Be The Change. Public interest was so great that event organizers from Frackbusters shared the video online. This is part three of four parts. Video is courtesy of GrowthBusters.org.
“One horizontal well takes 5 million gallons for water… That’s enough water for the domestic needs for 150 people for one year.”
For information about “other events and happenings related to this issue” visit Frackbusters on Facebook.
A Pennsylvania Gas Worker’s Conscious Dilemma
“What is to be said for a father of two who lives in southwestern Pennsylvania that needs a job to support his family and the only jobs in this area are in the pipeline/ fracking industry for a person with no other education than a high school diploma? I haven’t done it yet because clearly I am against fracking since I am a member of this group but I also need to keep shoes on my kids feet, a roof over their heads and food in their mouths….moral dilemma”
This comment was posted on the wall of an anti-fracking Facebook page. I’ll leave off his name in case the author does decide to seek a job in the gas industry or related services.
GrowthBusters wants you to know “what’s cooking in the public debate about fracking” so they made this “fair use sampling” of video clips about one the most important public debates currently raging across Colorado and the United States.
Frack-Free TV: Lives and groundwater are routinely destroyed yet the shale gas industry keeps on drilling, spending millions to buy the silence of those impacted, and often their real estate, too. Big Gas has also been spending hundreds of millions in advertising to convince you that these Americans don’t exist.
#ThinkAboutIt
A picture may be worth a thousand words, but apparently it says a lot more when it’s a photo of frackers fracking. In Pennsylvania recently, the battle to control the images used to depict the national debate over shale gas drilling has officially heated up.
In February, 2013 PA House Bill 683 was proposed by nine Pennsylvania lawmakers – Reps. Gary Haluska [D-73rd], Carl Metzgar [R-69th], Stephen Barrar [R-160th], M. K. Keller [R-86th], Dick Hess [R-78th], Dan Moul [R-91st], Mike Fleck [R-81st], C. Adam Harris [R-82nd] and Tom Murt [R-152nd]. Steve Todd was among the first to report it in his February 26 post, PA State House Judiciary Committee: NO on HB683. This bill would prohibit people from photographing oil and gas operations because they are occurring on agricultural lands. By fracking farmland, gas drillers would gain new impunity under a piece of anti-whitsle blower legislation, commonly known as an “Ag-gag.”
Yes, you’re reading it correctly. PA HB683 would make it illegal to photograph images of gas drilling operations – the good, the bad, the mundane and the incendiary.
And in case you’re wondering, Pennsylvania has about 63,163 farms. That’s roughly 7.8 million agricultural acres out of the total 29.5 million acres in Pennsylvania, which ranks 20th in the U.S. for agricultural production.
“HB683 makes it illegal to photograph a farm, a cow, a horse, sheep, goats, pigs, haystacks, tractors, chickens, corn fields, pumpkin patches, vegetables, fruits, and natural gas wells. Fracktivists have been filming frack sites, FROM PUBLIC ROADS, their videos are invaluable in documenting fracking’s destruction of PA.” ~ MarcellusProtest.org
Credit: Marcellus Protest
The bill is currently in committee, but environmentalists are keeping an eye on it. HB 683 is exactly the sort of legislation the PA GOP tucks into other bills and passes late at night.
Unsurprisingly, HB 683 has its roots (tentacles?) in similar ALEC-sponsored legislation proposed in other states. Dory Hippauf relates its absurdity in Arresting Monet – AG-GAG Pennsylvania House Bill 683, Blog.ShaleShockMedia.org:
“HB683 is modeled after ‘proposed legislation’ written by 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 ALEC’s operations.”
PLEASE SIGN ON to the PETITION To Say NO to HB 683 HERE.
And if you have more time, please CONTACT YOUR PA STATE REP.
Meme’s The Word (more…)
Now We’re Cookin! (But Not With Gas)
CALL TO ACTION!
Rally In Harrisburg With Gasland II Filmaker Josh Fox
Tell Pennsylvania Governor Corbett, “No More Cover Ups for the Drillers!”
