Archive for the ‘hydraulic fracturing’ Category

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Energy Advisory Board Natural Gas Subcommittee Holds Public Meeting #1 in DC Today

June 28, 2011

The Energy Advisory Board Natural Gas Subcommittee on Fracking Issues didn’t foresee the flaring passions of Pennsylvanians when they convened a meeting at Jefferson College in Washington, Pa. a few weeks ago. Well, now they know, and they’ve taken the proactive step of scheduling two more, longer meetings at their DC offices. While the Committee is heavy on industry insiders, the meetings are open to the public. The first one is today, and the second will be held on Wednesday, July 13, 2011 at 10am. The Committee is also accepting emails and written comments. Let’s bombard them! Feel free to paste in the letter below. Take a moment to get your two cents in and you’ll be glad you did, promise. Thanks for speaking up!

email: shalegas@hq.doe.gov

or write: (more…)

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Posted in Energy, Environment, epa, fresh water pollution, hydraulic fracturing, PA DEP, shale gas pollution, Stop Fracking PA! | Leave a Comment »

PA Water Groups: Who’s Who Among Environmental “Stake Holders”

June 16, 2011

Diversity among Pennsylvania’s various Environmental “Stake Holders” is both their greatest strength and most unfortunate weakness. Coordinating their objectives might be the biggest hurdle facing the rapidly expanding, totally grass roots, refreshingly bi-partisan movement to protect The Delaware River Watershed from the singularly focused, heavily lobbied shale gas drilling industry.

Water Action Groups have sprung up across the the state, particularly in Eastern PA, as drillers prepare to tap the ready, pure gas available a mile below the Upper Delaware River Watershed in Northeastern PA. In suburban Philadelphia, an understanding of the issue is still coming to light as more local Democratic representatives like Greg Vitali, Daylin Leach and Mike Gerber take up the environmental cause. (more…)

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Posted in Environment, hydraulic fracturing, shale gas pollution, Stop Fracking PA! | Leave a Comment »

PA Frack Wastewater To Get “Full Treatment”

June 4, 2011

Exactly how industrial gas drillers are required to recycle frack wastewater will make all the difference when it comes to the safety of municipal drinking water supplies.

As of now, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, Industrial Gas Drillers are no longer disposing of untreated wastewater in Pennsylvania facilities that discharge into rivers and streams. This is “big” indeed. Gas Drillers must either re-use the water they pull from local aquifers to frack another well, or they must recycle it. So how, exactly, does an industrial gas driller “recycle” millions of gallons of produced, toxic wastewater? (more…)

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Posted in DEP, fracking accidents fraccidents, hydraulic fracturing, Pennsylvania Watersheds | Leave a Comment »

Frack Flowback in the Schuylkill River Basin?

June 1, 2011

Bryn Mawr-based AquaAmerica, Inc., one of the nation’s largest and fastest growing water utilities, is vastly expanding its waste management services in the Schuylkill River Basin, source of drinking water for 1.5 million residents of Montgomery, Chester and Delaware Counties. Since 2005, Aqua Wastewater Management, Inc., a solely owned Pennsylvania subsidiary, has been systematically building their portfolio of non-regulated waste-hauling ventures including Leary and Higgins waste hauling business in Chester County and Concord Wastewater Services, Inc. in Delaware County.

In July, 2006, Aqua Wastewater Management, Inc, acquired Perna Wastewater Management in Souderton, the largest residential septage hauling operator in the Schuylkill basin for $5.1 million. The purchase represents Aqua’s strategy to expand its waste hauling and treatment business in the region, which the company hopes will come to represent approximately two percent of annual sales. (more…)

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Posted in fracking accidents fraccidents, fresh water pollution, hydraulic fracturing, PA DEP, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

Ever Hear of Radium 226? (Hint: It’s the stuff that causes Radon in basements)

May 18, 2011

“Two Landfills in South Central PA Approved by DEP to Accept Marcellus Shale Drill Cuttings”
In Februray of this year, two landfills in South Central Pennsylvania—the Cumberland County Landfill and IESI Blue Ridge Landfill—have state approval to accept drill cuttings from Marcellus Shale gas drilling operations. Drill cuttings are the leftover dirt, rock, mud and lubricants that come out of the bore hole. (more…)

Posted in fresh water pollution, hydraulic fracturing, Pennsylvania Watersheds | Leave a Comment »

Tracking Frack Water “Cradle to Grave”

May 10, 2011

“Tracking Fracking Water Goes High-Tech”

ARTICLE by Bill Toland, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
A worker connects a hose to a truck to collect foam from a drill pit used in a Rice Energy Marcellus Shale drilling rig in Lone Pine, Washington County. The foam is created by combining soap, air and water, and is used to flush out drill cuttings to the surface. Once in the drill pit, it breaks down again into soap and water. The water is then taken to a disposal facility for treatment.

Water, as much as natural gas, is the lifeblood of the Marcellus Shale play. Drillers need millions of gallons of water to flush the gas out of its hiding spot, deep below ground. (more…)

Posted in hydraulic fracturing, PA DEP, Pennsylvania Watersheds | Leave a Comment »

PA DEP Says Its Job Is To “Get Gas Done”

May 9, 2011

“At the end of the day, my job is to make sure gas is done and gas is done right,” said Michael Krancer upon his appointment to Secretary of the PA Department of Environmental Protection.

