Tioga County, PA Gas Watch

Bradford County (and everywhere else in PA), you are being misled...

2010-06-02T13:32:00.000-04:00

Please take a moment to read this blog post from a concerned former area resident who knows a thing or two about rural lifestyle...some simple reasoning and math can make a big difference (and reveal a good bit of truth) when considering the industry's "numbers"...

http://www.friedchickenandcoffee.com/2010/05/28/bradford-county-pa-you-are-being-misled/

Firms find more gas beyond the Marcellus field

2010-05-23T14:28:00.000-04:00

(we all knew this was coming!!!)

The discovery gives hope to drillers for extending the life of Pa. mining efforts.
Wells could be sunk from existing sites...

By Andrew Maykuth
Inquirer Staff Writer

As big as the Marcellus Shale gas bonanza has become, it's not the only Pennsylvania geologic formation yielding new and unexpected quantities of natural gas. Two exploration companies have reported promising discoveries in rock formations layered around the Marcellus like a geologic parfait. Those finds raise the prospect of even more drilling in a state where the gas boom has generated ardent economic hopes as well as passionate environmental fears.

Range Resources Corp., a Texas company that pioneered Marcellus development in 2003, reported to analysts last month that it had completed horizontal test wells in shale formations above and below the mile-deep Marcellus. Range says the two formations contain significant commercial quantities of natural gas.

"The Marcellus has gotten a lot of great research and a lot of great results, and you might think it's the only shale play up here of any magnitude," William Zagorski, Range vice president of geology in Appalachia, said in an interview Friday.

But Zagorski said two new shale formations - the Utica Shale deeper below the surface and the shallower Upper Devonian Shale - were "in the same ballpark" as the Marcellus.

Though both lie under large stretches of the eastern United States - the Utica is being developed in Quebec - Range officials say the Utica Shale appears to be most promising in Western Pennsylvania, and the Upper Devonian Shale in southwestern Pennsylvania and parts of West Virginia. Drilling is going on in both areas, including some directed at the Marcellus.

Meanwhile, Cabot Oil & Gas Corp., a Houston company, disclosed to analysts last year that it had drilled a successful horizontal well through the Purcell Limestone in its Marcellus acreage in Susquehanna County north of Scranton.

The Purcell Limestone is an intermediate stratum sandwiched between two layers of the Marcellus Shale. Before drilling the Purcell well, Cabot's activity was exclusively confined to the richer, lower Marcellus.

The new well, which produced an impressive 7.3 million cubic feet of gas per day over 30 days, allowed Cabot to access the upper Marcellus Shale without impairing production from its deeper wells, Dan O. Dinges, Cabot's chief executive officer, told analysts in a February conference call.

With the new results, Cabot and other operators in Pennsylvania's northern tier might multiply production from their existing acreage by running pairs of horizontal wells at different depths.

Read the rest of the article here.

PA Faces of Frackland

2010-04-28T11:41:00.000-04:00

New blog reporting on personal stories from the Marcellus Gas "play"...Check it out:

http://pafaces.wordpress.com/

SAVE THESE DATES: Tillman, Gasland & Split Estate Events - Williamsport & Gaines, PA

2010-04-28T11:36:00.000-04:00

Some dates that are worth marking on your calendar:

APRIL 30: Calvin Tillman, Mayor of DISH, TX returns to the Marcellus Shale region and will be in Williamsport on April 30, 2010 at 7:30 - the Genetti Ballroom. "What Gas Exploration has meant to his (Tillman's) town and why that is important to us"

MAY 11: GASLAND Showing. Josh Fox will be in Williamsport to present his award winning documentary film at 7:30 at the Community Arts Center.

MAY 19: Split Estate will be shown in Gaines Township at the Pine Creek Methodist Church on Wednesday, from 7-9 PM. After the film Jim Weaver, Tioga County Planner, will take questions. Pine Creek Methodist Church is located on the north side of US route 6 between Gaines and Galeton, PA, just east of the Potter/Tioga county line.

Around here, health and well-being come first

2010-04-20T10:33:00.000-04:00

It is with deep regret that we have decided to stop following the gas drilling saga 24-7. This decision has been made due to a variety of reasons, most importantly due to health concerns. The constant barrage of anger, anxiety and frustration that comes with following all of this has become increasingly aggravating and detrimental to certain health conditions from which we suffer.

Now, we would have to crawl under a rock to completely turn a blind eye to all of this - it is literally impossible with all of the truck traffic, flares in the night sky and sudden invasion of our recreation areas with drillers. We cannot fully ignore this situation and we do not intend to. We just can no longer submit ourselves to the daily grind of combing the web for news. We'd rather be in the field watching this up close anyways, and the fresh air (when not downwind from a drill site) would do us some good.

We do plan to continue to post if something comes up that is extremely important, just expect posting with much less frequency. In the meantime, we recommend following the blogs we've listed in the right sidebar - SplashdownPA is a good starting point. Also, please pay attention to the situation in other areas of the country where gas drilling is not so "young" - TXSharon's "BLUEDAZE: Drilling Reform for Texas" is an excellent place to start.

Thanks to everyone who has offered advice, support, links, questions, etc... hopefully we'll see you in the field.

Get our there and FIGHT THE FRACK.

Around here, our mental and physical health and well-being come first - wouldn't it have been nice if our great state had felt that way about Marcellus shale?

Josh Fox's "Gasland" coming to Williamsport, PA - May 11

2010-04-20T10:06:00.000-04:00

There is a screening of Josh Fox's award winning documentary "Gasland" set in Williamsport, PA on May 11th. At this time, we're unsure of the place or time. We'll fill in this information as soon as it becomes available to us.

To learn more about Gasland, please visit the website for the film.

The film is also scheduled to premiere on HBO on June 21st.

Contamination suspends Cabot's Pa. gas drilling (AGAIN)

2010-04-20T09:59:00.000-04:00

(original article link here)

By MICHAEL RUBINKAM (AP)

ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Pennsylvania environmental regulators on Thursday banned an energy company from drilling in the state until it plugs three natural gas wells believed to have contaminated the drinking water supplies of 14 homes.

The Department of Environmental Protection said Houston-based Cabot Oil & Gas Corp. has failed to abide by the terms of a November 2009 agreement to clean up the contamination in Dimock Township in northeastern Pennsylvania's Susquehanna County, where residents say their wells have been polluted by methane gas and other contaminants.

DEP said Cabot has already paid a $240,000 fine and must pay $30,000 per month beginning in May until the company meets its obligations.

"We're very upset with Cabot," state Environmental Secretary John Hanger told The Associated Press. "The conduct, whether it's willful or unintentional, is completely unacceptable."

Cabot spokesman Ken Komoroski denied the company has neglected its obligations in Dimock.

"Cabot did comply with everything it could comply with under the November consent order," he said.

The company denies it polluted residents' wells, saying the high levels of methane detected in them might be natural.

Because of the region's complicated geology, it might be years before experts can say with any certainty what is causing methane levels to spike, Komoroski said.

"It just isn't scientifically fair to say in any short period of time that Cabot's activities did or did not cause the methane in the groundwater," he said.

Residents have described an ordeal that began shortly after Cabot started drilling near their homes, saying the water that came out of their faucets suddenly became cloudy and discolored, and smelled and tasted foul. A resident's well exploded on New Year's Day 2009, prompting a state investigation that found Cabot had allowed combustible gas to escape into the region's groundwater supplies.

More than a dozen families have filed a federal lawsuit against Cabot, asking for an environmental cleanup, medical monitoring and damages in excess of $75,000 each.

Cabot is among a slew of exploration companies that are drilling in the Marcellus shale, a deep layer of rock that experts say holds vast stores of largely untapped natural gas. The company began approaching homeowners in Dimock in 2006 and has drilled dozens of wells within a 9-square-mile tract of land in the township.

Pennsylvania regulators have repeatedly penalized the company.

Last September, the DEP temporarily banned Cabot from using a drilling technique called hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking," following three chemical spills at a single well site in Dimock.

Then, in November, the agency signed a consent decree with Cabot in which the company agreed to pay a $120,000 fine, take steps to improve its drilling operations, and restore or replace the affected water supplies in Dimock.

But the DEP said the company failed to meet a March 31 deadline to fix defective casings on three wells, and that gas continues to pollute groundwater. Regulators said they recently identified five additional defective gas wells drilled by the company and might require the company to plug them, too, unless it fixes them.

"Cabot had every opportunity to correct these violations, but failed to do so. Instead, it chose to ignore its responsibility to safeguard the citizens of this community and to protect the natural resources there," Hanger said in a statement.

Hanger said regulators will suspend their review of Cabot's pending drilling applications statewide until it complies fully with the agreement.

Cabot said it does not expect the DEP order to affect the number of wells it will ultimately drill in Pennsylvania in 2010, nor will it affect gas production.

Other articles about this:
Cabot Ordered to Stop Drilling Again
Cabot Oil & Gas Enters Modified Agreement with Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection

For even more coverage, visit Google News and search for "Cabot Oil & Gas".

Well, Well Neighbor

2010-04-12T10:44:00.000-04:00

Posted on Sunday April 11, 2010

By Andrew Maykuth

Inquirer Staff Writer

FORT WORTH - Texas has a storied history of oil and gas production, but it has never experienced anything quite like the current urban gas boom in this city of 650,000 people.

More than 1,000 wells have been drilled inside Fort Worth's city limits in recent years. Drilling rigs have sprouted up downtown, next to homes, on universities, and at airports.

Wells have gone in near parks, schools, and reservoirs. If open land is unavailable, no problem: Gas operators have bought and demolished structures to make way for wells and pipelines.

"Texas - it's like drilling is second nature here," said Sarah J. Fullenwider, a senior assistant city attorney in Fort Worth. "But a lot of newcomers are not familiar with it, and when they're banging pipes at 3 a.m. near your house, it got a little closer to home."

The bonanza was triggered by the discovery of the Barnett Shale, a 7,000-foot-deep formation beneath 23 counties in North Texas, including all of Fort Worth. The Barnett is one of several shale-gas "plays" across the nation; the largest, the Marcellus Shale, underlies much of Pennsylvania.

While gas production is just beginning in the Marcellus, Barnett drilling began nearly 30 years ago. It took off in 2002, when engineers here combined horizontal drilling techniques with hydraulic fracturing, a process that unlocks natural gas by forcing high-pressure fluid and sand into the impermeable shale to shatter the rock.

With the new process, shale that had little economic allure began to yield prodigious amounts of fuel. Shale gas potential is so vast that forecasters are rethinking the nation's energy outlook.

According to the Texas Railroad Commission, which regulates the industry, about 13,000 wells have tapped into the Barnett - about 10 times the number in Pennsylvania's Marcellus since 2008.

According to the Perryman Group, an economic consultancy, the Barnett accounted for $11 billion in economic output and 111,131 jobs in 2008. Barnett activity accounts for 10.4 percent of private-sector employment in the Fort Worth area, according to Perryman.

Drilling activity has slacked off since it peaked in 2008 - there are now about 90 rigs operating in the shale, half the number from two years ago.

The state received more than $275 million in severance taxes from Barnett wells in 2008. The City of Fort Worth projects it will receive $1 billion in bonus and royalty revenue over the next three decades, plus an additional $400 million in production taxes.

But the bounty has costs.

Complaints about noise, dust, and traffic erupted after gas-drilling moved into congested areas. An industry accustomed to working in rural surroundings has been forced to become more neighborly.

The city enacted new ordinances with stricter setback standards - property owners within 600 feet of a well must sign a waiver to allow drilling, or the drilling company can request permission from city council.

The rules require rig operators to erect sound walls to tone down the around-the-clock racket during the weeks it takes to drill a well. Rubber pads were installed to reduce the clanging of steel pipes hitting the ground. Drillers were instructed to aim their lights away from dwellings.

Pipelines that cut through private property - the easements acquired under threat of condemnation - have triggered protests from residents worried about property values.

And a growing debate has emerged about emissions from wells and compressor stations, where the gas is processed before it is piped off to distant markets. After conflicting studies came to different conclusions about the threat of benzene emissions, Fort Worth is commissioning a study by a neutral firm that it hopes will clarify the issue.

Some of the initial euphoria from the boom, when property owners received big payments for leasing their rights, has turned to remorse.

"A lot of people here said they didn't realize the magnitude of what they were signing," said Fullenwider. "When the drilling started, people started having second thoughts."

The industry made some "very reckless and very stupid" missteps, said State Rep. Jim Keffer, a Republican who heads the Texas House Energy Resources Committee.

Please read the rest of the article here.

Public Hearing Set on Marcellus Shale Environmental Impacts

2010-04-10T20:13:00.001-04:00

Event Date: 4/13/2010

The PA House Majority Policy Committee will host a Public Hearing on environmental impacts on the Marcellus Shale and Chesapeake Bay, Tuesday, April 13, 2010 from 10:30 a.m.- 1 p.m. at Lycoming College, 700 College Place, Academic Center at Wendell Hall, RM D-001, Williamsport, PA 17701.

The event is open to public. Testimony will be heard from a variety of participants. A brief question-and-answer period will be held.

Posted at NorthCentralPA.com

Gas Pains: How the Marcellus rush threatens our environment and our economy

2010-04-07T15:48:00.001-04:00

This is a VERY excellent article with input from several locals.

(photo at left by Elizabeth Berkowitz - A new well pad sits near a road in Lycoming county, lighting up the valley.)

Marcellus drilling transforms the state

by Hannah Abelbeck

As the scale and pace of Marcellus gas well drilling picks up, people in rural Pennsylvania are learning how to fight traffic jams, research deed histories, encounter the FBI, self-monitor streams and light their tap water on fire.

Innovations in drilling technology have fueled the rush to extract natural gas from the Marcellus shale, a geological formation that underlies 70 percent of Pennsylvania and portions of Centre County.

The gas rush is on, and money is fueling all of it. Companies and lending institutions willing to invest the big money needed up front want a fast return, resulting in quicker and more intense drilling in rural areas desperate to save their sluggish economies. Residents are signing leases, desperate to supplement sagging incomes. Workers, hungry for jobs, hope to sign up for long, dangerous work days, if they can get them. And the industry promotes the benefits and downplays the costs of massive speculation, while opposing regulations that might shrink profit margins.

Meanwhile, the environment, health, and financial well-being of Pennsylvania residents is at risk like never before.

“I don’t think anybody realizes how big and ridiculous this whole situation is,” said Dave Bailey when describing what he and his neighbors have experienced in the last two years. All of his neighbors on Hedgehog Lane, a rural street in Bradford Township, McKean County had their private water wells contaminated when one company drilled and fractured 26 non-Marcellus wells near their homes two years ago.

