The Abington Citizens Network
where Abington, PA residents can share ideas and join forces to build a better community
 

                 
The Marcellus Shale

Fracking in the Marcellus Shale means drilling down , then across the shale  to release the gas for use.  Larger and larger cracks are being attempted. The process cannot be done , and is  not being done, safely, as the news articles & info below on this page will attest.  Oversight and regulations are  grossly inadequate  for a process with so many human and environmental consequences. Every voice is needed to halt this runaway train and to turn towards clean renewables.

The Delaware River Basin Commission cancelled their vote!  Thanks to the Governor of Delaware for stating his opposition in November  and turning the tide .  Many thanks to all who called and wrote the Commission's voting members  to have your voices heard .   Stay tuned for more news .

     Menu for this page : 

What This Is All About ? Yes, it  IS a local issue .....
What You Can Do
Report an incident
The Main Points or Issues
What Do We Want T See By Way Of Change?
Other Laws That We Need
Movies & Short Videos to Inform You
The Latest News and Links  
Groups Working for Proper Regulation
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What IS this is all about ?
Watch : Fracking Hell: The Untold Story
        On youTube - Watch now ----a 17 minute video about what’s happening on the ground in
         Bradford County, Pa -  the disruption of lives and damage to the land the industry is causing.
         http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEB_Wwe-uBM
or  watch :
          Kevin Heatley , biohabitat restoration specialist from PA  
           http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21Jxw-HiEXE

Yes - this  IS  a local issue.  Clean water is something we all need right here in our houses... very locally.   
Here is one of the most recent articles  - an  interactive map where you can click and see how many wells are 1,000 to 3,000 times over the federal limits for radioactive and carcinogenic contaminaents & toxins  in their drinking water -  http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/02/27/us/natural-gas-map.html   ( see more info like this in  LINKS  below)
If you do not yet know the history, in a nutshell  is that huge gas formation called the Marcellus Shale lies underneath a good portion of Pennsylvania.  This would provide the United States with possibly 20 years worth of energy.  We like to think of gas energy is clean energy. But it is not by any means. The process that they propose to use  to extract the gas is called "hydraulic fracturing ",  ( hydrofracking" or "fracking" ), which involves pumping water into the ground to open up the formations and extract the gas. Unfortunately, the chemicals that they use to pump the water onto the shale are extremely dangerous and are finding their way into wells and watersheds. And shale isn't too solidly stable so, the gas itself is going up other fissures & alleys that were an unintended consequence, causing well-water contamination and other problems.  In addition,  people leasing their lands often don't understand the severe consequences they may face to their  livelihoods, their health or to the loss of the aesthetics quality of life features they enjoyed.  Also a factor is foreign investment, which  may even alter the much touted benefit  for the US in the end.

 

The greatest problem for us is the watershed. The Delaware Valley  Watershed is at stake and that is the source of our drinking water.   So we do really need to be concerned.

 

 The gas money as you can well imagine is .... well.....plentiful.    And not unlike the situation with BP in the Gulf, for instance, once they foul an area, there is no historical precedence that would allow us to expect that  they would or could do a cleanup of any significance. We need to have our voices heard above corporate interests.  We need to understand that what affects those just a few hours from us, can deeply affect our lives as well if our water supply is polluted
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What can you do?

1)  A great way to really understand the situation  is get together some neighbors - grab some popcorn and watch a movie .....  Really! ----   Here is info on  where to find them :   MOVIES click here  Gasland    || Fracking  ||    Frack   ||  Split Estate  || Fracking Hell the Untold Story (on youtube - watch now) 
    

2) Write - Inform yourself first ( see below)  then write to your legislators-- write one letter and send it to all of them. Start with your Commissioner, and then find the others here  - Not in Abington ?  - try http://votesmart.org/official_local.php  and inform yourself before voting
         www.marcellusmoney.org how much  natural gas industry $ to co' involved in fracking /pollution etc
         www.dirtyenergymoney.com how much  fossil fuel industries money was collected
 

3) Connect your friends and neighbors -  Watch one of the pertinent  movies or plans to visit a legislator together - or a "Pizza & Politics" night where you have casual  issue oriented discussion groups in your living room---connect your neighbors. 
Food/ cameraderie / information  - what a wonderful mix. Begin to get your community connected - share emails - build an information chain - but be sure to have fun while you do it. It will make all the difference. If you would like to invite someone more in the know to join your group, click here and just ask.

