Chesapeake Sues New York !

Chesapeake Sues New York !

Chesapeake Instigates Legal Action Against New York Department of Environmental Conservation Reuters April 1, 2014 Albany Chesapeake Energy of Oklahoma, announced today through its lobbyist The Law Firm of Tom West, that it had found a surrogate plaintiff, Norse Energy, to file suit against the… ...
Chip Northrup 21 hours ago
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USGS Confirms Frackquakes

USGS Confirms Frackquakes

Guess that makes it official . . . U.S. Geological Survey Confirms . . . Fracking Caused 5.7 Quake in Oklahoma By Scott Kaufman Friday, March 7, 2014 14:12 EST  The United States Geological Survey (USGS) issued a press release yesterday indicating that the magnitude 5.7 earthquake that st… ...
Chip Northrup 2 days ago
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Health Consultants Slam Fracking

Health Consultants Slam Fracking

Which may be why Governor Cuomo is taking his time approving it. State Consultant Slams Fracking State Consultant Slams Fracking  By Scott Waldman 5:00 a.m. | Mar. 7, 2014 follow this reporter ALBANY—A consultant hired by the state Health Department to assist in a review of the health effec… ...
Chip Northrup 2 days ago
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The "Produced Water" De-icing Charade

The “Produced Water” De-icing Charade

This article gets most of it right - oil and gas waste is slathered on roads - mainly because the frackers can't figure out any other way to get rid of it -  but perpetuates a big myth: that there is some distinction between frack flowback and "produced water/ produced brine". Actually there is no g… ...
Chip Northrup 3 days ago
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Peak Shale: The Last Petro Train

Peak Shale: The Last Petro Train

And no, there's not another train coming down the track. Great interview with shale guru Art Berman. http://oilprice.com/Interviews/Shale-the-Last-Oil-and-Gas-Train-Interview-with-Arthur-Berman.html Shale, the Last Oil and Gas Train: Interview with Arthur Berman By James Stafford | Wed, 05 Ma… ...
Chip Northrup 3 days ago
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Chesapeake Sues New York !

March 9, 2014
Chesapeake Sues New York !

Chesapeake Instigates Legal Action Against New York Department of Environmental Conservation Reuters April 1, 2014 Albany Chesapeake Energy of Oklahoma, announced today through its lobbyist The Law Firm of Tom West, that it had found a surrogate plaintiff, Norse Energy, to file suit against the New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), Commissioner Joe Martens, Governor Cuomo and Dr. Nirav Shah of the Department of Health. As The Law Firm of Tom West spokesperson Tom West explained, “Norse Energy has graciously offered to stand-in for my client in this matter.” When pressed why Chesapeake had found a company in bankruptcy to press the matter, Mr. West responded, “My client believes that a bankrupt Norwegian wildcatter more fairly represents the state of fracking in New York.” By their plaintiffs you will know […]

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USGS Confirms Frackquakes

March 8, 2014
USGS Confirms Frackquakes

Guess that makes it official . . . U.S. Geological Survey Confirms . . . Fracking Caused 5.7 Quake in Oklahoma By Scott Kaufman Friday, March 7, 2014 14:12 EST  The United States Geological Survey (USGS) issued a press release yesterday indicating that the magnitude 5.7 earthquake that struck Prague, Oklahoma in 2011 was unintentionally human-induced. The USGS claims that the magnitude 5.0 earthquake triggered by waste-water injection the previous day “trigger[ed] a cascade of earthquakes, including a larger one, [which] has important implications for reducing the seismic risk from waste-water injection.” Injection wells are considered by some to be the most environmentally sound method of disposing of waste-water — which is a byproduct of both hydrofracking and conventional oil production — because they use the earth itself to both filter and contain the pollution. […]

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Health Consultants Slam Fracking

March 8, 2014
Health Consultants Slam Fracking

Which may be why Governor Cuomo is taking his time approving it. State Consultant Slams Fracking State Consultant Slams Fracking  By Scott Waldman 5:00 a.m. | Mar. 7, 2014 follow this reporter ALBANY—A consultant hired by the state Health Department to assist in a review of the health effects of fracking recently published a study that concluded “substantial concerns and major uncertainties”should be resolved before it is expanded nationally. Governor Andrew Cuomo has indicated that his final, long-awaited decision on whether to permit fracking will depend on the department’s findings.  John Adgate, of the Colorado School of Public Health, surveyed a number of recent health-related studies of fracking and published his findings last month in the Environmental Science & Technology journal. He is one of three consultants hired by state health commissioner Nirav Shah in 2012 to […]

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The “Produced Water” De-icing Charade

March 7, 2014
The "Produced Water" De-icing Charade

This article gets most of it right – oil and gas waste is slathered on roads - mainly because the frackers can’t figure out any other way to get rid of it –  but perpetuates a big myth: that there is some distinction between frack flowback and “produced water/ produced brine”. Actually there is no good way to tell where the frack flowback stops coming out of the well and when the produced water starts. So trying to make this distinction – particularly from a shale gas well – is a fool’s errand: it simply becomes an excuse, a subterfuge to put toxic radioactive shale gas waste on roads. Because the local county road supervisor has no way of determining whether the stuff is flowback or produced water, much less what […]

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Peak Shale: The Last Petro Train

March 7, 2014
Peak Shale: The Last Petro Train

And no, there’s not another train coming down the track. Great interview with shale guru Art Berman. http://oilprice.com/Interviews/Shale-the-Last-Oil-and-Gas-Train-Interview-with-Arthur-Berman.html Shale, the Last Oil and Gas Train: Interview with Arthur Berman By James Stafford | Wed, 05 March 2014 23:20 How much faith can we put in our ability to decipher all the numbers out there telling us the US is closing in on its cornering of the global oil market? There’s another side to the story of the relentless US shale boom, one that says that some of the numbers are misunderstood, while others are simply preposterous. The truth of the matter is that the industry has to make such a big deal out of shale because it’s all that’s left. There are some good things happening behind the fairy tale numbers, though—it’s […]

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Fracking Lobbyists Declare Phony Gas War On Russia

March 6, 2014
Fracking Lobbyists Declare Phony Gas War On Russia

At least on TV. And K Street. In order to fast track some LNG permits. So frackers can ship fracked gas to South America and China. The frack lobby and their accomplices in Congress have launched a full scale PR campaign by threatening Russia with a gas trade war in Europe. As part of that initiative, a newly created State Department group is promoting the fast-tracking of LNG export terminals, using the Ukrainian troubles as a pretext. By overplaying the Gas Card, Russia lost control of all of Eastern Europe – including Ukraine. Ukrainians don’t like to be blackmailed into submission by a bunch of Russians, who they fought in WW II – with the Nazis.   But now the US is going to overplay the Frack Card ? Makes perfect fracking sense, […]

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Shale Bubble

March 5, 2014
Shale Bubble

New website pulls it all together - ShaleBubble.org - Simply put, the shale is the source rock for all oil and gas. Once you start tapping shale, you are literally tapping the bottom of the hydrocarbon barrel. This is not something to celebrate. This is a wake up call if ever there was a wake up call. This is like cutting down peach trees to get the peaches. To any person with their wits about them, that indicates that closing time for fossil fuels is approaching. This time, for keeps. Check it out : Shalebubble.org is the joint effort of Post Carbon Institute,Energy Policy Forum, and Earthworks, with the goal of providing critical analysis — using industry and government data — to counter the false claims that domestic supplies of shale gas and shale oil (tight oil) […]

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Ukraine’s Shale Gas War

March 4, 2014
Ukraine's Shale Gas War

Turns out the 1st Shale War of the 21st Century is the civil war in Ukraine. The last straw was when the ousted president Yanukovich sold Ukraine’s shale to the pizza men at Chevron, then took his signing bonus – courtesy of a bag man operation of local geologists – and decamped from his really tacky palace and private zoo to the safety of  Cousin Vlad’s place in Mother Russia. Putin’s intervention is not about protecting “ethnic Russians.” Putin doesn’t give a damn about protecting ethnic Russians in Russia. Much less what happens to Ukrainians. This is all about shale gas, drilling rights in the Black Sea gas pipelines. Not unlike what’s going on in Syria. Or, for that matter, Canadian Tar Balls going down the Keystone XL pipeline through the US. And, in turn, […]

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Amicus Briefs Filed in REXXON Tillerson v Frack Water Tower

March 4, 2014
Amicus Briefs Filed in REXXON Tillerson v Frack Water Tower

Various groups have filed amicus curie briefs in REXXON Tillerson v Frack Water Tower - both against the frack water tower, and for the frack water tower. Here is a list of what’s been filed in the state court thus far: Texas Municipal League – usually files briefs on behalf of its members (towns) in favor of Home Rule.  Brief titled : “On Behalf of a Municipality’s Right to Apply Land Use Laws to Oil and Gas Infrastructure  Not Otherwise Regulated by a Public Utility Commission” – the water tower owner has argued that local zoning laws do not apply since it is a public utility, that it owns the land, that the land was zoned for a water tower, and that the height of the tower is an engineering matter: “let […]

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Frack Front Group Renames Itself as Publicity Stunt

March 4, 2014
Frack Front Group Renames Itself as Publicity Stunt

And it works. They get some publicity.  The 2011 Truth in Advertising Winner  “Clean Growth Now” industry front group – which launched with a publicity stunt three years ago, and then went dormant over a year ago, has renamed itself “The Southern Tier Residents for Economic Independence”  This was 2011′s headline:                Which reads a lot like yesterday’s headline announcing the same group members, same group spokesman: The group’s new alias is dutifully reported by the same fact-checkerless reporters (that dutifully reported the original launch of Clean Growth Now) as a new pro fracking group – that just happens to be made up of the same groups as the old pro fracking group, that died due to lack of interest over a year ago.  And, guess what, the same spokesmen are saying […]

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US House Greenlights Eminent Domain for Keystone Pipeline

March 4, 2014
US House Greenlights Eminent Domain for Keystone Pipeline

The US House has voted to block the use of eminent domain for private interests - with one huge loophole exception – the Keystone XL Pipeline. The bill is intended to block the use of eminent domain for private development – most notoriously for sports stadiums that are financed with industrial revenue bonds and built for one team who can use the power of eminent domain to condemn land for the site. But there’s a catch: the exemption for a private Canadian pipeline company. . . Eminent Domain Authority – Passage - Vote Passed (353-65, 12 Not Voting) The House passed a bill Wednesday that would withhold federal economic development funds, for two fiscal years, from states and localities that seize property for private economic development using eminent domain. The bill would also allow landowners to sue if […]

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Califracknia !

March 2, 2014
Califracknia !

Without importing water, most of California south of Ventura would look a whole lot like a desert -right down to the water’s edge. If you don’t think so, take a drive south of Tijuana some time to Ensenada. There but for the Colorado River goes California. So ruining good water, depleting aquifers and removing it completely from the water cycle by contaminating it permanently via fracking is probably not a great idea, even for Governor Moonbeam. Unless you like the taste of frack waste in your fruits, nuts, wine and veggies. California is facing the worst drought in decades, and Governor Jerry Brown has declared a state of emergency—but at the same time, he’s pushing ahead with a plan to expand fracking in our state. Fracking uses massive amounts of water to […]

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Connecticut to Become Frack Waste DisposAll for Fracksylvania

March 2, 2014
Connecticut to Become Frack Waste DisposAll for Fracksylvania

In a bid to compete with the good folks in Idafrackho for Fracksylvania’s seemingly limitless supply of toxic radioactive frack filth, and apparently unable to sustain its economy with insurance companies, hedge funds, antiques dealers, growing cigar wrapper tobacco, building ships, gun manufacturers, or providing 2nd homes to New Yorker’s, Connecticut’s governor touts the importation of toxic radioactive frack waste as the state’s economic salvation.  There are some folks in Connecticut that think this might not be such an inspired idea - that it might even be worse than a frack water tower in your back yard.  CT Gov. Malloy and CT Dept. of Energy and Environmental Protection (formerly Dept. of Environmental Protection) are interested in regulating frack filth as hazardous waste and allowing the fracking waste into CT, so that the frackers won’t have […]

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Methane Leaks Are 50 % Higher Than EPA Estimates

March 2, 2014
Methane Leaks Are 50 % Higher Than EPA Estimates

Methane Leaks Higher than Previous Estimates >A new study finds that methane leaks from the production and transportation of gas could be 50 percent higher than EPA estimates. It also warns that switching vehicles from traditional gasoline and diesel to natural gas will do nothing to slow climate change. “Methane Leaks from North American Natural Gas Systems” is a policy paper – a collaborative effort by sixteen academics who reviewed and synthesized data from 200 papers published in the past two decades. The lead author is Adam Brandt, an assistant professor of energy resources engineering at Stanford University. In comments to the press, he explained that official agencies such as the EPA are underestimating leakage of natural gas into the atmosphere. Brandt reminded people that leaked methane is a greenhouse […]

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Gastorino: Gas Trick Pony

March 1, 2014
Gastorino: Gas Trick Pony

If Robert Astorino is going to distinguish himself politically from Cuomo, he has to have some wedge issues. In most Republican states, the playbook is clear: bash gays, illegal aliens, gun laws, and Obama. Gastorino is not going after gays or gun laws. Or even Obama. He’s left with making up a wedge issue: hyping shale gas – that’s not even there. He has to make it seem like New York is missing out on some mythological fracking bonanza.  Thousands of jobs and billions in revenue are his hollow campaign promise. (Most) members of the press are not going to challenge Gastorino on how many fracking jobs New York won’t have. Gastorino can make up any fracking number he likes. Until he’s called out on it. Then he can quote the fracking fairy tales in the […]

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ALL OF THE BELOW

March 1, 2014
ALL OF THE BELOW

I was at a meeting in my local area about the Industrial Liquid Waste Plant proposal.   This plant will accept liquid waste from the gaslands surrounding our county and “clean” it to be used for more fracking.  (See:Lake Township Toxic Industrial Drilling Waste Presentation 2-19-2014) As you can imagine, residents who live on and around the proposed site are not happy.   This post isn’t about the pros and cons of the plant. This post is about what one gentleman said at the meeting. Let’s call him Ralph.   Ralph stood and proclaimed he isn’t a tree hugger, but did say he owns a home surrounded by few acres of land which is wooded, and he has no intention of doing any type of development because he likes the trees.   I guess […]

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Celebrity NIMBY Fractavist Sues to Protects His Horses

February 27, 2014
Celebrity NIMBY Fractavist Sues to Protects His Horses

To put this in perspective – while folks in Fracksylvania have their wells poisoned, folks in South Texas have their air gassed, and folks in New York have gas compressors stations plopped down in the middle of their neighborhood, Rex Tillerson, this fracking NIMBY cry-baby –  is bent out of shape over a fracking water tower - next to his horse barn – not his house. His house is nowhere near the frack water tower. It’s just in the same town. . . . The Dory has the aerial proof of how NIMBY Fractavist Rex is suing to block the erection of a frack water tower behind his horse barn. Which should earn him the accolades of the SPCA, and the American Quarter Horse Association - as well as the Environmental Defense Frauds.

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Fracking Health Impacts: The Frack Health Impact Bullseye

February 27, 2014
Fracking Health Impacts: The Frack Health Impact Bullseye

Frack health impacts are hard to study in a comprehensive manner. Particularly when doctors are under a gag order to not talk about them and regulators are paid to look the other way. As this new peer reviewed study found out. No wonder Dr. Shah is taking his time. See where you are in the Frack Health Impact Bullseye. Then estimate how many pizzas you’d get.  http://www.publicintegrity.org/2014/02/27/14302/natural-gas-boom-advances-little-study-public-health-effects-report-finds Report Finds Little Study of Public Health Effects of Fracking A new study has underscored just how little is known about the health consequences of the natural gas boom that began a decade ago, when advances in high-volume hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, and directional drilling allowed companies to tap shale deposits across the United States. “Despite broad public concern, no comprehensive population-based studies of the public […]

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NOT IN MY FRACK YARD: Lou Allstadt on MSNBC Thurs 8 PM EST

February 26, 2014
NOT IN MY FRACK YARD: Lou Allstadt on MSNBC Thurs 8 PM EST

Chris Hayes has been covering Exxon CEO’s battle against a frack water tower in his back yard.  Retired Mobil Oil executive Lou Allstadt will be on Chris’s show to put this fracking hypocrisy into a broader perspective. Watch Lou discuss his letter to Rex Tillerson on MSNBC Thursday night 8 PM EST.  Video here - http://www.msnbc.com/all-in/watch/former-exxon-exec-takes-on-fracking-174059587993 http://www.scribd.com/doc/209353440/Allstadt-to-Tillerson MSNBC On EXXON CEO’S Not In My Frack Yard Lawsuit EcoWatch | Last week, as reported on EcoWatch the Wall Street Journal broke a story about ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson joining a lawsuit that cites the consequences of fracking operations as reason to block the construction of a 160-foot water tower next to his Texas home. The tower would supply water to nearby fracking operations and the plaintiffs argue the project could lead to increased noise and traffic at the drilling site. MSNBC’s All In With Chris Hayes went in-depth on the […]

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Lou Allstadt’s Letter to Rex Tillerson: “Welcome to the 21st Century”

February 26, 2014
Lou Allstadt's Letter to Rex Tillerson: "Welcome to the 21st Century"

Retired Mobil Oil executive Lou Allstadt has written an open letter to Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson, copy here and below. http://www.scribd.com/doc/209353440/Allstadt-to-Tillerson Watch Lou discuss his message with MSNBC’s Chris Hayes Thursday 8 PM. Open Letter to Rex Tillerson Chairman, ExxonMobil Dear Rex, We have never met, but I worked for your company for six months immediately after the ExxonMobil merger, the implementation of which I coordinated from the Mobil side. That was after thirty years with Mobil Oil Corporation, where just prior to the merger I had been an Executive Vice President and Operating Officer for Exploration and Producing in the U.S., Canada and Latin America. I now live in upstate New York. For the past five years, I have been actively trying to keep your company and the rest of the industry […]

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DOT ACTS TO STOP SHALE OIL BOMB TRAINS

February 25, 2014
DOT ACTS TO STOP SHALE OIL BOMB TRAINS

After blood on the tracks from shale oil tank train explosions, the Department of Transportation has concluded that shipping tankers full of explosive shale oil through neighborhoods, and past school houses may not have been such a hot idea after all. No matter what the frackers wanted. . .  Now that we know what’s ready to blow up in those tank cars. In your town, or next to your river. Now all they have to do is fix the thousands of miles of decrepit rail lines and bridges. So that the new reinforced tank cars full of inspected oil traveling at 10 mph don’t fall off and explode. Anyway.  http://www.dot.gov/briefing-room/dot-issues-emergency-order-requiring-stricter-standards-transport-crude-oil-rail DOT Issues Emergency Order Requiring Stricter Standards to Transport Crude Oil by Rail DOT Issues Emergency Order Requiring Stricter Standards to Transport Crude Oil by […]

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Fracking Job Hype

February 25, 2014
Fracking Job Hype

Fracking jobs tend to be overstated. By frackers. And the politicians that take the fat envelopes from frackers. As this new report confirms. State Inflates Fracking-Related Job Numbers Report shows decline in gas-drilling jobs and overstates the number of workers supporting natural gas industry. By Steve Esack, Call Harrisburg Bureau12:03 p.m. EST, February 24, 2014 HARRISBURG — As executive director of the Wellsboro Area Chamber of Commerce, Julie VanNess was front and center when energy companies descended on Tioga County to secure drilling leases on pristine land around Routes 6 and 660 through Pennsylvania’s Grand Canyon. A tax on fracking would have raised millions New York State Mulls Limited Fracking In Southern Tier Pa. gas well explosion injures one worker; another missing The gas companies have pulled back resources amid what had […]

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Why Shale Oil Trains Explode

February 24, 2014
Why Shale Oil Trains Explode

Catastrophically. In your neighborhood. Next to your kid’s school. Even when they aren’t moving. Because those crude oil tank cars were never built to haul shale oil. Simple explanation: the shale oil is chock full of volatile compounds –  including the carcinogen benzene, toluene, xylene, and hexane -  more than double the amounts found in conventional crude oil.  And when those volatile chemicals heat up on a warm day, they vaporize. And when they vaporize, they leak. And when they leak, they can ignite, and when they ignite they burn, super-heating the volatiles in the tank, which can burst, setting off a chain reaction all along the line. Then it’s pizza time for the hole fracking town.  The Wall Street Journal report explains the situation: Crude oil from North Dakota’s Bakken Shale formation […]

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Fracked For Generations

February 24, 2014
Fracked For Generations

All oil and gas wells leak sooner or later. Every fracking one of them. Just a matter of time. The cement surrounding the metal pipe shrinks away from the pipe and the ground allowing gas and gunk to channel up the water column inside the well bore. And then the metal pipe rusts. Every fracking one of them. So really just a matter of which generation takes the hit. Here’s a story of how a whole town got fracked – and there’s not much they can do about. After the frack. If your water is contaminated, hooking everyone up to a municipal water supply will solve all the problems, right? Not so fast…. It started with rust. In the toilet. On the shower stall. Helen Ricker saw the orange stains and […]

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Killed by Fracking

February 24, 2014
Killed by Fracking

Getting killed or maimed on a rig is all too common. There is almost no inspections of rig safety onshore – the work is considered temporary, and OSHA does not inspect rig sites much. There are no state standards for fracking – no licenses, no tests, no certifications. Nor are there any standards for the equipment. So people get killed and injured. And the survivors get pizza coupons. http://www.newstribune.com/news/2014/feb/24/newspaper-probe-questions-oil-field-safety/ Probe Questions Oil Field Safety Monday, February 24, 2014  HOUSTON (AP) — Injury claims, government data and public records of oil field accidents since the start of the onshore drilling and fracking boom in 2007 show the federal government failed to implement safety standards and procedures, according to a Houston Chronicle investigation. The examination also shows a lack of government inspections and […]

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Home Rule for Colorado

February 24, 2014
Home Rule for Colorado

Local communities should have a say in whether or not to frack. Home Rule applies to shale gas industrialization in almost every state. As it should. Even the chairman of Exxon agrees with that. There are no amount of pizzas that a town can come up with to offset the downsides of fracking after the frack – the town must protect itself proactively with its land use ordinances. It must exercise Home Rule over fracking.  There is a ballot initiative in the works to give Colorado municipalities the ability to apply zoning laws to shale gas industrialization- like municipalities do in most other oil and gas states, including Texas. DENVER– Colorado residents energized by successful movements over the last two years to ban or temporarily halt oil-and-gas fracking in cities on the northern Front Range submitted […]

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Spain Discovers a Fossil Free Future

February 23, 2014
Spain Discovers a Fossil Free Future

First they discovered America (OK, Columbus was Italian, but he was working for the Spaniards). Then they circled the globe (OK Magellan sailed for Portugal but he was born in Spain). Now the intrepid Spaniards have led the way again – and discovered a future without fossil fuels. (OK, they still use coal and gas, but increasingly only for peak power loads). Bravo Espana !  Un abrazo fuerte ! Almost 60%  of the electrical power in Spain was generated without fossil fuels last year. Most of it, 20.9%, from wind farms. And a whopping 14.4% from hydro, double last year. This is a country that has coal mines, but coal accounted for only 14.6% of power generation, and gas fired plants, only 9.6%. Since gas and coal are in increasingly […]

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Frack Busters’ Methodology Confirmed

February 22, 2014
Frack Busters' Methodology Confirmed

By researchers at Princeton University and by the University of Texas. A similar peer reviewed study funded by Shell Oil and the Sloan Foundation will be ready on the Marcellus this year. What they confirmed is that the productivity of some shale plays are predictable with relatively simple scaling models – like the Acton Model – which classifies shale potential in tiers based primarily on thickness and depth – from the sweet spot to where the shale becomes uneconomic at almost any price. A concept that anyone that has seen a Frack Busters show would be familiar with. Thickness  of the shale, specifically the target Union Springs section, is the key variable in the NE Marcellus. The only geological joker in the deck is thermal over-maturity. Look for the researchers’ work on […]

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Fractavist Rex: Exxon CEO Turns Fractavist

February 22, 2014
Fractavist Rex: Exxon CEO Turns Fractavist

I was there: Exxon’s Rex Tillerson and the Fracking Water Tower by Texas Sharon on FEBRUARY 22, 2014 in XTO I was there in Bartonville, Texas with NeoNIMBYs Rex Tillerson and Dick Armey. The first time Rex Tillerson and Dick Armey addressed the Town of Bartonville aboutthe water tower who’s toxic emissions and activities would trespass onto their property causing health problems, loss of enjoyment of property, water contamination and diminished property value, I was there. It was a night I will never forget and this is how I remember it. The water tower was first up on the agenda and Rex–as I remember it–was the first speaker on the subject. The speech he made at this town council meeting was very different from the highly publicized, threatening speech he made at the more recent town council meeting. This speech was […]

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Out of Pizzas, Chevron Shuts Down All Fracking in Pa.

February 22, 2014
Out of Pizzas, Chevron Shuts Down All Fracking in Pa.

Fresh out of fracking pizzas, Chevron is unable to continue blowing up shale wells. “Executives are negotiating with Lloyds of London and Pizza Hut to resume operations.” Send Chevron a message- Order your Fracking Pizza from Chevron’s CEO on Monday, 2/24. I have had two workers killed on my properties, one of them was crushed to death by a pump jack.  A kid that grew up on the ranch next to ours was on the Deepwater Horizon when the big rig went down. So handing out pizzas after such a catastrophe is indeed rich ground for satire, but what strikes me as not so funny is the picture of the dead worker and his fiancee. That’s where the laughter stops. And the lawsuits begin. They obviously lost control over this well – […]

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Exxon CEO Supports Home Rule in His Back Yard

February 21, 2014
Exxon CEO Supports Home Rule in His Back Yard

Turns out that Mega Fracker Rex Tillerson, Exxon Mobil CEO, is a staunch supporter of Home Rule – local zoning ordinances, when they would keep a frack water supply tower away from his house – which is located in a town that had a moratorium on fracking. So he is suing  in support of Home Rule in order to keep the frack water supply tower (and the frack water trucks) away from his house. His co-plaintiff in the lawsuit to block the frack water tower is the eponymous Dick Armey, Tea Party lobbyist and Cheney side-kick. Neo NIMBY Rex Tillerson has attacked fractavists, including Josh Fox, as NIMBYs – that use local zoning ordinances to prohibit fracking and fracking infrastructure. Such as compressors. And frack water towers. Fellow NeoNIMBY Dick Armey has been the Koch brother’s […]

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Worker Killed at Chevron Shale Gas Well Fire

February 20, 2014
Worker Killed at Chevron Shale Gas Well Fire

http://www.post-gazette.com/local/marcellusshale/2014/02/19/State-police-hope-to-search-gas-well-pad-for-missing-worker-today/stories/201402190136#ixzz2tr59WV21 Remains Found at Chevron Gas Fire Site Worker has been missing since blast February 19, 2014 11:40 PM Ian McKee and Danielle Desposito, Mr. McKee’s fiancee. By Molly Born and Sean D. Hamill / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette At a somber news conference Wednesday, state police and officials from two well companies acknowledged what the colleagues, friends and family of a missing contractor had feared for eight days: that he likely died during an explosion at a well in Greene County that he was working on last week. State police said during a search earlier Wednesday they recovered what appear to be the remains of Ian McKee, 27, a Cameron International field service technician. Bones were found between a charred crane and a tank on the well pad, roughly where Mr. […]

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The Sandra Debates a Frackette

February 20, 2014
The Sandra Debates a Frackette

The Sandra goes head to head with what passes for a fracker in New York state: John Holko, the kind of frackette that gives real frackers a bad name. On Monday, February 24th at 7:00 PM, renowned biologist and author Sandra Steingraber will debate a gas industry spokesperson in Binghamton. Sandra is a long-time environmental health expert and advocate, and for years has shown through careful research why fracking must be banned.  Holko is a kind of one man rolling fracking disaster: Threatens to build a disposal well, Challenges Home Rule and loses, sues DEC and loses, turns off his wells to spite town, nods off in Frack Busters show, etc. Exhibit B 29 for banning fracking in your town/ state/ country/ planet.  Please join us at the debate to learn from and […]

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Cornhusker Judge Tells Keystone to Frack Off

February 20, 2014
Cornhusker Judge Tells Keystone to Frack Off

This ruling twins one in Texas : A Canadian owned pipeline shipping Canadian Tar Balls to a export terminal on the Gulf of Mexico does not have the right of eminent domain in Nebraska.  Or Texas. No matter how much the frackers paid the fracking governor. You have a pipeline issue ? Tell the frackers to Come and Try to Fracking Take It http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/nebraska-judge-strikes-down-legislatures-move-allowing-keystone-xl-route/2014/02/19/5601e916-99a7-11e3-b88d-f36c07223d88_story.html Nebraska Judge Strikes Down Law Allowing Keystone XL route Video: A Nebraska judge on Wednesday overturned the Nebraska law that had allowed the Keystone XL Pipeline pipeline to proceed through the state. By Lenny Bernstein, Published: February 19 E-mail the writer A Nebraska judge Wednesday struck down a state law that allowed Gov. Dave Heineman to approve the route of the controversial Keystone XL pipeline, a decision that could significantly delay the $5.3 […]

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New York’s Energy Crossroads -Tom Wilber

February 20, 2014
New York's Energy Crossroads -Tom Wilber

Moratorium or Not, NY Begins to Feel Fracking’s Impact http://tomwilber.blogspot.com/2014/02/moratorium-or-not-ny-begins-to-feel.html While New York’s governor Andrew Cuomo has officially tabled a decision over the politically explosive issue of fracking until sometime after elections, his state’s energy dilemma continues to simmer.For worse or better, the Empire State will continue to feel impacts of the fracking boom for the next decade or more. The question is how big those impacts will be. The answer, to a large degree, rests with the governor, who can direct policy encouraging or discouraging both production and consumption of natural gas, and/or alternatives.Even with no decision to allow shale gas wells to be permitted within the state, fracked natural gas and oil are flowing into or passing through New York at an accelerated rate as the on-shore drilling boom continues […]

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Senate Panel on New York Fracking Prospects

February 20, 2014
Senate Panel on New York Fracking Prospects

NY Fracking Benefits Are Overstated By Matthew Dondiego Assistant Editor February 10, 2014 Whether to permit or ban hydrofracking in New York has become one of the most polarizing issues in the state, with proponents insisting that horizontal gas drilling will provide an economic boost to the state’s Southern Tier Region. However, testifying before members of the Senate during a hearing on the economic realities of green lighting fracking, a panel of experts argued the economic impact that hydrofracking would have on the state is vastly overstated. The panel — which included Brian Brock; a retired geologist; Jerry Atcon, a former systems engineer; Chip Northrup, an private energy investor, and Louis Allstadt, former executive vice president of Mobil Oil — explained New York simply does not have enough gas reserves […]

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Guv Wannabe Rob Gastorino in Bingo !

February 19, 2014
Guv Wannabe Rob Gastorino in Bingo !

Be there for gubernatorial wannabe Rob “What Me Worry About Fracking” Gastorino on February 28th ! Remember, “gastorino” means “gas from a little bull” in Italian. Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino has been actively touting the oil and gas industry’s lies and propaganda about fracking all across New York State and in the media.On Friday, February 28, Rob Astorino is holding a fundraiser in Binghamton and it’s an important opportunity for us to rally outside of it to break through his misinformation and lies about fracking with the science and facts. Astorino would like to sacrifice those of us in the Southern Tier to fracking, blatantly disregarding the science showing that fracking would poison our water and harm the health of our families.As he gets more and more attention, we can’t let Astorino go unchallenged with […]

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Moniz Urges Cuomo to Approve Fracking and Buy Pizzas

February 19, 2014
Moniz Urges Cuomo to Approve Fracking and Buy Pizzas

A whole lot of fracking pizzas. Just in case. Moniz’s claim to fame as a Frackademic was the MIT study that found that new shale gas wells - a week old – do not leak methane. Old wells do. DOH. For that he became Energy Secretary in the Obama cabinet – the Uber Frak Flak. So now he’s peddling pizzas in New York. http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/albany/2014/02/8540488/green-groups-disagree-monizs-rhetoric-fracking A coalition of New York’s environmental groups sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz on Tuesday, after an interview with Capital in which he praised the job-creating potential of hydraulic fracturing. “Think of all the free pizzas,” he chortled in a kind of gnomish professorial way. Moniz cited Pennsylvania’s experience with fracking as “fracking amazing,” saying drilling had “enormous fracking economic benefits for the state” that could possibly […]

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New York’s Energy Plan: Much Gas, Few Teeth, No Vision

February 19, 2014
New York's Energy Plan: Much Gas, Few Teeth, No Vision

New York has scheduled hearings on its proposed energy plan which contains a whole lot of gas, and not much else. The hearing locations and times are shown here. There are more responsible ways for New York to address its energy future – other than parrot some gaseous propaganda. New York could meet much of its electrical generation needs from hydropower and wind – but the politicians lack the will and foresight to tap that resource; easier to take the fat envelopes from the gas lobby.  A better route to the future is available:  thesolutionsproject.org,   Meanwhile most of New York is teed up to get fracking dumped on. How energetic is that ? http://www.timesunion.com/business/article/State-energy-plan-calls-for-reduced-greenhouse-5246580.php What:  “NY’s ENERGY PLAN: Scaling up Renewable Energy or Business as Usual?” When:  Wednesday, March 5, 6:30 – 8:30 pm https://www.facebook.com/events/394045477406184/ […]

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The Case For Baseline Water Testing

February 19, 2014
The Case For Baseline Water Testing

Has just been made. Shale gas wells are a textbook way to contaminate water wells with increased turbidity – from drilling the well bore – and with gas – from the well bore venting methane from shallow gas deposits. In NE Pennsylvania, the odds of one or the other happening is simply a function of how close your water well is the shale gas well. The only thing you can do about is to sue the frackers. And to win your case, you have to have a certified lab report of your water quality before drilling commences. Only catch – when your well goes bad, you’re likely to be compensated in pizzas . . . http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/bradford-county-woman-wins-arbitration-case-with-chesapeake-over-well-contamination-1.1637029 An arbitrator ordered Chesapeake Appalachia LLC to pay a Bradford County woman nearly $60,000 for […]

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FRACK WATER TREATMENT-Luzerne County Council Meeting

February 19, 2014
FRACK WATER TREATMENT-Luzerne County Council Meeting

For those unable to attend the Luzerne County Council meeting on Tuesday February 18, 2014.  About  15 people submitted public comment about the Frack Water treatment plant. CLICK HERE TO watch a video recording of the meeting Public Comments start at the 1:27:00 mark  

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Fracked Breathless in Texas

February 18, 2014
Fracked Breathless in Texas

New series focuses on fracking air pollution and catastrophic draw-down of aquifers in South Texas. Emphysema, birth defects, depleted aquifers – all so that some fracker can ship some fracking shale gas to China. How many fracking pizzas is that worth ? By Jim Morris, Lisa Song and David Hasemyer KARNES CITY, Texas — When Lynn Buehring leaves her doctor’s office in San Antonio she makes sure her inhaler is on the seat beside her, then steers her red GMC pickup truck southeast on U.S. 181, toward her home on the South Texas prairie. About 40 miles down the road, between Poth and Falls City, drilling rigs, crude oil storage tanks and flares trailing black smoke appear amid the mesquite, live oak and pecan trees. Depending on the speed and direction of the wind, […]

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The Chevron Promise: If our fracking well explodes, the pizza is on us !