“I’m not opposed to domestic drilling,” said neighbor Lorrie Trumbull. “What we don’t like is shoddy workmanship.” The layer of concrete that is supposed to seal the well bore from sources of underground drinking water was not properly installed on several wells, say the neighbors.

...there is much more to this article, please read the rest of it here!

Speaker: Drilling bad for PA

2010-04-05T16:43:00.000-04:00

By William Kibler, bkibler@altoonamirror.com
April 4, 2010

CLEARVILLE - The Food and Drug Administration requires that new pharmaceutical compounds undergo rigorous testing before they go to market.

Environmental agencies didn't exercise the same kind of rigor before allowing energy firms to extract gas from shale formations 6,000 feet down, using the relatively new method of "fracking" - pumping chemical-laced water under pressure to break the rock and release the gas, said Dan Volz, director of the University of Pittsburgh Center for Healthy Environments and Communities.

Pennsylvania residents are paying for that failure, said Volz, who spoke here Saturday to about 50 people appalled by the results of drilling over the past couple years.

Drilling companies came in with slick pamphlets that made the process seem profitable and innocuous for landowners, but landowners have found the reality distressing, according to those who attended the hearing.

The situation has grown to crisis proportions in parts of northeast and southwest Pennsylvania, Volz said.

Farmer Ron Gulla spoke of losing a well, a spring and a pond on his property, a high fatality rate with his dairy animals, garbage on his property and unsightly industrial-style installations.

He's in litigation with the company that "trashed my property," he said.

But he hasn't been able to mortgage his property to underwrite the lawsuit because the bank believes the gas operations may have devalued it too much for it to be sufficient collateral, he said.

"The industry shouldn't have used us as lab rats," Gulla said.

And there are problems around Clearville.

Property owner Sandy McDaniel spoke of signing a lease with a drilling firm that didn't choose to go into production on her property. Instead, it sold the lease to another firm that installed a gas storage facility in a formation below the Marcellus shale from which the companies extract the gas.

That has involved the same kinds of issues, and she's had pollution problems with "surfactants" called methylene blue active substances in her well water and her pond.

She showed a bottle with water from her well that appeared to contain orange-aid.

Her "pre-tests" had showed no pollution.

"Would the gas company drink this?" she asked rhetorically. "A small dose of poison on a regular basis will eventually kill you."

A few years ago, when the leasing began, "we didn't know how to recognize pollution," she told the group.

"[But] Internet searches have been good to us."

The seriousness of the pollution issues based on research in other areas where fracking has been going on longer have only recently become available, Volz said.

The chemicals used in the fracking mix or released from the shale are getting into the air and into ground and surface water, he said.

They include some that are "endocrine-disrupting," he said, explaining that the chemicals would affect hormones in the body.

There are metals and - most worrisome - organic solvents, including benzene and toluene.

They can evaporate from the ponds where the companies store the used fracking water, he said.

There is currently no acceptable means of disposal for that used water, he said.

Some was pumped into old coal mines previously filled with fly-ash, but that has polluted streams, he said.

Sewage plant treatment doesn't remove the problem chemicals, it just dilutes them, he said.

Overall, the fracking of wells is an industrial process, and there are always spills and leaks in industrial processes, he said.

Cost-benefit analyses done previously on fracking failed to take into account "public goods" like air and water quality and public health, he said.

But "boom-town" models document predictable outcomes that include increases in divorce, alcoholism, mental health issues, conflict between longtime residents and newcomers who have different norms and tax inequities, he said.

Boom times generate more vehicle accidents, more trucks, an influx of kids in schools and more trouble for police, he said.

Gas exploration also strains a local government's ability to handle zoning and planning, he said.

Residents should talk to one another and group together in large cooperatives, hiring expert environmental lawyers, before dealing with the gas companies, Volz said.

Leases need to be tightly written and guarantee protections like water testing paid for by the companies, he said.

Talking to one another also reassures people that they're not "crazy" for being upset at the things they see, said Chuck Christin, operations director of the Center for Healthy Environments and Communities at the University of Pittsburgh.

Residents also need to talk with their municipal officials, whom gas company officials have often plied with their "one side of the story" previously, Christin said.

Research needs to be done, but it's time-consuming, and, meanwhile, problems are happening. So for now, organizations trying to mitigate the problem need people to share their stories, Christin said.

The drilling companies are already moving as fast as they can because of the problematic gas drilling legacy in Colorado, said environmental biologist John Stolz of Duquesne University.

The center is working with a Web site to help collect data on drilling and the problems it causes and to enable users to manipulate that data to organize information they can use to get answers about what's happening, Christin said.

For example, they can create their own maps that tell them the location of drilling sites in an area, he said.

The organization is also planning workshops to instruct residents to lead the kind of meetings held Saturday to spread the word more efficiently.

Gulla is pessimistic.

"You can't clean up what they've already wrecked," he said.

A pessimist in the audience said sharing information may help the industry identify and "squash the pests," who point out problems. "You're not going to win," he said.

Volz lashed out at the pessimist.

"You can stop it," he shouted to the group. "Goddamn it, help yourselves and vote them out of office!"

Christin hesitates to blame the politicians.

"We're all addicts" for fossil fuels, he said.

Gov. Ed Rendell was in a difficult situation with the budget last year, leading him to sell leases on public lands to gas drillers, Volz said.

Even environmental agencies are only doing what they're told.

The state Department of Environmental Resources' "hands are tied," because of the lack of supporting national legislation - in the form of the "Halliburton Exemption," granted by the Bush administration, by which drillers don't need to comply with the Clean Water Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act, Volz said.

And the Obama administration is hardly in a position to clamp down after campaign promises to work for energy independence, Christin said.

It all happened too quickly, Volz said.

"What was the rush?" he asked rhetorically.

"You would have thought we would have learned our lesson," he said, referring to the state's legacy of pollution problems with coal and other minerals.

Ultimately, it's a political question, a question of regulation and the will to impose it, Volz said. "In the end, it's not about science," he said.

But he's seen a recent upwelling of "real concern," as well as fear and outrage - crossing party lines. "The political consequences are starting to fall on good ears," he said.

Arrogance hardly helps drillers' goals

2010-04-05T13:46:00.001-04:00

April 05, 2010

The sheer arrogance of the natural gas drilling industry is hard to fathom.

Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell has been one of the industry's biggest advocates. He's promoted drilling in the state's huge Marcellus Shale deposit as a potential economic bonanza, a source of good new jobs and a way to begin sending much-needed revenues to state and local governments.

Yet when Rendell invited leading industry executives in January to the governor's mansion to discuss an extraction tax — which most other gas-drilling states have — only one accepted. Several others said they would send staff members.

Imagine getting a personal invitation to talk to the governor, and blowing it off.

These guys are not only rude, they're short-sighted. Gas drilling carries serious environmental risks, and many Pennsylvanians are openly opposed to the practice, warning of the danger of groundwater pollution and the still unresolved issue of water that is contaminated while used in the drilling process, then remaining indefinitely on site. A gas extraction tax would help add a measure of protection against groundwater or other pollution events. Rendell agreed last year to delay such a tax, but now he considers it a necessity.

Industry officials apparently feel Pennsylvanians' hunger for jobs is paving the way for drilling unimpeded by an extraction tax or other obstacles. And yet there's a bill now proposed in the General Assembly calling for a moratorium on leasing additional state forest lands to drilling companies. Local and state civic, sportsmen's and environmental groups are conducting their own studies and challenging industry claims that drilling is safe. Local community groups are raising questions about how they will manage additional truck traffic, more children in local schools and other changes that will come with widespread drilling.

Pennsylvania's natural gas deposits could go a long way toward boosting employment and reducing our reliance on imported energy sources. But Pennsylvanians also widely support a severance tax. And who wouldn't look askance at business fat cats who would turn their backs on an invitation from the state's top elected official?

Rendell predicts that by opposing any tax now, the industry will end up with a stiffer one later on. He may be right. There's no reason Pennsylvania residents should give up their natural resources to profit-making companies without some return. Industry executives who resist a "modest and reasonable" tax — Rendell's chosen words — are risking communities' modest and reasonable attitudes toward what they want to do.

They'll be making big bucks on their gas wells. They should pay a tax for it as they do in other states.

See the original editorial here.

Natural gas boom brings "riches" to a rural town

2010-04-05T12:46:00.000-04:00

Jon Hurdle

WELLSBORO, Pennsylvania

Mon Apr 5, 2010 9:04am EDT

(Reuters) - At a windswept rail yard at Wellsboro in northern Pennsylvania, dozens of railcars wait to load thousands of tons of sand onto trucks that will take the cargo to natural gas rigs across the state.

The freight railroad, which runs 35 miles north to Corning, New York, had its busiest year in more than two decades in 2009, fueled by demand from a booming natural gas industry, which uses sand in hydraulic fracturing operations.

Revenue doubled last year for Wellsboro & Corning Railroad, owned by Tom Myles and sons Tom Jr. and Bill, and the sand-hauling contracts that began a year ago are due to double revenue again in 2010 and make up 80 percent of business.

It's a windfall for the Myles -- who bought the railroad's rolling stock for $750,000 in January 2008, expecting to serve two local manufacturing companies -- and for Wellsboro, which has a population of about 3,200, and its surrounding farms.

"This is a huge opportunity for us to operate at these levels," said Bill Myles, manager of the railroad's operations. The company has just spent $1.5 million on four powerful new locomotives, is laying new track and has hired new workers.

Like many rural towns, Wellsboro is getting rich from the rush to develop the Marcellus Shale, a formation stretching from New York to West Virginia that contains enough natural gas to satisfy U.S. demand for 20 years or more, experts say.

It is expected to become the most productive of America's shale gas fields.

The boom has also transformed the lives of some local farmers who, after struggling financially for years, now find themselves with six- or seven-figure checks from the gas companies in return for leasing their land for drilling.

Tim Gooch, a partner in the Wellsboro office of the accounting firm ParenteBeard LLC, recalled a dairy farmer client who had run up about $500,000 in debt over 20 years because of depressed milk prices and rising farm costs.

But then in 2008, the farmer got a gas-lease check for $800,000, allowing him to pay off his debts and own his 300 acres outright for the first time, Gooch said.

"Some of them have had tears in their eyes, thinking they may have to give up the farm," said Gooch. "The gas checks have allowed them to stay on their land."

Energy companies are paying around $2,500 an acre (they are?!?! WHERE??????) -- a lump sum of about $375,000 for a typical 150-acre farm, he said. And more money will also flow into local economies from gas royalty payments, which are yet to be paid in significant quantities.

'TIP OF THE ICEBERG'

Surging Marcellus gas demand tripled applications for Pennsylvania drilling permits this year to 5,200; produced twice the expected revenue from a recent auction of state lands for drilling, and encouraged Exxon Mobil to bid $31 billion for drilling company XTO late last year.

In Tioga County surrounding Wellsboro, the biggest local operator, East Resources Inc., drilled 42 Marcellus wells in 2009 and expects to sink another 200 this year. The company and its affiliates employ about 60 people in the county and it expects its work force there to grow by 30 percent in 2010.

Bob and Marsha Chesko own the Sherwood Motel in downtown Wellsboro and say it was full, or nearly so, throughout the 2009/10 winter -- an unprecedented experience in their seven years there -- due to an influx of workers at nearby gas rigs.

In previous years, the hotel's winter occupancy struggled to reach 40 percent and traditionally depended largely on the summer trade of tourists visiting the picturesque northern Pennsylvania countryside.

The Chesko's previously set aside money from the summer tourist trade to see them through lean winter months, but this year the jump in winter business has allowed them to meet running and renovation expenses without dipping into reserves.

And with the expected growth in the area's gas industry, Bob Chesko said: "It's just the tip of the iceberg.

Some say it's going to be a 20-year project."

But some Wellsboro locals have raised concern over damage to roads from heavy truck traffic, worries about possible water contamination from the chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing, and unease that their quiet rural life style is being lost.

(our rural lifestyle is already being lost AND the water is already being contaminated)

"I caught myself feeling very sad," said Mary Worthington, treasurer of the local chamber of commerce, as she recently watched a constant stream of gas-industry trucks and mud-spattered pickups grind past her town-center office.

But Todd Coolidge, branch manager of Citizens & Northern Bank in Wellsboro, where the median income of $38,000 is well below the state average of $50,000, said those worries are outweighed by the new gas money.

Business has picked up at gas stations, auto repair shops, restaurants, realtors, and even the local movie theater, said Coolidge, adding, "I have seen so many businesses that it has touched in a positive way."

Original article link here.

Frack tour reveals details about natural gas operation

2010-04-05T12:29:00.001-04:00

By CHERYL R. CLARKE cclarke@sungazette.com
Posted April 4, 2010

MANSFIELD - The discovery of natural gas locked deep underground in the Marcellus Shale has resulted in a sort of "gas rush" to the area of the natural gas industry seeking to unlock its energy from deep in the earth.
Involved in that process is hydrofracturing, or fracking, using a water and sand slurry under high pressure to fracture the rock and release the gas.

One of the gas industries to locate here for the long run is East Resources Inc. of Warrendale, which opened a headquarters last year.

At an East Resources well site in Charleston Township off Mack Road, the process was in full steam late last month.

There are long hours of hard work and much equipment involved in fracking a natural gas well, said Frank Covine of Meadville, Universal Well Services frack site field operations supervisor.

There are 15 stages to fracking a well, Covine said.

We did two of them March 25, the third earlier March 26 and we are working on the fourth now, he said.

The fourth stage perforates the pipe that is sent into the well to receive about 200,000 gallons of water and sand in the highly pressurized slurry, he said.

With about 28 workers per site to supervise, Covine said he is constantly busy during one of his long days.

"Most of the guys at this site are from Meadville, Punxsutawney and Bradford," Covine said. Though only a couple are locals, Covine said Universal is in the process of hiring more from the area.

Covine, who has worked for the company for more than 30 years, has to be on site at all frack jobs, said East Resources community liaison Jack Showers.

One of the locals, Jared Whitney, 25, lives next door to the East Resources headquarters at the "Y" where Routes 6 and 660 intersect, Showers said.

Whitney, who worked for a landscaping business, also sold East some of his property for its headquarters.

"It's been a steady job with good benefits," Whitney said of his employment with East, which began about two years ago.

Starting out as a roustabout, or someone who does the most manual of jobs "with a shovel," Showers said, Whitney has progressed up the ladder to become a completion foreman.

"Now, all the subcontractors report to him," Showers said.

Of the qualities needed to work in the industry, Showers said, Whitney has the most important, "a good attitude. He is willing to learn and work hard."