 

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The  Main Points   : * water, air, and  ground contamination put our health at risk from gas drilling * our future water supplies and recreation areas at risk        from chemicals and  the sheer volume of water taken for each well * the process is not  transparent, and what information there is is not easy to access  * there were over 1400 violations between 1/1/2008 & 7/25/2010 * DEP & EPA are under-funded for the oversight needed * the full range of emission of greenhouse gases is significant but not yet available * landowners suffer both financial and quality of life losses, including livelihoods * landowners have financial enticements to lease their land, without knowing full consequences * landowners have  felt threatened they would suffer consequences if they don’t lease * quality of life in the region of the drilling (often pristine mountains ) is diminished * truck traffic, scenic blight, noise, and the  devastation of  recreational land  is evident * waste water processing not able to process frack water properly * the burden of proof that this is safe is NOT  on the ones profiting * taxing the drillers will cause politicians to encourage and embrace more drilling to fill coffers * taxing for clean up and restoration ASSUMES that proper clean-up will not be enforced * burdens of proper permitting,inspections and full  clean-up  should be on the polluter / profiteer * the cost of roads, police and other regional costs should be borne by the profiteer * gas subsidies take $ from pockets of the polluted & increases profits for the polluter/profiteer * renewables are shunned when these dangerous drilling methods are embraced * we need to live within our means, not at the cost of our future * after we spoil our water and our land, we will still have to look for another source of energy * destroyed water and land cannot be replaced  -  affect it now, before it happens * this gas does not enrich America – it is owned by many other countries already * this gas will be sold on the open market making riches for the gas companies, not Americans * this won't meet our energy needs - it will meet someone's - but not necessarily ours.....   return to menu  at top of page

 

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What Do We Want to See Done ?     A moratorium  or ban on further drilling until         A full current air quality study is done         A full water quality study is done   Full standards are developed for   *    drilling well  safety, inspections  and disclosure   *     ethical leasing disclosures & ethical treatment of landowners    *    reasonable conditions for landowner loss recovery   *    all peripheral costs ( like road repairs) to be paid   *    100% restoration of lands, air and waterways   *    full transparency of the entire process from start to finish   *    overseeing that no proprietary chemical combinations are allowed in our drinking waters   *    oversight paid for by the profiteers  *    full insurance and bonding to be held by all drillers for damages missed otherwise   *    no forced pooling of properties   *    the appointment of an office of a citizen advocate    *    funding for legal aid to understand terms of leases and recovery conditions etc   *    requirements for violators to pay the cost of enforcement and of well-monitored oversight of all  processes;    *     the appointment of an office of a citizen advocate      *    full zoning authority afforded to local municipal and township officials ret     return to menu  at top of page ___

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Why Not Just Impose High Taxes To Cover Damages and Compensate ?

The above "change"  anticipates that fracking will be allowed .  Instead of a ban, would adequate taxation provide a solution
Here are some  reasons why taxing is not a good idea

Please consider that :

------A tax, unfortunately, is more likely to  INCREASE the speed of  legislators  in passing permit approval (without any proper regulation or oversight in place), as they rush to  garner tax funds for their “pet projects”  ---- while they have a proven, clear track record of being unable to properly monitor or control the spills and violations

-------- Citizens  already have virtually no voice as to where and how their taxes are used -  so that they find  doggy parks and soccer clubhouses being  built , while infrastructure is left to crumble and  while political allies are rewarded in a thousand ways.  This is a problem everywhere .
 

------Legislators pushing for taxes are on the record saying taxes are needed for  “clean up”  or “damages” – which  means that they are already quite aware that  drillers will not be held responsible for damages, or clean up or for the consequences of their actions  – an outrage.  In essence, they are already ADMITTING  there will not be proper oversight or enforcement.    

