Energy-In- Depth (EID), a Natural Gas funded organization and run by FTI Consulting (a lobbying and PR corporation has a few favorite "experts". Typically EID's "blog" postings are hit pieces and have all the sophistication of a junior high slam book.
See Energy-in-Depth (EID) - The “GAS”roots, Connecting the Dots: The Marcellus Natural Gas Play Players – Part 3, By Dory Hippauf for more details.
In the past couple of months we have had geysers in Union Township, Tioga County, bouncing stream beds and methane plumes in Leroy, Bradford County, and an hydrochloric acid spill of about 4,700 gallons also in Leroy.
See Energy-in-Depth (EID) - The “GAS”roots, Connecting the Dots: The Marcellus Natural Gas Play Players – Part 3, By Dory Hippauf for more details.
In the past couple of months we have had geysers in Union Township, Tioga County, bouncing stream beds and methane plumes in Leroy, Bradford County, and an hydrochloric acid spill of about 4,700 gallons also in Leroy.
No surprise that the geysers and methane plumes are being spun as "naturally occurring". Funny how these naturally occurring events seem to happen within a mile or less of a natural gas wellpad. So far, the hydrochloric acid spill hasn't been attributed to a natural occurrence, however it is being downplayed to "just a couple of minnows died" .From a recent Energy-In-Depth blog entry:
The History of Pennsylvania Water Quality
2012 July 7 - by Joe Massaro
The last Franklin Citizens for Truth informational meeting included a host of speakers from WPX Energy, Williams, and others who came to educate members of the community about natural gas development and the infrastructure (e.g., pipelines) accompanying it. Every speaker was impressive and informative; however, the one who stuck out for me was Licensed Professional Geologist, Brian Oram. This meeting gave me another opportunity to learn about Pennsylvania’s water quality history and how the elements currently found in many people’s drinking water are, typically, naturally occurring.
Mr. Oram as quoted by EID:
Embalming is a process in which a body is preserved until burial or transport. From the Civil War, until about 1910, arsenic was the main ingredient used in embalming fluids throughout the country. Between the period of 1880 and 1910 it would be fair to assume a large cemetery, or collection of cemeteries in a given community, might include as many as 2,000 bodies. If half of those were embalmed with arsenic, using six ounces of fluid per person, the cemetery would contain 380 pounds of arsenic. If the embalmers in the area used more arsenic, such as three pounds per person (which wasn’t rare) then the cemetery would contain over one ton of arsenic.Really? Dead People?
While this may be true, it does open the door for a few questions.
1. Didn't the gas drillers check for cemeteries or other burial places before drilling/fracking?
Probably not, because they are fracking cemeteries anyways.
2. How many sites for gas drilling also have cemeteries on them?
3. How many of the homes with contaminated water and are near a gas drilling site also have cemeteries?
As awareness of the real impact of natural gas drilling is having on people's lives, the land, the air and water grows, expect EID and their favorites to scramble for more diversionary excuses.
Pass this along...
ReplyDeleteVoter apathy is at an all time high; but never before has this been so dangerous. I feel like I am a politician who doesn't just say something that might just appease, but doesn't address the underlying problem.
Just exactly what are some of the many underlying problems that need fixing by both individuals and government?
* A military budget, off paper estimated at $1 trillion. Trim this by 25% and you could pay for infrastructure projects, subsidized health care, and alternative energy manufacturing research and development.
Senator Gillibrand has taken money from some of the worst polluters in the US, all the while promoting more nuclear power plant production in Western New York, to 'create jobs'. Why not make schools for learning how to be a heroin dealer...that will also creat jobs, right? They both kill people. Japan?
* Cap all student loan rates, cap health insurance rates back to 2006 rates while we work towards single payer health care. Cap credit card rates and provide no interest loans to small businesses through the Treasury for vetted projects and existing businesses to expand to create more permanent jobs.
* Vote out Congressional members of all parties that take and have taken Gas and Oil PAC money, Big Wall Street donations, and big Pharma donations.
* Any insurance terms, health care rulings, and business transactions that discriminate against women, minorities, or anyone need abolishment.
* Drive home the message that Americans need to reduce obesity, curb smoking, reduce sugar intake and walk/ exercise more, or the health care system will STILL fail.
* Absolutely reduce the cost of medical and dental school so that people are not graduating with $200-300K in debt and expect to get more primary care physicians.
* Tax capital gains at 20% over $250,000 per year and 25% over $500,0000 per year.
* Reduce the compensation of overpaid bureacrats at the expense of the bottom of the food chain workers in public service. This is not to say that there are not important high level government workers...I just don't want to pay big bucks to Lottery Gaming Commmissioners and other lower priority positions at the expense of janitors, school para professionals, food service workers, and starting school teachers.
* We need more aggressive nutritional education from K-12, and mandatory and effective PE for all able bodied public school children, K-12. We need even more access for better PE for those children with challenging mental and physical disabilities.
* We need to fund low cost community fitness centers that cater to all ages and abilities.
* As we change our cities, we need to always keep handicap-access at the forefront in planning.
* We need to hold politicians feet to the fire who say moronic things like, "if we're going to Frack, let's do it safely". Grow a pair and just say let's Ban Fracking Federally as a public health disaster waiting to happen.
* Raise the minimum wage federally, like they've done in other States, to at least $8.50 per hour. I've already talked to folks that would really benefit from that. We should also have a discussion at least, about sheltered workshops paying sub-minimum wage to folks that need great assistance in doing their work. Just being fair to bring it up.
That's my story, and I'm going with it.
Dr. Scott Noren
U.S. Senate candidate, NY who has the instructions and Independent nominating petition on my home page below, WAITING FOR YOU TO BE A NEW YORK HERO, and get 10 signatures on a piece of paper, and get me on the ballot for November.
Www.norenforsenate.com