Tuesday, June 18 – 12 Noon
Pennsylvania State Capitol Rotunda, Harrisburg PA
Please join Clean Water Action, Delaware Riverkeeper Network and many others. (more…)
Forbes Contributor, Jeff McMahon, Joins Hal Harvey In The Methane Fact Bubble
Speaking at the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy on Thursday April 11, Hal Harvey, CEO of the lobby firm Energy Innovation and former Energy Advisor to Clinton and H. W. Bush, offered up his playbook for frackers. On April 12, Forbes contributing writer, Jeff McMahon, covered Harvey’s speech in the article, “5 Things U.S. Must Do To Win At Fracking.” I wasn’t there, but I’m guessing it must have been a bit like preaching to the choir. (more…)
The Marcellus Shale Documentary Project has finally come to Philadelphia. The images collected “tell stories, through photographic images, of how the lives of Pennsylvanians are affected by the Marcellus Shale Gas Industry. By creating a visual document of the environmental, social and economic impact of drilling, the work aims to engage communities in the current Marcellus debate while providing important historical images for the future.”
Images, like this pipeline cutting through a southwestern Pennsylvania cow pasture, leave an impression. This stirring collection is on display at The Gershman Y in Philadelphia until February 14, 2013.
Photo by Brian Cohen. (more…)
[Updated]
PA State Senators Want To Give Away The Farm, Along With Our Property Rights
If passed, Senate Bill 166 and the flash of an industry ID would give gasland surveyors full access to private property in Pennsylvania. That’s right. Landowners must grant the gas industry full access to their land.
In other words, private property is no longer private. (more…)
KeepTap’s Stats Reflect An Anti-Gas Movement On Fire
The momentum behind clean energy has been building like never before. In 2012, several grand-scale, public events like Shale Gas Outrage in Philadelphia, Stop The Frack Attack in Washington DC, and the sold-out 350.org Do The Math tour. Colleges and universities are now being asked by alumni, faculty and student bodies to take a leadership role in addressing Climate Change by pledging to divest from dirty energy and Go Fossil Free. (more…)
Document Pre-Pipeline Stream Conditions in The Delaware River
DECEMBER 22-23, 2012
The Delaware Riverkeeper Network needs your help:
“We have 19 days to stop this fracked gas pipeline from cutting through healthy pristine habitat and rural communities (more…)
“Santa’s Pre-Flight 2012 Over Frackland”
From the folks who gave us classics such as Hydraulic Fracturing Party!, Marcellus Shale Fish Kills and Gas Wells, Frac Pits and School Coexist come two brand new holiday classics. Cineplex Rex filmed high over Wetzel County, West Virgnia, Greene County and Washington County, Pennsylvania throughout 2012, and the aerial images they captured depict a state that is fundamentally changed by a single, heavily polluting industry.
Naughty
Not Nice…
Dear Santa,
All I want for Christmas is a healthy future for the children of the Marcellus Shale.
A Pennsylvania Mom
The “Cleaner Burning Fuel” Blows
On Friday evening, a strip club in Springfield, Massachusetts exploded. Thankfully, no one was killed though several people were injured.
According to 22News in Springfield, “Glass flew everywhere…” Unbelievably, the explosion was captured on video:
Did you know there is a city or town named “Springfield” in every one of the fifty United States? The Simpsons live in Springfield, too. And it turns out, the more natural gas is used in buildings, offices and homes, the more likely you are to find a gas leak or explosion in a Springfield near you. (more…)
Bill Moyers talks about Climate Change and Capitalism with Shock Doctrine author, Naomi Klein.
“I believe it’s the biggest challenge humanity has faced, and we’ve been kidding ourselves about what it’s going to take to get our emmissions down to the extent that they need to go down,” Naomi Klein.
DUG In Deep
PA DEP Secretary Krancer was in Pittsburgh last week, marshaling his forces at the Drilling Unconventional Gas (DUG East) Conference, and peppering his pro-gas speech with an unnerving number of Civil War references. According to Don Hopey in The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Krancer “referred to several dozen protesters outside as less imposing than opposition he sees as a Civil War re-enactor.”
Lest we forget, the Mason-Dixon line once divided The Marcellus Shale, too.