Whitney said his aptitude for anything mechanical helped, adding that after high school he originally enrolled at Penn College of Technology to learn that trade.

All together, more than $1 million is spent to frack a well, with an average of six wells branching off of each well site, said East petroleum engineer Dale Fidurko.

Fidurko, 24, and a graduate of Penn State University, comes from a natural gas industry family - his father has worked for East for more than 20 years.

Fidurko said it is a "big misconception" that "we are putting secret things down the wells that are bad for the environment."

Covine agreed, saying "most of the chemicals are biodegradable."

Please visit the original article link for photos.

Mr. Covine, did you really say "MOST"??? You should probably choose your words a bit more carefully.

Test well water before Marcellus Shale gas drilling begins, experts advise

2010-04-05T12:12:00.000-04:00

(unfortunately, many folks in our region never got this warning - but for others in our region, it may not be too late for a water test if drilling has not started yet near or on your property)

EILEEN GODIN Times Leader Correspondent

Well-water testing in advance of natural gas drilling operations in parts of Luzerne County could give homeowners with wells knowledge, a baseline for future testing and a legal leg to stand on if their water becomes tainted, some experts say.

Marcellus Shale gas drilling is coming into Luzerne County this summer. EnCana Oil and Gas USA Inc., based in Denver, Colo., will be starting a site in Lake Township off Zosh Road in June or July.

Drilling could also be coming to other mostly Back Mountain area communities. Some area groups have voiced strong opposition to the drilling, and some landowners in counties where drilling is already taking place have said their water wells have been inversely affected by gas drilling activities.

EnCana Community Relations Adviser Wendy Wiedenbeck said her company has drilled 8,700 gas wells and has not had “any instance of well water becoming contaminated.” She said EnCana takes great pains not to damage water wells.

“It is in our best interests not to impact water supplies,” she said. Wiedenbeck said that besides using the standard cement casing at the gas-drilling site to protect underground water sources, a second cement casing will be used for added protection.

She said the casings are inspected regularly throughout the life of the well.

Encana’s zero tolerance of spills means its employees are specially trained for operating valves at drilling operations or transporting liquids, she said.

All spills are reportable, and the federal Environmental Protection Agency has a toll-free line to report them at (877) 919-4372.

“We are very proud of our environmental record,” she said.

To be prepared, residents within a mile radius of the drilling sites are advised to have their well water tested, Wiedenbeck said.

The trick is knowing what kind of testing is needed and the proper way to take a sample.

Aqua-Tech Laboratory Director Joseph F. Calabro, Mountain Top, said well water owners should have a state Department of Environmental Protection-certified lab do the testing. Someone who is certified with the lab should draw the water and a chain of custody for the water sample should be followed, he said.

A chain of custody for the sample is a log that is signed and dated by the person taking the water sample and given to the lab, where it is signed and dated upon receipt. Calabro said this log will stand up in court.

A listing of state-certified labs, by county, can be found at http://water.cas.psu.edu. Click on “information” on water issues related to Marcellus drilling. Then, on the right side of the screen, click on “find a lab.”

Calabro said homeowners should know what is normally in their well water. He said small amounts of minerals such as barium, sodium, manganese and iron, are already in well water, along with many other minerals.

He said that once this baseline for what’s in the water is established, then testing for industry-specific indicators can be performed.

He advised that if homeowners notice a change in taste, clarity or smell of their water, they should have it tested right away.

Concerned that nervous residents could be charged for more testing that what is really needed, he said he is willing to attend municipal meetings to discuss minerals and industry-specific indicators to watch for.

Wilkes University geologist Brain Ora said he is hoping homeowners will be willing to share their testing results to compile a database, by zip code, to show water quality history. He said that over time the database will track changes of water quality.

Original article link here.

Be a Hero for PA State Forests! Events in April...

2010-04-02T13:46:00.003-04:00

Be a Hero for our Forests

Attend an event to show your support for protecting our precious state forests from further natural gas drilling and for an impact fee to ensure drillers pay their fair share...

Currently the state legislature is moving forward with a budget plan that relies on new natural gas drilling leases on state forest land to cover the budget shortfall – threatening our public natural resources and compromising public access to our forest land.

We need forest heroes - our legislators and Governor Rendell must pledge not to support a budget that relies in drilling in forests. Instead, they need to enact a gas extraction impact fee to pay for the damage to natural resources and communities that drilling causes. Our legislators need to support the impact fee and the Save our Forests legislation (HB 2235), which puts a five year freeze on new deep natural gas drilling leases in state forests.

Come to one of these events to stand up for our forests:

April 14, 12:15 - 12:45 p.m. – Philadelphia

Demonstration to Save Pennsylvania’s Forests
Gov. Rendell’s Southeast Office 200 South Broad Street (near Broad and Walnut).
Join us during your lunch hour as we conduct a fun demonstration with a local arts group to show support our remarkable state forests.

April 15, 12:00 – 2:00;p.m. – Ricketts Glen State Park

Picnic in Ricketts Glen State Park to Save Pennsylvania’s Forests
Rickets Glen State Park Picnic Pavilion #2
695 State Route 487, Benton, PA 17814
Gather your friends and family and join us for a relaxing lunch in the park to show your support for protecting our state forests and to simply enjoy the beauty of Ricketts Glen State Park.

April 17, 9:00a.m. – 3:00 p.m.- Philadelphia

Annual PennFuture Watershed Workshop: Bold Action to Protect Water Quality in Philadelphia and Beyond
Friends Center, 1501 Cherry St, Philadelphia, PA 19102
This workshop will discuss changes Philadelphia is making to ensure the health of our waterways and take a look at Marcellus Shale natural gas drilling, and why it is relevant to local water quality.

April 20, 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. - Pittsburgh

Rally for the Trees to Save Pennsylvania’s Forests
Portico steps of the City-County Building, 414 Grant St, Pittsburgh, PA 15219.
Grab your friends and spend your lunch hour showing your support for Pennsylvania’s state forests.

April 20, 5:30 – 7:30p.m. – Ohiopyle

Celebrate Our Forests – and learn more about gas drilling
Ohiopyle Stewart Community Center 15 Sherman Street, Ohiopyle, PA 15470
Learn more about natural gas drilling – what it is and what the impacts will be – and share your stories about what our state forests mean to you. We’ll deliver your stories to elected officials on Earth Day in Harrisburg.

April 22, 10:30 – 11:30 a.m. – Harrisburg

Earth Day Rally to Protect Penn’s Woods
Pennsylvania State Capitol Main Rotunda Gather your friends, postcards, and signs and join us in a rally encouraging our legislators to protect Penn’s Woods.

Please visit the links for each event for more information.

Come out, Stand up and Be a Hero for our State Forests!

PUBLIC/INTERACTIVE MAP - Road Conditions in Tioga County, PA

2010-04-02T12:55:00.001-04:00

Road conditions around Tioga County are quickly deteriorating in areas with high gas drilling traffic. A local person has taken the time to set up a Google map showing deteriorated and/or closed roads. The map is being updated through both news and private submissions. Please view the map and submit information if you know of a road that is not marked on the map that should be...

You may email submissions to tiogacountyroads@gmail.com

Please provide as much location information as possible (such as township) because there are several smaller roads in Tioga County (for example "Elk Run") that share the same name.

View Road Destruction in Tioga County PA in a larger map

New report shows natural gas economic impact will be minimal

2010-04-02T12:07:00.000-04:00

- Paper counters other assessments on subject -

By Tom Wilber •twilber@gannett.com • April 1, 2010, 7:35 pm

And now for another educated guess about what the Marcellus Shale will do to the economy: Not much.

That's from Jannette M. Barth, president of J.M. Barth & Associates, Inc., an economic research and consulting firm in Croton-on-Hudson.

In a paper released last week, Barth looked at employment and demographic information in areas where drilling has flourished in New York, Pennsylvania and western states. Unlike a study commissioned by Broome County and another at Penn State sponsored by the gas drilling industry, Barth's assessment suggested economic benefits from drilling will be underwhelming, at best.

Using Pennsylvania as an example, she cited employment data that show the oil and gas extraction industry has historically produced less than 3,000 jobs a year, although it's been well established for decades. The number of Walmart employees in the state, by comparison, was 48,777.

In New York, her analysis showed income and employment data in the top 10 oil-and-gas-producing counties are not significantly different from neighboring counties.

The assessment is vastly different from two other studies.

One, commissioned by Broome County and released last year, projected a $14 billion impact if 4,000 wells were drilled within the county's borders. Another 2009 Penn State study, sponsored by the industry, forecast nearly 175,000 jobs annually and more than $13 billion in added value. That study, called "An Emerging Giant: Prospects and Economic Impacts of Developing the Marcellus Shale Natural Gas Play," also warned that taxes and regulations threaten to "stunt" the industry and hurt the overall tax base.

"The studies used to support the claim that drilling will bring economic benefits to New York are either biased, dated, seriously flawed, or simply not applicable to the region that would be affected," said Barth, who holds master's and doctoral degrees in economics from the University of Maryland.

Christian Harris, an analyst with the New York State Department of Labor, said Marcellus jobs could buttress a weak economy, but added that it's hard to estimate the impact.

Original article here.

Politicians propound challenge of gas growth is balancing fact, fiction

2010-04-02T11:53:00.000-04:00

CHERYL R. CLARKE/Sun-Gazette
A group calling itself Citizens Concerned About Natural Gas Drilling picket outside the Penn Wells Hotel during the annual Tioga County Development Corp. Legislative Breakfast Thursday. Shown from left are Ron and Jackie Patt of Wellsboro, Barbara and Grant Silverstein of Roseville, Barb Slocum of Blossburg, Branin Boyd of Liberty, Emily Rizzo of Millerton, Daniel Schmitt of Mansfield, Beth Higginson of Liberty, Brian Meadows of Wellsboro, Cliff Hunt of Wellsboro and John Kesich of Millerton.

By CHERYL R. CLARKE -cclarke@sungazette.com
Posted April 2, 2010

WELLSBORO - As gas drilling protestors staged a vigil outside, state and federal legislators spoke about that hot topic Thursday at the Tioga County Development Corp.'s 14th annual Legislative Breakfast at the Penn Wells Hotel.

The economic future of the area looks bright, compared to what it looked like a year ago when the sagging economy and massive job losses took center stage, agreed U.S. Rep. Glenn "GT" Thompson, R-Howard, and state Rep. Matthew E. Baker, R-Wellsboro.

Before an audience of 200, Thompson jokingly compared Tioga County to Washington, D.C.

"You've managed to replicate the traffic in Washington, made it impossible to find a motel room and mobilized citizens with placards protesting out front," he said, referring to a group calling themselves "Citizens Concerned About Natural Gas Drilling." Their placards told passing motorists and pedestrians they are against the hydro fracturing process used by the gas industry.

Referring to the Marcellus Shale, Thompson said, "It's right underneath our feet. We are standing on prosperity. We've faced some tough economic times here in rural Pennsylvania, with high unemployment and the tough times it brings, for some time."

With the discovery of the second largest pool of natural gas in the world, enough to provide the energy needs of the nation for the next 100 years, he said, "We can move toward energy security and independence."

"We send $700 billion every year to middle eastern nations who are not necessarily friendly toward us.

"The Marcellus Shale will provide jobs for Americans and Tioga County workers, in particular, to produce that energy, and Pennsylvania will become an energy exporter, rather than an energy importer."

Accidents and abuses of the law will affect environmental issues, such as those the protesters are concerned about, he said, but with the regulations in place today and the cooperation of the industry, those issues are minimized by agencies such as the Susquehanna River Basin Commission and state Department of Environmental Protection.

"Most people think they (DEP) are fair, and have done a better job than the federal government," he said.

Aide Chuck Dillon, representing state Sen. Joseph B. Scarnati III, R-Brockway, concurred, saying the industry is "heavily regulated" to protect ground water and surface water quality.

"If followed, there shouldn't be any major problems with water quality," he said.

The Achilles heel is in enforcement of the law, he added, especially when oversight was removed from the conservation districts last year and DEP funding was cut during the state budget crisis.

"The senator was concerned about that and met with DEP Secretary John Hanger. He was reassured that they did have problems in the past but those would be addressed and additional oversight would be provided," he said.

Dillon also spoke about the importance of citizen's groups like the newly formed "Waterdogs" to report violations to the department and to "be aware" of what is going on around them.

"Most companies are responsible about following regulations. It is the smaller subcontractors that have to be watched," he said.

Dillon talked about deteriorating road conditions in the Northern Tier, but said to be fair it wasn't all the gas industry's fault.

"Our roads here have been neglected by the state for a hundred years," he said, "and now that the gas industry is riding them, they are crumbling because they have no base."

The industry has, however, offered to repair damage done to local roads, often "making them better than they were before," Dillon said.

The proposed gas impact severance tax is being actively pursued by state lawmakers, Dillon said.

"The primary driver is the state's budget deficit," he said. "Gas companies seem to have a lot of money, and when there is blood in the water, the sharks will gather."

The problem, he added, is that the money will not stay in the region, but rather go into the general fund, where it will be disbursed to the "big three: education, corrections and public welfare."

"It should be spent here but it won't be invested locally for infrastructure needed to keep growth going once the resources are exhausted."

Baker, who is in his ninth term in the state House, said he grew up in a natural gas family, with his father working for Consolidated Gas, now Dominion, for years, and his brother working as a gas pipeline inspector.

"Now, I hear about it on the floor of the House of Representatives," he said.

Tioga and Bradford counties are at the "epicenter" of the Marcellus Shale play, he said.

The shale, he said, has the potential to have "the largest single impact of anything we have ever experienced," Baker said.

"The total economic potential has been estimated at a trillion dollars, and for every $16 billion in royalties paid, there will be nearly 8,000 jobs created each year over the next few years," he said.

It was noted that gas industry-related jobs will average about $63,000 per year, well above the state average reported in 2007 as about $43,000 per year.

Add to that the families now becoming "instant millionaires" because of royalties paid on leased land.

The state's water is protected, he said, by three major laws that regulate the industry, DEP, the Fish and Boat Commission, Susquehanna and Delaware River Basin commissions.

"The challenge for Pennsylvania will be how to balance fact from fiction about environmental concerns," he said.

Article link here.

(We weren't too surprised by the industry friendly filth coming out of the mouths of the politicians. We know who lines their pockets. What did surprise us are the sympathetic statements made by Chuck Dillon about the industry. Chuck, last time we checked, the drillers aren't here to raft down Pine Creek, they're here to take your water, AKA, your livelihood...)