February 17, 2014
The Chevron Promise: If our fracking well explodes, the pizza is on us !

In more ways than one. After starting a shale gas fire that killed one worker, injured another and was too fracking hot to put out, Chevron’s “community outreach” staff left pizza coupons at about 100 houses around the blast site – as they went through the town to inform people that the fatal well fire had been finally put out after 6 days  - but that it might re-ignite. Seems like a real neighborly gesture, until you realize that the frackers probably paid for the pizzas by docking people’s royalty checks for “community relations.” Chevron fracking explosion brings free pizza to rural Pennsylvanians. Because pizza means never having to say you’re sorry. . .  Chevron has plans to take this program international; in Poland, blast victims will be compensated in kielbasas. In Lithuania, locals will be mollified with borscht coupons. In Ecuador, tamales. Get […]

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New York’s Energy Future

February 17, 2014
New York's Energy Future

New York is to be commended for having an energy plan at all. But the one proposed was written largely by the gas lobby. The problem with that is: A. There isn’t much shale gas in New York Which means that B. New York would have to import shale gas, which like propane, is subject to price spikes and supply interruptions C.  Is a textbook way to cook the planet. And is no better than coal D. Which is more cost-effective than natural gas below $6 mcf – and will be for decades So might be better to start focusing on more sustainable forms of energy, like hydro, solar, wind, and fusion Draft New York State Energy Plan Hearings Over the next three weeks there will six public hearings across the state, and we […]

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Crude Awakening: “Urban Renewal” With Exploding Shale Oil Trains

February 17, 2014
Crude Awakening: "Urban Renewal" With Exploding Shale Oil Trains

Got a blighted section of a city you want to get rid off ? Bring in some Shale Oil Trains and wait for one of them to explode. This site and video explain why shale oil trains are more likely to explode than regular crude oil trains. Some crude tankers were not intended to carry the kind of volatile compounds that can make up shale oil. This phenomena of exploding tanks is known as BLEVE – “boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion” – as shown in the video below. If venting gases catch fire, the fire heats the VOCs inside the tank and the tank ruptures catastrophically. Shale oil tankers explode because they may contain a significant percentage of flammable volatile chemicals (VOCs). That’s why they won’t tell you what’s in them, or even where […]

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WHEN THE GAS INDUSTRY USES THE STATE POLICE AND THE FBI JOINT TERRORISM TASK FORCE TO SILENCE A CITIZEN: INTELLIGENCE OFFICER AT MY DOOR, 2.14.14.

February 16, 2014
WHEN THE GAS INDUSTRY USES THE STATE POLICE AND THE FBI JOINT TERRORISM TASK FORCE TO SILENCE A CITIZEN: INTELLIGENCE OFFICER AT MY DOOR, 2.14.14.

Originally posted at: THE WRENCH: WHEN THE GAS INDUSTRY USES THE STATE POLICE AND THE FBI JOINT TERRORISM TASK FORCE TO SILENCE A CITIZEN: INTELLIGENCE OFFICER AT MY DOOR, 2.14.14. I was brushing my teeth, and getting kidney meds into my cat, Switch, when I heard my three dogs going nuts downstairs. I jostled down the stairs, wiping toothpaste off my face to attend to the rapping, and the doggies. There was a man at the door. I thought it was a Jehovah Witness, so I was wondering whether to make coffee. I arrived at the door, signaled to the fellow–who I could now see was holding out a badge–that I needed to get my dogs outside. ‘Barky, not bitey,” I believe I said. The man’s name is MIKE HUTSON, […]

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Fracker Sues Dallas Over Fracking Nothing

February 16, 2014
Fracker Sues Dallas Over Fracking Nothing

To let it frack some park land based on a letter-of-intent signed by one city employee who had no authorization to enter into a lease with the fracker.  And is no longer a city employee. Catch is, the frackers never received any drilling permits, they never got any zoning approval, and, since that area is on the fringe of the Barnett, they would have hit a dry hole. So chalk this up as yet another frivolous fracking lawsuit – courtesy of some shale shysters. http://dallas.culturemap.com/news/city-life/02-13-14-trinity-east-30-million-lawsuit-city-of-dallas-fraud-fracking-natural-gas-drilling/ Fracker Sues City of Dallas Over Right to Drill Dry Holes 2.13.14 | 11:43 amFort Worth-based Trinity East Energy is suing the City of Dallas for breach of a letter agreement related to the City Council’s denial of natural gas drilling permits. The lawsuit references one letter […]

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Photos From Fracking Hell

February 16, 2014
Photos From Fracking Hell

Photos Follow Families Destroyed by Fracking PUBLISHED: 13:01 EST, 15 February 2014 | UPDATED: 16:04 EST, 15 February 2014 A group of photographers have spent the last several years documenting the effects of the natural gas industry on several rural communities in the Appalachian Mountains that have an abundance of natural gas deep below the surface of the earth. The team of photographers - Noah Addis, Nina Berman, Brian Cohen, Scott Goldsmith, Lynn Johnson and Martha Rial - focus primarily on hydraulic-fracturing, a controversial method of extracting gas from below the earth’s surface by breaking rocks deep underground and creating small fractures from which it is possible to extract the gas. The project is called The Marcellus Shale Documentary. It began in 2011 and is named for the Marcellus Formation – a large mass of sedimentary rock underneath the Appalachian Mountains that stretches […]

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FRACK WATER COMING TO LUZERNE COUNTY, PA

February 16, 2014
FRACK WATER COMING TO LUZERNE COUNTY, PA

We all need to take a moment and decide what is really important in our lives. Are we going to allow our children’s and grandchildren’s water supplies and environment to be damaged?  NO! Are we going to let others control OUR futures?  NO! Is it time we took on this task ourselves?  Yes, it is time to take action! Luzerne County is about to be hit AGAIN by the negative effects of the natural gas industry. An application for a permit for a Frack Water Treatment Plant has been submitted to the County for Meeker Outlet Road (the old Harveys Lake Gun Club property), in Lake Township. As a result, three or important and irreplaceable water sources will be at risk. Frack water is known to contain toxic, carcinogenic chemicals, […]

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The Halliburton Loophole … has a loophole.

February 15, 2014
The Halliburton Loophole ... has a loophole.

Many of us have believed the EPA was stripped of their authority to regulate fracking in 2005. Turns out: this is not true! I have discovered, The Halliburton Loophole, has a loophole! This is Good News! Bottom Line: The EPA does have the authority to prescribe requirements which “interferes with or impedes“ the underground injection of fluids pursuant to hydraulic fracturing…  === (now here’s the key phrase:) === … if such requirements are essential to assure that underground sources of drinking water will not be endangered by such injection. In other words: The EPA has the authority to BAN FRACKING Tomorrow! or Today. ding! ding! ding! Please read that again until the enormity of that sinks in. Now I do agree — If you read Section 322 “Hydraulic Fracturing” of […]

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Ohio Frack Regulators Front For Frackers

February 15, 2014
Ohio Frack Regulators Front For Frackers

Go figure. As part of their regulatory oversight of fracking, Ohio’s regulators drew up a game plan to attack fractavists.  On behalf of the frackers. That they were supposed to regulate. Welcome of the State of Oh Frakio – State made plan to promote fracking while regulating it . . . http://www.newsandsentinel.com/page/content.detail/id/458378/Ohio-plan–Counter–eco-left–drilling-opposition.html?isap=1&nav=5072 By Darrel Rowland The Columbus Dispatch • Saturday February 15, 2014 7:55 AM The Ohio Department of Natural Resources, the agency assigned to regulate oil-and-gas drilling in Ohio, developed a wide-ranging public-relations campaign in August 2012 to sell Ohioans on fracking in some state parks and forests. The 10-page memo recognized that the public-relations initiative “could blur public perception of ODNR’s regulatory role in oil and gas,” which would require “precise messaging and coordination” to counteract. Here’s a copy: ODNR Fracking […]

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Frackers Fracking Landowners

February 14, 2014
Frackers Fracking Landowners

Pennsylvania landowners that thought they were going to be the next Beverly Fracking Hillbillies held a rally demanding that frackers stop fracking them – by deducting indecipherable “post production” costs – for “marketing” “transportation” “road repair” and “political contributions”  from their royalty checks – which leaves them nothing. Like their neighbors – who just get fracked – no checks.  This is what frackers do to landowners, they even do it in Texas, where they get sued for it. And in Arkansas, where they joke about it. In New York, the Shale Shysters tell the landowners they will protect them, but some Shysters are in cahoots with the frackers. So they milk the landowners to pay for fracking publicity stunts instead. http://www.wbng.com/news/local/Landowners-rally-for-245596511.html Governor, Senator ask state AG to investigate Chesapeake Energy Landowners Rally for Money from Frackers February 14, […]

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How To Turn Your Town Dump Into a Nuclear Frack Waste Repository

February 14, 2014
How To Turn Your Town Dump Into a Nuclear Frack Waste Repository

For the next 1,500 years or so. Learn how from the experts. Fracksylvania needs a place to dump on and Idafrackho is a long fracking drive. Your town or county may not actually have the esteemed privilege of being royally fracked by Chesapeake, but you can still do your fair share as Americans to get this fracking gas to China as profitably as possible: you can turn your town into a Nuclear Frack Dump – provide a lasting home for toxic radioactive goo that might otherwise go homeless – or, god forbid, end up forlorn in Idafrackingho. Learn how you too can become a Frack Waste Patriot, go to the debate in Elmira on the 26th. http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLo1TDxDrIRYpbeYJeZxf5AyKHhxqX4txU Frack Filth – Fracksylvania’s Gift to New York and Ohio. The gift that keeps on […]

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How Home Rule Applies to Frackers

February 14, 2014
How Home Rule Applies to Frackers

This summer New York’s high court will decide whether Home Rule applies to fracking gasholes.  Attorneys Deborah Goldberg and Joe Heath will discuss the issues surrounding fracking bans and moratoriums at a free public program sponsored by the League of Women Voters at the Southern Tier Independence Center, Binghamton, NY. on February 18th. Deborah Goldberg is the managing attorney in the New York City office of EarthJustice. She is the lead attorney defending the Town of Dryden in a case before the seven-member Court of Appeals. And she has been working on legal issues associated with shale gas drilling since 2008. Joe Heath is a Syracuse-based environmental attorney and general counsel for the Onondaga Nation. He has been active on shale gas issues since 2009 and worked with many towns […]

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Frackers Giving Away Frack Goo !

February 13, 2014
Frackers Giving Away Frack Goo !

To any town or county that wants to coat their roads with a 100 year supply of fracking flowback. Then the locals can figure out how to get the stuff off their cars, trucks, trees, grass, streams, their kids. For the next 1,500 years or so. Think of all the money your town or county will save on de-icing ! Act fast, only a few trillion gallons left. . . . Or your town and county can tell the frackers to take their fracking filth somewhere else, Like some New York towns and counties are already doing. Is your town or county coating your roads with a secret blend of radium 226, strontium 90, arsenic, barium, and diesel fuel ? If your town or county elected officials have not taken steps to protect you […]

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Constitution Pipeline Frackdown !

February 13, 2014
Constitution Pipeline Frackdown !

Hearings have been scheduled on the proposed unConstitutional and increasingly Irrelevant Williams Pipeline  at 7 pm on the dates / locations shown below. These hearings address the proposed draft environmental impacts of the proposed pipeline, here. Would encourage you to go, and would not fail to mention that the proponents of the pipeline – which will cause significant environmental damage and condemn miles of ROW – are unable to demonstrate that the gas field it serves – the Northeast Pennsylvania Marcellus – is in need of additional transmission capacity – now that it is in decline.  Moreover, the exploration and production sister company of one of the pipeline’s owners, WPX, is already cutting back operations in the field the pipeline taps.  If in fact production from the field was increasing, there might […]

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BRADFORD COUNTY GOLDEN GAS RULES

February 13, 2014
BRADFORD COUNTY GOLDEN GAS RULES

What’s it going to take to wake people up?  This is a question that many fractivists ask.   Typically the answer  has been when there is a huge incident. In the past I’ve agreed with that.   However, I no longer feel that something horrific has to happen.     We’ve seen the horrors.  We’ve read about people and communities who have suffered, are suffering from any number of horrific events.    Instead of taking action to prevent it from happening again, we see corporate interests and elected officials promoting the exact opposite. Why? Money.  Lots and lots of money. A 2011 article praises the how well Bradford County, PA is doing with the natural gas industry:   “Chesapeake’s footprint in Bradford County is substantial: it has permits to drill in a third of the […]

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Williams : Fracking Bozos of the Marcellus

February 12, 2014
Williams : Fracking Bozos of the Marcellus

Every oil and gas play has its pioneers – generally the wildcatters that discover the field – and its bozos, the me-too johnny-come-latelys that define where the field ends. The Marcellus has a large cast of bozos in New York – Norse Energy, Gastem, various fracking riffraff. Pennsylvania has its own share of bozos – Hess, Newfield, and Williams Exploration – who is single handedly defining that the NE Pa. Marcellus has plateaued if not peaked. These are the fracking gasholes that want to buy up ROW in New York state to build the Constitution Pipeline to supply a field that they can’t find any fracking gas in. If these gasholes show up at your place looking to buy right of way and threatening you with condemnation, tell them Come and fracking try […]

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And then the frackers explode . . .

February 11, 2014
And then the frackers explode . . .

Forgot to mention that as part of the “fracking health” study. Shale Gas Frack Fires are too hot for local firefighters to do anything about it.  As firefighters discovered at a recent shale gas well explosion in Pennsylvania that killed one worker and injured another while they were hooking it up to a gathering system. If the shale gas well is near a school, house, daycare center or tanker train full of Canadian Tar Balls, best run. Fast. Welcome to Fracking Hell pilgrim. The proposed setback of a well pad from a house in New York is 500 feet.  Look at the photo and tell me what part of 500′ is close enough for your house. In Dallas, it’s 1,500 feet. The proposed set back of everything else – a compressor, tank battery, de-gasser or a […]

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Frackquake Booms

February 10, 2014
Frackquake Booms

Turns out that Frackquakes are louder than the old fashioned kind.  The kind people never had before fracking. NPR (National Petroleum Radio) has the story: Frackquakes Make The Earth Slip And Go Boom by MOSE BUCHELE February 09, 201410:47 AM fromKUT Listen to the Story Weekend Edition Sunday Playlist Download Transcript i Infrastructure used for oil and gas may be making more earthquakes. In Texas, there 10 times the number of earthquakes now than a few years ago. Mark Rogers/AP There’s been a surge in earthquakes in the U.S. over the last few years. In Texas, there are 10 times the number of earthquakes now than just a few years ago. Scientists say it’s likely linked to the boom in oil and gas activity, meaning that people who never felt the […]

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New York Shale Gas Putting Green

February 10, 2014
New York Shale Gas Putting Green

Shown below is close up of a map of the likely economic extent of the Marcellus shale in New York, the so-called “fairway” or more appropriately the “putting green.”  We reviewed these break-even numbers, shown in $ mcf, but we (ie. me) neglected to include the transportation costs in the financial model. So we (ie. Jerry) is re-running the financial model to include transportation costs. We’ve had many people ask us if their town could get fracked. The short answer is that unless the land in the town has been leased by Chesapeake or Exxon, probably not.  If Chesapeake has leased the land, the area may get fracked by the biggest bunch of crooks since Enron. The long answer is that unless the breakeven price of gas in your area is […]

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Shahvian Dissembling

February 9, 2014
Shahvian Dissembling

Dr. Nirav Shah – NY Department of Health Commissioner – giving testimony on his department’s work on the oxymoronic “fracking health” study. Shah is adept at saying nothing in as many words as possible. He has great potential as a politician. He affirmed that the study was “internally transparent” which means they were lying to themselves first before they lie to us. The consultants hired to conduct the study were cashiered almost a year ago. Shah’s department has been sued to divulge the status of the study – the court approved a stipulated agreement between the parties that the DOH would produce more documents in exchange for the plaintiffs (Seneca Lake Pure Waters Association SLPWA) filing a new FOIL request.  See Seneca Lake Pure Waters Association ( http://senecalake.org/ ).  The president of SLPWA is […]

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Fracking Reparations Publicity Stunt

February 8, 2014
Fracking Reparations Publicity Stunt

The Disjointed Landowners are scraping together funds to pay some Shale Shyster to file a Fracking Reparations Publicity Stunt against the  State of New York.  One that is bankrolled by the Koch Brothers. A publicity stunt that, in the case of most landowners, is over something that is just not there : profitable shale gas under their land. On behalf of the few landowners that actually have any shale gas potential. And the gas industry. And the Shale Shysters. The plain fact is that unless Chesapeake or Exxon have leased the land and filed for a HVHF well permit application on it, there’s  probably no shale gas worth fooling with there. Threatening to sue the agency that issues drilling permits might be a bit counterproductive if you have a drilling permit application in the queue. They […]

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Export Gas And Freeze

February 8, 2014
Export Gas And Freeze

That’s the trade-off with natural gas. When the frackers export it, somebody in America is going to go without. Propane exports have more than doubled, so presto, there’s not enough propane available in America. Like gas, there is not enough propane stored at any time, so when there’s a cold snap, the price spikes and deliveries plummet. Then you freeze. In the ’80′s I was the co-owner of a company that converted vehicles to run on propane and CNG, called “Propane Propulsion, Inc. ” The catch is that the availability and price of propane and CNG is highly unpredictable – as many American’s have learned this winter. It’s simply an undependable source of energy. This propane shortage exposes natural gas for what it really is:  The Bridge Fuel to the Freezer. Depend on […]

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No Additional Gas, No Constitution Pipeline ?

February 7, 2014
No Additional Gas, No Constitution Pipeline ?

Pretty simple equation. Adding pipeline capacity is predicated on increasing or sustained production, not decreasing production.  If there is not sufficient surplus gas to justify a new pipeline, there is not much justification to build another pipeline. Likewise, if there is sufficient existing right of way (ROW) – alongside a railroad line, existing gas transmission line, highway or utility line, there is not much justification to acquire additional right of way for a new line. But let’s focus on the gas supply issue first – early indications are that the NE Pennsylvania gas fields may have already hit a plateau in production. See the chart below showing a net decrease in overall production (the red line) See the article here: Has the NE Pa. Marcellus peaked ?  If so, then there is […]

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Nuclear Frack Dump Planned for New York

February 7, 2014
Nuclear Frack Dump Planned for New York

New York is one of the few places where you can  1. ) Dump Frack Goo onto roads as de-icer, 2) Dump frack flowback into municipal water plants and 3) Dump radioactive drill cuttings into municipal land fills – without having to pay-off any local officials to look the other way – because the state regulators have already been paid off.  Such a deal. A frackers dream come true. New York has basically rolled out the red carpet to take frack waste that other states reject. Saves trucking the mess to Idafrackho. Next up on the Turn New York Into Fracksylvania’s Dumping Ground Agenda is the plan to turn the Chemung County Municipal Landfill into a nuclear frack waste dump, as reported here: http://johnnywunder.info/wiki/index.php/CHEMUNG_COUNTY_LANDFILL By Derrick Ek http://www.the-leader.com/article/20140130/News/140139863#ixzz2se7Jvr54 ek@the-leader.com Posted Jan. 30, 2014 […]

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SOCHI WATER IN THE GASLANDS

February 7, 2014
SOCHI WATER IN THE GASLANDS

The Olympics in Sochi, Russia have begun.   In the past the news stories have focused on the Olympians, and speculation around who will win the gold in a given event.   However, in the past few days the focus seems to be not on Gold Medals, but rather the yellow gold color of the water. One reporter wrote “…the water that poured through the faucet was dark yellow. It was the color of apple juice or a performance enhancing drug test specimen. The shower left what looked like fish food flakes coating the tub.” Water in the Gaslands of the United States have been described as milky white, looking like ice tea, coffee colored, or black as well has having some sort of sandy grit or other substances in it.  Additionally, […]

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Two Ways to Get Flaming Water

February 6, 2014
Two Ways to Get Flaming Water

Drill a water well deep enough to hit a shallow gas bearing formation – such as the Strawn in the Ft Worth Basin – that has evidently happened on some water wells, supposedly like this one, appropriately labeled.Why anyone would dill a water well into a gas formation is a matter one should take up with one’s water well driller. Drill a shale gas well through a shallow gas bearing formation (like the Strawn in the Fort Worth Basin)  on its way to the target shale formation (like the Barnett in the Fort Worth Basin) - and when the  shale gas well bore leaks – it will ventilate gas up the bore hole into groundwater, which gets into water wells, which flame out. This is a matter one must take up […]

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Frack Water Is Permanently Removed From Water Cycle

February 6, 2014
Frack Water Is Permanently Removed From Water Cycle

Unlike most water uses – residences, farming, golf courses – water used for fracking is often permanently contaminated – and has to be removed from the water cycle – and injected down a disposal well. So fracking takes water completely out of the water cycle equation. Forever. Billions of gallons – often in areas where it is most needed  - for other uses. http://www.ceres.org/issues/water/valuing-every-drop-1/shale-energy/shale-and-water-maps/water-competition Fracking colliding with other water uses during drought BY JENNIFER HILLER : FEBRUARY 5, 2014 : Updated: February 5, 2014 11:26pm SAN ANTONIO — Hydraulic fracturing is competing for water in some of the driest regions of the U.S., including the Eagle Ford Shale in South Texas, according to a research paper released Wednesday by the nonprofit Ceres group. The report said the Eagle Ford had the highest water use of any […]

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FRACKIS OF KOCH

February 6, 2014
FRACKIS OF KOCH

You may or may not have seen this “meme” floating around on the internet.   It’s easy to point to ONE person as the “villain”. Regardless of whether you believe or not that former Vice-President and Former Halliburton CEO Dick Cheney is at the root of fracking, it’s a distraction. While some people see Cheney as being all powerful, he’s just one person involved.   There are others needing to be watched more closely. You might have heard of them – The Koch Brothers. Koch Industries is the 2nd largest privately owned company in the United States with annual revenues of about $115 billion.   To ensure annual revenues continue to grow, the Koch Brothers have gone on a spending and funding spree over the past few years. Their interests range from climate […]

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Snooty Hamptons Don’t Want Frack Goo On Roads. Imagine That

February 5, 2014
Snooty Hamptons Don't Want Frack Goo On Roads. Imagine That

Residents Protest Frack Filth on Long Island Published: February 4, 2014 6:20 PM What makes them think they are so special that they want to keep frack goo off their snobby roads and haughty Lamborgenies ? What makes them snub frack trash in their water treatment plants when they all drink Perrier and San Peligroso ? If the frackers can’t dump this filth in the Hamptons, where the frack are they supposed to dump it ? Idafrackingho ? What do these  snooty Hamptonian snobs not understand about their role in getting this fracking shale gas to China ? Get with the program 1%ers ! Man up and take your fair share of the fracking filth coming out of Fracksylvania. After all, that’s what your state representatives have in mind for the rest of […]

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Cornell Fracking Debate Video !

February 5, 2014
Cornell Fracking Debate Video !

You be the judge – video from The Vera. The frackers spouted the usual gaseous platitudes – including the benefits of converting buses to run on CNG in Bangladesh ?  (am not making that up), while the Fractavist A Team talked about the negative impacts of what is proposed in New York – a fracking dumping ground for Fracksylvania.

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Senate Forum on the Economic Realities of Fracking in New York

February 5, 2014
Senate Forum on the Economic Realities of Fracking in New York

The Frack Myth Busters  presented our views of New York’s shale gas prospects to the Senators, including Sen Latimer, Krueger, Avella and Tkaczyk. There was an audience of about 50, including reporters, a few fracking lobbyists, DEC staff, and fractavists – Clare Donahue, Julia Walsh, John Armstrong, Clark Rhodes, etc.  Lou’s summary of our presentation’s conclusions are here: Excerpts from Sen. Avella’s Forum  The stars of the show were Yvonne Taylor, Beth Radow and Jannette Barth = who addressed the negative economic impacts of fracking on mortgages, other industries, road costs, health care and agriculture. Jannette suggested that a separate hearing be held to address the collateral damage of fracking – the infrastructure, frack slop on roads, etc. Best idea of the day.  See Fracking Job Estimates There was a third panel […]

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Gas Industry Demands DEC Finish Regs. That Were Kept Unfinished At Industry’s Behest

February 5, 2014
Gas Industry Demands DEC Finish Regs. That Were Kept Unfinished At Industry's Behest

For forty (40) fracking years. The Koch Brothers’s Fracking Front Group, the (Rocky) “Mountain States Legal Foundation“ is not just bankrolling the Fracking Reparations Publicity Stunt against the State of New York, they are writing the threatening demand letters  - from Lakewood, Colorado. Catch is they are about 40 years late to be complaining about the DEC’s failure to update it regulations. Since that’s how long the industry has been lobbying New York to keep those regulations from being updated and promulgated. If this strikes you as more than a bit ironic, you’d be right. The Koch Brothers are now demanding the DEC finish the SGEIS, when the gas industry has successfully worked with the Division of Mineral Resources to keep the updates unfinished since 1972. As Brian Brock has explained, with […]

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THINK ABOUT IT AGAIN

February 5, 2014
THINK ABOUT IT AGAIN

It’s about 4 am on an early snowy Wednesday morning.  Seems like a good time to think, and think again about a few issues. West Virginia Chemical Spill Originally, the amount of 4-methylcyclohexane methanol (MCHM) which leaked into the Elk River was reported around 2,500 – 5,000 gallons.  This was increased to around 7,000 gallons a day or later, and then increased again to around 10,000 gallons.    We have also learned a second chemical; PPH (a mix of polyglycol ethers) was also part of the leak. Not much is known about the health risks of these chemicals and officials keep telling the people in the area it’s ok to drink the water even as reports of licorice smelling and discolored water still flows from faucets. Freedom Industries leak forced a […]

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Frack Martyr The Vera Gets Interviewed

February 4, 2014
Frack Martyr The Vera Gets Interviewed

Cabot Energy and Tom Shepstone have made a Fracking Martyr out of The Vera.  Thanks gasholes. ‘Most of us eventually get gagged by the industry’: Restrained activist exposes fracking business Published time: February 03, 2014 12:15 With fracking becoming more popular in the US as an ‘alternative’ energy source, an increasing number of people are raising concerns about ecological and health risks. RT spoke to an activist who was ordered by a court to stay away from fracking sites. Director of anti-fracking group ‘Citizens for Clean Water’, Vera Scroggins, an outspoken critic of fracking, last week was legally barred last week from visiting a grand total of 312.5 square miles of land in Pennsylvania. A court order issued by a local judge forbids her from entering any properties owned or leased by one […]

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Frack Babies Threaten Fracking Reparations PR Stunt

February 4, 2014
Frack Babies Threaten Fracking Reparations PR Stunt

Again. And again. With a fracking zombie as a lead plaintiff, and backing from the Koch Brothers. Of course.  http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-02-03/property-owners-threaten-second-suit-over-delay-on-fracking-study.html Property Owners Threaten Fracking Reparations Publicity Stunt  By Gerald B. Silverman 2014-02-03T15:55:47Z – Comments Email Print Save Bloomberg BNA – A coalition of property owners announced Jan. 31 that it will sue New York state over its delay in issuing a long-awaited environmental impact statement on hydraulic fracturing unless the state provides a reasonable timeline by Feb. 13 for finalizing the process. The lawsuit would be the second of its kind to compel the Department of Environmental Conservation to issue a supplemental generic environmental impact statement (SGEIS) on fracking. In the first instance, the bankruptcy trustee of Norse Energy Corp. USA filed suit in December 2013 in state Supreme Court in Albany County. The Joint Landowners Coalition […]

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DOH’s Shah Cites Fracking Health Risks !

February 3, 2014
DOH's Shah Cites Fracking Health Risks !

Finally, Sort Of . . . 03 February 2014, New York’s chief health regulator gave more than three hours of testimony Monday at a legislative budget hearing, where he faced questions on fracking, Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s medical marijuana plan, the state’s implementation of the Affordable Care Act and delays in paying early intervention providers. But when he met with reporters afterward, the focus was on a single topic: Shah’s fracking review. Shah, when pressed by reporters, steadfastly declined to release any of his work and declined to get into much detail about the review. But he did offer a few scientific studies that he has been analyzing, including a study detailed in the Los Angeles Times that found hormone-disrupting chemicals at fracking sites in Colorado.  See more on those studies here. When […]

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Fracking Radioactive

February 3, 2014
Fracking Radioactive

A great summary of the radioactive risks of fracking – the world’s second most hazardous form of radioactive energy. http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/122-a50/ Environ Health Perspect; DOI:10.1289/ehp.122-A50 Radionuclides in Fracking Wastewater Valerie J. Brown, based in Oregon, has written for EHP since 1996. In 2009 she won a Society of Environmental Journalists’ Outstanding Explanatory Reporting award for her writing on epigenetics. About This Article open  PDF Version (2.9 MB) A lined impoundment receives waste at a fracking site in Dimock, Pennsylvania. © J. Henry Fair                                         Naturally occurring radionuclides are widely distributed in the earth’s crust, so it’s no surprise that mineral and hydrocarbon extraction processes, conventional and unconventional alike, often produce some radioactive waste.1 Radioactive drilling waste […]

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Binghamton University Frack Busters Video

February 3, 2014
Binghamton University Frack Busters Video

New York Shale gas potential – at Binghamton University in Vestal, New York, from The Vera. Tomorrow, Senate Hearing about all the shale gas that is not in New York. Watch for more Frack Busters Shows coming to a town near you. Check out NYC Show Q&A here.

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Frack Busters Questions & Answers

February 3, 2014
Frack Busters Questions & Answers

Great questions from the audience at the New York City shale gas show.  Great video by Team Owen. Check it out. Then come to the Senate Forum on the (un)Economics of Shale Gas in New York, Tuesday, Feb 4th, Hearing Room A at noon. Smart questions by an attentive audience close out this series of presentations on New York State’s shale gas potential.  Watch the whole thing — it is riveting. But if you want to skip to a particular topic of interest, here are the links: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6MWjfvjTM0&feature=share&list=PLcHngw3x1btk8Pt7zfko62obzTnhnWIHc&index=5 Does Gov. Cuomo know this? http://youtu.be/I6MWjfvjTM0?t=0s If there is no profit to be made, why is the Industry pushing to frack New York? http://youtu.be/I6MWjfvjTM0?t=1m8s Would NYS wells be profitable at global natural gas prices? http://youtu.be/I6MWjfvjTM0?t=3m43s Are companies pursuing fracking to maintain share prices? […]

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Fracking Babies: Increased Rate of Birth Defects near Gas Wells

February 3, 2014
Fracking Babies: Increased Rate of Birth Defects near Gas Wells

New Study Shows Increased Rate of Birth Defects near Gas Wells by Sue Heavenrich Yesterday, the Joint Landowners Coalition of NYthreatened to sue the stateif DEC doesn’t hurry up and release the SGEIS to allow drilling – and fracking – in New York. This was in response to DEC chief Joseph Martens’ comment a couple days earlier that the state had no plans to issue permits for fracking. DEC is waiting for Dr. Shah to complete the health impact review. While the delay irks some landowners, many others appreciate the extra time, as new findings continue to come in regarding water, air and health impacts related to gas drilling. On the same day the landowners emailed and Fed-Exxed their demands to permit fracking, Colorado researchers released their findings that show that babies born near […]

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Peak Oil Meet Peak Shale

February 2, 2014
Peak Oil Meet Peak Shale

Remember “Peak Oil ” ?  Welcome to Peak Shale.  Already . . . Just like Art Berman predicted. Imagine that.  And the Fracking BS peaked longed before production did. Marcellus Shale Sees Large Production Declines Jan. 23, 2014 6:20 PM ET | The EIA monthly tight oil drilling productivity report forecasts a very large jump in Marcellus shale gas legacy production decline month-on-month of 49 MMcf/d for February. It is a huge increase in the trend, which in the previous three monthly EIA reports only came out to a 10MMcf/d increase in decline rates on average. This is a very important development given that currently, if we are to take shale gas production from all other fields combined, production is in slight decline mode. It is hard to tell exactly by what magnitude the […]

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SHALEFIELD STORIES

February 1, 2014
SHALEFIELD STORIES

Environment America Research & Policy Center joined residents living on the frontlines of fracking who recounted their stories of illness, water contamination, and damage to their livelihoods due to dirty drilling operations in a new book called Shalefield Stories. “Behind the alarming numbers the outline fracking’s environmental impacts, there are real people whose lives have been gravely impacted by these polluting practices,” said John Rumpler, Senior Attorney for Environment America Research & Policy Center. “These are their stories, and we would be wise to heed their words of warning on fracking.” Shalefield Stories was compiled by individual residents in Pennsylvania, who arranged for Environment America Research & Policy Center to release it across the country today.   These are the stories of those who are “living the drill” and how their […]

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Geological Studies Challenge New York Fracking Prospects

February 1, 2014
Geological Studies Challenge New York Fracking Prospects

Over 125 at Binghamton University, with 40+ turned away because the hall was too small. Many frackers showed up, despite their leader’s call for a boycott of the show. Next  - on to the Senate Hearing Room A at noon in Albany on  Tuesday. http://www.wicz.com/news2005/viewarticle.asp?a=31649 http://www.wbng.com/news/local/Geological-studies-challenge-New-York-fracking-prospects-243032321.html Geological Studies Challenge New York Fracking Prospects By Michelle Costanza February 1, 2014Updated Feb 1, 2014 at 12:06 AM EST Vestal, NY (WBNG Binghamton) A public presentation gathered more than 100 people Friday night to take a look at a different approach to the hydraulic fracturing discussion.The quest for productive natural gas drilling may not be as viable as originally believed, according to some fracking experts. WBNG E-News – Sign Up For Our Newsletter! “There just isn’t enough gas in New York to create a […]

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NYS DOH Has To Cough Up Files On Frack Health Study

January 31, 2014
NYS DOH Has To Cough Up Files On Frack Health Study

That may or may not actually be a study.  But the political simulacrum of one. We shall soon see. Congrats to The Rachel and The Yvonne and the Seneca Lake Crew for staying on this. Go watch Dr. Shah tap dance his way around this at the hearings in Albany on Monday morning. Then stick around for the Senate Forum on the unEconomics of Shale Gas on Tuesday, Hearing Room A at noon. Tom Wilber has the scope here:   Friday, January 31, 2014 Veil may be pulled from NY’s review of fracking in 2014 State has 45 days to begin releasing files on health review Developments on the status of New York and shale gas unfolded on two fronts this week.The first was widely reported: Joseph Martens, Governor Andrew Cuomo’s, environmental chief, […]

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Got Frack Slime On Your Road ? Your Car ?