-------- Because fracking has a PROVEN RECORD of damaging the air and the water ours and enforcers seem to be overlooking their own obligation to uphold the constitution : as well as their  duty  to protect the health safety and welfare of ALL of their constituents.  Re: our Constitutional Rights:    
 

Article 1 Section 27 of  Constitution of the Commonwealth of Pa says :         The people have a right to clean air, pure water, and to the preservation of the  natural, scenic, historic and         esthetic values of the environment. Pennsylvania's public natural resources are the common property of all         the people, including generations yet to come. As trustee of these resources, the Commonwealth shall         conserve and maintain them for the benefit of all the people.

 

----------- Any pretense that this fracking “destruction” is necessary for our national security, to ensure  a stable supply of energy, would fly in the face of the facts that this energy is being traded as a commodity – and sold in the world markets – to China, Japan, India etc.  We are poisoning our water, land and citizens to make corporate wealth for a few, not for national interests.  

-----------  Our obsession and time spent on fracking  and our reliance on a commodity so easily sold to others, has put at bay the most necessary interests of  our national security and of our environmental stewardship  …..the pursuit of  alternative, clean, renewable fuels . 

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Other Laws That We Need
                Laws that require renewable resources to be bought  before the purchase of non-renewable  resources
                Laws that require that all energy  companies  ( coal, oil, gas etc ) pay the full cost of the  use of the resource,
                     including all clean up costs  and not extract their profit at the expense of others
                Laws that prevent one person ( or any corporation) from diminishing the property, or rights  or health of another
                      without his permission and without  compensation beyond just "material" value
                Legal reform in total so that the law and true justice is accessible to all  - not so complicated that people have
                      to put themselves in the hands of others that hold the control .

   Movies & Short Videos to Inform You

    Click here for info on : Gasland    || Fracking  ||    Frack   ||  Split Estate  
     You tube - lFracking Hell http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEB_Wwe-uBM
      You Tube -  Kevin Heatley , biohabitat restoration specialist from PA
                explains the consequences of Fracking   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21Jxw-HiEXE

               

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   The Latest News  & Links
           to inform & update  you  
       
 

    Where are the PA Shale wells ?- who is drilling? -etc- how much gas it is producing?-
          any violations at the well cited by the Department of Environmental Protection?
          Updated each month as DEP releases new data. http://stateimpact.npr.org/pennsylvania/drilling/

What is the Marcellus Shale   
http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2009/3032/pdf/FS2009-3032.pdf

More on what the Marcellus Shale is  
http://geology.com/articles/marcellus-shale.shtml

Comprehensive resources site listing counties, wells, gallons of waters, companies drilling etc - There are over 4,000 graphs available at the site covering permits, violations, production, and gas companies - at the state, county, and township levels.some info had with only email registration. Full access by $20 membership  http://www.marcellusgas.org/  

Comprehensive Overview - Thee process of fracking & equipment used -  Names of Drilling Companies- political contributions & what  the latest news is including spills, accidents etc
http://www.marcellus-shale.us/

Water rights and the law - an in- depth review. http://www.wvsoro.org/resources/marcellus/Weston.pdf

An open Letter to Communities Working to stop Fracking  
 http://www.celdf.org/open-letter-to-communities-working-to-stop-fracking 

The Delaware Riverkeeper Network and Damascus Citizens file a federal lawsuit against the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC)  challenging certain wells were allowed to be  drilled without DRBC review and  approval  despite a Basin-wide moratorium on gas wells:
http://www.damascuscitizens.org/DRBC-lawsuit.html

DEP'S factsheet  
http://www.elibrary.dep.state.pa.us/dsweb/Get/Document-77964/0100-FS-DEP4217.pdf

DEP  - 14000 inspection violations in 2010
http://www.dep.state.pa.us/dep/deputate/minres/oilgas/OGInspectionsViolations/OGInspviol.htm

PA drinking water at risk - frackwater discharges into creeks and other water sources a concern
http://enews.earthlink.net/channel/news/print?guid=20110103/4c990ad5-caf9-4c7e-92c7-2a3ca5c9fa00

