Drilling Strains 911 Resposes at Tioga Court House

Being that I now live in south central PA, I listen to the WITF radio station on my way to work and back. They have been doing bits and pieces here and there about the Marcellus drilling and this month they have introduced a program called “State Impact Pennsylvania”.  So far this program seems to relate to just the gas drilling issues in PA. The first program started yesterday and the below link will take you to their page where you can read or listen to the program. Since I am from Tioga County, PA and lived in Wellsboro for years, this story was of immediate interest to me, especially having two friends that both work in the 911 center and knowing how tough this has been for them.

http://stateimpact.npr.org/pennsylvania/

I feel that most of the interest and concern that have been generated of late from the NY Times and Philadelphia Inquire is coming a bit too late, based on the amount of accidents and spills that have already occurred in this region. But…better late than never.

Susquehanna River Sentinel

I just wanted to pass along this link to another blogger’s site who is offering some great information. His recent post addresses water withdrawls and there is a note about Pine Creek (the one that runs through Tioga County, PA) and the water that is being taken from that source.

http://srs444.blogspot.com/2011/04/hydrofracturing-minus-water-moratorium.html

Natural Gases in Ground Water near Tioga Junction, Tioga County, North-Central Pennsylvania

The following is the opening statements from journeyoftheforsaken.com

Note: The following is excerpted from an excellent and relatively revealing study of the Tioga Junction area, conducted by the USGS. I found this report particularly helpful because it helps explain the uncertainty associated with isotopic analysis – particularly in alluvial mixing zones.

Currently, the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission and some area oil and gas operators in our region rely upon a thermogenic signature detection method that fails to account for obvious environmental factors and relies too greatly upon flawed assumptions ultimately yielding bias and therefore inaccurate results suggesting that a sudden appearance of methane gas in stream beds and alluvial areas is purely biogenic in nature.

This report reveals key factors which, when properly considered, demonstrate certain mechanisms which would facilitate a mixed and more complicated hydrogeologic dynamic and therefore truer assessment of groundwater/surface water contamination.

I’ve noted some of these key revelations in bold blue font.

Read the report here:

http://www.journeyoftheforsaken.com/tiogajunctionpa.htm

CCaNGD Meeting – April 22nd

The next meeting for Citizens Concerned about Natural Gas Drilling will be held April 22nd in Wellsboro at the Senior Center on Queen St.

Meeting time is 7-9pm

Google Map for Road Conditions In Northcentral PA

A friend has put together a Google map that shows road conditions and closing in Tioga County, PA and some area outside of the county. Below is a link to get to the map. Keep in mind that the roads are constantly changing and it is difficult to keep up on the conditions. Some roads are marked as closed in the morning and by evening are re-opened…although what the gas companies are considering as “fixed roads” are often acceptable for anyone with 4 wheel drive and a 2 foot clearance and not safe for the average person with a sedan to drive on. I am hoping this map will make it easier for folks who live on tertiary roads, that are struggling to get to work each day, be able to find roads that are more accessible to them. I know some of you are being cut off from getting to your homes on both ends as was reported in the Wellsboro Gazette.

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=100096254312468582252.0004827769a68cf459e16&ll=41.772336,-77.287445&spn=0.491614,1.229095&z=10

Tanker Truck Rear-ends car and kills woman in Covington, PA

Here’s the Star Gazette’s coverage of the accident in Covington, PA yesterday. Check out the posted comments after the article.

Covington A 74-year-old Lock Haven woman was killed Saturday afternoon when the Honda Civic in which she was riding was struck from behind by a 2000 International tanker truck.

Mildred L. Barnard was pronounced dead at Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hospital in Wellsboro by Dr. Laura Rice after the 1:25 p.m. crash at the state Routes 2005 and 2022 intersection in Covington, said state police in Mansfield. Bernard was a passenger in the front seat.

Read the rest of the article here:

http://www.stargazette.com/article/20100320/NEWS01/3200374/Tanker-truck-car-crash-kills-Pa.-woman

Boldness must arise locally to save roads

This issue is just one of many that will arise. Classic freeze/thaw cycles in PA already compromise our secondary and tertiary roads without heavy truck traffic. Many of these roads have 10 ton weight limit bridges as well as weight limitations for the roads themselves, and much of the truck traffic greatly exceeds those limits. Not only does the question of “who will pay to fix these roads” come up again and again but the quality to which they are fixed may become an issue. Elk Run Road in Gaines, PA is being attended to daily by the company whose trucks destroyed the road. The gas company’s trucks, with a high clearance and/or 4-wheel drive, might be able to manage this fix of gravel and muck but the people who live on this road are struggling to get their every day vehicles in and out.

