Last week, just in time for Valentine’s Day Governor Corbett signed HB1950, a real sweetheart deal for the industry.  This site has a good summary of the bill.  How sweet was the deal? We can start with the drilling fee. It’s the lowest in the nation, and that’s even when you consider the impact of corporate tax on drillers.  Public health officials have said it violates medical ethics.  Despite language to keep new wells away from homes and other buildings, the legislation has loopholes you could drive a truck through.   Here’s what Erika Staaf from CHC’s partner PennEnvironment had to say:

 “If legislators were looking to pass a proposal that will allow more gas drilling near people’s homes, and the parks, playgrounds and schools where our children play and spend their days, then ‘Mission Accomplished.’

The optional impact fee also has created problems for local officials.  Washington, Jefferson,Butler and a few other counties have already passed resolutions to adopt the fee. However, commissioners in heavily drilled Bradford County are balking.  And Peters, Robinson, andSouth Fayette Townships are planning legal action against the bill completely

According to Commissioner Ruddock, Indiana County will probably go for it.  Seems like that’s something the Natural Gas Task Force might discuss?

Natural Resources Defense Council blogger Amy Mall pointed to the PA legislation as part of a national trend towards the oil and gas industry crushing local governments.  This legislation creates a new Wild West for gas drilling in PA.

Protests erupted at several Senator’s offices last week over the passage of the bill, and a coalition called  for a moritorium on water withdrawals for fracking in PA.

How did we get here?  This blogger asks us to connect the dots, I’ll give you a hint, it rhymes with “Funny.” Just ask PA’s own Presidential Candidate Rick Santorum why he loves fracking so much. (Speaking of funny, have you googled Santorum?)

In these two articles we see how both Science and the law have been subverted by money from the oil and gas industry.

And of course, over the last couple months while this legislation was being debated, there’s been spills, leaks, and more violations.

In other news, did we tell you about the ethane cracker that the PA legislature wants so badly? It makes plastic and pollution.

Speaking of the ends not justifying the means, a report from last October in the American Economic Review estimates that “the costs imposed on society by air pollution from coal-fired power plants are greater than the value added to the economy by the industry.”  In other words, coal power sucks.

This last piece is relevant to the Sierra Club campaign in Homer City, which announced last week it’s intention to sue the Homer City Power Plant for it’s excess SO2 emissions.  

And lastly, a belated so long to Indiana native and CHC uber-volunteer, Dan Budris, who has taken a job near Boston working for environmental justice. He joins CHC’s volunteer lobbiest and another IUP grad, Peter Roquemore, who also left western PA last year to begin a career advocating for justice. Here’s a couple of great pieces of writing from Dan, and from Peter.  We miss you guys already!!

“Under the guise of passing a minimal natural gas impact fee, the PA Senate has given the gas drillers their ‘quid pro quo’ demand to eliminate local governments’ current authority to protect their citizens.  Now the poorly-regulated gas industry will be able to drill in residential neighborhoods, bringing thousands of gallons of toxic chemicals, thousands of tractor trailers, round the clock noisy, polluting drilling, all as little as a football field away from homes, day care centers, and playgrounds.”

Also close to home, Indiana County is the new home to a frackwater treatment facility soon to be open in Rayne township. The system will be a closed loop system, where trucks will arrive with brine, it’ll be treated at the facility, and the trucks will then leave the facility with treated water to be recycled for more fracking.  I have a lot of questions about this facility.  Does anyone know more about this?  In addition, Hart Resources Technologies of Creekside is applying to get back into the toxic frack water treatment business, also with a closed loop system.

It is clear that the Corbett administration’s political goals to promote gas drilling trump their claim to support sound science. In fact, the inconvenient reality is that while gas drilling is ruining drinking water supplies and wildlife habitat, the Corbett administration engages in a cover up of the true impacts.

]]> http://coalitionforahealthycounty.wordpress.com/2012/01/19/the-fracking-news-organize-educate-agitate/feed/ 0 TwolickYellowCreekDrainageBasins coalitionforahealthycounty http://coalitionforahealthycounty.wordpress.com/2012/01/11/chc-update-county-sends-it-back-take-action/ http://coalitionforahealthycounty.wordpress.com/2012/01/11/chc-update-county-sends-it-back-take-action/#comments Thu, 12 Jan 2012 01:58:22 +0000 Coalition for a Healthy County http://coalitionforahealthycounty.wordpress.com/?p=672 Read more]]> Greetings friends,

Speaking of no one knows, no one knows about how fracking will affect food safety.  At least the CDC is being responsible, and asking for a study on health effects.

The Denton-Record Chronicle out of Texas has an in-depth article about the Psy-Ops tactics employed by the industry to convince the public there is no problem with fracking (where have I heard that advice?).

and lastly on this short edition, to Ron Paul, Rick Perry (I think), Mitt Romney (maybe), and anyone else that thinks the EPA should be eliminated, here’s a great photo-journal of the country before the EPA.