About Directional Drilling  
http://www.naturalgas.org/naturalgas/extraction_directional.asp

Greenhouse Gas Emissions 
http://www.eeb.cornell.edu/howarth/GHG%20emissions%20from%20Marcellus%20Shale%20--%20with%20figure%20--%203.17.2010%20draft.doc.pdf

A Frank Discussion  by a Geological Consultant  
http://www.aspousa.org/index.php/2010/07/interview-with-art-berman-part-1/
 
 A round up of News Clips ( similar to this list )  - which gives you the latest Marcellus news
     http://www.paenvironmentdigest.com/newsletter/default.asp?NewsletterArticleID=19773

5-10  Foreign Investment by China, Norway and Japan among others  could have far-reaching effects  
http://www.usainbounddeals.com/2010/05/articles/deals-developments/international-players-vie-to-invest-in-marcellus-shale-projects/

 Hear  about natural gas drilling and fracking in Texas. This is what we have to look forward to in Pennsylvania if we don't stand up for our rights, now. http://vimeo.com/18086098  --noise, rashes,  fouled  water ....

Chief Oil and Gas Subsidiary Pays $34,000 Fine, Surrenders Permit after Discharging Industrial Waste Illegally in Lycoming County .     More than 25,000 Gallons Discharged to Big Run Watershed.
http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/newsroom/14287?id=15849&typeid=1

FLIR footage of a compressor in Dimock that shows the emissions into the air in color. None of the emissions are visible to the eye. First see the naked eye view here:
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1435205338799
Then see the same site but with a FLIR camera to show the emissions:
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1435179698158

1-11    Pictures of Hickory PA and discussion of the  problems fracking has brought
http://www.donnan.com/Marcellus-Gas_Hickory.htm

1-11 Philadelphia bans purchases  of Marcellus gas pending EPA review due in 2012- Jan 18, 2011 (Reuters)
Philadelphia officials  directed a city utility not to buy natural gas from the Marcellus. The unanimous vote followed a decision by the Pittsburgh to ban hydraulic fracturing http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKN1813865220110118

A Report Card on the Contract Makers for the drilling companies - the Landmen  http://www.landmanreportcard.com/lrc/

Diesel Fuel Used in Fracking - no permits - no data on proximity to drinking water supplies  http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/business/energy/7406933.html

2-11 The state of permitting and drilling in the Delaware River Basin - permits by Feb 2011
http://weeklypress.com/delaware-river-basin-commission-to-release-fracking-rules-this-week-p2282-1.htm

 2-11 The Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) is being charged with irregularities in their review and
approval process, in addition to the many other concerns with the process:
http://www.damascuscitizens.org/DRBC-lawsuit.html 

2-11 Bradford County residents see home prices fall  85% because of water issues
http://thedailyreview.com/news/resident-tells-bradford-county-commissioners-not-to-forget-gas-drilling-problems-1.1110270 

2-11 In Dish Texas, in the Barnet Shale, a Mayor leaves his town  fearing fracking affecting family's health. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/24/mayor-calvin-tillman-leav_n_827478.html

3-11 Hancock New York commissions a view of their town before and after the gas drilling
http://www.osiny.org/custom/HancockAndTheMarcellusShale.pdf

 3-11 EPA will order testing at PA treatment plants and drinking-water intakes, and Clean Water Action and  Three Rivers Waterkeeper plan suing two sewage treatment plants for violations of the federal Clean Water Act and for not having a proper permit to discharge industrial drilling waste into rivers. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/08/science/earth/08water.html?partner=rss&emc=rss 

INFO 3-11 Map: click on the point where the frackwater enters the river and see how far downstream the next public water supply is located: http://hosted.ap.org/specials/interactives/_national/marcellus-water/index.html?SITE=AP

2-11 Governor Corbett lifts the ban on fracking in State Forests   
      http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/blog/energy/2011/02/Marcellus-forest-leasing-moratorium.html

3-11 Bradford County Home explosions in the area of gas & oil drilling
(search page for "House Explosions" or scroll down to pictures of houses
 http://solomonswords.blogspot.com/ 
http://www.goerie.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20110301%2FNEWS02%2F303019951%2F-1%2FNEWSSITEMAP

