STOP THE FRACK ATTACK

One of Romney's Glass Houses

Although I mainly focus on fracking, I couldn't pass this up.    During my morning ritual of reading the news I came across the following article from the Washington Post:

Romney tries to regain momentum with new focus on Obama’s ‘political payoffs’

"In a coordinated offensive starting Monday, the Romney team and its allies will say that the president has been a “typical politician” and has demonstrated “systematic favoritism” toward top campaign fundraisers by lavishing them with federal appointments and their companies with taxpayer money and special government deals, according to campaign officials."

ummmm... Does this mean Mitt will be returning corporate and croney campaign "donations", refusing corporate and croney donations going forward and request the corporate and croney pacs shut down?

Doubt it.

I was born and raised in Massachusetts, lived there for about 42 years.  I moved to Pennsylvania in 1997 and therefore missed the Mitt as governor.   Nonetheless, between the above article and my former connection to Massachusetts, it did make me wonder what Mitt's record of political favors, tit for tat, and back scratching looks like.

OOOOOOPS........A quick google search of "Romney Massachusetts Appointments" turned up  "As governor, Mitt Romney backtracked on promised reforms in appointing judges".

"Though he once said people connected to state government would be at a disadvantage in seeking judgeships, Romney ended up appointing seven lawyers from inside his administration.

In his final 17 months in office, he pushed through a surge of judicial nominees, some with controversial records, others with the kind of political connections he once condemned, records show. They included a former consultant for Bain & Co., the consulting firm where Romney made his reputation in business;a former Republican legislator rejected as too political by the screening panel; and a court clerk who had been reprimanded for asking a female co-worker to perform a lap dance at a strip club."

.............sucks to live in a glass house doesn't it?

The Woodlands by Rich Waters from Jackson Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania

Residents in Jackson Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania share their fracking experience. Film shared courtesy of Nature Abounds' friend Rich Waters, a local photographer and videographer who is documenting how fracking is changing the lives of his neighbors in Southeast Pennsylvania.

Energy-In-Depth: The "Dots"

EID sees Dead People

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.    

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.

SB-1263 Blows out Act 13

Anadarko blowout 1979

Act 13 strips local zoning controls in the name of CONSISTENCY, i.e. to make it easier for the Natural Gas industry to do what ever they want wherever they want. SB-1263 eliminates that consistency with the 6-year moratorium. In the court challenge to Act 13, the argument by the state on the need for consistency just had a blowout - you can't have consistency for the entire state when some areas are exempt.

Granted a moratorium isn't a ban on gas drilling, and communities are still prohibited from imposing a ban nor institute zoning restrictions - however, what is stopping communities from raising hell and demanding to be included in the moratorium. You can bet that any political rally I attend for a state candidate that should I have the opportunity to ask them a question, the question will be "Do you and will you support expanding the Bucks-Montgomery County moratorium to include the rest of Pennsylvania?"

The study, despite not knowing the details of exactly what will be studied, who will do the study, where the study will be done and who is paying for the study, the fact that a study is going to be done speaks volumes.

We have been told time and time again gas drilling is "safe", fracking doesn't cause water contamination, methane naturally occurs in water wells, the bouncy stream in Leroy, PA is natural, the geysers in Union township are natural, the geysers from private water wells in Franklin are natural, Susquehanna river bubbling is natural, and black/brown water in Dimock is safe to drink, etc.  If it is all natural and safe - why the study and the moratorium?

(A note about the term "natural" being used to imply "safe" - toadstool mushrooms are "natural", but you wouldn't want them on your Pizza.)

"Naturally occurring phenomenon" can be studied without having a moratorium. Yes, it is, in all likelihood, politically motivated to provide cover to politicians who are at risk of not being re-elected - however politicians will not have "to save my butt" as part of their campaign rhetoric. They will need to have some publicly acceptable reason - and that being a question of the safety of gas drilling and it's impact on communities in terms of economics, environmental and health.