Water truck rolls in Stony Fork

2010-04-01T11:47:00.000-04:00

(please note, the article says this happened last Friday, 3/26 - we believe this is a mistake, since we heard about this from a witness who saw it firsthand on MONDAY, 3/29).

(photo by: Jason Przybycien)

Published: Wednesday, March 31, 2010 1:25 PM CDT

Work crews try to upright a truck which fell into a gully at 2:20 a.m. Friday near Stony Fork Road, Delmar Township. The truck, owned by Allison Crane and Rigging Inc. of Williamsport, was hauling freshwater to the Willard 419 natural gas well. The truck fell off a muddy private access road according to the gas exploration company involved, East Resources Inc. East’s community relations officer, Jack Showers, said the driver was examined at the hospital and released, though Allison terminated him based on its “zero tolerance” policy after finding him at fault in the accident. After workers pumped the fuel and water into other trucks, Mansfield Fleet Service Inc. hoisted the truck out with multiple cranes. Showers said the water, fresh from Pine Creek, had no pollutants or minerals in it. A state Department of Environmental Protection water quality specialist supervised the recovery.

Original article here.

Wellsboro Council opts to explore tax on natural gas

2010-03-24T20:25:00.002-04:00

By BRYAN G. ROBINSON Sun-Gazette Correspondent
POSTED: March 23, 2010

WELLSBORO - Wellsboro Borough Council decided Monday night not to adopt a resolution opposing a severance tax on natural gas as suggested by the Tioga County Association of Boroughs.

"In reading this over several times, I'd like to hear the other half of the story," said Councilman Mike Wood. "I'd like to get someone here to present both sides."

During public discussion time, two residents, Elizabeth and Katherine Berkowitz, who belong to a group called Citizens Concerned About Natural Gas Drilling, asked council why it was considering the resolution.

Council President Joan S. Hart told the two sisters that the Tioga County Association of Boroughs had proposed the resolution to oppose a natural gas severance tax and that she had brought it to council for discussion.

Specifically, the resolution, as drafted by the county association, reads that "a natural gas severance tax would have unintended consequences such as reduced drilling activity by more than 30 percent and leading to a net loss of $800 million in state and local taxes, plus thousands of lost jobs."

The resolution specifically opposes state House Bill 1489, known as the Natural Resource Severance Tax Act, introduced by state Rep. Camille "Bud" George, which would establish a tax equivalent to West Virginia's 5 percent on the value of gas extracted plus 4.7 cents on every 1,000 cubic feet.

Last summer, the state House approved the bill, but the Senate later eliminated the tax in a budget bill.

The resolution also opposes "any other bill imposing a natural gas severance tax until such time as the drilling costs have been recovered in the Pennsylvania General Assembly."

Those in favor of such a tax argue that states such as Texas, Oklahoma, West Virginia and Louisiana impose similar taxes on natural resources.

The question is, though, who will get the money.

According to Elizabeth Berkowitz, the state assembly has a variety of bills proposed, some that would give almost 90 percent of the money to the state and others that would split the money 60-40 between the state and local governments.

Hart asked the Berkowitzes if they could get together a presentation for a future meeting, to which they agreed. No date was set yet for the meeting.

The full article is here.

Lock Haven woman dies in Tioga County crash (w/gas truck)

2010-03-24T20:18:00.001-04:00

By PATRICK DONLIN pdonlin@sungazette.com
POSTED: March 21, 2010

COVINGTON - A tanker truck hauling water used in natural gas drilling reportedly rear-ended a car Saturday in Putnam Township, killing a Lock Haven woman, according to authorities.

The deceased, whom state police in Mansfield identified as Mildred L. Barnard, 74, was extracted from the wreckage of a 2006 Honda Civic with hydraulic cutting tools at the intersection of routes 2005 and 2022, Mansfield Hose Co. Fire Chief Jim Welch said. Welch said the car was hit from behind about 1:30 p.m. by the tanker truck.

Welch said Barnard was riding in the car's front passenger seat. Police said she died after arriving at Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hospital emergency room in Wellsboro.

The driver of the car, Diane M. McKinley, 51, of Renovo reportedly was taken to the Wellsboro hospital for treatment of minor injuries.

Welch said a 5-year-old girl was riding in the back seat of the car and suffered minor injuries.

The collision's impact, Welch said, "Pushed the back of her (the girl's) seat about 10 inches forward."

"This crash occurred as (the car) was stopped in the northbound lane of Route 2005 at the intersection of Route 2022, waiting for opposing traffic to clear before making a left turn onto Route 2022, when it was struck in the rear by the front of (the truck), which was also traveling north on Route 2005," state police Trooper Greg Moore said.

Because of the extensive damage to the car's rear, and since a helicopter already was in the area, Welch said it was used to transport the girl to Geisinger Medical Center in Danville as a precaution.

Police said the truck driver, Barry K. Smith, 39, of Columbia Crossroads, was not injured.

All four people involved in the wreck reportedly were wearing seat belts.

No liquid leaked from the tanker, and Welch said the only fluid clean up involved engine compartment oil.

It was the "first crash"* involving a natural gas-related vehicle in the greater Mansfield area.

"In a little over a year of the (gas business) activity, this is the first in our fire district," Welch said.

The 2000 International tanker truck is owned by Van-White Inc. of Troy.

A state Department of Transportation traveler's advisory reported that the wreck temporarily closed traffic on Old Route 15 at the intersection with the blinking light in Covington.

*This was the first FATAL, high profile crash. There are "crashes" on a minor scale happening on a daily basis and our local large vehicle towing/recovery industry is making BIG bucks hauling these guys out of ditches, etc...

"Split Estate" Showing at Mansfield University March 29

2010-03-18T23:12:00.001-04:00

Tioga County Planner, Jim Weaver will be present to take questions on 
planning issues.


Time: March 29th at 7PM.

Place: 153 Grant Science Center, Mansfield University, Mansfield, PA

More info: http://www.splitestate.com/

Blossburg Borough considers leasing Island Park lands for gas drilling

2010-03-17T12:08:00.002-04:00

The following was reported in an article by Cheryl Clarke titled "Blossburg Ponders What will become of Closed Church"... (posted March 16)

"Council also discussed an idea by (councilman Jeff) Everett to go in together on a $2,000 per acre gas lease for the borough, which includes 46 acres of property in Island Park and two other smaller parcels.

Borough manager George Lloyd said they still are waiting on a call back from an unnamed gas company about the idea.

If it goes through, Lloyd said, the borough could receive its bonus payment of around $92,000 in six months or less. The money likely would go into the general fund, council President James Bogaczyk said."

Hmmmmm..........destroying one of the town's strongest community assets will not pay off in the long run. We wonder who the mysteriously unnamed gas company is...

However, the biggest question we have: Does drilling in Island Park have anything to do with the fact that a waste water recycling plant is proposed for right next door? Sounds like a sweet all-around deal for the gas industry.

Fuel spill reported in Armenia Township

2010-03-11T12:02:00.000-05:00

BY ERIC HRIN (STAFF WRITER)
Published: March 10, 2010

ARMENIA TWP. - Talisman Energy spokesman Mark Scheuerman said a spill of between 50 and 200 gallons of diesel fuel that occurred at a Talisman gas well pad location in Armenia Township this week wasn't a "typical incident for us."

The spill, which he said Tuesday has been contained, occurred mid-day Monday at the Putnam well along Fallbrook Road, he said. The source of the spill, he said, is believed to be a drilling rig component, but he couldn't be more specific. He added that fuel is no longer leaking from the source. How it occurred is still being determined, he said, adding the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is investigating.
"Our procedures are to continuously monitor the surface impact and to monitor containment," he said.
He said the amount of fuel spilled is "certainly out of the ordinary."

"It's not an incident that can't be dealt with, but it's an incident that needs to be handled accordingly," Scheuerman said. "I don't want to label it as a major incident, but it's not a typical incident for us. This is something that deserves immediate attention and continuous monitoring."

The snow melt, he said, over the last few days makes the containment more challenging.

He said that, with the snow melting, this leaves a surface that is inconsistent with patches of water and snow as well as dry locations. This doesn't make for ideal clean-up conditions, he said.

The DEP was contacted, and was at the scene Monday afternoon and Tuesday.

He said the fuel did get in a ditch and into a nearby farm field. "Our efforts are to make sure we monitor that run-off and that it has as little impact as possible," he said.

He said it was estimated that the fuel was spilled over 50 to 100 yards.

He said, "The good news is our safety and site preparedness kicked in to identify the leak as soon as possible, and containment is working for the source, and we're relying on it pretty reasonably to contain the surface runoff."

No one from DEP could be reached for comment.

Find the original article here.

Tioga County Commissioners questioned about gas lease money

2010-03-10T21:45:00.001-05:00

By CHERYL R. CLARKE - cclarke@sungazette.com

Posted: March 10, 2010

WELLSBORO - The Tioga County commissioners were questioned Tuesday about what they intend to do with the money the county receives from the lease of 329 acres of county-owned land to East Resources Inc., a natural gas company drilling in the Marcellus Shale.

The questioning started with Leon Kocher of Covington Township, who asked the commissioners if they were going to bring the decision to the floor for a vote on what to do with the $493,500 the county received for its lease.

Kocher also wanted to "set the record straight" in reminding the commissioners that he had asked to see the lease before it was signed and was told by the commissioners at their Feb. 9 meeting that he would be able to.

However, during the commissioner's meeting at Antrim on Feb. 23, Kocher noted that Commissioner Sue Vogler answered a question from John Kesich of Millerton concerning if they had made the lease public before it was signed, by saying "no one asked to see it."

"It's the people's money and I'd like to see it set aside and a quarterly report on how it will be spent," Kocher said.

Vogler said she didn't feel it was necessary to add another "layer" of accountability on how the money will be handled.

She also said it has yet to be decided what it will be used for, just that it will go into the general fund.
She also told Kocher he could see the lease by following the "Right to Know" procedures set up at the courthouse under the Sunshine Law.

Kesich said he wanted to see the money split up amongst all the taxpayers and a check issued to each one.
"I can tell you right now that is not going to be considered," Commissioner Mark Hamilton said. "I think we can find other ways to use that money to benefit the taxpayers."

Kocher added to his questioning by asking, starting with Commissioner Erick Coolidge, if the commissioners had privately leased any of their property to East. Coolidge said he had, but it was a long-standing lease from the 1960s, to another company that then was traded to East.

"Not once in my term in office have we not been forthright and wide open with the public," Coolidge said.

Kocher asked Coolidge not to "take it the wrong way" and added that he only is concerned "there could be a breaking of rules when you have a relationship with a gas company or any company and you are not eligible to vote."

"You mean like a conflict of interest?" Vogler said. "We were elected to represent the people of Tioga County and I think we have done that."

Vogler also said she owns a "small amount" of property leased to East, and Hamilton said he is the beneficiary of a trust fund containing money from a gas lease on property owned by his father, but he doesn't own any leased property.

Nick Lalic of Mainesburg said he would like to see the money used to help county veterans, referring to a cutback in the Veteran's Affairs office last year.

"Some people think that since he lost his assistant, Tim (Cleveland) hasn't been able to keep up with the work," Lalic said.

Cleveland is the director of the county's Veteran's Affairs office.

Vogler responded that the downsizing was "difficult" but "necessary," and "extra help for Tim is not out of the realm of possibility."

Coolidge said it wasn't an easy decision to lay off 31 people in the department of human services last year either, but that it is "a harsh reality" for the commissioners in order to "address fiscal issues."

Lalic also wanted to know why the commissioners decided to buy a building for District Judge James Carlson without discussing it publicly and also how much it would cost to renovate the building.

The commissioners did not address the question.

The next commissioners meeting will be an "on the road" meeting at 7 p.m. March 25 at the Westfield Borough building.

Natural Gas Exploration Ruining Roads in Northern Tier (w/VIDEO)

2010-03-10T21:33:00.001-05:00

Katherine Underwood

March 9, 2010 Natural gas drilling in the Northern Tier has sparked the local economy, but it's ruining residential roads. Pennsylvania Department of Transportation officials tell WENY-TV News the spike in heavy truck traffic is a result of natural gas exploration in the Northern Tier. In an effort to preserve secondary roads, PennDOT is holding the trucking companies responsible for fixing the damage they’re causing. PennDOT has posted weight limits on about 60 roads in Bradford County and almost 40 in Tioga County. “They’re just not designed or built to handle the truck traffic that's out there,” said PennDOT Pavement Manager, Tracy Mausteller. “So, you’re seeing a rapid increase of deterioration on these roads.” Roads like State Route 3009 in Bradford County are just crumbling under heavy truck traffic. If a company has trucks weighing more than the posted weight limit it needs a permit to drive the overweight trucks on that road. To get a permit a company first needs to enter an Excess maintenance Agreement with the county. It holds the trucking company responsible for repairs if the road is damaged. There’s a fee for the permit. “We know who is using them and where they’re traveling on those roads so we're able to keep track of where everyone is,” Mausteller explained. Mausteller says PennDOT gets daily complaints about bad road conditions. I passed at least two dozen trucks on State Route 220 while driving through the Northern Tier Tuesday afternoon. That’s proof there's a lot of truck traffic, and PennDOT expects it to get worse. “There's more trucks and more rigs coming in and they’re going to spread out into Tioga County also,” Mausteller said. Pennsylvania State Troopers have amped up patrols to enforce weight limits and help PennDOT preserve roads. As we've been reporting, they're busting a lot of truckers. To see the original article and view the video, please visit the WENY website.

Dump Truck Crash on Fallbrook Rd. - WHAT WAS SPILLLED?!?

2010-03-09T11:24:00.003-05:00

BY ERIC HRIN (STAFF WRITER) Published: March 9, 2010
Original article link.

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."

The truck came to rest on a wooded hillside along a steep portion of the road coming down Armenia Mountain. Seeley said he was told that the driver was able to escape.

Reports from the scene were that the driver was able to climb out of the vehicle moments after the truck left the road and overturned shortly after 9 am. A report wasn't available from state police at Towanda Monday night.

As people worked to tow the vehicle from the scene, the road was closed for several hours with PennDOT spokesperson Rick Mason saying that it wasn't expected to be opened until about 5 p.m.

Jody Place, Penelec area manager, said that the crash resulted in two customers losing power.

Due to the recovery effort, she said Penelec workers couldn't get to the scene to replace a broken pole until after 4 p.m. After that, one of the customers was restored, though she didn't have an exact time that power came on for the customer. The other customer didn't get power back until 8 p.m., she said.

The accident occurred about halfway between Farmers Valley Road and the top of Armenia mountain.
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.