3-11 The press was excluded from meetings about the Bradford County Explosions
http://www.centredaily.com/2011/03/16/2586142/pa-newspaper-excluded-from-meeting.html

3-11 The Devil’s Details about Radioisotopes and Other Toxic Contaminants in Marcellus Shale Flowback Fluids and Their Appearance in Surface Water Sources and Threats to Recreationalists, Private Well Water Users, and Municipal Water Supplies
http://www.fractracker.org/2011/03/devils-details-about-radioisotopes-and.html

3-11 Truckers dogde Frack wastewater regulations The PA  House  rejected an amendment that would put more regulators on those hauling frackwater http://thedailyreview.com/news/house-rejects-fracking-wastewater-amendment-1.1115576

3-11 Pennsylvania Limits Authority of Oil and Gas Inspectors :  inspectors policing Marcellus Shale development in Pennsylvania will no longer be able to issue violations to the drilling companies they regulate without first getting the approval of top officials. http://www.propublica.org/article/pennsylvania-limits-authority-of-oil-and-gas-inspectors . 
( this was finally overturned late April or early May 2011 -http://protectingourwaters.wordpress.com/2011/05/04/pennsylvania-dep-rolls-back-approval-process-for-shale-violations/ )

3-11 Other states look to Pennsylvania to learn from Marcellus Shale errors -Maryland among those thinking twice about permitting process or even allowing wells  Spokesmen for gas companies contacted  did not respond, nor did DEP officials. http://www.bayjournal.com/article.cfm?article=4050

3-11 Drilling could be costly to residents   http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2011/04/post_187.html

4-11 - Fraccidents  Earth Justice map of fracking accident locations   http://marcellusprotest.org/new-fraccidents-map
  or  http://earthjustice.org/features/campaigns/pennsylvania-and-fracking 

4-11 Test wells not properly capped - wells drilled through the years all over the country  were abandonned uncapped & are cusing leakage and build up of gas leading to explosions and evacuations. The cost to cap them, even if they COULD find them all, is astronomical. Countless more will be generated in the Marcellus. New York has managed to plug only 125 of a possible 40,000  http://www.propublica.org/article/deteriorating-oil-and-gas-wells-threaten-drinking-water-homes-across-the-co

4-11 Shale gas may be worse for climate than coal   http://www.energybulletin.net/stories/2011-04-12/new-report-suggests-shale-natural-gas-worse-climate-coal

4-11 - Selling off the Shale gas in overseas markets -  like beads for Manhattam
       http://www.tradereform.org/2011/04/marcellus-shale-gas-may-head-overseas/ ).

4-11 Greenhouse gases produced by the extraction and use of the methane obtained by hydrofracking. It may be just as polluting as coal   (http://thehill.com/images/stories/blogs/energy/howarth.pdf ).

5-11 Emissions next to a school http://www.youtube.com/GasDrillingTruth#p/u/0/h4u7e_5NtYg

5-11 Fracking accidents map  - PA has the most --- the state with the most to lose environmentally, and the most lax in regulation and enforcement: . And, the gas industry is just getting started here! http://earthjustice.org/features/campaigns/fracking-across-the-united-states

5-11 Toxic Spills    In 2010, there was 1,155,265 gallons of toxic spills from oil and gas drilling In Pennsylvania. That does not include the 53 million gallons of Marcellus toxic fracking fluid waste in 2010 DEP reports that is still "unaccounted for" in PA.nor other damage
http://protectingourwaters.wordpress.com/2011/04/13/cbs-evening-news-april-12-2011-oil-gas-industry-spills-happen-all-the-time/
 http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/05/17/us-rivers-idUSTRE74G75P20110517

5-11 Susquehanna River in NY, PA and MD tops list as nation's most endangered river due to fracking

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/05/17/us-rivers-idUSTRE74G75P20110517

5-11 Sullivan County Drilling Map w/well locations. So far, 110 permitted, 100 listed, as of May 9, 2011. 
         Total planned = 1500 multi-well pads, 5500-6500 wells, 100 compressor stations.
        http://gmaps.kaeding.name/saved/SC_20110511

