DEP Accountability…Too Late?

This video with Jude Stiles giving testimony of what her family has dealt with since 2010 at a hearing for the Pennsylvania DEP accountability standards. Her husband is now deceased and she and her children are very sick due to the contamination of there well water from gas drilling. At one point in the video she lists the chemicals and heavy metals that were found in her well…you don’t need to be a scientists to know they are not the sort of things you’d want to have anywhere near your body, let alone be drinking or bathing in.

At this point the courts will decide how this ends but I don’t see how any amount of money can fix this. I remember watching Gas Land for the first time and being sick to my stomach with the stories of the people in CO who’s health had been so severely compromised….and now it’s happening in Pennsylvania.

 

State Impact PA

I’ve posted links to the State Impact PA site before but wanted to remind folks that there is a great resource here and even though the gas industries have slowed down for now there is still a lot of good journalism work being done by Chris Amico, Danny DeBelius, Scott Detrow and Matt Stiles of my local NPR station; WITF. here’s a link to the State Impact map which gives you a quick look at all the wells, where they are and who owns them. http://stateimpact.npr.org/pennsylvania/drilling/

You will also find some interesting new stories as you scroll further down the page on the left under the heading “Latest News”.

Community Workshop in Tioga County on Environmental and Health Impacts of Natural Gas Operations

The Clean Air Council and Penn Environment, state-wide environmental groups, will give an educational workshop in Tioga County for residents of north-central Pennsylvania on Saturday, March 24, 1-4 PM. The training will be held at the W.M. Tokishi Training Center, NYPUM Drive, Wellsboro, PA 16901.The workshop will focus on information and skills that residents can use to be aware of and participate in decisions about natural gas development. The presenters will provide an overview of how natural gas operations can potentially impact public health and the environment. They will train people on how to track and report disturbances, write comments that generate public hearings, and achieve media coverage with letters to the editor. Admission is free and light refreshments will be provided. For more information, contact Matt Walker at Clean Air Council, 215-567-4004 (ext 121) or mwalker@cleanair.org

New State Impact PA App

Since I now live in south central PA (I moved south from Tioga County; north central PA) and have less access to the center of the gas drilling, I frequently use State Impact PA as a resource as well as tune in to WITF radio on my commutes to work, when I’m not pedaling my bike. This site has a lot of current info and wide coverage from gas drilling incidents and accidents, politics and interviews. Their latest info includes a new App that shows you exactly who is drilling and where.

I believe this sort of program is run through NPR and you can find this sort of info for all 50 states from this map.

 

OilandGasHelp.com

I happen to be looking for the location of a specific Northwest Savings Bank in PA and when I pulled up their website I found the below link.

http://www.oilandgashelp.com/

It looks like Northwest Savings Bank has put together a section of their website to answer questions or help folks who are considering leases. The “Oil and Gas Resources” section has some interesting info available. At the very least, another resource for those who like to have all the facts before they make decisions.

Corbett Administration Cuts Funds

I heard this piece from State Impact PA (WITF/NPR) this morning on my drive to work. Corbett wants to make decisions about gas drilling based on facts, not emotional…and then his administration goes and cuts the funding for research that provides just the sort of facts he is talking about.

http://stateimpact.npr.org/pennsylvania/2012/01/18/changing-priorities-science-funding-slashed-under-corbett-administration/

 

It’s Like We’re Losing Our Love…

This video documents Simona Perry’s research on the emotional and traumatic effects of the natural gas drilling, specifically in Bradford County, PA.

http://mediasite.cidde.pitt.edu/mediasite/SilverlightPlayer/Default.aspx?peid=689293c50f404f12b8c628b8f2285780

Hydraulic Fracking the Propaganda and Truth

I know I’ve been away from this blog for a while now but it looks like folks are still finding it. The following link was passed on to me, and good for a few laughs despite the depressing topic, and I just had to pass it along. Enjoy and share!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZptKESRzio&feature=youtu.be

Marcellus Shale case appealed to Pa. Supreme Court could create ‘chaos’ by questioning ownership of gas rights

By DONALD GILLILAND, The Patriot-News

A court case that many believe has the potential to upend 100 years of case law and God knows how many Marcellus gas leases in Pennsylvania hinges on what the everyday definition of “minerals” was in 1836.

Attorneys at Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney who appealed the case to the Supreme Court on Friday say they simply want the high court to reaffirm what’s been “bedrock” property law for more 100 years.

The case involves John and Mary Butler, owners of 244 acres in Susquehanna County, and the heirs of Charles Powers, who in 1881 was granted “one-half the minerals and Petroleum Oils” under the property.

Powers’s heirs argue that they are entitled to half the Marcellus gas under the property as well.

Susquehanna County President Judge Kenneth Seamans ruled against that claim in January 2010, citing what’s known as the “Dunham Rule” – a Supreme Court ruling that has stood since 1882 that a conveyance of “minerals” in a deed does not include oil and gas unless specifically stated. The Powers deed makes no mention of gas.

Powers’s heirs appealed that decision to the Superior Court, arguing that the Dunham Rule should not apply, but rather a 1983 ruling that found U.S. Steel owned the natural gas contained in the coal it owned – not the property owner who had retained the right to drill through the coal for oil and gas.

As the attorney for the heirs put it to the Superior Court: “Whoever owns the shale, owns the gas.”

To read the rest of this article click on the below link.

http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2011/10/marcellus_shale_bellwether_leg.html

 

 

Learn the FACTS about Marcellus Shale

Thurs. Nov. 3rd at 7 PM

GAS TRUTH OF YORK is sponsoring  the YORK MARCELLUS SHALE FORUM so that you can learn what you need to know about Shale Gas drilling in Pennsylvania.  In South Central PA we do not have Marcellus Shale drilling but the Oil & Gas Industry is affecting our water, land, and the integrety of our politics.

On Thursday, November 3rd we will bring experts in the field to you so that you can get your questions answered.  The following people will speak at this SHALE FORUM:

Rep. Eugene Depasquale

Kathy Martin, Sierra Club and STRONGER

Simona Perry Ph.D. – expert on effects of drilling on life in Bradford County, PA

John Trallo, Sullivan County Citizen Activist and affected landowner

Ralph Kisberg, Responsible Drilling Alliance of Lycoming County

Guy Alsentzer, Staff Attorney, Lower Susquehanna Riverkeeper

Nathan Sooy, Clean Water Action

 Professor David Fyfe from York College will be the MC and moderator.

DATE & TIME: THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 3RD – 7 PM Till 9:30 PM

 LOCATION: SPRINGETTS FIRE HALL

                               3013 E. MARKET STREET

                               YORK, PA