January 31, 2014
Got Frack Slime On Your Road ? Your Car ?

Some New York towns and counties are rolling out the red carpet to import frack flowback in from Fracksylvania. Here’s the latest interactive map of where that filth can be spread. As previously noted here, spreading frack waste on roads is illegal in most states, including Texas. But in New York, which has the best politicians that money can buy, the frackers sell it to the county and town road districts -as ‘de-icer’ and ‘dust suppressant’ so they can slop the greasy mess onto local roads for you to navigate. Over time, you’ll have a slimey build-up of radium 226, arsenic, barium, strontium 90, diesel fuel, drilling mud and who-knows-what in your ditches, in your streams, your groundwater,  on your car, your truck, your cat, your blood cells. Things like that. All […]

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Koch Frack Front Bankrolls NY Fracking Reparations PR Stunt !

January 31, 2014
Koch Frack Front Bankrolls NY Fracking Reparations PR Stunt !

A Koch Brothers frack front group, the “Mountain States Legal Foundation” founded by none other than James “Frack the Environment” Watt (see more on Mountains States, Koch and Watt below)  is bankrolling the JLCNY’s Fracking Reparations publicity stunt against the State of New York.  Imagine that. And the JLCNY claimed to not take money from the gas industry, (who their members would have to negotiate leases with), when they have now degenerated into being nothing more than a front for the gas lobby.  No wonder they don’t want their members to see the Frackbusters Show. It might just put the geological hurt on their Fracking Reparations Claims. (It’s kinda hard to claim you lost something you never had) Right before the filing date. What timing. The JLCNY’s Head Chickenhawk has morphed into a Koch Fracking Sock Puppet .       […]

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FRACKING TERRORISTS !

January 31, 2014
FRACKING TERRORISTS !

Are, after all, corporate people too. Like you and me. Tom Tomorrow explains it all.

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Fracking Chickenhawk Urges Followers to Duck Frackbusters !

January 30, 2014
Fracking Chickenhawk Urges Followers to Duck Frackbusters !

Another boycott ? At least this time it’s from the frackers. Usually I just spoof the Disjointed Landowners, but this time, they spoof themselves by calling on their members to duck the Frackbusters’ Forum this Friday in their own home town ! What the frack are they so afraid of ? The fracking truth about their prospects of leasing any mineral rights any time this decade ?  Go check out what this Paid Fracking Chickenhawk does not want his dues paying supporters to see.  It might put the geological kibosh on their notion of getting Fracking Reparations from the State of New York.  Everything in bold is mine, the rest is direct from the Head Chickenhawk hisself – who is now bankrolled by a Frack Industry Front Group. Dear Friends, Coalition Leaders, Landowners, and […]

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Pipeline Rule Number 1: COME AND FRACKING TRY TO TAKE IT

January 30, 2014
Pipeline Rule Number 1: COME AND FRACKING TRY TO TAKE IT

Rule Number 1 – if some fracker tries to buy your land for a pipeline right of way (ROW) and threatens you with an eminent domain condemnation, tell them: “Come and take it.” Force them to have to condemn it. Have blogged about this before and the word has gotten out : You’re better off forcing a condemnation than selling or leasing an easement. Make the frackers have to take it away from you. Don’t sell out cheap, if at all. This is a 2012 University of Texas study that shows that, on average, a landowner gets 78% more from having their property condemned than what they get in a negotiated sale: http://www.scribd.com/doc/153219401/Cost-of-Condemnation pdf of the study – print out and give to your neighbors in harm’s way of the planned […]

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A Lame Fracking Website; Now Criminal Impersonation? Broome Co. Exec Debbie Preston is on a roll!

January 30, 2014
A Lame Fracking Website; Now Criminal Impersonation? Broome Co. Exec Debbie Preston is on a roll!

Debbie’s First Blunder of the week: Broome County Exec unveils a new “comprehensive” One Stop Shop for Gas Drilling Info in Broome County:  http://broomenaturalgas.com/ Coupla problems: Comprehensive? Hah. It’s nearly content-free. They spent $6,000 of taxpayer money and a year developing it! But there’s no mention of any negative impacts. Probably just an oversight? Just a few links to industry sources, pro-fracking landowner groups, etc. As websites go, it’s pitiful. Oh and one other small detail: There’s no economic shale gas in the whole state: http://tinyurl.com/ShaleGasPotentialInNY1 (as you’ll find out in Vestal on Friday: http://www.pressconnects.com/article/20140129/NEWS01/301290030 ) But the best part is this quote: Preston says, “This is not a push to promote safe natural gas drilling in New York state.” Which is either a Freudian slip or a bit of […]

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Fractavist Barred From Area 10X The Size of Manhattan

January 29, 2014
Fractavist Barred From Area 10X The Size of Manhattan

A local quack judge bars Vera Scroggins from just about her entire home county. To protect a “corporate person” Cabot Energy. Who had hired security guards to follow her around. Even though she had not caused a disturbance, and had signed in when visiting frack sites. Cabot then hired local frak flak Tom Shepstone  to act as its official spokesman.  He explained that “she had upset too many people to be tolerated.” Go Vera ! When it comes to fracking, stay intolerant. http://www.globalpossibilities.org/anti-fracking-activist-barred-from-312-5-square-miles-of-pennsylvania/ Anti-fracking activist barred from 312.5 square miles of Pennsylvania By Suzanne Goldenberg Vera Scroggins, an outspoken opponent of fracking, is legally barred from the new county hospital. Also off-limits, unless Scroggins wants to risk fines and arrest, are the Chinese restaurant where she takes her grandchildren, the supermarkets and drug […]

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Rename the Hudson River

January 29, 2014
Rename the Hudson River

Or at least a big part of it. For our champion Pete Seeger. Who was no friend of fracking. Here’s the plan: Hudson River Pete Seeger Naming Campaign No individual had has much to do with the cleaning up of the Hudson River as Pete Seeger. A stretch of the River should bear his and Toshi Seeger’s names. I think this makes a lot of sense. First of all, I think naming a river after a car was not a good idea. So why not someone that actually did the river some good ? And did the rest of us a great service for so many years – and so many years to come. Let’s do this for Pete.

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Roof Caves In On Proposed Gas Storage MegaBomb

January 29, 2014
Roof Caves In On Proposed Gas Storage MegaBomb

Literally. Before the frackers could pump it up and set it off.  Peter Mantius gets the scoop, natch. The proposed Seneca Lake Gas MegaBomb is now officially another Bayou Corne Sinkhole waiting to happen. Way to go Inergy. Congrats FERC ! When the roof caves in, half the lake can then do a Bayou Corne and go down the drain. It might then become as big a tourist attraction as The Great Wink Sinkhole, aka the “Atlantis of West Texas” :   DCBureau reports that Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is ignoring an aircraft carrier-sized roof collapse in a cavern set to hold pressurized natural gas. The storage company formally denied it ever knew about the roof failure, and FERC never checked. http://www.dcbureau.org/201401299592/natural-resources-news-service/geologist-says-feds-made-incredible-error-ignoring-huge-n-y-salt-cavern-roof-collapse.html#more-9592 By Peter Mantius, on January 29th, 2014 Natural Resources News Service | Leave a […]

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No Shale Gas In NY = No Shale Gas Permits In NY

January 29, 2014
No Shale Gas In NY = No Shale Gas Permits In NY

Not this fracking year, not next fracking year, and for most of New York, not fracking never.  Because there’s not enough shale gas in New York to fill an LNG tanker. Come to Vestal on Friday and the Shale Mythbusters will explain why there is no fracking rush to frack New York. http://www.seattlepi.com/news/science/article/NY-commissioner-No-plans-for-fracking-permits-5185086.php ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — State Environmental Commissioner Joe Martens says his agency has “absolutely no plans” to issue permits for shale gas drilling and fracking in the 2014-15 fiscal year. Click here: NY commissioner: No plans for fracking permits | syracuse.com Several lawmakers asked Martens at a legislative budget hearing Wednesday if Gov. Andrew Cuomo‘s $137.2 billion budget allocates any money for regulating high-volume hydraulic fracturing, which has been on hold since an environmental review was launched in 2008. Martens replied, “None whatsoever.”Asked by reporters […]

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Fracking Bust in New York

January 29, 2014
Fracking Bust in New York

Before any boom. New York became the World Capital of Fracking Hot Air. Before any shale gas wells were drilled.  Allison Rose Levy nails it . Check out the Mythbusters in Vestal on Friday. Or the Senate Forum on the 4th. AlterNet / By Alison Rose Levy  COMMENT NOW! Why the Shale Gas Rush Will Be an Economic Bust for New Yorkers A team of professionals has analyzed whether or not fracking would be good for New York’s economic health. COMMENT NOW!COMMENT NOW! Email Print January 23, 2014  If nothing else, the recent chemical spill in West Virginia reveals the extent to which elected officials go along with powerful industries at serious cost to public health and the environment. As can be seen in the abject 40-year failure to regulate toxic chemicals like the one contaminating […]

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Exploding Canadian Tarballs

January 28, 2014
Exploding Canadian Tarballs

Canadian tar balls coming to a rail line near you ? http://insideclimatenews.org/content/tar-sands-seen-flowing-northeast-states-if-pipelines-built Tar Sands Seen Flowing to Northeast States New report says that by 2020, as much as 18 percent of the motor fuels in the region might come from Canada’s dirtier crude, up from nearly zero today. By John H. Cushman Jr., InsideClimate News Jan 28, 2014 In contrast to regions such as the upper Midwest, the U.S. Northeast’s fuel supply has been nearly free of tar sands crude. That may change in coming years if pipeline expansions sought by Canada’s industry proceed, an environmental group is warning. An increase in the consumption of gasoline made from tar sands, with its bigger carbon footprint, “would move the region backwards in its efforts to fight climate change,” said a report by […]

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Shale Wells Produce More Contaminated Water. Period. Surprise.

January 28, 2014
Shale Wells Produce More Contaminated Water. Period. Surprise.

About 10 to 100 times more waste water per well than vertical wells, depending on where the wells are. A vertical gas well in Pennsylvania produces a lot more water than gas wells in major gas fields in Algeria, Qatar, or the Hugoton in Texas and Oklahoma. So that’s not news. But when a new study came out stating that Pennsylvania vertical gas wells produce more waste water per unit of gas produced than a Marcellus shale gas well, the frackers thought that was hot news. When the only thing that really matters is the total amount of polluted water produced. The reason why a vertical Pennsylvania gas well produces a lot of water per unit of gas is because they don’t produce very much gas – and they are […]

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Got Fracking Insurance ?

January 28, 2014
Got Fracking Insurance ?

Want frackers to pay up for poisoning your water ? Tell them to sue their insurance carrier to cover it. That’s what an Ohio fracker is doing after their liability insurance carrier balked at paying a claim made by a homeowner that got fracked. Beth Radow is going to address the impacts of fracking on homeowners’ mortgages and insurance coverage at the Senate forum on the economic impacts of fracking at Albany on Feb 4th. An overview of fracking insurance issues is here. Nutshell: frack damages may not be covered by the fracker’s liability insurance. If you get fracked, you need to get a lawyer, pronto. http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/midwest/2014/01/27/318565.htm Case Before Ohio Court May Impact Future Coverage for Fracking Liability By Stephanie K. Jones | January 27, 2014The oil drilling technique known as hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, […]

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Cornell Super Frackdown 2 !

January 27, 2014
Cornell Super Frackdown 2 !

The Fractavist A Team vs Some Token Frackers – at Cornell on the 4th. Ingraffea, Steingraber and Hang vs  Cabot Energy SpokesFlak Tom Shepstone, a local shale shyster, and a token apologist geologist. Bring your own popcorn. Air horns will positively not be allowed inside the auditorium. Remember – it is impolite  jeer when the frack shills are speaking – wait until they complete their sentences so that everyone can hear what the frack you are jeering about.

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Frackquakes – The Scourge That Binds

January 27, 2014
Frackquakes - The Scourge That Binds

Wherever you have fracking, you get frackquakes. Maybe not in the same place, but wherever the frackers have to get rid of billions of gallons of toxic, radioactive slime by pumping it down a disposal well. And hope it stays put.  Texas Sharon has the story. ENERGY, FRACKING, FRACKING WASTEWATER, TEXAS Frackquakes: Public Opposition Builds Earth Island Journal | January 27, 2014 By Sharon Wilson and Alan Septoff The earthquakes you may have heard about—the 30 tremblers that have struck north central Texas since Nov. 1 and have damaged many homes. The quakes are most likely being caused by underground disposal wells used to get rid of wastewater generated during fracking operations. “Frackquakes,” some are calling them. A massive oil field in Texas. The state has always been the heart of the U.S. oil industry, embracing oil and gas development […]

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The Sandra vs Fracking Pinata

January 25, 2014
The Sandra vs Fracking Pinata

Fracker John Holko vs Fractavist The Sandra. Should be fun. For some. No blindfold required. Defend It, Inc. and the Binghamton University Political Science Department cordially invite you to a You Defend It Debate. The issue: Hydraulic Fracturing in New York Monday, February 24 7:00 PM at Chamber Hall, Binghamton University Debaters: Dr. Sandra Steingraber Ecologist; Author; Founder of New Yorkers Against Fracking vs John Holko President, Lenape Resources; Officer at Independent Oil and Gas Association of New York (IOGA) Where to begin ? IOGA’s John Holko has gone out of his way to give frackers a bad name in New York: 1. Sued a town over a fracking publicity stunt after voluntarily shutting off his gas wells to the town http://www.nofrackingway.us/2013/03/19/avon-wins-4th-new-york-case-upholds-home-rule/ 2. Sued the DEC as a fracking publicity stunt […]

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New York City Shale Show Videos !

January 24, 2014
New York City Shale Show Videos !

“New York State Shale Gas Potential” at Ethical Culture videos  by Owen Crowley are now online here.  Thanks again to our great sponsors. Mythbusters in Binghamton on the 31st. Will the frackers come out of hiding for that ? No.  See you in Albany on the 4th. WARNING TO FRACK DREAM BELIEVERS : THESE VIDEOS WILL BURST YOUR FRACKING NY SHALE GAS BUBBLE.  Professor Ingraffea’s introduction TinyURL.com/ShaleGasPotentialNYCIntro Chip Northrup’s Overview TinyURL.com/ShaleGasPotentialNYC Brian Brock’s assessment of the geological variables of New York’s shale gas potential Jerry Acton shows how production data from Pennsylvania can be used to extrapolate New York’s shale gas potential Lou Allstadt gives an industry perspective of New York’s shale gas potential

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Broome County Frackbusters Show !

January 23, 2014
Broome County Frackbusters Show !

Come find out the facts of the matter in Vestal on January 31st. Bring a skeptic and a Frack Dream Believer. Broome County is not just one of the parts of Upstate that has any shale gas potential, but it may be the only part of New York with any shale gas potential. Catch is that not all of Broome County is created equal, shale-wise. And the potential is effectively gone before you get to the county line. Chenango County ? Ask Norse. Chemung ? Sullivan ? Schoharie ? No fracking way.  Delaware County ? Not unless you can hit the river with a rock. Tioga County ? Maybe with a Napalm Clusterfrack. . . Videos from NYC Shale Mythbusters show here – where we explain why there’s more hot air in New York than shale gas.  […]

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State Senate Forum on Fracking Economics Feb 4th

January 23, 2014
State Senate Forum on Fracking Economics Feb 4th

New York Senate forum to address the likely economic impacts of fracking in New York. The DEC has based its economic impact analysis on reserve estimates that were a bit overstated. They took those reserve estimates and used them to project what that would mean in terms of jobs and taxes in New York. And those projections became part of the dSGEIS and the fracking folklore about what fracking would do for Upstate. New York became the World Capital of Shale Hype. No one in the industry actually believed it, they just paid their PR crews to broadcast it.     Senator Avella is hosting a forum in Albany to delve into how the DEC overstated reserves by 100X, who was responsible for overstating reserves, and who took those estimates and […]

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Chesapeake Bails from New York

January 23, 2014
Chesapeake Bails from New York

Before they even got a chance to frack it. Chesapeake is obeying a court order (surprise)  and releasing the New York leases that they had been trying to hold by the arcane legal ploy known as “Farce Majeure” which is latin for a “major farce“. If you have a zombie Chesapeake lease encumbering your property, you now have to go to the court house to get it removed – or it will cloud your title. Contact Joe Heath at Fleased and he will explain how to clear it. Chesapeake Releases New York Leases Chesapeake will be releasing expired leases. Pursuant to the agreement between Chesapeake and the Attorney General, Chesapeake abandoned its claim of force majeure as of December 31, 2013. We will continue to keep Fleased members up to date regarding […]

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PENNSYLVANIA ACT 13: the Gift to the Fossil Fuel Industry

January 23, 2014
PENNSYLVANIA ACT 13: the Gift to the Fossil Fuel Industry

ACT 13 was signed into law by Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett on February 14, 2012. An Act amending Title 58 (Oil and Gas) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, providing for an unconventional gas well fee and for transfers from the Oil and Gas Lease Fund; providing for distribution of fees and transfers; establishing the Natural Gas Energy Development Program; consolidating the Oil and Gas Act with modifications and additions relating to definitions, well permits, permit objections, comments by municipalities and storage operators, well location restrictions, well site restoration, protection of water supplies, notification to public drinking water systems, containment for unconventional wells, transportation records regarding wastewater fluids, corrosion control requirements, gathering lines, well control emergency response, hydraulic fracturing chemical discharge requirements, bonding, air containment emissions, public nuisances, enforcement orders, well […]

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Fracking Washington

January 22, 2014
Fracking Washington

After Cheney worked so hard to get the frackers exempted from the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts.  Now the little frackers are going to spoil their exemptions by polluting DC’s drinking water, which would provoke Obama to protect his own kids and re-instate federal regulations on fracking. File this under the heading : Really Fracking Dumb: Public Meeting Monday, January 27, 2014, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in the auditorium at Arlington Central Library, 1015 N. Quincy St., three blocks from the Ballston Metro station Major D.C. area water providers, local governments and conservation organizations have warned that an impending U.S. Forest Service decision on whether to allow fracking and horizontal drilling for natural gas in the George Washington National Forest could threaten a range of resources – including the headwaters of […]

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Fracking Art

January 22, 2014
Fracking Art

  OP-ED Fracking Away Our Air, Water and Land By Ruth Hardinger New York, NY, USA and Barbara Arrindell Beach Lake, PA, USA January 21, 2014 http://creativetimereports.org/2014/01/21/fracking-away-our-air-water-and-land/ Artists Barbara Arrindell and Ruth Hardinger of Damascus Citizens for Sustainability argue that natural gas is not a “bridge fuel” to less hazardous energy sources, but a grave danger to communal resources and the global climate, in this op-ed presented in partnership with Marfa Dialogues/NY. Email Print Christy Rupp, Exploit/Exhale, 2010. Included in the Cooper Union exhibition “Emissions: Images from the Mixing Layer” as part of Marfa Dialogues/NY. The gas and oil industry would like to craft a wholesome image of natural gas as a clean resource and a “nonfossil” fuel. Neither of these characterizations is accurate. Yes, gas does burn with a nice blue flame at the end user’s stove. […]

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Think Fracking Will Crater Your Property Value ? Try Frackquakes

January 20, 2014
Think Fracking Will Crater Your Property Value ? Try Frackquakes

Where none existed for the last 3 or 4,000 years before.  Azle Residents Take Their Earthquake Concerns To Austin January 20, 2014 6:32 PM View Comments Related Tags: Azle, David Porter, earthquakes, Earthworks, Fracking, injection eells, Milton Rister, parker county,Texas Railroad Commission, TRC   AZLE (CBSDFW.COM) – Dozens of Azle residents are planning a trip to the state capitol to send a message to the Texas Railroad Commission. Organizers have named the bus trip “Shake the Ground in Austin,” and they expect at least 50 people to show up for the regularly scheduled Texas Railroad Commission meeting Tuesday morning. Some Azle residents believe there is a link between local fracking injection wells and a series of recent earthquakes.  In a one-month span, about 30 minor earthquakes hit the area. The Texas Railroad Commission regulates oil and gas operations.  Earlier this […]

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Years of Living Dangerously !

January 20, 2014
Years of Living Dangerously !

As we cook the planet with un-natural gas. Coming to Showtime this April. Check out the trailer . . .good stuff Years of Living Dangerously – TV Series Official Site – Showtime 

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Not Fracking Worth It

January 20, 2014
Not Fracking Worth It

For those that missed the NYC and Oneonta presentations on “Shale Gas Potential in New York”, a highlight was hearing Lou Allstadt, retired VP for Mobil Oil Corporation clearly call for a statewide ban on fracking. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-32pZUoEcHQ

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“Waive Baby Waive” Pa. DEP Proves Case For Home Rule.

January 20, 2014
"Waive Baby Waive" Pa. DEP Proves Case For Home Rule.

The Pennsylvania DEP never bothered to enforce the regulations they said were supposed to replace local zoning ordinances. Regulations are only as good as enforcement. And in Fracksylvania, enforcement is non-existent, because that’s what the frackers paid for. No wonder the Pennsylvania Supremes struck down the law = it was simply a “frack anywhere” ploy. Imagine that. DEP always granted Marcellus drillers’ requests to avoid Act 13′s stream buffers JANUARY 16, 2014 | 9:36 PM BY MARIE CUSICK The state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) says it has never denied a request by a Marcellus shale driller to circumvent the stream setback requirements in Act 13. Parts of the 2012 oil and gas law were struck down by the state Supreme Court last month, including the stream and wetland setback requirements. The court […]

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Manhattan Shale Show Pics and Reviews

January 20, 2014
Manhattan Shale Show Pics and Reviews

Great show. About 350 in attendance. Good questions. Erik posted photos to flicker. Videos coming soon. Clare Donohue (Troy’s kid sister, Phil’s niece, Mark’s cousin)  made it happen. Vestal on the 31st. Albany on the 4th. New York Shale Gas Potential: How Does it Compare to Pennsylvania – a set on Flickr Also some reviews, and consider all the ones that said “impressive!” consolidated. “Loved the multiple perspective/integrated approach from the speakers.  Filled in a lot of blanks; confirmed and clarified so much.  And hearing from former industry guys was powerful.” “Brian Brock’s and Jerry Acton’s presentations add so much to the pool of information. This was a great way to get us energized for the fight ahead this year.” Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer wrote: “Congrats on the excellent turnout, and the […]

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ETHICS OF FRACKING ASKS HARD QUESTIONS

January 20, 2014
ETHICS OF FRACKING ASKS HARD QUESTIONS

“…a rush to action without being clear of the consequences….” ETHICS OF FRACKING explores the issue of fossil fuel drilling though different professional and religious backgrounds. It also takes a look at the deceiving advertising the gas industry heavily relies on.  In addition to the environmental damages, there is the social impact which is changing communities in drastic ways. Ethics of Fracking questions the “cost benefit”.  It asks who is benefiting and at what price.  These are questions which haven’t been asked of our local, state and federal legislators.    These are questions which must be asked and answered. Scott Cannon produced this film, and has been well known for his Marcellus Shale Reality Tour series.  Cannon is a member of the Gas Drilling Awareness Coalition of Luzerne County, PA. It […]

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Fracking Reforms

January 18, 2014
Fracking Reforms

Are way over due in New York. Starting with the state’s Ya’ll Come Open Door Policy to frack waste trucked in from Pennsylvania. Here’s a start, prohibit water treatment plants from pretending they can clean up fracking flowback. A bill has been introduced to do just that.  As worded, it singles out wastes from high volume fracks – shale gas wells – but any resourceful fracker could find a way around that and say that it’s from a vertical well. That and a $100 bill would get the load right into a municipal water plant. Then into a trout stream near you. NYS Bill Update: Number: NY [R] AB 8463 - Updated (New 01/17/2014) Sponsor: Rosenthal Title: AN ACT relating to wastewater treatment; and providing for the repeal of such provisions […]

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Mayflower, Arkansas to be Renamed “Tarville”

January 18, 2014
Mayflower, Arkansas to be Renamed "Tarville"

Permanent supply of DILBIT in every basement. No smoking outside or inside. Children born there to be known as “Tar Babies’  Houses to be sold as Tar Boxes. How’d you like a Tar Pipeline to China in your ‘hood ?  After all, it’s your patriotic duty as Americans to get this Canadian goo to China as cheaply as possible. http://www.arkansasmatters.com/story/mayflower-neighborhood-dead-after-oil-spill/d/story/9JMSFBamOkedQDYnJYgFhQ   MAYFLOWER, AR — Before the 3,500 gallons spilled from a ruptured oil pipeline here, the Northwoods subdivision was considered one of the nicest neighborhoods in Mayflower.Nearly 10 months later, home after home sits empty, leaving just a few residents left in some areas to hang on.”People think it’s like know nobody lives here, but we’re still here on the corner,” said Michele Ward, one of the few left on N […]

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HEY AMERICA – WAKE UP AND SMELL THE CHEMICALS

January 18, 2014
HEY AMERICA - WAKE UP AND SMELL THE CHEMICALS

The leaking chemical tanks owned by Freedom Industries in Charleston, WV left 300,000 people, schools, public facilities and businesses without water for well over a week.   The chemical, 4-methylcyclohexane methanol (MCHM) is used to clean coal by the coal industry.   An estimated 7,500 gallons leaked flowed into the Elk River from a hole in a storage tank and holes in containment barriers. Some residents of the 9-county DON’T USE THE WATER ban have been given to go ahead that the water is now safe.   It is being reported that even after authorities have deemed the water safe, hospitals are seeing dozens of people seeking medical aid for nausea and vomiting in the “safe to drink” zones. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is urging pregnant women who live in […]

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Tobacco Lobby Weighs In Against Home Rule

January 16, 2014
Tobacco Lobby Weighs In Against Home Rule

The“Washington Legal Foundation”is a Rent-a-Shill for the tobacco industry,  fracking, you name it . . .  Have now decided that they are opposed to Home Rule in New York. Foundation asks New York court to invalidate fracking bans By BOB DOWNING Published: January 15, 2014 A press release received today from the Washington Legal Foundation: WLF ASKS N.Y. HIGH COURT TO INVALIDATE MUNICIPAL ZONING BANS ON FRACKING Norse Energy Corp. USA v. Town of Dryden New York Court of Appeals ALBANY, NY—The Washington Legal Foundation (WLF) today asked the New York Court of Appeals to overturn a decision that threatens to allow N.Y. municipalities to ban oil and gas exploration locally, even though the state legislature has expressly preempted all oil and gas regulation. In a brief filed in Norse Energy Corp., USA v. Town of […]

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Frack Zombie Publicity Stunt Lingers On

January 16, 2014
Frack Zombie Publicity Stunt Lingers On

Note that the putative plaintiffs in this fracking publicity stunt are a non-existent Norwegian penny stock scam now joined by an investor in that bankrupt Norwegian penny stock scam. Represented by Chesapeake’s lobbyist in Albany . . . . reprising his role as Shale Shyster. 15 January 2014, 4:03 pm State gets hearing on fracking lawsuit pushed back to March  By Jon Campbell A hearing on a lawsuit that seeks to force a decision on shale-gas drilling in New York has been pushed back to March after the state Attorney General’s Office successfully asked for a delay. State Supreme Court Justice George Ceresia late last week ruled in favor of the state’s request, delaying an in-court hearing on the suit until March 7. It had been scheduled for Jan. 24. Last month, Albany-based oil-and-gas […]

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Cuomo Protest at Harvard Club

January 16, 2014
Cuomo Protest at Harvard Club

Was a screaming success – over 100 protestors made it clear: Don’t Frack New York.  Short clip here - IMG_2256 More to come from Alex Beauchamp and Eric Weltman at Food & Water Watch Hope to see you tonight at Ethical Culture at 64 th & /Central Park West and at Foothills Center in Oneonta tomorrow night.

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BOEHNER WINS BONEHEAD AWARD

January 16, 2014
BOEHNER WINS BONEHEAD AWARD

Leave it to US House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) to school us on regulations with regards to the chemical spill in that left over 300,000 people without water for several days.  For this he received the BONEHEAD AWARD of the week. According to a Huffington Post article Boehner wants to know why the plant hasn’t been inspected since 1991. Boehner stated at a press conference: “The issue is this: We have enough regulations on the books.  And what the administration ought to be doing is actually doing their jobs. Why wasn’t this plant inspected since 1991?” “I am entirely confident that there are ample regulations already on the books to protect the health and safety of the American people,” he added. “Somebody ought to be held accountable here. What we […]

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DC CAUSES GLOBAL WARMING

January 16, 2014
DC CAUSES GLOBAL WARMING

In more ways than one . . .   http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/researchers-find-nearly-6000-natural-gas-leaks-in-districts-aging-pipe-system/2014/01/15/f6ee2204-7dff-11e3-9556-4a4bf7bcbd84_story.html?wpisrc=nl_headlines Researchers Find Explosive Leaks in District’s Gas Lines (Robert B. Jackson) – Methane at 10 percent (100,000 ppm) gas concentration measured in a telecommunications manhole in Washington, D.C. Researchers found nearly 5,893 natural gas leaks from the city’s aging pipe system. CAPTION Share to Facebook Share on Twitter Share on LinkedIn Add to PersonalPost Share via Email Print Article More By Lenny Bernstein, Updated: Thursday, January 16, 6:00 AM E-mail the writer Researchers who conducted a street-by-street survey of the District found nearly 6,000 natural gas leaks from the city’s aging pipe system, including 12 in manholes where methane had collected to potentially explosive levels, according to a study published Thursday. The team, after warning Washington Gas about those 12 locations, retested them four months later and discovered […]

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Fracking the Law

January 15, 2014
Fracking the Law

Juris Imprudence invalidates the last month of a moratorium That the judge did not think was a moratorium. And that was approved by 75% of the town council. . . . Sidney Lawsuit Update Protective Law enacted by the Town of Sidney This case involved a protective law enacted by the Town of Sidney in February of 2013. That law prohibited, within Town boundaries, natural gas extraction activities, underground storage of natural gas, and disposal of natural gas extraction and production waste streams. The Law was styled as a moratorium and in any event expires by its explicit terms in February, 2014. The Lawsuit Challenging the Town’s Law Very briefly, this suit asserted various challenges to enactment of the subject law, including that (as a moratorium) the Town had not complied with the […]

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Incoming Binghamton Mayor Rich David Takes Credit for Sunsets

January 15, 2014
Incoming Binghamton Mayor Rich David Takes Credit for Sunsets

Many local media are reporting that incoming Binghamton Mayor Rich David cancelled the appeal of the court decision which overturned the Binghamton moratorium on a technicality. e.g., BINGHAMTON — Within 10 days of taking over City Hall, Mayor Rich David dropped the appeal of a court decision striking down the moratorium on oil and gas drilling in Binghamton.  — “Binghamton withdraws fracking-ban appeal“, Binghamton Press and Sun Bulletin. 1/15/14 http://www.pressconnects.com/article/20140114/news01/301140034/binghamton-withdraws-fracking-ban-appeal Only thing is, the Binghamton moratorium expired on December 31, 2013. So basically, Rich David is trying to impress his pro-drilling friends at the Greater Binghamton Chamber, who put him in office, by claiming credit for cancelling an appeal which is moot. He might as well take credit for the sun setting. (No Rich, it was going to do that […]

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Is New York Shale Worthless ?

January 15, 2014
Is New York Shale Worthless ?