5-11  France moves toward ban on hydrofracking  - Policymakers recognize the dangers
    http://www.policyshop.net/home/2011/5/13/france-moves-toward-a-ban-on-hydrofracking.html

5-11  Texas politicians knew agency hid the amount of radiation in drinking  water
http://www.khou.com/home/-Texas-politicians-knew-agency-hid-the-amount-of-radiation-in-drinking-water-122205439.html

5-11 Right of Eminent Domain   use given to gas drilling companies even though the beneficiaries are NOT necessarily the public, but only certain companies ........   http://citizensvoice.com/news/drilling/puc-gives-nod-to-eminent-domain-power-for-pipeline-company-1.1149410#axzz1NCOVvUYR

5-11  Frackwater  affecting farms -  Sandra Staingraber spoke before a hearing of NYS lawmakers about the effects of frack water on children's health by way of food that is grown and produced locally as  frack water impacts the quality of water used by farms  http://www.timesunion.com/default/article/Legislative-panel-questions-industry-on-1398225.php

5-11  Democracy Now video with update on all the latest developments including  interview with Sandra Staingraber on the health crisis surrounding natural gas extractiion
http://www.democracynow.org/2011/5/27/sandra_steingraber_on_the_health_crisis

5-11 New study  finds frackwater polluting drinking wells
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=fracking-for-natural-gas-pollutes-water-wells&WT.mc_id=SA_CAT_TECH_20110511 

5-11  How gas leases threaten the mortgage process - Bank white paper on property valuation & financing

  http://www.spectraenergywatch.com/blog/?p=1272

6-11 Oil Company Shareholders Vote Against  Irresponsible Fracking in Record Numbers
 http://www.triplepundit.com/2011/06/shareholder-resolutions-fracking-gain-traction/

6-11  Prices Fall for Some Gas-Rich Shale Land

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/10/business/10views.html?_r=1

6-11  Gas Co Lobbyists offer freebies to get testimony. A night in Pittsburgh with free airfare, free lodging and free food for telling  the Department of Energy how natural gas drilling has improved their lives.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11162/1153032-503.stm#ixzz1P0RRsa9W

6-11 Doylestown PA  posts warning that lifting moratorium on fracking before EPA has finished conducting safety studies can have severe consequences for the Delaware River as per examples from 2 other severely damaged PA rivers http://oneifbylandbuckscounty.com/story_day.php?p=storyday

6-11 Federal Regulations Lacking  - Frackers enjoy many exemptions from Clean Air, Clean Water and Safe Drinking Acts and from hazardous waste regulations  

http://www.ewg.org/gas-drilling-and-fracking

6-11 Blown Out Gas well --- property  owners  have contaminated water - read note below article to see that  more than sodium  was detected http://www.wnep.com/wnep-brad-epa-briefs-homeowners-living-near-blown-out-gas-well-20110623,0,3576612.story

7-11  An Insider's View as to how politicians, landowners, stockholders and all of us, essentially, are being duped by gas drilling companies and entities http://my.brainshark.com/Ponzi-Gas-Frackers-8298212?v=73

7-11  A round up of News Clips ( similar to this list )  - which gives you the latest Marcellus news
     http://www.paenvironmentdigest.com/newsletter/default.asp?NewsletterArticleID=19773

7-11 Bradford County, PA-fish kill of 250 fish- 80families without water- request for a phone hotline to report water

 and other contamination issues denied, so there's no way to collect verifiable information 
 http://www.rocket-courier.com/news/content/commissioners-defer-contamination-issues-dep  ~

7-11 Penn State  study was sponsored by a lobbying group representing gas companies. The study was reportedly commissioned by Marcellus Shale Coalition   ( an industry organization)  for $100,000 .  The article is being used as proof that fracking would be beneficial, but statistics, for instance about the enormous number of jobs created, are at odds with  statics from the Dept of Labor and Industry   http://mediamatters.org/blog/201107250008  ~

