims. "We have reached out to Cabot with numerous questions," spokeswoman Susan Turcmanovich said Thursday. The utility wants to know more about the water sampling, the chain of custody for the sample, the laboratory that performed the tests, the private contractor that hauled the water, and how the results were reported, she said. Cabot spokesman George Stark said he believes the water sample was taken from a bulk water tank or "buffalo" that was filled with public water from Montrose, but he said Cabot is "pulling all our records" and could not provide further details on Thursday. He said Cabot received the information request from Pennsylvania American Water and plans to discuss findings with the company today. He also painted the dispute as further evidence of flaws in the EPA's protocols. "I think this illustrates the point we made in our statement," he said. "One data point is not indicative of the quality of water. You need multiple readings." [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 whether it will turn into a long, bumpy detour. [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 about the six natural gas wells on a school's grounds and the so-called fracking method “where a liquid with water and some potentially very dangerous chemicals is injected into the ground to release the gas.” [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 in Youngstown. Their goal is to put pressure on state leaders and government regulators to make sure the drilling process is safe. [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 Pavillion, Wyoming. Fox directed the award-winning film, "Gasland," which documents the impact of fracking on communities across the United States, and is now working on a sequel. Fox says he was arrested after Republicans refused to allow him to film because he did not have the proper credentials. "We wanted to report on what happened [at the hearing]. I was not interested in disrupting that hearing. It was not a protest action," says Fox. "I was simply trying to do my job as a journalist and go in there and show to the American people what was transpiring in that hearing, so that down the line, as we know there will be a lot of challenges mounted to that [Pavillion, Wyoming] EPA report—and frankly, to the people in Pavillion, who have been sticking up for themselves and demanding an investigation into the groundwater contamination—and to make sure that people could view that in a larger forum than usually happens." [includes rush transcript] [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 this night, more than 2,500 cheering, stomping people came to watch. Outside the gym, in a glass trophy case, are photographs of players from recent championship teams. Someone peered in and, moving his finger along the line of smiling faces, delivered a cruel counterpoint: killed in a car accident at 19 while intoxicated; murdered in his 20s; struck in the head with an ax not long after graduation. The Obama administration, which has made reducing crime a priority in its attempt to improve the quality of life at dozens of Indian reservations plagued by violence, recently ended a two-year crime-fighting initiative at Wind River and three other reservations deemed to be among the country’s most dangerous. Nicknamed “the surge,” it was modeled after the military’s Iraq war strategy, circa 2007, which helped change the course of the conflict. Hundreds of officers from the National Park Service and other federal agencies swarmed the reservations, and crime was reduced at three of the four reservations — including a 68 percent decline at Mescalero Apache in New Mexico, officials said. Wind River, as has been true for much of its turbulent history, bucked the trend: violent crime there increased by 7 percent during the surge, according to the Department of Justice. Despite its bucolic name, the reservation, nestled among snowcapped peaks and rivers filled with trout, is a place where brutal acts have become banal. A rambling stretch of scrub in central Wyoming the size of Rhode Island and Delaware combined, Wind River has a crime rate five to seven times the national average and a long history of ghastly homicides. During the initiative, which increased the number of officers on the reservation to 37 from 6, crimes included the murder of a 13-year-old girl who had been missing for four days and whose partly clothed body was found under a tree, and the killing of a 25-year-old man, who the police say had been beaten with a child’s car seat and a dumbbell by two friends after a sexual encounter. “This place has always had the gloom here,” Kim Lambert, a tribal advocate on the reservation, said as she drove by a line of small houses people refer to as “murderers’ row.” “There has always been the horrendous murder. There has always been the white-Indian tension. It’s always been something.” Crime may be Wind River’s most pressing problem, but it has plenty of company. Life, even by the grim standards of the typical American Indian reservation, is as bleak and punishing as that of any developing country. On average, residents can expect to live 49 years, 20 years fewer than in Iraq. Unemployment, estimated to be higher than 80 percent, is on a par with Zimbabwe’s, and is approaching the proportionate inverse of Wyoming’s 6 percent jobless rate. The reservation’s high school dropout rate of 40 percent is more than twice the state average. Teenagers and young adults are twice as likely to kill themselves as their peers elsewhere in Wyoming. Child abuse, teenage pregnancy, sexual assault and domestic violence are endemic, and alcoholism and drug abuse are so common that residents say positive urinalysis results on drug tests are what bar many from working at the state’s booming oil fields. On one section of the reservation, people must boil drinking water because chemicals, possibly the result of the oil and natural gas drilling method known as hydraulic fracturing, have contaminated the water supply. And fearing that the chemicals might explode in a home, the Environmental Protection Agency ordered residents to run fans and otherwise ensure ventilation while bathing or washing clothes. The difficulties among Wind River’s population of about 14,000 have become so daunting that many believe that the reservation, shared by the Northern Arapaho and Eastern Shoshone Tribes, is haunted — the ghosts of the innocent killed in an 1864 massacre. “Anywhere, there are good spirits and bad spirits around,” said Ivan Posey, a member of the Eastern Shoshone Business Council. “But when people are struggling in their lives, those bad spirits come around more often. It’s kind of a yin and yang.” Why the other reservations were able to curb crime while Wind River was not has been a matter of grave speculation. Some blame Wind River’s geographic isolation and a general apathy on the reservation, while others point to the numerous troubled children being raised by grandparents unable to keep track of them. During a recent Friday night patrol on the reservation, Michael Shockley, a Wind River police officer whose department lacks even the basic ability to track crimes, said he was surprised to learn that the surge had not reduced violent crime. Even with 10 fewer officers than it had during the surge, Officer Shockley said, the Police Department responds to all calls, not just the most serious ones. Crime, he said, has appeared to ebb, especially when compared with what he referred to as the bad old days, when on a single night about a year ago, he drove a total of 400 miles, logged 42 calls and arrested 19 people. Still, signs of disillusionment are ubiquitous: piles of empty Black Velvet whisky and vodka bottles; discarded prescription bottles for painkillers; gang graffiti; burnt-out homes. As far as criminality, this is the pinnacle,” Officer Shockley said. “You see everything here.” The Bureau of Indian Affairs, which oversees the Wind River Police Department, says the rise in violent crime was a result of people reporting offenses they might have ignored before — which suggests that the reservation’s crime rate is even higher than previously thought. In fact, the bureau says, crime has fallen since the surge ended in October, although it did not provide statistics. Joseph Brooks III, the Wind River police chief, said that one resident, shocked that the police response had gone from hours to minutes, told him, “Chief, if I knew you were going to come immediately, I would have called you later.” One crime the surge was unable to prevent was the death of Marisa Spoonhunter, an eighth grader at Wyoming Indian Middle School who was killed in April 2010. Her parents recognized her body by the coat they had recently bought for her in Denver. Marisa’s 21-year-old brother, Robert, and 19-year-old stepcousin were arrested and convicted. The three had been drinking in a trailer home when Robert Spoonhunter said he blacked out and awoke to find his sister and cousin having sex. An enraged Mr. Spoonhunter said he choked his sister for about 20 seconds before flinging her away. Marisa’s head hit a weight-lifting bench. The men fastened a rope to her ankles and dragged her under a tree. Before resuming drinking, they put her clothes in a burn barrel. At the sentencing, Vern Spoonhunter, the father of Marisa and Robert, said Marisa had been in the third generation of Spoonhunters to be murdered at Wind River — meeting the same end as his father and brother. “Now we have two rooms in our home that are empty,” he said, referring to his children. “And that’s what we have to deal with.” [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 that water contamination in Pavillion, Wyoming, was a result natural gas extraction and the controversial technique known as fracking. "Things changed pretty rapidly," Fenton says, after fracking took place on his land near Pavillion, and he now has to ship in water for drinking. "It didn’t take long to notice significant impacts to the water, the change to smell like diesel fuel. Methane was bubbling in the water. We had neighbors that actually had livestock die from drinking the water. And we also saw really huge impacts to our way of life. The farm fields are full of wellheads now that we have to work around. We have people coming and going off our property 24 hours a day. And we’ve seen over a 50 percent devaluation in the value of our land." We also speak with filmmaker Josh Fox, who was arrested for attempting to record a congressional hearing over the EPA report on Pavillion. Fox is producing a sequel to his award-winning film, "Gasland," about the impact of fracking across the United States. [includes rush transcript] [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 stupid. You see Pickens, according to The Associated Press, after his company, Clean Energy Fuels Corp., announced a deal with truck maker Navistar to make more vehicles that run on abundant fuel and build more fueling stations, which seemed to suggest that the only way to bolster U.S. natural gas prices and cut the market's massive oversupply is to stop drilling. Pickens said, "This country is so overwhelmed with natural gas that the only way to get prices up is to stop companies [from] drilling gas wells," Pickens said at a news conference to promote the Navistar deal, which advances his aim to break U.S. dependence on oil for transport. "Don't be afraid that this deal will be made and we will wake up in a year with natural gas prices three or four times higher," Pickens said. [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 place in states such as Wyoming and Texas, and will allow limited exemptions for “legitimate trade secrets,” David Hayes, the deputy Interior secretary, said today. [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 maker of the anti-fracking documentary “Gasland,” was arrested before the hearing began. Fox was trying to record the hearing, which the committee Republican leadership said requires prior accreditation. The EPA documents include sampling data and raw findings from laboratories. The agency also said that results from the study, which found elevated levels of benzene and said the chemicals found were consistent with those used in fracking, shouldn’t be used to judge the safety of fracking in Pennsylvania or other states on the Marcellus Shale formation, where the geography is different. [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 Timothy Theaker, city officials announced Thursday. City officials have expressed concerns about Preferred Fluids Management’s plan to build two 5,000-foot-deep wells in the industrial park for underground disposal of waste fluids from fracking processes. [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 temporary office for scanning and logging the tens of thousands of responses after an employees' union lodged a complaint last month. [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 groups to give support to gas as a “bridge fuel” to a cleaner energy future—the next best domestic alternative to coal as an electricity source while alternatives like wind and solar scaled up. But for grassroots members of those groups—especially in parts of the country where fracking was already underway—the risk of local pollution wasn’t worth the national and global climate benefits of greater gas consumption, especially as media and scientific attention on the potential threats to water supplies grew. It was a major challenge for environmental leaders: how to balance local concerns about traditional pollution with planet-sized worries over climate change, and how to work with corporate America without being seen as selling out. Now the biggest and oldest environmental group in the U.S. finds itself caught on the horns of that dilemma. TIME has learned that between 2007 and 2010 the Sierra Club accepted over $25 million in donations from the gas industry, mostly from Aubrey McClendon, CEO of Chesapeake Energy—one of the biggest gas drilling companies in the U.S. and a firm heavily involved in fracking—to help fund the Club’s Beyond Coal campaign. Though the group ended its relationship with Chesapeake in 2010—and the Club says it turned its back on an additional $30 million in promised donations—the news raises concerns about influence industry may have had on the Sierra Club’s independence and its support of natural gas in the past. It’s also sure to anger ordinary members who’ve been uneasy about the Club’s relationship with corporations. “The chapter groups and volunteers depend on the Club to have their back as they fight pollution from any industry, and we need to be unrestrained in our advocacy,” Michael Brune, the Sierra Club’s executive director since 2010, told me. “The first rule of advocacy of is that you shouldn’t take money from industries and companies you’re trying to change.” [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 Pennsylvania. Kasich and other Ohio officials are looking for ways to lower the state’s fracking fluid intake, without running afoul of the constitution, which bars states from limiting specific industries within their borders. “When people are using our things, and they could disrupt our ability to have progress here, we have to be concerned about it,” Kasich told Bloomberg. “We’re thinking about what we can do and not violate the interstate commerce clause.” [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 DeGette (D-CO) and Congressman Jared Polis (D-CO) today asked President Obama to back stronger environmental and public health standards to protect against the risks of hydraulic fracturing. In a letter, the House members requested the President's support for the Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals (FRAC) Act, which would require the disclosure of chemicals used in the hydraulic fracturing natural gas extraction process. The legislation would also eliminate a special Safe Drinking Water Act exemption for hydraulic fracturing that was established in 2005. [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? (Podcast) view counter writer's guidelines Climate Science Links U.S. Government NASA: Eyes on the Earth National Climatic Data Center National Snow and Ice Data Center National Science Foundation NOAA Climate Service NOAA Paleoclimatology EPA’s Climate Change Page Global Change Research Program Goddard Institute for Space Studies USDA Climate Change Research Ctr US Forest Service Publications DOE: Office of Climate Change Policy International Intergov'tal Panel on Climate Change UN Framework Convention (UNFCCC) UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Met Office: Hadley Centre (UK) UK Gov't Climate Change Page Academic, Non-Governmental AAAS Climate Change Resources American Geophysical Union American Meteorological Society Oxford University Columbia University Earth Institute Scripps Institution of Oceanography Topics Tar Sands/Oil Sands Climate Science Natural Gas and Fracking Solar Energy Coal and Carbon Capture & Storage EPA Nuclear Energy View all topics > Authors of WSJ Climate Piece Have Industry Ties, Report Finds Feb 2, 2012 (The Daily Climate) Half of the 16 scientists who penned a controversial Wall Street Journal opinion piece proclaiming there is "no need to panic" about global warming have ties to either the oil and gas industry or groups dedicated to debunking climate science, a DailyClimate.org investigation has found. The article, criticized by climate scientists and environmental groups, says that the field of climate science is dominated by opportunists and that "a large and growing number of distinguished scientists and engineers do not agree that drastic actions on global warming are needed." "Alarmism over climate is of great benefit to many," the authors wrote. The Journal noted that 16 scientists co-authored the article. But in listing their affiliations at the end of the piece, the paper didn't mention half of them have ties to groups and businesses that often cast doubts about man-made global warming. [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. But the market has a glut of natural gas due to widespread use of the drilling method, pushing prices to their lowest in a decade and deflating the shale gas rush, leading large producers to cut production to try to bring the price up. The House of Representatives held a hearing on fracking to follow up on a recent U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report that found fracturing fluids were the likely cause of contaminated groundwater in Pavilion, Wyo. At the hearing, a filmmaker who made the documentary “Gasland” was arrested for filming without a press credential—an action that Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) said was unprecedented. [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 Congressional staffers — they’re all recording. The only person being threatened with arrest is me. This isn’t government, this is thuggery. They threw out John Boehner’s promise of transparency in Congress in handcuffs with me yesterday. They threw out the First Amendment and they threw out the Constitution. And now they’re paying for it. I was arrested because oil and gas exerts influence on Congress, and that is not democracy.” [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 north of Jersey Shore were outraged when high waters washed away a temporary stone dam. The dam was put in the creek by PGE, but did not have proper approval from the state. Now some of those same residents are concerned after three spills at the same PGE natural gas well pad near the creek. [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 drilling can happen in the state, Corbett wrote Tuesday to six top lawmakers from both parties. The 145 approved or pending local oil and gas ordinances, many of which ban drilling, or create noise and space restraints so stiff that they essentially ban drilling, could discourage businesses, he wrote. [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 and gas reservoirs. With its images of flammable tap water, “Gasland” publicized concerns among critics of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, of the technology’s possible effect on water supplies. The oil and gas industry and its supporters have argued that the film misrepresented the risk from fracking, which they say is minute. Fracking involves high-pressure injection of water laced with chemicals into shale beds to fracture the formations and unlock pockets of oil and, increasingly, natural gas. Fox and his small crew had joined other media in the Rayburn building on Capitol Hill on Wednesday morning to record a fracking hearing by a House subcommittee on Science, Space and Technology, led by Rep. Andy Harris (R-Md.), a vocal proponent of fracking. Republicans wanted Fox removed because he lacked the proper press credentials to film. Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-San Jose) said she was at another committee hearing when a staffer at the fracking hearing called her urging her to come immediately. She said she found Fox handcuffed in the hallway outside the hearing room, along with at least one member of his small crew. Of her Republican colleagues, she said, “Do these guys get the 1st Amendment at all?” [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.m. and is being processed at Capitol Police headquarters. Republicans on a panel of the House Science Committee objected to Fox filming a hearing on a natural-gas drilling technique known as hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking.” The GOP lawmakers also objected to the presence of a film crew that said it was from ABC News. But a Republican committee spokesman said the ABC News Washington bureau is unaware of sending a crew to the hearing. [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 entrance of a credentialed ABC News news team that was attempting to film the event. Josh Fox, director of the Academy Award-nominated documentary "Gasland" was taken into custody by Capitol Hill police this morning, along with his crew, after Republicans objected to their presence, according to Democratic sources present at the hearing. The meeting of the House Subcommittee on Energy and Environment had been taking place in room 2318 of the Rayburn building. Approximately 16 officers entered the hearing room and handcuffed Fox amid audible discussions of "disorderly conduct" charges, according to Democratic sources present at the arrest. [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. Fox, whose film was nominated for an Academy Award last year, was charged with unlawful entry and was being dealt with at Capitol Police headquarters. A spokeswoman for Mr. Fox said she had no further details as of early Wednesday afternoon. Mr. Fox brought a crew to film a hearing of the energy and environment subcommittee that was looking into an Environmental Protection Agency finding that fracking, as the technique is popularly known, was probably responsible for groundwater contamination in Pavillion, Wyo. [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 indictment of hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” noting the fracking in the Pavillion, Wyo., area occurred under conditions “different from those in many other areas of the country.” Jim Martin, who heads EPA’s regional office that oversees Wyoming and surrounding states, defended the December report before a panel of the House Science Committee on Wednesday – a hearing that also featured a prominent fracking critic being removed in handcuffs. [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, shocked, heartbroken. I want to make him be un-dead and I can’t. Because I interviewed Carl and Judy Stiles several times, I keep hearing his soft voice in my ear; I think about the family day and night. On the morning of Friday January 27th when I first heard the news, I called Judy Stiles, Carl’s widow, to see how she was doing and what I could do to help. She cried and said, “Carl was in so much pain. He had severe headaches, memory loss, and tremors; he was shaking. He went from medicine to medicine and nothing helped.” Referring to the months she and Carl continued to drink their well water after it was contaminated, she burst out, “People call us stupid because we drank the water. But we didn’t get replacement water [from the gas company] until October 2010… You still have to shower, wash dishes… You can’t live without water.” [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. House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology ordered Fox arrested when he attempted to film the hearing on the Environmental Protection Agency's approach to studying ground water contamination that resulted from hydraulic fracturing in Pavilion, Wyoming. "It is beyond unacceptable that acclaimed documentary director Josh Fox was arrested for trying to film a public hearing on groundwater contamination caused by hydraulic fracturing in Pavilion, Wyoming. This was a public hearing, there was plenty of room for cameras, and a credentialed camera crew was told they would be denied access because they were working for a documentary filmmaker. This is blatant censorship and a shameful stain on this Congress. I stand by Josh's right to record this hearing. His arrest was a huge mistake." [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 taxpayers from the burden of covering the costs of petroleum industry accidents. It's worked smoothly since 1978. Now the sate comptroller and leaders of New York Assembly want to apply the same logic and the same mechanism to the natural gas industry, which is poised for a major expansion in New York using hydraulic fracturing to crack open the Marcellus and Utica shales. [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 natural, seismic shifts in the earth’s crust; it was the result of man-made disposal wells used for injecting large amounts of wastewater into the ground, a process used in the controversial natural gas drilling practice known as hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking.” In simple terms, hydraulic fracturing involves injecting water — along with sand and myriad other i ngredients — at high pressures through a wellbore that penetrates a mile or more into the earth’s surface. [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 take advantage of. Our Annette Garcia has the story. A new state law taking effect February 1st, forcing companies to disclose exactly what chemicals they're using at wells across South Texas. The new law passed by the Texas Legislature and Texas Railroad Commission not only requires disclosure of chemicals but also the volume of water being used at projects. The information is all to be listed on the public website fracfocus.org. [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 approach. Pavillion rancher, and chair of the group Pavillion Area Concerned Citizens, John Fenton says ever since the report tentatively linked fracking to pollution, the science has been attacked. “And all this, while the people still sit here suffering the impacts, and have lately been pretty much forgotten in the political jousting that’s been going on.” Fenton says he and other area residents reached out to the E-P-A after not getting a satisfactory response from the state or industry. [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 You And Me” and “Stop Frac’ing Colo” that television cameras carried live when Shaun White twisted and tumbled through the air on his way to his fifth-consecutive men’s snowboard superpipe victory. [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 drilling wastewater. (http://bit.ly/AdoWyf) Drilling advances have led to a boom in tapping the Marcellus Shale formation, particularly in neighboring Pennsylvania. Environmentalists, meanwhile, have expressed concerns about environmental damage, particularly from wastewater produced by the process. Parts of the formation also run under western Maryland and the bill does not address water that could be produced by drilling in Maryland. However, drilling is not currently taking place in Maryland while a state panel studies its possible impact. County officials in western Maryland have asked for that review to be expedited. [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 Protection in the Pennsylvania Bulletin calls for operators to provide emission source reports covering 2011 for facilities involved in different phases of the Marcellus production process. The agency notified 99 firms about the requirement last month, and the notice in the Jan. 28 Bulletin is meant to cast a wider net. The March 1 deadline is set because DEP has to provide a comprehensive inventory of air emissions to the federal Environmental Protection Agency by year's end. This inventory is updated every three years. This will be the first time emissions data for Marcellus production and processing operations is included in the inventory, which covers everything from refineries and manufacturing plants, to dry cleaners and gas stations. The operators are to provide information on emissions for carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, particulates and sulfur dioxide, for example. The inventory is important for maintaining air quality standards and determining ozone levels, say DEP officials. The agency plans to start long-term air monitoring studies at several sites, and the emissions data will be part of that effort. DEP did not identify any emission levels that would constitute a public health concern when it did short-term air quality sampling in 2010 in the drilling regions of Bradford, Susquehanna, Tioga, Greene and Washington counties, said DEP Secretary Michael Krancer. A Pittsburgh-based environmental group said Pennsylvania needs to do more to address the issue of Marcellus-related air emissions. DEP should look at the combined impact of emissions from stages of Marcellus production rather than permitting each emission as a minor source of pollutants, said Lauren Burge, an attorney for Group Against Smog and Pollution. Such a policy would group emissions from a compressor station and associated wells together as a major source and, therefore, require stricter emission limits. "Many sources in this industry are located near each other, connected to each other and owned by the same company," she added. "However, because DEP considers them to be separate sources of pollutants, many of these facilities are able to avoid being permitted as major sources." A bill to require air pollution permits for most Marcellus drilling wellhead activity and increase air emission permit fees was introduced earlier this month by state Rep. Greg Vitali, R-166, Havertown. He said current permit regulations are written for shallow gas wells, which are smaller and require less equipment. [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 and noise died down, the two went outside to explore. Ms. Kaminsky said she saw a helicopter about 100 feet from the ground - she waved to the pilot and the chopper flew off. It was then, Ms. Kaminsky said, her granddaughter discovered the bright orange bag on the back deck of the house. Ms. Kaminsky, a petroleum engineer and outspoken advocate of natural gas drilling, said the bag contained gear used in the seismic process. After several telephone calls, Ms. Kaminsky learned she needed to contact the Federal Aviation Administration. She said the FAA arrived at her home Monday morning to investigate. She also contacted Cougar Land Services, a seismic testing company operating in the area. Ms. Kaminsky said Cougar told her they were aiming for a stake in her yard about 35 yards from where the bag landed. But the bag remained on her deck Monday evening, and it will remain there until the FAA finishes its investigation, Ms. Kaminsky said she was told. "I would have been perfectly happy to have Cougar come get their bag," she said. She also said she would have liked to have been informed the drop was coming. "A 700-pound bag shouldn't be dropped out of the sky without telling people," Ms. Kaminsky said. It is still not known why the bag was dropped so near the home. Attempts to reach Cougar Land Services' local office were unsuccessful. It was unclear who contracted with Cougar to drop the package. [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 route. Yet a few days after winning approval for its $250 million MARC 1 pipeline in the heart of the giant Marcellus Shale gas field, the company began condemnation proceedings against nearly half of the landowners — undercutting part of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's approval rationale and angering landowners. Some of the landowners are now fighting the company in court, complaining that Central New York Oil and Gas Company LLC steamrolled them by refusing to negotiate in good faith on monetary compensation and the pipeline's location. Their attorneys say CNYOG has skirted Pennsylvania's eminent domain rules. The company, a subsidiary of Inergy LP of Kansas City, Mo., insists it's trying to reach a "fair settlement" with all property owners and wants to be a good neighbor. The dispute could foreshadow eminent domain battles to come as more pipelines are approved and built to carry shale gas to market in states like Pennsylvania, New York and Ohio. The company promotes the MARC 1 pipeline as key infrastructure in developing the Marcellus Shale, a rock formation underneath Pennsylvania and surrounding states that experts believe holds the nation's largest reservoir of gas. The MARC 1, a high-pressure steel pipeline 30 inches in diameter, will connect to major interstate pipelines and the company's own natural gas storage facility in southern New York state. CNYOG hopes to start construction soon and finish by July, but it awaits permits from Pennsylvania environmental regulators and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. It also needs to answer the legal challenge from residents. Many of the complaining landowners say they favor natural gas drilling and some have leased land to gas drillers. What rankles them is that FERC has invested CNYOG with the power of eminent domain, taking away their bargaining power. "Once the government becomes involved, this is what happens. Because you lose that leverage," said Amy Gardner, who, with her husband, faces condemnation of part of their 175-acre parcel in Sullivan County. The Gardners say CNYOG offered less than a third of the amount that another pipeline company had previously paid them to install a gathering line on their land. The difference? Gathering lines — smaller pipelines that take gas from the wellhead to a transmission line or processing facility — are not regulated by the federal government and companies that operate them don't have condemnation power. Amy Gardner said a company representative who made them the lowball offer told them to "take it or leave it." "There's no negotiating with this company. They come and they tell you what they're going to do. They're telling you what they're going to pay. And they're counting on the government to enforce it," Gardner said in a recent interview at the Sullivan County Courthouse, where a judge has scheduled a mid-February hearing on the landowners' concerns. Amounts offered by CNYOG range from a few hundred dollars to tens of thousands of dollars, depending on the amount of property taken. Court papers filed by CNYOG in late December say it valued damages at 37 condemned properties in Sullivan County at $310,900. The pipeline has been controversial since it was first proposed two years ago. FERC, which considers all applications for new interstate pipelines, received 22,000 comments on the MARC 1 project, with many expressing concern about environmental and safety impacts. The Environmental Protection Agency also worried about potential damage to the forest ecosystem, noting the pipeline will cross dozens of pristine waterways in an area popular with hikers, hunters and fishermen. FERC ultimately determined the pipeline would not significantly impact the environment and allowed it to proceed. The commission was also supposed to consider whether there would be an "unneeded exercise" of eminent domain — the often-contentious legal process by which the government, or a party such as a public utility, takes private property for public benefit. Indeed, the commission said last year its approval relied on the company's assertion that it was acquiring land "through negotiated agreements with landowners, thus minimizing the need" to condemn people's land. In reality, the company had prepared condemnation papers for dozens of properties even before winning commission approval on Nov. 14. Within a few days, it began eminent domain proceedings against 74 of 152 property owners along the pipeline's route through the mountains of Bradford, Lycoming and Sullivan counties. Deborah Goldberg, an attorney for the environmental group Earthjustice, said the large number of condemnations suggests that CNYOG "never made a serious effort to get negotiated agreements with the landowners that the landowners thought were fair." Earthjustice has intervened in the case and is challenging the pipeline's approval. While most of the landowners receiving condemnation papers have since settled — the company says private agreement has been reached with more than 80 percent of the landowners — Goldberg suggested the pace of settlements has quickened because condemnation takes leverage away from the property owner. The company insists it has met its obligation to negotiate. Its attorney, Michael Wright, said there were several "meet-in-the-middle cases" involving compromise. "It's not like we were sitting silently until the FERC order and rushed to the courthouse," said Wright, who is based in Vestal, N.Y. "To say we did not attempt to negotiate in good faith is incorrect." Wright acknowledged, however, that CNYOG told landowners that if they challenged the company in court, forcing it to incur legal expenses, then any deal on the table would be withdrawn. Some landowners aren't interested in the money. They're more concerned about the pipeline's route. CNYOG told Bob Swartz that it plans to cut a 50-foot-wide, 400-foot-long gash through an ancient stand of trees across the front of his property. When Swartz proposed an alternate route through an open field that would preserve his trees and views, the company said it wasn't interested and offered instead to pay him for the wood. "That's not negotiation. It was their way or no way, and 'we'll see you in court.' It's the little guys against Goliath," said Swartz, who has challenged the company in court. Another landowner, Lisa Richlin, has appealed to federal regulators to force CNYOG to abandon plans for an access road along her property. Richlin said the road is at the bottom of a long hill and around a sharp bend where there have been many accidents, at least one of them fatal. When Richlin pressed the company to use an alternate route a short distance away, she said, the company told her that would result in a six-month delay. "I want them to go elsewhere. I don't want somebody to die because of stupidity," she said. In a statement, the company said it has accommodated dozens of landowner requests for route changes, but can't do more because of "environmental, cultural and biological restrictions as well as other land use constraints." Some landowners who didn't bother fighting the pipeline say the company still managed to leave a bad taste. Linda Gavitt of Sonestown said she signed with CNYOG because she didn't feel it was worth it to hire a lawyer to fight for more money. Even as she signed the paperwork, she got a hint of the company's negotiating stance. "They said that other people were holding out because they wanted more money," Gavitt recalled. "They said, 'We're not paying more money because this is a federal line that's going to go through no matter what, and $2 a foot is what we pay.'" [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 the Board of Directors on internal Club matters. The delegates convene every year in conjunction with a board meeting. Typically these resolutions are referred to working groups and task forces. Fracking and club policy As the Atlantic Chapter has mounted a campaign against fracking, we have discovered that National has taken a very curious, if not confounding, position on fracking. Currently Club policy: • opposes any projects using fracking fluids that pose unacceptable toxic risks, • opposes any projects that do not properly treat, manage, and account for fracking fluids and produced water, • opposes permits unless it can be demonstrated that drinking water aquifers and surface waters are adequately protected from contamination, • opposes fracking projects that would endanger water supplies or critical watersheds or imperil human health, • supports best management practices being incorporated into regulatory requirements as they are developed, and •encourages chapters to press for effective regulatory frameworks. Chapters are only allowed to oppose fracking on a project by project basis, and not statewide (in New York the gas industry wants to drill 80,000 wells). [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 sickness after drinking their water. The agency's samples, collected between March of 2009 and April of 2011, found high concentrations of diesel fuel, methane, benzene and chloride. Those chemicals are found in the fluids used in hydrofracking, the process that natural gas companies use to extract gas from shale formations deep underground. The findings don't mean that the EPA will find the same problems in the Marcellus Shale region, which stretches across New York and Pennsylvania and includes slivers of Maryland and Virginia. Wyoming sits above a different shale formation. But the study's findings do give scientific credibility to what a lot of residents across rural Pennsylvania have endured since drilling began about four years ago. Many who live near drilling sites report finding dead fish in their streams after drilling fluid spilled, or dead or sick farm animals after drilling fluids contaminated their ponds. Individual companies across Pennsylvania have been fined, cited and sued for causing contamination. [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 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 Troy Aikman. Unlike these prominent Texans, Rees-Jones is not widely known outside his hometown. If the name sounds familiar, it's probably because he shares it with the British bodyguard who survived Princess Diana's fatal car crash. The Trevor Rees-Jones that I came to see is the billionaire founder of Dallas-based Chief Oil & Gas and perhaps the fastest-rising star in Republican big-money circles. [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 Dimock wells. Fiorentino and her neighbors sued, alleging Cabot’s activities caused contamination and, in Fiorentino’s case, an explosion that cracked a concrete cap into three pieces. Cabot has denied responsibility. [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 Tweet Share close Digg Stumble Upon Fark Reddit Share Email Print Cabot Oil & Gas, the gas drilling company accused of fouling water wells in the Susquehanna County town of Dimock, fired back at the Environmental Protection Agency Tuesday afternoon. The EPA recently announced it is conducting its own testing of water wells in Dimock, despite state environmental regulators’ claim the water is safe to drink. The EPA also announced it will be supplying emergency water to four homes that had test results the agency deemed to be of concern. Tuesday afternoon, Cabot claimed at least two of those results came not from Dimock, but from the Montrose public water supply. That’s the water the EPA is now trucking to Dimock. [Full Story] Jan 30, 2012 Idaho Gas Drillers And Counties Reach Controversial Agreement Huffington Post Keith Ridler BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A group representing Idaho counties and a group representing companies interested in tapping natural gas in the state announced an agreement Sunday on legislation they plan to introduce into the Idaho Legislature next month. The Idaho Association of Counties and the Idaho Petroleum Council said the guidelines will allow counties some control over natural gas development, while natural gas wildcatters will have a clearer path to tapping fields. But a conservation group said the agreement appears to reduce local control over industries by allowing state lawmakers to create rules that counties and cities wouldn't be able to exceed with their own ordinances. [Full Story] Jan 30, 2012 Did “The Muppets” Push An Anti-Oil Agenda? Kermit Says No. NPR- State Impact Scott Detrow We cover a lot of complicated, serious issues here at StateImpact Pennsylvania, so when there’s a chance to write about both energy and the Muppets, we’re going to take it. The plot of The Muppets, you may recall, centered around oil tycoon Tex Richman’s attempt to buy the Muppet Studios so he could tear them down and drill for oil on the property. Faced with the possibility of losing their venue, the Muppets stage a telethon in order to raise enough money to stave off Richman’s takeover. Fox Business Channel commentator Eric Bolling didn’t like the “oil drillers as bad guy” plot line, and called it “class warfare.” [Full Story] Jan 30, 2012 Environmental group to lawmakers: 'Don't drill and drive' The Hill Keith Laing An environmental group is criticizing the House Republican plan to tie a new federal highway bill to increased offshore oil drilling. The New