Is New York’s shale worthless? Pennsylvania’s gas wells produce best where the shale is deepest and thickest. But New York’s shale is thin and shallow. Does this mean a future of wildcat drillers and low royalties combined with damage from frack waste, compressor stations, and pipelines (or as one analyst put it, “a hangover without the night on the town”)? Below the event description, we discuss these questions and some of the reactions this controversial theory has triggered. TODAY @10am: Radio Preview with Dr. Ingraffea Listen live online at 10am to host Alison Rose Levy of Connect the Dots in conversation with event moderator, Professor Anthony Ingraffea of Cornell University. Thursday night in NYC; Friday night in Oneonta New York Shale Gas Potential: How Does It Compare to Pennsylvania? A forum moderated by Professor Anthony Ingraffea, […]

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New York’s Energy Future

January 14, 2014
New York's Energy Future

Is not shale gas.  You heard that here last. It can’t be. There isn’t enough shale gas in New York to fill an LNG tanker.  Will explain why in New York City on Thursday and at Oneonta on Friday.  New York’s energy future is in renewables. And which renewable has the most untapped potential in New York ? Are you sitting down ? Hydro. The New York State Energy Planning Board has approved and released a long-term and long-delayed state energy plan that includes, among other matters, various initiatives designed to spur investment in and development of renewable and alternative energy.  Most notably, the plan establishes a $1 billion Green Bank that will utilize private sector investment in renewables, calls for a reduction in carbon emissions of 50% by 2030 and requires […]

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WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT WV WATER CONTAMINATION

January 14, 2014
WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT WV WATER CONTAMINATION

This is a summary of what we know so far. Reports of a Chemical Leak into Elk River from storage tanks owned and operated by Freedom Industries on Thursday Jan. 7, 2013.  A state of emergency was declared in 9 counties, and approximately 300,000 residents and businesses were told not to use the water except for flushing toilets. The leaking tank is one of 13 owned by Freedom Industries, Inc. at their Etowah River Terminal.  According to their website, there are 13 tanks capable of holding up a combined total of 4,000,000 gallons. Etowah River Terminal is a liquid bulk storage and distribution facility servicing the Port of Charleston, West Virginia. The terminal is located approximately 1 mile upriver from intake facilities for the West Virginia division of American Water […]

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Frackers Spent Over $64 Million in Albany

January 13, 2014
Frackers Spent Over $64 Million in Albany

Trying to buy the Governor and the legislature in a state that has hardly any fracking gas. Come to the Shale Gas Mythbusters Show this week at Ethical Culture 2 W. 64th on Thursday night or Foothill Center in Oneonta on Friday night and we will explain why the Frackers have lobbied in New York way out of proportion to the state’s shale gas potential. Wanna guess why ?  NEW YORK, NY (01/13/2014)(readMedia)– Today, Common Cause/NY released “Deep Drilling, Deep Pockets in New York State,” a new comprehensive analysis of lobbying and campaign contributions by pro-fracking interests as well as anti-fracking environmental and civic groups, covering the period from 2007 to July 2013. While New Yorkers await a decision from Governor Cuomo, the controversy and political spending around the issue continues to […]

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Cuomo in Manhattan !

January 13, 2014
Cuomo in Manhattan !

This Thursday morning at the Harvard Club 27 W. 44th Governor Cuomo is coming to Manhattan, and we need to be there in force to tell him to ban fracking now!  We just started the year with a huge rally outside Governor Cuomo’s State of the State address. Now, Governor Cuomo is heading to Manhattan, and we need you there to show him that we won’t accept a single fracked well in New York. Join us this Thursday morning 8 to 9 ! https://www.facebook.com/events/265562146935026/

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Shale Gas Mythbusters @ Oneonta

January 12, 2014
Shale Gas Mythbusters @ Oneonta

This Friday night at Foothills Center – pre-show music by the Gravel Yard Band. Be there or be fracked. 

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CADAVER COSMETICS: WHEN THE NATURAL GAS INDUSTRY GETS TO BE CALLED A “GOOD SAMARITAN,” NOTHING MEANS ANYTHING, AND ANYTHING MEANS “WHATEVER THE FRACKERS WANT”– PENNSYLVANIA SENATE BILL 411

January 12, 2014
CADAVER COSMETICS: WHEN THE NATURAL GAS INDUSTRY GETS TO BE CALLED A "GOOD SAMARITAN," NOTHING MEANS ANYTHING, AND ANYTHING MEANS "WHATEVER THE FRACKERS WANT"-- PENNSYLVANIA SENATE BILL 411

Original posted at: THE WRENCH: CADAVER COSMETICS: WHEN THE NATURAL GAS INDUSTRY GETS TO BE CALLED A “GOOD SAMARITAN,” NOTHING MEANS ANYTHING, AND ANYTHING MEANS “WHATEVER THE FRACKERS WANT”– PENNSYLVANIA SENATE BILL 411 I have mostly stopped wondering what lengths the natural gas industry is willing to go to insure they meet their objectives: fracking as much gas as they can possibly get out of the ground, getting it into pipeline, shunting it to export depot, and then off to the global markets as fast as they can–and before we in the “sacrifice zones” really comprehend the full extent to which we have become an extraction colony gas factory for folks who already have made more money from fossil fuel “development” than “god”–yet not so much money that they don’t want […]

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Shale Gas Mythbusters Coming to Central Park !

January 11, 2014
Shale Gas Mythbusters Coming to Central Park !

Shale Gas Mythbusters are coming to Central Park West this Thursday, 2  64th Street at Central Park West, 6:30 PM. See you there ! (54) New York Shale Gas Potential: How Does it Compare to Pennsylvania? New York Shale Gas Potential: How Does it Compare to Pennsylvania? What can New Yorkers expect if high-volume hydrofracking is permitted here? Analysis of 2700 Pennsylvania gas wells shows that the highest yields are where shale is deepest and thickest. But the Marcellus shale gets thinner and shallower rapidly as it crosses the border into New York, leading to predictions of significantly less production, but with considerable potential damage from frack waste and drill cutting disposal, road damage, compressor stations, and pipelines. New York Society for Ethical Culture 2 West 64th Street, 6:30–9 pm, Doors open 6:00 pm  Come early and […]

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Duke Blows Whistle on EPA Cover UP

January 11, 2014
Duke Blows Whistle on EPA Cover UP

Previously unreported studies conducted by Duke University researchers indicate that EPA was premature to close their investigations of methane migration. We have commented on this before – clearly the deRanged Resources shale gas well bore ventilated the Strawn gas formation into groundwater, which was picked up by shallow residential water wells. Everyone in the industry knows this. And that is what has happened in Pennsylvania – shale gas well bores release shallow gas deposits into groundwater, which in turn, contaminates well water. Whether the gas is from the produced formation – the shale – is irrelevant: the water wells have been rendered useless by the drilling.  The vertical section of a shale gas well bore is as big a hole as you’ve ever seen. More than sufficient to ventilate every bit of […]

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FLUSH ONLY IN NINE WEST VIRGINIA COUNTIES

January 11, 2014
FLUSH ONLY IN NINE WEST VIRGINIA COUNTIES

Residents of nine West Virginia counties, between 100,000 homes and businesses (approximately 300,000 people) have been told by their governor “DON’T DRINK THE WATER”.     Schools, restaurants, hotels and other businesses were forced to close due to contaminated water supplies.   The West Virginia State Legislature canceled their sessions on Friday, Jan 10, 2013 as well. People are being told to only use their home water for flushing the toilet.    They should not be drinking, cooking, bathing, washing their face, brushing their teeth, watering plants or washing their clothes in it. This is a FLUSH ONLY order. Complaints received on Thursday evening (Jan 9, 2013) of a licorice smell in the air led Kanawha County Fire Department and the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP) to chemical storage tanks along the […]

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Shale Shyster Appoints Self To Supremes

January 10, 2014
Shale Shyster Appoints Self To Supremes

Here is the latest missive from Shale Shyster Tom West, who labels his briefs to the New York Supremes on Dryden and Middlefield as “The Final Word”  Then goes on to refer to something he calls the “Mind Land Reclamation Law”.  ”Mind Land” was of course the name of Jefferson Airplane’s 4th album. Invoking it is, a best, an intriguing legal gambit, but at worst, sadly emblematic of West’s juris imprudence.  Or spelling aptitude. West neatly overlooks the the fact that eight (8) New York justices have looked at this issue and have all come to the conclusion that prohibiting an activity entirely is not regulating its functions. January 08, 2014 The Final Word Regarding Home Rule in New York! “Although the New York Court of Appeals will have the final […]

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No Eminent Domain for Cannucks in Texas

January 10, 2014
No Eminent Domain for Cannucks in Texas

The Texas Supremes have just ruled in favor of Texas landowners – and against the Canadian Keystone XL Tar Ball pipeline company. Eminent domain applies to common carriers in Texas, which means the line has to be open to local product.  Not lines that only carry Canadian tar balls. Welcome to Texas, eh Jacque ? Maybe they should hire the openly bi-national Ted Cruz as their lawyer. After all, he has dual citizenship – Texan and Canadian: which means he can lie out of both sides of his mouth at the same time. Texas Supreme Court Favors Landowner Over TransCanada in Keystone XL Eminent Domain Case Tar Sands Blockade | January 9, 2014 9:33 am | Comments The Texas Supreme Court ruled in favor of landowner Julia Trigg Crawford, ordering TransCanada to submit information by Feb. […]

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CUGINI FOUND DEAD

January 10, 2014
CUGINI FOUND DEAD

Anthony Cugini, former Director of the National Energy Technology Laboratory, was found on Wednesday morning in a dry creek bed in a wildlife area of Upper St. Clair. His wife had reported him missing on Tuesday. According to Allegheny County Medical Examiner Karl E. Williams, “We found a guy out in the woods with no obvious signs of trauma. Of course, his death is suspicious.  I don’t think it’s a homicide. This guy was under investigation, so I said, ‘Let’s try to get some more information.’ We want to do toxicology and tissues tests. There was some minor trauma consistent with a fall but nothing that would cause his death,” Williams said. Upper St. Clair police officials who are conducting the investigation could not be reached for comment. Cugini was […]

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DISNEY CANCELS FRACKERS

January 10, 2014
DISNEY CANCELS FRACKERS

Radio Disney in Cleveland Ohio has canceled the remaining fossil fuel industry sponsored shows. Responding to Disney’s partnership with the Ohio Oil and Gas Association (OOGA), more than 80,000 people signed an online petition to demand Disney CEO Bob Iger stop the OOGA program. News organization Al Jazerra ran the Disney-OOGA partnership story on January 8, 2013. On January 9, 2013, Disney emailed a statement to Al Jazeera, saying the company has pulled out of the remaining installments of the Rocking Ohio tour. “The sole intent of the collaboration between Radio Disney and the nonprofit Rocking in Ohio educational initiative was to foster kids’ interest in science and technology. Having been inadvertently drawn into a debate that has no connection with this goal, Radio Disney has decided to withdraw from […]

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Zombie Fracking Coming to the Big Screen !

January 9, 2014
Zombie Fracking Coming to the Big Screen !

Frack Zombies coming to a movie screen near you ! Behold:  Zombie Killers: Elephant’s Graveyard is due this year and will star Billy Zane and Mischa Barton, star of television’s The O.C. The story line is that fracking causes a dead horde to come to life and attack a rural town – kind of like the real frackers do. Live ones. Not just Frack Zombies like Norse Energy. And the town’s people have to defend themselves. Kind of like fractavists do. In real life . . Zombie Killers: Elephant’s Graveyard (2014) – IMDb www.imdb.com/title/tt2908090/‎ Directed by Harrison Smith. With Mischa Barton, Billy Zane, Dee Wallace, Felissa Rose. A young militia is all that stands between a coming dead horde and their … ‎NewsDesk - ‎Trivia - ‎Quotes - ‎Plot Summary Zombie Killers www.zkegmovie.com/‎ Synopsis · Cast · Filmmakers · Gallery · Videos […]

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Native Americans Protest At Albany Frackdown

January 9, 2014
Native Americans Protest At Albany Frackdown

Idle No More at Governor Cuomo’s State of the State address: Mohawk Nation Drummers from Akwesasne assert their rights. This year, authorities ruled that no drumming would be allowed in the concourse under the state capitol in Albany during the governor’s state of the state address. That memo never reached members of the Mohawk Nation who came to Albany to add a first nations perspective to the call for a ban on fracking. The problem for the police is that this rule took no account of the religious and culture centrality of the drum to native peoples, nor the implicit understand of this on the part of supporters who instantly rallied in support of the drummers. It was an inspiring. Chants of “let them go” changed to “let them drum”.  The […]

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Forget Fracking, Cuomo Goes Solar !

January 8, 2014
Forget Fracking, Cuomo Goes Solar !

Not a peep in Cuomo’s speech today about about fracking. Imagine that. Newly Released NY Energy Plan Mum on Fracking   Because there’s not much shale gas to frack in New York . . . come to the Shale Mythbusters show at Ethical Culture in NYC on the 16th or Foothills at Oneonta on the 17th and will explain why fracking shale gas is not such a high priority any more in New York Sate. Nutshell: There’s more wind power, hydro and sunshine in New York than shale gas. You heard it here last. The Governor gave a boost solar, so here’s to that ! Fracking absent in NY’s new long-term energy plan Opponents of hydraulic fracturing for natural gas, or fracking, rally outside the Empire State Plaza Convention Center before Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s […]

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Albany Frackdown Videos !

January 8, 2014
Albany Frackdown Videos !

Complete video of the Albany Frackdown here - http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/28352149   Idle No More at Governor Cuomo’s State of the State address: Mohawk Nation Drummers from Akwesasne assert their rights. This year, authorities ruled that no drumming would be allowed in the concourse under the state capitol in Albany during the governor’s state of the state address. That memo never reached members of the Mohawk Nation who came to Albany to add a first nations perspective to the call for a ban on fracking. The problem for the police is that this rule took no account of the religious and culture centrality of the drum to native peoples, nor the implicit understand of this on the part of supporters who instantly rallied in support of the drummers. It was an inspiring. Chants of […]

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Corbett Asks Supremes to “Reconsider” Home Rule

January 8, 2014
Corbett Asks Supremes to "Reconsider" Home Rule

Governor Corbett, the best governor that money can buy, has asked Pennsylvania’s high court to “reconsider” its recent ruling that upheld Home Rule. This after the state made the same arguments in front of the Supremes. File this under “lame fracking attempt at coercion by corrupt politicians”  or just “yet  another reason to dump Corbett” . . . Pennsylvania Asks State Supreme Court to Reconsider Decision on Home Rule Jan 6 (Reuters) – The state of Pennsylvania on Thursday asked the state Supreme Court to reconsider its December decision that struck down parts of an oil and gas law. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court voted 4-2 in mid-December saying key provisions in Act 13, a 2012 law that governs oil and gas drilling, is unconstitutional. In a state known for its shale […]

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SHALE UPDATES

January 7, 2014
SHALE UPDATES

The year 2013 has passed, and ahead of us is 2014.   I thought this may be a good time to revisit and update a few stories that are sure to crop up again in the new year. “Teh kitteh” photo is there to get all you facebooker’s attention.  More about the kitteh later. ACT 13 ONE-SIZE FRACK ZONING As you know, the zoning provision in Act 13 was struck down by the PA Supreme Court last month.  PA Governor Tom Corbett and the fossil fuel industry aren’t happy about it. Well, just when you thought it would be safe to celebrate the victory, it may be short-lived.  In a last ditch effort, and scrambling for any legal hand hold, Corbett  (and we assume with the backing of his fossil fuel […]

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Albany Frackdown !

January 6, 2014
Albany Frackdown !

Dear friends across New York, Still trying to decide whether to drop everything and join us Albany on Wednesday for an historic State of the State anti-fracking rally? The answer is yes. After years of creative, brave, anti-fracking resolve—and frankly, a whole lot of tedious work, personal sacrifice, and against-all-odds efforts—this is our defining moment. Now, before the eyes of the world—and with all of New York’s media cameras rolling—we need to demonstrate the breadth, depth, diversity, power, and ascendency of our movement. We need you! Here are ten more reasons to get off the fence and onto the bus: 1) A luxurious rally location.  The venue is a magnificent, warm, indoor, marble concourse with access to bathrooms and coffee.  Famous, well-dressed people will walk by on their way to hear the governor’s speech.  Every major elected […]

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Shale Oil Terror Trains

January 6, 2014
Shale Oil Terror Trains

Who needs a pipeline when the PetroTerrorists can simply wipe out whole towns one Tanker Terror Train at a time ? The frackers have found new ways to turn old fashioned crude oil tanker cars into 21st Century Tank Bombs. One train load at a time. How do they do it ? By pumping the tank cars full of volatile toxic chemicals, not just crude oil. Voila. Not your granddad’s oil tanker anymore. But a catastrophe waiting for a town to happen in. Roll a hundred of these bad boys onto a siding, let the temperature rise so that the volatiles expand and leak and then KABOOM. Adios Mayberry. Or Buffalo. Or Kansas City. Mover over Timothy McVeigh and Osama, there’s a new breed of terrorist coming to town. One tank […]

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AP Reports Tip of Fracking Iceberg

January 5, 2014
AP Reports Tip of Fracking Iceberg

The AP, The Fracker’s Public Relations Auxiliary now (finally) reports that the industry has been down-playing the amount of pollution caused by fracking. As if that were actually news, to anyone other than the Frackers Public Relations Auxiliary. Some old news from a surprising new source, the APs Uber Shill Kevin Begos - in some belated attempt to establish his credentials as a journalist – not a totally transparent Frak Flak. Associated Press Review of Fracking Complaints Casts Doubt on Industry View That it Rarely Happens. STORY HIGHLIGHTS AP requested data on drilling-related complaints in Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia and Texas Extracting fuel from shale formations requires salt, chemicals, heavy metals and radiation Most common type of pollution involves methane gas, not other chemicals SHARE 1561CONNECT 454TWEET 62COMMENTEMAILMORE PITTSBURGH (AP) — In at least four states that […]

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$500 Million Frack Lien Complicates Homeowner’s Refinancing

January 5, 2014
$500 Million Frack Lien Complicates Homeowner's Refinancing

No, not making this up. A homeowner faced some difficulty in refinancing their mortgage after a fracker filed a lien on the property. It comes as a surprise to most homeowners that when their mineral rights are sold or leased, the frackers pledge those mineral rights as collateral against their own bank borrowings. So each property is encumbered by that corporate line of credit lien. Surprised ? Who the frack did they think they were dealing with ?  Leasing or selling the mineral rights under a property that is encumbered by a home mortgage may put the borrower in default. They may not find that out (nor will the lender) until they go to sell or refinance the property. There are several reasons why – a residential loan may prohibit the borrower […]

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In Surprising Twist, New York To Get Stoned Not Fracked

January 5, 2014
In Surprising Twist, New York To Get Stoned Not Fracked

Governor Cuomo has decided that New York is better off stoned than fracked. From a strictly personal perspective, I’ll drink to that. The NYT has the scoop New York Set to Loosen Marijuana Laws By SUSANNE CRAIG and JESSE McKINLEY Published: January 4, 2014 516 Comments ALBANY — Joining a growing group of states that have loosened restrictions on marijuana, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of New York plans this week to announce an executive action that would allow limited use of the drug by those with serious illnesses, state officials say. Enlarge This Image Michael Nagle for The New York Times Andrew M. Cuomo Connect With NYTMetro Follow us on Twitterand like us on Facebookfor news and conversation. Enlarge This Image   Map: States That Allow Medical Marijuana The New York Times Readers’ Comments Share your thoughts. […]

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Fracked Babies. One Newborn At A Time.

January 5, 2014
Fracked Babies. One Newborn At A Time.

Fracking and babies don’t mix according to a new study. This work confirms work done two years ago by Elaine Hill at Cornell. Living in or near a shale gas field is a textbook way to produce low birth weight babies and babies with health issues. How this might come as a surprise to anyone has never been in a large producing gas field, much less lived in one. The good news is that if the well is a gusher and the parents owned the mineral rights, they can now afford to move and get expensive medical care for their newborn. And they can name the infant “Aubrey” Study Shows Fracking Is Bad for Babies By Mark Whitehouse - Jan 4, 2014 The energy industry has long insisted that hydraulic fracking — the practice […]

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ANATOMY OF A SHALE SOCKPUPPET

January 5, 2014
ANATOMY OF A SHALE SOCKPUPPET

We all know the fossil fuel industry talking points need close scrutiny to properly understand how they define their words.   We also know their supporters will happily promote those talking points regardless of whether or not these supporters understand the talking points and the definitions. It’s an insult to parrots to say these supporters are “parroting” the Fossil Fuel Industry (FFI) talking points.  Studies have shown parrots are intelligent and possess an understanding of words and what they mean.  No similar study exists to indicate the fossil fuel supporters understand what is coming out of their mouths.  Perhaps sockpuppet would be a better word to describe the supporters? Aside from the FFI’s  trade organizations, front groups and green washed associations, there are the political sockpuppets.   Use of a politician as […]

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STAND UP – SPEAK OUT

January 3, 2014
STAND UP – SPEAK OUT

The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the Environmental Quality Board recently announced that a public comment period is open for the long-awaited proposed revisions to oil and gas regulations that include performance standards for oil and gas activities. The regulation include a consideration of drilling impacts on public resources as well as standards related to managing drilling waste, restoring drilling sites and gathering pipeline construction, and requirements for finding and dealing with abandoned wells close to proposed well sites. This is your chance to voice your opinion on these important environmental regulations through written comment or at public hearings in January. Clean Air Council will be sending additional information in the coming weeks, but right now it’s important to get out to one of the public hearings if you […]

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Home Rule in Colorado

January 3, 2014
Home Rule in Colorado

May be settled by a ballot initiative next fall. To make Home Rule, the town’s right to protect its residents, inviolate in the state constitution. The way it is in other places. Like Texas. And Pennsylvania. And New York. There is no good reason for a town not to apply local zoning to oil and gas wells. Home Rule applies in Texas, and you can’t argue that Texas hasn’t been royally fracked. So the notion that Home Rule is detrimental to anything – other than the frackers and a few crooked politicians – is a fracking fairy tale. If a town does not want to get fracked, some bureaucrat in the state capital should not make that decision for the town.  The town should make the decision. Like they do in places like […]

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Albany Rally 2014 !

January 3, 2014
Albany Rally 2014 !

The New York legislature is back in session this month. Count your spoons. Uber Gruppen DINO, Jeff Klein will be working on new ways to pretend he’s a not a Closet Fracker, or, oy vey, a Republican. Fracking Lobbyist Karen “Mushrooms” Moreau will be skulking about the corridors with a satchel full of fat envelopes, with an irresistible come-on: “Hey Senator, wanna frack ? It’s absolutely harmless.” And there will be a rally – indoors – on January 8th to get things started  ! Be there or be fracked.  Rally at Cuomo’s State of the State: No Fracking, Yes Renewables! Wednesday, January 8 at 11:30am in EST

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No More Frackin’ EZ Money

January 2, 2014
No More Frackin' EZ Money

Evidently the frackers have run out of foreign suckers to subsidize the Shale Game. The WSJ has the scoop on foreign frackonomics. It’s no secret that the Shale Boom was financed by Mad Money. And some of the maddest money of all came from foreigners, including the Chinese. Whose investments turned Chesapeake into Chinapeake. Who would have ever guessed that ? ENERGY / HYDRAULIC FRACTURING For Frackers, Days of Easy Money End on January 2, 2014 at 6:00 pm Foreign shale-drilling investment declined in 2013 compared with 2012. Shown, a pump jack in the Monterey Shale in California last year. Reuters Oil and gas companies slash spending as foreign investment dries up NEW YORK, NY — “Since 2008, deep-pocketed foreign investors have subsidized the U.S. energy boom, as oil and gas companies spent far more […]

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SPINNING METHANE LEVELS IN WATER

January 2, 2014
SPINNING METHANE LEVELS IN WATER

The United States Geological Service (USGS) released a report in September 2012 and a second one in December 2013. The September 2012 press release title was “Dissolved Methane found in SOME New York Groundwater”.     Note the term “SOME”. December 2013’s press release title is “Methane is COMMON in Groundwater from Valleys in South-Central New York State”.  Note the term “COMMON”. As I’ve stated numerous times, we need to define our terms.    What is meant by “SOME” and what is meant by “COMMON”? As these terms relate to quantity, “Some” is less than “Common”. SOME AND COMMON Both are fuzzy terms, so let’s look at the two studies a bit closer. The USGS 2012 study stated: (emphasis added) A recent study that looked at groundwater samples from more than 200 wells […]

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Shale Gas Mythbusters Oneonta January 17th

December 31, 2013
Shale Gas Mythbusters Oneonta January 17th

We are honored to have the Otsego County Conservation Association, the Otsego Land Trust and the Cornell Cooperative Extension Service of Otsego and Schoharie Counties co-sponsor our presentation at Foothills Center in Oneonta on January 17th at 7 PM. Come early and enjoy the band.  Linger and ask questions moderated by Prof Ingraffea. Hope to see you at the show ! PRESS RELEASE For Immediate Release: December 31, 2013 Shale gas potential in New York: Limited production doesn’t preclude possible negative impacts  ONEONTA – The likelihood of marginal shale gas prospects in New York State, which may in turn attract marginal drilling companies, is one of several possible scenarios to be discussed during a presentation on New York shale gas potential onFriday, January 17 at The Foothills Performing Arts Center, 24 Market Street, Oneonta. […]

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FRACK THE MOUSE

December 30, 2013
FRACK THE MOUSE

Hey KIDS!  Fracking for oil and gas is COOL!  IT’S FUN!  Mickey says you too can build a pipeline! Yep, Disney has jumped on the fracking hype and joined with the Ohio Oil and Gas Association (OOGA) to promote fossil fuel fracking to kids and make it fun! Elementary school classrooms in Ohio are being treated to a super special, game show-like day presentation, brought to them by Radio Disney and funded by the state Oil and Gas Association. All of the activities are aimed at teaching kids about science — the science, that is “behind oil and gas production and their value as natural resources.” The Wooster Daily Record describes how the program, “Rocking in Ohio,” combined science and fun (and industry interests) at the Wayne County fairgrounds this […]

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ANOTHER FRACK FAIRY TALE

December 29, 2013
ANOTHER FRACK FAIRY TALE

Bryan Walsh, Senior Editor at Time magazine , published an article entitled “Fracking for Natural Gas May Help Us Save Water”.   Based on some study from the University of Texas at Austin (UT), for which Walsh does not give a link or even the study title, he contends the extraction of oil and natural gas through the process of unconventional drilling (i.e hydraulic fracturing) is saving water. If you run a google search on “university of austin natural gas fracking saves water”, you will find essentially the same article on a number of fossil fuel cheer leading sites.   The similarity of wording, and the closeness of publication times between all these “articles”, leads me to believe they are essentially a copy/paste job from a fossil fuel industry source. It took […]

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Shale Shyster Opines on Home Rule in Every State But New York

December 28, 2013
Shale Shyster Opines on Home Rule in Every State But New York

Where, selectively, some state court cases – such as the recent Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruling in favor of Home Rule – have no bearing on New York state law (correct) but that some anti Home Rule state court cases do have bearing on New York state law (wrong !). Note that this comes from the Disjointed Landowners Coalition’s very own captive Shale Shyster, who has been trying to milk the landowners of their money in order to mount a publicity stunt against the State of New York. Catch is he has no plaintiff that has been damaged, no case law to base the claim on, and hence, no case. Just an excuse to shake down landowners for some legal fees. So now the Shale Shyster opines on Home Rule case law in […]

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Forced Pooling of 8 Acres For a Publicity Stunt

December 28, 2013
Forced Pooling of 8 Acres For a Publicity Stunt

Chespapeake’s lobbyist Tom West’s publicity stunt against the state of New York is based on frack zombie Norse Energy’s sole remaining drilling permit application on file with the DEC, a copy of which is shown here. Norse has no other applications on file; meaning that it is suing the state of New York for the right to drill one wildcat  exploration well – that would require a compulsory pooling of a neighbor with 8 acres –  in order for Norse (in liquidation) to have enough acreage to drill the wildcat http://www.scribd.com/doc/194255681/Norse-Energy-Well-Permit-Application Note that Norse only has 152 acres leased, not enough to drill the one lateral shown as what is listed as a “wildcat” exploration well to the Marcellus. But that the DEC says that the 152 acres is sufficient to force the […]

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Out of Work Shale Shill Greg Sovas Expounds on Home Rule

December 27, 2013
Out of Work Shale Shill Greg Sovas Expounds on Home Rule

Greg Sovas, former water boy for the frackers at the New York Department of Mineral Resources, current wandering shale shill without portfolio, is now predicting that the New York legislature, or at least the politicos that have been bought off by the fracking lobbyists, are going to weigh in on Home Rule – on the side of the frackers. Which is a roundabout way of saying the frack lobbyists, including the one that has been arguing the case for the frackers, must think that the New York Supremes are going to uphold Home Rule as it pertains to oil and gas wells.  Thanks for the tip. We agree. We think that the Supremes will read the lower court opinions and will concur with the rulings of the eight (8) New York justices that have held […]

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FRACK FAIRY TALES FROM MSC

December 27, 2013
FRACK FAIRY TALES FROM MSC

Newly hired President of the Marcellus Shale Coalition (MSC), David Spigelmeyer  has a sad and reacts to the recent ACT 13 rulings by retelling old Frack Fairy tales.  One would think in light of growing opposition to the fossil fuel industry’s industrialization of our communities that Spigelmeyer would have come up with better frack fairy tales. Briefly, Spigelmeyer, was Vice President of Government Relations for Chesapeake Energy.  He and a number of other Chesapeake employees were let go in mid 2013 during a “massive restructuring” of the company.   Forbes magazine characterized it as a “bloodbath”.  Since the beginning of 2013 approximately 1,200 employees have been let go. If you are interested in reading what Chesapeake Energy employees (current and former) are saying, CLICK HERE.   ACT 13 FRACK FAIRY TALE […]

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Fractavist Sleeper Cell Exposed !

December 26, 2013
Fractavist Sleeper Cell Exposed !

They were evidently taking taking orders from their guru, an old guy in a white robe and a beanie, known as “Il Papa,” AP reports.  A major Fractavist Sleeper Cell, lead by Miriam “Moon Child” Hurst, retired high school trigonometry teacher, and Ralph “Road Dog” Gibbs, aging bus driver and part time banjo player (a sure giveaway), has been exposed in Ohio ! Delete all emails from these crazed rebels. Deny you have any knowledge of their devious activities. Hide your inflammatory yard signs and insurgent bumper stickers. Tuck your dreds under a gimme cap – they could be your ticket to the pokey. Remember: The First Rule of Fractavist Club is to deny there’s a Fractavist Club.  Apology issued for terror training scenario Posted: Thursday, December 12, 2013 5:45 pm | Updated: 8:22 pm, […]

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Frackquakes: Seismic Guidelines for Frackland Buildings

December 25, 2013
Frackquakes: Seismic Guidelines for Frackland Buildings

There have been so many frackquakesin Frack Land that the USGS is coming out with a new map of where architects and engineers might expect them – so that they can design earthquake resistant structures . . . FRACKQUAKES: USGS to Make Risk Map for Man-Made Quakes Mike Soraghan, E&E reporterEnergyWire: Monday, December 23, 2013 Federal officials are wrestling with how to account for the hazard created by man-made earthquakes, many of which are triggered by oil and gas activities.In the past, the U.S. Geological Survey has generally excluded shaking related to industrial activity from its earthquake hazard maps. The maps project the likelihood of large, natural earthquakes and are used to develop building codes, plan roads and bridges, and set insurance rates.But amid an increase in the number and […]

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Fracker’s Orphaned Wells

December 25, 2013
Fracker's Orphaned Wells

Thousands of abandoned oil and gas wells in New York, and no funds to clean them after the operators skip out. As this paper by Prof. Ron Bishop details. New York had a plugging fund to clean up the mess frackers leave behind – but the fund got raided by the politicians years ago and ended up paving some roads somewhere instead. This phenomena of creating bastard wells – orphaned after the frackers are gone – happens wherever there are frackers - even in the Big Sky country of Wyoming, where the state regulators are paid to look the other way during the bastardization. December 24, 2013 Wyoming Acts to Plug Orphan Wells as Gas Boom Ends By DAN FROSCH DENVER ­ Hundreds of abandoned drilling wells dot eastern Wyoming like sagebrush, vestiges of […]

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Fracked: Toxic Mortgages

December 24, 2013
Fracked: Toxic Mortgages

  Fracking Real Estate Shale Boom Threatens Mortgages By Joel Dyer More than 15 million people now live within one mile of an oil and gas well that has been drilled and fracked just since the year 2000. And it is predicted that we are only in the beginning stages of the current drilling boom, which will eventually extend into 34 of the lower 48 states. When a shale play and a population center collide, the results are staggering. For example, a recent examination by The Wall Street Journal found that in Johnson County, Texas — an area sitting atop the Barnett Shale on the southern edge of Fort Worth with a population of 150,000 — 99.5 percent of county residents live within a mile of one or more of the 3,900 […]

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Totally deRanged Resources !

December 23, 2013
Totally deRanged Resources !