7-11 Bradford County residents finding that they are unable to remortgage their homes for case out because the drilling companies that  bought the mineral rights have mortgaged these - so they are already mortgaged to the hilt. http://thedailyreview.com/news/ward-gas-company-financing-is-preventing-residents-from-getting-mortgages-1.1182565

8-11 Video clip showing the utter devastation caused by drilling industry vehicles alone in Pine Creek Valley PA.
With less than 50 drilling sites currently , the truck count on the mountain roads  is counted at 750-1500 in 24 hr period --- 7 days a week. This is a clip from the movie Groundswell  ( info@resolutionpictures.com)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZZQxe6FiGA&feature=youtu.be

8-11 Gas in the US is NOT owned just by American companies, but is in many cases a joint venture with foreign countries like China, India, Norway, the UK, Japan, and South Korea.Multinational corporations hold no allegiance to the US, the American people, or the American economy - but serve their shareholders and their corporate 'bottom line'. We will ultimately end up buying American natural gas from foreign entities on the global market and competing with the highest bidder. https://spreadsheets.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AttP1cRHZ8J_dGc1SFp4OHlEQ3UtVVl2UDlLYkxxM3c&authkey=CMP4r_QI&hl=en_US#gid=0

8-11 Lawsuit filed to complete analysis before drilling moves forward in the Delaware River Basin
 http://www.delawareriverkeeper.org/resources/PressReleases/FINAL_GroupPressRelease_FrackingLawsuit_8_2_11.pdf

9-11  Hydrofracking may be the biggest environmental threat that Pensylvanians will face in this generation
 http://www.lhup.edu/rmyers3/marcellus.htm 

9-11 Peters Township Pa tries a new approach - attempting to ban Fracking by putting it on the ballot in Nov
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111903648204576552861902466194.html

9-11 Kevin Heatley , biohabitat restoration specialist from PA presenting  in Hammondsport, NY  9-15-11.
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21Jxw-HiEXE

9-11 "Fracking is toxic for kids, suit says" http://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2011/sep/15/fracking-toxic-kids-suit-says-20110915/ & http://epaper.arkansasonline.com/Repository/getFiles.asp?Style=OliveXLib:ArticleToMail&Type=text/html&Path=ArDemocrat/2011/09/15&ID=Ar02704&Locale 

10-11  Quarantined Cows Give Birth to Stillborns
http://protectingourwaters.wordpress.com/2011/10/18/dead-calves-and-silences-quarantined-cows-gave-birth-to-stillborn-calves/

11-11 Fossil Fuels are subsided at 6 times the rate of renewables
http://www.kansascity.com/2011/11/09/3256775/fossil-fuel-users-subsidies-six.html#ixzz1dJ8rIJl2  
 

11-11  - Gas Companies Caught Using Military Tactics To Overcome Drilling Concerns http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2011/11/11/gas-companies-caught-using-military-strategies-to-overcome-drilling-concerns/#comment-118626

12-11 Legislation drafted by activists to criminalize the act of fracking in New York http://www.counterpunch.org/2011/10/13/criminalize-fracking/ http://readersupportednews.org/news-section2/312-16/7866-criminalize-fracking  http://www.buffalonews.com/city/article636201.ece

 

12-11 Cabot (Oil & Gas Co)  water deliveries to replace contaminated water in Dimock have been stopped - Dimock residents with contaminated water see solutions  http://protectingourwaters.wordpress.com/2011/12/02/december-6th-action-save-dimocks-water-deliveries-testify-at-compressor-station-hearing/

 

12-11  Philadelphia Inquirer, "DEP: Protecting Water or Gas?"  Duke University researchers  take on PA DEP Secretary Krancer's claim of "biased science" . Peer-reviewed  research  found conclusive evidence of "higher methane, ethane, and propane concentrations in some drinking water wells near drillingsites."  DEP's mission is to "protect Pennsylvania's air, land and water from pollution and to provide for the health and safety of its citizens"  http://www.philly.com/philly/opinion/inquirer/20111202_DEP__Protecting_water_or_gas_.html

 

