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 […]

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. […]

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 […]

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. […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

 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/  

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]