Are now officially America’s Biggest Fracking Gasholes ! Cabot doesn’t even come close. Chesapeake ? Choir boys. Read how deRanged got that way. I had a meeting scheduled with Range’s corporate counsel a few years ago and it was all set up for lunch in Arlington, half way between Ft Worth and Dallas –  until he figured out who I was.  Pity, I had bought a concealed mic at Radio Shack for the occasion. . . Range are the kind of fracking gasholes that give fracking gasholes a bad name. http://www.fwweekly.com/2013/12/23/range-wars/ Range Wars  Posted December 23, 2013 by PETER GORMAN in News When Ron Gulla, a heavy-machinery salesman, leased the mineral rights on his Pennsylvania property in 2002, he said, he was told that standard vertical gas wells would be drilled and that in […]

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Don’t Frack With The Irish

December 23, 2013
Don't Frack With The Irish

Phlegm McClear’s  Frack Nation has bombed in his native Ireland. Where the Irish EPA, not to be confused with the IRA, have told the frackers ot take a hike.  First the Roman’s tried to frack Ireland, but you don’t see many Romans there now days do you ? Then the Norwegians gave it a go; that didn’t last much longer than Norse Energy in New York. Then the English tried to frack Ireland – and that worked for a bloody while, but no more. Then came the frackers – who have been sent packing.  Keep Ireland frack free.  On a personal aside, my great grandfather, Peter Keliher, nee Patrick Kelleher, came to Texas from County Kerry in 1870 as a teen soldier in the US Army; stationed near Laredo. Curiously enough, he […]

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Unable to Sue Cuomo, Frack Babies Send Him a Christmas Card

December 22, 2013
Unable to Sue Cuomo, Frack Babies Send Him a Christmas Card

Apparently unable to get it together on their publicity stunt to pay some Shale Shysters to sue Governor Cuomo, the Disjointed Landowners Coalition of New York are going to send him a holiday card instead. How nice.  Dear Friends, Coalition Leaders, Landowners, Natural Gas Supporters, Gullible Reporters and Paid Off Politicos: . In the spirit of the season the JLCNY has prepared a timely greeting for you to down load, print, sign, and mail to Governor Cuomo at the following address… . The Honorable Andrew M. Cuomo Governor of NY State NY State Capitol Building Albany, NY 12224 . Please take advantage of this seasonal opportunity now and throughout January 2014 to let the Governor know that we’re still here, that we’re thinking of him, that we are still working on suing him, and […]

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NJ County Bans Fracking

December 22, 2013
NJ County Bans Fracking

In some states, such as New Mexico and Colorado, counties can exercise land use controls – something only municipalities do in most states, like Texas, New York and Pennsylvania. Evidently, New Jersey counties can prohibit certain hazardous land use practices – like fracking.  In New York, counties have limited powers of protection – such as prohibiting spreading frack waste on county roads. Middlesex First County in NJ to Ban Fracking Unanimous freeholder vote follows ordinances in Highland Park, New Brunswick  Dec. 21, 2013   |    On Thursday, Middlesex became the first county in the state to ban fracking. The measure follows ordinances in Highland Park and New Brunswick, the state’s first two municipalities to ban the controversial natural gas drilling process.  Written by Bob Makin @ReporterBMakin NEW BRUNSWICK — Middlesex County Freeholders […]

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Ft. Worth Files For Divorce From Chesapeake

December 22, 2013
Ft. Worth Files For Divorce From Chesapeake

Citing irreconcilable differences. And they were such a cute couple. The City cited mental cruelty. Ft Worth based Deranged Resources is named as a co-respondent. Ft Worth is near the epicenter of the Barnett Shale. It’s the Dimock of the Barnett. Prior to 2009, you could only drill an oil or gas well in a heavy industry zone in Ft. Worth, but that changed withe the City started issuing Special Use Permits  (SUPs) that enabled drillers to drill just about anywhere they could get an SUP. Dallas, its sister city – like Minneapolis / St. Paul or Buda and Pest (Budapest), saw what was happening and effectively banned shale gas exploration in the city. Now Ft. Worth is having second thoughts about letting its neighborhoods get cluster fracked in the first place. […]

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Norse Energy: A Town Supervisor’s Opinion

December 21, 2013
Norse Energy: A Town Supervisor's Opinion

Here’s a note from Jim Goldstein, Town of Lebanon Supervisor: who dealt with the bankrupt Norse Energy,  the plaintiff of record in “Rent A Plaintiff vs Dryden” and tells what his experience was with them:  “It is beyond ironic that Norse Energy, the company that drilled in  the Town Lebanon and Madison County for years, is the litigant in Dryden since Norse lost $100 million and it was due to bad business practices and overestimating market prices, not due to failure by the state to permit HVHF. Professor Selleck of Colgate University has made it abundantly clear at multiple presentations that the prospects for Marcellus and Utica shale gas development in upstate New York were always overstated and Norse is a great example. This is a company that signed up gullible rural residents […]

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How To Frack The News

December 21, 2013
How To Frack The News

Here’s a textbook example of how reporters just get some industry sound bites, make up some filler, stir a bit and print it.  No editor or fact checking necessary. My comments in bold: Pennsylvania Fracking Ruling Has Parallels to New York Case ALBANY-A Pennsylvania court decision that dealt a blow to that state’s booming oil and gas industry this week parallels a case now before New York’s highest court. What the court did was uphold a lower court ruling that upheld a municipality’s right to apply its land use laws to oil and gas well, which is the norm in almost every state, except where the frackers have tried to subvert it. Whether this is a “blow to that state’s booming oil and gas industry” is a matter of whether towns […]

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EPA FRACKING STUDY – Thought you should know

December 21, 2013
EPA FRACKING STUDY – Thought you should know

Regarding the EPA  hydraulic fracturing study and at the attendees list for the Dec 9, 2013 Round table meeting: There were a total of 36 participants and 2 observers. Of that: 19 participants are from fossil fuel industry, including 2 from Exxon-Mobil, and 2 from Halliburton. Of the observers, there was one from American Petroleum Institute Totals: 20 out of 38 with direct fossil fuel interests If you include State Agency participants where the state has a decided leaning towards fossil fuel exploitation, then the number is much higher. I did read the “publications” (i.e. powerpoints) – all fluff, no stuff, so we will have to wait for the final report. The scope of the study is limited to “fracking”, not the entire process of unconventional drilling, meaning EPA study […]

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HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM THE SHALE GAS MYTH BUSTERS

December 20, 2013
HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM THE SHALE GAS MYTH BUSTERS
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PORTIONS OF PENNSYLVNIA’S ACT 13 UNCONSTITUTIONAL

December 20, 2013
PORTIONS OF PENNSYLVNIA’S ACT 13 UNCONSTITUTIONAL

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court decision on portions of ACT 13 is a victory for the people of Pennsylvania and a blow to the fossil fuel industry. Of special interest was the one-size-frack-all zoning provision, which sought to eliminate local community control of where and under what conditions the fossil fuel industry could operate. In affirming the municipalities’ standing to bring the Act 13 challenge, which was challenged by the state’s attorneys, Chief Justice Castille wrote in the 162-page majority decision that “[t]he protection of environmental and esthetic interests is an essential aspect of Pennsylvanians’ quality of life and a key part of local government’s role.” The decision also notes “how remarkable a revolution is worked by this legislation (Act 13) upon the existing zoning regimen in Pennsylvania, including residential zones,” […]

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HOME RULE UPHELD IN FRACKSYLVANIA !

December 19, 2013
HOME RULE UPHELD IN FRACKSYLVANIA !

The Fracksylvania Supremes have upheld a municipality’s right to apply local land use ordinances – aka Home Rule - to oil and gas drilling. Bravo. This squares with established law in every state -except where out of state Carpetfrackers have attempted to subvert Home Rule by buying off some local politicians. Home  Rule applies in the states where the frackers come from – Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, New Mexico. Even in the city with the highest number of frackers per capita in the world, Dallas. The frackers tried to buy their way out of Home Rule in Fracksylvania. Almost worked. They just couldn’t buy the Supremes. “By any responsible account, the exploitation of the Marcellus Shale Formation will produce a detrimental effect on the environment, on the people, their children, and future generations, and potentially on the public purse, […]

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Frack Waste Ordinances

December 19, 2013
Frack Waste Ordinances

Fracksylvania gets gassed, New York gets frack filth dumped on it.  Many towns and counties are starting to ban the importation of Genuine Fracksylvania Frack Filth – by prohibiting the spreading of frack flowback on local roads, and prohibiting the dumping of radioactive drill cuttings in municipal landfills. Onondaga County and Erie County have followed Westchester County in that regard. Not a bad idea, since the frackers will truck this stuff to Idafrackho to get rid of it-  unless you think that driving on roads laced with Radium 226 will help keep you alert at night. Or that dumping radioactive shale gas drill cutting in landfills will be safe for the next thousand years or so. Catch is the ordinances have to be well crafted to achieve the intended purpose. Meaning they […]

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Ralph Hill’s Biggest F*ckups as CEO of WPX Energy #1: Fracking a Fault in Franklin Forks

December 18, 2013
Ralph Hill's Biggest F*ckups as CEO of WPX Energy #1: Fracking a Fault in Franklin Forks

Warning– this borderlines on Satire… but it’s ALL TRUE! We don’t mean to pick on Ralph Hill as a person. He’s probably a swell church-going man. We only mean to pick on his professional performance. Since he just got canned by the WPX Board of Directors, it feels a little like picking on someone who’s already down… It’s just so darn fun, and his screwups – a BUNCH of ‘em, to boot!– have been so spectacular, they can only be called… EPIC… Ralph Hill’s WPX Energy is like Doofy Doofis, the four-eyed fat kid with buck teeth that everyone picks on. It’s so easy to pick on Ralph Hill, there is a little attendant guilt or shame… But he deserves this for the living hell he’s unleashed on Pennsylvania. So […]

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NYC Files Brief in Support of Home Rule !

December 18, 2013
NYC Files Brief in Support of Home Rule !

Home Rule is the law of the land in almost every state except where the frackers have tried to undermine it, so it is not surprising that the biggest municipality in America would support it – and they have, in filing an amicus brief in support of Middlefield and Dryden with the New York Supremes: NYC Comptroller-elect Files in Support of Home Rule By Scott Waldman 5:22 a.m. Dec. 18, 2013follow this reporter ALBANY—New York City Comptroller-elect Scott Stringer will file an amicus brief today in an upstate court battle over a community’s right to enact a fracking ban within its borders. Stringer’s brief argues on behalf of Dryden, an upstate town which enacted a municipal ban on fracking in 2011, a strategy that was subsequently repeated by dozens of communities across the […]

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Onondaga County Bans Frack Filth From Roads & Water Plant

December 18, 2013
Onondaga County Bans Frack Filth From Roads & Water Plant

I guess they decided that if dumping fracking filth on the roads and in water treatment plants is illegal in Texas, the World’s Capital of Frack Filth. Maybe it’s not such a hot idea for New York, unless you think Radium 226 on your tires improves traction. No Frack Waste in Onondaga County Bill Monahan fills his truck with water that will be used for hydraulic fracturing at a pumping station in Pennsylvania last year. Onondaga County legislators voted today to ban hydrofracking fluids from roads and treatment plants. (Andrew Maykuth | Philadelphia Inquirer) Print By Glenn Coin | gcoin@syracuse.com  Follow on Twitter on December 17, 2013 at 4:08 PM, updated December 17, 2013 at 5:46 PM Syracuse, N.Y. — The salty fluids from hydrofracking will be banned from roads and treatment plants in […]

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Compulsory Integration with a Frack Zombie

December 18, 2013
Compulsory Integration with a Frack Zombie

Tom West has sued New York over the “right” to compel some people to participate in a shale gas well with his “client” frack zombie, Norse Energy. That’s what this boils down to. Chesapeake’s lobbyist, shale shyster Tom West, has proceeded with his  latest political publicity stunt, and filed a lawsuit against the Governor and the state of New York for not allowing his “client” a bankrupt Norwegian penny stock prospector to compulsively integrate neighboring land owners into a shale gas well. That’s right, folks, the only shale gas well application Norse has in the queue would require compulsory integration – under the Compulsory Pooling law that Tom West wrote for his accomplices inside the DEC-  to compel people into participating in a shale gas well – in this, that would mean […]

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Ed Cox : Fracking Online Troll

December 17, 2013
Ed Cox : Fracking Online Troll

Under the screen name “Judy Tuesday” for the company he shills for – Noble Energy who uses trolls to post pro-fracking comments online – at, among other places, a Boulder Colorado newspaper. Two such commentators have been traced to Noble’s IP address, the other commentator “Butch Slade” is believed to be recently fired Norse Energy mouthpiece, Dennis Holbroke. Speaking of Dennis the Fracking Menace Holbrook, when he got outed on the Buffalo Shale Shamstitute, an anonymous blogger “Don’t Let the Facts Stop  You” went to his defense. Turns out the anonymous blogger was none other than Holbrook’s son, on Norse’s payroll. Back when Norse had a payroll. Of course most of these pro fracking commentators are trolls. No secret there. One of the local NYS “commentators” on an interview I did about NYS in the NYT […]

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When Frackers Frack Other Frackers

December 17, 2013
When Frackers Frack Other Frackers

Fracks fly. A horizontal well is a dandy way to frack a near by well – particularly an old vertical well bore. It happens a lot more often than is reported. If there are a lot of old vertical wells in an area, fracking the area horizontally becomes problematic – since any of the horizontal laterals can re-pressurize a vertical well, causing it to fountain whatever crud is in the well right up the rusty casing into groundwater, a pond, stream, lake, what have you. Shown below is a map of the oil and gas wells in New York State. The solid mass of yellow in the western part of the state shows that the well density in some counties is off the charts – leaving no place to drill […]

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Deborah Goldberg Frack Fighter

December 16, 2013
Deborah Goldberg Frack Fighter

My pal Deborah Goldberg, or as I call her Lady Chainsaw, is where the rubber meets the road in the legal battles to keep frackers at bay. Great interview here. She looks so harmless, doesn’t she ? At least that’s what shale shysters Tom West and Scott Kurkoski thought before she had their guts for garters. Advice to frackers: If this person shows up carrying a legal brief, cell phone and notepad – do not make eye contact – walk slowly back to your truck, get in, lock the door, and head back to Oklahoma. Do not speed or forget to use your turn signals. Should be OK. PODCAST Print this page  Email this page CAMPAIGN: Fracking Gone Wrong: Finding A Better Way Fracking is a dangerous way of getting oil and gas […]

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Frack Fluid Mimics Estrogen

December 16, 2013
Frack Fluid Mimics Estrogen

But does a really bad if not fatal impersonation, according to a new peer reviewed study. Published in the journal of endocrinology. If frack fluid blocked or interfered with testosterone, Texas would be a very very different place. Or fracking would be illegal there. . . My pal Theo Colburn was the first scientist to link fracking chemicals as endocrine disruptors – toxins that either interrupt the normal function of hormones – such as androgens in men and estrogen in females – or mimic them. A new study found 11 such fracking chemicals that are potent endocrine disruptors- which can lead to all sorts of maladies. Maybe that’s why the frackers in Dallas just increased the set back of a shale well from 300 to feet to effectively outside the city limits. Think […]

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Frack Documentary on MSNBC Sunday December 15th

December 16, 2013
Frack Documentary on MSNBC Sunday December 15th

Co-starring Martin Sheen and Lou Allstadt. Yes, that Lou Allstadt. This Sunday on MSNBC. Check it out. Then come see Lou in person in New York City on January 16th, at Ethical Culture Auditorium on 64th at Central Park West, Oneonta at Foothills Center on the 17th and Vestal on the 30th. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkPaqO-4TlM http://www.nofrackingway.us/2013/12/03/environment-america-takes-on-fracking/ This Sunday our new mini-documentary about the health impacts of fracking will premiere on MSNBC around 5 PM. Martin Sheen’s Breakthroughs documentary program worked with us, and our national arm, Environment America, this fall to produce this new exposé on fracking that is now rolling out to public television stations in all 50 states, with the potential to reach 60 million households nationwide. And it was made possible thanks to hundreds of our members who chipped in to help fund the project. Be […]

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CARPETFRACKERS

December 14, 2013
CARPETFRACKERS

During the reconstruction era, following the Civil war, the term Carpetbagger was coined to describe northerners who moved to the south and were usually seen carrying a bag which looked like it was made from a carpet. Motives for the “carpetbaggers” include political aspirations and/or economic opportunities.  Many carpetbaggers were businessmen who purchased or leased plantations and became wealthy landowners. Today, carpetbagger refers to anyone coming in from the “outside” for political or economic motives. WPX and FRANKLIN FORKS Earlier this week, word was spread among fracktivist groups of the WPX obtaining a court order to allow them to remove water equipment from the home of two families in Franklin Forks.   WPX had previously halted water deliveries, and the families relied on themselves and through donations to purchase and deliver […]

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Pass More Anti Fracking Symbols !

December 13, 2013
Pass More Anti Fracking Symbols !

Last line of this report from a local Frack Baby Fracker cracked me up. When two towns in Otsego County passed bans and moratoriums, some local gas bag said,“We’re a good decade away from having any drilling in New York,” said Parker. (What happened to Frack Us Now ? JLN)“ Why waste your time on issues that are purely symbolic?”  (Then why protest them ? JLN) Short answer, because the frackers have an infinite supply of frack filth to dump on your roads, land fills and in your town water treatment plant. So of course, your town should ban frack waste spreading, radioactive drill cuttings and fracking flowback from Fracksylvania, like Erie County just did. After all, there are more ways to frack a town than with a shale gas well. […]

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NY Times Exclusive: Fracking Causes Earthquakes

December 13, 2013
NY Times Exclusive: Fracking Causes Earthquakes

About three years after this was actually news, the New York Times does a report on the fact that frack waste disposal wells are a dandy way to start earthquakes.  If you can’t shoot it down a hole and you can’t  slather it on roads, what are you going to do with the billions of gallons of toxic, radioactive frack filth ? (Not a trick question)  Man-Made Quakes: Scientists see a link between earthquakes and the disposal of wastewater from oil and gas wells, including those that use the production method known as hydraulic fracturing. By HENRY FOUNTAIN Published: December 12, 2013 169 Comments OKLAHOMA CITY — Mary Catherine Sexton has been rattled enough. Multimedia Interactive Map Oklahoma Quakes Like the science desk on Facebook. Enlarge This Image Nick Oxford for The New York Times […]

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THE FRACKING OF LESSORS

December 13, 2013
THE FRACKING OF LESSORS

If you live in a shale area, like the Marcellus Shale, then perhaps 3, 4, 5 years ago you were approached to lease your property for the purpose of natural gas extraction. Maybe you attended a few meetings held by a natural gas corporation representative, or one put on by their PR front groups.    Maybe you just offered the landman a cup of coffee and a slice of homemade bunt cake while he spun dreams of being rich beyond your wildest dreams. After being razzled dazzled, perhaps you signed a lease.  You would wait patiently for those big royalty checks to arrive and think about all the things you could do with that money.   Renovate your home, put on an addition, send your kids to college, or buy a new […]

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Erie County Tells Frackers to Frack Off !

December 13, 2013
Erie County Tells Frackers to Frack Off !

Bravo. No such bans exist in Texas. Because it’s illegal under state law to spread frack filth on roads. . . Rita Yelda, Food & Water Watch  led the way on this, bravo The Rita. Has your town and county banned frack filth ? What are you waiting for ? Erie County Bans Fracking By Dan Telvock The Erie County Legislature today banned high volume hydraulic fracturing on county land and imports of any drilling waste to its water treatment facilities. The legislation passed 9-2. The vote comes almost three years after Buffalo became the second city in the nation to ban the controversial gas drilling practice, also called “hydrofracking.” On Dec. 3, the County Legislature received a petition with 3,845 signatures supporting the ban. The legislation also includes a ban on importing drilling waste to county water treatment facilities […]

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Shocking New Study: Fracking Devalues Homes !

December 12, 2013
Shocking New Study: Fracking Devalues Homes !

What a surprise ! People don’t want to live in a shale gas field. Imagine that ! Quick, run some more TV Gas Blonde ads. Hire some more frackademics. Throw fatter envelopes at politicians. You have two options when the frackers take over your neighborhood : tough it out and see what the endocrine disruptors do to you, or sell your house for nothing. Up to you. There is of course, the other option: tell the frackers to stay the frack out in the first place. Analysis: Fracking Leaves Homeowners in Big Hole By Michelle Conlin Thu Dec 12, 2013 9:46am EST Spiller – along with Christopher Timmins, a Duke University economics professor, and Lucija Muehlenbachs, a fellow at think tank Resources for the Future – published a working paper on […]

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Frack U Mexico !

December 12, 2013
Frack U Mexico !

The frackers have teed up California del Norte, now it’s time to frack Mexico ! Here’s how : first get the Mexicans to change the law to allow US companies to frack there. Then frack the place like it was Fracksylvania. Or Califrackingfornia.  Cardenas nationalized the Mexican oil fields in the 1938. The frackers have a plan to reverse that. Starting with a re-education of the Mexican public . . .

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Cornell Profs Give Fossil Fuels an “F”

December 11, 2013
Cornell Profs Give Fossil Fuels an "F"

Cornell’s professors have asked the University to divest itself of investments in fossil fuels. Before we’re all fossils. Most of New York state’s future electrical energy needs can be met with new wind and hydro power – but that will take some leadership  in Albany. New York has to look to the future on this - the production of fossil fuels is not even much of an option in this state, as we explained on October  30th at Cornell.  Full story here : http://www.dcbureau.org/201312179489/natural-resources-news-service/ivy-league-university-votes-to-dump-oil-and-gas-investments.html#more-9489 December 11, 2013 Cornell University Faculty Senate Votes to Divest Ithaca, NY — The Cornell University Faculty Senate made a strong statement on Wednesday by adopting a resolution that calls for the University to divest its $5.7B endowment from the top 200 fossil fuel holding companies.  (1) These companies […]

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Welcome to Dallas: Where Even The Frackers Don’t Want To Be Fracked

December 11, 2013
Welcome to Dallas: Where Even The Frackers Don't Want To Be Fracked

A lot of frackers live in Dallas. Exxon Mobil is headquartered here. And they know enough about fracking to know that they don’t want to live anywhere near it. Accordingly, when the Dallas City Council passed a new ordinance keeping frackers 1,500′ from houses, Exxon Mobil and none of the big frackers bothered to protest the increased setback – because most of their executives live in Dallas . . . And why would they want a bunch of frackers in their own neighborhood ? Debate Shows Power of Cities to Limit Reach of Drilling www.nytimes.com Dallas passes de facto ban on fracking The city council approved some of the nation’s strictest regulations against natural gas drilling Dallas Passes Tough Frack Ordinance By Randy Lee Loftis rloftis@dallasnews.com 1:57 pm on December 11, […]

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Fracturing Fracking Fairy Tales

December 11, 2013
Fracturing Fracking Fairy Tales

One fracking fable at a time.  The New York Shale Gas Potential presentations planned for New York City on January 16th and at the Foothills Center in Oneonta on the following night, and Vestal on the 31st, will shed some light on where shale gas might be produced in the state, how much might be produced, and what impact that might have, including the collateral damage of fracking. Relying on industry data, including information that has not been publicized by industry lobbyists and PR people, we are going to do some shale gas myth-busting. Three groups in particular have not been thrilled with our presentations – the local landowners leasing groups, the gas lobbyists, and some of the more strident FERC pipeline opponents.  The opposition from the first two groups – the fracking wannabes […]

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“Free Frack Water” Program First Lawsuit

December 11, 2013
"Free Frack Water" Program First Lawsuit

First the environmental NGOs – the Sierra Club, Environmental Defense Frauds, Environmental Advocates, etc. helped New York pass its “free frack water” program- up to 100,000 gallons a day per applicant – at no cost, for ever, no questions asked.  Thanks NGOs, with you on the job, who needs fracking lobbyists ? Now one of those NGOs, the Sierra Club, has woken up to the fact that maybe free water – no questions asked – was not such a great idea after all. So now they are suing the DEC to block one of the free water permits. And The Rachel is doing the legal work. Bravo. Better late than never. The Rachel was the first lawyer to blow the whistle on this aqueous giveaway and the NGOs complicity in facilitating it. So […]

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RANGE RESOURCES LAWSUIT-EYES WIDE OPEN

December 11, 2013
RANGE RESOURCES LAWSUIT-EYES WIDE OPEN

The lawsuit of Haney, Voyles and Kiskadden against Range Resources is opening some eyes.  There are broader implications and deeper questions must be asked. WHAT WE’VE LEARNED About a year ago, through the deposition of Taru Upadhyay, Technical Director of PA DEP Laboratory  we learned about suite codes used by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). Briefly, a DEP inspector would obtain a water sample, and through the use of a suite code, indicate what he/she would like the PA Laboratory to report.   According to the testimony of Upadhyay, the PA Lab follows testing procedures according to EPA standards, and do test for more than what is specified by the suite code. Upadhyay said the department’s oil and gas division directed the lab to generate water test reports to […]

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Millenium Pipeline Gasses Catskills

December 10, 2013
Millenium Pipeline Gasses Catskills

A lot of gas. Ready or not. No smoking outdoors still in effect for Delaware County.      Dan Hust | Democrat Dozens of workers and equipment are busy these days installing a compressor station along Hungry Hill Road in Long Eddy. During a procedure on Thursday to connect the compressor’s loop line to the main Millennium Pipeline, an accident forced the workers to vent gas from 10 miles of the main line, and they convinced a nearby family to temporarily evacuate their home. Pipeline accident results in venting of gas Story by Dan Hust LONG EDDY — December 10, 2013 — Jessica and Andy Kenyon were preparing for bed Thursday night when Millennium Pipeline workers knocked on their door. “They said there was an incident and they’d have to […]

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The Myth of Frack Waste Recycling

December 10, 2013
The Myth of Frack Waste Recycling

Tom Wilber’s take here . . . why treat it or recycle it as long as you can just dump it on a road ? 10% or 90% – How much fracking waste is recycled? Loose definitions give industry lots of leeway Shale wastewater released into from a treatment plant in Josephine, Pa. PHOTO CREDIT REID FRAZIER Bloomberg reporters David Wethe and Peter Ward recently shed a little light on a critical aspect of the shale gas boom – wastewater disposal. Their articlelast week explains how recycling – once pitched as a market-based panacea for dealing with 21-billion barrels of brine, solvents, metals, and radioactive elements produced annually from domestic oil and gas production – is less of a hit with investors than anticipated. The reason: technological limits. The article, Fracking Bonanza Eludes […]

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THE FRACKING of FRANKLIN FORKS FAMILIES

December 9, 2013
THE FRACKING of FRANKLIN FORKS FAMILIES

In 2010, Gasland, a documentary by Josh Fox, explored the impact of natural gas drilling, specifically the practice of slickwater horizontal hydraulic fracturing.   To the lay person, it’s known as fracking. Gasland was attacked by the natural gas industry, and thanks to those attacks, people became more aware and started to educated themselves about the hazards and risks. Gasland also did something else; it brought a small rural town in northeast Pennsylvania into the limelight.   That town was Dimock. While media attention on Dimock has faded, we must keep in mind there are many other “Dimocks” out there. Small towns, where the gas drillers are denying responsibility. Small towns being ignored by the PA Department of Environmental Protection. Small towns, where real people are without clean water through no fault […]

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Fracksylvania Oil Well Ghetto

December 7, 2013
Fracksylvania Oil Well Ghetto

Great report by Laurie Barr on what happens when oil and gas wells move into a neighborhood.  They take over. To the detriment of the other residents . . . Life on the Wrong Side of the Oil Field Tracks. Dec. 7, 2013 (SOSPA) By Laurie Barr Save Our Streams PA www.saveourstreamspa.org The industry can be broken down into two distinct groups, the old and the new. While Gov.Tom Corbett promotes the successes of the new unconventional drilling industry during his re-election campaign, oil rises up from the shadows of the dilapidated pump-jacks, helping to shed light, revealing a long history of a dysfunctional  agency charged with the oversight of both the old and new style drilling. Leaking well on the Thomas’ Property, Duke Center, Pennsylvania ( SOSPA Photo left) Some […]

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Laura Bush’s Alma Mater Says Fracking Causes Frack Quakes !

December 7, 2013
Laura Bush's Alma Mater Says Fracking Causes Frack Quakes !

OK, technically frack waste disposal wells cause earthquakes. A hole fracking lot of earthquakes. Where there hasn’t been a fracking earthquake in the last 200, 000 years or so. As far as I remember. News SMU Sees Link Between Earthquakes and Fracking — Again By Eric Nicholson Wed., Dec. 4 2013 at 9:00 AM 18 Comments Categories: Nature + Science, News A team of researchers at SMU has reached a conclusion that may seem obvious to those who have felt the 20-plus earthquakes that rattled North Texas last month: The recent bursts of seismic activity could be linked to fracking.The researchers, led by recent SMU grad Ashley Justinic, took a close look at the cluster of quakes in and around Cleburne in 2009 and 2010. The data offer no definitive proof that they were tied […]

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Frackers Find That Cuomo Costs More Than Original Estimates

December 7, 2013
Frackers Find That Cuomo Costs More Than Original Estimates

Guess the frackers will have to increase the frequency of those Gas Blonde TV ads to every 15 seconds. And re-hire Shepstone to straighten things out. Give Karen “Got Mushrooms?” Moreau some fatter envelopes to carry in Albany. Hire some more frackademics. Threaten some more Shale Shyster publicity stunts against the State of New York. That should endear them to the populace. .  . Frackers Out-Lobby Opponents 30 to 1, Still Lose Ground  By Scott Waldman 2:34 p.m. Dec. 6, 2013 follow this reporter ALBANY—If the fracking industry is losing ground to opponents in New York, it’s not for lack of spending on lobbyists.  According to state disclosure records, the American Petroleum Institute spent at least $503,903 on lobbying and activites including educational outreach in the first half of this year. Constellation Energy spent $71,089, Exxon spent $62,167 and Shell spent $30,000, […]

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Delaware County Bans Smoking Outdoors !

December 7, 2013
Delaware County Bans Smoking Outdoors !

Within a few miles from new gas pipelines. And compressor stations. And LNG refueling stations. What have you. In order to keep residents from being blown to kingdom come. December 7, 2013 Family evacuated over pipeline problem By Joe Mahoney Staff Writer The Daily Star A family of four from southern Delaware County were advised to leave their home by Millennium Pipeline workers Thursday night following what the company called a problem with the installation of an interconnection to a compressor station. Recently approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the compressor station is being built off Hungry Hill Road in the town of Hancock in order to add capacity to the natural-gas pipeline, which stretches from Steuben County to Rockland County. Jessica and Andy Kenyon of Hungry Hill Road said they and […]

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FRACKING WITH ACID MINE WATER

December 6, 2013
FRACKING WITH ACID MINE WATER

Pennsylvania Legislature Senate Bill  411: Use of Acid Mine Water for Hydraulic Fracturing and Industrial Applications has been “re-referred” to Appropriations on December 4, 2013. CLICK HERE TO READ SB 411 Yes, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, (soon to be renamed the Fracksylvania Corporation), is considering allowing the Gas & Oil corporations to use ACID MINE WATER for their fracking operations. On the surface, and if you only read the industry and political puppet talking points, it may seem like a good idea. It reduces the need to use fresh water, and it seems to help with the acid mine drainage problem caused by the coal industry.   In fact, these are the big talking points being rolled out. ORIGINS OF SB 411 The “brilliant” idea of cleaning up contaminated water by […]

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Export Gas To China. Import Chinese to Catskills. Frak Flak Diversifies.

December 6, 2013
Export Gas To China. Import Chinese to Catskills. Frak Flak Diversifies.

That’s Tom Shepstone’s new gig.  Unable to actually frack the Catskills – on account of the fact that there isn’t any shale there worth fracking, this bankrupt, double dipping, dis-accredited, semi pro gas bag has signed on to help import Chinese via a “buy green cards for your entire family” immigration scheme. And no, I am not making any of this up. For a change. Hey, it could be a hole fracking lot worse: the frackers could have turned Grossingers into a gigantic Man Camp. Which could have given a new meaning to “Dirty Dancing.” When Sheepdip was hired as Energy In Depth’s “political organizer” for New York, there were no town bans or moratoriums on drilling. After many town presentations by Sheepdip, there are now over 170. Thanks Shep. Since he went on sabbatical at EID, he’s been […]

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New York IOGA Outta Gas !

December 5, 2013
New York IOGA Outta Gas !

Unable to perpetuate the myth of abundant shale gas in New York any longer, the state’s largest lobbying group, the Independent Oil & Gas Association is melting away like a snowball in South Texas. You know why ? Because there really isn’t much fracking shale gas in New York worth fracking. And then there’s that “grassroots gap” After being carpet bombed by industry propaganda for years, there is no grass roots support for fracking New York.  Just some random publicity stunts from a few leftover Shale Shysters. . .  The Independent Oil and Gas Association cut ties with the Hinman Straub lobbying firm and Corning Place Communications in the last month, executive director Brad Gill said. The industry-backed group has lost 20 percent of its members and has also eliminated a few positions […]

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50,000 Say No To LNG in New York !

December 5, 2013
50,000 Say No To LNG in New York !

 50,000 comments say no to proposed LNG regs. in New York State. Bravo ! Anti-LNG advocates drop 50K comments on DEC http://blog.timesunion.com/capitol/archives/200727/anti-lng-advocates-drop-50k-comments-on-dec/ Environmentalists to NY: Scrap liquefied gas plans http://online.wsj.com/article/AP48cff45295f44b5db5b4b6f977f68b02.html Video here. http://blog.timesunion.com/capitol/archives/200727/anti-lng-advocates-drop-50k-comments-on-dec/  

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Farmers That Want To Get Fracked

December 5, 2013
Farmers That Want To Get Fracked

One way or another. If only as a way to get out of farming. Or  to sell fracked milk to Chobani. Catch is that somebody has to want to frack them. And they have to have something actually worth fracking. Which 95% of them do not. The Farm Bureau has argued against land use ordinances, claiming preposterously that gas can be “harvested” like corn . . http://www.nofrackingway.us/2012/10/22/farm-bureau-thinks-gas-is-a-crop/ The Farm Bureau has also argued that mineral rights are worthless for appraisal purposes, which might complicate a “takings” claim http://www.nofrackingway.us/2012/09/18/ny-farm-bureau-says-mineral-rights-are-worthless/ Note the quotes below from Brad Vickers, President of the Farm Bureau – whose property is outside the  shale gas productive area. He was supposed to debate me and Kelly at a town hall meeting at Sauquoit. But he failed to show up, so […]

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Elections and Legislator Contact Rant

December 5, 2013
Elections and Legislator Contact Rant

The following is my personal opinion, and will probably anger some people.  Fine if it does, because it means they’ve read it and have spent a few seconds to think about and consider my rant. I also hope people do not just click the like and share button on FaceBook or other social media and actually do read this.   Clicking like and share without reading any article is useless, after all how can you know if you “like” an article if you haven’t actually read it? The ELECTIONS The focus of most election is on the big chair (i.e. President or Governor), the power and responsibility to write and pass legislation is with Congress or state legislature.   A “BIG CHAIR” may want “x” done, but it won’t be done without […]

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50,000 Fracking LNG Comments !

December 4, 2013
50,000 Fracking LNG Comments !

Final day – comments in on Cuomo’s Plan to Festoon New York State With Cryogenically Cooled Gas Bombs  Need a few more comments to surpass 50,000 comments, which we are submitting today. Submit 13 great comment letters from Catskill Citizens for Safe Energy: http://bit.ly/18lHYji And/or use Frack Action comment tool: http://www.frackaction.com/take-action/comment-proposed-lng-regulations/ And please share this on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=717283378283894&set=a.289293371082899.79840.134846486527589&type=1&theater

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How to Keep Radium 226 Off Your Tires

December 4, 2013
How to Keep Radium 226 Off Your Tires

Don’t drive in the winter in New York. Or in the summer on dirt roads. New Yorkers are finding out the hard way how to get Fracksylvania frack filth off their windshields, tires, dogs, kids, plants, what have you. Of course, some New York towns and counties have banned spreading frack filth on roads. Ironically, there are no such county or town bans against spreading frack filth on roads in Texas. Because it is illegal to spread frack filth on roads in Texas. Not from horizontal shale gas wells. Not from vertical oil wells. Not from no fracking wells no how. Comprende ?  Flowback from shale gas wells is not that great for roadside plants, birds, your cat or you. Unless you are on a diet high in arsenic, Radium 226, Radium 228, Cl, […]

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Frack Zombie Threatens DEC With Extortion !