The engine and transmission were removed separately with heavy equipment, which hoisted it in the air. Seeley said it was severed when the crash occurred. The front end of the truck appeared to be obliterated. With the front end of the truck gone and having to maneuver the vehicle between the trees, the towing operation was involved, he noted. It was the worst he's seen, he said.

"It's not an easy job," he said.

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.

Eric Hrin can be reached at (570) 297-5251; e-mail: reviewtroy@thedailyreview.com.

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WHAT HAPPENED WITH THE WASTE?!?!?!?! DID ANYONE CONTACT DEP SPILL RESPONSE?!?

I guess these are the kind of details you leave out of your reporting when Chesapeake Energy is looking over your shoulder.

Watch the video. Note the "Residual Waste" markings on the truck...

Susquehanna River Basin Commission's real-time water quality data available online

2010-03-05T14:19:00.000-05:00

SRBC is deploying water quality monitoring stations in regions where natural gas drilling in the Marcellus shale is most active, as well as other locations where no drilling activities are planned so SRBC can collect control-data.

SRBC's remote water quality monitoring network continuously measures and reports water quality conditions of smaller rivers and streams in northern tier Pennsylvania and southern tier New York to track existing water quality conditions and any changes in them on an ongoing, real-time basis.

"The commission is committed to applying good science to monitor water quality conditions in the Susquehanna basin," said SRBC Executive Director Paul Swartz. "The use of advanced technology through these monitoring stations is making it possible for us to generate the data needed to determine whether or not water quality impacts are occurring from various activities, including natural gas drilling."

Five of the initial monitoring stations are located in Pennsylvania on Meshoppen Creek near Kaiserville in Wyoming County, Sugar Creek near Troy and Tomjack Creek near Burlington in Bradford County, Hammond Creek near Millerton in Tioga County and Trout Run near Shawville in Clearfield County. The sixth station is located on Choconut Creek near Vestal Center in Broome County, New York.

Each monitoring station is equipped with water quality sensors and a transmitter to continuously report water temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, turbidity (water clarity), water depth and conductance (ability to conduct electricity). Elevated levels of conductance in water can be a leading indicator of impacts from natural gas activities if they occur.

SRBC receives the data collected by the network then makes it available to other resource agencies and the public through its web site. The monitoring network will provide early warnings to help environmental protection officials respond more rapidly and better pinpoint causes if water quality conditions change. It will also help local public water suppliers, local watershed groups and communities stay informed.

SRBC will continue installing additional stations in Pennsylvania and New York and making data available on the Web site. Thirty (30) total stations are planned by summer 2010. More stations will follow this fall as a result of additional funding commitments SRBC has received.

The Harrisburg-based SRBC (www.srbc.net) was established under an interstate compact signed on December 24, 1970 by the federal government and New York, Pennsylvania and Maryland to manage the water resources of the 27,510-square-mile Susquehanna River Basin. The Susquehanna River starts in Cooperstown, N.Y., and flows 444 miles to Havre de Grace, Md., where the river meets the Chesapeake Bay.

Original article here.

Region’s Roads Under Siege

2010-03-05T11:45:00.004-05:00

Region’s Roads Under Siege - by David Keeler - 3/4/2010

Article from the Wyalusing, PA Rocket Courier (link)

A combination of the annual March thaw and a parade of heavily laden trucks involved in the gas exploration boom is wreaking havoc on the region’s roadways. An example of the vanishing roads is this view Wednesday morning along Clapper Hill Road (SR 1001), a formerly paved road in Stevens Township that’s become a mud bog. PennDOT has closed the road, except for local traffic, between Stevensville and Silvara while repairs, which are expected to take about a week, are underway. Meanwhile, local residents are finding alternative routes and traveling extra miles to get to work. Photo by David Keeler

Region’s Roads Under Siege - by David Keeler - 3/4/2010

It’s an ugly combination: The annual March thaw coupled with a continual procession of heavily laden trucks involved with the natural gas boom.

The result is that local roadways are disappearing, forcing motorists to travel alternate routes. Karen Bond, a Clapper Hill resident, said she is being forced to drive an additional 10 miles to get to and from her job each day,

On Wednesday, PennDOT announced that it closed the Clapper Hill Road, SR1001, which runs between Stevensville and Silvara, except for local traffic. The reason, according to PennDOT, is “severe deterioration.”

Local residents say there are quagmires along portions of the entire roadway where the pavement is gone and motorists are confronted with deep, muddy ruts.

Meanwhile, dump trucks and water trucks headed to and from well sites on Clapper Hill continue to roll.

PennDOT said “responsible parties have been contacted and are completing repairs.” Those responsible parties are presumably gas exploration companies.

It’s expected to take about a week to complete the repairs to SR1001 according to PennDOT.

Same Story in Terry Township

It’s pretty much the same story anywhere a parade of heavy trucks travel country roads not designed to handle the pounding.

In Terry Township, Trudy Gerlach said SR 2015, which runs near Spring Lake, is destroyed. “The road is gone,” she said. “There is no road.”

Battered Roads Are Major Hassle

Sandy Voda, a Silvara area resident who lives on County Line Road, an unpaved Township Road, said deteriorating roads are becoming a major dilemma for residents of Silvara, West Auburn and especially Clapper Hill.

“The Clapper Hill Road has disintegrated to nothing,” Voda said. “It used to be a paved road but not anymore.”

School Buses Can’t Travel Road

Voda said County Line Road has gotten so bad that the school bus will no longer travel it. “Last week the bus started coming 10 minutes early because of the bad roads,” Voda said. “Now it’s not coming at all.” It’s the same story for the Sharer family, which lives at the top of County Line Road, Voda said. The bus cannot get to them.

It’s not just the school buses that can’t get to Voda’s house. She’s the local tax collector and she said people wanting to pay their taxes cannot get to her house unless they have four-wheel drive. The 2010 tax collection period began March 1.

County Line Road has become a mud bog, passable only with four-wheel-drive vehicles and in places that’s questionable. “Yesterday they were pulling tractor trailer loads of water up County Line Road with a bulldozer to get to the Chesapeake pond on the Brotzman property,” Voda said.

Can Fire Trucks Get Through?

Voda said she’s concerned about problems the deteriorated roads could cause for emergency crews. “If school buses can’t get through without four-wheel-drive, what about fire trucks and ambulances?”

The problems are more than just an inconvenience to local families, Voda said. “People without four-wheel-drive vehicles are struggling to get to work and to appointments,” she said.”

Residents’ Tolerance Wearing Thin

But despite the problems, Voda says she feels most local residents understand the difficult conditions the gas companies face.

“I don’t think most of us mind sharing the road with the gas companies and their contractors,” she said. “After all, they are hard-working people like the rest of us trying to earn a living. We’re all used to some road damage caused by winter and the spring thaw, but the current situation far exceeds any damage we’ve seen in the past. We simply want roads we can all use without the use of heavy equipment to pull us through.”

PennDOT advises that motorists who encounter roadway problems on state roads call 1-800-FIX-ROAD. Callers need to be able to report the county municipality, street name and route number when reporting a problem. State Route numbers (SR) can be found on small black and white signs posted along state roadways. Callers should also provide a description of any familiar landmarks that would help PennDOT crews locate the problem area.

The 1-800-FIX-ROAD should not be used to report traffic accidents, disabled vehicles or other emergencies. Dial 911 to report these incidents.

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We did a tour of well sites in Ward Township, Tioga County yesterday (around the old ghost town of Fall Brook which is currently being drilled to pieces - all on state land). The road we traveled went from dry mud, to wet mud, to deep mud, to 6-8 inches of snow/slush/ice, back to deeply rutted mud surrounded by icy shoulders - in one case there was a portion of the road that had been gouged out by trucks so badly, it looked like some kind of 4-wheel drive course with 2-3 foot deep drop-offs in the road (they nearly took out my muffler!). Thankfully I DO have 4-wheel drive or we never would have made it through!! One thing to consider if you're going up there - wear boots you don't mind getting muddy (and bring something to scrape the mud off your gas pedal, or maybe your boots before you put them back on the pedals!).

International Firms Eye Marcellus Shale

2010-03-05T11:13:00.003-05:00

Although this article is about SW PA, it reminded me that I forgot to mention a little something I saw/overheard in Wellsboro, PA on Wednesday. I was at Dunkin' Donuts and I noticed a very large group of Asian men (all dressed business/casual with jeans and black jackets) with a bunch of other guys who were definitely gas folks (can't miss these guys in their clean jeans, clean button-up shirts, clean shit-kickers and southern accent). I was just waiting for my food when I overheard one of the gas guys say to one of the Asian guys, "...you'll see when we get to the well site...".

These guys were most likely some kind of investors. They were headed out to get a tour at a well site near Wellsboro. If I hadn't had something else going on, I would have followed them to see where their investor caravan was going...
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Pittsburgh Business Times - by Anya Litvak

Southwestern Pennsylvania’s rich natural gas deposit is generating international attention as companies operating in the region look abroad for financial support.

Several international firms have signed joint venture agreements to fund the development of Marcellus Shale acreage held by U.S. companies with regional operations. More are likely to follow, as firms active in the shale seek such partnerships.

The most recent arrival is Japan’s second-largest trading company, Mitsui & Co., which announced a $1.4 billion joint venture with Anadarko Petroleum Corp. in February. Texas-based Anadarko has an interest in 716,000 acres in the Marcellus Shale.

Another global giant, Sumitomo Corp., which claims to be the “first Japanese company to participate in the shale gas business,” bought a stake in Carizzo Oil & Gas Inc.’s properties in the Texas gas field, the Barnett Shale. While announcing the joint venture in December, Sumitomo highlighted Carizzo’s holdings in the Marcellus and indicated its interest in expanding its shale presence in the U.S.

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Joe Hoeffel's Position on Marcellus Shale

2010-03-05T00:09:00.006-05:00

Just received this in the inbox and found it to be very interesting...these are very bold statements Mr. Hoeffel. We will be watching this very closely over the next important few months. We hope you stand true to your words...
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For Immediate Release:
March 4, 2010

Contacts:

Lauren Townsend 215-939-7621
Co-Manager Joe Hoeffel 2010

Frank Custer - 215-527-5928
fcusterjr@yahoo.com
Joe Hoeffel 2010 Eastern PA Press Contact

Matt Merriman- Preston - 412-600-3405
Joe Hoeffel 2010 Western PA Press Contact

Hoeffel Calls for Responsible Drilling: Double Proposed Revenue from Severance Taxes & Moratorium on new Marcellus Shale Permits

Joe Hoeffel, Democratic candidate for governor of Pennsylvania, announced today his position on the Marcellus Shale:

“As governor, I will seek a severance tax which will double the projected revenue from Governor Rendell's currently proposed tax to provide Pennsylvania with $300 million in its first year," said Hoeffel.

"The extraction of Marcellus Shale natural gas represents an entirely new economy and has the potential to create thousands of jobs. But drilling in the Shale also opens up new environmental concerns with extremely serious consequences for all Pennsylvanians."

"Our commonwealth is getting a lousy deal," continued Hoeffel. "The gas will be there for a long time - We need to get it right. We must cover the immediate costs of the industry and make sure Pennsylvania communities thrive long after all the natural gas has been mined. The silver lining is that we can learn from other states and create a fair tax with maximum benefits."

"The tax must be used wisely. A severance tax won't last forever: once the gas is gone, the tax revenue ends. Pennsylvania must devote some of the severance tax money to protecting the towns experiencing a boom economy during the gas rush from experiencing a bust economy later."

Hoeffel will dedicate portions of the severance tax to fund:

DEP's inspection and enforcement operations;
new wastewater treatment facilities;
the renewal of Growing Greener;
communities affected by drilling in their efforts to meet the infrastructure and housing costs the industry has brought them; AND
our community colleges, expanding programs and educational sites to build a strong, adaptable workforce throughout the state.

Bolstering our community colleges will help prepare Pennsylvanians for thousands of skilled jobs in the natural gas industry and environmental protection. Community colleges will also prepare our workforce for jobs in green energy, manufacturing, infrastructure, technology, health care, and other fields which will long outlast the Marcellus Shale natural gas.

"Because our regulations are not adequately protecting our drinking water, it's time to slow down and do the right things in the right order, " said Hoeffel. "That's why I support a moratorium on issuing new drilling permits until new wastewater regulations are in place and enforceable."

Hoeffel also supports a moratorium on the leasing of additional state lands for drilling until a comprehensive study of all state land is performed to prioritize which land is most critical to protect.

"With environmental regulations that protect our water, a severance tax which allows our towns to adapt to their new industry and a plan in place to protect our state land, Pennsylvania can take pride in its natural gas industry. Landowners, towns, and the commonwealth will prosper. Many Pennsylvanians will be employed working on gas wells and in treatment facilities. And most importantly, Pennsylvania will be prepared for the day the drilling ends. If we prepare, the boom won't turn into a bust."

"The Marcellus Shale needs a traffic cop." concluded Hoeffel. "It's time for Tom Corbett and my opponents in the Democratic Primary to join me in calling for responsible drilling, safe drinking water and overall environmental protection."

To learn more about Joe Hoeffel's campaign for governor, go to: www.joehoeffel2010.com

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If this guy's legit, he's got our votes...

In Pa. governor's race, predictable giving (AKA East Resources is spending profit from YOUR gas to lobby)

2010-03-02T15:29:00.003-05:00

By Tom Infield

Inquirer Staff Writer

Reform state government! Clean house! To a man, the candidates vying to succeed Gov. Rendell are heeding the mood of Pennsylvania's electorate and promising to change the culture of Harrisburg.

But the same old political interests are financing their campaigns, according to an Inquirer analysis of campaign reports for 2009.

Unions are with the Democrats; banks and insurance companies are behind the Republicans; and lawyers are working both sides.

To be sure, there are new faces among donors with something at stake in the election. Convenience stores want beer laws relaxed. Drillers want to extract natural gas, untaxed, from the vast Marcellus Shale.

With no limit in Pennsylvania on the amount of money that donors may contribute, six-figure largesse is not uncommon. Altogether, the candidates still in the race reported raising $8.8 million.

Republican Tom Corbett, who as state attorney general is responsible for enforcing the election laws, received $180,000 last year from Kim Pegula.

Her husband, Terry Pegula, is chief executive officer of East Resources Inc., which has leased hundreds of thousands of acres to extract gas from the Marcellus Shale. Another company executive gave Corbett $25,000.

Overall, Corbett had three donations of $100,000 or more among the $4.2 million he took in last year.

Read the rest of the article here (it is quite lengthy).

Wanna see who's giving money to the governor candidates? Check out this chart. Please pay specific attention to Corbett.