York-based Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) said in a memo to reporters Monday that its message to lawmakers this week could be compressed to one sentence: "Don't drill and drive." GOP leaders in the House are planning to use revenue from increased offshore oil drilling to pay for their version of a new surface transportation bill that would last four years and cost $260 billion. Transportation advocates have sought a long-term reauthorization of highway and transit programs, which currently expire on March 31, but the NRDC said it should not come like this. [Full Story] Jan 30, 2012 Greene, Washington counties scramble to find shale employees places to call home Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Jennifer Reeger The shale gas industry's growth is bringing the sting of high rents and housing shortages — previously felt in northern counties — into Greene and Washington counties, experts say. In some areas, pickups line parking lots of hotels and motels, which have no vacancies. Enterprising property owners in Greene County set up makeshift RV parks for workers. "It was so unplanned, and now you're trying to back-plan," said Karen Bennett, Greene County's human services administrator. "You wake up, and overnight Main Street's full of trucks, and restaurants and motels are full of industry people." [Full Story] Jan 30, 2012 Fracking does not need more regulation, report says European commission report concludes fracking for shale gas is covered by existing national regulations on water and drilling UK Guardian Ana-Maria Tolbaru There is no need for more environmental legislation in the case of shale gas exploration, at least until it reaches commercial scale, says a new study published by the European commission. The activities relating to exploration of shale gas are already subject to EU and national laws and regulations, says the report, carried out for the European commission by Belgian law firm Philippe & Partners. Water protection issues, for instance, which have been raised as an issue by shale gas detractors, are already covered by EU legislation under the Water Framework Directive, the Groundwater Directive and the Mining Waste Directive. Meanwhile, the use of chemicals is covered by the REACH regulation, the study says. [Full Story] Jan 30, 2012 Protesters: Cuomo will be accountable for fracking problems Celebrities, lawmakers optimistic governor will 'do the right thing' Legislative Gazette Andrew Carden Calling on state legislators to support a ban on hydraulic fracturing, or "hydrofracking," in New York state, a coalition of environmentalists were joined by both celebrities and concerned lawmakers during a rally in the Capitol Jan. 23. More than 600 New Yorkers from all regions of the state protested the process, which involves pumping a mixture of water, sand and chemicals into the ground to break up rock and release natural gas deposits. While proponents tout hydofracking's potential to create jobs and help the economy, opponents are trying to raise awareness of its potential to harm the environment. Josh Fox, director of the Academy Award-nominated documentary Gasland, which exposed water contamination by natural gas drilling in Pennsylvania and in western states, spoke at the event. [Full Story] Jan 30, 2012 Salazar: Interior closing in on gas ‘fracking’ rules The Hill Ben Geman Interior Secretary Ken Salazar is getting closer to unveiling long-planned draft rules to impose new requirements on the natural gas drilling method called hydraulic fracturing, a proposal that President Obama highlighted in his State of the Union speech. Salazar told reporters Monday that more information would surface in “several weeks” about the proposed regulations, which will cover hydraulic fracturing – dubbed “fracking” – on public lands under Interior jurisdiction. Interior has been consulting with Native American tribes on the upcoming proposal, and Interior employees in the field have reviewed the proposed rules, he said. The rules will require companies to disclose chemicals used in the fracking process. [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 energy should be halved. Although the industry accepted that the price of panels had significantly reduced and therefore profits were higher than expected, the proposal to backdate the cuts before the end of the consultation period was the real bugbear. Solar companies, HomeSun and SolarCentury along with Friends of the Earth, decided to take the Government to court and quickly won their case. Since then the Government has been appealing the decision. HomeSun states: “The FiT was due to reduce in April 2012, and the industry had proposed a reduction of 30%. Suddenly on 31st October, government announced a ‘consultation’ running to 23rd December, and a proposed cut of 50% from 12th December 2011. This announcement created chaos: thousands of people trying to get installed when there weren’t enough people or kits to do the job; thousands of businesses going to the wall because they had committed stock which wouldn’t be arriving until 2012; thousands of people put on notice of losing their jobs.” A report commissioned by Friends of the Earth states that: “DECC’s plans will have dramatic, negative impacts on the solar industry and on the deployment of solar PV in the UK. DECC’s own Impact Assessment concedes that PV installations will fall 50-95%.The rate of new installations forecast by DECC in its proposals would support only around one-third of the jobs currently in the sector, placing at least 18,000 jobs at risk.” [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 February 16 to accept public comments on water withdrawal and consumptive use project applications scheduled for action by SRBC at its next business meeting in mid-March. The SRBC will accept written comments on the project applications until February 27. The project applications scheduled for the February 16 hearing include those that were approved at SRBC’s December 15, 2011 hearing in Wilkes-Barre. Pa. “The Commission has decided to reconsider its December action on those project applications because the disruptive behavior of certain individuals prevented interested persons from offering testimony at the time,” SRBC Executive Director Paul Swartz said in the January 23, 2012, press release announcing the changes. “We are committed to preserving the due process rights of all citizens so they can provide constructive and meaningful comments on proposed projects.” “Conducting a public hearing on project applications one month before the Commission acts on the projects is a new procedure and represents an improvement over our past practice,” said Swartz. “This change will give the public ample opportunities for commenting and will give the commissioners more time to review and consider comments before voting on proposed projects.” The change is one of a several procedural changes recently adopted by the SRBC to its public participation process. Other changes include not accepting comments at its business meetings on project applications or other actions scheduled for vote, having the commission's business meetings streamed live via webcast and requiring that all persons attending the hearing must sign-in and show photo identification. Signage, posters, banners or other display media will be permitted only in designated areas. The press will be permitted to set up and use video and recording devices. The public will be permitted to use small, hand-held devices in a non-disruptive manner. The full set of procedures is available on SRBC’s web site at www.srbc.net/pubinfo/publicparticipation.htm. [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 group thinks the legislation would take away too much local control, and instead give it to the Legislature. [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 Association of Petroleum Producers, said the public gives the industry its “social licence” and it must earn that licence. “The guiding principles (released last September) and operating practices are intended to help the industry both improve performance and be more transparent about the performance,” he said. [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 Obama's decision to reject the Keystone XL oil sands pipeline. The House Natural Resources Committee is expected to approve three bills Wednesday that make up the drilling component of the package. The infrastructure and drilling package is a top priority for Boehner, who has vowed to bring the legislation to the House floor quickly. [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 which the pressure used to drill for the extraction of oil or natural gas cannot exceed 20 atmospheres, will affect all drilling done at 200m depths and lower. Bulgaria has become the second EU member state to ban hydraulic fracturing and similar techniques for the exploration and extraction of shale gas in the country and its territorial Black Sea waters. [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 Tuesday. “Experts believe this will support more than 600,000 jobs by the end of the decade.” How much does the president know about hydraulic fracturing? Quite a lot, according to Jodi Kantor’s new book, The Obamas. Toward the end of the book, Kantor writes about a drilling-related question Obama fielded during a 2011 Philadelphia-area fundraiser: “Someone asked about the use of shale gas as an energy source, and Obama launched into a long, virtuosic explanation of the scientific and policy issues. The attendees were duly impressed, but some of them wondered why he was giving ten-minute lectures on the intricacies of energy policy when the moment clearly called for something more.” [Full Story] Jan 30, 2012 Hanger Slams CBS for Dimock Story State Impact PA Susan Phillips Former Department of Environmental Protection Secretary John Hanger says CBS “botched” a piece about Dimock’s water contamination. The report aired on Saturday, and the link has no byline, but from the host intro, it sounds like the reporter’s name is Tony Gadda. (a search of his name with different spellings didn’t turn up anything on the CBS website) The reporter made a common mistake, he turned methane migration into fracking, despite Hanger’s best efforts to the contrary. What gets Hanger’s goat the most is that the CBS piece makes a direct link between Dimock’s water contamination and fracking. Immediately after making that connection, the camera goes to Hanger himself who says “there are 18 water wells that have been impacted by poor gas drilling in Dimock.” That “poor gas drilling” had to do with the cement casings, which Hanger found caused methane to leak into the water supplies, not fracking fluid. Although playing a scene of flaming taps from Gasland, the piece didn’t make a distinction between methane contamination and groundwater contamination due to fracking fluids. But the piece does have this curious note about the drilling process: “Its at the surface where spills and blowouts cause chemically infused water to seep into the water table.…” [Full Story] Jan 30, 2012 Bill would ban wastewater created by hydraulic fracturing process Legislation applies to fluids from other states Cumberland Times-News The Cumberland Times-News Matthew Bieniek CUMBERLAND?— A Montgomery County delegate has introduced a bill that would ban the treatment of wastewater generated by hydraulic fracturing. House Bill 296, sponsored by Delegate Shane Robinson, only bans importing wastewater for treatment or storage from other states. The bill does not address fracking water that could be created in Maryland, although there is currently no hydraulic fracturing taking place in?the Free State. In order to get the natural gas trapped in Marcellus shale to the surface, chemicals, water and sand are pumped underground to break apart rock formations and free the gas. The process is called hydraulic fracturing. “A person may not ship or transport into the state, or store, treat discharge or dispose of in the state, flow back or other wastewater resulting from hydraulic fracturing activities occurring in another state,” the bill reads, in part. “The Hydraulic Fracturing Wastewater Prohibition Act is a great first step toward protecting Maryland residents from the dangers of fracking,” said Wenonah Hauter, executive director of Food & Water Watch. “It is almost impossible to know what chemicals are being used in the fracking process, and if these chemicals have been treated properly before being discharged into watersheds like the Chesapeake Bay,” Hauter said. Food & Water Watch is a public-interest organization that remains independent of corporate and government influence, according to its website. “Food & Water Watch works to ensure the food, water and fish we consume is safe, accessible and sustainably produced,” the website states. U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin has called for the industry to disclose the recipe for fracking fluids. The best way to prevent pollution from the fluids is to require recycling of fracking fluids. Recycling would minimize the risk to clean water, Cardin said. “My primary concern is the safety of Maryland’s citizens,” said Robinson. “Maryland treatment plants lack the capability to safely treat this toxic wastewater, so there is no good reason why it should be transported through our state, endangering our people as a result.” [Full Story] Jan 29, 2012 Wet gas, dry gas, hot gas, cold gas, one fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish. Condensates, NGL's, Pentanes, Butanes, and Propanes, OH MY! Penn State Extension Mike Knapp If you're watching Marcellus, you may have heard the above terms. If you don't fully understand them, you need to because they are of vital importance. First of all, we have to define "natural gas" Natural gas is a gas comprised of multiple hydrocarbons, the most prevalent being methane. The higher the methane concentration, the "drier" or "colder" the gas is. Other constituents of natural gas are evaporated liquids like ethane and butane, pentane, etc. We refer to these collectively as natural gas liquids (NGLs), or "condensates". The higher the percentage of NGL's, the "hotter" or "wetter" the gas is. NGL's must be stripped out of the gas before it can be put in a pipeline and used. Ethane, which is prevalent in Western PA wet gas, is the feedstock for Ethylene, which is what we use to make plastics. Now, let's discuss at WHY some areas have NGL's and others do not. Time to look at more definitions: There are two different types of methane. Biogenic and Thermogenic. Biogenic methane is basically swamp gas. A byproduct of decomposition of organic matter usually seen at or very near ground level. Thermogenic methane, as the name implies, is generated by heat. Millions of years ago, Western Pennsylvania was an ocean. Organic matter settled to the bottom and over the millenia the ocean dried up and was covered with thousands of feet of sediment. The pressure of all this sediment over top of it creates heat. It is this heat that "cooks" the hydrocarbons out of the organic material. Just how much it has been cooked is referred to as Thermal Maturity. As a formation becomes more and more thermally mature, it will yield different hydrocarbons. First, you will have oil. As time goes on and formation cooks longer, the oil will turn to natural gas with a large amount of NGLs. Wait a few more million years and you will find that the liquids will almost all cook off and you are left with dry gas. Eventually, all of the hydrocarbons cook off, and you are left with a formation that is "overcooked" or "overmature". There are places where the Marcellus is 200 feet thick, and has a high organic content, but contains NO gas or oil because it has all cooked away. The above map shows that the subsurface formations in this region (this map shows the Utica, not the Marcellus) are more thermally mature as you move to the southeast. This is why they are hitting oil in Ohio, wet gas in extreme Western PA, and dry gas in the rest of the state. Now, the $64,000 question. Why should I care if I have wet gas or dry gas? Whether you are in a wet gas or dry gas area is going to have a huge impact on the value of your lease. Right now, the NGL's are worth considerably more than dry gas. In some areas, the value of the gas is more than doubled because of the NGL's. Right now, the commodity price for natural gas is very low due to an oversupply situation. Companies in dry gas areas are LOSING money because of this, while companies in areas with large amounts of NGLs are doing much better. Dry gas areas are dead as a doornail right now for leasing, but wet gas areas are seeing nice offers. With the impressive (read: jaw-dropping) results companies have been having in the Utica in Ohio with oil production (which is far more profitable than wet or dry gas) dry gas areas have been reduced to a distant third tier. Dry gas areas will not be in high demand for a long time, possibly decades. That is not to say that they will not be drilled. There is a boatload of gas there, but companies will not be competing and landowners shouldn't expect to see the huge up front bonuses (that they did a few years ago) again any time soon. With the low price of gas, it's simply not economical to pay out thousands of dollars per acre just to be able to pull a rig on the property to spend millions to drill a well that will barely make a profit at these prices. Wet gas area landowners have a bit more leverage (NOTE: Not all wet gas areas are created equal). But with oil looking more and more like it's going to stay at a high price, expect the attention and the big money to be flowing into Ohio, and away from dry gas areas in PA. [Full Story] Jan 29, 2012 Three Rivers official: Drilling may be a long way off Corning Leader Mary Perham Bath, N.Y. — Drilling in the Southern Tier’s portion of the Marcellus Shale is not likely to happen anytime soon, according to a Three Rivers Development Corp. official. Tom Wilber, who has been studying energy issues for Three Rivers, said one key reason for a delay in drilling is the cost of natural gas is at a 10-year low. “It’s now around $2.50 (per BTU),” Wilber told the Steuben County Industrial Development Agency board at this week’s meeting. “Now, it’s predicted that will provide a $100 billion uplift to the economy, so that’s the good part.” With the price of natural gas so low, drillers are pulling their rigs and heading toward areas where the more lucrative “wet” gases such as ethane and butane may be extracted, Wilber said. [Full Story] Jan 29, 2012 Fracking opponents urge county to support BREATHE Act Open Letter to the Athens County Commissioners Athens News Heather Cantino This is an open letter to the Athens County Commissioners (the signatories to the letter are listed at the end): We appreciate your attention to the extremely urgent matter of protecting our county's air, water, infrastructure, health and economic wellbeing from likely impacts of widespread deep shale drilling and horizontal fracturing operations that may soon arrive in our beloved community. We are concerned by your potential opposition to support of the BREATHE Act and regulation of wells in source water protection areas in the draft we presented and discussed with you on Jan. 24, 2012. We are concerned that these omissions will reduce the positive influence of this collaborative proposal. While we realize that you cannot make law or regulate these industrial facilities, your public statements could be a powerful influence on corporate practices and on state legislative and regulatory bodies, including Ohio Department of Natural Resources, which is developing new rules on these industrial processes. [Full Story] Jan 29, 2012 Fracking banned for two years in Binghamton Pipe Dream Meghan Perri After years of debating the environmental impact and future of natural gas drilling in Binghamton, the Binghamton City Council voted in favor of a two-year ban on fracking. Mayor Matt Ryan signed the bill into law on Dec. 22, making Binghamton the first city in the Southern Tier to ban the process. The ban preserves all land within city limits from fracking and prohibits the natural gas industry from exploring and developing in the area over the two-year period. The law is meant to protect the city from the potentially harmful effects of fracking, including the risk of contaminated drinking water due to the discharge of toxic material or chemical spills, according to Andrew Block, executive assistant to the mayor. [Full Story] Jan 29, 2012 Experts deliver dire warnings about fracking impacts Athens News Jim Phillips Hundreds of people packed a lecture hall at Ohio University Saturday to hear some fairly dire warnings on what could happen to Athens County if the oil-and-gas industry begins to drill into deep underground shale beds here using the horizontal hydraulic fracturing method ("fracking"). Calvin Tillman, former mayor of a town that has been through the process, said his town of Dish, Texas – which has seen fracking conducted nearby by multiple big companies – has suffered massive impacts, including noise, odors and unhealthy chemical contamination. Tillman, who said his north Texas town has become "kind of Grand Central Station" for a number of facilities involved in drilling for, drying and odorizing natural gas, appeared in the controversial documentary film "Gasland," which has played a major part in stirring up opposition to fracking. [Full Story] Jan 29, 2012 Commission asked to OK fracking road protections Athens News David DeWitt Athens County Engineer Archie Stanley has asked the county commissioners to consider an agreement that would protect area roadways if substantial shale oil development comes to our area, as appears likely. On Tuesday, members from Stanley's office are slated to go over the newly developed road agreement with the Athens County Commission. A release from Stanley states that the agreement has been OKed by county Prosecutor Keller Blackburn. "I have asked the commissioners for a meeting this Tuesday to request they approve for my department's use a new road agreement that has been signed off on by Keller Blackburn," Stanley wrote in a fax. "We reviewed the draft agreement a while back and recommended it to the commissioners for our use." [Full Story] Jan 29, 2012 Proposed gas drilling moratorium in Caroline to face scrutiny Town to hold public forum Wednesday Ithaca Journal Matt Hayes Caroline -- A proposed moratorium limiting natural gas operations in Caroline will be explained by members of the Town Board during a community meeting scheduled for Wednesday. A question-and-answer period follows the meeting, planned for 7 p.m. at the Caroline Center Church, 719 Buffalo Road, Brooktondale. The proposed law, introduced by the board on Jan. 10, sets a one-year moratorium on any exploration, extraction or support activities for natural gas or petroleum. Support activities, as described in the draft law, include facilities for compression, processing or storage of natural gas; production wastes dumping; and non-regulated pipelines, such as production and gathering lines, used in gas drilling. [Full Story] Jan 29, 2012 National groups getting involved in Le Roy cluster case Ithaca Journal Steve Orr National environmental and health groups are beating a path to LeRoy, poking into the Genesee County community's startling cluster of teenage students with troubling neurological symptoms. Groups led by environmental-activist icons Erin Brockovich and Lois Gibbs have been talking with parents and gathering background. A chapter of the Sierra Club has been digging into the LeRoy school's unusual connection with natural gas drilling. The Healthy Schools Network, Empire State Consumer Project and others are involved. Leaders of these groups say authorities in New York may have acted too hastily in ruling out environmental contaminants, infectious illnesses or vaccinations as possible causes of the cluster, which now includes as many as 15 LeRoy Junior-Senior High School students who exhibit varying degrees of involuntary twitches and verbal outbursts not unlike those associated with Tourette's syndrome. Some report fainting spells and seizures, too. [Full Story] Jan 29, 2012 Natural gas sector set up by Obama to be sabotaged? Industry insiders fear rules, taxes The Washington Times Ben Wolfgang President Obama spoke of the role natural gas must play in America’s energy future during his State of the Union address last week, but industry insiders fear it’s merely lip service designed to distract from what they consider the administration’s behind-the-scenes plan to sabotage the sector. “They’re trying to make it more difficult for the industry to survive while the president is standing in front of the country saying we’re going to create jobs through hydraulic fracturing,” said Ken von Schaumburg, former deputy counsel at the Environmental Protection Agency during the Bush administration. Mr. Obama “is talking the game, but you can’t support the industry and then have this aggressive rule-making process going on,” Mr. von Schaumburg said. [Full Story] Jan 29, 2012 GOP tries new strategy to get Canada pipeline Boehner says it could be attached to energy, highway bill MSNBC Reuters Republican lawmakers will try to force the Obama administration to approve the Canada-to-Texas Keystone XL pipeline by attaching it to a bill that Congress will consider next month, House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner said on Sunday. President Barack Obama earlier this month denied TransCanada's application for the oil sands pipeline, citing lack of time to review an alternative route within a 60-day window for action set by Congress. The denial does not block TransCanada from reapplying and the company intends to do just that. [Full Story] Jan 29, 2012 Pennsylvania, two neighbors neighbors vie to procure 'cracker' Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Timothy Puko Royal Dutch Shell plc is just weeks from announcing which of the three states it will choose for its petrochemical plant, a cracker that will take ethane from shale gas and turn it into a primary building block for plastic products. [Full Story] Jan 29, 2012 National Groups Getting Involved In LeRoy Cluster Case Press Connects National environmental and health groups are beating a path to LeRoy, poking into the Genesee County community's startling cluster of teenage students with troubling neurological symptoms. Groups led by environmental-activist icons Erin Brockovich and Lois Gibbs have been talking with parents and gathering background. A chapter of the Sierra Club has been digging into the LeRoy school's unusual connection with natural gas drilling. The Healthy Schools Network, Empire State Consumer Project and others are involved. Leaders of these groups say authorities in New York may have acted too hastily in ruling out environmental contaminants, infectious illnesses or vaccinations as possible causes of the cluster, which now includes as many as 15 LeRoy Junior-Senior High School students who exhibit varying degrees of involuntary twitches and verbal outbursts not unlike those associated with Tourette's syndrome. Some report fainting spells and seizures, too. [Full Story] Jan 29, 2012 Erin Brockovich reps ordered off Le Roy school grounds Democrat and Chronicle Steve Orr Representatives of environmental crusader Erin Brockovich and an accompanying group of reporters were ordered off the grounds of LeRoy Junior-Senior High School on Saturday in an episode connected to a cluster of students there with unusual neurological symptoms. While school officials didn't identify who was escorted off school grounds, Democrat and Chronicle news partner WHAM (Channel 13) confirmed that the Brockovich representatives had been ordered off the property. Brockovich earlier had said she would have a representative in the Genesee County town Saturday to collect soil samples. [Full Story] Jan 29, 2012 Steve Israel: Future of NY fracking seems to be faltering Times Herald-Record Steve Israel Column What once seemed inevitable — hydraulic fracturing for natural gas in New York state in general and Sullivan County in particular — now seems much less certain. Here's why: Geologists, industry insiders and at least one top industry official continue to insist that most, if not all, of the gas in the Marcellus shale beneath Sullivan isn't worth drilling. One of the nation's largest natural gas producers — Chesapeake, whose official recently said Sullivan is "not a target zone" — just decided to "cut our dry gas drilling to bare minimum levels." The Delaware River Basin Commission, which was supposed to vote on its regulations to allow drilling along the Delaware — bordering western Sullivan — indefinitely postponed that vote. The head of the New York state agency that once vowed hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, "can be done safely" in the state, now qualifies that Department of Environmental Conservation position with a big "if" — as in drilling will move forward in New York "only if "» the potential risks to the public health and the environment can be adequately mitigated." Even Gov. Cuomo seems to be hedging his bets, although the state surely needs the revenue drilling would bring. When asked whether he would request money in the 2012 budget for additional DEC staffers to regulate drilling, he recently said: "You would not be hiring staff to regulate hydrofracking unless you believed you were going ahead with hydrofracking. And we haven't made that determination. So the budget won't anticipate hydrofracking approval." All of this, and the industry itself says the proposed drilling regulations in New York are "too restrictive and inhibit economic growth," according to the Independent Oil and Gas Association of New York. They're regulations that will likely become even stricter once the DEC finalizes them after reading and responding to the more than 40,000 public comments. [Full Story] Jan 29, 2012 Obama's backing of shale gas aimed at voters in Marcellus region Pittsburgh Post Gazette Erich Schwartzel President Barack Obama's early valentine to the natural gas industry in his State of the Union address Tuesday spurred activist anxiety and industry infatuation, but the lengthy section dedicated to domestic energy was also an appeal to the millions of voters living above the Marcellus Shale formation. Sure, the Middle Atlantic states were never specifically mentioned, but Mr. Obama's endorsement of the nation's shale gas particularly resonates in these swing states. Texas and its Barnett Shale region are not expected to tip Democratic anytime soon, and no candidate is looking at North Dakota's drilling boom and salivating for three electoral votes. [Full Story] Jan 29, 2012 Shale gas fate trips up on politics and bubblenomics The Financial Times John Dizard High quality global journalism requires investment. Please share this article with others using the link below, do not cut & paste the article. See our Ts&Cs and Copyright Policy for more detail. Email ftsales.support@ft.com to buy additional rights. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/2c45984c-483d-11e1-a4e5-00144feabdc0.html#ixzz1kszdKsZb Just before the shale gas industry was blessed as good in the president’s State of the Union address last week, it admitted it was broke. The Wall Street maxim is that they never ring a bell at the top. However, on January 23, Chesapeake Energy did ring a bell at the bottom. The undoubted leader of the shale gas revolution announced that it would reduce drilling expenditures this year by more than 70 per cent, curtail its gas production by 8 per cent, cut land buying by $2bn, and allow uneconomic gas leases to expire. In response, the US natural gas price rallied by nearly 8 per cent the same day. For a couple of years now, we shale gas sceptics have been arguing that the industry’s more vigorous promoters have been over-selling the economics of the business. Their very success in raising money has now become their undoing. In spending up to two and three times their operating cash flow on leasing ever-larger tracts of land with ever-better prospects, they created a supply far bigger than what the American market could absorb. [Full Story] Jan 29, 2012 Gas drillers, Idaho counties reach agreement AP - via The Washington Examiner Keith Ridler A group representing Idaho counties and a group representing companies interested in tapping natural gas in the state announced an agreement Sunday on legislation they plan to introduce into the Idaho Legislature next month. The Idaho Association of Counties and the Idaho Petroleum Council said the guidelines will allow counties some control over natural gas development, while natural gas wildcatters will have a clearer path to tapping fields. [Full Story] Jan 29, 2012 ‘Fracking’ a big concern for growing Nunda organic foods company Hornell Evening Tribune Jeff Miller NUNDA — A Nunda company that produces organic products has expressed its concern to local and state officials that New York’s organic industry may be in danger if hydraulic fracturing commences. As explained by Once Again Nut Butter, a Nunda company that produces organic nut butters, New York is currently the third largest producer of organic foods in the U.S., and all 1,600 organic farms in the state could be in jeopardy of losing organic status, Gael Orr, communications manager for Once Again, said. The company stated in its January newsletter that hydrofracking is exempt from a half dozen federal statutes: Safe Water Drinking Act; Clean Water Act; Clean Air Act; Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act; Resource Conservation and Recovery Act and National Environmental Policy Act. [Full Story] Jan 28, 2012 Obama's public embrace of natural gas buoys producers: Low-price environment curbs profits The Calgary Herald Rebecca Penty Natural gas producers are grinning about this week's policy shift at the White House in favour of greater gas development and uptake, marked by a series of bullish presidential comments. In a low-price environment that's curbing profits for energy companies, plugs from U.S. President Barack Obama in his State of the Union ad-dress and other speaking engagements have given industry observers hope that promised incentives will follow. [Full Story] Jan 28, 2012 Judge: Parker County not the place for couple's lawsuit against Range Resources Star Telegram Jack Z. Smith A state district judge has ruled that a Parker County couple lacks legal jurisdiction to sue Fort Worth-based Range Resources in a high-profile case involving methane contamination of the couple's water well at their home in the upscale Silverado subdivision in far south Parker County. Judge Trey Loftin, of the 43rd State District Court in Weatherford, said in an order issued late Friday that Steve and Shyla Lipsky do not have legal standing for their pending $6.5 million lawsuit against Range in his court because the Texas Railroad Commission already determined last year that two Range natural gas wells drilled into the Barnett Shale were not responsible for contamination of the Lipskys' private water well. Loftin said the proper venue for challenging a March 22 Railroad Commission order is state district court in Austin. However, the deadline for appealing the commission order passed months ago, Range spokesman Matt Pitzarella said Saturday. The commission entered the order after reviewing testimony presented by expert witnesses before commission hearing examiners in January 2011. Lipsky, when contacted by the Star-Telegram on Saturday afternoon, said he declined to participate in the commission hearing in 2011 "because I didn't have a chance." "The gas companies own the Railroad Commission," Lipsky said in reference to Range and other natural gas producers. Lipsky said of Range, "They own the system ... they know they got away with it (water well contamination) and they're laughing about it. ... God help us all." [Full Story] Jan 28, 2012 New databases improve access to state gas drilling records Republican Herald Laura Legere A redesigned website for the state's Office of Oil and Gas Management features new data tools that simplify the public's access to permit records, drilling dates, inspections and enforcement actions for the state's multiplying natural gas wells. The site debuted two weeks ago for the Department of Environmental Protection's high-profile office, which has come under recent criticism for inconsistency in its public data about Marcellus Shale gas wells. At the heart of the new site are several data tools that will be updated automatically and nearly immediately rather than manually by a DEP staff member every month or so. For the first time, visitors to the new compliance database will find details for every inspection, not just those that uncover a violation at a well site. [Full Story] Jan 28, 2012 Drilling forecast lowered Natural gas plunge, labour crunch blamed Galgary Herald Dina O'Meara With natural gas prices in Alberta dropping to 10-year lows on Friday, a major oilfield services group revised its drilling forecast for Western Canada in 2012 downward. Spot prices for gas at Alberta's benchmark storage hub AECO plunged to $1.92 per gigajoule, the lowest seen since the summer of 2002, before rebounding to close the day $2.10 per GJ. The drop below the psychological $2 per GJ threshold comes in the middle of the North American heating season when demand for gas traditionally is strongest and it bodes ill for the rest of the year, said industry observers. [Full Story] Jan 28, 2012 In Dimock, EPA testing draws mixed reaction Scranton Time-Tribune Laura Legere DIMOCK TWP. - Two teams of scientists sampling well water from four homes a day are producing a picture of the aquifer under this Susquehanna County town that will help define the impact of natural gas drilling on drinking water. The water captured in vials and packed in coolers by scientists and contractors for the Environmental Protection Agency since Jan. 23 is the heart of an investigation spurred by concerns that Cabot Oil & Gas Corp.'s Marcellus Shale drilling and hydraulic fracturing tainted water wells. [Full Story] Jan 28, 2012 Penn. town blames contaminated water on fracking:Video CBS Evening News Tony Guida Residents of Dimock, Penn., have lived with contaminated water wells for more than three years, and they blame the contamination on fracking for natural gas. Tony Guida reports on the tiny town's struggle to get clean water. [Full Story] Jan 28, 2012 New Report by Agency Lowers Estimates of Natural Gas in U.S. The New York Times Ian Urbina WASHINGTON — Just how much natural gas is trapped underground in the United States? The difficulty and uncertainty in predicting natural gas resources was underscored last week when the Energy Information Administration released a report containing sharply lower estimates. The agency estimated that there are 482 trillion cubic feet of shale gas in the United States, down from the 2011 estimate of 827 trillion cubic feet — a drop of more than 40 percent. The report also said the Marcellus region, a rock formation under parts of New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, contained 141 trillion cubic feet of gas. That represents a 66 percent drop from the 410 trillion cubic feet estimate offered in the agency’s last report. The Energy Information Administration said the sharp downward revisions to its estimates were informed by more data. “Drilling in the Marcellus accelerated rapidly in 2010 and 2011, so that there is far more information available today than a year ago,” its report said. Jonathan Cogan, a spokesman for the agency, added that Pennsylvania had made far more data available than in previous years. Under the agency’s new estimates, the Marcellus shale, which was previously thought to hold enough gas to meet the entire nation’s demand for 17 years at current consumption rates, contains instead a six-year supply. The report comes just five months after the United States Geological Survey released its own estimate of 84 trillion cubic feet for the Marcellus shale. The estimates are important because they underpin policy decisions on energy subsidies and exports. Market analysts look to these estimates in making investment decisions. Historically, they have varied widely based on assumptions about the future of technology, coming regulations on drilling and the long-term price of gas. Previously inaccessible, shale gas has been unlocked in recent years by advances in a drilling technology known as hydraulic fracturing, or hydrofracking. These advances have prompted a drilling frenzy in states like Louisiana, Pennsylvania and Texas, which has helped create tens of thousands of jobs, lowered energy prices for consumers and offered the promise of lessening American dependence on foreign energy. Despite the lower estimates, the agency’s report noted that shale gas would continue to have a growing impact on the broader energy market. The share of natural gas produced by drilling in shale formations is projected to more than double, from 23 percent in 2010 to 49 percent in 2035, the report said. The United States will also become a net exporter of liquefied natural gas by 2016, while natural gas prices are expected to remain low for more than a decade, according to the report. Energy companies are also likely to be undaunted by the new lower estimates because they are confident that whatever the total amount of available gas, technology will improve over time so that they can access the gas more efficiently and profitably. This assumption depends on the price of gas rising soon from the rock-bottom levels where it has lingered since late 2008. In his State of the Union address last week, President Obama said the United States had a nearly 100-year supply of natural gas. That prediction includes gas from shale wells, offshore wells and Alaska’s North Slope. But many energy experts question these types of projections because they include substantial amounts of natural gas that many scientists and engineers say may never be tapped. Drilling proponents, including investors and many politicians, tend to embrace optimistic projections, even though estimating resources is an inexact science. Some of the earliest and most optimistic estimates of gas resources have come from academia. In 2009, Terry Engelder, a geosciences professor at Pennsylvania State University, helped accelerate the rush to drill for natural gas in Pennsylvania and surrounding states by projecting that more than 500 trillion cubic feet of natural gas could be produced from the Marcellus. This estimate is more than three times as high as the estimate for the Marcellus region from Energy Information Administration, and it is higher than what federal energy officials now say can be found in the entire country. Mr. Engelder said last week that he stood by his estimates, citing assumptions that he believed remained reasonable, and he questioned whether federal officials were being too conservative. “I don’t know what E.I.A. did other than cave into peer pressure from the U.S.G.S.,” he said, referring to the United States Geological Survey, which released its new estimates in August. Energy companies, which use different formulas for calculating their numbers, tend to present even higher estimates. For example, more than three dozen companies have leased land in the Marcellus region, and each company provides its own estimates to investors for how much gas it believes can be found under the acreage they possess. The combined resource estimates of just two of those companies, Range Resources and Chesapeake Energy, whose acreage holdings represent a small fraction of the Marcellus shale, is roughly equal to the amount federal energy officials now say can be found in the entire region. Many experts note that it is hard to predict how difficult or easy it will be to extract gas in different parts of the country because the geology varies drastically. Since the hydrofracking boom is fairly recent, there is also a shortage of data to indicate how much gas wells will produce over the long term. In private discussions, some federal energy officials have raised questions about the way oil and gas companies may be inflating estimates of the amount of recoverable gas. “The variability of shale gas well performance is crucial to any assessment of the resource potential of a shale play,” Philip Budzik, an Energy Information Administration research analyst, wrote in an e-mail to an industry analyst last April. The e-mail was released this month in response to open-records requests, and it echoes comments made previously in other publicly released e-mails. “Companies highlight their highly productive and profitable wells,” Mr. Budzik wrote, “while ignoring their ‘dogs,’ thereby giving the public the impression that every well is a ‘gold mine.’ ” The information administration declined to comment about the e-mail. Last summer, the New York attorney general and the Securities and Exchange Commission sent subpoenas to several companies to see whether they were accurately portraying the amount of recoverable gas to investors. The offices declined to comment about the subpoenas. [Full Story] Jan 28, 2012 Beware fracking pitfalls, Texas ex-mayor warns The Vindicator Marc Kovac COLUMBUS The former mayor of a small Texas town is warning Gov. John Kasich and state lawmakers to beware the fracking pitfalls his community has experienced. “There is going to be some impact,” said Calvin Tillman, formerly of Dish, Texas. “Even at best, you have an industrialized area and you have ... the truck traffic and the heavy equipment and the noise and odors and the dust and things like that. At worst, you have people who have contaminated water wells and you have air pollution from these treatment facilities and these compression stations and condensate tanks that leak and things like that.” He added, “The question would be, do you want what has happened to us to happen to you? And if not, then what are you going to do to prevent that?” [Full Story] Jan 28, 2012 Study Shows Possible Impact of Hydrofracking on Tompkins County The Cornell Daily Sun David Fischer As hundreds of anti-fracking protestors descended on the New York State Capitol Monday, the Tompkins County Council of Governments released a comprehensive study detailing the potentially transformative effects of hydraulic fracturing on the region. Art Pearce M.A. ’72, chair of the group that oversaw the production of the report, called the 130-page study an “important reference document,” citing its implications for the long-term plans of different municipalities in Tompkins County. This week protesters gathered in Albany to urge Governor Cuomo to reject the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement on hydraulic fracturing. Many say that the document, which will be used to prohibit fracking in the state of N.Y., fails to adequately meet public health and environmental concerns. “The current draft fails incredibly inadequate and incomplete, so the pressure is on the DEC and Governor Cuomo to deal with this revised draft,” said Walter Hang, president of Toxics Targeting. The report addresses many of the potential economic, community and environmental impact that hydrofracking — a controversial practice in which chemicals are injected into the ground at high pressures to extract natural gas — might have on the County. Although the report discovered both positive and negative effects, Pearce said the potential negative effects of fracking seemed to outweigh the positive ones. “Most of the communities that have done comprehensive plans in Tompkins County have identified both their natural and rural agricultural resources as something that they cherish and really want to protect and maintain,” said Ed Marx, Tompkins County’s commissioner of planning and community sustainability and another member of the steering committee. “The environmental consequences of hydrofracking, the report also details harmful long-term economic consequences, such as a boom-and-bust cycle. [Full Story] Jan 28, 2012 Chesapeake to step back from NYS expansion 2012-01-28 / Front Page Company officials say low price of natural gas led to decision Morning Times Kristy Westbrook As a result of natural gas prices being at an all-time-low, Chesapeake Energy will be stepping back from its New York state expansion plans to focus more on Pennsylvania until the Empire State’s moratorium on Hydraulic Fracturing is lifted. “Due to the de facto moratorium on development in New York and the continuing uncertainty surrounding its ongoing regulatory process, we have no plans for development there at this time,” said Senior Director of Chesapeake Corporate Development Brian Grove. “Chesapeake will be focusing all of our attention and investment in this region in Pennsylvania, and expect to complete the transition of our New York-based employees to new offices in Pennsylvania by the end of 2012.” Because of the low natural gas prices, Chesapeake will be focusing on liquid gas, said Grove. [Full Story] Jan 28, 2012 $520 million natural gas pipeline in doubt Zanesville Times Recorder Russ Zimmer A $520 million pipeline project thought to have the potential to support 2,500 Ohio construction jobs might be dead. The Ohio Power Siting Board, the body that regulates major utility projects in Ohio, rejected the application for the Marcellus Lateral Pipeline more than a year ago. Kinder Morgan, a pipeline developer, owner and operator out of Houston, has made no official moves on the project since it submitted that application in November 2010. The 16-inch pipeline was to snake 240 miles under Ohio, from the border with the West Virginia panhandle to a connection with larger pipeline just west of Toledo. It was designed to carry natural gas liquids from the Marcellus Shale formation, a layer of rock rich in oil and gas that sits underneath much of western Pennsylvania, West Virginia and the border counties of Ohio. [Full Story] Jan 28, 2012 Chesapeake Energy Supports the Community – Unless the Community Opposes Fracking Corporate Crime Reporter Chesapeake Energy is at the forefront of the fracking industry – using hydraulic fracturing to get natural gas out of shale. The Oklahoma City based corporation has a big footprint in the Marcellus Shale region – including West Virginia. And the company is philanthropic – up to a point. Last year, Chesapeake donated $25,000 to the Farmers Market in Morgantown, West Virginia, but then withdrew the contribution after the city of Morgantown banned fracking within city limits. Also last year, Chesapeake donated $30,000 for band instruments for the Wellsburg Middle School band, but then withdrew the donation after the city of Wellsburg voted to ban fracking within city limits. To get the money back for the Middle School, the city rescinded the ban on fracking. Rose Baker has lived all her life in Wetzel County, West Virginia. She says that fracking by Chesapeake and other companies has turned her county from a quiet rural area into an industrial zone. Baker says her quality of life has gone from a 10 to a 3. [Full Story] Jan 27, 2012 Outbreak Watch: Erin Brockovich Investigates Mysterious Student Illness in Upstate New York The Atlantic John Metcalf Meet teenager Lori Brownell, the first exemplar of an outbreak of involuntary trembling and verbal outbursts that's drawn health professionals and environmentalists to the town of Le Roy, New York. Brownell is not from Le Roy, hailing instead from Corinth some 450 miles eastward, but she happened to eat dinner in the town last summer right before her life began to get weird. In one of the early YouTube videos she started filming to document her condition, she explained that she passed out suddenly last August while headbanging at a concert. Then she fainted at a school dance, after which her body became wracked with tremors. She went on meds, but the twitching continued and was soon joined with a violent sort of snorting and what she believes are seizures. Brownell's disorder wouldn't be all that notable if it weren't for students at Le Roy Jr. / Sr. High School rapidly developing the same type of tics and verbal outbursts. The Le Roy school district and the New York State Health Department began investigating "neurological symptoms associated with a small number of students" in November. That number of students has since climbed to 15, the vast majority being females. [Full Story] Jan 27, 2012 Berks County Joins 350 Groups Supporting Renewal Of Growing Greener Program PA Environment Digest The Renew Growing Greener Coalition Thursday announced 35 counties – more than half the state – have passed resolutions calling for the renewal of the Growing Greener Environmental Stewardship Fund, Pennsylvania’s primary source of funding to help local communities protect water quality, preserve open space and farmland, and enhance parks, trails and other recreational opportunities. Now more than 150 government entities, including 109 municipalities, representing more than seven million Pennsylvanians, have passed resolutions calling for a dedicated source of funding for the Growing Greener Environmental Stewardship Fund. [Full Story] Jan 27, 2012 Word play: Gas industry protests use of ‘F word’, but its PR machine takes advantage of focus on ‘fracking’ The Charleston Gazette Ken Ward Jr. Well, The Associated Press spent 888 words toying with whether the use of one word — ‘fracking’ was appropriate when the media covers the continuing controversies over natural gas drilling. The thrust of the story is that industry is upset with the phrase, and blamed environmental activists for the media’s continued use of it: The word is “fracking” — as in hydraulic fracturing, a technique long used by the oil and gas industry to free oil and gas from rock. It’s not in the dictionary, the industry hates it, and President Barack Obama didn’t use it in his State of the Union speech — even as he praised federal subsidies for it. [Full Story] Jan 27, 2012 New York’s Fracking Deliberations Inch Along New York Times Mireya Navarro In yet another sign that New York has slowed efforts to green-light fracking of natural gas, officials at the state Department of Environmental Conservation canceled a meeting of a drilling advisory panel this week for a second time. Officials said they were delaying the meeting, which had been scheduled for Thursday, because the department’s staff was concentrating on sorting through more than 40,000 comments received on proposed state regulations and an environmental impact statement on high-volume hydraulic fracturing, a controversial gas extraction process. A public comment period closed this month after a round of contentious public hearings in November dominated by fracking opponents. State officials must prepare an official response to the points raised in the comments before finalizing rules governing drilling in the Marcellus Shale. The shale, a rock formation that runs under several states and is described as one of the richest natural gas fields in the world, has yet been to be exploited in New York State through high-volume hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling. Any new drilling would also require the recommendations of the advisory panel, whose members include representatives from the energy industry, environmental groups and elected officials. Its main mission is to figure out how the state will pay for additional staff members to enforce the fracking regulations. An earlier meeting between the environmental department and the advisory panel was canceled on Jan. 12. The advisory panel’s recommendations had originally been expected late last year, but the panel is now expected to work through April before issuing a report. “On this high-stakes issue, it seems as if the administration is listening carefully and moving cautiously,” said Eric A. Goldstein, a senior lawyer with the Natural Resources Defense Council who is among the panel’s 18 members [Full Story] Jan 27, 2012 Facing suit, driller buys gas-leak land Arkansasonline Paul Quinn LITTLE ROCK — A subsidiary of Southwestern Energy Co. recently bought 5 acres in Quitman where last year a water well started spewing millions of cubic feet of natural gas and is the subject of a lawsuit in federal court. A.W. Realty Co. completed the purchase of the property at 450 Locust St. in Quitman on Jan. 10, according to records at the Cleburne County Courthouse. Southwestern’s website says that A.W. Realty is a subsidiary of the Houston-based oil and natural-gas producer. The property was sold by the federal Housing and Urban Development Department to Southwestern for an unknown amount of money. HUD foreclosed on the property in 2010. Nobody was living on the property when the leak started. Southwestern Energy is the top producer in the Fayetteville Shale natural gas field of north-central Arkansas and has several gas wells in the vicinity of the water well that started leaking gas. Drilling in the Fayetteville Shale uses horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, the process of injecting millions of gallons of water mixed with sand and chemicals to allow for the most natural gas to flow out. Citing an ongoing lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas, a spokesman for Southwestern would not say why the company bought the property. In court documents, Southwestern denied responsibility for the gas leak. The Arkansas Oil and Gas Commission said this week that it began investigating in February 2011 why the well was leaking natural gas but that a cause has not been named. Shane Khoury, deputy director and general counsel for the commission, said in an email that the gas most likely migrated from “a shallow gas source.” “After our initial investigation in this particular case, we determined that the Fayetteville Shale wells [in the area] were not the probable source,” Khoury said, while adding that it is possible that recent drilling caused the shallow natural gas pocket to migrate to the water well. In April, the commission pumped water into the well to see whether it was ready to be plugged. After the water was pumped in, the well pressurized and the pumped-in water started spewing, causing area residents to be evacuated at 3:30 a.m., the Heber Springs Sun Times reported. The commission said it pumped in 100,000 gallons of water, which also caused the natural gas to migrate to other wells on the property and bubble out of a pond. Records supplied by the Oil and Gas Commission show that on April 21, 288 million cubic feet of gas flowed from the water well. By May 2 the flow had slowed to 6 million cubic feet per day. Khoury said that the problem was beyond the commission’s authority and expertise, so it asked Southwestern to help solve the problem. Because the water well was leaking so much gas, it could not be plugged. Instead, Southwestern burned off the natural gas. Because Southwestern would not comment for this article, it is unclear what has happened to the wells. Last week, Flippin Water Well Drilling Pump Contractors could be seen working on several water wells on the property. Flippin did not return calls Thursday. In Pennsylvania, a natural-gas drilling company was blamed for contaminating water wells near Dimock. State regulators in Pennsylvania fined Cabot Oil & Gas Corp. of Houston after water wells were contaminated in 2008 and even caught fire at 19 homes in Susquehanna County Records with the Pennsylvania regulators show that Cabot was fined more than $500,000 and had to supply water to residents in Dimock. According to the federal lawsuit, filed Cleburne County by Phillip and Peggy Berry, “large quantities of methane and hydrogen sulfide” were in the air near the well in question. The Berrys do not have a water well on their property. The suit was filed May 17, 2011, against Southwestern, among others. They claim that natural gas coming out of the well has caused the value of their property to fall and caused them to potentially inhale methane. A lawyer representing the Berrys, who live next to the property Southwestern bought, said the land transaction baffled him. “I don’t know why Southwestern bought the property; it really came out of the blue,” said Timothy Holton of the Memphis-based Deal Cooper and Holton law firm. “It changes the characteristics of the litigation to some extent. ... It’s certainly something we’ll look into very thoroughly.” Southwestern filed a motion to dismiss the case in July, arguing that the Berrys complaint failed to state any facts for which damages could be assessed. “Plaintiffs’ bare-bone allegations fail to give rise to a plausible — not merely possible — claim for relief against Southwestern,” the motion says. “[The] Plaintiffs fail to demonstrate any connection between Southwestern and ownership of the land where the allegedly offending well is located.” The motion, filed before Southwestern bought the property, goes on to say that the “plaintiffs’ allegations amount to this: Gas escaped from the water well next door, and Southwestern, who does not own the land or the well, showed up and fixed the problem.” Also included in the suit are Australia-based BHP Billiton, Chesapeake Energy and XTO Energy, companies that had drilling operations in the Fayetteville Shale when the water well started leaking gas. BHP bought Chesapeake’s Arkansas assets in February, and the companies were in the process of transferring operations at the time the gas leak became a concern. On Thursday, a judge had not ruled on the motion to dismiss the lawsuit. A trial has been set for April 15, 2014. The case is titled Phillip and Peggy Berry vs. Southwestern Energy et. al. Local anti-fracking activists say they are being kept in the dark by Southwestern and would like the company to be more forthcoming with information about what caused the natural gas to migrate to the water well. Sam Lane, who leads Stop Arkansas Fracking, a group of about 250 who want to end fracking in the Fayetteville Shale, also called for more testing by the Arkansas Oil and Gas Commission. “The company needs to be more transparent and let people know what is going on,” Lane said. “This really scared a lot of people when it happened.” Business, Pages 27 on 01/27/2012 http://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2012/jan/27/facing-suit-driller-buys-gas-leak-land-20120127 [Full Story] Jan 27, 2012 EPA Responds to Cabot Oil WNEP There is now a response to a response. Two days ago Cabot Oil and Gas criticized the federal government's deliveries of fresh water and its testing of several wells in Susquehanna County. Now the EPA responds to Cabot. One week ago the Environmental Protection Agency started delivering the water to a handful of homes suspected of having their wells contaminated by Cabot's natural gas drilling in the Dimock area. Cabot called the move a "political agenda hostile to shale gas development." Friday the EPA responded by saying, "It is sampling and providing water as a direct result of requests from Dimock residents. Our priority is the health of the people there, and our actions are guided entirely by science and the law." [Full Story] Jan 27, 2012 Bethel sets hearing on gas drilling ban Sullivan County Democrat Dan Hust WHITE LAKE — The Town of Bethel has set March 15 as the date for a public hearing about its proposed – and already hotly debated – townwide prohibition on gas drilling. At its Wednesday meeting, the town board unanimously agreed to hold the hearing at 7 p.m. at the Duggan Community Center in White Lake. At some point after that hearing, the board is expected to enact a law banning not just gas drilling but any other “high-impact” use in Bethel not associated with agriculture, based on fears that such development could more harm than help the local populace and environment. The proposed amendment to the town’s zoning code was initially drafted by upstate lawyer David Slottje, who’s assisted neighboring townships with similar proposed and enacted laws. It was then reviewed and modified by a four-member committee created by Supervisor Dan Sturm, who said that “not all the committee members were in favor of a ban.” Now it goes to the public, which already was weighing in at Wednesday’s meeting. Pro and con opinions were passionately delivered to the board, with those in favor of the law saying it will protect Bethel’s best and most valuable attributes, while those against the law decried the potential loss of property rights and business/job opportunities. Sturm and fellow town board members Denise Frangipane and Vicky Vassmer-Simpson were pleased with the review process. “I think it’s time well-spent,” Frangipane said. “I believe it accomplishes what we all set out to do,” remarked Vassmer-Simpson of a document she said she was proud of. The proposed law, related resolutions, and an accompanying 120-page land use study by Rhinebeck-based Greenplan, Inc. are now available on the town website: www.town.bethel.ny.us/ProposedLocalLaws/ProposedLocalLaws.htm. A public information session is scheduled for Wednesday, February 22 after the regular town board meeting, which starts at 7:30 p.m. at the Duggan Community Center. The formal public hearing will be held on Thursday, March 15 at 7 p.m. in the same location. [Full Story] Jan 27, 2012 The biggest winners of Obama's natural gas push The President's effort to make natural gas a viable alternative to gasoline and diesel fuel in cars and trucks could change the fate of the ailing industry. CNN Money Fortune Cyrus Sanati FORTUNE -- President Obama's newfound commitment to natural gas could be the spark needed to reignite the fledgling natural gas industry, while at the same time breathing life into an array of new businesses. Overproduction, coupled with anemic demand, has recently sent natural gas prices tumbling to a 10-year low, delivering a big hit to the dozens of energy companies invested in large-scale natural gas drilling projects across the US. But the President's support to make natural gas a viable alternative to gasoline and diesel fuel in cars and trucks could change all that. While such a major transition would probably take years, if successful, it would provide a massive new market for the trillions of cubic feet of natural gas that have been recently discovered, helping to lift prices back up to profitable levels and opening up new industries linked to natural gas transportation. [Full Story] Jan 27, 2012 Safe Gas Fracking Touted by Obama Disputed by Environmentalists Bloomberg Mark Drajem & Katarzyna Klimasinska Jan. 26 (Bloomberg) -- President Barack Obama’s promotion of fracking as a safe way to boost natural gas production is disputed by environmentalists who say the government lacks tough rules to safeguard air and water. Groups such as Protecting Our Waters say hydraulic fracturing -- in which a mix of water, sand and chemicals are shot underground to break apart rock and free gas -- is tainting drinking water and causing more pollution than is cut by the cheap gas. The broad new federal legislation and regulation the groups advocate would tangle up fracking in miles of red tape, industry leaders counter. “We’re disappointed in his enthusiasm for shale gas,” Iris Marie Bloom, director of Protecting Our Waters in Philadelphia, said in an interview. Obama “spoke about gas as if it’s better for the environment, which it’s not.” [Full Story] Jan 27, 2012 Fracking Company: EPA Decision to Test Contaminated Wells in Dimock "Undercuts" Obama's Commitment to Natural Gas Truthout Mike Ludwig President Obama proclaimed his support for safely expanding gas and oil drilling on public lands this week, and the announcement received an uncomfortable applause from a fracking company ensnarled in a ongoing controversy over poisoned water wells used by dozens of families in rural Pennsylvania. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced last week its plans to sample and test water from 60 homes near Dimock, Pennsylvania, to determine if residents are "being exposed to hazardous substances." Cabot Oil and Gas, a company that was fined $120,000 in 2009 for fracking mishaps and contaminating water in the area, sent a letter to EPA administrator Lisa Jackson on Wednesday complaining that the water testing "undercut the president's commitment to this important resource." Victims of contaminated water have sued Cabot and fought for more than two years for clean water, and, until about two months ago, Cabot was under state orders to deliver fresh water in giant vessels to several of the affected residences. State officials ruled in early December that Cabot could stop making water deliveries, prompting activists, Gasland director Josh Fox and actor Mark Ruffalo to deliver fresh water in a recent media blitz. [Full Story] Jan 27, 2012 Voice of the Free Press: Fracking moratorium gives time for answers Burlington Free Press Opinion The Vermont Legislature is taking the right step tackling the use of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, before the controversial drilling method arrives in the state. Fracking injects water, chemicals and sand under high pressure to release natural gas trapped in rock formations. Natural gas is relatively abundant in the United States -- reducing the need for oil imports -- and cleaner than petroleum-based fuels in many applications. [Full Story] Jan 27, 2012 Superior Energy Falls as U.S. Fracking Costs Grow Bloomberg David Wethe Jan. 26 (Bloomberg) -- Superior Energy Services Inc., which is trying to buy a provider of hydraulic-fracturing services in North America, fell the most in more than two months as more of its contracting peers report additional costs associated with moving from natural gas to oil basins in the U.S. and Canada. Superior, based in New Orleans, dropped 6.1 percent to close at $25.78 in New York, the biggest decline since Nov. 9. Carbo Ceramics Inc., the largest provider of manufactured materials for the technique used to extract oil and gas from shale, said in an earnings statement today that fourth-quarter costs increased because of its shift to oil basins. Gas producers such as Chesapeake Energy Corp. and EQT Corp. have announced they’re curtailing production because of low prices. [Full Story] Jan 27, 2012 Energy Companies Don’t Like the Term Fracking Tripped Ryan McManus Hydrofracking, or “fracking,” has stirred a great deal of attention, you just might want to watch out who you say it around. Industry leaders reportedly don’t like the term because of its linguistic similarities to another common F word ending in K. Also, that one TV show used “frak” as a replacement for the aforementioned word. It’s lewd and we feel uncomfortable using the word to ask our mother to sign the petition to ban it. Which is exactly what industry leaders argue. The word has a very negative connotation associated with it. Activists have been able to use the charged word as a means of furthering their cause. For example, “Don’t Frack” and “Don’t Frack With My Water” signs are fairly prominent and work well in protest slogans where frack operates as another word. Fortunately for the industry, frack isn’t actually a word. [Full Story] Jan 27, 2012 FOIA Friday: The Fracking New York Times - How Industry and the Government Reacted to an Expose Project on Government Oversight Mia Steinle In the aftermath of last summer’s damaging New York Times investigation into fracking—a method of shale gas drilling lauded by investors—industry and the Department of Energy (DOE) went into damage control mode. Internal department emails obtained by POGO through the Freedom of Information Act give insight into how DOE’s Energy Information Administration (EIA) responded to the first story from Ian Urbina’s “Drilling Down” series for The Times. The story itself helped bring the fracking debate into the public consciousness, by making public internal industry emails and DOE documents, which showed skepticism about fracking’s promises as early as 2009. The EIA emails obtained by POGO show that agency employees were displeased with The Times investigation, which revealed, among other things, industry emails from 2009 comparing shale gas investments to Ponzi schemes. The Times noted that, just one year prior, residents of Fort Worth, Texas, were promised almost $28,000 per acre for drilling leases—but many never received such high royalty checks. [Full Story] Jan 27, 2012 Ohio mayor buys earthquake insurance after alleged fracking incidents Aweb News Jaime L. Brockway A series of earthquakes in Youngstown, Ohio, potentially related to brine-injection wells, caused the city’s mayor to buy earthquake insurance for his home and initiate a moratorium on injection wells near the city. There have been 11 earthquakes in Youngstown in the past 10 months, since D&L Energy Inc. began injecting drilling brine, a byproduct of hydraulic fracturing, 9,200 feet underground in December 2010. As an IFA story last year indicated, fracking is believed to carry a number of insurance risks that agents must be prepared to address with their clients. [Full Story] Jan 27, 2012 ‘Fracking’ support by Obama roils N.Y. debate President’s hard sell reverberates locally Capital Connection Jerry Zremski WASHINGTON — President Obama on Thursday doubled down on his sudden support of hydraulic fracturing as a key to the nation’s energy future, a move that has thrilled supporters of “fracking” — and baffled environmentalists — in New York. “We have a supply of natural gas that can last America nearly a hundred years,” Obama said in a speech in Las Vegas. “Developing it could power our cars, our homes and our factories in a cleaner and cheaper way. And experts believe it could support more than 600,000 jobs by the end of the decade.” Obama administration officials acknowledged that the power of the federal government to promote fracking was limited compared with that of the states, which primarily regulate natural gas drilling. But they said the president wanted to lead by example by promoting the safe use of hydraulic fracturing on public lands. “We believe — and we have a good track record of this on our public lands — that fracking can be done safely and in an environmentally sound manner and be an important part of our energy future,” said a senior Obama administration official, who asked not to be identified by name. [Full Story] Jan 27, 2012 Environmental icons drawn by Le Roy cluster Democrat and Chronicle Steve Orr National environmental and health groups are beating a path to LeRoy, poking into the Genesee County community's startling cluster of teenage students with troubling neurological symptoms. Groups led by environmental-activist icons Erin Brockovich and Lois Gibbs have been talking with parents and gathering background. A chapter of the Sierra Club has been digging into the LeRoy school's unusual connection with natural gas drilling. The Healthy Schools Network, Empire State Consumer Project and others are involved. Leaders of these groups say authorities in New York may have acted too hastily in ruling out environmental contaminants, infectious illnesses or vaccinations as possible causes of the cluster, which now includes as many as 15 LeRoy Junior/Senior High School students who exhibit varying degrees of involuntary twitches and verbal outbursts not unlike those associated with Tourette's syndrome. Some report fainting spells and seizures, too. [Full Story] Jan 27, 2012 Fracking Company: EPA Decision to Test Contaminated Wells in Dimock "Undercuts" Obama's Commitment to Natural Gas Truthout Mike Ludwig President Obama proclaimed his support for safely expanding gas and oil drilling on public lands this week, and the announcement received an uncomfortable applause from a fracking company ensnarled in a ongoing controversy over poisoned water wells used by dozens of families in rural Pennsylvania. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced last week its plans to sample and test water from 60 homes near Dimock, Pennsylvania, to determine if residents are "being exposed to hazardous substances." Cabot Oil and Gas, a company that was fined $120,000 in 2009 for fracking mishaps and contaminating water in the area, sent a letter to EPA administrator Lisa Jackson on Wednesday complaining that the water testing "undercut the president's commitment to this important resource." [Full Story] Jan 26, 2012 DEP weighs mine water for fracking Citizens Voice Robert Swift HARRISBURG - State environmental officials want to give Marcellus Shale drillers an incentive to use mine water in drilling operations by offering a quick response to proposals within 15 days. The policy outlined at a public meeting Tuesday would couple the natural gas industry's need for massive amounts of water in hydrofracking and the longstanding problem of cleaning up 5,000 miles of waterway in Pennsylvania impaired by acid mine drainage. [Full Story] Jan 26, 2012 Cabot CEO: EPA investigation of Dimock a waste Pittsburgh Tribune Associated Press DIMOCK, Pa. — The head of a natural gas driller blamed for polluting residential water wells in a northeastern Pennsylvania town is taking issue with federal regulators who are testing the water supplies of dozens of homes in the area. Cabot Oil & Gas Corp. CEO Dan Dinges says the Environmental Protection Agency is wasting taxpayer money by launching an expanded investigation of the contamination in Dimock Township. Dinges wrote Thursday to EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson. He says extensive testing has already shown Dimock's water is safe to drink. He also says that EPA is appearing to undercut President Barack Obama's support for shale gas. [Full Story] Jan 26, 2012 'Fracking' becoming as profane as original F-word pjstar.mobi Jonathan Fahey A different kind of F-word is stirring a linguistic and political debate as controversial as what it defines. The word is "fracking" - as in hydraulic fracturing, a technique long used by the oil and gas industry to free oil and gas from rock. It's not in the dictionary, the industry hates it, and President Barack Obama didn't use it in his State of the Union speech - even as he praised federal subsidies for it. The word sounds nasty, and environmental advocates have been able to use it to generate opposition - and revulsion - to what they say is a nasty process that threatens water supplies. "It obviously calls to mind other less socially polite terms, and folks have been able to take advantage of that," said Kate Sinding, a senior attorney at the Natural Resources Defense Council who works on drilling issues. One of the chants at an anti-drilling rally in Albany earlier this month was "No fracking way!" Industry executives argue that the word is deliberately misspelled by environmental activists and that it has become a slur that should not be used by media outlets that strive for objectivity. [Full Story] Jan 26, 2012 No energy industry backing for the word 'fracking' Jonathan Fahey, AP NEW YORK (AP) — A different kind of F-word is stirring a linguistic and political debate as controversial as what it defines. The word is "fracking" — as in hydraulic fracturing, a technique long used by the oil and gas industry to free oil and gas from rock. It's not in the dictionary, the industry hates it, and President Barack Obama didn't use it in his State of the Union speech — even as he praised federal subsidies for it. The word sounds nasty, and environmental advocates have been able to use it to generate opposition — and revulsion — to what they say is a nasty process that threatens water supplies. "It obviously calls to mind other less socially polite terms, and folks have been able to take advantage of that," said Kate Sinding, a senior attorney at the Natural Resources Defense Council who works on drilling issues. [Full Story] Jan 26, 2012 Obama Seeks Tax Break for Natural-Gas Trucks, Oil Lease Sale Bloomberg Julianna Goldman & Jim Snyder President Barack Obama said tax breaks for natural-gas powered trucks will help the U.S. cut its dependence on imported oil. Obama, in his second day promoting policies laid out in his State of the Union address on Jan. 24, proposes a credit equivalent of 50 percent of the extra cost of purchasing a natural gas-powered truck compared with one that runs on diesel or gasoline. Developing natural gas “could power our cars and our homes and our factories in a cleaner and cheaper way,” Obama said in the text of remarks in Las Vegas at a United Parcel Service Inc. (UPS) natural gas refueling station built with the aid of money from the economic stimulus. “We, it turns out, are the Saudi Arabia of natural gas. We’ve got a lot of it.” [Full Story] Jan 26, 2012 Senate bloc concerned about curbs to shale rules Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Laura Olson HARRISBURG -- As state negotiators inch closer to finalizing a comprehensive Marcellus Shale regulatory measure, some opposition against overruling local zoning rules has reignited within the General Assembly. Nine Republican state senators sent a letter to their caucus leaders on Wednesday, signaling their concerns with a current provision to restrict the ability of local governments to regulate gas drilling. Eliminating the variations in local drilling rules has been a priority for Gov. Tom Corbett, as well as a provision sought by natural gas companies. The governor has called for state rules to supersede local ordinances, while Senate leaders have pushed a less-strict provision. [Full Story] Jan 26, 2012 How a gas boom became a glut Philadelphia Inquirer Louis D. D'Amico Passengers on Pennsylvania's natural-gas roller coaster are advised to check their restraining devices. It's poised to change course again, producing nausea for some and shrieks of joy for others. A combination of powerful forces - Mother Nature and supply and demand - is going to have at least a short-term impact on natural-gas drilling in the state. Low prices, full storage facilities, reduced use due to a mild winter, and slow-to-rebound industrial demand will likely slow down the industry for at least a year, and more likely longer. The state and the nation are reaching a temporary plateau in the natural-gas boom, with consequences both positive and negative. [Full Story] Jan 26, 2012 Obama’s 600,000 Fracking-Job Forecast Includes Lawyers, Realtors Bloomberg Jim Efstathiou, Jr. The boom in natural gas produced from shale rock will add U.S. jobs, though whether it supports as many as President Barack Obama predicts depends on how you count them, economists say. In his State of the Union address this week, Obama said hydraulic fracturing, in which a mix of water, sand and chemicals is injected underground to free gas trapped in rock, could support more than 600,000 jobs by the end of the decade. The estimate was based in part on a forecast by energy researcher IHS Global Insight, which counts people who actually drill as well as “indirect jobs” in associated industries such as lawyers, cement makers and real estate agents, said John Larson, a vice president at IHS and the study’s lead author. [Full Story] Jan 26, 2012 In Fracking Boom, Oil and Gas Companies Boxed In by Sand The Streeet Eric Rosenbaum NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Every grain of sand is critical in the shale drilling boom of North America, literally. For companies involved in the hydraulic fracturing boom, from the miners of the sand like Carbo Ceramics(CRR) to the oil service companies like RPC(RES) dependent on increased supply, and finally, to exploration and production companies like Whiting Petroleum(WLL) that are paying increasing costs, sand is a critical raw material. Sand is mixed with water and chemicals in the fracking process to extract oil and gas trapped in shale rock, and most of that sand comes from mines in the Wisconsin/Minnesota area. [Full Story] Jan 26, 2012 Fracking moratorium approved in House committee VT Digger.org Alan Panebaker A House committee has approved a three-year moratorium on the controversial practice of hydraulic fracturing, a method of extracting natural gas from shale deposits. The original version of the bill would have banned “fracking,” the common name for the surface drilling method that uses a combination of water and chemicals to extract natural gas from shale. Under the proposal, the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources would have been prohibited from issuing a permit to extract natural gas. [Full Story] Jan 26, 2012 U.S. shale gas reserve estimates plummet Penn Energy The latest estimates of shale natural gas reserves in the U.S. represent a shocking step backward for the rapidly growing industry, according to Bloomberg. The projections released by the U.S. Department of Energy estimate that the country holds around 482 trillion cubic feet of recoverable natural gas from shale basins. That represents a 42 percent decline from the year before when estimates of shale gas reserves were placed at around 827 trillion cubic feet. The declines stemmed from more detailed information available because of the dramatic uptick in natural gas exploration in shale deposits over the past year. Probably the most substantial impact of the updated estimates, however, was the 66 percent reduction in recoverable reserves in the Marcellus shale formation in Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio and West Virginia. Last year that basin was estimated to hold 410 trillion cubic feet of gas, enough to fill U.S. gas demand for 17 years at 2010 level. Now that number has been reduced to 141 trillion cubic feet, or around 6 years. Nevertheless, the DOE estimates natural gas production will rise even higher than previously predicted despite the smaller resource base. Analyses of Marcellus shale basin natural gas development can be found at PennEnergy's Research area. [Full Story] Jan 25, 2012 Don’t Drink the Water Drillers are furious about reports backing up claims of poisoned groundwater. Fort Worth Weekly Peter Gorman When Jeff Locker looks out over his 1,500 acres of land just outside Pavillion, Wyo., he remembers what it used to look like: three horses in the corral, fields of barley and alfalfa bending in the breeze. These days the view from every window looks out over nearby shale gas wells, his own contaminated water wells, and an empty pasture: He stopped keeping horses after two of them died from nerve damage after drinking from a large plastic stock tank fed by his well. His wife is suffering from extreme neuropathy — he describes it a shooting nerve pain that radiates from the base of her spine or up her shins — that also came on after she drank the well water. Locker is not alone in his problems. Louis Meeks lost cattle, horses, and sheep after they drank from contaminated stock tanks. [Full Story] Jan 25, 2012 State Of The Union: President Obama Blames Congress for Inaction on Climate Change, While Calling for Increase in Fossil Fuel Production Here's the problem with Obama's "all-of-the-above" energy strategy. Alter Net Brad Johnson Opinion LIKE THIS ARTICLE ? Join our mailing list: Sign up to stay up to date on the latest headlines via email. President Barack Obama delivered a State of the Union address that aggressively defended his successful work to save the American auto industry, the centerpoint of American manufacturing, and directly addressed the unfairness of our economic system that has led to rapidly growing economic inequality. However, the president avoided a direct admission of the greatest threat to the future of the American economy: rapidly increasing climate change from unlimited fossil fuel pollution. Instead, Obama promoted an “all-of-the-above” energy future: This country needs an all-out, all-of-the-above strategy that develops every available source of American energy – a strategy that’s cleaner, cheaper, and full of new jobs. Praising the boom in domestic oil and gas drilling, Obama announced that he is “directing my Administration to open more than 75 percent of our potential offshore oil and gas resources.” He called for “every possible action” to develop “a supply of natural gas that can last America nearly one hundred years.” The “one hundred years” supply of gas is questionable. [Full Story] Jan 25, 2012 Bills limiting local drilling rules draw GOP foes CBS (AP) HARRISBURG, Pa. — Differences over local zoning have surfaced as a new potential obstacle to lawmakers' effort to reach an agreement on wide-ranging legislation to impose an impact fee on Pennsylvania's Marcellus Shale natural gas producers and modernize state safety regulations on the booming drilling industry. A group of Republican senators have changed their minds and on Wednesday signed a letter to Senate leaders saying they now oppose a provision in separate House and Senate bills to limit municipalities' authority to control drilling activity. Securing strict limits is a top priority of the natural gas industry as way to prevent municipal officials from imposing zoning ordinances that effectively prevent drilling there. But the nearly identical limits that were approved late last year by the House and Senate in separate bills are not as strict as ones sought by Gov. Tom Corbett, a Republican, or many in the industry, and now some past supporters of those limits say they go too far. [Full Story] Jan 25, 2012 Moms Stand Up to Fracking Healthy Child Healthy World Angie Nordstrum We’ve all seen (or at least heard of) the movie “Erin Brockovich” in which a bold and fiercely determined mom takes on a chemical company for exposing a small town and the families and children that live there to toxic chemicals that have been linked to cancer. It’s Academy Award winning material. And it’s happening again. [Full Story] Jan 25, 2012 Don't Drink the Water Drillers are furious about reports backing up claims of poisoned groundwater. Fort Worth Weekly Peter Gorman When Jeff Locker looks out over his 1,500 acres of land just outside Pavillion, Wyo., he remembers what it used to look like: three horses in the corral, fields of barley and alfalfa bending in the breeze. These days the view from every window looks out over nearby shale gas wells, his own contaminated water wells, and an empty pasture: He stopped keeping horses after two of them died from nerve damage after drinking from a large plastic stock tank fed by his well. His wife is suffering from extreme neuropathy — he describes it a shooting nerve pain that radiates from the base of her spine or up her shins — that also came on after she drank the well water. Locker is not alone in his problems. Louis Meeks lost cattle, horses, and sheep after they drank from contaminated stock tanks. And there are others. The sparsely populated gas field northeast of Pavillion has become a national focal point in the battle raging between the natural gas industry and those who say they’ve suffered severe damage due to that industry, from illnesses to contaminated groundwater to loss of property value. [Full Story] Jan 25, 2012 EPA Releases New Tool with Information about Water Pollution Across the U.S. / EPA to host webinar on how to use tool to access information on pollutants