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Penn State

Propaganda by Proxy: The Payoffs

January 8, 2015
Propaganda by Proxy: The Payoffs

Opposition to fossil fuel drilling/fracking, construction of pipelines, midstream infrastructure and export facilities continue to grow. The industry, predictably, responds with the usual bag of tricks by throwing lots of lobbying and campaign contributions to legislators and candidates. In Pennsylvania along, according to MarcellusMoney.org: Since 2007, the natural gas industry has spent $41 million lobbying Pennsylvania officials. Since 2007, it has also contributed $8 million to Pennsylvania candidates and PACs. Half that $8 million total has been donated by industry employees, while industry PACs contributed the remaining half. Over $6.2 million of the total $8 million has been donated to candidates, while Party PACs received $1.4 million ($1.2 million to Republican Party PACs, $166,850 to Democratic Party PACs). Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett is the top recipient of natural gas industry […]

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Of Hockey Pucks and Natural Gas

October 3, 2014
Of Hockey Pucks and Natural Gas

In February 2011, Bloomsburg reports Billionaire Terry Pegula bought the National Hockey League’s Buffalo Sabres. What does hockey have to do with gas drilling? Maybe nothing, and maybe in the case of Terry Pegula – a lot. On February 23, 2011 the Buffalo News reported: Excerpt: Pegula drew violations as gas driller In the course of making his fortune, the Florida billionaire, negotiating to buy the Buffalo Sabres, contributed heavily to politicians in a position to advance his business interests and established a less-than-stellar track record in the environmentally dicey business of drilling for natural gas, The Buffalo News has found. A news review of compliance records found East Resources, the company Terrence M. Pegula sold last summer for $4.7 billion, had a middling record of complying with environmental regulations […]

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CADAVER COSMETICS: Penn State’s “Marcellus by Design,” MCOR, and the Edu-Green-Washing of Big Gas

December 18, 2013
CADAVER COSMETICS: Penn State's "Marcellus by Design," MCOR, and the Edu-Green-Washing of Big Gas

Penn State just doesn’t seem to be able to figure out how to be a university-as opposed to a corporate-sponsored research hub, job training program center, and now green-washing “reclamation” aesthetics authority-for the natural gas industry. It’s old news that Penn State epitomizes Frackademia. As reported by Reid R. Frazier of The Allegheny Front and Olivia Garber of PublicSource in 2011, “the school does not give out the information because companies do not want their competitors to know what research they’re doing — or that they’re sponsoring university research at all.” Moreover, “[i]n 2007, Penn State President Graham Spanier lobbied the state legislature to not include {Penn State] under the state’s revamped “Right-to-Know” law… Mr. Spanier said the schools should not have to disclose donor gifts, vendor contracts, intellectual property […]

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Of Hockey Pucks and Natural Gas

October 3, 2012
Of Hockey Pucks and Natural Gas

In February 2011, Bloomsburg reports Billionaire Terry Pegula bought the National Hockey League’s Buffalo Sabres. What does hockey have to do with gas drilling? Maybe nothing, and maybe in the case of Terry Pegula – a lot. On February 23, 2011 the Buffalo News reported: Excerpt: Pegula drew violations as gas driller In the course of making his fortune, the Florida billionaire, negotiating to buy the Buffalo Sabres, contributed heavily to politicians in a position to advance his business interests and established a less-than-stellar track record in the environmentally dicey business of drilling for natural gas, The Buffalo News has found. A news review of compliance records found East Resources, the company Terrence M. Pegula sold last summer for $4.7 billion, had a middling record of complying with environmental regulations […]

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Academics or Frackademics?

October 3, 2012

As the old song said “Can’t Buy Me Love”, and apparently you can’t buy Academics any more, or at least the Academics who value their integrity, credibility and reputations. The Marcellus Shale Coalition (MSC) has ended its relationship with Penn State. Kathryn Klaber, MSC President, is taking the money elsewhere. MSC had previously paid more than $146,000 for 3 studies. Penn State Faculty Snub of Fracking Study Ends Research (emphasis added) By Jim Efstathiou Jr. | Bloomberg | Oct 3, 2012 Excerpt: The earlier studies were co-written by former Penn State professor Tim Considine, an economist now at the University of Wyoming who has produced research on economic and energy issues under contract to trade associations. The first study, in 2009, initially failed to disclose its industry funding and was […]

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Penn State’s Terry Engelder – FRACKING WHEATIES

September 21, 2012

Recently a pdf file entitled: Mannings v. WPX is making its way through the fracktivist networks. I strongly suggest downloading/saving the file before it disappears. The file is a slide show by Terry Engelder, Professor of Geoscience at Penn State University and presented at a Penn State Gas Law Forum. In it, Engelder, “hypothetically” tries the Mannings v WPX case. Engelder plays the parts of Judge, both the plaintiff and defendant lawyers and a newspaper reporter. He invites the “audience” to be the jury. Without notes, audio or video recording, it is difficult to know what Engelder said about each slide. However, there are a few slides which raise questions. Two specific slide feature the words “Methane is not a poison”. Not a Poison? I guess it depends on how […]

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Responsible Drilling Alliance Files Complaint Against Penn State

September 18, 2012

HEADS UP! The Responsible Drilling Alliance has filed a complaint with the Middle States Commission on Higher Education against Pennsylvania State University. RDA’s Letter to Middle States Commission on Higher Education: Dr. Elizabeth H. Sibolski President Middle States Commission on Higher Education 3624 Market Street, 2nd Floor West, Philadelphia, PA 19104 Dear President Sibolski, The Responsible Drilling Alliance, a nonprofit 501 (c) (3) organization in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, is filing a complaint against Pennsylvania State University. We are asking the Middle States Commission on Higher Education to consider this complaint in the context of the accreditation review of Penn State currently underway. Like the issue that caused Middle States to begin its investigation, this complaint centers on unethical practices and an abuse of public trust by the university. Read the rest […]

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