PA DEP Comment Period NOW OPEN for proposed Wastewater Treatment facility in Blossburg, PA

2010-03-01T14:10:00.004-05:00

The PA DEP public comments period for the proposed Wastewater Treatment facility in Blossburg, PA is now open.

Announcement posted 2/20 from the Pennsylvania Bulletin is below:

RESIDUAL WASTE GENERAL PERMITS

Application(s) Received under the Solid Waste Management Act (35 P. S. §§ 6018.101—6018.1003); the Municipal Waste Planning, Recycling and Waste Reduction Act (53 P. S. §§ 4000.101—4000.1904);

and Residual Waste Regulations for a General Permit to Operate Residual Waste Processing Facilities and the Beneficial Use of Residual Waste other than Coal Ash.

Central Office: Division of Municipal and Residual Waste, Rachel Carson State Office Building, Floor 14, 400 Market Street, Harrisburg, PA 17105-8472.

General Permit Application No. WMGR123. Hydro Recovery, LP, 7 Riverside Plaza, Blossburg, PA 16912.

General Permit Numbered WMGR123 is for the processing of wastewater (for example, flow back gas well water—frac water) from various Marcellus Shale gas drilling operations at the Hydro Recovery Hydraulic Stimulation Fluid (HSF) Manufacturing facility, to be located in the Blossburg Borough, Tioga County. The processing treats High Total Dissolved Solids Fluids (HTDSF) flow back wastewater in the production of HSF, without a discharge, that will be sold for reuse in the extraction of natural gas from various Marcellus Shale oil drilling operations. Central Office received the application on January 8, 2010 and determined it administratively complete on February 3, 2010.

Comments concerning the application should be directed to Ronald C. Hassinger, Chief, General Permits and Beneficial Use Section, Division of Municipal and Residual Waste, Bureau of Waste Management, P. O. Box 8472, Harrisburg, PA 17105-8472. Persons interested in obtaining more information about the general permit application may contact the Division at (717) 787-7381. TDD users may contact the Department of Environmental Protection through the Pennsylvania AT&T Relay Service, (800) 654-5984. Public comments must be submitted within 60 days of this notice and may recommend revisions to, and approval or denial of the application.

Tioga County inks East leases

2010-02-26T13:06:00.002-05:00

by Jason Przybycien
przybycj@tiogapublishing.com

Published: Wednesday, February 24, 2010 2:14 PM CST

At a road meeting in Duncan Township last night, the Tioga County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved 11 natural gas leasing agreements. One guest questioned the measure.

The leases gave East Resources Inc. a subsurface right to the gas under 328.83 acres of county properties in Charleston Township. The leases would pay $1,500 per acre totalling $493,245. The contract includes a 15 percent royalty for the county on gas extracted and disallows surface drilling and storage on the land.

In comments before the meeting, John Kesich of Rutland Township asked for more transparency. He had asked in December, when East was the only bidder to answer the county’s request, whether the contracts would be available for public review.

The commissioners said at the time that the documents would be public, but that the actual contracts would not be available until East drafted them. Kesich asked last night if the documents were indeed made public.

(we're working on getting the rest of this article...)

Article originally posted at the Tioga Publishing website.

DISH, Texas mayor: "Take local control of gas drilling" (+ video)

2010-02-21T21:09:00.003-05:00

By Mary Perham
Corning Leader/Bath Courier
Sun Feb 21, 2010, 12:00 AM EST
(original article link here)

(Photo - ERIC WENSEL) - Calvin Tillman, Mayor of Dish, Texas, speaks to the audience at the Elmira Heights Theater during a forum on natural gas drilling in the area above the Marcellus Shale gas deposits.

Elmira Heights, N.Y. - Some 600 area residents were told Saturday they need to take local control to prevent potentially harmful effects of natural gas drilling planned for the region.

“Slow down,” Mayor Calvin Tillman said, during his two-hour-long morning presentation in the Elmira Heights Theater on the effects of natural gas drilling in his small Texas town. “Do it right.”
The mayor of DISH, Texas, Tillman said his town is a “Grand Central Station” of gas drilling into the Barnett Shale underground formation.

The town is the site of 11 gas pipelines, 11 compressors and treatment facilities, four meter stations and 18 wells, according to Tillman.

Tillman’s presentation in Elmira Heights was part of a tour of northern areas above the Marcellus Shale underground natural gas formation.

His talk was before largely a supportive crowd, backed by a number of local activists including People for a Healthy Environment, local branches of Pax Christi, the League of Women Voters and Sierra Club.

Local environmental concerns have been raised about the horizontal drilling method used to release natural gas from layers of shale, known as hydrofracturing, or “hydrofracking.”
Currently, Pennsylvania allows hydrofracking but it is not yet permitted in New York. The state Department of Conservation has been in the process of drawing up regulations for drilling for over a year.

Tillman said the drilling in his town resulted in noise, “sometimes overwhelming odor,” and reports of toxic emissions in DISH. Working to solve the problems has led to fights with different oil companies and the state, he said.

Towns and residents must take control of drilling regulations in the area, Tillman said.
And in New York, municipalities need to take back their right to home rule, he said.
“I know you have home rule on everything else,” he said. “Why don’t you have home rule on this?”

The state has sole oversight of oil, gas and mineral drilling in New York. (also in PA)

Tillman also recommended the state enact a severance tax to be used to pay for direct oversight of drilling projects. Gas companies also should be required to adopt the latest “green technology” to reduce product waste and cut down on contamination, Tillman said.

Local governments should be in charge of issuing permits and develop road use agreements to defray the cost of damage to highways, according to Tillman.

“You have an opportunity to do it right from the get-go,” Tillman said. “Do it.”

More than a dozen people lined up to comment, or ask questions. Two residents asked how to ban gas drilling in New York.

“I don’t know,” Tillman said. “That’s something maybe you should ask a lawyer.”

Another resident said the dangers of drilling must be weighed against the economic benefits Tillman said the Barnett Shale brought to his town.

“It seems to me, you’re proposing we need to be responsible about this,” the questioner said. “It needs to be balanced. We need to assess the positive impacts, too.”

A representative of America’s Natural Gas Alliance attended the presentation but did not publically question Tillman.

For more information on drilling in DISH, Texas, visit www.ogap.org or baddish.blogspot.com.
For information from America’s Natural Gas Alliance, go to America’s Natural Gas Alliance go to www.netl.doe.gov.

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(video clip from the News Channel 34, Binghamtom, NY site)

Marcellus Shale & Sewage Sludge: Same Sh*t, Different Day

2010-02-19T12:36:00.002-05:00

Marcellus Shale drilling looks like big money for Pennsylvania—big money for a limited few. The realities of pursuing this approach to meet Marcellus Shale drilling looks like big money for Pennsylvania—big money for a limited few. The realities of pursuing this approach to meet and safety of our communities, food and water supply ruined by the known hazardous waste from the drilling process. There is concern, not only about fresh water quality after the discharge of the known toxic chemicals used in the Marcellus Shale drilling process, but also with the land that will receive the remaining waste. What does the United Sludge-Free Alliance have to do with the Marcellus Shale issue? Let’s address the concept that the toxic chemicals used in the drilling process will be made safe through the “treatment of waste water”.

First, a quick look at the major Pennsylvania rivers and watershed areas. What do Pennsylvania’s watersheds have to do with Marcellus Shale and sewage sludge? Millions of people rely on our watershed areas to provide their drinking water and sustain our food supply. Consider that Pennsylvania’s population is roughly 12,600,000 and is sixth in the nation. Philadelphia’s population is sixth in the nation of US cities. But the citizens of Pennsylvania will not be the only ones affected by the contamination from the Marcellus Shale drilling—sewage sludge and rain water run-off ensure equal opportunity pollution.

Forty percent of the US population is within one day’s drive of Pennsylvania and the Delaware River. The Delaware River, Pennsylvania’s most eastern river separating Pennsylvania from New Jersey, creates a watershed basin that provides 5% of America’s water supply. Fifteen million people, including 7 million in New York City and New Jersey, rely on the Delaware River watershed for their water supply. Philadelphia, with 1,500,000 residents, is the southern-most Pennsylvania city and is at the transition of where the fresh water of the Delaware River becomes the salt water of Delaware Bay before joining the Atlantic Ocean.

Susquehanna River watershed almost cuts Pennsylvania in half from south to north, passing through Harrisburg and including a population of 4,000,000. The Susquehanna watershed accounts for 45% of Pennsylvania’s agricultural land use and for 25% of the drainage area. The Susquehanna watershed leads into the Chesapeake Bay watershed area. The Chesapeake watershed has 100,000 miles of streams and rivers and includes a population of 16.6 million in six states—Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, New York, Virginia, West Virginia and Washington, DC. The Chesapeake has become so polluted that the Obama administration has named a special commission to address the issue.

Ohio River basin includes the Allegheny River watershed and the Monongahela watershed. It covers 204,000 square miles and parts of 14 states. Like many major cities, the western Pennsylvania city of Pittsburgh and the 1,281,000 inhabitants rely on the river and watershed for their drinking water. And like many major cities, the water that sustains the community is also the water that receives our waste. A large portion of the drilling for Marcellus Shale is in the western part of Pennsylvania, but the effects of drilling will impact health and safety of citizens in a much wider area. Although Pennsylvania has a history of drilling for various fuels, the combined use of fresh water and toxic chemicals in the Marcellus Shale drilling process has severe effects on the fresh water sources throughout the community and the nation. Oddly enough, it will also have an effect on America’s food supply.

Drilling through the hard layer of Marcellus Shale to get to the natural gas found 5,000 to 8,000 feet underground requires a process of high-pressure hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking”. By combining chemicals (see attached list) with the millions of gallons of water pulled from wells, streams and rivers, the gas companies not only remove the fresh water that all humans, animals and plants need for survival but simultaneously poison the waters that sustain us. First, the known toxic chemicals are combined with water and injected underground drilling through dirt, rock, Marcellus Shale—but also through underground fresh water. Unfortunately, underground fresh water does not stay in one place or recognize property boundaries, carrying pollution to numerous locations. After wells and waterways are poisoned, people become ill and their homes and communities can no long provide a basic quality of life. Then, 60 to 80 percent of this chemical brew comes back to the surface, where disposal become the challenge. In 2005, Congress voted to exempt the oil and gas industry from complying with the Safe Drinking Water Act.

The waste from the fracking is sent to waste water treatment plants to “treat” some of the chemicals before reintroducing the water back to the community. But where do those chemicals go? When the fracking fluids go to a waste water treatment plant, the chemicals combine with the sewage from homes, businesses, industry, hospitals and mortuaries. There, it is heated, treated with even more chemicals and squeezed, with the goal of separating the liquids from the solids in order to return the liquids back into the community. The liquids, called effluence, are generally deposited in waterways and rivers but can also be used to water crops. The solid remains of everything that goes down the drain and exits the waste water treatment plant are called sewage sludge, or biosolids. Obviously, sewage sludge is the condensed collection of our natural human manure, all the deposited chemicals, heavy metals, pathogens, pharmaceuticals and viruses.

Now, let’s add the known hazardous chemicals from the Marcellus Shale drilling sites to the toxic soup at the waste water treatment plant. Although the “short list” of many of the toxic chemicals used in the drilling process is known to cause severe health effects or cancer, none are tested, regulated or restricted in sewage sludge. In fact, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in their faulty determination of sewage sludge “safety”, requires testing for only nine elements—mercury, arsenic, molybdenum, nickel, selenium, cadmium, copper, lead and zinc. In an “under-whelming” act of public safety concern, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) adds PCB’s to the list of required testing of sewage sludge. Only salmonella OR E. coli are required for testing in a false assumption that pathogen risk is reduced if one of these “indicator” bacteria is reduced. There is no required testing for any viruses, pharmaceuticals, chemicals or other known hazardous waste. If any other element is found in the sewage sludge or waste water treatment plant fluid effluence, there is no legal requirement to restrict the use of these products on our food, water or communities.

Eight million tons of sewage sludge is marketed throughout the US and used as a “fertilizer” option on farm fields, parks, playgrounds, golf courses, re-claimed land and sold as bagged fertilizer. Pennsylvania, the most sludged state in America, imports sewage sludge from neighboring states to spread on our farmlands. The most sludged counties—and our best farmland—are Berks, Lancaster and York. But sewage sludge is land applied throughout Pennsylvania and America. All open land—farmland, woodland, parks, and family gardens—drain to some form of waterway above ground or under ground. All watershed areas will naturally drain to the wells, aquifers and rivers that provide our drinking water. All sewage sludge run-off does, too.

Use of sewage sludge and waste water treatment plant effluence on our food and water has never been tested for human safety. Even the EPA’s own findings admit to lack of scientific studies of the health risks, the dangers of combining chemical and pharmaceutical, and the inability to guarantee human safety from sewage sludge. Unfortunately, the EPA refuses to reevaluate their own cavalier approach to the known toxic waste that resides in sewage sludge, instead choosing to protect the policy, not the people. Federal law prohibits banning the land application of sewage sludge and under the Pennsylvania ACRE Act 38 law, any community trying to protect themselves by imposing stricter sludge regulations faces legal action by the PA attorney general—using your tax dollars to sue the community. Have there been any scientific studies on the potential health implication of combining all these chemicals with the heavy metals, pharmaceuticals and viruses? Never.

Recent noteworthy science and medical reports include: antibiotic resistant MRSA found in waterways and beaches; a sevenfold increase in autism in California found from environmental impact; plutonium found in Boulder, Colorado; radiation found in sludge from Royersford, Pennsylvania: Teflon type chemicals, including PFOs and PFOAs in agricultural soils where cattle graze in Decatur, Alabama: salmonella in groundwater from run-off in Athens, Georgia; endocrine disrupters traced to hermaphrodite frogs and fish found downstream from wastewater treatment plants; flame retardants and the disinfectant soap triclosan found in every sewage sludge sample tested by the EPA in their 2007 national survey. Sewage sludge containing any of these environmental and health dangers, including the chemicals used in fracking Marcellus Shale, can legally be spread on the farm land where your food is grown. Sewage sludge run-off carries its contaminants into the watersheds and rivers from sea to shining sea.

If you think that the drilling industry or our EPA and DEP are looking out for your safety when it comes to Marcellus Shale, waste water treatment plants and sewage sludge, you better think again. Although the effects of these toxins on soil organisms, plants and grazing livestock, animals, water and humans is known, the EPA and US government bureaucracies refuse to reevaluate the practice of land applying sewage sludge. And, yes, scientific studies world-wide that are not funded by the sewage sludge industry, show that our food and water absorb these heavy metals and toxins which we then consume.