released into local waterways EPA Press Release WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the release of a new tool that provides the public with important information about pollutants that are released into local waterways. Developed under President Obama’s transparency initiative, the Discharge Monitoring Report (DMR) Pollutant Loading Tool brings together millions of records and allows for easy searching and mapping of water pollution by local area, watershed, company, industry sector, and pollutant. Americans can use this new tool to protect their health and the health of their communities. “Transparency leads to greater accountability and better information about pollution in our nation’s communities,” said Cynthia Giles, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “By making the data we collect available in easy to use tools, we are keeping Americans informed about the health of the environment in their neighborhoods.” [Full Story] Jan 25, 2012 NY takes action against Pa. driller over pollution The Observer Dispatch Mary Esch- Associate Press ALBANY — Environmental regulators said Tuesday they are seeking $187,500 in fines against a natural gas drilling company for polluting a trout stream in New York's Allegany State Park while drilling in Pennsylvania. The state Department of Environmental Conservation said it has filed an administrative complaint against U.S. Energy Development Corp. alleging that storm water runoff from its roads and well pads in Pennsylvania's Allegheny National Forest washed a large quantity of mud into nearby waterways. It said the mud fouled the water of Yeager Brook in New York's park. The DEC also is requiring the suburban Buffalo-based company to install storm water and erosion controls to prevent any future water quality damage in New York. U.S. Energy spokesman William Albert said the DEC has no jurisdiction over drill sites in Pennsylvania. "The wells are in Pennsylvania and the company's operations are regulated there by the Department of Environmental Protection," Albert said by email. "U.S. Energy is not aware of any issues at the wells in question." [Full Story] Jan 25, 2012 EPA water arrives in Dimock Independent Weekender Laura Legere The first tanker of water from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reachedCarter Roadon Friday in what will become a regular delivery to four homes as federal regulators investigate the impact of natural gas drilling on drinking water here. Encouraged by supporters of the affected families who were cheering its arrival, the turquoise truck stopped in front of the Sautner home with a double blast of its horn before contractors unrolled a hose and started to fill a bulk tank in the yard. [Full Story] Jan 25, 2012 Hinchey Reacts to State of the Union Remarks on Fracking Maurice Hinchey, Member of Congress Press Release Washington, DC - Congressman Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) today released the following statement addressing President Obama's State of the Union remarks regarding shale gas. Hinchey is a leader in Congress of the effort to protect drinking water and the environment from the risks of hydraulic fracturing. He is a co-author of the FRAC Act, which would mandate public disclosure of chemicals used in frack fluid and allow the EPA to regulate fracking activities under the Safe Drinking Water Act. The congressman also authored the appropriations language that led to the current EPA study on hydraulic fracturing. "Last year, I asked Interior Secretary Salazar if and when the administration would put in place strong disclosure provisions for chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing on public lands. Last night, President Obama gave us our answer. I am pleased to know that if drilling for natural gas occurs on public lands, the American people will know exactly what chemicals are being pumped into the ground, making it easier to hold drillers accountable if those chemicals end up in someone's well or our water supply. I am hopeful that he will move quickly to endorse legislation I have coauthored, which would extend this requirement to all hydraulic fracturing that takes place on American soil. "I am disappointed, however, that the State of the Union address endorsed questionable estimates of shale gas reserves and overstated industry claims about job creation. Just this week, the Energy Information Administration slashed its shale gas reserve estimates by half. And given that the Environmental Protection Agency has yet to complete the first ever broad scale study on the risks hydraulic fracturing poses to drinking water, it is hard to see how the administration can make fully informed decisions on this matter at this time. "The shale gas industry has made a habit of overstating fracking's benefits and understating its risks. It likes to point only to economic benefits, which are mostly isolated and temporary, while ignoring a rising number of reports of broken industry promises, harm to local communities, and air pollution and water contamination. Just recently, in Pavillion, Wyo., the Environmental Protection Agency found fracking chemicals in well water. "We cannot afford to ignore these reports. If we don't take steps to safeguard our water resources, air quality, and public health, the harm we would suffer would far outweigh the purported economic benefits associated with fracking. "We all know that the air we breathe and the water we drink don't respect state boundaries. That's why Congress passed laws like the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, and the Safe Drinking Water Act. The fracking industry should have to abide by those public health laws, just like everyone else." [Full Story] Jan 25, 2012 North Dakota Oil Boom Brings Blight With Growth as Costs Soar Bloomberg Jennifer Oldham The gravel road that borders Dave Hynek’s North Dakota farm is designed to carry 10 tractor- trailer trucks a day. In a recent 24-hour period, about 800 passed by. Some are traveling 90 minutes west to Williston, where schools Superintendent Viola LaFontaine expects as many as 3,800 students this fall, about 57 percent more than her primary schools were built to hold. North Dakota’s economy outpaced every other state in 2011, with the fastest growth in personal income, jobs and home prices, according to Bloomberg Economic Evaluation of States, or BEES, index data. Yet the oil boom fueling the nation’s lowest unemployment rate also has a dark side. It’s pushing rural North Dakota’s housing, electric, water, police and emergency services to the breaking point. “It’s absolutely destroying our infrastructure,” said Hynek, a Mountrail County commissioner, as he sat in a pickup truck on the 1,400-acre farm where his family has grown wheat, flax and sunflowers for four generations. [Full Story] Jan 24, 2012 Marcellus Shale Gas Potential Much Lower than Previously Thought 90.5 Essential Public Radio Deanna Garcia The U.S. Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) latest report finds reserve estimates for the Marcellus Shale formation are dramatically lower than reported last year. The estimate in the Annual Energy Outlook 2012 (AEO2012) is 141 trillion cubic feet of gas, compared to 410 trillion in 2011. [Full Story] Jan 24, 2012 Royally Fracked: Those 40,000 Comments on Hydraulic Fracturing Don't Change Anything The Village Voice Victoria Bekiempis Remember how New York's citizens, many of them not too keen on having chemicals blasted into underground rock to extract natural gas, recently submitted 40,000 comments to the state's environmental agency? That public comment period on highly polemic hydraulic fracturing came to a close earlier this month, and the Department of Environmental Protection is now supposed to look through the comments -- even respond to the more poignant ones -- before making final recs, as required by law. [Full Story] Jan 24, 2012 Shale Gas a Bridge to More Global Warming IPS Stephen Leahy UXBRIDGE, Canada, Jan 24, 2012 (IPS) - Hundreds of thousands of shale gas wells are being "fracked" in the United States and Canada, allowing large amounts of methane, a highly potent greenhouse gas, to escape into the atmosphere, new studies have shown. Shale gas production results in 40 to 60 percent more global warming emissions than conventional gas, said Robert Howarth of Cornell University in New York State. [Full Story] Jan 24, 2012 Company proposes building big sand mine in Dane County Wisconsin State Journal Ron Seely A major Wisconsin sand mining company is looking to build one of the controversial mines in Dane County, and at least one town is planning to strengthen its local zoning laws after landowners there were approached by the company and asked to sell their property. Rich Budinger, regional operations manager for Wisconsin Industrial Sand Co., said his company has sought willing sellers who own land in the town of Berry, between Cross Plains and Black Earth, in recent months in the hope of buying enough contiguous land to build a large sand mine. Budinger said those efforts have so far been unsuccessful. He added, however, that the company, which operates three large sand mines in central Wisconsin, is looking to buy land elsewhere in the county for a mine though he wouldn't name a specific area. "Right now, we don't have any plans to open up a mine there (in the town of Berry)," Budinger said. "That's not to say we're not considering elsewhere in Dane County. I can't say where." [Full Story] Jan 24, 2012 DEC Seeks Fines of $187,500 from U.S. Energy for Water Quality Violations in Allegany State Park Stream Inadequate Stormwater Controls Found at Pennsylvania Drilling Sites and Roads NYS DEC Press Release ALBANY, NY (01/24/2012)(readMedia)-- The NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) filed an administrative complaint seeking an order requiring U.S. Energy Development Corporation to pay $187,500 for water quality violations associated with Pennsylvania drilling activities that affected Yeager Brook in Cattaraugus County, the agency announced today. DEC is also requiring that U.S. Energy install appropriate stormwater and erosion controls to prevent any future water quality impacts in New York state. "This enforcement action should provide a strong deterrent to other oil and gas well operators in New York and neighboring states whose operations impact New York's natural resources," said DEC Deputy Commissioner and General Counsel Steven Russo. "We will not allow U.S. Energy's actions in Pennsylvania to negatively impact New York's waters. U.S. Energy must ensure that proper stormwater controls are put in place to prevent future violations." Three separate incidents of water quality violations during recent rainstorms caused turbidity in Yeager Brook from stormwater runoff. DEC and the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP) investigated the cause of the turbidity and found that during heavy rain events in September 2011, December 2011 and January 2012 significant amounts of sediment from U.S. Energy's mining roads and well pads in Pennsylvania's Allegheny National Forest washed into nearby waterways, resulting in severe turbidity in the waters of Yeager Brook within Allegany State Park. [Full Story] Jan 24, 2012 Fracking foes push drilling ban Opponents of natural gas drilling method visit Capitol to speak with lawmakers Albany Times Union Brian Nearing ALBANY — Hundreds of opponents to natural gas hydrofracking descended on the state Capitol Monday, vowing to push for a total ban on such drilling and hinting they will make sure the issue is part of any future presidential run by Gov. Andrew Cuomo. More than 570 people among those attending a boisterous rally in the Legislative Office Building also had signed up to lobbying lawmakers and fanned out to buttonhole lawmakers. Among those speaking were actress and activist Debra Winger and Josh Fox, director of the documentary movie "Gasland," which won an Academy Award last year for Fox's investigation of natural gas drilling across the U.S. [Full Story] Jan 24, 2012 Susquehanna River Basin panel to reconsider water permits The Philadelphia Inquirer Andrew Maykuth The Susquehanna River Basin Commission will reconsider more than 20 water permits it approved for Marcellus Shale gas drillers during a raucous meeting last month that was disrupted by antidrilling activists. The SRBC said Monday that it would hear new public comment Feb. 16 for 24 water-withdrawal applications it approved in December. Environmental groups have questioned the validity of the commission's vote, which was conducted hastily after demonstrators interrupted public testimony. The commission regards the votes as valid, but will reconsider the decisions after the new hearing. [Full Story] Jan 23, 2012 Fracking: The new front of Occupy In New York, protesters unite to stop the poisonous oil-extraction process before it starts Salon Ellen Cantarow This is a story about water, the land surrounding it, and the lives it sustains. Clean water should be a right: There is no life without it. New York is what you might call a “water state.” Its rivers and their tributaries only start with the St. Lawrence, the Hudson, the Delaware and the Susquehanna. The best known of its lakes are Great Lakes Erie and Ontario, Lake George and the Finger Lakes. Its brooks, creeksand trout streams are fishermen’s lore. Far below this rippling wealth there’s a vast, rocky netherworld called the Marcellus Shale. Stretching through southern New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia, the shale contains bubbles of methane, the remains of life that died 400 million years ago. Gas corporations have lusted for the methane in the Marcellus since at least 1967 when one of them plotted with the Atomic Energy Agency to explode a nuclear bomb to unleash it. That idea died, but it’s been reborn in the form of a technology invented by Halliburton Corporation: high-volume horizontal hydraulic fracturing — “fracking” for short. [Full Story] Jan 23, 2012 EPA Finally Supplies Drinking Water to Pennsylvania Fracking Victims AllGov In yet another case of drinking water contamination in areas where energy companies have engaged in the controversial practice of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is supplying clean water to some residents of Dimock Township, Pennsylvania (pop.: 1,398), at taxpayer expense. Apparently concerned that the contamination may be more widespread, EPA will soon begin more extensive testing of the local water supply. In fracking, energy companies use powerful pumps to force pressurized fluid into deep layers of rock, causing fractures, which allow the extraction of otherwise unavailable natural gas or oil. In the case of Dimock, Cabot Oil and Gas began fracking operations in the area in 2006, and by January 2009, some locals were reporting methane bubbling out of their faucets and tap water actually catching fire, meaning that natural gas had contaminated the water. Although the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection fined Cabot $120,000 for numerous violations and Cabot supplied drinkable water to local residents for a few months, the water has since become even more contaminated, not only with methane but also with dangerous levels of cancer-causing arsenic, as well as glycols and barium in at least four wells. [Full Story] Jan 23, 2012 Crapo, Other Senators Ask for Greater Review of Fracking Study Boise Weekly George Prentice Idaho senior U.S. Sen. Mike Crapo has joined nine other Republicans in asking the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for greater scrutiny of a draft report that links fracking to groundwater pollution in a Wyoming gas field. A Dec. 9 report from the EPA theorized that gas exploration activity, including fracking—the controversial method of injecting high-pressure fluids to enhance gas flows—may have caused groundwater contamination near two gas wells in Pavillion, Wyo. The 10 senators want the report to be classified as a "highly influential scientific assessment," opened to a process in which EPA employees would not be allowed to serve on a peer review panel. A scientific report may be considered "highly influential" if it could have a public or private sector impact of more than $500 million a year, according to the Office of Management and Budget. The EPA has already extended public comment on the draft report to March 12. [Full Story] Jan 23, 2012 U.S. Seen Being Liquefied Gas Exporter in 2016 on Fracking Gains Bloomberg Katarzyna Klimasinska The U.S. will become a net exporter of liquefied natural gas in 2016 as hydraulic fracturing boosts domestic supplies, the Energy Information Administration said. U.S. will sell abroad 1.1 billion cubic feet of LNG (LNG) a day in 2016, and add 1.1 billion cubic feet three years later, the agency said today in its annual forecast. The U.S. will also sell more natural gas to Mexico via pipelines, according to the agency, a part of the Energy Department. [Full Story] Jan 23, 2012 Regulators: New rules mean less ND oil production waste, disclosure of 'fracking' fluids The Republic Associated Press BISMARCK, N.D. — North Dakota regulators have approved new rules to reduce the number of open pits used to dump oil drilling wastes. The rules also require oil companies to disclose the makeup of fluid that is used in an oil drilling process called hydraulic fracturing. The chemicals used in "frack" fluids must be posted on a website two months after a well is completed. North Dakota's Industrial Commission approved the proposals Monday. They still must be reviewed by a legislative committee that examines new state agency rules. [Full Story] Jan 23, 2012 Obama to tout natural gas benefits in State of Union Reuters Ayesha Rascoe and Richard Cowan (Reuters) - President Barack Obama will encourage the country's booming natural gas output in his State of the Union address on Tuesday, while defending his administration's energy record, according to sources familiar with the matter. Obama was expected to devote a significant portion of his speech slated for 9 p.m. EST Tuesday calling for a "new era for American energy," which will include promoting domestic natural gas production, according to documents provided to Democratic party sources. [Full Story] Jan 23, 2012 Halliburton Fourth-Quarter Net Grows as U.S. Hydraulic Fracturing Surges Bloomberg David Wethe Halliburton Co. (HAL), the world’s largest provider of hydraulic-fracturing services, expects its North America operating margins to decline further after falling in the fourth quarter as companies cut natural-gas drilling. Halliburton, based in Houston, reported a profit margin of 27.2 percent for its largest region, down from 29 percent in the past two quarters, according to a statement today. The company expects another 1 percentage point decline in the regional margin this quarter as it moves eight hydraulic fracturing crews from gas basins to oil plays, Chief Financial Officer Mark McCollum told analysts today on a conference call. [Full Story] Jan 23, 2012 Could Fracking Earthquakes Shake Pennsylvania? State Impact PA Susan Phillips The New Year’s Eve earthquake that shook Youngstown, Ohio measured 4.0 on the Richter scale. The temblor was the largest of a series of quakes that had been rocking the area around Youngstown for several months and are blamed on a deep injection well. No fracking happens at deep injection wells. But fracking wastewater is sent down those wells at high pressure as a method of disposal. Researchers at Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory have studied the earthquakes in Ohio and identified the deep well they think caused the quake. The Youngstown well went into a sandstone formation, and then 300 feet further into more solid rock. John Armbruster, a seismologist with Lamont-Doherty, says the sandstone in that area is not very porous. [Full Story] Jan 23, 2012 Fracking ban overturned, Morgantown considers zoning instead The State Journal Pam Kasey MORGANTOWN - Thwarted by a court ruling in its attempt to ban hydraulic fracturing with horizontal drilling within a mile of its border, the city of Morgantown will try, instead, to limit it through zoning. "Our objective is not to single out this particular industry, but to allow them to go where industrial-type development is allowed, and regulate them from a zoning or land-use standpoint as similar as possible to other uses," said Christopher Fletcher, city director of development services. Morgantown City Council passed an ordinance in June banning hydraulic fracturing for a mile around the city. The ban came in response to residents' worries about two Marcellus shale wells that had been permitted to Northeast Natural Energy of Charleston just outside the city. [Full Story] Jan 23, 2012 Environmental groups rally in Albany for New York ban on fracking Syracuse.com Associated Press ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Health and environmental groups rallied at the Capitol on Monday to call for a legislative ban on hydraulic fracturing of natural gas wells, saying no amount of regulation can adequately safeguard water supplies from contamination. “Fracking is the most important environmental issue this state has faced in the past 100 years,” Sen. Tony Avella, sponsor of a bill to ban hydraulic fracturing, said at the rally in the Legislative Office Building next to the Capitol. “There is no possible regulation or series of regulations that can stop the one incident that pollutes our water supply for 1,000 years.” Organizers said about 600 people from around the state traveled to Albany and registered to lobby state lawmakers for various bills related to the practice known as fracking, which stimulates gas production by injecting wells with millions of gallons of chemically treated water to fracture shale. [Full Story] Jan 23, 2012 U.S. Cuts Estimate for Marcellus Shale Gas Reserves by 66% Bloomberg Christine Buurma Jan. 23 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. Energy Department cut its estimate for natural gas reserves in the Marcellus shale formation by 66 percent, citing improved data on drilling and production. About 141 trillion cubic feet of gas can be recovered from the Marcellus shale using current technology, down from the previous estimate of 410 trillion, the department said today in its Annual Energy Outlook. About 482 trillion cubic feet can be produced from shale basins across the U.S., down 42 percent from 827 trillion in last year’s outlook. “Drilling in the Marcellus accelerated rapidly in 2010 and 2011, so that there is far more information available today than a year ago,” the department said. The estimates represent unproved technically recoverable gas. The daily rate of Marcellus production doubled during 2011. [Full Story] Jan 23, 2012 Environmental Coalition Moves to Block Natural Gas Pipeline Transco project involves drilling under Raritan River, source of drinking water for some 1 million people NJ Spotlight Tom Johnson In a reflection of the growing opposition to the expansion of energy infrastructure projects, a coalition of New Jersey environmental groups is seeking to intervene in a case involving a natural gas pipeline through northern New Jersey. The groups are seeking to intercede in the proposed Northeast Grid Supply project by the Transcontinental Gas Pipeline (Transco), which is seeking approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to deliver cheap natural gas into the metropolitan area from the Marcellus Shale formations in neighboring Pennsylvania and New York. [Full Story] Jan 23, 2012 Fracking Opponents Rally at the Capitol WNYC Karen DeWitt Actor Debra Winger and “Gasland” filmmaker Josh Fox were among hundreds of anti-fracking protesters who descended upon the State Capitol Monday, in one of the largest demonstrations against the natural gas drilling process so far. Hundreds of protesters, many holding signs directed against Governor Cuomo, came to the Capitol to chant, march and hear speeches from leaders of the anti-fracking movement. They implored the governor to drop his administration’s on- going approval process for hydrofracking. The rally included celebrities committed to the cause, like actor Debra Winger, who has a house in Sullivan County. Winger says she no longer believes the gas companies claim that fracking is safe, and says it’s too toxic and potentially polluting to be allowed in New York. [Full Story] Jan 23, 2012 Shippin' Shale: Energy Independence Means Exporting It So We Can Import It. Got That? The Dallas Observer Brantley Hargrove Yeah, it doesn't make sense to us either. A couple of weeks ago we asked if America could stop pretending that politicians and their benefactors in the energy industry actually give two shits about "energy independence" or "energy security," or any of the other portent-laden, focus-grouped catch phrases they lob at us. Reason being, a Houston-based company just won approval to begin exporting shale gas -- the vastest source of domestic fossil fuel we have -- to other countries. This was supposed to be the Methadone weaning us off of that Middle Eastern smack while we figure out the whole renewable thing. Lawmakers, including the most senior member of the House Natural Resources Committee, worried that exporting this natural resource would accomplish nothing but increasing our dependence on foreign fossil fuels, raising energy costs for the rest of us and squandering a cleaner-burning way to keep the lights on. Turns out, he's probably right. [Full Story] Jan 23, 2012 Fossil fuels vs. renewables: the key argument that environmentalists are missing Energy Bulletin Kurt Cobb Which of the following can we count on to act as a “bridge fuel” to a renewable energy economy? •A. Oil •B. Natural Gas •C. Coal •D. None of the above The correct answer is: D. None of the above. Mark Twain is reported to have said: “It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.” What most environmentalists think they know for sure is that oil, coal and natural gas are all abundant-so abundant, in fact, that many environmentalists believe they are forced to make a Hobson’s choice of natural gas as a so-called “bridge fuel” to a renewable energy future. Though natural gas produces fewer greenhouse gas emissions per unit of energy than coal or oil when it is burned, it still contributes mightily to climate change. In fact, according to research by a Cornell University team, natural gas from shale, which will make up an increasing share of U.S. gas supplies, is worse than conventionally produced gas which is now declining. Because shale gas wells are drilled in a way that releases considerable volumes of unburned methane into the atmosphere, shale gas is probably also worse than coal. [Full Story] Jan 23, 2012 Chesapeake to cut natural gas production US: Natural gas glut, low prices, prompt Chesapeake to cut exploration and production Yahoo Finance Jonathan Fahey, Assoc. Press NEW YORK (AP) -- Faced with decade-low natural gas prices that have made some drilling operations unprofitable, Chesapeake Energy Corp. says it will drastically cut drilling and production of the fuel in the U.S. Chesapeake, the second largest U.S. natural gas producer, said Monday that it plans to cut its current daily production by 8 percent. Over a year, that means the company would produce the same or slightly less natural gas in 2012 than it did in 2011. Chesapeake produces about 9 percent of the nation's natural gas. That's a change from the dramatic increase in domestic output seen in recent years. Chesapeake and other drillers have learned to tap enormous reserves of natural gas trapped in shale formations under several states using a controversial drilling method known as hydraulic fracturing combined with horizontal drilling. The drillers force millions of gallons of water and sand, laced with chemicals, into compact rock to create cracks that serve as escape routes for the gas. [Full Story] Jan 23, 2012 Whack to Estimate for Natural Gas Wall St. Journal Tennille Tracy WASHINGTON—U.S. energy officials have cut their natural-gas-resource estimates, saying there is far less gas in a region known as the Marcellus Shale than previously thought. The Energy Information Administration also predicted oil will reach $146 a barrel in 2035 as developing economies in China, India and the Middle East consume more energy. The findings come from the annual report of the EIA, which released a sneak peek Monday of price and production forecasts. While the EIA doesn't develop policies or rules, its estimates and predictions play a big role in shaping U.S. energy policy. [Full Story] Jan 23, 2012 Fracking gets its own "Occupy" movement CBS News Ellen Cantarow This is a story about water, the land surrounding it, and the lives it sustains. Clean water should be a right: there is no life without it. New York is what you might call a “water state.” Its rivers and their tributaries only start with the St. Lawrence, the Hudson, the Delaware, and the Susquehanna. The best known of its lakes are Great Lakes Erie and Ontario, Lake George, and the Finger Lakes. Its brooks, creeks, and trout streams are fishermen’s lore. Far below this rippling wealth there’s a vast, rocky netherworld called the Marcellus Shale. Stretching through southern New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia, the shale contains bubbles of methane, the remains of life that died 400 million years ago. Gas corporations have lusted for the methane in the Marcellus since at least 1967 when one of them plotted with the Atomic Energy Agency to explode a nuclear bomb to unleash it. That idea died, but it’s been reborn in the form of a technology invented by Halliburton Corporation: high-volume horizontal hydraulic fracturing -- “fracking” for short. Fracking uses prodigious amounts of water laced with sand and a startling menu of poisonous chemicals to blast the methane out of the shale. At hyperbaric bomb-like pressures, this technology propels five to seven million gallons of sand-and-chemical-laced water a mile or so down a well bore into the shale. Up comes the methane -- along with about a million gallons of wastewater containing the original fracking chemicals and other substances that were also in the shale, among them radioactive elements and carcinogens. There are 400,000 such wells in the United States. Surrounded by rumbling machinery, serviced by tens of thousands of diesel trucks, this nightmare technology for energy release has turned rural areas in 34 U.S. states into toxic industrial zones. Is fracking causing earthquakes in Ohio? Shale gas isn’t the conventional kind that lit your grandmother’s stove. It’s one of those “extreme energy” forms so difficult to produce that merely accessing them poses unprecedented dangers to the planet. In every fracking state but New York, where a moratorium against the process has been in effect since 2010, the gas industry has contaminated ground water, sickened people, poisoned livestock, and killed wildlife. At a time when the International Energy Agency reports that we have five more years of fossil-fuel use at current levels before the planet goes into irreversible climate change, fracking has a greenhouse gas footprint larger than that of coal. And with the greatest water crisis in human history underway, fracking injects mind-numbing quantities of purposely-poisoned fresh water into the Earth. As for the trillions (repeat: trillions) of gallons of wastewater generated by the industry, getting rid of it is its own story. Fracking has also been linked to earthquakes: eleven in Ohio alone (normally not an earthquake zone) over the past year. But for once, this story isn’t about tragedy. It’s about a resistance movement that has arisen to challenge some of the most powerful corporations in history. Here you will find no handsomely funded national environmental organizations: some of them in fact have had a cozy relationship with the gas industry, embracing the industry’s line that natural gas is a “bridge” to future alternative energies. (In fact, shale gas suppresses the development of renewable energies.) New York’s “Little Revolution” While most anti-fracking activists have been responding to harms already done, New York State’s resistance has been waging a battle to keep harm at bay. Jack Ossont, a former helicopter pilot, has been active all his life in the state’s environmental and social battles. He calls fracking “the tsunami issue of New York. It washes across the entire landscape.” Sandra Steingraber, a biologist and scholar-in-residence at Ithaca College, terms the movement “the biggest since abolition and women’s rights in New York.” This past November, when the Heinz Foundation awarded Steingraber $100,000 for her environmental activism, she gave it to the anti-fracking community. Arriving in the state last October, I discovered a sprawl of loosely connected, grassroots groups whose names announce their counties and their long-term vision: Sustainable Otsego, Committee to Preserve the Finger Lakes, Chenango Community Action for Renewable Energy, Gas-Free Seneca, Catskill Citizens for Safe Energy, Catskill Mountainkeeper. Of these few (there are many more), only the last has a paid staff. All the others are run by volunteers. “There are so many people working quietly behind the scenes. They’re not in the news, they’re not doing it to get their names in the paper. It’s just the right thing to do,” says Kelly Branigan, co-founder of the group Middlefield Neighbors. Her organization helped spearhead one of the movement’s central campaigns: using local zoning ordinances to ban fracking. “In Middlefield, we’re nothing special. We’re just regular people who got together and learned, and reached in our pockets to go to work on this. It’s inspiring, it’s awesome, and it’s America -- its own little revolution.” Consider this, then, an environmental Occupy Wall Street. It knows no divisions of social class or political affiliation. Everyone, after all, needs clean water. Farmers and professors, journalists and teachers, engineers, doctors, biologists, accountants, librarians, innkeepers, brewery owners. Actors and Catskill residents Mark Ruffalo and Debra Winger have joined the movement. Josh Fox, also of the Catskills, has brought the fracking industry and its victims to international audiences through his award-winning documentary film Gasland. “Fracking is a pretty scary prospect,” says Wes Gillingham, planning director for Catskill Mountainkeeper. “It’s created a community of people that wouldn’t have existed before.” Around four years ago, sheltered by Patterson's stay against fracking, little discussion groups began in people’s kitchens, living rooms, and home basements. At that time, only a few activists were advocating outright bans on fracking: the rest of the fledgling movement was more cautiously advocating temporary moratoria. Since then a veritable ban cascade has washed across the state. And in local elections last November, scores of anti-fracking candidates, many of whom had never before run for office, displaced pro-gas incumbents in positions as town councilors, town supervisors, and county legislators. As the movement has grown in strength and influence, gas corporations like ExxonMobil and Conoco Philips and Marcellus Shale corporations like Chesapeake Energy have spent millions of dollars on advertising, lobbying, and political campaign contributions to counter it. Shale shock Autumn Stoscheck, a young organic apple farmer from the village of Van Etten just south of New York’s Finger Lakes, had none of this in mind in 2008 when she invited a group of neighbors to her living room to talk about fracking. She’d simply heard enough about the process to be terrified. Like other informal fracking meetings that were being launched that year, this was a “listening group.” Its ground rules: listen, talk, but don’t criticize. “There was a combination of landowners, farmers like us, and young anarchist-activists with experience in other movements,” she told me. Stoscheck’s neighbors knew nothing about fracking, but “they were really mistrustful of the government and large gas corporations and felt they were in collusion.” Out of such neighborhood groups came the first grassroots anti-fracking organizations. Stoscheck and her colleagues called theirs Shaleshock. One of its first achievements was a PowerPoint presentation, “Drilling 101,” which introduces viewers to the Marcellus Shale and what hydraulic fracturing does to it. When Helen Slottje, a 44-year-old lawyer, saw “Drilling 101” at a Shaleshock forum in 2009, she was “horrified.” She and her husband David had abandoned their corporate law careers to move to Ithaca in 2000. “We traded corporate law practice in Boston for New York State and less stressful work -- or so we thought. New York's beauty seemed worth it.” When news reports about fracking started appearing, the Slottjes thought about leaving. “I kept saying, ‘What’ll happen if fracking comes to New York? We’ll have to move.’” “Drilling 101” made her reconsider. Then she visited Dimock, Pennsylvania, 70 miles southeast of Ithaca and that sealed the deal. By 2009, Dimock, a picturesque rural village, had become synonymous with fracking hell. Houston-based Cabot Oil & Energy had started drilling there the year before. Shortly after, people started to notice that their drinking water had darkened. Some began experiencing bouts of dizziness and headaches; others developed sores after bathing in what had been their once pure water. For a while, Cabot trucked water to Dimock’s residents, but stopped in November when a judge declined to order the company to continue deliveries. The Environmental Protection Agency was going to start water service to Dimock in the first week of January, but withdrew the offer, claiming further water tests were needed. Outraged New Yorkers organized water caravans to help their besieged neighbors. “When I went to Dimock,” says Slottje, “I saw well drilling, huge trucks, muddy crisscrossing pipeline paths cutting through the woods, disposal pits, sites of diesel spills, dusty coatings on plants, noisy compressor stations -- you name it. So I decided to put my legal background to work to prevent the same thing from happening where I lived. We’d been corporate lawyers before. We know the sort of resources the energy corporations have. The grassroots people have nothing. And they have this behemoth coming at them.” In May 2009, the Slottjes became full-time pro bono lawyers for the movement. One of their first services was to reinterpret New York’s constitutional home rule provision, which had allowed local ordinances to trump state laws until 1981. In that year, the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation Division of Mineral Resources exempted gas corporations from local restrictions. “I spent thousands of hours on the research,” says Slottje. “And then last August we were brave enough to go public and say the emperor has no clothes.” The Slottjes’ reinterpretation of the provision was simple enough: the state regulates the gas industry; towns and villages can’t regulate it, but what they can do is keep its operations off their land through the use of zoning ordinances. Zoning out fracking The town of Ulysses is nestled in the heart of the state’s burgeoning wine country in the Finger Lakes region. In 2010, a grassroots group, Concerned Citizens of Ulysses (CCU), asked the Slottjes to speak with members of the town board, which controls Ulysses’s planning and its zoning laws. The board members opposed fracking, but couldn’t see how to prevent it. While the board talked with the Slottjes, CCU activists drafted a petition. If enough registered Ulysses voters signed on, the board would have the popular backing it needed for declaring a ban. Ann Furman, a retired schoolteacher who helped found CCU and write the document, recalls, “The petition was pretty specific: ‘We the undersigned want to ban hydrofracking in the town of Ulysses.’” A six-month-long door-to-door campaign followed. “There was a lot of education going on in Ulysses at the town board and at forums, as we were going house to house. Even people who would sign the petition would say, ‘Tell me a little bit more about it.’ And in that next 15 to 20 minutes you would do a whole lot more education.” In the end, 1,500 out of 3,000 registered voters signed. This past summer the Ulysses town board voted to ban fracking. Middlefield, 119 miles east of Ulysses and home of the grassroots group Middlefield Neighbors, enacted a similar ban. So did Dryden, 22 miles east of Ulysses. An out-of-state gas corporation that leased land for drilling in Dryden is suing to get the zoning ban declared illegal. A Middlefield landowner is suing that town on the same basis. The cases are pending. Meanwhile bans proliferate. Six upstate New York counties have zoned out fracking, including Binghamton, which declared a ban in December. An organic brewery in Cooperstown, the Ommegang, mobilized 300 other businesses, including Cooperstown’s Chamber of Commerce, to support more bans in the region. Chefs for the Marcellus, a group headed by Food Network star Mario Batali, has urged Governor Andrew Cuomo to ban fracking at the state level. “Call it home-rule democracy,” says Adrian Kuzminsky, chair of the Cooperstown-based organization Sustainable Otsego. “If local communities can seize control over their destinies, a giant step will have been taken toward a sustainable future.” This past October, activists were preparing to take on the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). That agency finds itself caught in a perpetual conflict of interest: on the one hand, protecting the environment; on the other, regulating the industries that exploit it. In fact, the 1981 legislation exempting gas corporations from New York’s home rule had been written by Greg Sovas, then head of DEC’s Division of Mineral Resources. Guidelines for the hydraulic fracturing industry were first issued by the department in late 2009 and rejected in 2010 under withering public criticism. Then-Governor David Paterson declared a moratorium on fracking in the state pending DEC revisions. Revised guidelines appeared this past September in the form of 1,537 mind-numbing pages bearing the title, “Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement,” aka the “SGEIS.” A world of water In study groups and online tutorials, activists prepared to write letters of commentary and protest to the Department of Environmental Conservation and Governor Cuomo, and to speak out in public hearings the department was organizing around the state. Thousands attended these. Pro-gas speakers predictably stuck to the twin themes of the jobs fracking would produce and the economic renewal it would bring about. Opponents included an impressive line up of scientists (among them Robert Howarth, co-author of last year’s landmark Cornell University study, which established the staggering greenhouse-gas footprint of fracking), engineers, lawyers, and other professionals. A letter sent to Cuomo by 250 New York State physicians and medical professionals deplored the DEC’s failure to attend to the public health impacts of fracking. Part-time Cooperstown resident James “Chip” Northrup, a retired manager for Atlantic Richfield (ARCO, America’s seventh largest oil corporation), in one public agency hearing called the performances of pro-gas speakers “disgraceful” and the SGEIS “junk science.” Citing an industry study that shows 25% of frack wells leak after five years and 40% after eight, he said, “Everybody in the industry knows that gas drilling pollutes groundwater… It’s not... whether they leak. It’s how much.” As 2012 began, the movement was demanding that the department withdraw the SGEIS. In mid-January, DEC spokesperson Lisa King said that once all the comments are tallied, “We expect the total to be more than 40,000.” Earlier, agency officials had told the New York Times they didn’t know of any other issue that had received even 1,000 comments. (Ten thousand letters were mailed from the Catskills’ Sullivan County alone on January 11th, just before the commentary deadline.) Gannett’s Albany Bureau has reported that anti-drilling submissions outnumber those of drilling supporters by at least ten to one. Sustainable Otsego’s website lists 52 serious and fatal flaws in the document. A letter posted at the website of Toxics Targeting, an environmental database service in Ithaca, elaborately details 17 major SGEIS flaws. By January 10th, when the Toxics Targeting letter was sent to the DEC and the Governor, it had more than 22,000 signatures representing government officials, professional and civic organizations, and individuals. (The DEC counts this letter with its signatures as only one of the 40,000 comments.) At a November 17th rally in Trenton, New Jersey, to celebrate the postponement of a vote on allowing fracking in the Delaware River Basin, Pennsylvania and New York activists pledged future civil disobedience. “The broad coalition of anti-frackers has been operating on multi-levels all at once,” says Sustainable Otsego’s chair, Adrian Kuzminsky. If the governor approves the SGEIS “there will be massive disillusionment with the state government and Cuomo, and from what I'm hearing there will be ‘direct action’ and civil disobedience in some quarters.” At the moment, in fact, the anti-fracking movement in the state only seems to be ramping up. Should the government approve the SGEIS in its current form, lawsuits are planned against the Department of Environmental Conservation. And a brief “Occupy DEC” event that took place in the state capital, Albany, on January 12th may have set the tone for the future. Meanwhile some activists, turning their backs on established channels, are already working on legislation that would criminalize fracking. This past November, Sandra Steingraber told a crowd of hundreds of activists why she was donating her $100,000 Heinz Award to the movement. The money, she said, “enables speech, emboldens activism, and recognizes that true security for our children lies in preserving the... ecology of our planet.” She raised a jar of water. “This is what my kids are made of. They are made of water. They are made of the food that is grown in the county that I live in. And they are made of air. We inhale a pint of atmosphere with every breath we take... And when you poison these things, you poison us. That is a violation of our human rights, and that is why this is the civil rights issue of our day.” This piece originally appeared on TomDispatch. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author. [Full Story] Jan 23, 2012 600+ New Yorkers Rally in State Capitol to Voice Concerns about Fracking Toxic Chemical Exposure & Hazardous Waste Top List of Groups' Fracking-Related Concerns Environmental Advocates of New York Press Release ALBANY, NY (01/23/2012)(readMedia)-- A broad coalition of organizations descended on the New York State Capitol today to call on elected officials to safeguard vital water resources, air quality, public health and the environment from industrial gas drilling by means of high volume hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking." The groups were joined by more than 600 New Yorkers who traveled to Albany from across the state to meet with members of the State Legislature and voice concerns about the controversial drilling practice, which has poisoned drinking water and polluted air in other parts of the country. Three-time Academy Award®-nominated actress Debra Winger and Josh Fox, director of the Academy Award®-nominated documentary Gasland, spoke at the rally alongside State Senators Tony Avella, Liz Krueger and Mark Grisanti, and Assembly members William Colton, Steve Englebright, Brian Kavanagh, Barbara Lifton and Robert Sweeney. George Dunkel, Executive Director of American Academy of Pediatrics, New York Chapter; Adrienne Esposito, Executive Director of Citizens Campaign for the Environment; Robert Moore, Executive Director of Environmental Advocates of New York; Eric Weltman, Senior Organizer of Food and Water Watch; and David Braun, co-founder of United for Action, also spoke. "The public is bringing an overwhelming and passionate voice to Albany demanding to be heard on hydro-fracking," said Adrienne Esposito, Executive Director, Citizens Campaign for the Environment. "Teachers, farmers, business owners, nurses, doctors, retirees, civic leaders, parents and others all want to protect New York's air, land, water and public health. Hydro-fracking could scar New York forever, and New Yorkers need the Legislature and Governor Cuomo to choose public need over corporate greed." [Full Story] Jan 23, 2012 Environmental groups seek New York state ban on fracking Times Herald-Record ALBANY (AP) – Health and environmental groups rallied at the Capitol on Monday to call for a legislative ban on hydraulic fracturing of natural gas wells, saying no amount of regulation can adequately safeguard water supplies from contamination. “Fracking is the most important environmental issue this state has faced in the past 100 years,” Sen. Tony Avella, sponsor of a bill to ban hydraulic fracturing, said at the rally in the Legislative Office Building next to the Capitol. “There is no possible regulation or series of regulations that can stop the one incident that pollutes our water supply for 1,000 years.” Organizers said about 600 people from around the state traveled to Albany and registered to lobby state lawmakers for various bills related to the practice known as fracking, which stimulates gas production by injecting wells with millions of gallons of chemically treated water to fracture shale. [Full Story] Jan 23, 2012 Federal, state agencies still sparring over shale Correspondence between EPA and DEP reveal a testy relationship at best Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Zack Needles A recent letter from the head of the state Department of Environmental Protection to a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency official called the federal government's understanding of a local well water contamination issue "rudimentary," further straining relations between state and federal regulators regarding the Marcellus Shale. John R. Hanger -- special counsel in Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott's Harrisburg office and, up until January of last year, secretary of the DEP -- described the current interaction between state and federal environmental regulators as "a relationship showing stress, as opposed to a relationship showing mutual understanding and a commitment to working together." [Full Story] Jan 23, 2012 Environmentalists see reason for alarm in GOP race Wiles-Barre Times Leader (AP) Four years after the GOP's rallying cry became "drill, baby, drill," environmental issues have barely registered a blip in this Republican presidential primary. That's likely to change as the race turns to Florida. The candidates' positions on environmental regulation, global warming as well as clean air and water are all but certain to get attention ahead of the Jan. 31 primary in a state where the twin issues of offshore oil drilling and Everglades restoration are considered mandatory topics for discussion. [Full Story] Jan 23, 2012 SRBC To Hold Hearing On Water Consumption, Withdrawal Requests Feb. 16 PA Environment Digest The Susquehanna River Basin Commission will conduct a public hearing February 16 in Harrisburg to accept public comments on water withdrawal and consumptive use project applications scheduled for action by SRBC at its next business meeting in mid-March. The hearing on the project applications will be held in the State Capitol, East Wing, Room 8E-B, Harrisburg, Pa., 2:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. The list of project applications scheduled for comment and information on those applications are available on SRBC’s website. The project applications scheduled for the February 16 hearing also include those that were approved at SRBC’s December 15, 2011 hearing in Wilkes-Barre. Pa. [Full Story] Jan 22, 2012 Panel recommends drilling moratorium in Lansing 64 percent of people in town in favor of a hydrofracking ban Ithaca Journal Rachel Stern LANSING -- Truck traffic, noise and a major change to the Town of Lansing's character could all take place if the hydraulic fracturing industry infiltrates the town, Larry Beck said. And as a result, Beck advised the Lansing Town Board to enact a one-year moratorium on gas drilling. Beck, chairman of the Lansing Drilling Committee, said the moratorium would enable the town to revise its comprehensive plan, tweak local ordinances and take the time to devise a plan of action when it comes to hydrofracking, Beck said. [Full Story] Jan 22, 2012 More states ordering disclosure of fracking chemicals Philadelphia Inquirer - philly.com Andrew Maykuth, Inquirer Staff Writer In a belated attempt to soothe public suspicion about shale-gas drilling, state regulators increasingly are forcing natural gas producers to disclose the chemicals used to hydraulically fracture natural gas wells. [Full Story] Jan 22, 2012 Fracking in Kansas pushes water permits to new high The Washington Examiner Maria Sudekum (Assoc. Press) While sections of Kansas dealt with drought in 2011, oil exploration companies pushed into the state to drill for oil and gas using horizontal hydraulic fracturing, a drilling method that relies on water. The flurry of activity by oil companies in 2011 boosted temporary water permits for oil and gas exploration in Kansas to a nearly 30-year high. Chelsea Good, spokeswoman for the Kansas Division of Water Resources, said the division received more than 600 applications for temporary water permits for oil and gas exploration in 2011 and approved all but two. [Full Story] Jan 22, 2012 Abundance of natural gas promises to give Louisiana industries a boost The Times-Picayune (New Orleans) Richard Thompson As warmer-than-normal weather helped U.S. natural gas prices slide to a 10-year low last week, a major producer of methanol announced that it had secured land in Louisiana and was weighing moving an idle plant in Chile to the site, a pending decision driven in large part by the state's record gas production and steady shale reserves. [Full Story] Jan 22, 2012 Tomgram: Ellen Cantarow, An Environmental Occupy Fracks Corporate America Shale-Shocked Fracking Gets Its Own Occupy Movement Toms Dispach Ellen Cantarow This is a story about water, the land surrounding it, and the lives it sustains. Clean water should be a right: there is no life without it. New York is what you might call a “water state.” Its rivers and their tributaries only start with the St. Lawrence, the Hudson, the Delaware, and the Susquehanna. The best known of its lakes are Great Lakes Erie and Ontario, Lake George, and the Finger Lakes. Its brooks, creeks, and trout streams are fishermen’s lore. Far below this rippling wealth there’s a vast, rocky netherworld called the Marcellus Shale. Stretching through southern New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia, the shale contains bubbles of methane, the remains of life that died 400 million years ago. Gas corporations have lusted for the methane in the Marcellus since at least 1967 when one of them plotted with the Atomic Energy Agency to explode a nuclear bomb to unleash it. That idea died, but it’s been reborn in the form of a technology invented by Halliburton Corporation: high-volume horizontal hydraulic fracturing -- “fracking” for short. Fracking uses prodigious amounts of water laced with sand and a startling menu of poisonous chemicals to blast the methane out of the shale. At hyperbaric bomb-like pressures, this technology propels five to seven million gallons of sand-and-chemical-laced water a mile or so down a well bore into the shale. [Full Story] Jan 22, 2012 Who’s responsible for notifying residents about gas? The Dallas Post Sarah Hite Williams Field Services LLC isn’t the only corporate entity in Dallas Township required to notify residents and township officials about its work, but the natural gas company has come under fire recently due to lags in its communication process. Residents who live on Fairground Road in Dallas Township, a dead-end road located off Conyngham Avenue, stormed the township board of supervisors meetings in September and earlier this year due to two incidents in which residents were not notified of work on the pipeline. Residents said they heard loud noises and smelled natural gas, and called 911 as a precaution. Helen Humphreys, communication specialist for Williams, said she attended township meetings voluntarily after those incidents to apologize, but she said the company is working with the township to provide information as soon as it’s available. [Full Story] Jan 22, 2012 (Op-Ed) How fracking lies triumphed: A much-needed source of energy has been unjustly maligned NY Daily News Robert Bryce Amid the ongoing battle in New York and elsewhere over hydraulic fracturing, one thing has become clear: The pro-drilling side is losing the public relations fight. Any fair-minded analysis of fracking would conclude that the process is having a positive effect on the U.S. economy. Thanks to fracturing, drillers are extracting vast quantities of natural gas and oil from shale deposits. [Full Story] Jan 22, 2012 Anti-fracking group to submit county plan Athens News David DeWitt A group of Athens County residents are slated to meet with the County Commission on Tuesday to present a revised draft resolution meant to implement community protections from the impacts of oil and gas "fracking." The controversial drilling technique is at the epicenter of local environmental attention, as it is across the country, and the group slated to present the revised resolution traveled to Wetzel County, W. Va., earlier this month to witness the process in action and its effects on that area northeast of Marietta, Ohio. The group met with the Athens County commissioners last week to discuss the resolution and are coming back with an altered proposal. [Full Story] Jan 22, 2012 DEP has new guidelines for oil and gas drilling Pittsburgh Post-Gazette The Department of Environmental Protection announced new guidelines on Friday preventing certain oil and gas drilling projects, including those near high-value streams, from receiving an expedited permit review. Those revised rules, which will also cover proposed drilling sites that lie within floodplains or involve contaminated lands, stems from a settlement reached last summer with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Talisman Energy USA Inc. and Ultra Resources Inc. [Full Story] Jan 21, 2012 Plains Twp. first area community to buy shale-gas recyclying truck Read more: Scranton Times-Tribune (times-tribune.com) PLAINS TWP. - Plains Twp. has become the first community in the area to purchase a recycling truck fueled by Marcellus Shale natural gas. The township purchased the $181,811 truck with the help of a $149,000 grant from the state Department of Environmental Protection. [Full Story] Jan 21, 2012 EPA water deliveries arrive in Dimock Scranton Times-Tribune Laura Legere DIMOCK TWP. - The first tanker of water from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reached Carter Road on Friday in what will become a regular delivery to four homes as federal regulators investigate the impact of natural gas drilling on drinking water here. Encouraged by supporters of the affected families who were cheering its arrival, the turquoise truck stopped in front of the Sautner home with a double blast of its horn before contractors unrolled a hose and started to fill a bulk tank in the yard. [Full Story] Jan 21, 2012 Report forecasts fracking climb to ebb Pittsburgh Post Gazette Erich Schwartzel The worldwide industry of hydraulic fracturing is expected to increase 19 percent and hit $37 billion in 2012 -- a record-breaking figure but a pace that's expected to slow considerably as natural gas prices continue to fall, according to a new report from Spears & Associates Inc. North America will account for more than $30 billion of that money as development in the Marcellus Shale formation above Appalachia and other natural gas fields accelerates, said the report from the Tulsa, Okla.-based oil industry analysis firm. [Full Story] Jan 21, 2012 Shale gas isn’t a ‘clean bridge fuel’, study finds ZME Science There has been a lot of fuss lately about shale gas, which has become increasingly important in the past decade, particularly due to hydraulic fracturing (or fracking), a modern technique used to extract it from the underground. Many have proposed natural shale gas as a supposedly clean bridge fuel, fit to address climate change and also industrial energetic requirements; as usually, only the latter is truly regarded. [Full Story] Jan 21, 2012 State reps seek rules on fracking: House members, others discuss topic during 4-hour forum Mansfield News-Journal (Ohio) Linda Martz MANSFIELD -- Two Ohio House members told concerned north central Ohioans they are looking into ways to tighten Ohio's regulation of fracking and injection disposal wells. State Rep. David Hall, R-Millersburg, chairman of the House natural resources and agriculture committee, and State Rep. Jay Goyal, D-Mansfield, spoke during a four-hour-long "Fracking Forum" held Saturday at the Mansfield-Richland County Public Library. [Full Story] Jan 21, 2012 Gas no good to bridge coal and renewables, says study Sydney Morning Herald (Australia) Ben Cubby THE amount of greenhouse gases released by unconventional gas drilling 'exceeds that of oil or coal', an American study says in contradiction of some claims made by Australia's growing coal-seam gas industry. Cornell University researchers analysed the volume of methane leaking from shale-gas wells in the US and concluded that using more gas would make climate change worse, rather than better. [Full Story] Jan 20, 2012 Shale gas: Boom or glut? Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) - The Economist Magazine The price of natural gas futures on the New York Mercantile Exchange (Nymex) this week fell to its lowest level in a decade, settling at a paltry US$2.322 per million British thermal units (MMBtu). Gas futures had peaked at nearly US$13.58/MMBtu in the summer of 2008, about the same time that crude oil futures at the Nymex hit a record high of US$147/bbl. But while the price of oil has made a healthy recovery since the 2009 recession, rising back up to over US$100/bbl, gas prices have remained in the doldrums (see chart). [Full Story] Jan 20, 2012 National Association of Manufacturers chief urges Ohio to develop shale gas fields The Plain Dealer Robert Schoenberger CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Tapping into shale gas reserves in Ohio could lower energy costs for manufacturers, making this region especially attractive to business, the head of the National Association of Manufacturers said Friday. Speaking at the City Club, NAM President and Chief Executive Jay Timmons called the shale gas finds a potential game changer in bringing manufacturing jobs back to this country. [Full Story] Jan 20, 2012 Pennsylvania DEP Accepts Public Comment on Oil and Gas Erosion Control Permit PR Newswire The Department of Environmental Protection announced today it has submitted a revised version of its erosion and sediment control general permit for earth disturbance associated with oil and gas activities for publication in the Pennsylvania Bulletin, along with four other supporting documents, including a draft permit application and a policy explaining the permit requirements. DEP will accept comments on the documents from Jan. 21 to March 21, 2012. [Full Story] Jan 20, 2012 State rep on school setbacks: ‘Good enough for pot shops, good enough for fracking’ The Colorado Independent David O Williams State Representative Matt Jones on Thursday linked the highly controversial oil and gas drilling process of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, to the recent federal government crackdown on medical marijuana dispensaries within 1,000 feet of schools in Colorado. “If three football fields from a school is good enough for medical marijuana, it’s good enough for oil and gas fracking,” Jones told the Colorado Independent, referring to setbacks between oil and gas rigs and homes, schools and other public buildings. Current state law requires that oil and gas rigs are set back at least 350 feet away from homes and public buildings in urban areas and 150 feet away in rural areas. It also requires medical marijuana dispensaries to be 1,000 feet from schools, and liquor stories to be 500 feet away. U.S. Attorney John Walsh last week sent letters to 23 medical marijuana dispensaries in Colorado that are within 1,000 feet of schools, telling them to shut down by Feb. 27 or face criminal prosecution. He cited concern for the health of nearby school children. [Full Story] Jan 20, 2012 U.S. natural gas: so much they'll be giving it away Reuters Edward McAllister (Reuters) - The unrelenting surge in shale gas production and one of the warmest winters on record are driving the natural gas market toward uncharted territory. Soon companies may have to pay to get rid of their gas. As benchmark gas futures plummet to their lowest level in nearly a decade, analysts are considering the prospect that prices could actually turn negative as utilities and traders scramble to sell off surplus gas supplies held in storage caverns to avoid hefty contractual fines. While the exceptionally mild weather is largely to blame for U.S. gas inventories being more than 20 percent above the norm, the deep slump in prices also underscores how the fracking-induced drilling boom that has turned the U.S. energy industry on its head continues to roil the market. [Full Story] Jan 20, 2012 Lawsuit filed against Conoco Phillips for H2O contamination The Panola Watchman Elaine P. McPherson Just under 90 people owning land or living in the Gary Tap/Shady Grove Community areas have filed a civil lawsuit in Panola County against ConocoPhillips Company asking for money for water quality damages to their property. These residents and owners have property in the geographic strata known as the Haynesville Shale. [Full Story] Jan 20, 2012 Fracked: The Debate Over Shale Gas Deepens Time - Ecocentric Blog Bryan Walsh Is shale gas good for us or not? Most of that argument has been over the potential risks that hydrofracking for shale gas might pose to water supplies—risks that were highlighted again this week when the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) came to Dimock, PA, to test groundwater in the area. You might know Dimock from the anti-fracking film Gasland—a group of residents have claimed for years that fracking poisoned their water supply, and federal involvement indicates there may be more at stake. [Full Story] Jan 20, 2012 Poland Seeks Shale Gas Drilling Boost for 2015 Production Start Bloomberg Businessweek Marek Strzelecki Jan. 19 (Bloomberg) -- Polish companies with permits to explore for shale gas in the country must intensify drilling to start production of the fuel by 2014 or 2015, Treasury Minister Mikolaj Budzanowski told reporters today. Polish companies should each drill 12 wells and perform 12 hydraulic fracking operations a year, Budzanowski said. [Full Story] Jan 20, 2012 Tourism body backs fracking fight ABC New AU A state tourism body is backing a protest group in its fight against an energy company in the Scenic Rim, south-west of Brisbane. The Queensland Tourism Industry Council (QTIC) says it supports the campaign by Keep The Scenic Rim Scenic for independent scrutiny of Arrow Energy's operations. The two groups have been involved in a week-long stand-off at a coal seam gas (CSG) exploration site in the Kerry Valley. [Full Story] Jan 20, 2012 Fracking Quakes Shake the Shale Gas Industry Well shutdowns prompted by fracking-induced seismicity may inspire technology tweaks. Technology Review (M.I.T.) Peter Fairley Geophysicists are increasingly certain that expanding production of shale gas is responsible for a spate of minor earthquakes that have upset some communities and prompted authorities in Arkansas, Ohio, Oklahoma, and the U.K. to shut down some natural-gas operations. The question now, say the experts, is whether the underground operations causing the trouble should be scaled back or more closely monitored to minimize future quakes—and whether the relatively small quakes may yet have the potential to trigger truly destructive ones. At least one shale gas producer is already talking change: U.K.-based Cuadrilla Resources, whose first project set off quakes near Blackpool last year. Shale gas operations generate microseismicity in two ways. One is through hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking," the underground blasts of water, sand, and chemicals used to release the natural gas trapped within shale deposits. Fracking is how Cuadrilla caused a quake that measured 2.3 on the Richter scale last April, according to an analysis by the firm's geophysical consultants. [Full Story] Jan 20, 2012 Poll shows mixed feelings among Ohioans about fracking Vindy.com Marc Kovac & Karl Henkel State Rep. Robert F. Hagan on numerous occasions has said he wants to slow down natural-gas and oil exploration in Ohio. According to a new poll, most Ohioans agree. A new survey released Thursday by the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute showed mixed feelings about fracking among respondents. The poll found that 72 percent want horizontal hydraulic fracturing activities to cease until further studies are completed on the potential impacts. “I think that this poll cries out for reform and it cries out for a moratorium,” Hagan told The Vindicator Thursday. [Full Story] Jan 20, 2012 Planning board takes no action on fracking bans Auburnpub.com AUBURN — After a spirited conversation regarding three local laws proposing to prohibit hydrofracking, the Cayuga County Planning Board’s review committee voted Thursday morning to take no action. The NYS General Municipal Law 239 Review Committee commenced its 9 a.m. meeting by reviewing three local laws: two hydrofracking moratoriums and one hydrofracking ban. The towns of Owasco and Sennett proposed moratoriums, while the town of Summerhill proposed a ban. [Full Story] Jan 20, 2012 EPA Delivers Water to Dimock Residents WBNG Lindsay Nielsen Dimock, PA (WBNG Binghamton) The latest delivery of water to a few homeowners in Dimock's Carter Road area came from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The agency finds reason to believe well contamination could be linked to gas drilling operations. [Full Story] Jan 20, 2012 Pro-Marcellus Shale gas drilling lobbyists spending millions more than critics The Morning Call John L. Micek When they wanted to catch the ear of lawmakers this week on a bill imposing an impact fee on natural gas drillers, the state branch of the Sierra Club and other environmental groups held a rally in the Capitol rotunda. About 200 people gathered to wave hand-lettered signs and shout slogans as TV cameras whirred and newspaper reporters scribbled. According to one organizer, the hour-plus event, not including staff time, ran to the "high hundreds" of dollars to put together. When the gas-drilling company Range Resources decided to rub elbows with policymakers shortly after the Corbett administration took office in 2011, it invited them to a Super Bowl party at a ranch outside Fort Worth, Texas, where attendees — which also included the company's vendors and property owners who'd leased to the company — were encouraged to cheer on the Pittsburgh Steelers over the Green Bay Packers. [Full Story] Jan 20, 2012 Pa. Town With Tainted Wells Getting New EPA Water ABC News MICHAEL RUBINKAM Associated Press The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced Thursday that it will deliver fresh water to four homes in a northeastern Pennsylvania village where residential water wells were tainted by a gas driller. The agency also said it will begin testing the water supplies of dozens more homes as it ramps up its investigation more than three years after homeowners say the water supply was ruined. Capping a tumultuous two weeks in which EPA first promised the residents a tanker of water — and then quickly backed away, saying more study was needed — federal environmental regulators said they have concluded that contaminant levels in four of the homes pose a health hazard and require emergency action. Some of the water samples, the agency said, were found to be polluted with cancer-causing arsenic and synthetic chemicals typically found in drilling fluids. [Full Story] Jan 20, 2012 Natural gas company suspends drilling in Pike County, cites falling prices; 39 jobs cut The Republic Associated Press PIKEVILLE, Ky. — A natural gas company has suspended all new drilling operations in an eastern Kentucky county, saying falling prices for the commodity forced the move. EQT spokeswoman Natalie Cox said 39 jobs in Pike County will be eliminated, but employees will be given a chance to move to the company's operations in the regions which encompass the Marcellus Shale area, where drilling operations continue. [Full Story] Jan 20, 2012 Fracking Would Emit Large Quantities of Greenhouse Gases "Fugitive methane" released during shale gas drilling could accelerate climate change Scientific American Mark Fischetti Add methane emissions to the growing list of environmental risks posed by fracking. Opposition to the hydraulic fracturing of deep shales to release natural gas rose sharply last year over worries that the large volumes of chemical-laden water used in the operations could contaminate drinking water. Then, in early January, earthquakes in Ohio were blamed on the disposal of that water in deep underground structures. Yesterday, two Cornell University professors said at a press conference that fracking releases large amounts of natural gas, which consists mostly of methane, directly into the atmosphere—much more than previously thought. Robert Howarth, an ecologist and evolutionary biologist, and Anthony Ingraffea, a civil and environmental engineer, reported that fracked wells leak 40 to 60 percent more methane than conventional natural gas wells. When water with its chemical load is forced down a well to break the shale, it flows back up and is stored in large ponds or tanks. But volumes of methane also flow back up the well at the same time and are released into the atmosphere before they can be captured for use. This giant belch of "fugitive methane" can be seen in infrared videos taken at well sites. [Full Story] Jan 20, 2012 Fracking ban The Sofia Echo Bulgaria's Cabinet decided on January 17 to amend the licence awarded to US oil firm Chevron, explicitly banning the use of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) technology in the exploration of potential shale gas reserves in the country's northeast. The Cabinet awarded the exploration permit for the Novi Pazar area in June 2010, but did not specify at that time what technology the company could use. The January 17 decision now limits Chevron to drilling conventional wells only. [Full Story] Jan 20, 2012 Explosion and Fire at Eagle Ford Disposal Well in Pearsall [Update] NPR- State Impact Terrence Henry Three people have been injured after an explosion and fire at a disposal well in Pearsall, Texas Thursday night. The site is used for disposal of fracking fluids from the Eagle Ford Shale in South Texas, about 50 miles from San Antonio.* The fire burned for several hours and was put out by 9 p.m. last night. It isn’t clear yet what caused the explosion. (The Railroad Commision of Texas, which oversees drilling in the state, later released a statement explaining the explosion. You can read it below.) Update: StateImpact Texas spoke with Pearsall Volunteer Fire Department Chief Placido Aguilar today about the fire. He said that at about 5:30 p.m. Thursday an oil tank exploded and caught fire. It took about an hour and a half to get under control once firefighters arrived. “There were four departments from around here, twelve trucks, and 33 guys that helped with the fire,” he told StateImpact Texas. He said that the fire department had to cool down three tanks holding oil so they wouldn’t reignite. [Full Story] Jan 20, 2012 Years After Evidence of Fracking Contamination, EPA to Supply Drinking Water to Homes in Pa. Town ProPublica Abrahm Lustgarten First, the earth around the rural town of Dimock, Pa., was cracked open as gas drillers used fracking [1] to tap the vast energy supplies of the Marcellus Shale. Then, in April 2009, residents there lost their access to fresh drinking water [2]. Wells turned fetid. Some blew up. Tap water caught fire. Now, nearly three years later — and after a string of lawsuits and state investigations has ushered Dimock to the forefront of the environmental debate over drilling but failed to resolve the water problem — the Environmental Protection Agency is stepping in to supply drinking water itself. On Friday, the agency announced it would bring tanks of drinking water to four homes, including that of Julie Sautner, whom ProPublica first interviewed [3] about her water problems in 2009. [Full Story] Jan 20, 2012 Hagan Trumpets Fracking Poll Results Business Journal Daily Joe Giesy YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio -- State Rep. Bob Hagan, D-60 Youngstown, called a news conference Thursday at the Lemon Grove to respond to poll results that said Ohio voters nearly three to one want hydro-fracking to stop in Ohio until further studies can be done. Hagan, who recently called for a statewide moratorium on Class II injection wells until 2015 when state studies on the link between deep-well injection and earthquakes are slated to be released, said he was delighted to read the results of the poll on fracking by Quinnipiac University. In the poll, 72% of respondents said hydro-fracking should be halted until its impact is studied further, with support for a shutdown strong among all groups. [Full Story] Jan 19, 2012 Like Fracking? You'll Love 'Super Fracking' Oil service companies roll out new technologies to break up more earth more cheaply Bloomberg David Wethe Few energy industry practices have sparked more controversy than hydraulic fracking. First, wells are drilled horizontally below the surface, allowing a single bore or pathway to reach vertical pockets of oil and natural gas trapped between formations of shale and other rock. Then high-pressure jets of water, sand, and chemicals are pumped into the ground to create fissures through the rock so oil can seep out and be retrieved. Regulators, environmentalists, and academics are studying whether the practice can damage the environment. Undeterred, oil services companies including Baker Hughes and Schlumberger are continuing their quest to devise ways to create longer, deeper cracks in the earth to release more oil and gas. These companies are no longer content to frack—they want to super frack. [Full Story] Jan 19, 2012 Bulgaria Bans Gas Fracking, Thwarting Chevron Drilling Plan Bloomberg Elizabth ostantinova & Joe Carroll Jan. 18 (Bloomberg) -- Bulgarian lawmakers banned hydraulic fracturing and established a 100 million-lev ($65 million) fine for offenders, thwarting Chevron Corp.’s plans to explore for natural-gas deposits in the Balkan country. Lawmakers voted 166-6 to prohibit the drilling technique known as fracking. That makes Bulgaria the second country in the European Union after France to ban the process, which uses a mixture of water, sand and chemicals to open fissures in shale rocks and release gas and oil. The prohibition will “seriously impair” Bulgaria’s efforts to reduce its reliance on Russian gas, Ivan Kostov, the leader of the opposition Democrats for Strong Bulgaria, said in parliament. Bulgaria may hold 300 billion to 1 trillion cubic meters of shale gas, the Energy & Economy Ministry has estimated. The country consumes about 4 billion cubic meters of gas a year. [Full Story] Jan 19, 2012 Major: Efforts to rig Pa. natural gas continue Times Herald Matthew Major When it comes to his administration’s natural gas drilling policies, Gov. Tom Corbett frequently proclaims his determination that they will be guided by “sound science.” Story Ideas Send Corrections “Sound science” emerged months ago as catch-all buzzwords Corbett and his minions use to deflect criticism from media, environmentalists and increasingly skeptical federal regulators. It follows, then, that Corbett must harbor a keen interest in identifying and practicing that “sound science,” in order to guide his regulatory apparatus and educate a public woefully misguided by emotional, alarmist naysayers. Well, not so much. [Full Story] Jan 19, 2012 Pa. needs state standards for natural gas wells The Mercury Opinion The Pennsylvania natural gas frenzy began years ago, but still the state remains one of two in the nation with no statewide standards for private water well construction. According to the state Department of Environmental protection, 3 million Pennsylvanians rely on water from 1 million wells. Some 13,000 to 15,000 new wells are drilled every year. Furthermore, researchers have shown that 40 percent of 700 wells sampled since 2006 were compromised in terms of safe drinking water standards, according to Capitolwire.com. [Full Story] Jan 19, 2012 Experts: Gas drilling won't start in N.Y. in 2012 Ithaca Journal Steve Reilly JOHNSON CITY -- Area experts on natural gas drilling agree: New York's swath of the Marcellus Shale isn't likely to be tapped in 2012. Panelists on both sides of the issue discussed the future of natural gas drilling in the Southern Tier at a roundtable discussion hosted by Press & Sun-Bulletin on Thursday at the Gannett Central N.Y. Production Facility. "It doesn't look like the issue is going to be resolved this year, based on what we've heard coming from the governor and based on the fact that there hasn't been a budget request for it," said Brian Shea, legislative director for Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo, D-Endwell. [Full Story] Jan 19, 2012 Cornell scientists split over natural gas impact on climate Times Herald-Record ALBANY (AP) -- Two groups of scientists at Cornell University are dueling over whether natural gas from shale is better or worse than coal when it comes to global climate change. It's a significant question because proponents of shale gas development using the controversial practice of high-volume hydraulic fracturing argue that natural gas is a cleaner-burning "bridge fuel" from the age of coal to an era of wind, solar and other sustainable energy sources. The U.S. Energy Information Administration projects that unconventional gas, mainly from shale, will supply nearly half of U.S. gas production by 2035. One of the core benefits of tapping vast shale gas reserves such as the Marcellus Shale beneath southern New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia, is the belief that it produces less greenhouse gas than coal. Opponents of shale development cite potential damage to health and the environment, especially water supplies, from hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking," which injects a well with chemically treated water to stimulate production. They also have seized on the greenhouse gas study published by Cornell's Robert Howarth last spring. Howarth, an outspoken opponent of shale gas development in New York state, said in the journal Climatic Change that methane leakage at the well and other points give shale gas development a worse greenhouse gas footprint than that of coal. He estimated that as much as 8 percent of methane from shale gas production escapes into the atmosphere, where it is a more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. Howarth and colleagues Renee Santoro and Anthony Ingraffea wrote that the greenhouse gas footprint of shale gas is "perhaps more than twice as great" as coal when you compare the two energy sources over a 20-year time frame, and comparable to coal over a 100-year time frame. That flies in the face of the well-established estimate that the greenhouse gas impact of natural gas is about half that of coal. Cornell colleague Anthony Cathles countered the Howarth study in the same journal this month, challenging Howarth's calculations and conclusions. He noted that natural gas is widely considered to be cleaner than coal because it doesn't produce hazardous by-products such as sulfur, mercury, ash, and particulates, and it provides twice the energy per unit of weight when it's burned. "We argue that their analysis is seriously flawed in that they significantly overestimate the fugitive emissions associated with unconventional gas extraction," Cathles wrote. He said the Howarth study also undervalues the contribution of green technologies to reducing those emissions, and bases its comparison between gas and coal on heat rather than electricity generation. Howarth said his figures on methane leakage during shale gas production come from the Environmental Protection Agency. Cathles said the EPA figures were estimates that are outdated; he said the EPA should update the numbers. On Thursday, Howarth is presenting new evidence to counter the assertions made by Cathles. Other researchers besides Cathles have published studies concluding that shale gas results in far less greenhouse emissions than coal. They include researchers from the Department of Energy's National Energy Technology Laboratory, Carnegie Mellon University, and the University of Maryland. Howarth's study was funded by the Park Foundation, an Ithaca-based philanthropic group that has given millions of dollars in grants to anti-fracking groups in the last two years. Cathles said in an e-mail Wednesday that he has received funding from sources including the Gas Research Institute and oil companies on projects over the years, but he and his colleagues received no funding from any source for their reply to Howarth. "We spent our own time on this matter because we feel it is important that the issues be presented fairly and felt this is not being done in the Howarth paper," Cathles said. [Full Story] Jan 19, 2012 Retiring Hinchey proud of legacy Democrat leaving after 20-year run Times Herald-Record HURLEY — While the rumors swirled like the cold January wind that blew outside the door of his home, Rep. Maurice Hinchey sat quietly in a plush chair in his airy living room composing his thoughts and his words for Thursday's formal announcement. After nearly 20 years on the job, Hinchey, 73, will announce his retirement from the U.S. House of Representatives. [Full Story] Jan 19, 2012 Marcellus Shale well safety bill heads to governor's desk Scranton Times-Tribune Robert Swift HARRISBURG - A bill requiring shale well operators to upgrade safety procedures is headed to Gov. Tom Corbett's desk following final approval Wednesday in the Senate. The measure sponsored by Sen. Lisa Baker, R-20, Lehman Twp., requires operators of new and existing wells to provide sophisticated siting information to emergency responders and develop response plans to deal with accidents and spills. [Full Story] Jan 19, 2012 Report: Natural Gas From Shale Not Suitable as "Bridge Fuel," May Worsen Climate Change The Sacremento Bee PR Newswire ITHACA, N.Y., Jan. 19, 2012 -- Researchers Note Gas Emissions From Marcellus Shale and Other Sites Linked to Significant Increased Risk of Near-Term Climate Change ITHACA, N.Y., Jan. 19, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Far from being a "solution" to climate change, natural gas extracted from shale is a huge contributor of greenhouse gases when both methane and carbon dioxide are considered, according to a major new study by three Cornell University researchers. The natural gas industry already accounts for almost a fifth (17 percent) of the total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions inventory, when analyzed using recently available new evidence. This percentage is predicted to grow to almost one quarter (23 percent) as shale gas continues to replace conventional natural gas. Methane, which is a far more powerful greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide, is the culprit, according to the new report. [Full Story] Jan 19, 2012 EPA Finds Arsenic And Barium In Dimock Households’ Water NPR- State Impact Scott Detrow The Environmental Protection Agency has found arsenic, barium and other “hazardous substances” in the private water wells of four homes in Dimock, Susquehanna County. According to this EPA Action Memorandum, “historic drilling activities in the Dimock area may have used materials containing hazardous substances. Spills and other releases have been documented by [Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection] from these drilling activities.” The memo argues the presense of these hazardous substances gives the federal agency authority to deliver water to the comes in question. This comes about a month and a half after Cabot Oil and Gas — the company DEP found responsible for methane contamination in the Dimock area — stopped delivering water to these homes and other Dimock families. Here’s the full EPA Action Memorandum: [Full Story] Jan 19, 2012 EPA will test Dimock water supplies, deliver to four homes The Times Tribune Laura Legere he federal government will begin testing water supplies for 61 homes in Dimock Twp. as soon as tomorrow in a dramatic expansion of the Environmental Protection Agency's current investigation into potential contamination of water supplies in the Susquehanna County village by natural gas drilling and hydraulic fracturing. [Full Story] Jan 19, 2012 EPA agrees to test well water for gas-drilling contamination Pittsburgh Post Gazette Don Hopey The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced this afternoon it will begin testing well water supplies at 60 homes in Dimock, in Susquehanna County, where residents say Marcellus Shale gas drilling operations have contaminated water supplies with methane and other pollutants. The EPA also said that start delivering water to four homes on Friday where the well water is undrinkable. Cabot Oil & Gas Corp. stopped supplying the residents with water on Nov. 30, after the state Department of Environmental Protection ruled that the gas company had met its obligations under a 2010 consent agreement. [Full Story] Jan 19, 2012 Feds to expand Dimock, Pa. water investigation Press Connects Steve Reilly DIMOCK, Pa. -- In an apparent rebuke of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection's handling of the issue, the federal government announced Thursday it is expanding its investigation into gas drilling-related public health concerns in Susquehanna County. Starting Friday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will arrange for shipments of fresh water to four Dimock Township families with contaminated water wells, and in the coming weeks will conduct testing at approximately 61 water wells in the community. [Full Story] Jan 19, 2012 Editorial: Public has its say on fracking lohud Opinion How New York comes down on hydraulic fracturing — the controversial method for drilling for natural gas — is one of the great environmental and economic questions of the day; the inquiry is relevant from one end of the state to the other, in some cases for different reasons. Credit prolific, letter-writing New Yorkers for giving policymakers plenty to consider as the state’s course is set in the months ahead. Their serious concerns merit like consideration and attention from state regulators and Gov. Andrew Cuomo. The stakes are too high to accord them anything less. Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Joe Martens reported last week that the agency had received an unprecedented number of comments on the state’s proposed regulations for high-volume hydraulic fracturing, which involves injecting natural gas wells with chemically treated water at high pressure deep underground, breaking up shale and releasing trapped natural gas. A DEC spokeswoman said some 32,100 comments had been tallied so far on “fracking,” as the extraction method is also known, and that the final number is expected to exceed 40,000. The state is duty bound to document each comment and to answer those that offer a substantive critique. [Full Story] Jan 19, 2012 Effect of Increased Natural Gas Exports on Domestic Energy Markets as requested by the Office of Fossil Energy US Energy Information Admisitration Introduction This report responds to an August 2011 request from the Department of Energy’s Office of Fossil Energy (DOE/FE) for an analysis of “the impact of increased domestic natural gas demand, as exports.” Appendix A provides a copy of the DOE/FE request letter. Specifically, DOE/FE asked the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) to assess how specified scenarios of increased natural gas exports could affect domestic energy markets, focusing on consumption, production, and prices. DOE/FE provided four scenarios of export-related increases in natural gas demand (Figure 1) to be considered: •6 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d), phased in at a rate of 1 Bcf/d per year (low/slow scenario), •6 Bcf/d phased in at a rate of 3 Bcf/d per year (low/rapid scenario), •12 Bcf/d phased in at a rate of 1 Bcf/d per year (high/slow scenario), and •12 Bcf/d phased in at a rate of 3 Bcf/d per year (high/rapid scenario). [Full Story] Jan 19, 2012 Natural Gas From Shale Could Worsen Climate Change 90.5 Essential Public Radio Jared Adkins Instead of being an answer to climate change, shale gas might actually be a major generator of greenhouse emissions. According to a new study done by three Cornell University researchers, the problem with shale gas is the amount of methane it releases into the atmosphere. [Full Story] Jan 19, 2012 Report: Natural Gas From Shale Not Suitable as "Bridge Fuel," May Worsen Climate Change Marketwatch (Wall Street Journal) ITHACA, N.Y., Jan. 19, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Researchers Note Gas Emissions From Marcellus Shale and Other Sites Linked to Significant Increased Risk of Near-Term Climate Change Far from being a "solution" to climate change, natural gas extracted from shale is a huge contributor of greenhouse gases when both methane and carbon dioxide are considered, according to a major new study by three Cornell University researchers. [Full Story] Jan 18, 2012 Cuomo's Budget: Good For Environment, Clean Energy NYLCV Dan Hendrick New York's environment will begin the next fiscal year on solid ground if Gov. Andrew Cuomo's budget proposals are adopted. In particular, NYLCV applauds Gov. Cuomo's sustained support for the Environmental Protection Fund, Farmland Protection Program and agency staff levels, as well two new tax credits that will give a boost to New York's solar energy industry. [Full Story] Jan 18, 2012 Senator Ball calls for hydrofracking moratorium YNN Erin Vannella Republican Senator Greg Ball warns New York legislators not to move too fast on fracking and that we should learn from our neighbor Pennsylvania’s mistakes. Ball said in a conference Wednesday that we should proceed with care. Dimock, Pennsylvania residents joined Republican Senator Greg Ball Wednesday in his effort to put the brakes on fracking. [Full Story] Jan 18, 2012 DEC: No timetable on fracking review Buffalo Business First David Bertola As the New York state Department of Environmental Conservation is reviewing tens of thousands of comments relating to hydraulic fracturing of Marcellus Shale in the state, no timetable has been set for when oil and gas companies, landowners, and opposition groups will get to see them. Agency spokesperson Lisa King said the DEC is in the process of preparing responses to the 13,000 comments it received during the first comment period in 2011, and the tens of thousands received during this last comment period, which ended Jan. 11. [Full Story] Jan 18, 2012 New York Rep. Maurice Hinchey to retire, sources say Politico JOHN BRESNAHAN Democratic Rep. Maurice Hinchey will retire from Congress at the end of 2012, according to Democratic insiders. Hinchey, 73, is fighting colon cancer. He underwent a second round of surgery last week, a follow-up for an earlier operation in July. [Full Story] Jan 18, 2012 Federal agency: Medina families at risk from polluted water tied to fracking Akron Beacon Journal Bob Downing A federal health agency says potentially explosive levels of natural gas at two houses in Granger Township in eastern Medina County are a public-health threat. The problems in the two drinking-water wells appear to be linked to the nearby drilling of two natural-gas wells in 2008, says the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, part of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That news contradicts repeated statements from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources on the connection between the drilling and problems at the houses. [Full Story] Jan 18, 2012 Corbett administration slashes drilling research funding Scranton Times-Tribune HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) -- The administration of Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett has cut funding for a wildlife research program by nearly 70 percent, eliminating state money for projects meant to examine the impact of natural gas drilling and climate change, according to a report. Richard Allan, the secretary of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, eliminated 13 of the 21 projects that staff in the agency's Wildlife Resource Conservation Program had recommended for funding, StateImpact Pennsylvania reported Wednesday. [Full Story] Jan 18, 2012 Critics challenge gas zoning loss Scranton Times-Tribune Robert Swift HARRISBURG - A local resident referred to Dallas Twp.'s experience with Marcellus Shale industry facilities Tuesday as a key reason to oppose impact fee legislation that would make the state attorney general referee in disputes over gas zoning ordinances. "Taking local zoning controls from municipalities is not good for the citizens of Pennsylvania," said Diane Dreier. Ms. Dreier spoke at a Capitol rally where a coalition of groups called for defeat of impact fee legislation approved by both the Senate and House. Members of the Gas Drilling Awareness Coalition of Luzerne attended the rally, held as lawmakers returned to session from a holiday recess. [Full Story] Jan 18, 2012 Preliminary approval granted for Washington Twp. compressor station Scranton Times-Tribune Robert L. Baker Chief granted approval for compressor station The Washington Twp. Zoning Hearing Board granted conditional preliminary approval Monday night for a compressor station known as Hirkey-Baker to be operated by Chief Gathering LLC. The zoning body reopened a Dec. 15 meeting in which nearly all of Chief's plans for the compressor station were approved. However, the energy company neglected to include an emergency plan. [Full Story] Jan 18, 2012 Shale Gas Seeping into Presidential Race What is EPA's role? Energy Biz Ken Silverstein Just who should regulate shale gas production is seeping its way into this year’s presidential race. The White House has said that the unconventional form of natural gas is an essential “bridge fuel” that uses extraction processes that must be federally regulated. At the core of the debate is whether the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has the authority to monitor certain aspects of shale gas production such as the disposal of waste water and the assurance of clean water supplies. And while EPA says that it will work hand-in-hand with all stakeholders during its review process, the agency does say that it will not hesitate to stand up for everyday Americans. [Full Story] Jan 18, 2012 Rejecting Pipeline Proposal, Obama Blames Congress New York Times John M. Broder & Dan Frosch WASHINGTON — President Obama on Wednesday rejected, for now, the proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline, saying the $7 billion project could not be adequately reviewed within the 60-day deadline set by Congress. While the president’s action does not preclude later approval of the project, it sets up a baldly partisan fight over energy, jobs and regulation that will most likely persist through the November election. The president said his hand had been forced by Republicans in Congress, who inserted a provision in the temporary payroll tax cut bill passed in December giving the administration only until Feb. 21 to decide the fate of the 1,700-mile pipeline, which would stretch from oil sands formations in Alberta to refineries on the Gulf Coast. The State Department, which has authority over the project because it crosses an international border, said there was not enough time to draw a new route for the pipeline and assess the potential environmental harm to sensitive grasslands and aquifers along its path. The agency recommended that the permit be denied, and Mr. Obama concurred. “As the State Department made clear last month,” the president said in a statement, “the rushed and arbitrary deadline insisted on by Congressional Republicans prevented a full assessment of the pipeline’s impact, especially the health and safety of the American people, as well as our environment.” Mr. Obama said that his action was not a final judgment on the merits of the project, which the administration had been on a slow track to approving. “I’m disappointed that Republicans in Congress forced this decision, but it does not change my administration’s commitment to American-made energy that creates jobs and reduces our dependence on oil,” he said. He added that he would work with the oil industry to increase domestic production and perhaps build additional pipelines within the United States. The trans-border pipeline has become a political flashpoint, with proponents saying it will create thousands of jobs and help wean the nation off of Middle Eastern oil, while opponents charge that it furthers dependence on dirty fuels, contributes to global warming and threatens ecological disaster. Canada’s prime minister, Stephen Harper, who has been a strong advocate of the pipeline, told Mr. Obama in a telephone conversation on Wednesday that he was profoundly disappointed in the decision. The White House spokesman, Jay Carney, at a briefing with reporters on Wednesday before the State Department released its announcement, was sharply critical of the Republican-sponsored legislation that he said had forced a decision before the project could be fully studied and might have unwittingly delayed it. Brendan Buck, the spokesman for Speaker John A. Boehner said: “President Obama is about to destroy tens of thousands of American jobs and sell American energy security to the Chinese. The president won’t stand up to his political base even to create American jobs. This is not the end of this fight.” The Republican presidential candidates have already made clear that they intend to use the Keystone issue to portray the Obama administration as an enemy of business that is doing the bidding of extreme environmentalists. The pipeline issue has also become part of a broader narrative that the Republican candidates are trying to develop about Mr. Obama, one that argues that his administration is vastly expanding regulation in ways that prevent private industries from expanding and hiring. Mitt Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, criticized the decision in a statement. “President Obama’s decision to reject the Keystone XL crude oil pipeline is as shocking as it is revealing,” Mr. Romney said. “If Americans want to understand why unemployment in the United States has been stuck above 8 percent for the longest stretch since the Great Depression, decisions like this one are the place to begin. “By declaring that the Keystone pipeline is not in the ‘national interest,’ the president demonstrates a lack of seriousness about bringing down unemployment, restoring economic growth and achieving energy independence.” On the stump and in debates, the Republican candidates have been using the possibility that Mr. Obama would block the pipeline construction as a reliable applause line about what they view as overregulation that is strangling the economic recovery. At an event in Ottumwa, Iowa, on Dec. 31, Rick Santorum mocked the idea that the pipeline posed the threat of environmental damage, noting that there were already many other pipelines in the area it would go through. “This is just, again, pandering to radical environmentalists who don’t want energy production, who don’t want us to burn more carbon,” Mr. Santorum said. TransCanada, the company proposing to build the pipeline, said that it would quickly apply for a new permit to build along a similar route. “While we are disappointed, TransCanada remains fully committed to the construction of Keystone XL,” said Russ K. Girling, the company’s chief executive. “Plans are already under way on a number of fronts to largely maintain the construction schedule of the project. We will reapply for a presidential permit and expect a new application would be processed in an expedited manner to allow for an in-service date of late 2014.” Kerri-Ann Jones, the assistant secretary of state for oceans and international environmental and scientific affairs, said Wednesday that any new application filed by TransCanada would trigger an entirely fresh review process, no matter how similar the pipeline route, and that the process could not be “expedited” as TransCanada hoped. The American Petroleum Institute, the industry’s main lobbying group, has begun a multimillion-dollar lobbying and advertising campaign promoting the pipeline. Jack N. Gerard, the group’s president, was unusually harsh in his remarks on Mr. Obama’s decision. “How can you say you are for jobs and reject the largest shovel-ready project in America today?” Mr. Gerard said at an energy forum on Wednesday afternoon. “Mr. President, what are you thinking?” The pipeline extension was designed to increase Canadian oil exports to the United States by 700,000 barrels a day, or about 4 percent of current United States demand. By connecting the oil sands to refineries on the Gulf Coast, it would provide new supplies to big East Coast markets. The pipeline, at least theoretically, could also increase exports of refined gasoline and diesel for export, especially to Mexico. Canada has the world’s second-largest proven oil reserves after Saudi Arabia, with 170 billion out of its 174 billion barrels residing in oil sands in the West, according to the Canadian government. John M. Broder reported from Washington, and Dan Frosch from Denver. Ian Austen contributed reporting from Ottawa, and Clifford Krauss from Houston. [Full Story] Jan 18, 2012 That Orange Glow In Northern Tier Sky WBNG Jenna Hanchard Liberty, PA (WBNG Binghamton) An orange glow illuminates the sky in the Northern Tier as what appears to be a contained fire erupts from a Pennsylvania gas well. After many phones calls and e-mails from viewers wondering why the mountains appear to sparkle from Interstate 81, Action News ventured down to see the blaze and find out what neighbors have to say. [Full Story] Jan 17, 2012 A standalone Marcellus bill moving to passage Scranton Times-Tribune HARRISBURG - Marcellus Shale well operators would be required to provide sophisticated siting information and develop an emergency response plan under legislation moving close to final passage this week. The well site safety bill sponsored by Sen. Lisa Baker, R-20, Lehman Twp., is one of a few bills addressing Marcellus drilling that's moving separately from comprehensive impact fee legislation that includes stronger regulation of drilling activities. [Full Story] Jan 17, 2012 Watchdog group cites donations by drillers Stuben Courier Derrick Ek Albany, NY — State Sen. Tom O'Mara, R-Big Flats, is among the top 10 state legislative representatives receiving campaign contributions from the natural gas industry, according to a five-year survey by Common Cause/NY. Common Cause, a government watchdog group, released a report Tuesday detailing the natural gas industry’s campaign contributions to New York lawmakers and questioning if the money was influencing policy on fracking. It reported O'Mara has received $13,700 in campaign contributions. The report looked at elections data from January 2007 to October 2011 and found the gas industry made 2,349 campaign contributions to state and local politicians and political parties totaling more than $1.34 million. “Hydraulic fracturing has raised environmental questions and now financial ones about the influence of the natural gas industry over state lawmakers and public policy. New Yorkers need to be assured that such a controversial issue will be decided based on merit not money,” said Susan Lerner, executive director of Common Cause, in a statement. O'Mara was a state Assemblyman for three of those years and was elected to the Senate in November 2010. He was ranking Republican on the Assembly’s Energy Committee and currently serves on the Senate’s Energy Committee. O’Mara said the Common Cause report lists contributions to his campaign from utilities who have been longtime suppliers of energy to the region’s residents, such as NYSEG, not just from companies who will be directly involved in fracking should it be allowed in New York. [Full Story] Jan 17, 2012 Obama jobs panel pushes tax reform, domestic drilling Chicago Tribune Matt Spetalnick WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama's jobs council called on Tuesday for a corporate tax overhaul, expanded domestic drilling and new regulatory reforms, a set of proposals unlikely to provide a quick fix for high unemployment or gain much traction in an election year. A panel of top U.S. business leaders advising Obama - whose re-election chances could hinge on whether he can boost the fragile economy - offered its latest job-creation prescriptions at a meeting with him at the White House. [Full Story] Jan 17, 2012 Bulgaria bans Chevron from using ‘fracking’ techniques in search for shale gas The Washington Post Associated Press SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Bowing to public pressure, Bulgaria's government says U.S. oil company Chevron cannot explore for shale gas in the country using the extraction technique known as "fracking." Energy Minister Traicho Traikov said that under Tuesday's decision "Chevron can still have the right to test for oil and gas, but without using the controversial technology of hydraulic fracturing." He says San Ramon, California-based Chevron had not yet been notified of the decision and negotiations on the contract are pending. Over the last weeks, thousands of people gathered at protest rallies across Bulgaria to protest against shale gas extraction and the use of fracking, fearing it could have a hazardous impact on the environment and people's health. [Full Story] Jan 17, 2012 Fracking Postponed By New York State Budget The L Magazine Sydney Brownstone It looks like the big push for public comments before Governor Cuomo's hydraulic fracturing deliberations last week paid off. The new state budget doesn't mention paying hydrofracking regulators, a necessary expense in going ahead with drilling in the Delaware River Basin, reports the Star Gazette. Last week, environmental groups were up at arms over whether New York state's three year fracking ban would end if Cuomo and company could find a proper way to regulate the practice. An estimated 40,000 public comments were submitted by Wednesday, many of which most likely dealt with fracking's terrible track record for contaminating people's drinking water with methane, released by shooting jets of pressurized fracking fluid into subterranean Marcellus Shale rock to release natural gas. [Full Story] Jan 17, 2012 New York Could Allow Hydraulic Fracking By Year's End Pierre Bertrand NASDAQ New York Assemblyman Robert Sweeney will fire a warning shot across the natural gas industry's bow Wednesday by introducing a bill to extend a statewide moratorium on horizontal hydraulic fracturing to the end of 2013. The move comes as the state's Department of Environmental Conservation reviews tens of thousands of comments received on its proposed natural gas drilling regulations governing fracking as well as environmental impacts of the practice. The review process is expected to be finished by yearend and could result in either implementation of the proposed regulations -- meaning fracking in the state -- or revisions of those proposals. "If the final documents determine high-volume hydraulic fracturing could move forward in New York, we could begin to review permit applications after the final (Supplemental Generic Environment Impact Statement) is released," said Emily DeSantis, a spokeswoman for the state conservation department. [Full Story] Jan 17, 2012 Regulators say hydraulic fracturing may have caused oil spill on farm near Innisfail Calgary Herald Dina O'Meara CALGARY - Hydraulic fracturing of an oil well in southern Alberta could have caused an oil well blowout a kilometre away, according to provincial regulators. Friday afternoon, a landowner in the Garrington area west of Innisfail spotted a pumpjack spewing what appeared to be oil and chemicals onto his neighbour's field. Black fluid from the well sprayed 15 metres in the air until the man was able to alert a hydraulic fracturing crew working on a nearby well for Midway Energy. They halted operations at the site, then shut down the Wild Stream Exploration pumpjack. The Energy Resource Conservation Board was alerted about 5: 30 p.m. Friday by the Alberta Surface Rights Group at the behest of the landowner. "We don't know the details yet . . . but my understanding is that it appears the fracturing process affected the other well," said an ERCB spokeswoman, Cara Tobin. [Full Story] Jan 17, 2012 HyperSolar’s Green Gas Makes Fracking Obsolete Clean Technica Tina Casey The California company HyperSolar is developing a way to produce renewable hydrogen and natural gas from wastewater using solar energy, and that could spell trouble for the fracking industry. In contrast to fracking, a method of natural gas drilling that can put communities and agricultural areas at risk for water contamination, HyperSolar’s new technology would do the reverse: it could provide communities with a financial offset to improve wastewater treatment operations that clean up polluted lands, and enable future growth without increased pollution. As a special bonus feature, the whole system is pretty much guaranteed to be earthquake-free. From Wastewater to Renewable Gas CleanTechnica covered HyperSolar late last year, when the company announced it was seeking a patent for a system that uses solar energy to produce hydrogen and methane gas from water. In its latest move, the company is one-upping itself by applying the system to wastewater rather than using pure water as a feedstock. HyperSolar has teamed up with Suncentrix to perform a feasibility study for using its renewable technology at California’s Salton Sea. The state’s largest lake, Salton Sea has become degraded with agricultural runoff, and its nutrient-rich waters would actually enable HyperSolar’s system to generate more renewable energy. [Full Story] Jan 17, 2012 Situation Normal, All Fracked Up: Obama embraces fracking Daily Kos RLMiller Last week, the Obama administration gave what may be its first formal statement favoring hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, of natural gas in a report, Investing in America (pdf). Until now, the Environmental Protection Agency has, generally, been moving slowly on the issue, with initial study results due out this year and a final report in 2014. However, the Investing in America report endorses the safe and environmentally responsible extraction of natural gas. Key paragraphs: Since the mid-2000s, however, the discovery of new natural gas reserves, such as the Marcellus Shale, and the development of hydraulic fracturing techniques to extract natural gas from these reserves has led to rapidly growing domestic production and relatively low domestic prices for households and downstream industrial users. Appropriate care must to be taken to ensure that America's natural resources are extracted in a safe and environmentally responsible manner with the safeguards in place to protect public health and safety. Provided these precautions are taken, the potential benefits to the U.S. economy are substantial. Of the major fossil fuels, natural gas is the cleanest and least carbon-intensive for electric power generation. By keeping domestic energy costs relatively low, this resource also supports energy intensive manufacturing in the United States. In fact, companies like Dow Chemical and Westlake Chemical have announced intentions to make major investments in new facilities over the next several years. In addition, firms that provide equipment for shale gas production have announced major investments in the U.S., including Vallourec’s $650 million plant for steel pipes in Ohio. An abundant local supply will translate into relatively low costs for the industries that use natural gas as an input. Expansion in these industries, including industrial chemicals and fertilizers, will boost investment and exports in the coming years, generating new jobs. In the longer run, the scale of America's natural gas endowment appears to be sufficiently large that exports of natural gas to other major markets could be economically viable. [Full Story] Jan 17, 2012 New York Fracking Advocates Say Local Bans Are ‘Kiss of Death’ Bloomberg Freeman Klopott & Jim Efsstathiou Jr New York (STONY1) would lose any chance of reaping the economic benefits of the shale-gas boom if local governments are allowed to ban drilling through zoning laws, advocates say. “Giving local governments the power to regulate would be the kiss of death for natural-gas development in New York state,” Tom West, an attorney in Albany who represents Denver- based Anschutz Exploration Corp. and other drilling companies, said in a telephone interview. [Full Story] Jan 17, 2012 Gas industry contributed $1.34M to state and local lawmakers in last four years, says govt. watchdog 75% of contributions went to Senate and Assembly candidates Legislative Gazette Andrew Carden The natural gas industry's financial involvement with New York state and local politicians is under fire from a prominent government watchdog group. Common Cause New York, which bills itself as a "nonprofit, nonpartisan citizen's lobbying organization," released its latest in a series of reports on the relationship between the natural gas industry and hydraulic fracturing, or "hydrofracking," legislation in New York state. The report, which marks the third edition in Common Cause's "Deep Drilling, Deep Pockets" series, analyzes the campaign contributions made from the natural gas industry to state parties and politicians. The industry, according to the group's findings, provided more than 2,000 campaign contributions, amounting in more than $1.34 million, from January 2007 to October 2011. [Full Story] Jan 17, 2012 ‘Where would Jesus frack?’ The Standard Journal Kevin Mertz WEST MILTON — Two local pastors are taking part in a rally today in Harrisburg to voice their concerns about the impact the Marcellus Shale industry could have on the health and environment in Central Pennsylvania. The Rev. Ricky Phillips, of Mazeppa Union Church and St. John’s Church of Dry Valley in Winfield, and the Rev. Leah Schade, of United in Christ Lutheran Church near West Milton, recently joined forces to form the Interfaith Sacred Earth Coalition of the Susquehanna Valley. The coalition is an informal association of people of faith, from the Central Susquehanna Valley, who care about the sacredness of the earth and its waters. The collaboration of pastors is the product of their passion for people and the environment. [Full Story] Jan 17, 2012 Cornell research group defends gas-drilling study Ithaca Journal Steve Reilly ITHACA -- A group of Cornell University scientists is standing its ground in the face of a challenge to its research on the climate change impact of shale gas drilling. Led by Cornell ecology and environmental biology professor Robert Howarth, the scientists released a study last year showing that energy produced from natural gas drilling in shale formations can have a greater greenhouse gas footprint than energy produced from coal. The study attracted national attention because its findings undermined a common argument in favor of natural gas production: that it is a cleaner energy source and can be a "bridge" fuel toward more sustainable energy sources like wind and solar. [Full Story] Jan 16, 2012 Chesapeake Analysts Wary of High Debt, Falling Prices for Natural Gas Business Journal Daily Dan O'Brien YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio -- Argus Research Group is reiterating its earlier "sell" recommendation on shares of Chesapeake Energy Corp., the natural gas and energy giant that is aggressively moving into the Mahoning Valley and locking up thousands of acres under lease here. In a note Friday to investors, Argus analyst Philip Weiss writes that despite a lucrative joint venture with French energy titan Total SA that stands to net Chesapeake $2.32 billion, the company faces a cash shortfall "relative to its ability to generate sufficient operating cash flow to fund its 2012 capital budget." {[more}} Chesapeake has leased thousands of acres in the Mahoning Valley and holds the largest position -- 1.5 million acres -- in eastern Ohio. The company is drilling into the Utica shale, a deep rock formation that holds a repository of natural gas trapped for millions of years. Chesapeake has overreached in the Utica and other shale plays across the country, Weiss cautions, and has spent too much money too fast. "We believe CHK's near-term cash needs are growing and that its spending levels are unsustainable and ill-advisably elevated." [Full Story] Jan 16, 2012 Poorest Nations Host Biggest Gas Finds in Sign of Deals: Energy Bloomberg Businessweek Jan. 16 (Bloomberg) -- One of the world's poorest regions is also home to the biggest natural-gas discoveries in a decade, luring investors from steel billionaire Lakshmi Mittal to Royal Dutch Shell Plc. Eni SpA and Anadarko Petroleum Corp. found about $800 billion of gas under the Indian Ocean off Mozambique, 36 times more valuable than the nation's economy, ranked 213 of 227 countries for per capita income. Explorers in neighboring Tanzania have struck gas fields, and drilling will pick up pace in Kenya this year. The fields are big enough to support exports of liquefied natural gas, or LNG, opening up a source of energy supply to the world's fastest-growing major economies, India and China. They are also drawing the interest of the world's largest oil and gas companies, which prize LNG projects for their decades of generating cash. Exxon Mobil Corp., Shell and BP Plc are the biggest owners of LNG capacity worldwide. [Full Story] Jan 16, 2012 Cuomo: No hydrofracking funds in budget proposal (with video) Press Connects Jon Campbell ALBANY -- Gov. Andrew Cuomo's budget proposal will not include any funding for additional gas-drilling regulators, he said Monday. Speaking after delivering remarks at a Martin Luther King Jr. remembrance ceremony, Cuomo told reporters he won't move to add the appropriate staff until the state Department of Environmental Conservation determines whether to allow high-volume hydraulic fracturing. It's a "chicken and the egg" situation, Cuomo said. "You would not be hiring staff to regulate hydrofracking unless you believed you were going ahead with hydrofracking," Cuomo said. "And we haven't made that determination. So the budget won't anticipate hydrofracking approval." [Full Story] Jan 16, 2012 Exclusive: Ministers slammed over fracking Earthquakes, poisoning fears, demonstrations, but still no top-level talks on suspect gas technique The Independent Tom Bawden The Government has been accused of "appalling complacency" after it emerged that not a single minister has met with the Environment Agency's experts to discuss the hugely controversial gas exploration technique known as fracking. Despite earthquakes in Blackpool, growing concerns about poisoning of the water supply and demonstrations around the world, the Government still appears not to be taking the potential dangers of fracking seriously enough, critics said. At the weekend, anti-fracking demonstrations were held in London, Paris, Copenhagen and Bulgaria. The extent of the Government's failure to prioritise the issue came in the answer to a parliamentary question tabled following The Independent's revelations last month that the US environment agency had established the first clear link between fracking and water poisoning. [Full Story] Jan 16, 2012 Water totals to be included in Texas fracking disclosures Dallas Business Journal When new Texas hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, disclosure rules in go into effect Feb. 1, drillers will have to reveal the amount of water needed for each oil and gas well in addition to reporting chemicals used in the process. The Texas Tribune reports that experts say the water disclosures will help shed light on the effect of fracking on water supplies in the state, which has been affected by a severe drought. [Full Story] Jan 16, 2012 Bulgarian protestors demand ban on shale gas EurActiv Thousands of Bulgarians have protested against exploration for shale gas over fears it could poison underground water, trigger earthquakes and pose serious public health hazards. Protestors rallied in more than six Bulgarian cities on Saturday (14 January) calling for a moratorium on ‘fracking’ - shale gas tests using hydraulic fracturing - and demanding a new law to ban unconventional drilling for gas in the country. [Full Story] Jan 16, 2012 'Breaker-Breaker:' Fracking and trucking safety and security Towanda Daily Review Robert A Young--Letter Despite relative success of the oil and gas activity since its inception in the "Keystone State," some people still believe that increased regulation - or at the very least - independent oversight at the actual well site location during drilling and "fracking" stages is an imperative priority and the only safe answer. They propose that fracturing fluids may be composed of many chemicals, some of which - they say - scientists have noted are possibly toxic substances and therefore potentially serious public health issues to be explored and addressed a.s.a.p. Others disagree. Surely, the subject remains highly controversial and elicits lots of opinions and debate. It has been estimated that at some specific gas wells it is not unusual to inject into the ground several million gallons of fluids during "fracking." As we all know and can see happening around us obviously, these fluids are trucked in and out of the site, and in some areas of the country it's been reported that "frac-fluids" are re-injected into abandoned wells or transported by motor carrier over many miles of roads and highways to approved re-cycling treatment plants where they are finally deposited. It is reasonable to conclude that considering such volume and frequency of truck traffic due to this activity, the opportunity for the potential of accidents may be increased. [Full Story] Jan 16, 2012 Cultures clash as fracking comes to the stockbroker belt The Telegraph Geoffrey Lean You could call it a culture clash – or possibly a PR car crash. This week an American oilman came to town, or rather to a pretty Sussex village, and ran straight into the formidable combination of emotion and expertise generated by Home Counties Englishmen (and women) in defence of their castles. Mark Miller, the Pennsylvania-born chief executive of Cuadrilla, was at times shouted down and at others submitted to pointed interrogation at a public meeting on Wednesday. He was trying to explain why his company was going to prospect for shale gas and oil just a mile from Balcombe, halfway between London and Brighton and slap in the middle of the stockbroker and solicitor belt. It was his company’s first serious venture into the prosperous and protest-practised South East, and by the end of the meeting he could be forgiven for hoping it would be the last. [Full Story] Jan 15, 2012 Dimock residents, protesters challenge environmental agencies to remedy situation The Temple News Khoury Johnson Protesters weathered blustery winds and frigid temperatures on Friday, Jan. 13, to voice grievances over drilling practices in Northeastern Pennsylvania, calling for the state to live up to promises to restore water quality of a small town in Susquehanna County. The protests—which managed to close off a section of the Blue-Route—centered in Logan Square in Center City and were in response to a series of promises by the government to residents of Dimock, Pennsylvania. Starting in 2009, the Environmental Protection Agency reportedly promised residents of Dimock that Cabot Oil and Gas Corporation would supply the town with fresh water after its water was contaminated while the land was drilled for natural gases in a process known as hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking.” [Full Story] Jan 15, 2012 OUR OPINION: N.D. must lead on regulating fracking In its dispute with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency over air pollution, North Dakota has an ace in the hole: the state’s clean air. The American Lung Association’s most recent report card on air quality gave North Dakota all A’s. Grand Forks Herald Opinion In its dispute with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency over air pollution, North Dakota has an ace in the hole: the state’s clean air. The American Lung Association’s most recent report card on air quality gave North Dakota all A’s. So, when state regulators say they’re doing a good job, North Dakotans’ own eyes and ears back the claims up. Can the same be said for fracking rules? No. And over the months to come, the North Dakota Industrial Commission should act decisively to change that answer to yes. [Full Story] Jan 15, 2012 Hydrofracking: A Bad Bet for the Environment -- and the Economy Huffington Post Paul Gallay As New York considers new hydrofracking regulations that would allow companies to drill an estimated 48,000 gas wells across the rural countryside, many see the pitched battle over the state's fracking plan as a tug-of-war between the environment and the economy. In reality, both will suffer if the frackers get their way. Riverkeeper, the organization I lead, is devoted to protecting the Hudson River and the drinking water supply for nine million New Yorkers. We originally engaged with this issue to protect New York City's drinking water, but the risks go far beyond one watershed, even one so important it serves the nation's largest city. [Full Story] Jan 15, 2012 After Battling Fracking and Cancer, Lucinda Lost, and Found Truthout -Thruth-Out.org Stephen Cleghorn, OpEd Her joy was in sustaining our farm against the threat of fracking. After Lucinda's ashes become a part of this piece of the good earth, it becomes sacred ground to me, and the company that owns the so-called "rights" to the gas in the shale below our farm is advised to keep their hell away from this place. I have previously written in these pages about the potential loss of our organic farm in Jefferson County, Pennsylvania, from Marcellus Shale gas extraction ("Wagering With Our Lives," February 17, 2011). The sustainability of our farm has been put "in play," to use the flippant terminology of the companies who gamble with geological exploration and environmental risk as if they were one and the same. [Full Story] Jan 15, 2012 Cortland Residents Join the Ranks of Other Communities Opposing Hydrofracking GDACC Press Release January 12th, GDACC (Gas Drilling Awareness for Cortland County) and MICAH (Moving in Congregations Acting in Hope) released results of an independent countywide survey that assessed residents’ views on hydrofracking. Bob Applegate led off the press conference explaining that the poll was commissioned in light of reports that people are skeptical about the ability of the federal and state government to assure that drilling can be done safely and responsibly. The survey findings were clear. When asked if they support hydrofracking, 58% of adults responded NO. When asked if they support their town passing legislation to prohibit hydrofracking through zoning, 54% replied YES. Applegate explained that of the 92% that responded that they had heard of hydrofracking, 43 percent indicated they had detailed knowledge of fracking and, 46%, somewhat detailed knowledge. Other speakers at the press conference expressed their concerns with the SGEIS and hydrofracking and the need for communities to be able to enforce their zoning and other local laws. From a faith perspective, the Reverend Dr. Janet Adair Hansen stressed the need to bring a moral dimension to political and economic decisions related to gas drilling. She explained that social and environmental justice principals demand that the well being of people and good stewardship of natural resources take precedence over the needs of a few or large corporations seeking profits. Because neither state nor federal governments have protected residents in Pennsylvania, from skyrocketing rents, just one of the unintended consequence of drilling, churches have stepped up to assist those who struggle to afford the cost of housing and other necessities. County legislator and organic dairy farmer, Kathie Arnold, pointed out that contamination can occur from spills as well as methane leakage and stated emphatically that “no amount of money can fully compensate if our farm's groundwater becomes contaminated, or that of our neighbors, or that of our community.” As an example, she pointed to a 1970’s incident in Cortland County where “… a salt brine lagoon of a DEC permitted gas well in Town of Harford spilled into a stream,” contaminating “ surface water, groundwater, and then drinking water wells, over 3,000 feet away. Closing on 40 years later, that groundwater remains contaminated today.” Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton, mindful of the need to create jobs in New York, wants to assure that agriculture, tourism, higher education, and small and medium sized businesses are not devastated by drilling. She was not surprised that 58% opposed high volume hydraulic fracturing, noting, “If it were an election, we’d call it a landslide!” These data mirror the overwhelming opposition she has encountered over the past three years whether locally at the “grocery store” or through calls and letters to her office from across New York State. Referencing the 54% supporting local legislation, she noted, “My Home Rule bill passed the Assembly last session, and I stand ready to work with Senator Seward or any senator who can usher the same or a similar bill through the Senate so it can go to the Governor’s desk.” While Senator Seward was not able to attend, he did meet with GDACC and MICAH members the previous day to discuss the survey, at which time he reiterated his support of Home Rule. Data from Cortland’s survey are consistent with similar polls conducted in Sullivan and Delaware counties, and also with polls and election results in municipalities in Otsego County and with elections in Dryden. The number of bans and moratoria passed in New York State towns and cities continues to grow, indicative of widespread opposition to drilling. According to Pulse Opinion Research “the poll has a margin of error +/- 4.5% percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. This means that if an identical survey were conducted under the same circumstances would generate a result within the margin of sampling error 19 times out of 20.” GDACC and MICAH selected this firm to conduct the survey after extensive research on their background and their reputation for impartial and ethical research. Further information on the survey and links to media coverage can be found at www.gdacc.wordpress.com. Inquiries about the survey should be directed to gdacc.cortland@gmail.com. [Full Story] Jan 15, 2012 The Essentials for the Necessary Transition to a Renewable Energy Economy Unless we want to be indentured to an energy-military-financial complex, we need to build a new infrastructure for renewable energy. AlterNet Jon Rynn LIKE THIS ARTICLE ? Join our mailing list: Sign up to stay up to date on the latest Economy headlines via email. Fossil fuels are going to disappear, whether we like it or not. Petroleum, natural gas, and coal are becoming scarcer, harder to extract and a greater danger to the global climate. If we proceed with business-as-usual, energy companies will take advantage of increasing scarcity to dominate the world economy by vacuuming up more money from the 99%. They will be able to ally with military and financial institutions to construct an energy-military-financial complex that could eventually reduce most of the rest of us to a form of debt peonage. On the other hand, if we could possibly elect a government that does what governments do best – build infrastructure – we can avoid a world of global warming and economic collapse by building enough wind farms, solar panels, and geothermal systems to power our economy and ignite a sustainable, broad-based period of economic growth. Of course, this will require a sea-change in the direction of the political system, along the lines of the Occupy movement, but there is too much at stake to throw up our hands in despair. [Full Story] Jan 15, 2012 Facing some realities: consultant questions Lower 48 shale boom Petroleum News Arthur Beman Amid the understandable euphoria that surrounds the burgeoning shale gas industry in North America, a contrarian voice can perhaps help temper enthusiasm with some hard facts. And on Jan. 6, at the Alaska Support Industry Alliance Meet Alaska Conference, Arthur Berman, a consultant with many years of experience in the gas industry, presented his downbeat views on the shale gas phenomenon, views that run counter to those of many shale gas enthusiasts but that raise interesting questions about the realities of shale gas development. Questionable claims Claims about scale of the shale gas phenomenon are highly questionable, Berman said. “It’s unclear that shale gas production will support even the short-term expectations of abundance,” he said. The marginal cost of shale gas production is two to three times the current price of gas in North America; and published estimates of recoverable reserves may be overstated by a factor of two he said. People have picked up the idea that shale gas will provide the United States with a 100-year supply of natural gas. But this forecast comes from taking the probable shale gas resource volume and dividing that by the annual gas consumption. Unfortunately, however, gas resources in place are not the same as the volumes of gas that could realistically be produced. An optimistic assumption that half of the known resources could actually be developed, on top of current proven reserves of shale gas, leads to a forecast that shale gas supplies might last, not for 100 years, but for 20 to 22 years, Berman said. And that assumes a constant rate of gas consumption — add in the possibility that consumption will increase, and the life of the shale gas supply shortens further, he said. [Full Story] Jan 14, 2012 Unlocking the Secrets Behind Hydraulic Fracturing New York Times Kate Galbraith Starting Feb. 1, drilling operators in Texas will have to report many of the chemicals used in the process known as hydraulic fracturing. Environmentalists and landowners are looking forward to learning what acids, hydroxides and other materials have gone into a given well. But a less-publicized part of the new regulation is what some experts are most interested in: the mandatory disclosure of the amount of water needed to “frack” each well. Experts call this an invaluable tool as they evaluate how fracking affects water supplies in the drought-prone state. Hydraulic fracturing involves injecting water, sand and chemicals into underground shale formations at enormous pressure to extract oil and natural gas. Under the new rule, Texans will be able to check a Web site, fracfocus.org, to view the chemical and water disclosures. “It’s a huge step forward from where we were,” Amy Hardberger, an Environmental Defense Fund lawyer, said of the rule. Most fracked wells use 1 million to 5 million gallons of water over three to five days, said Justin Furnace, president of the Texas Independent Producers & Royalty Owners Association. A June study prepared for the Texas Water Development Board suggested that less than 1 percent of the water used statewide went into fracking. Oil and natural gas groups say such numbers show their usage lags well behind that of cities. But the data cited is a few years old, and drilling has since increased in places like the Eagle Ford Shale in South Texas. The amount of water used for fracking is “expected to increase significantly through 2020,” according to the state water plan published this month. Dan Hardin, the water board’s resource planning director, said water use for fracking was not expected to exceed 2 percent of the statewide total. But drilling can send water use numbers much higher in rural areas, Dr. Hardin said. For example, he projects that in 2020, more than 40 percent of water demand in La Salle County, in the Eagle Ford Shale, will go toward “mining,” a technical term that in this case means almost entirely fracking. Until recently, no water went toward mining there. Researchers say predicting future water usage for drilling is tough, citing economic and technological uncertainties. Meanwhile, they want more data. Jean-Philippe Nicot, a research scientist with the Bureau of Economic Geology at the University of Texas at Austin and the main author of the water board’s June study, noted that many drillers already reported water usage to the Texas Railroad Commission. (The commission’s new rule will be the first time water disclosure is required.) Dr. Nicot would like to see more information about whether the water comes from aquifers or reservoirs, or has been recycled from other fracking operations. Texas also needs better information about what is in water that has been in the earth and comes up in a well in addition to oil or gas, said Mark A. Engle, a geologist with the United States Geological Survey’s Eastern Energy Resources Science Center. That water can contain materials like grease and radioactive elements. “Texas ranks pretty much dead last of any state I’ve worked with for keeping track of that sort of data,” Dr. Engle said. [Full Story] Jan 14, 2012 Home rule laws aren't a radical idea The Daily Star guest Guest Commentary By N.Y. Sen. James Seward A lot of discussion and debate has occurred in our area lately over the issue of 'home rule' as it would apply to natural gas drilling. Let me offer some thoughts and my perspective on the issue and on the legislation I have sponsored (S. 5830) to enable local governments to treat natural gas drilling the way zoned communities treat any other commercial, industrial or residential use. 'Home rule' is neither new nor radical. It's enshrined in our state constitution, specifically Article IX, and requires deference to the level of government closest to the people. Fact: states where natural gas drilling is occurring are mainly home rule states. Texas, Colorado and Pennsylvania all require local approvals, and in some cases, issuance of local permits and fees. Some states permit municipalities to impose varying rules on drilling, including differences in setbacks from wells, water sources, and homes. For some to claim that my home rule legislation will make it more difficult for gas drillers to deal with a crazy quilt of local rules and regulations, I say this: first, drilling companies are used to it; and second, reluctance to do business in New York may have more to do with the price of natural gas or our geology. At the end of the state's now three-year-plus process, New York will have greater uniformity than other 'home rule' states. My legislation offers nothing out of the ordinary where gas drilling is concerned. One argument against my legislation is that local governments are not equipped to review applications or respond to the submissions of multi-national gas drilling companies. To be clear, home rule does not authorize local governments to regulate how natural gas drilling is conducted, but where it is permitted, much like town zoning rules establishing where someone can operate a slaughterhouse, a gas station or any other commercial use. The state would continue to review drilling applications and be responsible for the issuance of permits. Several years ago, environmentalists pushed the state to outlaw 'burn barrels' and the burning of brush, papers, etc. I declined to endorse the statewide ban, and the senate did not pass the legislation, precisely because we deferred to local governments and their existing authority to regulate burning. I urged advocates to have that discussion with their local town boards where it should be properly decided as a function of home rule. For some, who at that time supported statewide rules, but now in gas drilling emphasize home rule, the shoe is on the other foot. Others, who demanded only home rule and local action and their town's rights when it applied to burning, and shunned statewide involvement, find themselves opposing local control in favor of state rules. I've tried to maintain a consistent, pro-local control position. Home rule is a conservative position that democratically elected local governments, closest to the people, decide what's appropriate for their communities -- as they do with other commercial and residential uses. Property rights are fundamental to our country and Constitution. Our founding fathers, having experienced Crown ownership of land, recognized that private property is foundational to a free people. Balancing the property rights of one against the property rights of another is always a difficult task that faces officials. One's right to use his property for a junkyard must be balanced against another's right to maintain the value of his residential property, even though the property owner seeks to use the land to extract a higher value from it. The courts and the law were established, among other reasons, to address conflicts in property rights. When the DEC has finalized its state regulations, gas drilling will occur in communities where it is supported and welcomed, under consistent statewide rules. Conversely, in communities that have concluded that it is not compatible with their community values or planning, local officials should have the authority to make those decisions in dialogue with their constituents. I don't find that position particularly radical. The issues are not easy and we can not arrive at our conclusions in a flippant manner. This is a difficult issue, and we should proceed carefully. Sen. James Seward, a Republican, represents New York's 41st district, which includes Herkimer, Cortland and Otsego counties and portions of Schoharie, Greene Tompkins and Chenango counties. [Full Story] Jan 14, 2012 Thousands protest Bulgaria 'fracking' plans France 24 AFP AFP - Several thousand Bulgarians demonstrated across the country on Saturday against plans for shale gas exploration by US company Chevron that they say could harm the environment. About 1,000 youngsters marched along the streets of the capital Sofia, beating drums and blowing whistles as "a wake-up call to all Bulgarians," an AFP correspondent at the scene reported. They urged people to push the government to impose a ban on hydraulic fracturing or "fracking", the most commonly used method for shale gas exploration that opponents say might contaminate drinking water. The protestors marched on the government buildings carrying banners saying "No to shale gas, Yes to nature", and "Chevron go home" to protest the US company's plans to extract shale gas in the European Union's poorest member. [Full Story] Jan 14, 2012 End fracking waiver from Clean Water Act The Morning Call Opinion The 2005 federal energy law contained a waiver of the Clean Water Act for companies that use hydraulic fracturing (fracking) to release greater quantities of natural gas from the stone that contains it. In the rush to give us more access to domestic sources of natural gas and the corporate profits that result, the government has imperiled the water that many of us drink. Our governor has taken hundreds of thousands of dollars in contributions from gas companies and has proposed extraction fees that are a fraction of those imposed by other states. Our state already has an environmental legacy from the actions of unregulated coal mining, resulting in acid mine drainage and vast acreage of unusable land covered with mine waste. To count on drilling companies to exercise corporate responsibility to protect the environment is foolish and naive. [Full Story] Jan 13, 2012 Hydraulic fracturing controversy: what a fracking shambles The Guardian Michael White (Politics Blog) An oilman I know slightly said in the pub that the "flaming taps" problem widely associated with techniques of hydraulic fracturing – fracking – became a problem only after rural folk in Pennsylvania went drilling for oil in their back yards (as Americans do) in an amateur, "mom and pop" fashion. "There's no problem in Texas – folk know about oil drilling in Texas," my oil friend said with adopted Texan pride. A quick glance at any account of the fracking controversy – here's Wiki's summary will confirm that he was being just a touch complacent, as Sussex villagers demonstrate in today's Guardian. [Full Story] Jan 13, 2012 Catskill Citizens mails 10,300 letters, DEC receives more than 40,000 in total The River Reporter Fritz Mayer January 13, 2012 — January 11 was the last day letters to the DEC could be postmarked and still be considered by the NY Department of Environmental Conservation regarding the proposed new gas drilling rules. On that day, Bruce Ferguson, a member of Catskill Citizens for Safe Energy, along with members Carolyn Duke, Jill Wiener, Ann Finneran, Laurie McFadden and Roy Tedoff delivered boxes stuffed with about 10,300 letters to the US Post Office In Callicoon Center. Ferguson said the letters came from New York as well as many other states, which is allowed by the DEC. He said the concern about hydraulic fracturing is nation-wide, and the campaign to prohibit it in New York is seen to be the front line in a much larger effort. All of the letters delivered expressed opposition to hydraulic fracturing. Ferguson said that as of the previous Friday, comments to the DEC were running 10 to one against the process. [Full Story] Jan 13, 2012 Last-minute surge of hydrofracking comments leaves DEC with hands full Ithaca Journal Jon Campbell ALBANY -- Three days was all it took to double the state Department of Environmental Conservation's workload when it comes to hydraulic fracturing. Comments on the agency's proposed hydrofracking rules skyrocketed from 20,800 on Jan. 9 to an estimated 40,000 by the time a response period closed at midnight Wednesday. Now the DEC will have the onerous task of responding to the unprecedented number of comments. It's a process that will take months and could serve as one of the final hurdles before the drilling process is allowed in New York. [Full Story] Jan 13, 2012 After earthquakes, Ohio city questions future fracking wells Chicago Tribune Kim Palmer Cleveland, Ohio (Reuters) - Alarmed over a string of earthquakes linked to deep wells in nearby Youngstown, authorities in Mansfield, Ohio have threatened to block construction of two similar waste disposal wells planned within their city limits. Ohio has over 170 active disposal wells, though only recently has it become permissable to use them for disposal of out-of-state waste from fracking, a controversial process to drive gas and oil out of underground rock. Now, fresh questions about their safety are being raised in the wake of 11 earthquakes that struck Youngstown last year, all centered near wells used for disposal of fracking waste. [Full Story] Jan 13, 2012 In the Clearing Stands a Boxer: One Man's Fight Against Fracking Truth Out William Rivers Pitt, Op-Ed I was privileged, many years ago, to become friends with a man named Patrick R. McElligott. He was once a boxer, and we first bonded over the story of the day I met Muhammad Ali. Over the years, our friendship grew as we endured, and struggled against, the mayhem and insanity of the George W. Bush administration. Last week, I received a note from him letting me know that, on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, he would be undertaking a hunger strike directed against New York State officials who are bound and determined to make the Southern Tier of the state a showcase for the effectiveness of a process called Induced Hydraulic Fracturing, or "fracking." The process, aimed at releasing buried energy sources like natural gas or petroleum, is accomplished by blasting high-pressure water and other chemicals into the ground. The industries behind fracking will tell you that the process is perfectly safe and not in need of much regulation, but Patrick McElligott knows better. [Full Story] Jan 13, 2012 Drilling Company Dealing With Landslides The Intelligencer Casey Junkins and Amy Witschey Already a major processor of natural gas in the local Marcellus Shale region, MarkWest Energy Partners is building a new $400 million plant and pipeline in Wetzel and Marshall counties. However, company Manager of Environmental Regulatory Affairs Robert McHale said Denver-based MarkWest is also dealing with "a series of slow landslides" at the Mobley site in eastern Wetzel County. The slips have released sediment into an unnamed tributary of Fishing Creek. "Under a pending permit application with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, this was an area of the tributary that was already planned to be permanently filled-in with an engineered fill in order to prevent future landslides," said McHale of Mark West Liberty, the local subsidiary of MarkWest Energy. [Full Story] Jan 13, 2012 Evaluating Feedback on Fracking Rules New York Times Mireya Navarro As I report in today’s Times, New York State environmental regulators are sorting through more than 20,000 public comments as they develop the final rules for high-volume hydraulic fracturing, the much-debated process to extract natural gas from underground shale formations. On Thursday, the federal Environmental Protection Agency posted its comments on its Web site advising New York officials to study more issues and revise its plans to protect water supplies and the environment. The recommendations delved into issues like the disposal of wastewater from fracking operations, pre-drilling testing of residential water wells, the need to evaluate the environmental impacts of new gas pipelines and the safety of recycled wastewater. Federal officials also noted that some out-of-state treatment plants are not available to treat wastewater from drilling in New York. “E.P.A.’s Region 2 office is providing technical comments on regulations being developed by the state of New York,” an agency statement said. “E.P.A. and the administration have been clear that we believe natural gas has a central role to play in our energy future, and we continue to take steps to ensure that as we leverage this important resource it takes place safely and responsibly.” [Full Story] Jan 13, 2012 EPA Sees Risks to Water, Workers In New York Fracking Rules ProPublica Joaquin Sapien New York's emerging plan to regulate natural gas drilling in the gas-rich Marcellus Shale needs to go further to safeguard drinking water, environmentally sensitive areas and gas industry workers, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has informed state officials. The EPA's comments, in a series of letters this week to the state's Department of Environmental Conservation, are significant because they suggest the agency will be watching closely as states in the Northeast and Midwest embrace new drilling technologies to tap vast reserves of shale gas. [Full Story] Jan 13, 2012 EPA Chief Says More Data Needed on Dimock’s Water NPR- State Impact Susan Phillips EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson says her agency needs to conduct more tests before deciding whether or not to provide clean water to Dimock residents. About a dozen families living in the tiny Susquehanna County community say it’s still unsafe to drink their water three years after state environmental officials forced Cabot Oil and Gas to provide fresh water. But in November, the Department of Environmental Protection told Cabot it could halt deliveries. The residents have since relied on donated water. Last week, some families say regional EPA officials promised to step in and deliver water. But a day later, the EPA reversed itself. Jackson told reporters at an event in Philadelphia on Friday that the reversal resulted from a “miscommunication.” Jackson says her agency needs to conduct more tests, or get more information from the DEP. [Full Story] Jan 13, 2012 Camp Lejeune Water Contamination Cover-Up Hinted In Navy Letter Huffington Post The U.S. Navy is asking government investigators to suppress information concerning the toxic water scandal at the Marine Corps' Camp Lejeune, according to a letter obtained Thursday by The Huffington Post. The letter, signed by Maj. Gen. J.A. Kessler of the Marine Corps and dated Jan. 5, 2012, asks the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry to withhold from a forthcoming report details about the whereabouts of water lines, wells, treatment plants and storage tanks on the North Carolina military base -- in the name of national security. [Full Story] Jan 13, 2012 EPA Chief Says Krancer’s Letter Won’t Help Dimock Residents NPR- State Impact Susan Phillips Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson says she found it “puzzling” that Pennsylvania’s top regulator would write a letter critical of her Agency’s role in Dimock’s water problems. Last week Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Michael Krancer wrote to Jackson telling her the EPA’s knowledge of the situation is “rudimentary.” Krancer has expressed hostility toward the EPA’s actions several times since taking over as DEP Secretary last year. At a press conference Friday at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia, Jackson said federal regulators need more data on Dimock’s water. “That’s what I’m committed to,” said Jackson. “It’s puzzling to me how writing letters will help the people in Dimock.” [Full Story] Jan 13, 2012 Ohio's mysterious man-made earthquakes CNNMoney VIDEO [Full Story] Jan 12, 2012 Fracking is too dangerous for New York We must fight for clean water once again Daily News Gerard Koeppel Opinion Last August in Denver during the keynote speech at an energy industry conference, Dave Lesar, the CEO of Halliburton, conducted a remarkable demonstration: drinking from a glass of hydraulic fracturing fluid. This was done apparently to prove how safe fracking fluid is, for people individually, underground water supplies particularly and the environment generally. Lesar did not do the drinking himself; for reasons that are unclear, he passed the glass to another Halliburton executive, who quaffed and did not drop dead. The corporate food tester was subsequently identified publicly as Halliburton Chief Financial Officer Mark McCollum. He reportedly pronounced that fracking fluid “tastes like beer.” McCollum presumably has been a teetotaler since. This antic recalls Richard (Dicky) Riker. Back in the early 1830s in New York City, Riker claimed that he drank a pint of Manhattan Co. water every morning and that he and his family “enjoy good health.” Riker was the city’s longtime chief legal officer and, in that capacity, was also an ex officio director of the Manhattan Co., the notorious water business founded 30 years earlier by Aaron Burr. Burr’s water company, established with the unwitting blessing of the state Legislature, proved to be a cover for his chief purpose, founding a bank. The company’s monopoly water operations, employing foul local wells and leaky wooden pipes, were deficient and deplorable and, after preventing a proper solution to the city’s freshwater needs for 40 years, eventually ceased; the company’s bank, however, matured into what is today JPMorgan Chase. Riker’s drinking claim, given during Common (now City) Council debate in 1831 on whether the Manhattan Co. should be stripped of its charter, made him the subject of lampoon and ridicule as a company apologist until the end of his days in 1842, amid citywide celebrations for the completion of the Croton Aqueduct. The iconic Croton, supplying pure and abundant water from the Westchester mainland, delivered the city from disease and was the first piece in the city’s now vast modern supply that fracking opponents and certain public officials are concerned about preserving. The Manhattan Co. was the first water tragedy for New York City. Its monopoly water powers, fiercely defended by company lawyers to preserve the company’s associated banking rights, prevented the emergence of a better private or public supply until Asiatic cholera killed 3,500 — one in 70 — New Yorkers in 1832 and prompted civic-minded political leaders to secure the Croton over diminishing Manhattan Co. resistance. Incredibly, the city has had no other major water tragedy since. There was the near-fiasco of the Ramapo Water Co. in the late 1890s, which featured a Tammany Hall-backed scheme to restrict the city from seeking additional water supplies from anywhere but a private company that controlled water rights in the Catskills. A hasty, stealthy and expensive contract between the company and the city was broken with bold action by city Controller Bird Coler and Gov. Theodore Roosevelt; the U.S. Supreme Court, in an opinion by Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr., crushed the Ramapo schemers for good in 1915. The city, by then with a population in the several millions relying on the insufficient Croton, soon expanded its own public water supply into the Catskills, now ground zero in the fight over fracking. The greatest part of Greater New York is islands. For many generations, there has not been enough good water on or under any of these islands to sustain an urban population. Water for 8 million people must come from mainland watersheds as much as 120 miles from City Hall. With a relatively stable population, the city has not needed much new supply since the 1960s; since then and probably for the rest of the city’s existence, the main responsibility of government executives, bureaucrats and legislators regarding water is to preserve and protect the half-trillion gallons that New Yorkers use for drinking, bathing, cooking, cleaning, heating, cooling and many other conceivable processes every year. If fracking is allowed and harms — as many convincingly allege that it will — the drinkability of water that goes to the city, the millions of people who make an exodus from the city in search of another place to live will forever hold responsible those leaders who let this calamity come about. Just as the Riker name stood for abject foolishness to the thirsty New Yorkers of the pre-Croton years and survives, appropriately perhaps, as the jail on an island his family owned, the name of some 21st century New York politician is awaiting possible enshrinement as the person who made New York unlivable. No one could possibly want to risk such a legacy. Koeppel is the author of “Water for Gotham: A History.” [Full Story] Jan 12, 2012 Glut Hits Natural-Gas Prices Wall St. Journal Russell Gold, Daniel Gilbert & Ryan Dezember U.S. energy companies are pumping so much natural gas out of the ground that prices are plummeting, and the cheap gas isn't likely to evaporate anytime soon. Natural-gas prices fell 5.7% Wednesday to their lowest level in over two years—good news for people who use gas to heat homes and for companies that use it to power factories. For U.S. energy companies, however, the domestic natural-gas market is looking increasingly out of whack. Despite a 32% drop in prices last year, onshore production rose 10%, and it is expected to rise another 4% this year, according to Barclays Capital. As a result, prices are expected to remain low for at least the next couple years. [Full Story] Jan 12, 2012 Fracking Political Support Unshaken by Doctors’ Call for Ban Bloomberg Mark Drajem Tremors in Ohio, murky drinking water in Pennsylvania and a call for a moratorium by doctors isn’t eroding political support for hydraulic fracturing in the U.S. Congress and the Obama administration. With the Environmental Protection Agency not scheduled to issue a report on fracking safety until 2014, the administration is resisting calls for curbs as reports of tainted water near gas wells mount. The White House isn’t considering a ban because spurring natural gas development “is critical not only to our energy security but our economic security as well,” Clark Stevens, a White House spokesman, said in an e-mail. [Full Story] Jan 12, 2012 EPA questions fracking study The Times Union Brian Nearing ALBANY — Opponents of natural gas hydraulic fracturing, or hydrofracking, said Thursday that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has fired a shot across the bow of the state Department of Environmental Conservation. In a 26-page response to DEC's proposed environmental review of hydfrofracking, EPA Regional Director Judith Enck proposed dozens of improvements ranging from giving a voice in the review to the state Public Service Commission to the establishment of larger no-drilling zones around water supplies, and tougher handling of wastewater and potentially radioactive drilling waste. Enck even questioned whether DEC, which has been dealing with staff cuts in recent years, is ready to oversee natural gas drilling. [Full Story] Jan 12, 2012 EPA: New York should limit radioactive elements in fracking wastewater Times Herald-Record ALBANY (AP) – The Environmental Protection Agency says New York regulators should set limits for radioactive materials in gas-drilling wastewater sent to public treatment plants before allowing any hydraulic fracturing of natural gas wells in the state. That's one of the federal agency's comments submitted Wednesday night on the state Department of Environmental Conservation's proposed rules for high-volume hydraulic fracturing. The EPA also recommends that the DEC develop a map of gas wells and update it at least monthly with the stage of operations on each site. The publicly accessible map would also show public water wells and intakes. Wednesday was the last day for comment on the state's proposal. DEC says no drilling permits will be issued until comments are reviewed and any necessary changes made to the guidelines and regulations. [Full Story] Jan 12, 2012 Northumberland County commissioner: Water filtration project 'progressing' Scranton Times-Tribune Mark Gilger SHAMOKIN - A Northumberland County commissioner said talks are continuing with officials in the natural gas industry to construct a filtration plant in the area to clean water from former coal lands in Coal and Mount Carmel townships and then transport it to the Northern Tier area of the state to be used in the Marcellus Shale gas drilling project. During a recent interview with The News-Item, Commissioner Stephen Bridy said he has three "local contacts" in the natural gas industry who have talked about constructing a filtration plant in the SEEDCO-Coal Township Industrial Park to clean water from former coal lands. He said the water would then be transported in tankers by rail to be used in the Marcellus Shale gas drilling project. [Full Story] Jan 12, 2012 Rail-Trail Council signs option for pipeline easement along Susquehanna County trail Scranton Times-Tribune Laura Legere The Rail-Trail Council of Northeastern Pennsylvania has signed an option for a pipeline easement in nearly 30 miles of its right of way with a Radnor, Pa.-based coal and pipeline company, the company announced on Wednesday. Penn Virginia Resource Partners LP is considering constructing a new natural gas pipeline to connect Marcellus Shale wells to the interstate Tennessee Gas Pipeline. The easement option signed with the rail-trail organization does not guarantee a pipeline will be built along the Susquehanna County trail. [Full Story] Jan 12, 2012 Dimock supporters to take water plea to EPA chief Scranton Times-Tribune Laura Legere Supporters of Dimock Twp. families at odds with a Marcellus Shale driller over water contamination plan to take their plea for fresh drinking water to the head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Friday. EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson is scheduled to participate in a 9:30 a.m. talk about urban sustainability at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia. Dimock residents as well as environmental and public health advocates plan to rally outside beginning at 8:30 a.m. [Full Story] Jan 12, 2012 DEP head calls EPA knowledge of Dimock 'rudimentary' Scranton Times-Tribune Laura Legere Federal regulators have only a "rudimentary" understanding of the facts and history of gas drilling's impact on water supplies in Dimock Twp., Pennsylvania's head environmental regulator wrote in a letter Thursday as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency considered beginning its own sampling of tainted wells in the township. In the letter to EPA Region 3 Administrator Shawn Garvin, state Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Michael Krancer said his agency is ready to help the EPA get "up to speed" on the situation in Dimock since it is "clear that EPA is really at the very early stages of its learning curve" regarding the "technical facts" and "enforcement history" there. The letter was first posted on NPR's StateImpact Pennsylvania website Monday night. Copies were forwarded to all members of the Pennsylvania Congressional delegation. [Full Story] Jan 12, 2012 House panel considers water well standards Scranton Times-Tribune Robert Swift Bill on water well construction advances Licensing standards considered HARRISBURG - Owners and drillers of new private water wells would need to meet statewide construction regulations under legislation that got a boost Tuesday at a House committee hearing. State environmental officials also urged lawmakers to include minimum licensing standards for water well drillers in the bill. [Full Story] Jan 12, 2012 Record-Breaking Public Response To Fracking Plan Eco Politics Daily Elizabeth Mooney Now that the public comment period on the state's proposal to allow hydrofracking is over, the environmental agency overseeing the initiative expects to make some changes to its plan. Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Joe Martens said Wednesday that he expects "additional improvements" will be made, once the agency pores over the more than 20,000 comments received -- the most received on any issue in the agency's history. The natural gas industry and many property owners would like to allow drilling as soon as possible, but there are a number of important questions that need to be addressed. Among the most obvious gaps in the state's plan is a detailed strategy for handling wastewater produced by drilling, called "fracking waste." Another concern is the integrity of dams and aqueducts if deep drilling is allowed. New York City would like a buffer of up to seven miles between drill sites and its drinking-water infrastructure; the state has proposed only 1,000 feet. NYLCV's policy team has recommendations, too, which you can see here in our new 2012 State Policy Agenda. It is unclear when the state might actually issue permits that would allow drilling to begin. Martens initially hoped to authorize permits this year, but has since said the agency needs more time. [Full Story] Jan 12, 2012 Poll shows opposition to hydrofracking in Cortland County YNN Kat De Maria Opponents of hydrofracking have been vocal about their position on the issue. Now, some groups in Cortland County are proving public opinion is on their side. Our Kat De Maria shares the results of a new poll and discusses its potential role in the gas drilling debate. The latest round of public comment on the issue has closed. The rallies, at least for now, have ended. But the advocacy continues. And for hydrofracking opponents in Cortland County, that involves new, but simple, data: A poll. "We felt we are not protected from the excesses of the gas industry, that the federal government has been taken off the job and the state has an inadequate set of guidelines and regulations. So we felt our only hope was to try to find out what local people are thinking," said Bob Applegate, a member of Gas Drilling Awareness of Cortland County, or GDACC. [Full Story] Jan 12, 2012 Moravia residents pack forum on fracking Auburn Pub MORAVIA — Nothing seems to draw a town together like hydrofracking. And with nearly 200 people present at its Wednesday event, Moravia’s town forum on fracking was no exception. Before the 7 p.m. meeting started, cars crowded into the Moravia Volunteer Fire Company’s parking lot, filling every gravel space and spilling over onto the grass and Keeler Avenue. Although almost every metal chair in the large fire hall held an occupant, the sheer number of attendees forced many people to stand or sit against the walls bordering the chairs. The forum, organized by a group of concerned Moravia residents, was packed with a range of residents — ranging from senior to teenagers — interested in learning more about hydraulic fracturing. Three local speakers involved in the debate -- an attorney, a physicist and a public health director -- attended the forum to satiate the 200 attendees’ hunger for facts regarding the controversial drilling practice. [Full Story] Jan 12, 2012 Activists deliver anti-fracking letters to DEC Legislative Gazette Anthony Mancini The Catskill Citizens for Safe Energy delivered over 10,000 letters through mail to the Department of Environmental Conservation concerning the allowance of hydraulic fracturing in New York on Wednesday, Jan. 11, the last day the DEC allowed public comment. Hydraulic fracturing, or hydrofracking, involves pumping a water, sand, and chemical mixture deep underground to fracture rock layers, releasing natural gas. Opponents of the process are concerned about polluted wastewater and methane ending up in nearby water sources. "They're coming in very quickly at this point," said Bruce Ferguson, a member of the activist group, an hour before the planned mailing of the comments. Ferguson said the group received about 1,000 comments a day since they began calling for people's letters 12 days beforehand. He said Catskill Citizens has almost 9,000 members, most of which are located around Sullivan County, where the group operates. However, Ferguson said the group has members outside New York and people sent comments from states like Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Texas. Ferguson said the DEC accepts public comments from outside the state. Catskill Citizens also invited people to submit comments digitally. The group provided a different example letter for 20 different topics regarding hydrofracking and encouraged submitters to use the examples as a base for a unique letter. Ferguson said the most popular comment was water contamination, totaling around 700 comments. Other topics, such as radioactivity and proprietary chemicals totaled around 400-500 comments apiece. Ferguson said the amount of unique comments per topic totaled about 25 percent. "People are taking advantage," Ferguson said, about participation in public comments. "We are on the front lines of New York, there's no question of that." [Full Story] Jan 12, 2012 EPA weighs in on fracking in N.Y. Federal agency faults some DEC proposals Elmira Star-Gazette Jon Campbell ALBANY -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is urging New York regulators to take steps to bolster the state's proposed hydraulic fracturing rules, providing a meticulous, line-by-line critique of its 1,500-page report. Beating a midnight Wednesday deadline to submit comments by less than three hours, the federal agency recommended dozens of ways for the Department of Environmental Conservation to strengthen its hydrofracking proposals. Those suggestions include beefing up a ban on the technique within two major water supplies and taking a closer look at naturally occurring radioactive material found in gas-drilling waste. [Full Story] Jan 12, 2012 Fracking’s future in the US comes down to upcoming New York State decisions Nature News Blog Brian Owens New York State is the key battleground that will determine the future of fracking in the U.S., and January 11, 2012, was a turning point. The date ended the public comment period on proposed state regulations that will govern the process: drilling into deep Marcellus shales, fracturing the rock with water and chemicals to release natural gas, and disposing of the resulting wastewater that flows back up the well with the gas. When the comment period opened back in September, few industry or government leaders anticipated the massive antifracking movement that would arise, which has galvanized resistance in states nationwide. The New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), which regulates drilling, has received 21,000 comments to its proposed rules. Officials there say they cannot remember receiving more than 1,000 comments on any prior environmental issue. Opposition to fracking has become a central plank in the Occupy movement, and the attention in New York has prompted other state leaders such as New Jersey Governor Chris Christie to stop or slow the process of allowing drilling until deeper scientific investigation is done. The primary concern is that the practice could contaminate drinking water supplies. [Full Story] Jan 12, 2012 Economist to discuss frack impact Press Connects BINGHAMTON — The economics behind hydrofracking will be the subject of a Jan. 19 lecture by economist Deborah Rogers, set to begin at 7 p.m. at Tabernacle United Methodist Church, 83 Main St. The event is being sponsored by Shaleshock, Gas Drilling Awareness for Cortland County, the Skaneateles Citizens Committee on Hydrofracking and the Skaneateles Lake Association, SUNY Cortland CGIS Environmental Justice Committee, the Cortland County League of Women Voters and New York Residents Against Drilling. [Full Story] Jan 12, 2012 Natural Gas Industry Pumps $1.34 Million To New York Politicians To Push Fracking Think Progress Guest Blogger The New York State legislature is debating whether to allow hydrofracking in the state. The natural gas industry is hoping to have its say, contributing $1.34 million to state politicians and parties over the last four years, including Governor Andrew Cuomo. The industry is pushing for the drilling process, also known as fracking, to take place not far from the Syracuse and New York City watersheds. This has caused some concern since fracking can harm the surrounding environment, poison nearby water sources, and even cause earthquakes. But the New York Daily News reports that drillers and utilities really want this to get started: In pushing for state approval of hydrofracking, the natural gas industry has pumped $1.34 million into the coffers of New York politicians and their parties, a new study revealed. The donations were sprinkled around over the last four years as lawmakers and state officials debated whether to allow the controversial drilling process, formally known as hydraulic fracturing, in the gas-rich Marcellus Shale formation upstate, Common Cause New York said in its report.