Really? I thought the PA DEP mission was to “protect Pennsylvania’s air, land and water from pollution and to provide for the health and safety of its citizens through a cleaner environment,” and to “work as partners with individuals, organizations, governments and businesses to prevent pollution and restore our natural resources.” [SOURCE: http://www.depweb.state.pa.us]

Krancer may dismiss his critics for using “bad” science and having alternate agendas, like solar and wind, but it seems to me, an average interested citizen, that if the PA DEP was truly protecting our drinking water resources, they would wait until further “good” science is concluded before approving so many new gas drilling permits!

The PA DEP would also support the FRAC ACT because it would help them do their job more effectively. If drillers were required by law to publicly disclose fracking chemicals, the agency would have already known what chemicals were exploding from Chesapeake’s LeRoy, Bradford County well blowout on April 19. They would not have had to ask the company for it on April 22.  As of May 5, 2011, neither Chesapeake nor the PA DEP has made this information available to the public.

In all fairness, according to PA Environment Digest, Krancer also said his main job in regulating Marcellus Shale drilling is to protect the water. “There will be significant changes in the way the state’s energy policy is done. In the past, the DEP Secretary was the be-all and end-all for energy policy. ‘You’re not going to see that anymore,’ Krancer said. He said he will be part of a team, working with the Governor’s Energy Executive Patrick Henderson, to address energy issues.
 He noted Pennsylvania needs a diversified energy portfolio– nuclear, coal, natural gas, solar and wind– for the future.'”

“I want to leave a legacy as a good enforcer,” Krancer said.

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Posted in fresh water pollution, hydraulic fracturing, PA DEP, Politics | 3 Comments »

Gas Drillers Sweet On Upper Delaware Region, Origin of Lower Merion Drinking Water

May 5, 2011

Our watershed, in the upper reaches of the Delaware River, is home to the highest concentration of gas drilling sweet spots in the Marcellus Shale. Geologists at Penn State call it “the fairway.” It means drillers have a far greater chance of striking a large, shallow methane deposit. To date, 895 wells have been fracked in Northeastern and North Central Pennsylvania, with the heaviest drilling occurring in Bradford, Tioga, Susquehanna and Wyoming counties. Drilling closest to Philadelphia is occurring in Lucerne and Columbia counties. Those in denial about the dangers of fracking refer to this part of Pennsylvania as “up there.”

In December 2010, 2,083 permits were pending approval in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Since January 2011, the PA DEP has approved 956 permits. A large majority of the new wells are in the Upper Delaware River Watershed Region.

A remarkable pace, indeed! In fact, by their own estimate, PA DEP spends a scant 32 minutes on average deliberating each permit, not a lot of time to access environmental impacts.

According to EarthJustice.org’s “Fraccidents Map”, there were over 1,200 violations in Pennsylvania in 2010. That’s many, many times more accidents than all other states in the US combined. (more…)

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Fracking Terminology: Glossary of Problems

April 23, 2011

Fracking for Natural Gas in the Delaware River Watershed Region, which is sitting on top of a concentration of sweet spots in the Marcellus Shale formation, brings a host of issues and problems. Most notable is the way fracking seems to be ‘fracturing’ otherwise quiet, if economically stressed, communities by pitting neighbors’ divergent interests against one another. NG is creating serious strife. Here’s a list of some of the largest problems confronting communities in Pennsylvania, and what they mean: (more…)

Posted in fresh water pollution, hydraulic fracturing, shale gas pollution | Leave a Comment »

River to River Walk in Philly on Saturday, April 23

April 23, 2011

Is it just me or do we need more than one day to celebrate the Earth? More and more people are organizing to protest Fracking in the Delaware River watershed, and many of them are walking together from the Schuylkill River to the Delaware River today. Here’s a list of the citizen action groups who sponsored the event. For a list of the largest groups working in our state, and their mission statements, check out the page at right. Consider lending your support to these hard-working grassroots movements.

Yo, Philly, these are the people fightin’ to keep our tap water safe!

Delaware Riverkeeper Network
delawareriverkeeper.org

Drexel Student Sierra Club
http://www.drexelsierra.org

Food and Water Watch 
http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org

Protecting Our Waters 
protectingourwaters.com

Temple Students for Environmental Action *
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Temple-University-SEA-Students-for-Environmental-Action

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The “Bridge Fuel” Fantasy

April 7, 2011

Is Large-Scale Fracking for Natural Gas Inevitable in Pennsylvania?

Yes, it’s already begun. And we’re the only state that allows frack waste water to be dumped in our rivers and streams. New York State has wisely placed a Moratorium on new frack wells until more science is concluded. New Jersey is considering one, too, though they don’t have much gas there. Nevertheless, realistically, there are more than  10,000 lucrative permits poised to be approved in Pennsylvania. The clock is ticking, and many people downstream, in the Philadelphia area, are decidedly alarmed. Strict regulation may be our only salvation, yet these same powerful commercial interests are also working to de-fund the EPA and The PA Department of Environmental Protection. Even President Obama seems pretty keen to frack away at our poor, beautiful state.

One is left to wonder, then, how exactly will Natural Gas serve as a bridge fuel?

If Natural Gas is truly a bridge to renewable alternatives, and a panacea for our ailing economy, then what’s the whole strategy? Better cement jobs? Politically appointed state oversight commissions? Taxation? It seems like a new chapter in the same old ugly fossil fuel story. Nothing that is happening in Harrisburg indicates that being a bridge fuel is the end-goal here. We cannot allow the profit motives of a handful of large corporations to leave us with a legacy of pollution and disease. Over a million residents in PA share my concerns, and that number is growing every day as this critical issue continues to come to the fore. What will it take for leaders in America to realize that there is indeed a link between our health and pollution in our environment?

Posted in Energy, Environment, hydraulic fracturing, shale gas pollution, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

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