In an effort to balance the 2010 Pennsylvania state budget, the DEP staff and operational funding was cut 30%. So even if there were an effort at stricter regulations, who would enforce those rules without the staffing and funds to be effective? Where is the wisdom of pouring known toxic waste on our communities, food and water supply as a false fertilizer or for a limited fuel source? Is the health impact on the 12,600,000 people living within the Pennsylvania borders and the millions more human and environmental lives that will be impacted worth the short term financial gain for a limited few? No, the risk is too high—the loss too great.

As part of our American democracy, we must seriously restrict and regulate industry that presents a known health and safety hazard to our communities, food and water, whether it be Marcellus Shale gas drilling or the land application of sewage sludge. We must refrain from the influence of industries or individuals who will benefit from the Marcellus Shale business deals. It’s time to protect the people, not the policy. United Sludge-Free Alliance insists on a moratorium on Marcellus Shale drilling, permits and dumping at waste water treatment plants.

United Sludge-Free Alliance
P.O. Box 32, Kutztown, PA 19530
www.usludgefree.org
610-823-8258

For more info:
www.usludgefree.org
www.PennEnvironment.org
www.cleanwateraction.org

Frac Water Chemicals, PA DEP, From Material Safety Data Sheets.
This list is the basis for the “River Reporter” article analyzing the health effects of fracturing ingredients to be found at this link: www.riverreporter.com/issues/08-12-04/fracking.pdf. Information from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), December 2008.

(originally posted here)

Is flowback and waste from gas drilling radioactive? Rewards and Risks of the Marcellus

2010-02-19T12:26:00.003-05:00

Part I in a series

By Sharon Corderman

Originally published in the Westfield Free Press-Courier on Feb. 7, 2010, this article is republished with permission from Tioga Publishing Co. Visit them online at www.tiogapublishing.com.

Claims have been made that the potential exists for some level of radioactive material to be in the wastewater and drill cuttings coming from the Marcellus shale. According to Peter Davies, professor of biology at Cornell University, New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) reported that brine samples taken from 12 Marcellus wells that were actively producing gas last year came back with higher than expected levels of “NORM” - naturally occurring radioactive material. In fact, some brines were reported to have levels of radium-226 as high as 250 times the allowable level for discharge into the environment and thousands of times higher than the maximum allowed in drinking water.

The Penn State School of Forest Resources released a water guide for landowners in 2008 that warns that “gas well waste fluids usually contain levels of some pollutants that are far above levels considered safe for drinking water supplies. As a result, even small amounts of pollution from waste fluids can result in significant impacts to nearby drinking water supplies.” Bryan Swistock a Penn State water resources extension specialist who prepared the guide, said that there is not a large risk, “but the idea that there is no risk, which is what some people will say, is far from the truth.”

“It is especially important to understand the potential radioactivity of wastes that may be disposed of in areas that are located close to residences or public facilities such as schools,” wrote Lisa Sumi in a May 2008 report prepared for the Oil & Gas Accountability Project. “For example,” she continued, “during drilling, there may be a large volume of radioactive Marcellus shale rock removed (in other words, the drill cuttings), especially from horizontally drilled wells. If these rock wastes are disposed of by on-site burial or land-spreading, the radioactivity may become an issue for those living nearby. Radioactive wastes should be taken to a facility that is designed to handle low-level radioactive waste.”

In recommendations to the New York DEC for the handling and disposal of these radioactive wastes, Professor Davies stated that while these NORM wastes are known as “naturally occurring” it should be emphasized that such materials are not normal just because they are naturally occurring at thousands of feet below the surface. “On the surface they are not part of the normal environment and should be treated as hazardous,” he said.

The Marcellus shale is known to contain radium, which is a product of the decay of uranium. Radium is over a million times more radioactive than the same amount of uranium, wrote Davies. Uranium decays in seven stages, producing three kinds of radiation: alpha particles, beta particles, and gamma rays, as it decays to successive products, the first of which is radon. Radon is a highly radioactive, colorless, odorless, tasteless gas. Humans are constantly exposed to low-level radiation in the environment and radon is often the single largest contributor to an individual’s background radiation dose.

While there are established “safe” limits of radiation exposure, Davies notes that there is no truly safe level of exposure. Permitted levels of exposureare simply based on cost-benefit analyses, he said.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), there are two categories of radioactive material sometimes involved with natural gas drilling that workers and the public need to be concerned about: NORM, which has already been mentioned, and TENORM (technologically-enhanced naturally-occurring radioactive material. TENORM is radionuclides that have been concentrated by the extraction and production process, such as mineral scales and sludge waste buildup in drilling equipment. EPA notes that the waste fluids (flowback) from a gas well may contain radium-226, radium-228, and radon. The radon gas may be released to the atmosphere, while the water and mud containing radium are placed in ponds or pits for evaporation, re-use or recovery.

Offering safety guidance for workers in the drilling industry, the EPA names several measures they should take to prevent overexposure to radioactive material: remove potentially contaminated clothes and shoes before returning to the family car and to your home or office; do not take home discarded equipment or material used at sites such as pipes, devices, bricks, rocks, and water or re-use these materials as containers or building materials.

They also encourage the public to “limit exposures and disturbance of the production site and any abandoned equipment” warning that such equipment should not be handled or re-used.
While the potential is being explored in Pennsylvania for underground injection of Marcellus wastewater, most of it is currently being disposed of at approved treatment facilities. The problem is that with horizontal drilling such as is being done in the Marcellus there can be millions of gallons of wastewater from each well and with thousands of wells expected to be drilled there just aren’t enough facilities currently to handle all the waste. Last week, the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) issued the first new permit in the West Branch Susquehanna River watershed for treating gas well drilling wastewater to TerrAqua Resource Management of Williamsport. The permit requires TerrAqua to meet the proposed new regulatory standards that will be effective January 1 of next year.

In testimony late last month before the Pennsylvania Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee, PennEnvironment’s Erika Staaf talked about the proposed new requirements for the treatment of drilling wastewater. She said that PennEnvironment believes it is critical to include health-based standards for a number of contaminants that have been found in Marcellus wastewater, but that are not currently included in the proposals made by DEP. Those contaminants included arsenic, radium, benzene, and bromides.

Determining the health threat that radioactive material poses to workers and to the public is complicated. Measuring human exposure – quantified in doses of millirems per year – from radiation is difficult because it depends on variables like whether objects interfere with radiation and how long the exposure is sustained. The New York City Council considers the risk great enough that they have called for a ban on drilling in the eight percent of the Marcellus shale formation associated with the city’s watershed.

On the other hand, there’s an estimated $1 trillion of recoverable gas in the Marcellus – enough gas to supply the entire country for two years.

Perhaps the risks and rewards really do boil down to a cost-benefit analysis.

- Thank you again to Tioga Publishing for permission to re-publish!

Bucknell's "Ask the Experts": Carl Kirby on Marcellus Shale

2010-02-18T18:32:00.004-05:00

Posted: February 18, 2010

LEWISBURG, Pa. — Welcome again to "Ask the Experts," a regular web feature that highlights the expertise of various Bucknellians in a range of topics related to current news events and other timely subjects.

This week, we asked geology Professor Carl Kirby, who has studied acid mine drainage and the effects of its by-product on streams, to talk about Marcellus Shale and the implications of drilling the Pennsylvania formation for gas

Carl Kirby, professor of geology.

.Q: What is Marcellus Shale and its significance to this region of Pennsylvania?

A: About 400 million years ago, fine sediments and organic matter were deposited into an ocean basin that was part of Pennsylvania. That sediment was buried under other sediment and turned into rock - the Marcellus Shale. The organisms were "cooked" by the right amount of heat and pressure to turn them either into oil or natural gas.

Pennsylvania has experienced oil and gas drilling since 1859 when the first commercial U.S. oil well was drilled in Titusville, Pa. Now, there is an expanding "boom" in natural gas extraction from the Marcellus, especially in the Northern Tier and western part of the state.

There's huge potential for the state and individuals to make money by leasing land and receiving production royalties for successful wells. That's one side of the equation. However, as with any extractive industry, there's an environmental cost. The state is trying to balance the environmental costs against the economic benefits.

Many Pennsylvanians know about the physical hazards from the numerous abandoned coal mines and about the mine drainage that has virtually killed hundreds of stream miles, including nearby Shamokin Creek where we take a lot of our students. That mining was done under virtually no environmental regulation, so we have an environmental legacy that no one is legally responsible to clean up. Currently, mines are operated much more responsibly because they're regulated.

Q: How is the gas extracted?

A: Most natural gas extraction from the Marcellus is through horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing (hydrofracking). A vertical well is drilled and then the well bore is angled into the nearly horizontal Marcellus at about one mile deep. The hydrofracking water and some other components are blasted at great pressure into the well, breaking the shale up to allow natural gas to reach the surface.

One of the reasons it's a big environmental issue is that hydrofracking requires a lot of water; it takes on the order of a million to 8 million gallons to frack a single well. That water has to come from streams or from municipal supplies. Once the well has been fracked and you've pushed all that water down there under very high pressure, it mixes at depth with a very saline water called an oil field brine.

The brine mixes with the injected water to make frack-water, some of which usually comes back to the surface and can be 10 times saltier than sea water. That causes the need for treatment or some disposal option. One of the disposal options that's considered is re-injecting that water into a deep well. At this point, Pennsylvania is not re-injecting. The water has gone to sewage treatment plants, a bad idea because it kills the bacteria that do the work in sewage treatment plants.

So there's a scramble right now to come up with effective water treatment technologies, including potentially cleaning up the water and then putting it back in the tanker truck and reusing it for fracking again. Some companies also reuse frack-water without treating it first.

Unless there is an on-site treatment facility, you'd have to transport the water, which in Pennsylvania is considered a residual waste, not a hazardous waste, to five to 10 treatment plants across the state that will deal with the hundreds of wells.

Q: Is this a good job opportunity for Pennsylvania, or a good job opportunity for the companies coming in?

A: There will definitely be jobs associated with this. As with a lot of natural resource extraction booms, many of the jobs will go to out-of-state people with expertise. There will be some service jobs in wastewater treatment, transportation, trucking and motels, so there will be ancillary economic benefits. There will also be ancillary economic problems, such as a need for greater road maintenance due to heavy truck traffic.

The scope of the long-term potential and actual environmental concerns are incredibly complex. As an example, the state of New York drafted an 800-page environmental statement. The New York City Department of Environmental Protection wrote its own 80-page report recommending against Marcellus hydrofracking in New York state because of the 9 million people living in the watershed downstream.

There are also land disturbance issues and air quality issues. There's habitat loss since they have to cut through the woods to make temporary pipelines to get to the permanent pipelines because natural gas can only be carried in pipelines. And there's a lot of equipment producing greenhouse gas and using fossil fuels to extract a fossil fuel.

Q: How is your research related to the issue of Marcellus Shale?

A: My students and I are studying the water-rock interaction, the water chemistry of the Marcellus Shale. One emphasis is on modeling how the water chemistry changes from the injection, to mixing with the oil-field brine, to the frack-water, then comparing to measured concentrations of inorganic chemicals in the frack-water.

A second emphasis is on how to monitor potential Marcellus leaks into streams. Groups have proposed monitoring the conductivity of streams to check for leaks. The supposition is that if the conductivity of a stream goes unusually high, that would be a Marcellus leak.

Our modeling suggests if a million gallons (enough to do one hydrofrack) spills into a small stream quickly, you'd probably be able to detect the salty water. However, if the spill occurred into a larger stream or even in a small stream during a flood, it would be very difficult to recognize. Conductivity might go down instead of going up because of dilution. So there are some real concerns about trying to use conductivity.

We want to develop a geochemical "signature" for the Marcellus, kind of like a fingerprint, to distinguish normal surface water from surface water mixed with Marcellus water to determine if we've actually had a problem due to Marcellus Shale drilling.

- Originally posted on the Bucknell University website.

Truck driver accused of operating an oversize load, causing multiple accidents

2010-02-11T15:38:00.003-05:00

By Jeff Murray •jdmurray@gannett.com • February 8, 2010, 8:30 pm

For the second time in two days, Bradford County authorities arrested a truck driver Sunday for operating an oversize load.

This time, the driver, a Tioga County, Pa. man, is accused of causing several minor accidents along U.S. Route 6 before his arrest.

Arthur H. Dawes, 64, of Blossburg, an employee of Todd Berguson Trucking of Arnot, Pa., faces numerous traffic charges, including driving with an oversize load without a permit.

State police in Towanda say that Dawes was traveling west on Route 6 around 8 p.m. Sunday when he struck utility lines in Standing Stone Township and hit a traffic signal in Wysox without stopping.

He then struck the state Route 220 overpass, shearing off the top of his trailer, troopers said. Dawes didn't stop after the collision and was finally pulled over in the Borough of Burlington, state police said.

In addition to transporting an oversize load without a permit, troopers cited Dawes for equipment violations. He was arraigned in district court and committed to the Bradford County jail when he couldn't post $10,000 collateral.

The vehicle was weighed and was found to be more than 25 tons over the 10-ton posted restriction, according to a press release.

Charges are also pending against the trucking company for permitting the alleged violations. State police notified the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation about the damage to the bridge.

On Saturday, the state police commercial vehicle enforcement team stopped a convoy of three vehicles traveling on state Route 414 in Franklin Township and charged the three drivers with traffic citations, including oversize and overweight loads.

The drivers worked for T.A.W. Inc., an Arkansas-based oilfield and natural gas services company with a unit in Wysox.

The two stops were unrelated and not the result of any organized crackdown on oversize vehicles, state police said.

There have been more problems with large vehicles damaging roads, however, and troopers are keeping an eye out for violations, according to state police at Towanda.

Original article link here.

Dish, Texas mayor to appear in Elmira, NY to discuss gas drilling

2010-02-11T15:29:00.003-05:00

The venue for the mayor of Dish, Texas, who was scheduled to speak at The Park Church on Feb. 20, has been changed to the Heights Theater at 210 E. 14th St. in Elmira Heights.

Mayor Calvin Tillman will discuss the effects of natural gas drilling in Barnett shale on his community.

The schedule for Tillman is as follows:
8 a.m. – Media opportunity to interview and speak with Tillman.
8:30 a.m. - Continental breakfast – donations accepted.
9 a.m. – Presentation and discussion.

The event is sponsored by People for a Healthy Environment Inc., a local non-profit.
Event co-sponsors are: Concerned Citizens of Ulysses, Finger Lakes Progressives, Schuyler County Environmental Management Council, Steuben Greens, League of Women Voters of Steuben County, Pax Christi Elmira, Pax Christi Upstate, Peaceful Gatherings, Finger Lakes Sierra Club, Marcellus Accountability Project for Tompkins County, Shaleshock Citizens Action Alliance and the Committee to Preserve the Finger Lakes.