That there will be a study in conjunction with a moratorium indicates there is sufficient concern at the STATE level that there are problems with natural gas drilling. It also implies the state legislature, and Corbett (once he signs it) does not believe the Natural Gas industry's assurances that drilling/fracking is safe.

1. Call/write your representative and senator often and tell them to include your community in the moratorium.

2. Call/write your representative and senator often and ask them for the details of the study - who will do it, what will be studied, who is funding it, where will it be done etc.

3. Contact your local town/city officials, tell them to pass a resolution or write a letter of support to include YOUR city/town in the moratorium.

4. Contact candidates running for local/state offices, ask them for their position on the moratorium and if they will support expanding the moratorium to include your area.

Passage of SB1263 has the potential of turning gas drilling into a very hot political issue during this election year.

I know I've rambled on quite a bit - so to put into a soundbite: If gas drilling is safe why is there a moratorium? If gas drilling is safe why is the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania doing a study on it's impact?

Krancer-Cawley Exemption Bill

In a late afternoon session on Saturday June 30, 2012, the Pennsylvania legislature passed Fiscal Code bill (SB 1263) with a 124-74 vote.  

 I call your attention to the following special provision:

SECTION 1607-E.  OIL AND GAS OPERATIONS IN THE SOUTH NEWARK BASIN, specifically (3)  THE UNIQUE GEOLOGIC AND GEOCHEMICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SOUTH NEWARK BASIN EVALUATED IN THE REPORT UNDER PARAGRAPH (1) HAVE NOT BEEN ADEQUATELY EVALUATED BY THE COMMONWEALTH AND ARE DESERVING OF FURTHER STUDY

 and 

 (B)  WELL PERMITS.  THE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION MAY NOT ISSUE WELL PERMITS UNDER 58 PA.C.S. CH. 32 (RELATING TO DEVELOPMENT) TO ENGAGE IN OIL AND GAS OPERATIONS WITHIN THE GEOGRAPHIC BOUNDARIES OF THE SOUTH NEWARK BASIN, AS DEFINED BY THE REPORT UNDER SUBSECTION (A), UNTIL ALL OF THE FOLLOWING HAS OCCURRED:

(1)  A STUDY IS COMPLETED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES, IN CONSULTATION WITH THE MUNICIPALITIES LOCATED IN THE SOUTH NEWARK BASIN, EVALUATING THE PRACTICAL RESOURCE RECOVERY IMPLICATIONS OF THE REPORT UNDER SUBSECTION (A) AND THE FISCAL IMPACT OF OIL AND GAS OPERATIONS ON THE SOUTH NEWARK BASIN.

Add caption

The Newark Basin is a sediment-filled rift basin located mainly in northern New Jersey but also stretching into south-eastern Pennsylvania and southern New York. It is part of the system of Eastern North America Rift Basins.   

 

In Pennsylvania it includes Bucks County, Montgomery County and parts of Lehigh, Berks and Chester counties.

A USGS geological map of New Jersey and the surrounding region. The Newark Basin is outlined in white.

Kooky Coincidence?

The moratorium would last until 2018, which coincides with the end of Corbett’s term should he be re-elected in 2014.

DEP Secretary Michael Krancer has political and professional ties to Montgomery County, and makes his home in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania.  

Lt. GovernorJames “Jim” Cawley also has political and professional ties to Bucks County as well as calling it home.

CorporateHeadquarters for Aqua America is in Bryn Mawr,   Aqua America formed, Aqua-PVR, a joint subsidiary with Penn-Virginia Resources and has been at the center of a controversy surrounding the eviction of the residents of Riverdale Mobile Home Park.  Nicholas DeBenedictis served on the 2010 Energy-Environment committee for the then Governor-Elect Corbett.  

PVR’s headquarters is in Radnor PA.  Radnor is an unincorporated community in Radnor Township of Delaware County and Tredyffrin Township of Chester County.