December 3, 2013
Frack Zombie Threatens DEC With Extortion !

For not letting it frack leases that it no longer actually owns. And that it couldn’t give away after its test wells hit dry holes. Makes sense right ? It does if you’re a Shale Shyster looking for some publicity. Blaming its bankruptcy on Cuomo, Martens and Shah, Chesapeake’s lobbyist (aka Tom  West)  has issued a demand letter to the DEC on behalf a bankrupt Norwegian penny stock speculator. As part of the frack lobby’s on-going publicity stunts.  Read it and try not to laugh at what is transparently a publicity stunt wrapped in legalese :  http://www.jlcny.org/site/pdf/20131202_Final_Martens_Demand_Letter.pdf What this really amounts to is more free publicity for a Shale Shyster : Fracking firm threatens to sue over delay There are a couple of holes in this approach. . .The first of which is that […]

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Natural Gas and Oil Sites are People!

December 3, 2013
Natural Gas and Oil Sites are People!

We know from the 1973 movie that Soylent Green is People, and we know from various US Supreme Court decisions that Corporations are people.   However, many people maintain that they will believe corporations are people when Texas executes one. Nonetheless, a piece of paper establishing a corporate entity does have constitutional rights. Just when you thought corporations as people has reached it limits, guess what……   In Pennsylvania, Natural Gas and Oil operations are people too or will be if a bill introduced by Sen. Scott Hutchinson (R- Butler) is passed. Hutchinson has submitted a bill to the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee.   One will prevent Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) from installing and monitoring video cameras at gas & oil well pads. “It is important that the department […]

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Environment America Takes On Fracking

December 3, 2013
Environment America Takes On Fracking

Great new video  on fracking starring  Lou Allstadt as Lou Allstadt.   All thumbs up. Check it out :  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkPaqO-4TlM http://www.nofrackingway.us/2013/12/03/environment-america-takes-on-fracking/ http://www.environmentamerica.org/news/ame/breakthroughs-takes-fracking Breakthroughs Takes on Fracking Environment America Featured in Martin Sheen Exposé on Dirty Drilling Released to Public Television Stations in 50 States Monday, December 2, 2013 New York, NY — This week, Martin Sheen’s Breakthroughs program released an expose on fracking featuring Environment America to public television stations across the country. As the debate over dirty drilling continues to mount, the Breakthroughs piece could reach as many as 60 million viewers in all 50 states. “Fracking is taking a terrible toll on our environment and our health,” said John Rumpler, senior attorney for Environment America. “People should see and hear the truth before they find themselves living next […]

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Don’t Frack Big D !

December 3, 2013
Don't Frack Big D !

Dallas has enough fracking gasholes as it is. At least 6 on the City Council.  Frack not, lest ye be fracked.   9 Days to the End of the   Dallas Gas Wars     Don’t Let Industry Take Away Protections in the Next 9 Days We Fought So Hard to Win Over the Last 12 Months  THIS WEDNESDAY  December 4th   1 pm   Dallas City Council Mtg.  Dallas City Hall 6th Floor   Public Comment Being      Taken on New Gas   Drilling Ordinance  NEXT WEDNESDAY   December 11th   1 pm  Dallas City Council Mtg.  Dallas City Hall 6th Floor  Public hearing and  VOTE on new Gas Gas Drilling Ordinance  What’s at Stake: The 1500-foot buffer zone between drilling and compressor stations and neighborhoods This 1500-foot “setback” was supported by a 14-1 vote […]

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Get LNG Comments In – Make it 10,000 !

December 2, 2013
Get LNG Comments In - Make it 10,000 !

Time’s a wastin’. Work that turkey dinner off. Write ‘em up and then pencils down.  30 DAYS OF FRACKING REGS!  CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT A COMMENT TODAY! View it in your browser. Welcome to THE VERY LAST DAY of The Return of Thirty DaysDEADLINE FOR COMMENTS SUBMITTED THROUGH THIRTY DAYS WEBSITE IS MONDAY TONIGHT DEC. 2 (We need time to print out and box up for in-person comment delivery on Weds., Dec. 4.)TOTAL COMMENT COUNT TO DATE:  9,391NEW COMMENTS SUBMITTED: 453  GOAL BY DEC. 2 DEADLINE: 10,000 plus COMMENTS STILL NEEDED:  608 plus click here to get started!  Dear Thirty Days authors, That light you see in front of you is not an LNG flare stack.  It’s sunlight at the end of the comment-writing tunnel.  That same sunlight will someday power New York. We need 608 comments today to reach our goal of 10,000.  In the 59 […]

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Califrackfornia, Frackinfornia, Frackufornia. Any Way, It’s Fracked.

December 1, 2013
Califrackfornia, Frackinfornia, Frackufornia. Any Way, It's Fracked.

That place that either has Meat Head Arnold or Moon Beam Brown for a governor. And nothing normal in between.  Is already getting fracked. In the middle of an almond grove. Where else ? By Occidental Petroleum. Who else ? Dumping frack flowback onto the ground – for almost 2 weeks. You can kiss those almonds goodbye. Or set them afire.  The amount of water needed to produce the Monterrey Shale would run into the trillions of gallons. More water than oil. And all that water ends back in those farm fields . . . and orchards, welcome to Califrackfornia. All caught on video – natch.  This is the best ad for frack-free Finger Lakes wines and frack-free New York yogurt that I can think of. Share widely. Eat local. Unless you live in […]

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Frack Filth Recycling Hype vs Reality

November 30, 2013
Frack Filth Recycling Hype vs Reality

“So how much of the Marcellus waste water is being recycled?  Not all that fracking much. Despite industry claims of 85% in PA, the SRBC did a count a year ago and found only 14% in the Susquehanna River Basin, which is close to PacWest’s estimate of 10% overall. As this article points out, treating the waste water to make it useable is expensive. If say only 15 % is being recycled in PA, where is the 85% going? To Ohio and New York to be dumped. If shale gas drilling came to NY, where would that waste go?  Possibilities include thousands of tanker trips to Ohio disposal wells, hundreds of tapped-out Trenton/BlackRiver wells, those 130+ POTWs listed in the S-GEIS, and that Azeo desalinization plant.  Both industry and DEC have refused to discuss this during the S-GEIS process.” […]

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Last Zombie Standing At Norse Energy

November 30, 2013
Last Zombie Standing At Norse Energy

Is not their tedious fracking mouthpiece – Dennis Holbrook - the Friendly Face of Fracking in New York State – who has been let go. To swing slowly in the wind.  In their 3rd Q report, Norse says that they are now down to a staff of one employee.  Mark Dice is listed as CEO, “interim” ? CFO and, evidently,  copywriter for press releases.  Presumably that means Dennis the Fracking Menace Holbrook was left holding the bag when the music stopped. No mention of their fracking publicity stunt lawsuit against Governor Cuomo, the DOH, the DEC, Fannie Mae, the American Mortgage Bankers Association, Wells Fargo Bank,  Bank of America, Bradford Energy, their creditors, their investors,  hundreds of towns in New York state that have passed bans or moratoriums, the NSA, the CIA, […]

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Shillin’ for Drillin’ in Big D

November 29, 2013
Shillin' for Drillin' in Big D

My council member on the Dallas City Council, Sheffield Kadane is also a residential real estate broker.  It is axiomatic that none of his clients would want a shale gas well anywhere near them. Not even a mile away.  Because they know what all that would entail. Nor would they want a storage tank battery, a gas compressor,  gathering lines. Nada.  But Mr. Kadane is also notoriously fracker friendly- he can afford to be – since he knows there will be no fracking in the neighborhoods he represents: because more frackers live there than frackees. But when the City Council debated the matter of increasing the setback to 1,500 feet, Mr. Kadane called his fellow council member, one of the advocates of the change – which has already been recommended by […]

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Don’t Lift the LNG Ban

November 29, 2013
Don't Lift the LNG Ban

 Only a few more days left to tell the DEC what you really think about their plan to festoon New York with cryogenically cooled methane bombs -  in your neighborhood, next the local school , are at the local waterfront. Wherever they can get away it.  Please sign and help distribute this Move On petition from The Sandra.  It calls for a withdrawal of the fatally flawed LNG regs. – all six (6) pages of them, as written by the frackers for their stenographers inside the DEC. http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/do-not-lift-new-yorks   http://bit.ly/1iUMCqd And here’s the accompanying meme for all those active on Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=678030542217431&set=a.235122339841589.60607.235112746509215&type=1&theater Many thanks !

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Ed Cox: “I am not a fracking lobbyist !”

November 27, 2013
Ed Cox: "I am not a fracking lobbyist !"

Cluster fracking Ed Cox becomes the newest spectator sport in Albany.  Might as well frack him before he fracks you –  on behalf of his fracking benefactors. Tuns out that this Nixonian leftover’s lame campaign for governor was just a bit of unregistered lobbying for some frackers. Masquerading as “conservationist” to boot. Pretty tricky, eh ? Turns out that Cox  is just another fracking prick. Anti-fracking groups push League of Conservation Voters on Ed Cox’s fracking ties 26 November 2013, 2:02 pm by Jon Campbell A coalition of groups opposed to hydraulic fracturing for natural gas sent a letter to the New York League of Conservation Voters on Tuesday, calling on the organization to oust New York Republican Chairman Ed Cox as the head of its education fund. The letter, which is signed by […]

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New Yorkers Who Don’t Want to Get Fracked

November 27, 2013
New Yorkers Who Don't Want to Get Fracked

By a bunch of Okies, Texans and Mexicans. Now out-number those that do by a margin of 10%, according to a new Wall Street Journal poll. Somebody must be paying attention, now that the newest political epithet is “fracking lobbyist.” In a seemingly unrelated announcement, The Association of Frackers announced they are going to step up their television ad campaign featuring Brooke Shales to run ever 90 seconds on FOX and PBS; to, in their words, “counter the growing impression that fracking shale for gas is just some kind of Wall Street scam perpetuated by puff pieces in the Wall Street Journal and a barrage of television ads from a soap opera actress and the occasional fat envelope in Albany and Washington.” The fracking question:   Q: Hydrofracking is a process of splitting […]

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Frackwaste Coming to New York !

November 27, 2013
Frackwaste Coming to New York !

To a landfill, road, water treatment plant or trout stream near you. In fact it’s already here from Fracksylvania. Contrary to unpopular belief, frackwaste is already being dumped in New York – since Fracksylvania is apparently full up of billions of gallons of toxic radioactive flowback and it’s actually easier to get rid of the stuff in New York – since New York has no prohibitions against dumping it on roads, in landfills or in municipal water treatment plants, golf courses, farm fields or swimming pools.  Check out this interactive map that shows where fracking filth is already finding a new home in Upstate New York – for the next thousand years or so. http://tinyurl.com/Frackwaste-in-New-York   Radioactive toxic frack filth: the Keystone State’s everlasting gift to the Empire State ! By the truck convoy […]

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Cooked With Gas – US Methane Emissions Twice Previous Estimates

November 25, 2013
Cooked With Gas - US Methane Emissions Twice Previous Estimates

New scientific study indicates that “official” estimates of methane pollution by the EPA are off by half – meaning there is twice as much methane going into the atmosphere as previously thought from the Big Three : gas wells, oil refineries and . . .  cattle feed lots. Put a cork in it Bossie. Given those sources, guess which state is the biggest gasser of them all ? Hint: rhymes with Lexus. This study squares with other studies that have focused on atmospheric testing. It apparently contradicts studies done by frackademics – but that contradiction disappears when you read that the frackademic studies, some of which were part of the Environmental Defense Fraud’s on-going greenwashing of methane, were simply testing leak rates on newly completed wells. Which is like driving a new car around […]

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New York: Where Fracksylvania Dumps Its Frack Filth

November 25, 2013
New York: Where Fracksylvania Dumps Its Frack Filth

Not all of Fracksylvania’s frack filth gets exported to Ohio and Idafrackingho. Some of it is already being dumped in New York -as “brine.”  So here’s the game  - the gas goes to China, and New York gets the filth. Sound like a plan ? http://thelcn.com/2013/11/25/dec-confirms-fracking-fluid-processed-at-cuylerville-plant/ DEC confirms fracking fluid processed at Cuylerville plant November 25, 2013 by Howard W. Appell A 3-year-old rumor was confirmed during the question and answer session at the Nov. 6 DEC-AkzoNobel information meeting at SUNY Geneseo Newton Hall: In 2010 the Cuylerville desalination plant was used to treat fracking fluid from wells in Pennsylvania. DEC Special Assistant Ray Yacuzzo qualified that the treatment was a one-time experiment, and that the more odious elements in the waste fluid — radioactive material and heavy metals — were […]

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Frack Barges ? We Don’t Need No Fracking Barges !

November 25, 2013
Frack Barges ? We Don't Need No Fracking Barges !

Sign the petition to prohibited frack waste from America’s waterways - TinyURL.com/NoFrackingBarges  What the Coast Guard proposes is simply a loophole to dump frack waste in America’s waterways - virtually unregulated once the barge leaves port.  Linked below is the letter to the Coast Guard opposing frack wastewater transport on rivers that organizations signed on to. http://www.delawareriverkeeper.org/resources/Letters/Coast%20Guard%20Signon%20Final%2011.27.13.pdf We submitted the letter today. 140 groups signed on from across the U.S. in just 14 days! This makes a very strong statement about the public’s interest in this proposal, undermining the CG argument that there is a lack of “public controversy”. The docket is still open for comment officially through November 29 at www.regulations.gov or email HazmatStandards@uscg.mil and the Coast Guard has “unofficially” extended the comment period through to Dec. 6. so comments can still be submitted up to that time. So […]

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What to do With Frack Filth ?

November 25, 2013
What to do With Frack Filth ?

Search me.  At the Cornell forum somebody asked what they do with frack waste in Texas – where it is illegal to dump it on roads or in municipal water treatment plants. My response: “We pump it down disposal wells in order to induce earthquakes.” Meaning, there is no way to safely get rid of the billions of gallons of toxic radioactive frack filth. Except, of course, dump it in Idahofrackingho, where it might boost the mean IQ a notch or two. Here’s the latest FrackQuake Swarm from Dallas Fort Worth http://thescoopblog.dallasnews.com/2013/11/for-the-11th-time-this-month-an-earthquake-rumbles-near-eagle-mountain-lake.html/ For the 11th time this month, an earthquake rattles residents near Eagle Mountain Lake By Robert Wilonsky rwilonsky@dallasnews.com 7:01 am on November 25, 2013 | Permalink This map from the USGS shows the number of quakes recorded near Eagle Mountain Lake since […]

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University Dumps Chesapeake Lease

November 25, 2013
University Dumps Chesapeake Lease

Binghamton University has gotten rid of its mineral rights lease with Chesapeake Energy, which was being held up by the fracker’s farce majeure gambit. And would have subjected the neighbors into being forced into the well sideways via compulsory integration. One more fracking pinata in the dumpster. Thanks BU ! http://www.pressconnects.com/article/20131124/NEWS01/311240016?source=nletter-top5&nclick_check=1 Written by Steve Reilly The nonprofit organization handling Binghamton University’s $90 million endowment fund has been freed from an unwanted mineral rights lease on a 563-acre parcel in the Town of Union. In a legal document filed Nov. 18 in the Broome County Clerk’s Office, Chesapeake Appalachia LLC agreed to release the Binghamton University Foundation from a disputed lease for oil and gas rights at 423 Western Heights Blvd., a vast tract of wooded land near Glendale Technology Park that had been one of […]

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Norse Energy To Blame Cuomo For Bankruptcy !

November 24, 2013
Norse Energy To Blame Cuomo For Bankruptcy !

As a side show of the on-going fracking soap opera, Norse Energy, that tedious Norwegian fracking zombie, now proposes to blame its demise on the Governor of New York, after having blamed every one and everything else (except their own monumental ineptness). The bankruptcy court appointed trustee is planning to squander what little is left of Norse’s assets on yet another Fracking Publicity Stunt. Norse Energy Trustee to Blame Cuomo for Bankruptcy A couple of public documents quietly popped up last Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2013 in an obscure location — Item Number 637, deep in the files of a federal bankruptcy court case — revealing Norse’s bankruptcy trustees’s intent to hire Tom West to sue New York State. Norse Bankruptcy Trustee Proposes Legal Challenge to NYS on de facto Moratorium  The documents […]

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“We Buy Fracked Houses”

November 24, 2013
"We Buy Fracked Houses"

After we frack them useless. Not content with trashing the environment, Cabot Energy is going into the home wrecking business. http://tomwilber.blogspot.com/2013/11/cabot-buys-second-polluted-residential.html?m=1 Friday, November 22, 2013 Cabot buys second polluted residential property in Dimock 12-acre parcel on Carter Road flanked by faulty gas wells The former Mike Ely propety, now owned by Cabot Cabot Oil & Gas has closed a deal for a second residential property affected by chronic methane pollution in the heart of its prolific gas operations in Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania. The Texas-based company paid Michael Ely $140,000 for the 12-acre property that includes a doublewide modular home, according to records filed in Susquehanna County Courthouse Wednesday.  The property – now vacant — borders the intersection of the south end of Carter Road with State Route 3023 in Dimock Township. The […]

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FRACKING GOES RADIOACTIVE

November 24, 2013
FRACKING GOES RADIOACTIVE

Two years ago, in the New York Times series, Drilling Down, it was revealed radioactive waste water was being dumped into Pennsylvania’s rivers and streams.  According to the DEP this practice has stopped. About 11 months ago, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), announced plans to study levels of Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials (NORM) associated with natural gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale. The DEP says it plans to analyze radioactivity in frack flowback water, drill cuttings, drill mud, and the levels in equipment such as pipes, well casings storage tanks, treatment systems and trucks.  The study is expected to take 12-14 months.  In addition studying NORMS, it will also look at Technically Enhanced Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials (TENORMS). DEFINE THE TERMS Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials (NORM):  Naturally occurring […]

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Frack Shill Calls Frak Flak A Fracking Lobbyist !

November 23, 2013
Frack Shill Calls Frak Flak A Fracking Lobbyist !

New York State Senator Jeff Klein, certainly the biggest fracking obstructionist of fracking reform in New York, has outed Nixon’s Number 1 Son-In-Law, Ed “Weenie” Cox as being a stealth fracking lobbyist. Which of course, Weenie Cox is. Carrying frack water for frackers in New York and trying to use fracking as wedge issue to launch his own lame campaign for governor. The political significance of this is not lost on us – The newest political epithet in Albany to kill gubernatorial ambitions: Call them a fracking lobbyist. And make them fracking deny it. Senator Klein files SEC Complaint Against State GOP’s Ed Cox over Fracking Ties 22 November 2013, 3:43 pm by Joseph Spector in Uncategorized - 2 Comments Sen. Jeff Klein, the head of the Independent Democratic Conference, today filed complaints with federal and state watchdog agencies […]

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New York County Frack Regs Almost as Good as Texas !

November 23, 2013
New York County Frack Regs Almost as Good as Texas !

Onondaga County is proposing banning the spreading of frack filth on its roads and frack waste from its water treatment plants. There are no such county or municipal bans on frack waste in Texas, because it is against state law to dump such frack mess on roads or in muni treatment plants. Texas may been populated by rejects from Alabama and Nuevo Leon, but we aren’t so stupid as to slather our roads with Radium 226. No siree.  If this was not the case, by now there would be a Dead Zone within a hundred yards of every road in Texas (which would save on Round Up) and the roads would glow radioactively at night. No headlights needed. Plus there would not be a trout left in the state. Regardless […]

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Frackers Want the F Word Banned in Schools

November 23, 2013
Frackers Want the F Word Banned in Schools

So that fracking is not mentioned in science textbooks. Because that might give fracking a bad name. Or, for that matter, any name at all. Read on about this new form of fracking ban – or more precisely,  censorship. http://tfninsider.org/2013/11/21/oil-and-gas-industry-advocates-launch-surprise-attack-on-texas-environmental-science-textbook/ Oil and Gas Industry Advocates Launch Surprise Attack on Texas Environmental Science Textbook By Dan | Published November 21, 2013 When the State Board of Education‘s public hearing on new science textbooks for Texas public schools finally began late Wednesdaynight, it became clear that creationists were unable to mount a real attack on the biology textbooks. So all looked to be going well — until it became equally clear that oil and gas industry interests had decided to attack the only environmental science textbook up for adoption by the state board. The last person to testify, Becky […]

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Inergy’s (Not So) Secret Plan to Freeze Opponents

November 23, 2013
Inergy's (Not So) Secret Plan to Freeze Opponents

By cutting off their propane supply.  More on The Dory’s coverage of  Inergy’s plan to ban delivery of propane to businesses that oppose its massive gas storage facility – appropriately code named “Krakatoa” in the Finger Lakes of Upstate, New York. And the regulators are actually thinking about granting these fracking idiots a license ? http://www.fltimes.com/opinion/michael_fitzgerald/article_8b45dede-5389-11e3-9816-0019bb2963f4.html“The proposal by Inergy LP of Missouri to store 88 million gallons ofliquid propane gas in salt caverns adjacent to Seneca Lake has never generated much local enthusiasm.Once most residents understood the project would be a quantum-sized expansion of propane storage and industrial infrastructure — and had potentially super-sized safety issues too — loud voices of protest complained to local governments, then to the New York state Department of Environmental Conservation, eventually escalating to marches, some […]

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Sierra Club Fights Fracking

November 23, 2013
Sierra Club Fights Fracking

In Texas of all places, where Home Rule is established law and there ain’t nothing Rick “Hairdo” Perry can do about it.  Still the frackers threaten municipalities will lawsuits, then sue the cities, then lose. Repeat. Here’s the latest from the Dallas Sierra Club: You may have thought the fight to protect Dallas from the many harms and risks of unconventional shale gas drilling was over when the Trinity East permits were defeated. Unfortunately, the fight’s not over and your help is needed now, more than ever! We need at least 2 more votes than last time, to pass a good gas drilling ordinance (because a regular majority is needed for this, rather than a super-majority to overturn the denial recommendation that was needed last time)–and, so far, it looks […]

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Barging Frack Waste

November 22, 2013
Barging Frack Waste

Along a river or lake or ocean near you. The US Coast Guard has issued a set of proposed regulations that would allow frack waste – radioactive drill cuttings, toxic frack flowback, etc. to be transported by barge on any navigable waterway in the country – any river, lake or ocean. So far so bad. Catch is there are no standards, no monitoring, no inspection, no nothing as to what happens to that frack filth. So guess what happens ? The frack waste gets loaded onto a barge, the barge goes out into a lake or down a river and then when nobody is looking,  the crew dumps the frackwaste overboard. Clever huh ? Who needs to spread that filth on a road as “de-icer”? Who needs to truck it […]

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PENNSYLVANIA DRILLING FOR ISSUES

November 22, 2013
PENNSYLVANIA DRILLING FOR ISSUES

Controversy has erupted from within the fracktivist community over a Stateimpact.npr article entitled “Gas Drilling May Not Be a Top Issue in PA Governor’s Race”. I realize what I’m about to say is going to cause a good number of people to start waving pitchforks, but I hope it will wake up a few more to the real issue facing us in the upcoming 2014 election. I ask everyone sets aside the pitchforks and torches, take a few minutes to read this blog post, you can resume attacking each other and me later. While the majority of grassroots fracktivist groups agree natural gas industrialization SHOULD be a top issue, the divisions and infighting are occurring in the how and what to make it a top issue. A big WELL DONE […]

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Ole Sheepdip is Back !

November 21, 2013
Ole Sheepdip is Back !

Tom Sheepdip, the frackers’ covert, double dipping, bankrupt, defrocked land planner is back doing his bit as a gas bag for Energy In Deep. Thanks to all of you for petitioning the frackers to bring back that rumpled old sack of flowback. Was getting kind of boring without Tommy Frak Flak and his gashole buddy Frackman to crack us up.  He can out-gas any of those K Street yuppy bloggers when it comes to shilling for shale – even in places where there ain’t no fracking shale gas . . .  “Sheep dipped” The phrase “sheep dipped”, is commonly used in intelligence circles. It’s a way of saying someone has been given an alternate identity. The best known example being Air America, but also in many other covert ops applications. Not necessarily […]

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Shale Jobs Fish Tale

November 21, 2013
Shale Jobs Fish Tale

Seems like the Frackers told us a real whopper about all those fracking jobs in Fracksylvania. They must have been counting the Texans, Mexicans and Okies three times over.The number of shale jobs has been over-stated by 10 to 15 times by the gas industry, based on actual labor statistics, according to a new white paper by economists and researchers, the Multi-State Shale Research Collaborative = who actually bothered to read the statistics. Their report is here. Really comes as a surprise, huh ? http://www.scribd.com/doc/186155048/Exagerating-the-Employment-Impacts-of-Shale-Drilling  And the news coverage here . . . http://www.nystateofpolitics.com/2013/11/report-casts-doubt-on-fracking-jobs/ http://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/news/local/2013/11/21/report-industry-backed-studies-exaggerate-fracking-job-estimates/3671199/

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Fracking Washington

November 21, 2013
Fracking Washington

One politician at a time. The complete hit list is here. Lots of fat envelopes for local pols to look the other way on fracking – for instance – Schumer $16 K, Gillibrand $23.5K, Chris Gibson $24.5K, Hanna $13k. Paying off pols is by far the best return on investment a fracker can make. And then there are the Gatekeepers, who get the Jumbo Bags. Note that, as much money as these pols are paid, it’s peanuts compared to what the frackers save from lack of regulation: The frackers pay peanuts, they get these monkeys: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/20/fracking-campaign-contributions_n_4311016.html Fracking Campaign Contributions At Record Levels The Huffington Post  |  By Jared GilmourPosted: 11/20/2013 4:21 pm EST  |  Updated: 11/20/2013 6:45 pm EST   Fracking industry contributions to congressional campaigns spiked 231 percent between 2004 and 2012 in districts and states with […]

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Testing Lab Greenlights Frack Filth into New York

November 20, 2013
Testing Lab Greenlights Frack Filth into New York

Peter Mantius exposes how New York regulators turn a blind eye to labs that test frack filth being imported into the state.  Because the frackers couldn’t find a place to dump it in Fracksylvania. All the trout streams were full up I guess. Full story here Tainted Water Testing Lab Flourished Under Lax New York State Regulators By Peter Mantius, on November 20th, 2013 Natural Resources News Service | Leave a comment EPA Raid on Upstate, Sept. 2010 SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Even after armed federal investigators raided its offices in 2010 and the New York Department of Health suspended its state certification in early 2012, Upstate Laboratories Inc. continued its lucrative business of testing water samples from landfills and wastewater treatment plants across the state. Officially, state environmental regulators will not accept test […]

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New Book Focuses on Marcellus Shale Science

November 20, 2013
New Book Focuses on Marcellus Shale Science

From The Marcellus Effect: When asked whether NY will allow high volume horizontal hydraulic fracturing (aka: fracking) Governor Cuomo is fond of saying “Let the science decide”. But the truth is, science can’t “decide”. The best science can do is present the facts, such as they are known. Policy-makers are the ones who “decide”. And now there’s a new book about the science of the shale beneath our feet – a book that could help our local and state legislators and regulators put more science into their decisions. The Science Beneath the Surface: A very short guide to the Marcellus shale was recently published by the Paleontological Research Institute. PRI has a long history of addressing contentious issues, such as evolution and climate change. Now add shale to that list. […]

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NETL PERP WALK

November 20, 2013
NETL PERP WALK

Anthony Cugini, the former Director of the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), has been indicted by a Pittsburgh, PA Grand Jury on obstruction of justice charges. Cugini was escorted out of his western Pennsylvania office in late September 2013 and placed on administrative leave.  His computers from his office in Morgantown, WV, were removed.  At that time, Department spokesperson, Shelley Martin did confirm that Cugini was on “leave”, but would not comment further stating it’s a personnel matter. Approximately 3 weeks later, in October of 2013, Cugini submitted his resignation.  NETL spokesperson, William Gibbons restated no comment because it was a personnel matter. ABOUT NETL NETL is part of DOE’s national laboratory system, is owned and operated by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).  It has offices in Oregon, Alaska, […]

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Truthland Fracking Lies

November 19, 2013
Truthland Fracking Lies

Turns out that Truthyland, the eponymous Shelley dePue’s quest for truth about shale gas wells – while her own annulus was bubbling merrily away- was just another frack ad paid for by the frackers. Imagine that. Here are the latest reports on how Chesapeake underwrote the frackumentary.  The Fracking Industry’s Dishonest Response to ‘Gasland’ Lee Fang on November 18, 2013 – 2:24 PM ET An oil drilling rig near Medicine Lodge, Kan. (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner) The break-out success of GasLand and GasLand 2, documentaries by Josh Fox about the dangers of largely unregulated hydraulic fracturing, has prompted the natural gas and drilling industry to adopt an aggressive public relations strategy to combat critics. Last year, at the Warner Theater in Washington, DC, a group of high-profile lobbyists and communications staffers celebrated the […]

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Ed Cox Sock Puppet of Frackers ?

November 19, 2013
Ed Cox Sock Puppet of Frackers ?

Governor Cuomo leads Ed Cox by a hole frack load So what’s this Cox Sock Puppet to do ? Dick Nixon’s Number One Son-in-Law is mulling a gubernatorial run, Hamlet style, with his campaign platform being “Elect Me Frackmeister in Chief and I Will Frack the Daylights out of Upstate” While this ploy may resonate with Cox’s fracking benefactors, it strikes me as a rather superficial approach to economic development – particularly when there’s not a mouse fart worth of shale gas in New York to begin with - any decade soon. Dick’s son-in-law Cox touts all the local jobs that those iffy wells are supposed to create. So who is Dick Nixon’s Cox appealing to ?  Could it be Noble Energy – who pay this Nixonian leftover to sit on their board ? The […]

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COVERT NEW YORK HAS AN ELEPHANT MAN

November 18, 2013
COVERT NEW YORK HAS AN ELEPHANT MAN

If you were in Covert, NY, on November 5, 2013, you may have seen Covert’s own Elephant Man.   You may have even wondered who was inside that floppy eared grey suit. Wonder no more, it was Jeff Vann, Covert’s very own Elephant man.  Vann is a sitting member of Covert’s town board, and not up for re-election. Inquiring minds want to know if this is the dress code for Albany Republican Style politics?  Or was Mr. Vann giving fair notice to Covert residents that the circus would will officially replace town meetings? We are not sure the reason behind the costume.   It was a cold day, and perhaps, Jeff Van, the Elephant man locked his coat in his trunk? ©2013 by Dory Hippauf

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FOSSIL FUELS, MORALITY and THE STUPID

November 17, 2013
FOSSIL FUELS, MORALITY and THE STUPID

A friend of mine sent me a link to a paper, which at first glance I thought it was something from “The Onion” or MAD magazine.   The title of the paper,  “The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels” cause me to run and find a roll of gauze so I could wrap it around my head to prevent my jaw from hitting the ground. It’s an 11 page paper written by Alex Epstein, Founder of Center for Industrial Progress.  Epstein is also the author of Fossil Fuels Improve the Planet, (he never did say which planet). EPSTEIN’S CREDENTIALS Per DeSmogBlog:  “Alex Epstein is the director of the Center for Industrial Progress (CIP), an organization he founded in 2011. Its mission is to “inspire Americans to embrace industrial progress as a cultural […]

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New York LNG Regs – Best Comments Contest !

November 17, 2013
New York LNG Regs - Best Comments Contest !

The DEC has extended the comment period on their Gas Blast Contingency Plans until December 4th. If you haven’t sent in comments, now’s the time. A primer on the regs and suggested responses is here at 30 Days of Fracking. There  is a Grand Prize for the Best Comment of a  jeroboam (ask a lush) of Ommegang’s best. 2nd prize is 2 jeroboams of Ommengang’s best brew, 3rd prize, 3 jeroboams.  Get busy ! Source Watch Wiki site on New York DEC LNG regs here  “Ommegang” is Walloon (ask a Belgian)  for “frack off.” Here’s a shout-out to my homeys Simon, Larry and the dudes that brew the best frack free beer in  New York. Radium free since 1503.

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Rob Gastorino: What Me Worry About Fracking ?

November 15, 2013
Rob Gastorino: What Me Worry About Fracking ?