Published: March 14, 2010

It’s nearly spring and the secondary roads here are in poor shape. Some of the main roads, as well. It’s an annual occurrence. But, this year there is a dramatic difference More roads are in far worse shape than perhaps ever before, in large part because of the battering from heavy trucks, many of which are in the area tending to the burgeoning natural gas industry….

Inconvenience is an issue for motorists, of course. But far more important is safety for drivers. Safety for cars, safety for small trucks, safety for school buses carting children, and safety for big trucks, farm equipment and other vehicles.

Residents were warned about such looming hardships two years ago by county commissioners who saw early on some of the pros and cons of the natural gas boom resulting from exploitation of the Marcellus Shale play under Bradford County.

But, no one foresaw such a rapid expansion of prospecting and drilling – and infrastructure deterioration. Oversight, direction, regulation, control all lagged while the county was being transformed for better or for worse. Virtually all the mineral rights in Bradford County have been leased to gas companies, according to the Shirley Rockefeller, county register and recorder. Permits for 430 wells were issued by the state Department of Environmental Protection in 2009 for Bradford County alone, and 113 new wells were drilled. The rapid pace continues this year with 29 more drilling permits issued in January, second in the state only to Tioga County.

Plans for pipelines to transport the gas to markets are in the works. PennDOT, which only last week warned of a regional problem, says more than 60 roads in the county have been posted with weight restrictions. It is hard-pressed to keep up.

Behemoths lumber down the highways, some oversized, some overweight and, in too many cases, going too fast. They include 5,500 gallon and larger water tankers, flat beds to haul equipment, and dump trucks to haul material, all of which clog the roads, and grind the pavement. Crashes are more and more common. State police are levying unheard of fines for illegal loads running in the tens of thousands of dollars.

The roads, especially the secondary and tertiary roads are being pounded and pulverized into pot holes, gullies and broken shoulders. Driving is a hazard. Residents are growing impatient, even angry. Township supervisors and other municipal officials are at wits end.

It’s a crisis….

To read the full article, click here:

http://thedailyreview.com/opinion/boldness-must-arise-locally-to-save-roads-1.678530

Split Estate Free Showing at Mansfield University

Professor Russell Dodson at Mansfield University has arranged a free, public showing of the documentary ‘Split Estate’, on the risks and dangers of natural gas drilling. Our Tioga County Planner, Jim Weaver will be present to take questions.

Tell everyone you know!

Time: Monday, March 29th at 7PM.

Place: 153 Grant Science Center, Mansfield University

PennDOT Closing Elk Run Road to Gas Well Traffic

PennDOT is advising motorists in Tioga County that State Route 3001
(Elk Run Road) in Gaines Township is being temporarily closed to gas
well traffic due to severe deterioration.

The road is open to local traffic only until repairs are made.

Responsible parties are being contacted to facilitate repairs to restore
the roadway to a safe and passable condition for the traveling public.

This road carries a year-round, 10-ton weight restriction.

Truck Crash Results in a Spill in Fallbrook, PA.

Review Photo/ERIC HRIN Workers try to free this dump truck following a crash Monday on Fallbrook Road in the Troy area.

TROY – Jack Seeley, a foreman with the state Department of Transportation, said the driver of a dump truck that crashed on Fallbrook Road outside Troy Monday was “real lucky.”… As people worked to tow the vehicle from the scene, the road was closed for several hours  … Penelec area manager, said that the crash resulted in two customers losing power….

Seeley said the truck was traveling downhill, and was hauling material away from a gas well on Sweeney Road. The truck had “Bishop Bros.” on its door. It also had wording that said “residual waste.” When asked why the removal of the truck was taking as long as it was, Seeley said that workers had to be careful to not rupture its tanks…. Seeley said the truck was loaded with waste from a gas well and it had spilled on the ground as a result of the crash. He said the gas company would probably clean it up, though he wasn’t sure.

To read the full article, click here:

http://thedailyreview.com/news/dump-truck-crashes-on-fallbrook-rd-1.665656

Hmmmm, probably clean up the spill? This doesn’t seem to be posted on DEP’s website either. If anyone finds a report on it or has any other information please let me know.