Berks Gas Truth Responds:

Senator Chuck McIlhinney (R-Bucks, Montgomery) got the exemption added to the bill even though he voted for Act 13 earlier this year. His lack of understanding of the law he had helped pass was evident in an op-ed he wrote the day after the law was enacted. “As we worked to craft a compromise, protecting the environment and preserving local zoning control were two of my primary concerns. The final legislation accomplished these goals, earning the support of Pennsylvania Association of Township Supervisors, other local government organizations and the state’s Growing Greener Coalition. While not perfect, it is a balanced and thoughtful approach to protecting our environment and regulating an industry that is here to stay in Pennsylvania. It does not affect Bucks County’s townships, like Nockamixon Township. It would only pertain to non-conventional wells.” When he learned that the law removes local control over all gas drilling operations, including those related to pipelines, compressor stations, waste disposal and others, he vowed to amend the law, but appeared to take no action. The announcement from the U.S. Geological Survey last week that the South Newark Basin that covers much of both counties is rich in shale gas prompted him to get the language into the Fiscal Code bill at the eleventh hour.

Implications and Questions

The Corbett administration has been one of the major cheerleaders for natural gas drilling in Pennsylvania, and maintains that natural gas drilling is SAFE.    The Corbett administration has ignored concerns of the risks and hazards associated with natural gas drilling.

Michael Krancer,DEP Secretary, has gone as far as berating the EPA for their involvement in Dimock, PA.  On Act 13 he said: "Act 13 reaffirms our strong commitment to safe, responsible, environmentally sensitive and transparent natural gas development here in Pennsylvania".


In the original version of Act 13, State lawmakers had allotted $2 million from the proposed Marcellus Shale impact fee last year for a health registry. But that money was cut from the bill before it came to a vote. The impact fee passed, without money for a health registry.

Republican State Senator Joe Scarnati, who steered the bill to passage in February, said he was “not a fan” of the registry. Instead, he favored giving money for water testing by the Department of Environmental Protection.

Drew Crompton, Scarnati’s chief of staff, called a shale health registry potentially “inflammatory and unnecessary.”

Whenever the issue of safety arises around Natural Gas activities, Corbett's administration is quick to divert attention to JOB JOBS JOBS.

Lt. Governor Cawley’s position on Natural Gas activities in Pennsylvania is that it will create Jobs, Jobs Jobs.  “Natural gas is already providing thousands of jobs for Pennsylvania. You can see it right here at Cleveland Brothers. They may not be drilling here, but jobs are being created here in Wilkes-Barre and across the state," said Cawley.

Mmmmmm, wonder why they don't want to create Jobs in the exempted areas?






Questions:
If Natural Gas Drilling is safe, why are just these areas exempt and have a 6-year moratorium?

If Natural Gas Drilling is safe, why, all of a sudden, does a study need to be done on just these areas?
Did PA Legislature shoot itself in the foot with regards to the ACT 13 challenges?

The exemptions, moratorium and call for a study to be done implies Natural Gas Drilling may not be all that safe – especially in counties where many elected, appointed state official live, and where interests to the Natural Gas industry live and/or have their headquarters.

If the PA Legislature can exempt these special areas from ACT 13 and impose a moratorium why not the same for the rest of Pennsylvania where we see the harmful and dangerous results of Natural Gas Drilling?  


The two of the recent harmful result is the creation of “Old FRACKful” in Union Town­ship, Tioga County.  Royal Shell issued a vol­un­tary evac­u­a­tion request to peo­ple liv­ing within a mile of the well. The Depart­ment of Envi­ron­men­tal Pro­tec­tion is inves­ti­gat­ing the incident.  

 The second is at a Chesapeake Energy site in Leroy, Bradford County which is experiencing “methaneplumes.”  Both counties are located far away from the exempted locations.


And by the way if anyone is expecting anything to be done to correct the Krancer-Cawley Exemption bill – don’t look for it to be done any time soon:

The Senate will reconvene at 1:00PM on September 24, 2012 unless sooner recalled by President Pro Tempore.

Without the entire PA legislature in session - nothing will be done.

Pa. state Rep. Jesse White speaks out against legislation
that would allow two -- and only two -- counties in the
Philadelphia suburbs to ban Marcellus Shale drilling.
White says this unconstitutional bill is terrible policy
that will lead to long-term problems.