Just a quick reminder about tonight’s event at Yellow Creek:

All you ever wanted to know about Marcellus Shale in Indiana County
TONIGHT, January 9, 6:30pm
Yellow Creek State Park
170 Route 259 , Penn Run, Pennsylvania
Environmental Learning Classroom, (behind Dragonfly pond, next to the wind turbine)

Please join PennFuture and the Coalition for a Healthy County on January 9 for a special presentation by former Pennsylvania state Representative Dave Levdansky on how development of the Marcellus shale affects you and your county.

As citizens in Indiana County gear up to protect the conservation zone, it’s important to be armed with the facts. This presentation will provide you with a history of Marcellus shale development in Pennsylvania, current state and local policy regarding the natural gas industry and predictions for the future. Mr. Levdansky will also be addressing how natural gas exploration affects the hunter-angler community specifically.

So be our guest for this free event hosted by PennFuture and the Coalition for a Healthy County. We can’t wait to see you there!

http://www.facebook.com/events/141663175948586/
pennfuture.org/
coalitionforahealthycounty.wordpress.com

JAN. 11th Public Hearing POSTPONED
I’ve just received word that this week’s hearing on the recommendations for rewrites of the ordinance regulating the Conservation Zones in the county has been POSTPONED.  The only details I have today is that the recommendations will be sent back to the planning commission, (where did I hear that advice?) and the hearing will be rescheduled for February.  More info as it comes.

Phone:  (724) 465-0220

E-mail: dreed@pahousegop.com

Facebook: Facebook.com/RepReed

Question:  If I spill over 2,000 gallons of oil-based mud and diesel fuel into the waters of the Commonwealth, how can I avoid going to jail?

Answer: Sub-contract that tricky stuff.  

Reminder about two important events for CHC NEXT WEEK, below in reverse chronological order:

Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2012, 7:30pm

According to EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson by 2016 these standards “will prevent up to 11,000 premature deaths, 4,700 heart attacks, and 130,000 cases of aggravated asthma among children between six and 18 years old”.  Jackson estimated the value of health benefits associated with compliance at between $37 billion and $90 billion in 2016.

The PA legislature adjourned for the year without finalizing a shale bill.  In a final vote, the Senate adopted a version of HB1950, which sets up a conference committee to fully work out a final comprimse bill between the House and Senate.  This conference committee will likley meet in January.

On Tuesday this week, more than 100 people including officials from 40 municipalities gathered to protest the state legislation. As far as I know, Indiana County was invited, but did not attend.

Pipelines:

The Philadelphia Inquirer has extended coverage on pipelines this week. The upshot is they’re virtually unregulated in Pennslyvania.

“Hundreds of miles of high-pressure popelines already have been installed in the shale fields with no government safety checks - no construction standards, no inspection, and no monitoring.  ’No one – absolutely no one – is looking,’ said Deborah Goldberg, a lawyer with Earth Justice, a non-profit law firm focusing on the environment.“

Trout fishermen are weighing in on the pipeline issue, particularly the effects of all the construction.

“In September, near the start of the trout spawning season, erosion from a pipeline project in Potter County damaged five feeder streams for Pine Crek, a world-renowned trout stream desingated as a federal “wild and scenic” river…”

 

There is currently a bill on Corbett’s desk that would allow PA to step up pipeline regulation in the state. However, many  lines in rural areas would continue to be unregulated.

Even in Washington D.C., they’re talking about pipelines. According to Rep. Bill Shuster, his House approved bill to overhaul federal pipeline oversight will strengthen enforcement, and keep the industry in check. However, there are serious criticisms.

“Unfortunately, the bill doesn’t directly fix many of the problems,” said Carl Weimer, executive director of the Pipeline Safety Trust based in Bellinigham, Wash. “It’s more like, ‘Let’s study the problem for the next couple years and then decide what to do.’

“If they really wanted to do something, Congress would be supporting actual clear rules and regulations,”

Leases

Industry denials

As reported here on the Fracking News last week, the EPA has found that fracking fluids spoiled drinking water supplies in Pavillion, WY.

In an all-too-familiar refrain, the company, Encana, denies it. However, former DEP head John Hangar has a more thoughtful review of the EPA study and it’s applicability to PA.

Cabot is also denying the claims of industry whistle-blower Scott Ely of Dimock.  A two year investigation conducted by Cabot of his claims of dumping, and reckless drilling practices found that he was right, they were dumping, but it didn’t affect anyone’s health. No harm, no foul right?

The news outlet, State Impact, has a great new feature that maps MS drilling permits and violations. Check out Indiana County

Lastly, two lessons to be learned

A new report on toxic emissions from coal-fired power plants found that SW PA is home to three of the ten worst plants.  CHC volunteer Dan Budris has a great blog post on the rankings, and what coal means to Indiana County. A good place to start learning about what our power plants do to our health is the the Clean Air Task Force. Check out their interactive map of mortality caused by coal plants.

On the other side of the Atlantic, the Germans are building a real green revolution. Check out the small rural Bavarian town of Wildpoldsried. They produce 321 percent more energy than it needs using wind, solar, hydro, and even, and pulls in nearly $6 million in revenue for the town by selling the electricity back to the national grid.