Access to the Pittsburgh conference was limited to those who meet DUG’s self-prescribed “press pass policy.” Indeed, it’s only getting more difficult to gain entry to big gas shows, even if you are willing to pony up nearly a grand to register, even if you are a legitimately credentialed member of the press, like Buck Quigley of ArtVoice. (more…)
SkyTruth.org and FracTracker.org have teamed up to build the most comprehensive – and functional – database of fracking chemicals on the planet. The new SkyTruth Fracking Chemical Database is a powerful research tool, enhanced by FracTracker‘s stellar mapping technology. Been looking for something a little more practical than the smattering of 27,000 pdfs found on FracFocus.org, the gas industry’s chemicals registry of choice? Look no further. (more…)
“Fossil fuel is a risk to the planet.”
This statement was debated in early November by Bill McKibben, author and founder of 350.org, and Alex Epstein, Founder and President of the Center For Industrial Progress and former Junior Fellow of The Ayn Rand Institute. The debate was ably mediated by Duke University Law Professor, Bill Brown.
Bill McKibben and Alex Epstein square off on fossil fuels — do they make the planet a worse place to live or a better place to live?
Full Audio Version provided by ImproveThePlanet, Center For Industrial Progress.
Spoiler Alert! McKibben Shellacked Epstein
I learned of the debate via Stefanie Penn Spear in her recent post on EcoWatch.org, DEBATE: McKibben vs. Epstein—Are Fossil Fuels a Risk to the Planet?
“My daughter and I were outraged that Epstein is capable of taking such a humanistic, anthropocentric position on the issues regarding the health of our planet,” reports Spear. Her article (which was the most media coverage I could find) and the accompanying comments make for a great debate primer.
Opposing arguments lasted over an hour and a half, but McKibben took the win in the first ten minutes, in his opening statement no less, when he laid out thirteen very good reasons to phase out fossil fuels on the planet, citing references galore:
Serious issues to face! Luckily, some of the best minds are on it. Later in the debate, McKibben shares the good news: “We have the tools we need in order to adapt.“
Are you getting the message, Harrisburg? Don’t frack with Philly!
While these newly elected officials aren’t all for a ban on fracking (yet) many have taken very pro-environment positions on shale gas drilling. It’s safe to say, they’re all fractivist friendly.
Republicans and Fossil Fuel Phanatics rest assured, fractivists are taking names, determined to hold ALL elected officials accountable to their campaign promises. Clean fracking is pure fantasy, but bi-partisanship is always within reach.
Who To Vote For (If You Like Clean Water)
Far be it for me to tell people how to vote, except when there’s more at stake for Pennsylvania’s natural environment than any general election in our history, ever. But don’t take my word for it. You’ll find the most eco-friendly candidates in the race listed on Clean Water Action’s Endorsements and Key Races pages. For the very latest links and news, visit Marcellus at the Polls.
KeepTapWaterSafe.org endorses…
Where Do Our Candidates Stand On The Important Environmental Issues Facing Pennsylvania?
If you’re interested in supporting eco-friendly candidates in Pennsylvania, you might need more information about their voting records, endorsements, contributors and, of course, their campaign promises. And you’ll want to be sure to exercise your franchise on Tuesday, November 6th.
It’s Time To Mother Earth
Visit Marcellus At The Polls to learn where your candidates stand on issues related to shale gas drilling. A note from Marcellus at The Polls: It’s an all-volunteer effort. We have information on candidates running in PA who are ‘fracktivist friendly’. They are running for various offices, they are of varying political parties. We list the ones who have made strong statements against the wanton fracking of PA. We’re all volunteers & accept no $ from anyone/any political party/PAC.
Who Got What
Campaign contributions from the Oil & Gas Industry to Pennsylvania Politicians are tallied up at MarcellusMoney.org
A few days ago, Joanne Fiorito announced on facebook that she had “just chased a gashole off my land who was idling his diesel engine while he chatted on his cell because the reception is good there….he rolled his window down and asked me what I called him, and I told him I asked you to leave, and proceeded to tell me he isn’t a gashole he’s a local….I said gashole it is then, now LEAVE! and he left! TIRED OF THEIR BULLSHIT…..not taking it anymore!”
I could sense her frustration. Joanne is fractivist and prolific fb poster from a once quiet corner of Northeastern Pennsylvania. Her environs have been systematically invaded by gas drilling interests. That day, her wit lacked the usual wry twist. I offered some solidarity from SEPA: “from the Philly suburbs, it sounds like the wild west up there. you’re a good neighbor, Joanne!”
Keep Tap Water Safe 