The wannabe Governors have already started making noises, with their campaign platform: Elect Me And I Will Frack New York Senseless. Frackmeister wannabe Rob Gastorino, an Alfred E. Newman (ask your dad or grand-dad) Doppelganger (ask a German) is from way far from the frack fields – Westchester County, home of State Senator Greg “Goof” Ball, the biggest fracking flip-flopper in Albany. The other hat in the ring ? Richard Nixon’s son-in-law.  Should be a real fracking gas. When contacted by NFW’s roving reporter about fracking, the perky WC Exec chirped: “I think it’s great. It’s my name in Italian: “gastorino“- it means gas from a little bull, a torino.” WC Exec Gastorino Considers Gov Bid ! Nov. 11, 2013   |11 Comments ALBANY — Westchester County Executive Robert Astorino is framing a potential gubernatorial run around […]

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Credit Union Redlines Fracking

November 15, 2013
Credit Union Redlines Fracking

One fracked mortgage at a time. Add SECU to the list of lenders that are telling frackers to take a hike.  http://www.cutimes.com/2013/11/14/secu-pulls-back-from-financing-fracking-property SECU Pulls Back From Financing Fracking Property BY DAVID MORRISON November 14, 2013 • Reprints Share on linkedinShare on twitterShare on facebookShare on emailMore Sharing Services6 The State Employees’ Credit Union said it now is one of a growing number of financial institutions in some parts of the country that have stopped financing purchases of property whose owners have sold the mineral rights. The mineral rights have most often been sold to facilitate exploration and drilling for oil and natural gas, often through a procedure known as hydraulic fracturing or fracking, which extracts oil and natural gas from primarily shale deposits with a mixture of water and chemicals forced underground at pressure. […]

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JLCNY Reduced to Pimping for a Fracking Publicity Stunt

November 14, 2013
JLCNY Reduced to Pimping for a Fracking Publicity Stunt

After coming to realization that no real oil and gas company is going to come frack them any time soon – if ever – the landowners coalitions are now reduced to pimping for a Shale Shyster’s Publicity Stunt. That’s literally all they are left with: Hot air and pimping for a Shale Shyster -  who  is still milking dairy farmers to get publicity – as a shale shyster.  All this so that the Shyster can pretend to sue the state agency that issues drilling permits for not issuing the landowners drilling permits that they never even bothered to apply for.  Good luck explaining that to the jury.  If Publicity Stunts were juried. . . Come to a Shale Gas Myth Busters show near you and learn what the New York Fracking Fairy Tale […]

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Norse Energy: Exhibit A in New York’s Shale Gas Mirage

November 14, 2013
Norse Energy: Exhibit A in New York's Shale Gas Mirage

Even in death, Norse’s PR spin is emblematic of the disconnect between the actual prospects for shale gas in most of Upstate (terrible) and the PR of the gas industry: that there is a lot of shale worth fracking in New York (Norse could not find any) and that the state moratorium drove the majors away and made Norse go bankrupt (wrong again, most of the majors left the state before the moratorium). Norse crooked its investors and got sued. It crooked the towns it drilled in on road damages. It could not make any money on vertical gas wells.  And it proved where the Utica and Marcellus “fairway” are not located in New York.  Then tried to start a Shale Shamstitute at the University of Buffalo as part of the […]

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Home Rule Challenged in New Mexico

November 14, 2013
Home Rule Challenged in New Mexico

Some states, including New Mexico all land use ordinances at the county level – as well as the town or city level. This is because in some western states, there are few towns or cities – just the county. So some of those counties, notably Santa Fe, have adopted land use ordinances to address drilling. Since the frackers want to be able to frack anywhere without regard to surface land uses, they have challenged one of those county ordinances. http://www.sfgate.com/business/energy/article/Oil-and-gas-ban-spurs-lawsuit-in-NM-county-4981018.php Oil and gas ban spurs lawsuit in NM county By SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN, Associated Press Updated 2:07 pm, Wednesday, November 13, 2013 ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A decision by one northern New Mexico county to prohibit oil and natural gas development has prompted a statewide industry group and three landowners to […]

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INERGY’S SEISMIC SECRETS

November 14, 2013
INERGY’S SEISMIC SECRETS

For those who have been following and learning about unconventional hydraulic fracturing (i.e. fracking), it is no comes as of no surprise that the chemicals used are a “trade secret”. Chemicals are soooooooo secret not even the drillers or DEP knows what’s in it. (See related at the end of article)   We may soon find out, as ruling on Tuesday, November 5, 2013, Judge Debbie O’Dell Seneca ordered 40 Range Resources contractors and subcontractors to provide the court with all chemicals, components or substances used on the Yeager site since 2009.  They have 30 days to comply. …Or more likely, 30 days to find legal loopholes so the industry doesn’t have to comply. MORE SECRETS One of the procedures prior to fracking or storage of natural gas is to […]

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Pope Bans Fracking !

November 13, 2013
Pope Bans Fracking !

At Vatican City anyway, which has had “home rule” for about a thousand years. And maybe elsewhere too – where the locals don’t want to get fracked six ways to Sunday. Maybe electing a Jesuit pope was not such a bad idea after all. They’re not overly fond of dipping into Holy Water laced with radium 226, arsenic, and benzene. And the Jesuits are the kind of crew that would be inclined to do something about it. Meet the Newest Anti-Fracking Activist: Pope Francis Posted By Katelyn Fossett  Wednesday, November 13, 2013 – 1:32 PM  Share Pope Francis has already become a favorite of progressives with his fairly open-minded statements on homosexuality and birth control. But that adoration may go into overdrive, now that the Pope has adopted a new role as an environmental crusader, too. On Monday, the Pope […]

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Fracking Property Values

November 13, 2013
Fracking Property Values

One mortgage at at time – from The Stephanie at EcoWatch:  Fracking People’s Houses: Drilling Decreases Property Value Resource Media |November 13, 2013 1:39 pm | Comments 489 2Share0 2 521 Drilling conflicts are almost always described in the context of their impacts on air, water andhealth. But increasingly, as the drilling boom sweeps the country, another part of the drilling story is starting to bubble up in drilling hotspots like Colorado, Pennsylvania, New York, Wyoming and Texas.Increasingly, oil and gas development is butting up against, and often trampling, the bedrock American principles of property rights and the value of one’s home.Industry estimates peg the number new wells that will be drilled across the U.S. over the next decade at more than 200,000. In this rush to tap once unreachable deposits, oil and gas development is pushing the […]

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Banks Ban Fracking !

November 13, 2013
Banks Ban Fracking !

One loan at a time. Banks are not making loans to home owners that are at risk of getting fracked. And not renewing mortgages on fracked land. And in some cases, putting fracked mortgages into default.  Bankers don’t want the collateral on their loans to get fracked. They’re just funny that way . . .  American Banker has the story here. It “could end up where someone puts a drilling platform on” their land, says Jim Blaine, president and CEO of State Employees’ Credit Union in North Carolina. “We’d have to tell their neighbors, ‘We’re sorry, your property value just went down.’” Fracking Boom Gives Banks Mortgage Headaches by ANDY PETERS NOV 12, 2013 11:19am ET An East Coast oil boom has promised potential riches to lucky landowners. But the oil rush […]

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Albany LNG Frackdown Videos !

November 13, 2013
Albany LNG Frackdown Videos !

LNG regs. protest now on YouTube – great comments about Cuomo’s proposed LNG Gas Bombs Blast Remediation Plan : the 3 and a half pages of proposed regulations to site an LNG gas bomb in  any neighborhood, town, city, public park, parking lot, or harbor near you.  Here’s your chance to see some of what happened in Albany at the LNG protest and hearings. Keith Schue speaks powerfully at both the rally and in the hearing, and Dr. John Davis wraps it up at the end of the video. In addition to those who appear in the video, compelling testimony was provided by several other great activists including Kelly Branigan, Julie Huntsman, Nicole Dillingham, Ann Marie Garti, Allegra Schecter, Suzy Winkler, Clark Rhodes, and Marion Karl. More information on the DEC’s proposed […]

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INERGY WHINES ABOUT WINE

November 13, 2013
INERGY WHINES ABOUT WINE

The Finger Lakes region of New York is well known for its vineyards and wine.  It is a vibrant economic resource which attracts thousands of tourists every year, from the novice to the connoisseur of fine wines. As with any produce, wine grapes need clean water, clean air and a healthy land to thrive.  This is one reason a number of wineries and vineyards in the Finger Lakes region are concerned about natural gas drilling. Unlike the short-term boom-bust cycle of natural gas drilling, the business of wine is long term and a vital part of the local economy.   You can understand the conundrum of potentially contaminating the air, water and land for a short term gain via natural gas drilling or foregoing the promise of gajillions of dollars in […]

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Shale Shyster Threatens NYS Over Loss of Non-Existent Shale Gas

November 12, 2013
Shale Shyster Threatens NYS Over Loss of Non-Existent Shale Gas

Just when you thought the Fracking Fairy Tale of Shale Gas in New York could not get much weirder – landowner fracking-wannabes have now put out a cut ‘n paste draft of a “lawsuit” against the Governor of New York, the DEC, the DOH, and All That is Holy alleging a “takings” of property because their John Doe plaintiffs say that the DEC has supposedly denied them the right to frack themselves silly, despite the fact that none of them either bothered to apply for a drilling permit on their property – before or after the de facto moratorium for one narrowly defined type of fracking went into effect. The Joint Landowners Coalition of Central New York – the JLCNY (pronounced “JLCNY”) has sketched out a skeletal pleading without one named plaintiff in […]

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New York Shale Gas Potential – Videos !

November 10, 2013
New York Shale Gas Potential - Videos !

The Cris has finished the videos from the October 30 presentations at Cornell, showing both the speaker and the Power Point in split screen, as shown on the Tompkins County Council of Governments website here. Great work Cris McConkey and Bill Huston. Great shots, great audio. Nice package, no dry holes here. Worth a watch to see the interdisciplinary approach to the issue : Just how much shale gas is there in New York ?  Short answer, Nowhere near as much as the gas industry lobbyists lead people to believe.  Not even fracking close. http://tinyurl.com/nyshalegaspotential Welcome and Introduction from Prof. Ingraffea 1-Anthony (Tony) Ingraffea: NY Shale Gas Potential New York Shale Gas Potential – Economics and Regulatory Considerations – James “Chip” Northrup  2-James Northrup: NY Shale Gas Potential 3-Brian Brock: […]

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New York Shale Gas Potential – Economic and Regulatory Considerations

November 10, 2013
New York Shale Gas Potential - Economic and Regulatory Considerations

Wherein reality interferes with New York Shale Hype. First there’s the geology as the primary indicator of where shale gas might be productive in New York State. Then economics intervene – not just as a function of the price of gas, but the underlying financings of the Shale Game itself. And lastly, the regulatory considerations – which can reduce the productive area substantially. The Shale Gas Myth Busters are planning repeats of the Cornell forum for NYC, Syracuse and Oneonta.  Watch this space for details. Jerry Acton models the geological factors here – which explains why shale gas drilling applications are where they are and aren’t where they aren’t .  .  .here Lou Allstadt discusses the industry’s view on New York here – whereby a retired Mobil Executive VP explains […]

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INERGY BLACKLISTING BUSINESSES IN NEW YORK

November 9, 2013
INERGY BLACKLISTING BUSINESSES IN NEW YORK

The results of the November 5, 2013 ballot measures regarding the natural gas industry is cause for concern by a number of investors.    The Motley Fool, an investment/stock market website lamented over how fracking is losing the PR Battle. Per Sarah Murphy article: “Seriously, these guys have got to step up their game if they want to survive. At last week’s SRI Conference on Sustainable, Responsible, Impact Investing, I talked with countless fund managers, investors, financial advisors, and academics, all of whom agreed that while fracking is controversial from a sustainability perspective, the industry’s ham-fisted approach to public engagement has been so feeble as to be pathetic.” The public relations approach by the industry has relied on waving false promises of becoming a “shaleionaire” in the general public’s faces and […]

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An Industry View of New York Shale Gas – Lou Allstadt

November 9, 2013
An Industry View of New York Shale Gas - Lou Allstadt

Ex Mobil Oil Executive Vice President, Lou Allstadt made a presentation at Cornell recently on something he knows a lot about: the oil and gas business.  Allstadt focused on the industry’s behavior regarding the prospects for shale gas in New York.  He analyzed what they did – not what their PR departments said about New York’s shale gas potential.  His presentation, narrated online here, shows that, armed with a wealth of geological data on New York’s shales, the industry tested the area and left before the de facto moratorium went into place in 2008. Some of the most knowledgeable shale specialists, such as Range Resources, never bothered with New York at all. Lou explains why. Lou Allstadt explains what the majors saw in New York’s shale, why they left years ago, […]

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Mean Mother Fracker

November 9, 2013
Mean Mother Fracker

Could have described The Sandra a bit more more artfully, but it captures the essence. Good profile in Outside Magazine How Sandra Steingraber is Leading the War Against Hydraulic Fracking http://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/science/Sandra-Steingraber-Fracking-Expert-Activist.html?230526731&utm_campaign=googlenews&utm_source=googlenews&utm_medium=xmlfeed Steingraber is hardly a newcomer to the environmental scene: people have been comparing the former biology professor to Rachel Carson since 1997, when she publishedLiving Downstream. The book examines how illness is linked to pollution, and it grew out of Steingraber’s experiences battling a form of bladder cancer that may have been caused by industrial runoff. But over the past three years, Steingraber, 54, has emerged as one of the country’s top experts on the hot-button issue of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. And here’s the really surprising thing: at a time when everyone from big green groups like the Natural Resources […]

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New York Shale Gas: Frack What ? Frack Where ? Frack When ?

November 8, 2013
New York Shale Gas: Frack What ? Frack Where ? Frack When ?

This is a narrated online overview of the Power Point presentations made at Cornell on October 30th on New York Shale Gas Potential  on BrainShark (click reload if necessary). Non-narrated version online here on Scribd. It gives a summary explanation of the key variables that both drive and constrain shale gas potential in New York – geology, economics and regulations – that can be used to arrive at an estimate of the area effected. Lou Allstadt’s presentation will go up shortly, followed by Brian Brock’s.  Jerry Acton’s Power Point is already up, here.  We are planning repeats of the forum around the state, stay tuned. When you watch these Power Points, keep in mind what the public was told about the Marcellus and Utica shales – the tens of thousands of jobs predicted, the […]

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FRACKING and COMMUNITY RIGHTS

November 8, 2013
FRACKING and COMMUNITY RIGHTS

We’ve seen the flags as backdrops to Political sideshows.  We’ve seen the flag lapel pin on every politician’s article of clothing.  Go to any Senator or Representative website and there will be some graphic reference to the flag, liberty and/or freedom. Just about every political party or front group disguised as a party will have the same. It’s all about appealing to your belief this country was founded on and is still rooted in the concept of “we the people”.   How many speeches have you heard about what the “American people want” or referencing “the American people have spoken” versus Corporate America wants or the Corporate American has spoken?    I’d wager more of the former and nothing from the latter. Natural gas drilling is one of the issues ruffling the […]

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Goodbye Frackers ! Hello Casino Buses !

November 7, 2013
Goodbye Frackers ! Hello Casino Buses !

News from the Catskills, where the locals are probably now going to have to learn to contend with casino buses, not frack truck convoys. Good coverage from the River Reporter. Note that the reporter points out the fact that much of the Catskills has been cooked off of gas is not exactly news within the industry and to anyone that has been paying attention when Hess and Newfield bailed out of Wayne County, across the Delaware River and up in the trees. Catch 22 is that the Catskills remain vulnerable to all of the collateral damage coming out out of the Frack Zone – and Delaware County, New York has been teed up by Exxon for a fracking. Right by  a trout stream near a NYC reservoir.Thickens the plot. New York […]

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FRACKING IMPOSSIBLE !

November 7, 2013
FRACKING IMPOSSIBLE !

In Cooperstown, all of Otsego County, 90% of Chenango County and all of Schoharie County. Plus about 85% of the rest of Upstate New York.  This leaves some third rate frak flaks, the odd frackademic, and a couple of local shale shysters to lay down a smoke screen to cover the frackers retreat. This Power Point explains why: New York Shale Gas overview The Freeman’s Journal gets the scoop in today’s edition.  http://allotsego.homestead.com/ Issues now on the news stands. Get your souvenir copy and I will sign it for a 4 pack of Ommegang. FRACKING IMPOSSIBLE LOCALLY, DATA SHOWS Two of the most expert and eloquent local opponents of fracking, Lou Allstadt and Chip Northrup of Cooperstown, have concluded there is too little natural gas under Otsego County to ever warrant development.  For […]

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Bruce Selleck – Frackademic ?

November 7, 2013
Bruce Selleck - Frackademic ?

Was on a panel with Colgate’s Professor Bruce Selleck in Utica, and he struck me as perhaps a closet frackademic, Terry Engelder Lite. This became apparent when he defended New York’s lack of a severance tax as being unexceptional (it is not), which had much to do with shale shilling and little to do with the geology, which he was empaneled to address. So was not surprised by his reaction to the work presented on New York’s shale gas potential at Cornell.  Bruce Selleck is evidently just another a frackademic, parroting the gas industry’s lines. Bruce Selleck’s Utica Fairway was one of drivers of the Shale Game in New York Here’s Tom Wilber on the matter: “Bruce Selleck is a geologist at Colgate University who has identified the prospective area for shale […]

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New York Shale Gas Mythbusters Coming Soon to a Dry Hole Near You

November 6, 2013
New York Shale Gas Mythbusters Coming Soon to a Dry Hole Near You

We will finish putting the Power Points online then focus on scheduling a repeat of the Cornell presentations Panel of Experts: Little Marcellus Gas Potential in New York State By Bill Chaisson Marcellus Shale Gas potential   Systems engineer Jerry Acton, geologist Brian Brock, former Mobil executive Louis Allstadt, and former ARCO executive Chip Northrup at Hollister Hall. Posted: Wednesday, November 6, 2013 12:00 am By Bill Chaisson | On Wednesday, Oct. 30 at a symposium hosted by Cornell engineering professor Tony Ingraffea at Hollister Hall, a geologist, a systems engineer, and two former energy company executives discussed the potential of the Marcellus Formation in New York State to produce shale gas. Their conclusion was that only a small portion of the southern parts of Broome and Tioga counties are likely to […]

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Geologist Bursts Shale Gas Bubble

November 6, 2013
Geologist Bursts Shale Gas Bubble

Our pal Art Berman explains why most of the shale gas boom is non-sustainable, and never was going to be.  New York Shale Gas Potential Overview here

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GOP Blames Governor For NYS Geology: “Where’s The Gas Gov ?”

November 6, 2013
GOP Blames Governor For NYS Geology: "Where's The Gas Gov ?"

AP Buffalo November 6th Kevin Bogus GOP’s Ed Cox Guilt Trips Governor For State’s Lack of Shale Gas Potential In a withering diatribe, Richard Nixon’s son-in-law (no I can’t make this stuff up) has blamed New York’s almost complete lack of economically viable shale gas reserves on Governor Cuomo. Mocking the Governor in front of $500 a plate dinner of Xtra Spicy Buffalo Wings at the local Dinosaur Barbecue, Cox asked rhetorically: “What have you done with all that fracking gas, Andrew ? When you became Governor, there was an estimated 80 Trillion Cubic Feet in this state. You said so yourself.  It said so in the New York Post. A recent assessment puts that down to less than 4 Trillion – nothing more than a bit of flowback from Pennsylvania. What […]

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Frack Barges on the Erie Canal ?

November 6, 2013
Frack Barges on the Erie Canal ?

Frackers are talking about getting Coast Guard approval to barge frack waste down the Erie Canal. Would not touch that with an 11′ barge pole. The following article provides insight on the Coast Guard’s proposal to allow fracking waste to be transported by barge, the problem with barge spills, and Pennsylvania’s lax rules that encourage illicit dumping. As Lou Alstadt has pointed out, a consequence of transporting fracking waste by barge could be a lot of northbound trucks carrying fracking waste through Otsego County up to the Erie Canal. http://www.desmogblog.com/2013/02/05/shale-industry-moves-ship-fracking-waste-barge-threatens-drinking-water-supplies Here is a link to the federal website to comment… http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketBrowser;rpp=25;po=0;dct=PS;D=USCG-2013-0915   A friend, who happens to have been a licensed ship commander in charge of a tanker fleet, weighs in on the prospect:  “There are several water routes north from the PA gas […]

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Fractavists Win Big In Colorado !

November 6, 2013
Fractavists Win Big In Colorado !

Big wins in Colorado where voters tell frackers to take a fracking hike  Huge Election Victories for Colorado’s Anti-Fracking Movement EcoWatch |November 6, 2013 9:33 am | Comments 15 0Share0 4 38 Yesterday’s election brought huge results for anti-fracking voters in Fort Collins, Boulder and Lafayette where all measures were approved that will either ban or pause the practice of hydraulic fracturing. Initial results show Broomfield with a tally so close—13 votes—that it will force a recount. “With wins in Boulder, Lafayette and Fort Collins—and a partial-victory in Broomfield—this election sends a huge wake-up call to Governor Hickenlooper that the people of Colorado do not want to be fracked,” said Gary Wockner of Clean Water Action. ”Fort Collins’ vote is especially revealing—a decisive 10 point win in a swing county while being outspent 40 to 1. The oil and gas industry […]

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KNOW FRACK? Maybe!

November 6, 2013
KNOW FRACK? Maybe!

In following the Range Resources case involving water contamination of 8 families in Amwell Township, we learned: Range Resources Don’t Know Frack PA Department of Environmental Protection Don’t Know Frack Testing Labs Don’t Know Frack We’ve been subjected to the same tired excuse by the natural gas corporations of why they can’t tell us what’s in the fracking chemicals. It’s a trade secret. It’s proprietary information. Top and Bottom Secret. Hush Hush. Double super-dooper heavily guarded recipe. If they tell ya, they’ll have to kill you – but of course if they don’t tell you, it will kill you anyways. So who the frack knows what’s in the frack? After months of run around, excuses, and pleas for extension of time we find it’s the SUPPLIES who know what’s in […]

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CATSKILLS SAVED FROM FRACKING !

November 6, 2013
CATSKILLS SAVED FROM FRACKING !

By casinos.  Surprise ! And the geology of the area. Not such a surprise ! And New York’s new Mayor Elect who is not likely to be a complete fracking shill like that other guy.  Thanks in advance, Mayor !  Casino traffic and frack truck convoys don’t mix. And the casino lobby will make sure who wins that argument in Albany. Local frak flaks like Karen Moreau and Brad Gill won’t be able to get a lie in edgewise. Wherever there is a casino, there will be no fracking. Wherever there is a road into or out of a casino, there will be no frack traffic.  Game over. Casinos can out-lobby anybody. Bye bye frackers, hello Barry Manilow in the Main Lounge. Chesapeake’s secret plan to turn Grossingers into a Man […]

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Tom Wilber Zeros in on New York’s True Shale Prospects

November 5, 2013
Tom Wilber Zeros in on New York's True Shale Prospects

As usual, Tom Wilber brings a nuanced approach to the subject. Tom finds someone other than a gas industry PR person to talk about the subject, in the form of a Colgate geology professor, who comes across as Engelder Lite.  Read more here: http://tomwilber.blogspot.com/2013/11/what-are-prospects-for-new-yorks-shale.html Tuesday, November 5, 2013 What are the prospects for New York’s shale reserves? Sociology, ideology weigh heavy in debate over geology The value of a given shale gas reserve depends on the physical characteristics of the rock. How deep? How thick? How much wet gas? How much dry gas? But as with many aspects of the shale gas debate, there’s more to it. Community attitudes, politics, special interests, markets, and ideological conviction all influence the social and monetary push to get things moving.Things are not moving in […]

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Buck Bids Adios to Buffalo Frackademics

November 5, 2013
Buck Bids Adios to Buffalo Frackademics

With the lingering, question – just who were the University of Buffalo Frackademics trying to fool ? When the only gas anywhere near Buffalo is likely to be at the Dinosaur Barbeque ? New York Marcellus Gas Potential Explained by Buck Quigley - posted 11:43 am, November 5, 2013 Filed under: Energy, Environmental, State Politics Tags: Jerry Acton, Norse Energy USA, UB Shale Resources and Society Institute Click here to watch a presentation by retired systems engineer / systems architect Jerry Acton that should help you understand why companies like Norse Energy were doomed to fail. Not because New York State is unfriendly to the natural gas industry; but rather because the cold, hard facts of geology contradict the gaseous hyperbole spouted by pro-frackers. There likely just ain’t so much gas in them thar hills of our southern tier. Makes you wonder […]

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JLCNY Continues to Shakedown Clueless Landowners

November 5, 2013
JLCNY Continues to Shakedown Clueless Landowners

To pay for a lawsuit that the original plaintiff, Anschutz Exploration bailed on – not for lack of funds, but for lack of motivation to pursue a legal matter that 8 New York justices have now ruled in favor of: Home Rule. With no dissents. This case remains alive more for political reasons than legal ones, with Chesapeake’s lobbyist still trying to find a Rent a Plaintiff to stand in for the former Rent A Plaintiff, the now defunct Norse Energy.  And then there’s their  frivolous publicity Takings Stunt against New York. They have no  plaintiff, no bone fide claims to pursue, and no money, but they do have a shale shyster with his hand out.   That’s a start, right ? Dear Friends and Natural Gas Supporters, The JLCNY continues […]

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Shale Gas Mythbusters Puts NYS Frack Flacks In Tizzy

November 5, 2013
Shale Gas Mythbusters Puts NYS Frack Flacks In Tizzy

Peter Mantius’s take on the frackers reaction to the Fracking Reality Check presented at Cornell.  Note the disconnect between the industry’s behavior – they came, they tested,  they left – and the industry PR types left behind to continue to perpetuate the myth of of shale gas abundance in New York.  The difference between the two – the major’s departure prior to the moratorium and the PR types covering their retreat –  is 93.5% hot air.  Jerry Acton’s model is presented here. More to come soon.  My summary overview is here. http://www.the-leader.com/article/20131104/NEWS/131109940/2011/OPINION?tag=1#ixzz2jmNbqgpp  Marcellus Watch: Mythbusters Tackle Frack Hype The peddlers of false hope are in a tizzy over the latest challenge to their myth that natural gas will be an economic “game-changer” for upstate New York By Peter Mantius Posted Nov. […]

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New York Shale Gas Potential – Jerry Acton Model

November 4, 2013
New York Shale Gas Potential - Jerry Acton Model

Jerry Acton has modeled shale gas productivity in Pennsylvania and projected the likely outcome of drilling the extension of those formations into New York.  Jerry presented this model at a forum held at Cornell on October 30th. A narrated slide show of his work is on BrainShark, here.  Click “reload” webpage if it does not load on first try.  My overview of the 4 presentations is here. Well worth a listen. The Oil & Gas industry’s behavior prior to the de facto moratorium on shale gas wells validates Jerry’s findings. They came, they tested and most of them left for browner pastures before the moratorium even went into effect, leaving hapless Norse Energy and Gastem to prove where the “fairway” goes rough.  Likewise, the HVHF well permit applications on file with the DEC […]

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Norse Energy Blames Bankruptcy on Everyone But Norse

November 4, 2013
Norse Energy Blames Bankruptcy on Everyone But Norse

The “Don’t Bother to Drill Here” Memo evidently was not translated into Norwegian. . .  Ignoring the fact that they could not make a dime on their vertical gas wells, crooked their investors, dodged road use obligations and looked for Shale Love in All the Wrong Fracking Places, Norse blames their thoroughly predictable demise on “political geography” – whatever the frack that is – not geology, which they clearly don’t understand.  Norse Energy did the fractavists a real favor by testing the Utica and Marcellus shales in the supposed “fairway” and proving there’s no gas there. A convenient fact that was not lost on the rest of the industry. And came as absolutely no surprise to anyone that really understands the geology of the region. Somewhere in Norway, there’s a […]

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Frackers, meet Nicole Dillingham. Game Over.

November 3, 2013
Frackers, meet Nicole Dillingham. Game Over.

Now that her twin daughters are off to college, our pal Nicole Dillingham will soon be re-entering the legal profession on the side of the Good Guys, after having just passed the New York Bar Exam. She’s smart, she’s relentless and her heart is in the right place.  We’re lucky to have her on our side. Many of you know of her work in New York on Home Rule, the proposed fracking regulations, and the proposed LNG facility regs,  copied here - Comments on the New York DEC’s proposed LNG regulations Before she became a full time mom,  Nicole worked as a litigation attorney in San Francisco, California, representing clients in high technology, antitrust and contractual disputes. As her career progressed, she became an Arbitrator and Mediator with the America Arbitration […]

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IMPACT FEES – LET’S MAKE A REAL IMPACT

November 3, 2013
IMPACT FEES – LET’S MAKE A REAL IMPACT

In February of 2012, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett signed ACT 13 into law.  One of the provisions is the collection of “IMPACT FEES” on natural gas well production.   The Impact Fee was the preferred choice of the natural gas corporations as opposed to a severance fee. Prior to the impact fee, natural gas corporations negotiated with municipalities to cost of repairs related to industrialization, such as repairing the infrastructure and remediating other damages. The natural gas driller pays the impact fee to the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) which divvies up the money, gives Pennsylvania government its cut, and further divvies it up to communities. Communities cannot just willy-nilly spend their portion of the impact fee on just any old thing.  There are eligible activities spelled out on how it […]

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Shale Gas Prospects In New York – Ithaca

November 1, 2013
Shale Gas Prospects In New York - Ithaca

Excellent presentations at Cornell Geology Department Building. Audience of 200 and great Q&A. Hosted by Dr. Ingraffea and planned by Sara Hess, Irene Weiser and Karen Edelstein.  The Power Points will be narrated online, then a video out of the presenters – Lou Allstadt, ex Executive Vice President Mobil Oil, Jerry Acton, ex Lockheed Martin, Brian Brock, retired geologist, and yours truly. Summary of presentations here. Cornell Panelists: Most N.Y. Shale Likely Unprofitable Little local economic gain. Collateral damage likely. 8:03 PM, Oct 31, 2013   |  Comments    A panel at Cornell University Wednesday night said the economic advantage of hydraulic fracturing in New York state is limited compared to neighboring Pennsylvania. Written by Andrew Casler ITHACA — Hydrofracking would bring little economic gain to New York state and more environmental fallout, according […]

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CHICKEN LITTLE IN COVERT NY

October 31, 2013
CHICKEN LITTLE IN COVERT NY

The incumbents and supporters think they have hit on a big sure-fire campaign theme.   Label the challengers as *GASP* liberals and tie them to the dreaded “Ithaca style politics”.   Whatever “Ithaca style politics” means, it must be really really bad….right? To date the incumbent crowd has called the challengers, left-wing extremists from Albany, radical extremists, Ithacan-style politicians, and outsiders.   They have warned the citizenry that should the challengers win it could lead to banning of wood stoves, coal stoves, FIREARMS, Home-based businesses, pesticides and *gasp* Hunting. This week, Covert residents received a postcard style flyer in their mail boxes, warning them of just such an Apocalypse.    The graphic features a 1960’s orange VW bug with flower decals, and a peace symbol.  They forgot to include an image cavorting, half-naked hippies […]

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DESPERATION IN COVERT NEW YORK

October 30, 2013
DESPERATION IN COVERT NEW YORK

Nothing indicates desperation in politics like slinging mud, and the incumbent supporters in Covert NY are bringing in truckloads of mud. We’ve all seen it, on playgrounds and if we have children, we’ve seen it in our own homes, when a fight ensues and one child will resort to calling the other a “doodyhead”. Although the incumbents’ supporters have not actually called the challenging candidates “doodyheads”, they are using the word “OUTSIDERS”.  The irony of the use of “outside” money from corporations funneled to the Seneca County Republican Party, (which would include Ithaca), and trickled down to the incumbents eludes them. There is also a half page ad endorsing the incumbents by the Seneca County Board of Supervisors. One ad calls out the challengers one-by-one and tosses out the “OUTSIDER” label. […]

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Why Ban Drilling if No Gas ?

October 29, 2013
Why Ban Drilling if No Gas ?

Some of you evidently have been wondering. Good question. Simple answer: Because a well written “ban” ordinance is a prohibition of heavy industrial use(s), and there is collateral damage to address – that may not be covered by a fracking ban. Such prohibited uses should include some of the support activities to drilling a fracking a well – all of which can occur remote from the well site itself. Most importantly, town and county ordinances can also address the industrial discharge of fracking waste, such as frack waste dumping of frack flowback on town or county roads for de-icing or dust suppression, the dumping of radioactive drill cuttings in landfills or the discharge of frack flowback into municipal water plants – all of which can be addressed by various town and county ordinances. Road use […]

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Frack Zombie Tries To File Dryden Appeal

October 29, 2013
Frack Zombie Tries To File Dryden Appeal

Just in time for Halloween . . . Chesapeake’s lobbyist, Tom West has been unable to find a sentient substitute plaintiff against the Town of Dryden, so he’s stuck with a rotting corpse as a client. “Norse Energy” only exists in liquidation by a Trustee.  And paying Tom West to beat a dead horse over Home Rule is not something a bankruptcy trustee is likely to do.  Which begs the question: “Who is paying Chesapeake’s Lobbyist in Albany to sue the Town of Dryden on behalf of a zombie plaintiff ?” Scott Waldman gets the scoop  BY SCOTT WALDMAN 2:23 pm Oct. 28, 2013 ALBANY—Attorneys filed briefs with the state’s highest court on Monday in a case that will determine whether or not municipalities can ban hydrofracking within their borders. The […]

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Unfracked in Ithaca !

October 29, 2013
Unfracked in Ithaca !

One way or another. High Above Cayuga’s Waters – there’s not likely to be any fracking any century soon. And a Hole lot of other parts of Upstate New York as Well.  Good coverage of the Cornell New York Shale Gas Potential panel for Wednesday    Map to Hollister Hall here :  https://mapsengine.google.com/map/u/0/edit?mid=zh0HqKO3Yl4I.kPDMDbtnjqus Tompkins an unlikely target for gas drilling N.Y. is  Shale Gas Poor, Presenters at Cornell Will Say 6:24 PM, Oct 28, 2013   | Comments Written by Andrew Casler If you go The free event, “Marcellus and Utica Shale Gas Potential in New York State,” is scheduled for 7 p.m. Wednesday in Hollister Hall Auditorium Room B-14, 4 Central Ave. on the Cornell campus. ITHACA — Gas drillers would likely find poor natural gas reserves in Tompkins County, according to a […]

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COVERT COUNTS ON NOVEMBER 5

October 29, 2013
COVERT COUNTS ON NOVEMBER 5

In 7 short days, Covert Counts will see how well they have done with their campaigns.  They need your help. Covert Counts grew out of Concerned Citizens of Covert (CCC), a true grassroots organization comprising entirely of volunteers.   At serious risk is the community of Covert – its land, its water, its air and its people as the threat of natural gas drilling and fracking draws nearer. As CCC, the volunteers sought to work within the system of the local town government.   They talked to people, held educational events, held petition drives, attended and spoke at town meetings.  In 2012, CCC offered to create a Citizen’s advisory committee in conjunction with the town board for the purpose of researching and educating the residents of Covert.  The advisory committee would have […]

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Peter Mantius Nails New York Shale Play Story

October 28, 2013
Peter Mantius Nails New York Shale Play Story

Big time . . . http://www.dcbureau.org/201310289248/natural-resources-news-service/new-york-shale-play-gets-major-downgrade.html#more-9248 New York Shale Play Gets Major Downgrade By Peter Mantius, on October 28th, 2013 Natural Resources News Service | Leave a comment NY Median IP Projections – Jerry Acton mapped his projections for median initial production at gas wells in New York based on production figures from wells in similar geology in Pennsylvania. Black diamonds represent uneconomic drilling. BINGHAMTON, N.Y. — The real reason New York State has not allowed high-volume hydrofracking for natural gas in its Marcellus shale is that there is almost no gas that can be economically extracted, according to four retired professionals turned fracking analysts. Their argument contradicts the gas industry’s narrative – widely accepted as fact by many landowners, investors, politicians and state regulators – that shale gas is a potential economic […]

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FRACKINGTALE TELLERS

October 28, 2013
FRACKINGTALE TELLERS

Former Rep. B.J. Nikkel (R-49) was originally appointed by a vacancy committee and was sworn into the Colorado General Assembly on January 13, 2009, and ran for election in 2010. Nikkel ran for election in 2010 served a 2-year term.  In early 2012, she announced she would not seek re-election and thus avoided a primary battle against fellow Republican Rep. Brian DelGrosso. Nikkel’s Campaign Finance disclosure may be found by clicking HERE. As of 2011, Nikkel was the Colorado State Chairman of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC).  ALEC is a corporate bill mill. It is not just a lobby or a front group; it is much more powerful than that. Through ALEC, corporations hand state legislators their wish lists to benefit their bottom line.  Corporations fund almost all of […]

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Farm Bureau Rejects Farm Fracking !