[...] Common Cause’s study included not only gas drillers and producers, but some public utilities — including Con Edison and National Grid — that have stakes in gas distribution networks, Lerner said. The bulk of gas industry donations — some 75% — went to candidates for state legislature, including $448,359 given to Republican state Senate candidates and their campaign organizations. Another $217,901 was spent on Democratic candidates for state Senate and their campaign organizations. Gov. Cuomo’s campaign committee took in $153,816 from the gas industry, according to Common Cause. [Full Story] Jan 11, 2012 Gas companies "release" some leases Times Journal of Schoharie County Patsy Nicosia and Carlisle, and Utica Energy of Ohio, which has leases in Cobleskill as well as in Sharon, have notified 17 landowners that they've been "released" from their leases. In effect, that cancels the leases, signed in 2007 and 2008. That's welcome news for some but not so much for others. Lisa Zaccaglini, who's been leading anti-hydrofracking efforts in Sharon, said she's holding off on the celebrating-especially since Gastem has also said it will be dropping leases in Otsego County. "It's good news, but I won't be breaking out the champagne until everyone in Schoharie County has their leases released," Ms. Zaccaglini said, adding, "And then, of course, we still have New York State and DEC to worry about. [Full Story] Jan 11, 2012 Super fracking goes deeper to pump up production Fuel Fix As regulators and environmentalists study whether hydraulic fracturing can damage the environment, industry scientists are studying ways to create longer, deeper cracks in the earth to release more oil and natural gas. Energy companies are focused on boosting production and lowering costs associated with so-called fracking, a technique that uses high-pressure injections of water, sand and chemicals to break apart petroleum-saturated rock. The more thoroughly the rock is cracked, the more oil and gas will flow from each well. [Full Story] Jan 11, 2012 Lung Association Expresses Concern Over Air Pollution From Fracking American Lung Association Jeffrey Seyler, CEO Statement Statement by Jeffrey Seyler, CEO, American Lung Association in New York (January 11, 2012)— In response to the Revised Draft of the Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement on The Oil, Gas and Solution Mining Regulatory Program in New York (dSGEIS), Jeffrey Seyler, CEO of the American Lung Association in New York, released the following statement: Today, we submitted comments to the State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) voicing the Lung Association’s serious concerns that DEC’s draft plan for hydraulic fracturing in New York contains troubling air quality deficiencies that must be corrected before any standards governing extraction are finalized. As written, this plan will increase air pollution in the state, placing residents’ health at serious risk. DEC’s draft plan neglects to cumulatively assess or mitigate the negative impacts to air quality in drilling communities. It is also lacking essential air quality monitoring that is needed to ensure New Yorkers will not breathe in harmful emissions from this process. Perhaps most significantly, the dSGEIS completely fails to assess the substantial air pollution that will occur with the tens of millions of truck trips that will take place with high volume drilling. Unless these issues are addressed in the final standards, we believe that there is a very real and unacceptable risk that the air emissions will make people sick and shorten the lives of those living in the communities where the extraction will take place. More than 2.5 million New Yorkers now suffer from lung diseases including asthma, COPD and lung cancer. What’s more, our State of the Air Report 2011 found that nearly half of the state’s residents live in areas where air pollution threatens their lives and health. We’re concerned that this plan, as proposed, would increase pollution in areas of the state that now benefit from clean air. Such an outcome is unacceptable. For the sake of the public’s health, we urge the DEC to conduct a more thorough assessment of the emissions impacts and release its findings for public comment. We believe that this is an essential step that must be taken before the state moves forward with any plan for hydraulic fracturing and begins issuing permits. ### Editor’s note: The Lung Association’s comments submitted to DEC regarding the dSGEIS can be found here at www.alany.org. [Full Story] Jan 11, 2012 Polamalu’s Gasland Post Leads To Facebook Frenzy NPR- State Impact Scott Detrow Steelers safety Troy Polamalu recently learned what we here at StateImpact have known for a long time: the issue of natural gas drilling sparks passionate debate. The Post-Gazette recounts what happened last month, when Polamalu listed the anti-fracking documentary “Gasland” as one of his favorite movies. [Full Story] Jan 11, 2012 How fracking threatens public health, more research needed Health & Environment Alliance Brussels, 11 January 2012- The US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has called for a study of the public health effects of fracturing of shale rock for natural gas, commonly known as fracking. (1) The call is strongly supported by the Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL), which brings together more than 70 networks and groups working at the European level. HEAL, which is coordinating advocacy efforts on fracking and health at the European level, considers that extracting shale gas represents a major new threat for public health in Europe. (2) The call from the CDC in the US follows publication of a review of health impacts of gas drilling which found water contaminated with fracking chemicals and toxic metals posed the most significant risk to humans and animals. [Full Story] Jan 11, 2012 Both sides of natural gas debate agree: DEC's fracking review is flawed Press Connects Jon Campbell ALBANY -- A top gas-industry trade group and environmental lobbyists on Wednesday offered biting criticism of the state's review of hydraulic fracturing, as a four-month public comment period came to a close at midnight. The Department of Environmental Conservation was bombarded Wednesday with hundreds of pages of technical, lengthy responses from lobbying groups, lawmakers, advocates and regulators, a day after landowners and environmental groups swarmed the Capitol with boxes of letters offering opinions on the 1,500-page document. [Full Story] Jan 11, 2012 7 charged with corruption over shale gas in Poland The Intelligencer Associated Press Seven people, including government officials, have been charged with corruption during the granting of licenses for shale gas exploration in Poland, a spokesman for prosecutors said Wednesday. Waldemar Tyl of the Warsaw Appeals Prosecutor's Office, who announced the charges, said bribes of tens of thousands of zlotys (dollars) were handed over in the second half of 2011 alone. [Full Story] Jan 11, 2012 Shale Gas Bubble: Bloomberg News Confirms NY Times Finding That Fracking Boom Is a Bust DeSmogBlog Brendan DeMelle As news outlets across America take a more rigorous look at shale gas and fracking issues, it’s encouraging to see how the media coverage is finally starting to cut through the oil industry’s misleading rhetoric to explore the realities of the myth of gas as a viable ‘bridge fuel.’ The gas industry’s loud-mouthed front group, Energy In Depth, repeatedly attacked The New York Times for their excellent Drilling Down series last year, focusing particular ire on journalist Ian Urbina. EID’s penchant for attacking the messenger shows no sign of letting up in 2012, but as other news outlets look more closely, they are not only confirming what the NY Times series found, but also adding additional evidence of the many problems with shale gas development. The latest effort from Bloomberg News, “Shale Bubble Inflates on Near-Record Prices,” illustrates how the media’s grasp of the unconventional energy industry landscape has evolved and improved in recent months. This excellent reporting by Bloomberg confirms many of the facts that The New York Times reported last summer in “Insiders Sound an Alarm Amid a Natural Gas Rush” and “Behind Veneer, Doubt on Future of Natural Gas.” [Full Story] Jan 11, 2012 A Mining Law Whose Time Has Passed New York Times ROBERT M. HUGHES and CAROL ANN WOODY IN 1872, President Ulysses S. Grant signed a mining law to spur the development of the West by giving hard-rock mining precedence over other uses of federal land. But the law has long since outlived its purpose, and its environmental consequences have been severe. Mining claims for copper, gold, uranium and other minerals cover millions of those acres, and the law, now 140 years old, makes it nearly impossible to block extraction, no matter how serious the potential consequences. Soaring metal prices are now driving new mine proposals across the West. Oregon’s Chetco River is one example. The river’s gin-clear waters teem with wild trout and salmon, including giant Chinook salmon tipping scales at more than 60 pounds. In 1988, Congress designated the Chetco a national wild and scenic river “to be protected for the benefit of present and future generations.” But the river is now threatened by proposals to mine gold along almost half of its approximately 55-mile length. Suction dredges would vacuum up the river bottom searching for gold, muddying water and disrupting clean gravel that salmon need to spawn. Despite the Chetco’s rich fishery and status as a wild and scenic river, the United States Forest Service is virtually powerless to stop the mining because of the 1872 law. As Michael P. Dombeck, a former chief of the Forest Service, explained to a Senate committee in 2008, “it is nearly impossible to prohibit mining under the current framework of the 1872 mining law, no matter how serious the impacts might be.” Under the law, mining companies — not the government — decide whether and where to file their claims on public land. (National parks, monuments and wilderness areas are excluded.) Federal agencies review the plans, but they are approved as a matter of course. Mining companies pledge to protect rivers threatened by their operations. But the industry’s track record hardly inspires confidence. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that headwater streams in 40 percent of Western watersheds are polluted by mining. A scientific review in 2006 of 25 modern Western mines by the environmental group Earthworks found that more than three-fourths resulted in water contamination. Over all, the E.P.A. has estimated that it will cost $20 billion to $54 billion to clean up abandoned mine sites. As fisheries scientists, we are deeply concerned about the impact mining has had on our nation’s dwindling fisheries and the inadequacy of the 1872 law to regulate modern mining. In contrast to the pick-and-shovel operations of a century ago, most modern mines are large-scale operations that use toxic chemicals to extract metals from the ore, and they generate vast amounts of mine waste. After these mines close, treating the polluted water in perpetuity is often necessary. At Oregon’s Formosa mine, for instance, toxic metal-laden drainage from mines is contaminating 18 miles of prime salmon habitat. In Montana, the Zortman Landusky Mine has polluted a dozen streams with arsenic, selenium and other harmful metals. The acidic runoff will continue for centuries. Last year, the Kensington mine in Alaska was permitted to dispose of toxic mine waste directly into a freshwater lake, decimating its native fish population. The Rock Creek and Montanore mines are proposing to tunnel under the Cabinet Mountains Wilderness in Montana. Scientists predict that these mines will deplete flows in wilderness streams, including essential habitat for the region’s threatened bull trout. At the request of members of the Oregon Congressional delegation, the Forest Service proposed to withdraw a portion of the Chetco River temporarily from the jurisdiction of the 1872 mining law while seeking additional protection. This type of stopgap effort highlights the need for a comprehensive overhaul of the archaic law. In a 2010 paper published in the journal Fisheries, we recommended important mining policy changes. Federal land managers must have discretion to balance mining with other land uses, and say “no” to mine proposals when necessary. No mines should be approved that can result in perpetual water pollution. There should be clear environmental standards, requirements to restore fish and wildlife habitat to pre-mining conditions and sufficient reclamation bonds to cover the full cost of cleanup. A dedicated source of funding should be established to pay for cleanup of the thousands of abandoned mines that continue to pollute our streams. The mining industry has powerful friends in Washington, however, and nothing has come of our proposals or of other reform efforts. Now Representative Edward J. Markey, Democrat of Massachusetts, is pushing a measure that would require mining companies to pay a royalty equal to what other industries have been paying for decades, provide safeguards for clean water and give communities and agencies a say about where mining is permitted. The bill merits broad bipartisan support. It is unwise to let this 140-year-old law continue to operate at the expense of clean water, healthy fisheries, public lands and taxpayer dollars. America’s mining law must be brought into the 21st century. Robert M. Hughes and Carol Ann Woody are fisheries scientists based in Corvallis, Ore., and Anchorage, respectively. [Full Story] Jan 11, 2012 State Gets 20,000 Comments on Its Gas Drilling Rules by Deadline New York Times Mireya Navarro After taking over 20,000 public comments, more than on any issue they have ever faced, New York environmental officials are getting ready for the final phase of work on their proposal to allow hydrofracking of natural gas in the state. Wednesday was the deadline for people to make their opinions heard on a draft of the state’s environmental impact statement and proposed regulations governing the hydraulic gas drilling process. The first task facing state environmental officials is to cull any new information from those comments after three years of debate and two rounds of hearings. They have not said when they expect to be done fine-tuning the environmental document and rules, beyond saying that the work will be completed this year. Across the state, a sharp divide was evident this week on whether state officials need to do further study and perhaps hold another round of public review, with environmental groups arguing yes and the gas industry pressing for a quick resolution. Gas industry representatives want changes in the state’s proposed rules, criticizing them as overly restrictive and based on unrealistic worst-case situations. The Independent Oil and Gas Association of New York, which represents more than 400 individuals and businesses in the industry, argues that the restrictions need to be eased so as not to limit development of gas wells and the economic benefits it says will result. Nonetheless, the association says it wants the state to speed its decision so that new drilling permits can be issued this year. Major environmental groups that hired their own technical experts to review the state proposal argue that the state is far from done. Looming large, they say, is the lack of a detailed plan to dispose of the millions of gallons of wastewater per well that the new drilling will produce. The drilling, known as horizontal hydraulic fracturing, involves injecting chemically treated water underground to break up shale formations and release natural gas. Also missing, those groups say, is an assessment of potential health risks from fracking operations, and of the cumulative effects of multiple drilling sites on both humans and the environment. “There are still real gaps,” said Kate Sinding, a senior attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council. These views, and many more — including the argument that fracking should be banned — run through the comments submitted to the State Department of Environmental Conservation. State officials said the level of public participation was unprecedented. “It’s a huge public exchange,” said Val Washington, a former deputy commissioner at the department who oversaw the first draft of the state’s environmental impact statement on hydrofracking. “More and more people see it as a vote for or against, and not as a fact-finding process.” Joseph Martens, the state environmental commissioner, issued a statement on Wednesday promising that “if high-volume hydraulic fracturing moves forward in New York, it will move forward with the strictest standards in the nation to ensure New York’s drinking water and other natural resources are thoroughly protected.” But the Independent Oil and Gas Association argues that the state’s proposed regulations take an alarmist view. For example, in considering the impact on air quality, it says, state regulators assumed that diesel trucks at drilling sites would idle constantly. But state law already prohibits idling for more than five consecutive minutes, it says. Nonetheless, the industry is in a hurry to get started, as are many landowners who envision royalties on gas sales from the production on the properties. “We have received notice of pending foreclosure and our property taxes increase with local budgets and remain unpaid,” Susan Dorsey, whose family owns 33 acres in Chenango County, wrote in one public comment. “Talk about sustainability! I would like to be able to sustain! I wish first and foremost to be allowed to harvest the wealth that I am sitting on, in order to preserve our household intact.” New York City officials, who scored a big victory when the state decided to ban drilling in and near the watersheds upstate that supply drinking water to the city, said they were worried about one outstanding issue. In their submitted comments, they asked for buffer zones of up to seven miles between drilling sites and underground aqueducts and tunnels — mainly out of worry that seismic activity resulting from hydrofracking could damage the infrastructure that carries water to the city. The state is proposing a 1,000-foot buffer. [Full Story] Jan 11, 2012 New York closes heated fracking comment period Reuters Edward McAllister (Reuters) - Final rules that could lift a three year ban on fracking in New York will be finalized by state regulators in the coming months, after a heated and divisive public comment period closed on Wednesday. The New York Department of Environmental Conservation will sift through more than 20,000 comments received since September as local communities, the energy industry and environmentalists voice their polarized views on the controversial process. Fracking in shale formations has unlocked decades of natural gas supply in other states across the country, but has be blamed by authorities for polluting water wells. [Full Story] Jan 11, 2012 Fracking Fluid Spill In Bradford County WENY-TV Walter Smith-Randolph CANTON TOWNSHIP, PA (WENY-TV)---Pennsylvania state police say someone tampered with a valve on a Talisman wellpad in Canton Township. The liquid that spilled is production brine: a mixture of flow back water that comes back out of the ground after the fracking process is complete. The clean up continues tonight as police try to find out who tampered with that tank, allowing up to 450 barrels of wastewater to spill. The spill happened on Aeyrs Road in Canton Township on Tuesday. Pennsylvania state police say someone intentionally tampered with a tank on the Talisman energy wellpad, releasing production brine. “It's the water that is used during the drilling process. It's the water that comes back up when drilling is completed,” says Natalie Cox, a spokeswoman for Talisman Energy. Cox estimates up to 450 barrels of the fluid was spilled--that's nearly 20-thousand gallons. All of the fluid, mostly wastewater and sand, was captured in a lined containment area designed to control spills. “This is basically a standard procedure for the drilling industry, to have these containment areas,” says Cox. The fracking spill that happened in Canton Township is very similar to a different spill that happened just a month ago near a Talisman wellpad in Warren Township. Back in December, a Talisman contractor intentionally dumped 800 gallons of fracking fluid on Pennsylvania state game lands in Warren Township, Bradford County. 27-year old Josh Foster remains in Bradford County lockup after admitting to illegal dumping for that incident. “Throughout all of our operations, we always take safety and security to the highest extent,” says Cox. State police are investigating. No arrests have been made. [Full Story] Jan 11, 2012 N.Y. Gov. Andrew Cuomo Sidesteps Natural Gas Hydrofracking Controversies DC Bureau Peter Mantius ALBANY, N.Y. — Ignoring taunts from anti-hydrofracking protestors marching outside, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo delivered a nearly hour-long State of the State address to lawmakers Jan. 4 without mentioning the hot-button gas drilling technique. In his speech, the governor skipped over a section of his prepared remarks that had promised to deliver in 2012 both the state’s final rules for new gas well permits and recommendations from his own gas drilling advisory panel. Asked about the omission, Cuomo spokesman Matt Wing said of his boss’ hydrofracking policy: “We are still waiting for the facts … We base everything on facts.” While he’s been hunting facts, the governor has been postponing tough decisions on how to adequately fund state environmental regulators and — even more challenging — how to tax the industry. He has also sidestepped controversial stands on which local and regional bans on hydrofracking are valid and on whether the state needs to set up a damage recovery fund paid for by gas drillers. [Full Story] Jan 11, 2012 Draft SGEIS Comments from American Lung Association American Lung Association Jeffrey Seyler CEO Dear Commissioner Martens: The American Lung Association in New York is pleased to offer comments on the Revised Draft of the Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement On The Oil, Gas and Solution Mining Regulatory Program in New York (dSGEIS). We urge the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to adopt the strongest possible standards to reduce harmful emissions from the production wells, processing plants, transmission pipelines, storage units, engines and vehicles associated with extraction of natural gas. As the leading public health organization focused on the respiratory health of New Yorkers, the Lung Association in New York is keenly aware of the harmful health effects these air pollutants cause. Research has shown that these pollutants can harm the circulatory, respiratory, nervous, and other essential and vital life systems. These emissions can even cause cancer, developmental disorders, and premature death. The cleanup of air pollution from activities associated with natural gas wells is necessary for the protection of public health, appropriate to undertake, and of growing importance. [Full Story] Jan 11, 2012 A Deadline for Fracking Comments The New York Times MIREYA NAVARRO As if the recent series of hearings and the invitation for written comments from the public were not enough, contingents from both sides of the fracking issue in New York State organized rallies and press conferences this week in anticipation of the close of the comment period on the state’s proposed gas drilling regulations on Wednesday. On Tuesday, gas industry representatives and supporters of the extraction process known as horizontal hydraulic fracturing hand-delivered thousands of letters to state officials in Albany arguing for the economic benefits of horizontal hydraulic fracturing. The drilling method involves injecting chemically treated water into shale formations underground under high pressure to release natural gas. “Capitalizing on the tremendous opportunity offered by Marcellus Shale development will help reduce our dependence on foreign oil, produce private-sector jobs and attract investment”, said Heather Briccetti, the president of the Business Council of New York State, which is part of a pro-fracking coalition that calls itself Clean Growth Now. Not to be outdone, environmental and grass-roots groups hand-delivered more than 12,000 comments, nearly 500 letters and a petition with more than 20,000 signatures to the state Department of Environmental Conservation and Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office. The gist of the feedback was that the state proposal is still deficient after revisions and needs significant further work. “The comment period on New York’s flawed fracking proposals is almost over, but our fight to protect our waters and communities goes on,” said Katherine Nadeau, water and natural resources program director for Environmental Advocates of New York. The Department of Environmental Conservation is accepting comment at its Web site or by mail received or postmarked by Wednesday (Jan. 11): dSGEIS Comments, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, 625 Broadway, Albany, N.Y., 12233-6510. [Full Story] Jan 10, 2012 Drilling Critics Face a Divide Over the Goal of Their Fight The New York Times Peter Applebome With a deadline looming this week for the public to weigh in on gas drilling in New York State, the antifracking movement itself has become divided over what its goal should be: securing the nation’s toughest regulations, or winning an outright ban? The question is pitting brand-name organizations like the Sierra Club, the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Nature Conservancy, which are working nationwide for stringent rules, against an ever-growing universe of grass-roots groups demanding a prohibition on the kind of intensive shale gas drilling being proposed in the state. And it is reflecting the tightrope being walked by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo between an economically potent industry and many landowners eager for drilling on one side, and on the other a movement that has become one of the most powerful environmental and citizens campaigns in state history. Whatever the result, the split among the industry critics reflects how the opposition has exponentially hardened since fracking emerged as a statewide issue in 2008. “When we started out, what we wanted was more information on what this means for New York,” said Wes Gillingham, program director for Catskill Mountainkeeper, one of the first groups to focus on the issue. “No one had any thought about calling for a ban. But the more you find out about gas drilling and how it’s been practiced by the industry today, the more you realize it can’t be done safely. It would just be a disaster for New York State.” Mr. Gillingham said he had worked closely and effectively with national groups. Still, he said: “For the average person on the ground over the Marcellus Shale who is living with this issue, the fact that the national groups are not saying, ‘Not here, no way,’ is shocking to them.” Wednesday is the deadline for comments about the state’s proposed drilling regulations and environmental impact statement to guide gas development in New York. So far, the State Department of Environmental Conservation has received 20,800 comments, far more than any other issue in its history. Officials say they do not know of any other issue that received 1,000 comments. Drilling could start up after the state adopts new regulations, perhaps this spring. After previously indicating his agency expected drilling to resume at some point this year, Joseph Martens, commissioner of the conservation department, said in October that it was not clear whether any drilling would proceed this year. Representatives of national groups, like Kate Sinding of the Natural Resources Defense Council and Roger Downs of the Sierra Club, are widely regarded as key players who asked the right questions and provided the technical expertise that helped produce what has, in effect, been an almost four-year moratorium on new gas drilling in New York State. At issue is a process called high-volume hydraulic fracturing, or hydrofracking, which involves injecting millions of gallons of chemically treated water underground to break up shale formations and release natural gas. Questions about the safety of the process have helped move some environmentalists from an enthusiastic embrace of gas to a much more measured one that still sees it as an essential part of the available energy mix. “I guess I would say that, in fairness, the N.R.D.C.’s position has evolved — in New York and more broadly as well,” Ms. Sinding said. “So we’re very concerned not only with having the best regulations in place, but with the extent to which drilling is going to be allowed to happen at all in the state. “But we haven’t called for a ban because we continue to believe that, in all likelihood, some amount of drilling is going to happen, and it’s important to be present at the table so we have regulations that ensure that whatever is done will be done as safely as possible.” Many of those involved said it was unlikely that Governor Cuomo would turn his back on the gas industry and ban drilling in the rich Marcellus and Utica shale deposits covering much of the economically depressed southern and western reaches of the state. But a push for local and statewide bans has become an increasing focus of the opposition. Drilling critics have far outnumbered supporters during the public comment period, but the conservation department has also heard from the gas industry and landowners who hoped to lease their property for drilling. Many of them say New York has already delayed for too long, and is paying a price. “I think the governor’s office recognizes that this has gotten much beyond the science and has become an emotional issue or a cause célèbre for certain elements,” said Dennis Holbrook, executive vice president of Norse Energy in Buffalo, who has been active in the industry in the state for 35 years. “It’s time to move the process forward.” National environmental groups have a complicated history with natural gas. Several, particularly the Sierra Club, have seen it as a bridge fuel toward renewable sources that was cleaner than coal and oil, and a preferred alternative to common mining practices. The relationship between the gas industry and some environmentalists has frayed as the potential impacts of gas drilling, particularly the effects on drinking water supplies, have become apparent in the Western States and in Pennsylvania. Now some former advocates of gas see it not just as an alternative to oil and coal, but also as something crowding out renewable resources like wind and solar power. But many fracking critics still see the old ties at work. Claire Sandberg was one of the two founders of Frack Action, which started up in 2010 largely because some antifracking activists worried that established environmentalists seemed resigned to living with gas drilling. “I think the national groups got themselves in a real bind,” she said. “They entered into a marriage of convenience with natural gas because it was too daunting to try to take on coal and gas at the same time. Now they find themselves with a mutiny on their hands.” “It’s time for the environmental movement to grow a spine,” she added. Many close to the process say that the fight will become far more complicated than simply deciding whether to ban or to regulate. Options in between could include a ban until further studies are done; rules so tough they amount to a de facto prohibition; bans in parts of the state, like those close to water supplies; regulations that would keep out all but the most responsible companies; and allowing drilling to resume with a pilot program in an area with a history of drilling. Some involved with the issue say that despite differences, diverse fracking opponents have found ways to work together, and that they will almost certainly need the technical knowledge and the procedural savvy of longtime environmentalists, as well as the passion of the grass-roots groups. “You have a lot of bricks being thrown at the national organizations, but I don’t really think there’s as much difference as some people want to see,” said Bruce Ferguson, a founding member of Catskill Citizens for Safe Energy, which supports a ban. “No one wants to see fracking go forward under the current regime or the way it’s being done in Pennsylvania. Everyone agrees on that.” [Full Story] Jan 10, 2012 Study needed on shale gas effects on health: group Yahoo! News Ayesha Rascoe, Reuters ARLINGTON, Virginia (Reuters) - The public health effects of shale gas development need to be rigorously studied as production rapidly spreads in the United States, public health professionals and advocates said on Monday. Advances in the hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, drilling technique have revolutionized the natural gas industry, but researchers said more must be done to evaluate what the shale boom means for the those living near wells. Health groups have concerns including possible air and water pollution from fracking, especially since some operations take place very close to homes and schools. "We are leaping before we are looking," said Jerome Paulson, of the Mid-Atlantic Center for Children's Health and the Environment, at a conference focused on shale gas and public health. "Those who are drilling and extracting ... have not done the human health research and ecological studies to assure that the process and chemicals they use are the least hazardous possible," Paulson said. The Mid-Atlantic center and Physicians, Scientists and Engineers for Healthy Energy sponsored the conference with hopes of setting up a consortium to collect and assess scientific data on the effects of shale development on the public. Past studies of shale gas development have provided varying results sometimes even when they were based on the same information, said Vikas Kapil, a chief medical officer at the Centers for Disease Control. [Full Story] Jan 10, 2012 One More Day to Act: Gas Drilling May Begin in New York Soon Alternet Sabrina Artel Drilling could start as soon as this spring in New York State. Wednesday, January 11 is the deadline for public comments to the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) on the draft of the SGEIS that would provide the guidelines for industrial gas drilling and fracking throughout the state. Drilling opponents have outnumbered pro-drillers during the public hearings and the DEC is required to read each letter before they can move forward with a decision. Letters are being accepted by anyone from the United States and Catskills Citizens for Safe Energy, a volunteer citizens organization based in Sullivan County has sample letters that can be used that address the multiplicity of issues such as, radioactivity, proprietary chemicals, no public health analysis, home rule, conflict of interest and many other concerns regarding the dSGEIS. Congressman Maurice Hinchey just submitted his letter to the DEC urging a withdrawal of the SGEIS. [Full Story] Jan 10, 2012 Environmental Coalition Concludes New York State DEC’s Fracking Proposal Too Fatally Flawed to Move Forward Common Dreams Press Release WASHINGTON - January 10 - Catskill Mountainkeeper, Delaware Riverkeeper Network, Earthjustice, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), and Riverkeeper, Inc. announced today that, after extensive evaluation and technical expert review, they have concluded that the state must go back and revisit significant aspects of its revised draft Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement (RDSGEIS) before fracking can move forward. Tomorrow, the groups are submitting over 500 pages of joint comments on the RDSGEIS and draft high volume horizontal hydraulic fracturing (HVHF) regulations. The comments will include review from the groups’ technical expert consultants – Louis Berger Group, Inc., Dr. Tom Myers (hydrology), Dr. Glenn Miller (toxicology), Dr. Susan Christopherson (economics), Meliora Environmental Design (water quality), Harvey Consulting (petroleum engineering, air quality), Dr. Ralph Seiler (toxicology), Kevin Heatley (terrestrial and restoration ecology), Dr. Kimberly Knowlton (climate), and Dr. Gina Solomon (health). These experts have identified numerous areas where the proposal is deficient. Some of the most significant deficiencies include: [Full Story] Jan 10, 2012 DEP head calls EPA knowledge of Dimock 'rudimentary' The Times Tribune Laura Legere Federal regulators have only a "rudimentary" understanding of the facts and history of gas drilling's impact on water supplies in Dimock Twp., Pennsylvania's head environmental regulator wrote in a letter Thursday as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency considered beginning its own sampling of tainted wells in the township. In the letter to EPA Region 3 Administrator Shawn Garvin, state Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Michael Krancer said his agency is ready to help the EPA get "up to speed" on the situation in Dimock since it is "clear that EPA is really at the very early stages of its learning curve" regarding the "technical facts" and "enforcement history" there. Read the letter HERE The letter was first posted on NPR's StateImpact Pennsylvania website Monday night. It was sent to all members of the Pennsylvania Congressional delegation. Mr. Krancer cited the EPA's controversial preliminary finding linking fracking to contamination of Pavilion, Wyo. water supplies. "Suffice it to say that we hope that EPA's efforts here not be marked by the same rush to conclusions and other deficiencies here as it was and continues to be with respect to the Pavilion matter," he wrote. An EPA spokeswoman did not immediately return a request for comment Tuesday morning. Dimock has been one of the most prominent sites in the debate over the safety of Marcellus Shale drilling and development since 2009, when state regulators determined that faulty Cabot Oil and Gas Corp. wells were responsible for methane contamination affecting 19 homes. Cabot has said natural conditions, not its operations, caused the contamination in that case [Full Story] Jan 10, 2012 Gas drilling linked to health problems News Com.au EXPOSURE to gas drilling operations is strongly linked to serious health problems in humans, pets, livestock and other animals, a new US study has found. Australian environmentalists say the study shows the need for caution in opening the country up to coal seam gas (CSG) extraction. University of Massachusetts researchers interviewed 24 US farmers affected by shale gas drilling and found the practice was "strongly implicated" in serious health problems in humans and animals. In one case, 17 cows died in one hour from respiratory failure after shale gas fracking fluids were accidentally released into an adjacent paddock. [Full Story] Jan 10, 2012 Report: Pa. data missing nearly 500 gas wells Scranton Times-Tribune Associated Press PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pennsylvania's Department of Environmental Protection undercounted the number of wells producing gas from the Marcellus Shale, frustrating industry, environmental groups, and elected officials, according to a newspaper report. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (http://bit.ly/weuty8 ) reported that an analysis of DEP data found 495 more wells producing gas, or ready to produce gas, than the DEP has recorded as ever being drilled, and that 182 of those wells don't even show up on the state's Marcellus Shale permit list. The discrepancies with DEP's Marcellus Shale data have caused headaches for Senate and House staff members who have been trying to make accurate projections about how much revenue an impact fee on wells might generate for local governments, the newspaper reported Sunday. [Full Story] Jan 10, 2012 Study links fracking to health risks The Sidney Morning Herald Nicky Phillips A STUDY of the health impacts of gas drilling has found water contaminated with fracking chemicals and toxic metals posed the most significant risk to humans and animals. Most health problems were linked to unconventional wells that have become widespread in the US shale gas industry and often require hydraulic fracturing to release gas. [Full Story] Jan 10, 2012 Methane found in More PA Wells Marcellus Effect Blog This past August methane was found in three private water wells in Lenox Township, located about 10 miles east of Dimock, PA. Investigators from the PA Department of Environmental Protection determined that the gas migrated from a flawed well drilled by Cabot Oil and Gas Corp. Local news reports that video taken inside one of Cabot’s wells shows that steel casing was improperly constructed. Also that methane was found between the cemented strings of casing in all three gas wells on the well pad – evidence, state regulators note, of flaws in construction. How much methane are we talking about? Before drilling, the methane level in one well was 0.3 milligrams per liter (about 0.3 ppm). Post drilling those levels shot up to 49 ppm (measured on Aug. 16) and 57 ppm (measured on Aug. 18). At this time Cabot has installed methane detection alarms in the homes, vented the affected water wells, and is delivering replacement drinking water to two of the homes. The methane level in the third well has decreased to a level not requiring an alternate water supply, explains DEP. Cabot spokesman George Stark told the press that “Cabot is committed to safe and responsible operations and takes matters like this very seriously.” Until a journalist followed up on this investigation, DEP had not posted the results of their investigation. That, DEP says, was an “oversight”. Read more here. [Full Story] Jan 10, 2012 Missing from the Table: Role of the Environmental Public Health Community in Governmental Advisory Commissions Related to Marcellus Shale Drilling Environmental Health Perspectives Bernard D. Goldstein, Jill Kriesky, Barbara Pavliakova Objectives: We review the extent to which advisory committees formed in 2011 by the US Department of Energy and the states of Maryland and Pennsylvania contain individuals with expertise pertinent to human environmental public health. We also analyze the extent to which human health issues are of concern to the public by reviewing the presentations to the public meeting of the Secretary of Energy’s Advisory Board Natural Gas Subcommittee. Results: At a public hearing held by the President’s Natural Gas Subcommittee 62.7% of those not in favor of drilling mentioned health issues. Although public health is specified to be a concern in the executive orders forming these three advisory committees, we could identify no individuals with health expertise among the 52 members of the Pennsylvania Governor's Marcellus Shale Advisory Commission; the Maryland Marcellus Shale Safe Drilling Initiative Advisory Commission; or the Secretary of Energy's Natural Gas Subcommittee. Conclusions: Despite recognition of the environmental public health concerns related to drilling in the Marcellus Shale, neither state nor national advisory committees selected to respond to these concerns contained recognizable environmental public health expertise. [Full Story] Jan 10, 2012 Dimock, Pennsylvania Fracking Rollercoaster Continues As Health Experts Push EPA Huffington Post Joanna Zelman Dimock, Pennsylvania residents may be on the least fun roller-coaster ride ever. For nearly three years, 11 families with tainted water wells in the small town received daily deliveries of bulk and bottled water from Cabot Oil & Gas Corp. The natural gas company began arranging for the water deliveries after it was blamed for polluting the families' drinking water. But back in November, the payments stopped, leaving residents fending for water on their own. Vanity Fair reported that shortly after drilling operations began near one family, their water turn so brown it stained the laundry. Their daughter experienced dizzy spells which left her lying on the floor, and their son developed sores lining his legs. Pennsylvania's DEP found that the family's water contained high levels of methane. [Full Story] Jan 10, 2012 Polamalu praises 'Gasland' on Facebook, sets off fractious debate Pittsburgh Post Gazette Erich Schwartzel Troy Polamalu learned last month that there are topics even more controversial than the defense's performance in Sunday night's playoff game against the Denver Broncos. The Steelers strong safety maintains a popular Twitter and Facebook account that sends out movie recommendations every week, in between ticket raffle contests and aphorisms such as, "The greatest oak was once a little nut who held its ground." His movie pick in mid-December: "Gasland," a popular anti-drilling documentary that's fueled the "fracktivist" movement against gas development and the fracking technique used in the Marcellus Shale region. [Full Story] Jan 10, 2012 Welcome to boomtown: oil production raises health concerns Great Plains Examiner Deena Winter WILLISTON BASIN, N.D. – Steve and Jacki Schilke spent six years searching for their dream home, a 160-acre ranch here in northwestern North Dakota. It wasn’t much to see – an old farmhouse, a few rundown outbuildings and a slice of prairie. But for the Schilkes, it was a chance to return to country life. “We came across this place and it was a dream come true,” said Jacki, remembering the day in 2006 when they bought the spread. “We didn’t ask for much. All we wanted was a little place for our cattle.” But it wasn’t long before noisy drilling rigs, clogged roads and the chaos of the oil boom found the Schilkes and their piece of paradise. [Full Story] Jan 9, 2012 Lifetime Chemical Contamination Fracing WILL Contaminate New York’s Acquifers, Says Former DEC Environmental Engineering Technician; Also, Beware of Water Testing by Shale Gas Companies Spectra Energy Watch “Hydraulic fracturing WILL contaminate New York’s aquifers (emphasis added).” Not MIGHT – WILL contaminate, according to a former Environmental Engineering Technician with New York State’s Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). Paul Hetzler spent three years with the DEC’s Region 5-South managing scores of groundwater remediation projects from 1994-1997. Region 5 serves nine counties in the Eastern Adirondacks and Lake Champlain area. It encompasses the northeastern tip of New York State and includes three-quarters of the Adirondack Park. [Full Story] Jan 9, 2012 U.S. Shale Bubble Inflates After Near-Record Prices for Untested Fields Bloomberg Joe Carroll and Jim Polson Surging prices for oil and natural- gas shales, in at least one case rising 10-fold in five weeks, are raising concern of a bubble as valuations of drilling acreage approach the peak set before the collapse of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. Chinese, French and Japanese energy explorers committed more than $8 billion in the past two weeks to shale-rock formations from Pennsylvania to Texas after 2011 set records for international average crude prices and U.S. gas demand. As competition among buyers intensifies, overseas investors are paying top dollar for fields where too few wells have been drilled to assess potential production, said Sven Del Pozzo, a senior equity analyst at IHS Inc. (IHS) [Full Story] Jan 9, 2012 Fracking on Shaky Ground: How Our Latest Fossil Fuel Addiction Is Linked to Earthquakes < |