12-11 New York Times, Ian Urbina's "Learning Too Late of the Perils in Gas Leases" reveals the dangerously irresponsible terms gas drilling companies impose on unwary, often poverty-stricken landowners . Residents with water contaminated by drillers learn the company is not legally obliged to provide them with clean water -verbal claims are not part of the written lease.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/02/us/drilling-down-fighting-over-oil-and-gas-well-leases.html?_r=1&hp 

12-11  Some actual figures on the amount that fossil fuels are subsidized – while many claim that “solar and wind" are not cost effective and need to be subsidized “ http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11341/1195110-113.stm

12-11 Information about the Bakken oil "boom" - not quite what it is being hyped up to be
http://www.green-planet-solar-energy.com/bakken-oil.html

12-11  Frack fluids are found to be contaminating drinking water
 http://ecowatch.org/2011/fracking-compounds-found-in-drinking-water

12-11 Where are the PA Shale wells ?- who is drilling? -etc- how much gas it is producing?- any violations at the well cited by the Department of Environmental Protection? Updated each month as DEP releases new data.

http://stateimpact.npr.org/pennsylvania/drilling/

12-11  Deadliest energy sources in the world  http://www.desmogblog.com/chart-deadliest-energy-sources-world

1-12 -  'Super Fracking'- drill further, faster and bigger. Doctors call for a moratorium.
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/like-fracking-youll-love-super-fracking-01192012.html no longer content to frack - they want to employ a method of blasting deeper into dense rock to create wider channels with technology, branded as "DirectConnect" . Land-based rigs renting for up to $30,000 a day- so disintegrating plug balls have been  invented to reduce time of retrieving plug balls .  Another technique, called "HiWAY",  can generate bigger cracks in surrounding rock. The number of customers using HiWAY in North America has grown 10 times  in the past year. Halliburton, the No. 1 provider of fracking services, rolled out RapidFrac, to blast open multiple holes at one time.  Doctors called for a federal moratorium on the technique in populated areas until the health effects are better understood.

 

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Groups fighting for proper regulation-       just a few listed here  There are hundreds of  organizations that have been informing residents about Marcellus issues Contact us if you would like to be added or to learn of others not listed here  _________________________ Delaware Riverkeeper  http://www.delawareriverkeeper.org/ Protecting our Waters protectingourwaters@gmail.com Damascus Citizens for Sustainability http://www.damascuscitizens.org/ Gas Drilling Awareness Coalition http://gdacoalition.org/   Gas Drilling Awareness Coalition www.gasdrillingawareness.com    GDACoalition@gmail.com Marcellus-Shale    http://www.marcellus-shale.us/ Gas Truth http://www.facebook.com/GasTruthOfCentralPA Marcellus Protest  Marcellus Protest.org Citizens Concerned About Natural Gas Drilling  citizensconcernedaboutnatgasdrilling@googlegroups.com  Susquehanna Gas Forum susquehannacogasforum@googlegroups.com Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund info@celdf.org Penn Environment  pennenvironment.org Running Water riverwatcher@runningwater.us Action PA (http://www.actionpa.org/) Sierra Club - ACTNET-FRAC-NEWS@LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Penn Future http://www.pennfuture.org   info@pennfuture.org Penn Action http://pennaction.org    Penn Environment www.pennenvironment.org   MontcoDFA.org  http://www.montcodfa.org/ Clean Water Action PEC  http://www.pecpa.org/ 800-322-9214 Wissahickon Growing Greener Delco Environmental  http://delcoenvironmental.tripod.com/ Transition Lancaster http://transitionlancaster.pbworks.com Cooks Creek Watershed Alliance Transition Cheltenham  info@transitioncheltenham.org

 

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Report a suspected pollution incident: PA Fish & Wildlife Commission: 1-855-FISH-KIL (1-855-347-4545)  (details  http://www.fish.state.pa.us/faqpollute.pdf  ) *Take photos that can be used as evidence. Call the EPA  also to report a Spill or Dumping to:  EPA Eyes On Drilling Report all non-emergency/emergency dumping, illegal & suspicious hauling, disposal, etc: 1-877-919-4372  or emaiI: eyesondrilling@epa.gov Be sure to follow up!

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