October 27, 2013
Farm Bureau Rejects Farm Fracking !

Schuyler County, New York has about as much upside in Shale Gas as the Rock of Gibraltar. So banning wildcat exploration, frack waste, frack dumps and injection wells makes perfect sense.  Strictly Business: Farm Bureau Rejects Fracking 5:52 PM, Oct 26, 2013   |    More than 150 municipalities in New York have passed a ban or moratorium on gas drilling or fracking, according to FracTracker. Earlier this month, Schuyler County’s Farm Bureau joined the fold. In this undated file photo, Range Resources workers stand near the rig that drills into the shale at a well site in Pennsylvania. / FILE PHOTO Written by G. Jeffrey Aaron Ed Gates, a dairy farmer who has operated Seneca Valley Farms just outside Burdett since 1967, milks 1,000 cows on his farm. Those cows get their […]

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Industry Writes DEC’s Position on LNG inFrackstructure

October 27, 2013
Industry Writes DEC's Position on LNG inFrackstructure

From The Sandra and Mary Menapace – who points out that the DEC’s position on the “environmental benefits of LNG” was not written by the DEC. But was dictated to the DEC’s resident frak flaks   by the name of “Expansion Energy” that sells a proprietary LNG technology used to frack wells ! How convenient. Anywhere else that would be a clear conflict of interest. But at the NY DEC, it’s how the fracking sausage gets made.  The Sandra explains all -  “Who is behind the 2011 NYSERDA report that is the sole scientific basis for the claim in DEC’s draft regs that LNG has “environmental benefits”? Mary Menapace discovered that NYSERDA hired out the research and writing of the report.  She spoke about that publicly. It turns out that the energy […]

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Cuomo’s LNG Gas Bomb inFrackstructure

October 27, 2013
Cuomo's LNG Gas Bomb inFrackstructure

The Keith summarizes Cuomo’s Plan to Permit LNG Gas Bombs Statewide.  http://www.timesunion.com/opinion/article/Commentary-Liquefied-gas-plan-offers-peril-to-4929510.php#src=fb Commentary: Liquefied gas plan offers peril to state By Keith Schue, Commentary Published 10:14 pm, Saturday, October 26, 2013 In 1976, in the wake of a horrific explosion on Staten Island that killed 40 people, the New York state Legislature put a hold on new liquefied natural gas facilities, pending the adoption of regulations. But the Department of Environmental Conservation never actually wrote any rules, so a de facto ban has been in place ever since. Fracking changes that. Just in time for Halloween, DEC has resurrected Frankenstein regulations that it failed to adopt 40 years ago. In a recent interview, DEC Commissioner Joe Martens claimed that its newly proposed rules for LNG have nothing to do with fracking. This suggests a willful disconnect from reality. […]

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Tom Wilber’s Prequel to Cornell Shale Show

October 26, 2013
Tom Wilber's Prequel to Cornell Shale Show

Tom Wilber covers the Cornell Shale Show scheduled for Wednesday, Oct 30th at Hollister Hall at 7.  Some responses below.   Friday, October 25, 2013 Will Utica, Marcellus Remain Non-Starters in Empire State? New Theory Holds Geology, Not Politics, Thwarts NY fracking A collection of factors stalled the Pennsylvania shale gas rush at the New York state border, including grass roots opposition, a market glut, the threat of local bans and —  above all — the state’s reluctance to complete permitting guidelines without more information about health impacts. That, at least, is the familiar version of the story recounted through the popular press. But a group of activists – some uniquely qualified – are building an argument that something more profound and fundamental is at work: A lack of gas. […]

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Fractavist Vera Scroggins Silenced For Doing EPA’s Job

October 25, 2013
Fractavist Vera Scroggins Silenced For Doing EPA's Job

Couldn’t have put it more succinctly than Dr. Brasch, so I didn’t.  Here’s his take on Vera’s Fractavist Martyrdom  by Cabot Energy . . . http://truth-out.org/buzzflash/commentary/item/18272-fracking-activist-silenced-for-doing-epa-s-work  Fracking Activist Silenced for Doing EPA’s Work WALTER BRASCH FOR BUZZFLASH AT TRUTHOUT Monday morning, Oct. 21, 2013: Vera Scroggins, a retired real estate agent and nurse’s aide, was in Common Pleas Court for Susquehanna County, Pa., to explain why a temporary injunction should not be issued against her. Before her were four lawyers and several employees of Cabot Gas and Oil, who accused her of trespassing and causing irreparable harm to the company that had almost $1 billion in revenue in 2012. They didn’t want her on their property they owned or leased in the Marcellus Shale. Scroggins is an anti-fracking activist, someone who […]

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NY DEC LNG COMMENT PERIOD EXTENDED !

October 25, 2013
NY DEC LNG COMMENT PERIOD EXTENDED !

Just in time for Thanksgiving. 30 days more to tell them what you really think.  Info on how to comment here. Get those comments in ladies & gents ! The DEC seems to have overlooked a few things in their 6 page LNG regs. Maybe because that’s what they’re paid to do: Fast track the LNG SuperHighway to a blast site near you. Like next door. http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/New_York_LNG_regulations DEC EXTENDS PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD ON PROPOSED LNG REGULATIONS FOR 30 DAYS   Written Comments Will Be Accepted Through December 4, 2013 Public Meeting and Hearing in Albany Scheduled for October 30, 2013   The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has extended the public comment period on proposed regulations (6 NYCRR Part 570) to set criteria for the construction and operation of new […]

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Shale Gas Forum 7 PM October 30th at Hollister Hall at Cornell

October 25, 2013
Shale Gas Forum 7 PM October 30th at Hollister Hall at Cornell

Tompkins County Council Event to Address Economic Potential for Shale Gas in NY Story Tompkins County Council Event to Address Economic Potential for … Comments Posted: Thursday, October 24, 2013 9:02 am By Staff Reports | 0 comments ITHACA — Lou Allstadt and Chip Northrup, analysts of drilling technologies and the economics of the gas industry, along with Jerry Acton, a systems engineer, and geologist Brian Brock, will give a free presentation on assessing the potential for shale gas drilling in New York State. Having studied 5 years of shale gas production records from Pennsylvania and test wells in N.Y., they have compiled enough information from public and industry sources to confidently address where the Marcellus and Utica could be productive for drilling in New York, given current technology and economic conditions.  And just as […]

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Former Presidential Candidate Who Beat George Jr In Popular Vote Backs Fracking

October 24, 2013
Former Presidential Candidate Who Beat George Jr In Popular Vote Backs Fracking

We’re doomed ! Not !  A golden oldie:  Al Gore Invests in Fracking Company April 1, 2014 Former U.S. Vice President and environment advocate Al Gore has closed a deal to make a multi-million dollar investment in a natural gas producer that specializes in fracking. In a statement to shareholders, Canada-based PetroBakken Resources announced that Gore and his investment partners would be pumping $200 million into the company in return for a 15 percent stake. The move comes just weeks after Gore sold his shares in cable broadcaster Current to Al-Jazeera, a Middle Eastern channel backed by oil wealth. Both transactions have raised eyebrows because of the dissonance between Gore’s high-profile environmental activism and his investment strategy. The PetroBakken investment in particular has come under harsh scrutiny because the company develops unconventional resources like shale gas and tar sands, both highly controversial with […]

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Non-existent Appeal of Dryden Case Promoted in New York Times

October 24, 2013
Non-existent Appeal of Dryden Case Promoted in New York Times

Just in time for the New York Supremes to decline to hear the case Because there is no actual plaintiff in Nobody vs Dryden.  Just a lawyer. Who happens to be Chesapeake’s lobbyist.  Color me skeptical, but the timing of this story – right when the lawyer for the putative plaintiff is trying to instate a substitute plaintiff seems a bit curious, since it implies that ‘Dryden must be heard’ – when the Middlefield appeal would resolve the Home Rule issue quite nicely – if the Supremes think it necessary to hear either appeal. So it reads as ‘Tom West Must Be Heard.” Go figure.  Fracking Fight Focuses on a New York Town’s Ban   Nathaniel Brooks for The New York Times Deborah Cipolla-Dennis, left, and her wife, Joanne, received a pitch from a […]

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Frackbook World Fracking News

October 23, 2013
Frackbook World Fracking News

All the news that’s fit to frack . . . The 30 DAYS OF FRACKING REGS  Day 17: Operator Competency http://www.thirtydaysoffrackingregs.com/oct22.php NJ: Anti-fracking supporters march to sway Christie http://www.dailytargum.com/news/anti-fracking-supporters-march-to-sway-christie/article_55fee3a2-39f2-11e3-a45b-0019bb30f31a.html Michigan DEQ proposes new fracking regulations in light of environmental, health concerns http://www.mlive.com/business/index.ssf/2013/10/michigan_fracking_regulations.html WV: Data lacking on gas drilling waste disposal http://www.wvgazette.com/News/201310220108 PA: Upper Bucks town wins fight over gas-drilling http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20131023_Nockamixon_Township_wins_battle_over_drilling_for_gas.html N.D. lawsuit foretells lengthy disputes over mineral rights http://www.eenews.net/stories/1059989152 Dangerous Amounts of Radiation Detected in Stream Containing Fracking Wastewater http://admin.alternet.org/fracking/frackings-radioactive-impact-water Natural Gas Boom Is Part of Climate Problem, Not Its Solution: Report https://www.commondreams.org/headline/2013/10/22-3 Canada: Group says answers needed about RCMP response to anti-shale gas protest http://www.capebretonpost.com/News/Local/2013-10-22/article-3436697/Group-says-answers-needed-about-RCMP-response-to-anti-shale-gas-protest/1 EU prepping safer shale gas regulations http://www.businessgreen.com/bg/analysis/2302161/eu-prepping-safer-shale-gas-regulations  

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Canada’s Fracking Cancer Capital

October 23, 2013
Canada's Fracking Cancer Capital

Is Tar Land, Alberta. Want lung cancer ? Go to Tarland, Alberta. Go outside. Breathe deep. Repeat  Heavy air pollution in Canadian area with cancer spikes Heavy Air Pollution in Canadian Area With Cancer Spikes Oct. 22, 2013 — Levels of contaminants higher than in some of the world’s most polluted cities have been found downwind of Canada’s largest oil, gas and tar sands processing zone, in a rural area where men suffer elevated rates of cancers linked to such chemicals. The findings by UC Irvine and University of Michigan scientists, published online this week, reveal high levels of the carcinogens 1,3-butadiene and benzene and other airborne pollutants. The researchers also obtained health records spanning more than a decade that showed the number of men with leukemia and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma was […]

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How Much Shale Gas In New York ?

October 23, 2013
How Much Shale Gas In New York ?

Enquiring minds want to know ! I take a flying stab at some answers because The Lou was ill and couldn’t make the taping. Get a preview of the presentations at Cornell on October 30th at Hollister Hall at 7.   More info on the Cornell presentations here Capital Tonight on YNN Liz Benjamin Show

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“Pinelands” Does Not Mean “Pipeline”: Just Say NO to the South Jersey Gas Company

October 23, 2013
“Pinelands” Does Not Mean “Pipeline”: Just Say NO to the South Jersey Gas Company

From Kevin Heatley, Shale Justice Coalition South Jersey Gas Company wants to run a 22 mile pipeline (carrying fracked gas) through the New Jersey Pinelands – an internationally designated UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. It is supposedly protected by the Pinelands Commission but the commission has been compromised and is about to allow an exemption to the Comprehensive Plan. South Jersey Gas claims they are using it to change the BL England coal plant over to gas. But the plant is located on Egg Harbor – next to the Ocean. It’s an easy speculation what that location portends–global transport. Don’t Gas The Pinelands on Vimeo This is not rocket science. This is a moral imperative. CALL Governor Chris Christie (609) 292-6000 and demand that the pipeline NOT be built through the Pinelands!

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World Fracking News

October 22, 2013
World Fracking News

The 30 DAYS OF FRACKING REGS  Day 16: Operator Competency http://www.thirtydaysoffrackingregs.com/oct21.php DEC Commissioner Martens: State health report on hydrofracking not coming any time soon  http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2013/10/dec_comm Hydrofracking and water issues divide Hector http://www.stargazette.com/article/20131021/NEWS01/310210008/Hydrofracking-water-issues-divide-Hector WV: Gas drilling distance buffer not far enough, researcher says  http://www.wvgazette.com/News/201310210089 Ohio : South Side company wants to recycle fracking debris   http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2013/10/22/safe-waste.html IL: Fracking Draws Concerns in Johnson County http://www.wsiltv.com/news/local/Fracking-A-New-Reality-in-Johnson-County-228712721.html Virginia: The Oil And Gas Industry Wants To Start Fracking At The Source Of D.C.’s Water Supply http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2013/10/21/2786031/fracking-national-forest/ New Brunswick fracking protests are the frontline of a democratic fight  http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/oct/21/new-brunswick-fracking-protests Fracking Protests in NB: Why Resource Projects Are in Peril http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/bill-gallagher/new-brunswick-fracking-protest_b_4123114.html

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The Vera Barred From Frack Sites !

October 22, 2013
The Vera Barred From Frack Sites !

The Vera has been recording fracking shenanigans and leading guided tours in the Frack Zone for years, signing in as “visitors”. Now some frackers are trying to get a court to keep her from watching them. So that they can frack in secrecy. Because the Second Fracking Commandment is “Never Let the Public See You Fracking”    Fractivist Barred from Cabot Frack Sites BY STACI WILSON (STAFF WRITER) Published: October 22, 2013 A fracker  from a “Man Camp” exposes himself to the unblinking eye of Vera’s camera.  Fractivist barred from Cabot sites As well permits decline, wastewater reuse plateauing A natural gas driller gained a preliminary injunction Monday barring a local anti-fracking activist from trespassing onto its leased well sites and access roads. Houston-based Cabot Oil & Gas Corp. filed […]

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Nobody v Dryden DOA at Supremes ?

October 21, 2013
Nobody v Dryden DOA at Supremes ?

First Anschutz sued the Town of Dryden over its fracking ban and lost. So Anschutz bailed on an appeal. Then Chesapeake’s lobbyist, Tom West got with Dennis Holbrook to get Norse Energy admitted in Anschutz’s place to appeal the case, which he lost. Now Norse Energy is in liquidation and the Trustee is not likely to pursue a futile appeal. Meaning there is no plaintiff – no damages, no claim against the town.  So Tom West has to get the New York Supremes to pretend like there is actually something relevant to hear – other than Tom West’s fabrications, since the Middlefield case addresses the same legal issues.  The Supremes may decide that Middlefield sufficiently tests Home Rule, and will decline to allow yet another Rent-a-Plaintiff stand-in be substituted in […]

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Frackers Sued For Flaring Gas

October 21, 2013
Frackers Sued For Flaring Gas

Because somebody else owns the royalty interest in the gas being vented to the atmosphere. Imagine that. Which gives this report a poignant capitalist twist: the flaring will stop, not because of the damage to the biosphere, but because it breaches some obligations in mineral lease agreements ! Hoisted in their own fracktard.  Cliff Krauss gets the scoop http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/18/business/energy-environment/oil-companies-are-sued-over-natural-gas-flaring-in-north-dakota.html?_r=0   Oil Companies Are Sued for Waste of Natural Gas The New York Times Flared gas has nearly tripled in the last two years in North Dakota Producing emissions equivalent to more than two medium-size coal-fired power plants. By CLIFFORD KRAUSS Published: October 17, 2013 HOUSTON — In the sharpest challenge yet to the surge in flaring of natural gas in the Bakken shale oil field, North Dakota mineral owners this […]

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No Rush on “Health Study”

October 21, 2013
No Rush on "Health Study"

Because there is no health study.  There never was. Just the pretense of one for PR purposes, then Dr. Shah gadding about pretending to do research on health risks. And there’s no rush, because there’s hardly any gas worth fracking  in New York state- as we will explain at Cornell on the 30th – and Governor Cuomo is well aware of that fact. . . . despite all the leasing group rhetoric to the contrary.  The Post Standard gets the scoop DEC Commissioner Martens: Health Report on Fracking Not Coming Any Time Soon By David Figura | dfigura@syracuse.com  on October 21, 2013 at 3:40 PM, updated October 21, 2013 at 4:45 PM DEC Commissioner Joe Martens Don’t expect a final, state report on the health aspects of hydrofracking any time soon, said […]

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When Frackers Frack Other Frackers They Break The First Fracking Commandment: Thou Shall Not Frack Another Fracker

October 20, 2013
When Frackers Frack Other Frackers They Break The First Fracking Commandment: Thou Shall Not Frack Another Fracker

It can get pretty testy. Encana fracked somebody else’s well – in yet another case of “involuntary stimulation” ( COUNSELORS, N.M. (KRQE) – More than 200 barrels of fracking fluid, oil and water blew out of a traditional oil well on BLM land in the San Juan Basin in late September raising questions about who is responsible for the spill. State regulators say the blowout on a Parko Oil well happened because of pressure from nearby fracking operations run by Encana Oil. Fracking–short for horizontal fracturing–is a controversial practice that uses chemicals pumped under pressure to break up underground layers of shale to release oil and natural gas. “The spill has been contained,” said Jim Winchester, spokesperson for the New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department, which houses the state […]

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Cuomo Dodges Fractavist Foodies

October 20, 2013
Cuomo Dodges Fractavist Foodies

In yet another episode of playing hide ‘n frack, Governor Cuomo ducked out of a schedule appearance at a wine and food festival today in NYC when he found out that some fractavists  might be there.  Anti-Fracking Protesters Stake Out Wine And Food Festival But Cuomo Never Shows . . . NY1: Anti-Fracking Protesters Stake Out Wine And Food Festival, But Cuomo Never Shows Play now Anti-fracking protestors staked out the New York City Wine and Food Festival Saturday, but the person they were angry at, Governor Andrew Cuomo, never showed. Cuomo was scheduled to make an appearance at the annual event but apparently backed out at the last minute. The Cuomo administration has been studying whether to lift a moratorium on the controversial drilling method that extracts natural gas […]

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New Brunswick Frackdown !

October 20, 2013
New Brunswick Frackdown !

More details on the New Brunswick Frackdown  Canada’s RCMP Brutalize Indigenous People for Opposing Fracking on Their Land By Miles Howe Global Research, October 18, 2013 Halifax Media Co-op 18 October 2013 Region: Canada Theme: Police State & Civil Rights Moncton, New Brunswick – I have been camping at the current blockade along highway 134 since the inception of the encampment, filing almost daily reports for the Media Coop. During June and July of this year, when protests against shale gas exploration in New Brunswick were of far less national interest, I was doing the same. Around 6am yesterday morning, October 17th, RCMP forces again blocked off both sides of the anti-shale gas encampment along highway 134, this time with an as yet unseen amount of police force. For numerous days prior, RCMP were […]

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Local Elections Critical: Vote or Be Fracked

October 20, 2013
Local Elections Critical: Vote or Be Fracked

For every voter that is a resident of New York (not me) or an ex con (no comment) November 5th is election day for local offices. Would strongly encourage you to what I can’t do: vote. If you do not get control of your town and county board, you will have no protections against frackers drilling wildcat wells. No protections from damaged roads without county and town road use agreements. No way to prevent frackers from dumping frackwaste on town and county roads, or dumping radioactive toxic drill cuttings in local landfills. No way to prevent an LNG Gas Bomb from being located next to the local high school. Because the DEC does not regulate road use or local land use. (And they wouldn’t help you anyway).  So get out […]

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Frackbook: All The News That’s Fit to Frack – Saturday October 25th

October 19, 2013
Frackbook: All The News That's Fit to Frack - Saturday October 25th

Inside Fracking’s ‘Man Camps’, Where Sex, Drugs, and Gonorrhea Run Rampant http://motherboard.vice.com/blog/inside-frackings-man-camps-where-sex-drugs-and-gonorrhea-run-rampant Ohio: Fracking waste targeted http://www.dispatch.com/content/blogs/science-environment/2013/10/fracking-waste.html Fracking Coming to Washington D.C. ‘s Drinking Water? http://www.desmogblog.com/2013/10/18/fracking-coming-washington-d-c-s-drinking-water-source Colo. starts levying fines for late FracFocus reports http://www.eenews.net/stories/1059989038 Texas: Another Earthquake Rumbles in the Barnett Shale http://stateimpact.npr.org/texas/2013/10/18/another-earthquake-rumbles-in-the-barnett-shale/

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Frackbook: All the News That’s Fit to Frack

October 18, 2013
Frackbook: All the News That's Fit to Frack

The 30 DAYS OF FRACKING REGS  Day 13:  Zoning & Land Use http://www.thirtydaysoffrackingregs.com/oct18.php New York’s proposed liquefied natural gas stations prompt health, hydrofracking concerns http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2013/10/new_yorks_proposed_liquefied_natural_gas_stations_spark_health_hydrofracking_con.html Protesters gather outside LNG meeting  http://centralny.ynn.com/content/news/700890/protesters-gather-outside-lng-meeting/?ap=1&MP4 Wyoming high court to hear fracking disclosure suit http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_24332140/wyo-high-court-hear-frack-disclosure-lawsuit Fracking: The Other EPA Shutdown http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-brune/fracking-the-other-epa-sh_b_4116367.html Peter Voser: cheap shale gas is a myth http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/energy/10384186/Peter-Voser-cheap-shale-gas-is-a-myth.html Australians ‘Lock the Gate’ to fracking http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Asia-Pacific/2013/1016/Australians-Lock-the-Gate-to-fracking Cop cars burned, 40 arrested at Canada fracking protest http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/10/17/canada-new-brunswick-shale-gas-fracking-protest/3003605/ RCMP move in on Mi’kmaq fracking protesters in New Brunswick. Police arrest 40 at New Brunswick fracking protest. Forty arrested at Canada fracking protest. Police in riot gear tear-gas and shoot Mi’kmaq protesting gas exploration in New Brunswick. Romania : a small village’s anti-fracking protest spreads to the capital http://www.euronews.com/2013/10/17/romania-a-small-village-s-anti-fracking-protest-spreads-to-the-capital/ ‘Nobody is leaving,’ New Brunswick native protesters vow after […]

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New York DEC LNG Frackdown !

October 18, 2013
New York DEC LNG Frackdown !

Learn how to respond to the proposed DEC LNG Gas Bomb Remediation regulations  When:         Wednesday, Oct. 23, 7 pm Where:        First Unitarian Church, Ithaca 306 N. Aurora Street, on the NW Corner with E. Buffalo Map:           http://unitarian.ithaca.ny.us/Newcomers/How-to-find-us Reception:       Enjoy homemade snacks and conversation following the program More Info:   Sandy Podulka, email: sgp4@cornell.edu Background: Despite a moratorium on high-volume hydraulic fracturing, the New York Department of Conservation (DEC) is quickly and quietly trying to adopt new rules for Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) facilities that would pave the way for fracking, threaten communities, and make us more dependent on fossil fuel. We must fight this new threat! (The) Keith Schue and (The) Sandra Steingraber have scrutinized the regulations. They will present their analyses of the weaknesses and provide fodder for your comments to DEC. The new permitting […]

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Dallas Frackdown

October 18, 2013
Dallas Frackdown

Local zoning ordinances apply to gas wells in almost every state – and where the state tries to override local ordinances – as in Pennsylvania – the issue of jurisdiction is  being litigated. In Dallas, the City Manager leased some mineral rights before the City council approved the drilling permit.  When the driller showed up to drill the wells, the City council disapproved the permit. So the driller wants its money back. And the City is firming up restrictions on drilling.  October 17, 2013 Debate Shows Power of Cities to Limit Reach of Drilling By JIM MALEWITZ DALLAS — Claudia and Ed Meyer do not want drilling near their West Dallas home or anywhere else in the city, for that matter. Their neighborhood sits next to a patch of land that developers, […]

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Norse Went Bankrupt Because It Couldn’t Find Any Gas In New York

October 17, 2013
Norse Went Bankrupt Because It Couldn't Find Any Gas In New York

There, I said the obvious. Come to Cornell on October 30th and we will explain in grim detail why Norse went belly up. Why Anschutz didn’t bother to appeal the trial court ruling, and now why the fracking lobbyists will have to find another fracking zombie to stand in as a Rent-a-Plaintiff  in Somebody With a Pulse vs Dryden.  Most of Norse NYS wells were vertical – not subject to the moratorium. Their wildcat tests of the Utica and Marcellus shale were dry holes. In the end, Norse proved to be more hot air than gas.  http://online.wsj.com/article/AP7cc89ccad745430aa8a34e2e66701bc6.html?KEYWORDS=Norse http://www.pressconnects.com/viewart/20131017/BUSINESS/310170040/Norse-Energy-shuts-down-unable-drill-NY   Norse Folds Because They Couldn’t Find Any Fracking Gas ALBANY, N.Y. — A Norwegian company that invested heavily in upstate New York gas leases that it couldn’t develop under the state’s fracking […]

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Canadians Who Don’t Want to Be Fracked

October 17, 2013
Canadians Who Don't Want to Be Fracked

At least not in New Brunswick . . . Violence Erupts in New Brunswick Over Shale Gas A protest over shale gas exploration in New Brunswick turned violent Thursday as RCMP officers trying to enforce an injunction clashed with protesters in Rexton. The RCMP says at least 40 people have been arrested for various offences. Google Maps   Police closed down Route 134 in Rexton and Route 11 between Richibucto and Ste-Anne-de-Kent early Thursday. The CBC reports that the confrontation escalated around midday, when several male protesters tried to push their way through a police line and officers fired pepper spray at the group. Meanwhile, schools in the Rexton area were on lockdown as a precaution. The Anglophone North School District informed parents that they would be busing students home early. According […]

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US Army Supports Fracking Ban

October 15, 2013
US Army Supports Fracking Ban

Guess radium 226, strontium 90, arsenic and barium don’t mix so well with with MREs. But then what does ? The US Army Corps of Engineers, whose reservoirs provide drinking water for millions, say “no fracking way” on a watershed they are responsible for upstream of Washington DC. A word to the wise: Don’t Frack with the United States Army Go Army ! Beat Navy ! September 22, 2013 A FRACKING BAN IS BACKED BY THE ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS BY DARRYL FEARS, THE WASHINGTON POST, SEPTEMBER 7, 2013 Here is the latest on this story from Environment Virginia George Washington National Forest is more than just one of the largest expanses of pristine land in the East. It’s the leafy cradle of the Shenandoah, James and Potomac rivers, a source of […]

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Halliburton Pleads Guilty in Gulf Oil Spill

October 15, 2013
Halliburton Pleads Guilty in Gulf Oil Spill

BP blamed the oil spill on its contractor – Halliburton – who denied culpability. Because they were hiding records that would incriminate them.    Ex-Halliburton Manager Pleads Guilty To Destroying BP Spill Evidence   By MICHAEL KUNZELMAN10/15/13 11:56 AM   http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/15/halliburton-anthony-badalamenti-guilty_n_4101127.html  NEW ORLEANS — NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A former Halliburton manager pleaded guilty Tuesday to destroying evidence in the aftermath of the deadly rig explosion that spawned BP’s massive 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Anthony Badalamenti, 62, of Katy, Texas, faces a maximum sentence of 1 year,  in prison and a $100,000 fine after his guilty plea in U.S. District Court to one misdemeanor count of destruction of evidence. His sentencing by U.S. District Judge Jay Zainey is set forJan. 21. Badalamenti was the cementing technology director for Halliburton Energy Services Inc., BP’s cement […]

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Syracuse LNG Frackdown – Wednesday Oct 16th

October 14, 2013
Syracuse LNG Frackdown - Wednesday Oct 16th

Tell Cuomo What You Think About New LNG Gas Bombs In Neighborhoods Central New York residents line up outside the main entrance to the New York State Fair last year to protest hydrofracking. Environmental groups plan to protest at the fairgrounds Wednesday before a public hearing on regulations to allow liquified gas storage facilities. (Lauren Long | llong@syracuse.com) Print By Glenn Coin | gcoin@syracuse.com  Follow on Twitter on October 14, 2013 at 10:31 AM Syracuse, N.Y. — The public can comment Wednesday at the state fairgrounds on a plan to allow new liquified gas storage facilities in New York. The state Department of Environmental Conservation has proposed new rules to allow storage and truck fueling stations for the first time since 1973. That’s the year 40 workers died in an explosion at a Staten […]

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Industry Debates Its Own Sock Puppet

October 13, 2013
Industry Debates Its Own Sock Puppet

Guess who wins ? This reads as comedy – when you see that the frackers foil in a debate is the Environmental Defense Fraud – the biggest fracking apologist in America.  In what is headlined as a “polite debate” between some frackers who contend that fracking is “real real environmentally benign” vs a greenwashing group who adamantly insist that it is merely “real benign”. A real slugfest. Between a couple of slugs . . . A Polite Debate on a Fractious Topic Posted on October 12, 2013 at 6:30 am by Emily Pickrell Considering the sparring partners — representatives of an oil company and an environmental group — the bout over hydraulic fracturing was pretty friendly. The two shared their thoughts on the often-contentious topic last week at the University of Houston, in the […]

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Fracking Accidents Map

October 13, 2013
Fracking Accidents Map

New York Fracking Accidents are shown in this nifty map of Fraccidents by Earth Justice -  http://tinyurl.com/New-York-Fracking-Accidents No where near as many as there are in Fracksylvania – which looks like a Fracking War Zone: View Fraccidents Map in a larger map

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Cairo Shale Show !

October 13, 2013
Cairo Shale Show !

Cairo, New York that is. In Greene County. Where those beautiful green mountains are a lot bigger than the pyramids. And it didn’t take a bunch of slaves to put them there. Wherein Kelly Branigan will once again wow the crowd and discretely correct me (in a whisper several times) during my presentation. Hope to see you there. Greene Renewable Energy & Environmental Network Presents: A FORUM ON HYDROFRACKING: LEARN WHAT’S AT RISK AND WHAT YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT FEATURED SPEAKERS: CHIP NORTHRUP and KELLY BRANIGAN DATE:           Sunday, October 20, 2013 TIME:           3pm – 5pm PLACE:        Cairo Public Library, 15 Railroad Ave. Cairo NY Q&A following. Light refreshments served.  Bring a friend! Chip Northrup, former planning manager at Atlantic Richfield and an independent oil and gas investor for over 30 years with an MBA […]

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DRILL CUTTINGS – JUST DIRT?

October 12, 2013
DRILL CUTTINGS – JUST DIRT?

Dumping of drill cuttings from natural gas wells has been approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) in Hazleton, Luzerne County. Hazleton Creek Properties received approval to accept drill cuttings through the ironically named corporation “CLEAN EARTH”, LLC.  Colleen Connolly, spokes person for DEP said Clean Earth has a permit to dispose the cuttings, after stabilizing them, at old mining and industrial sites known as brownfields that are being reclaimed according to departmental regulations. Clean Earth assures us they test for radiation, metals, volatile and semi-volatile organics before entering or leaving their facilities.  Dan Mueller, manager of Clean Earth states his company does not process cuttings that contain fracking fluids. Hazleton Creek is the third brownfield in the state approved to accept drill cuttings from Clean Earth. In […]

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FRACK FAIRY VISITS SUSQUEHANNA COUNTY

October 10, 2013
FRACK FAIRY VISITS SUSQUEHANNA COUNTY

The fracktivist community is all buzzing with the publication of an article entitled “Some anti-drilling activists change tactics, tone”.  It was written by By KEVIN BEGOS and MICHAEL RUBINKAM.  The appearance of Begos’ name should have been enough to send up the red flag and alert everyone to be a News Nanny. I could go and dissect the Begos/Rubinkam article in detail, but Texas Sharon and Bob Donnan did that beautifully. See: AP’s Begos does hack job on fracking insurgents ‘Hatchet Job’ Backfires on AP’s Kevin Begos Regarding the use of the word “SOME”, it’s has become a way to lend credibility to a general statement which has little or no credibility.   WATCH: Outfoxed- Fox News technique: “some people say”. The local group featured in the article is Breath Easy […]

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Exxon To Frack New York Trout Stream !

August 11, 2013
Exxon To Frack New York Trout Stream !

Exxon’s only shale gas well permit left in New York is smack dab next to a stream that feeds into the Delaware River. Across the river and into the trees from The Josh. Under the heading “I really can’t make this fracking stuff up” behold the location of Exxon’s newest and last remaining shale gas well permit application in New York State. This is at the border of Delaware and Broome counties New York and Wayne County, Fracksylvania - where Hess and Newfield recently decamped.  This is so close to the Fracksylvania border that you can almost hear the banjo music. And no, I’m not referring to “Deliverance“  Exxon’s XTO shale subsidiary snuck this permit application in upstream of The Josh. As a kind of “Frack You Josh” PR stunt. This latest application […]

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