It’s no secret that big chunks of the dSGEIS were written by contractors, including ones that used the SGEIS as a de facto marketing brochure for what they peddle: fracking support services. The DEC was selective in what industry brochures they sourced from - somehow they missed this one:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/80574646/Well-Failures
This explains why the dSGEIS ignored much of the science - because the DEC didn’t write the key sections; frack service providers did - not scientists. And much of their work looked like service company brochures - because it is service company brochures. Which helps explain why the dSGEIS completely ignored peer-reviewed reports on methane migration from gas wells:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/65577477/How-Gas-Wells-Leak
Why the dSGEIS grossly understated the extent of faulting in CNY - which the USGS didn’t miss :
And of course, why the “socioeconomic report” was a DOA fracking fairy tale by the time it was published
http://www.scribd.com/doc/71446252/New-York-Shale-Gas-Economics
Over-reliance on industry groups also explains why the DEC has done no health impact analysis : There aren’t enough shill MD’s around to write such a report. Even in Texas.
One of the DEC’s contract authors was Alpha Geoscience, whose name might lead you to believe that they are “first or the best” in “geology”. But you would be mistaken. They are not scientists. And their work is not peer-reviewed. They are simply a small NYS company that provides a modest array of support services to the O&G industry:
http://www.alphageoscience.com/index.html
From their online brochure, it indicates that they provide services in some of the nuts & bolts aspects of fracking, including plugging and abandonment, and processing fracking flowback - both areas where NYS is notoriously lax.
“Natural Gas Production-Related Services:
Alpha Geoscience possesses a wide range of expertise to assist with natural gas well permitting and related issues such as water well surveys; water sourcing, treatment and disposal. Alpha has extensive knowledge and experience with permitting requirements including plugging and abandonment reports. We . . . are experienced with recovery, monitoring, and treatment of brine and brackish water. Alpha Geoscience is also a partner in Salt Water Solutions LLC, which runs a processing plant for flowback and produced waste. Prospectus is on SWS website: http://saltwatersolutionsllc.com/Alpha.pdf”
Simply put, if you believed the contractor’s work in the dSGEIS, you’d conclude that fracking is an economic boon for the state - right now - that there is little seismic risk, because there are few faults in CNY, that it’s OK to dump fracking flowback in muni treatment plants, etc. Because that’s what the authors - the service industry providers - want you to believe. So they can get the contracts for what they really do best - get contracts from oil and gas companies. With a little help from government agencies - like the DEC. Whose employees then go on to become consultants to the industry they regulated, like this guy did . . .
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQDIDJDTYwE
Chip Northrup
Cooperstown
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