The presentation is free and open to the public. It will end promptly at 10:55am.

Information: peopleforahealthyenvironment@gmail.com

To learn more about Dish, TX, check out this earlier article from the Star Gazette.

Marcellus Shale Coalition Releases the "Facts" on Flowback Water Treatment

2010-02-06T12:24:00.006-05:00

CANONSBURG, Pa., Feb. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- The Marcellus Shale Coalition today issued the following statement to provide the facts regarding water use and flowback water management in the development of natural gas from the Marcellus formation:

"Pennsylvanians deserve to get the facts about water management for Marcellus Shale development. We need to put an end to the suppositions that could threaten our state's ability to create jobs and investment here at home.

"Regulations governing the use and management of water needed to drill a Marcellus Shale well in Pennsylvania are among the most stringent in the nation, and ensure the protection of the Commonwealth's water resources. Water withdrawals from streams and rivers must be approved, including the withdrawal location and amount of water required for each well, as well as detailed storage and treatment plans.

"The industry currently treats or recycles all of its flowback water. Recycling accounts for approximately 60 percent of the water used to complete Marcellus Shale wells, with greater percentages predicted for the future. There are more than a dozen approved water treatment facilities available to treat flowback water, with plans for additional capacity in the future.

"Companies are working with international water quality experts and are funding research and development projects to develop mobile and permanent treatment technologies such as evaporation and crystallization. These efforts will enhance the Commonwealth's overall water treatment capabilities, while bringing more commerce into Pennsylvania. We're also researching and developing deep underground injection well technology, which is a proven, safe disposal method in other regions of the country.

"Claims about elevated levels of Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) in the Monongahela River from natural gas development have been refuted by studies that attribute a minimal amount of the total TDS levels to Marcellus Shale drilling activity. In fact, historical monitoring shows the variability of TDS levels in the Monongahela and other rivers to be a cyclical phenomenon over the past 30 years.

"The industry is committed to the use of Best Management Practices in all aspects of its operations, including significant investment in advanced flowback water treatment capabilities and recycling technologies."

(link to Press Release here)

Our main problem with all of this: WHY DID THEY NOT HAVE A PLAN IN PLACE FOR "FLOWBACK" BEFORE THEY EVEN STARTED CREATING THE WASTE?

I urge everyone to get the FACTS for themselves, from sources other than the industry.

Blossburg to examine ‘rooming house’ law

2010-02-06T12:03:00.003-05:00

by Jason Przybycien
przybycj@tiogapublishing.com

Published: Wednesday, February 3, 2010 3:14 PM CST

Residences used by five or more unrelated gas workers may be unlawful in Blossburg. The borough council discussed the matter at its monthly meeting Feb. 1 as they begin a 10-year ordinance review.

Someone complained to Mayor John Backman about residences where four to 10 workers sleep on rotation, causing noise throughout the night. Backman said that Chapters 13 and 28 in the borough ordinance book could define such a home as a “rooming house,” subject to additional taxes and rules.

“In any event, they wouldn’t fit in an R1 (residential) area without a waiver, I’m pretty sure,” said Backman.

Councilman Jeff Everett said he knows of homes where men park five or six pickup trucks, suggesting such an arrangement.

(article link here)

There are rumors floating around Blossburg the past few days that the gas industry will be bringing an influx of 7000 new people to town...yes, 7000. Now, where exactly will all of these people live? Apparently, gas workers aren't exactly in the market to buy a house here (or even sign a year long rental agreement, since it is likely they will move on to another site sooner than later) so, will they be building boarding houses or something? Where? Maybe on the site that the water treatment plant was proposed for...

Scientists search for the best treatment...

2010-02-01T20:06:00.003-05:00

Industry needs effective way to handle frac water

By DAVID THOMPSON dthompson@sungazette.com
POSTED: February 1, 2010

Pennsylvania has its work cut out for it regarding the treatment and disposal of flowback fluids from drilling in the Marcellus Shale, it was revealed during a summit Friday at Lycoming College.

That was one of several topics discussed at "The Science of the Marcellus Shale" summit, a daylong event sponsored by the college's Clean Water Institute, the Susquehanna Heartland Coalition for Environmental Studies, Northcentral Pennsylvania Conservancy and Foundation for Pennsylvania Watersheds.

The event attracted nearly 500 people.

The gas industry requires large amounts of water - several million gallons per well - to extract gas from the Marcellus Shale.

Although much of that water will remain in the ground, the industry still faces challenges in finding efficient and cost effective ways to treat and dispose of the water that does return to the surface.

Each well drilled in the Marcellus Shale will produce from 200,000 to 1 million gallons of flowback water, according to Tim Keister, founder and chief chemist of Brockway-based ProChem Tech, a company that makes chemicals for wastewater treatment.

Treatment capacity limited

The capacity for treating that water in Pennsylvania is limited, Keister said.

Frac water is water with a number of materials added to it, he said. The most problematic of the ingredients is a biocide used to prevent micro-organisms from growing in the well, he said.

"Biocides kill things," Keister said.

Unfortunately, there is "a big shortfall" in the state's capacity to treat gas drilling wastewater," Keister said.

The industry will produce an estimated 7 billion gallons of wastewater a year, while the state's capacity for handling the water is about 550 million gallons - 6,450 million gallons "you have to find a home for," he said.

Read the rest of this article here.

Some Tioga County residents opposed to gas industry water ‘farm’ on Johnson Hill

2010-01-25T12:12:00.004-05:00

By CHERYL R. CLARKE cclarke@sungazette.com
POSTED: January 24, 2010

CHERYL R. CLARKE/Sun-Gazette
Connie Fish, above, points to property owned by she and her husband Gary on Mudge Road in Richmond Township where East Resources Inc. wants to purchase a right of way for access to a water 'farm” the company plans to build on property it purchased along Johnson Hill Road in Covington Township. If a right of way is not available for East Resources, its water trucks will have to traverse Mudge Road to Johnson Hill Road via the curve at right, or up a steep, dangerous portion of Johnson Hill Road from the opposite direction, to get to the farm.

MANSFIELD - The influx of the natural gas industry, its well heads and supporting peripherals in the wake of the discovery of the Marcellus Shale deposit here, has some neighbors of a proposed water "farm" near their home at odds with one of the main players.

In response to the outcry from the general public and local municipalities about the increase in heavy truck traffic on Tioga County roads, East Resources Inc., headquartered in Warrendale, has proposed constructing a "water farm" on property that would divert some of that truck traffic, as many as 100 per day, directly past Gary and Connie Fish's Mudge Road home - at least temporarily.

The couple, who own 188 acres, much of it road frontage along Mudge Road, have refused to grant right of way to East to build an access road to the proposed plant to be constructed atop Johnson Hill behind their property. The only access is Johnson Hill Road, which is in Covington Township, or Mudge Road, which traverses from Richmond Township, where they live, into Charleston Township.

Those accesses are "not suitable" according to the Fishs, because the facility is at the top of Johnson Hill and the road is steep and slick, especially in winter. Mudge Road intersects with Johnson Hill Road on a sharp "back-angle," with a neighbor's house sitting only feet from the road. They believe trucks would have a difficult time making the curve without taking out several trees on the point.

At a meeting of the Covington Township Planning Commission Thursday, the Fishs relayed their opposition to the right of way, which East representative Doug Meehan seemed to think they already had granted, as he presented preliminary plans to the commission.

"While we are happy to hear they are trying to cut down on the truck traffic, to put a facility in such a remote location, I would think it would be acceptable in any area already zoned for it," Connie Fish said at the meeting, referring to "open space" areas.

According to Meehan, fresh water will be pumped from the Tioga River through a pipeline to the farm that will house an 8 million gallon "holding pond" for fresh water plus two 3-million gallon storage tanks. The plan includes a series of 5-inch pipelines that will move fresh water to well sites within a 20-mile radius and take fracked water away to be recycled. The facility also will include a small office and pump house that will be manned 24 hours per day.

East also must have a right of way for the water lines, which the Fishs have not granted, though they have leased land to the company for subsurface gas mining.

"You have a pipeline right of way for the gas, not the water," Connie Fish said.

According to Meehan, the state-permitted fresh water withdraw point for this project is behind the former American Truck Stop.

"We hope to construct several other facilities like this one in Tioga County," to service their other wellheads located around the county, Meehan said.

Meehan said the 73-acre property East purchased from landowner Gary Butters last year for the water farm is ideal because of its remote location.

"The reason we chose it is because it will have the least visual aesthetic impact on the surrounding area," and be hidden not only be natural trees, but conifers East plans to plant," he said.

"It is a lovely facility," Connie Fish said, adding that she had been shown color pictures of the proposed facility by East Resources community relations representative Jack Showers, who visited with them Thursday.

"But before this, we were approached by a real estate agent trying to purchase right of way before we even knew what they wanted to do," said Gary Fish, also a Richmond Township supervisor.

"It kind of leaves a sour taste in your mouth," he added.

Though the truck traffic would stop once the project is complete by year's end, Meehan said, given they receive all the necessary permits from municipalities and agencies involved, the Fishs still are concerned about leaks from the trucks that will be going by their property, as is another neighbor Rodney L. Heindel, who also serves as Montoursville's Zoning and Codes Official.

"This facility is to blend and reuse water, and is more of solid waste processing plant. The waste it produces must be taken to a special facility to treat and process," he said.

As such, Heindel said "it can't be placed in an agricultural district not zoned for it."

Heindel also expressed concern that the plant would "devalue his and surrounding properties," including that of a young couple he didn't name who are planning on building a house on 11 acres they recently purchased 400 feet from the plant.

"How the township can approve this project is beyond me, and if you do approve it, we will challenge it," Heindel said.

Tioga County planner Jim Weaver told the commission that during the county planning commission meeting Jan. 13, the company's request was tabled pending access of rights of way and other permits.

"This will go through an extensive review process," Weaver said, plus a 60-day public comment period.

Meehan agreed, saying the DEP and other environmental permitting could take a while.

"We have to make sure the material doesn't get out," Meehan said, referring to the used frack water, adding that there will be lined concrete pads around the tanks and for the truck areas.

The township planning commission now must make a decision on whether or not to recommend approval of the project to the township supervisors, who will decide whether or not to grant a variance.

According to Weaver, the gas industry may have a way around the municipal code because of state law.

"The issue really is that under the Oil and Gas act of 1984 and mechanisms within the municipal planning code, local governments are preempted on any oil and gas activities," Weaver said.

If the township grants approval, Weaver said, the county likely will follow suit.

Original article link here.

Marcellus rush echoes history of recklessness

2010-01-20T11:41:00.002-05:00

Posted on Wed, Jan. 20, 2010

Marcellus rush echoes history of recklessness
Pa. has seen plenty of destructive energy extraction.

By Susan Q. Stranahan

The natural gas industry eyed the rugged forests of northern Pennsylvania, eager to exploit their enormous potential. Descending on Harrisburg, the industry's promoters promised a much-needed economic shot in the arm. The year was 1967.

In hindsight, the plan seems impossibly audacious: Explode a 24-kiloton atomic bomb in the thick shale beneath the Sproul State Forest near State College to create a massive cavern for storing natural gas. Known as Project Ketch, it was a partnership between the Columbia Gas System Service Corp. and the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, which was hungry to find peaceful purposes for nuclear technology. (Another commission brainchild of the era: to nuke its way across Panama to create a second canal.)

Back then, Harrisburg had the red carpet out for any nuclear project, no matter how bizarre, and the proposal caught on. Why not put all that empty forest land to good use? Pennsylvania could cash in big, because the industry and the AEC hoped to detonate as many as 1,000 nuclear bombs to allow gas storage in the Northeast.

While the plan had the blessing of lawmakers from downstream districts along the Susquehanna, the reception wasn't as enthusiastic upstream. Among those opposed were the residents of Renovo, which was ground zero for Project Ketch. Wouldn't the forest be harmed? And, by the way, wouldn't the gas in the cavern be radioactive?

The project's backers quickly responded that the gas would meet all existing regulations. True, except for one fact: There were no regulations. As news of the plan spread, more than 25,000 Pennsylvanians signed petitions opposing it. Ultimately, the AEC and Columbia backed away from the idea, and Sproul remained nuclear-free.

How different is today's race to exploit the rich natural gas reserves buried deep in the Marcellus Shale formation stretching across Pennsylvania, including the Sproul State Forest? Not very.

Last week, the lure of a fast buck swept across Harrisburg once again. The latest bids for drilling rights on state forest land generated twice the revenue anticipated. The response in the Capitol: Let's cash in! There are 1.4 million more acres of forest land out there that we haven't leased yet. (That the state didn't have the courage to demand a tax on this vast resource is another shameful story.)

Rep. Greg Vitali (D., Delaware) voiced the warning that should be reverberating around Harrisburg when it comes to handing Penn's Woods to energy developers. "We need to go real slow at this and not look at the parks as a cash cow," he said. That's true of the whole gas leasing boom, on public and private land.

So far, the gas industry has called all the shots in states with Marcellus reserves. Pennsylvania is no exception.

In the absence of tough oversight in Harrisburg, concerned citizens have been left to ask: What will this do to water supplies? (Drinking water and streams have already been contaminated.) What chemicals are you using to extract the gas? (Until recently, the industry insisted this was a trade secret. Some are known carcinogens.) What happens to all the waste water generated? (The industry now concedes a lot of it will remain underground.)

In place of answers, the gas industry has given Pennsylvanians the same mumbo jumbo that the Renovo folks heard back in 1967: We meet all regulations. Trouble is, there aren't enough regulations. Or regulators.

If developers are willing to pay top dollar to grab this natural resource, then it's worth holding up the race for riches to make some wise choices - choices that won't destroy Pennsylvania and haunt future generations.

Loggers swept across the northern tier of the state more than a century ago, leaving denuded mountains and polluted waterways. Only through decades of publicly funded reforestation and careful stewardship did the magnificent wooded headwaters of the Susquehanna, Delaware, and Allegheny river basins recover.

Pennsylvania gave away the store to the coal barons, too. They gouged hillsides, destroyed drinking water supplies, contaminated thousands of miles of streams, and left a cleanup tab in the billions of dollars.

Does anybody see a pattern here?

The short-term gains of these exploitative industries have become the long-term debts of Pennsylvania's citizens. If wiser heads don't prevail soon, the natural gas boom will leave a similar legacy - one regretted long after the resource, and those who profited from it, are gone.

Article link here.

Double-take of the Day: Pa. Gov. Rendell to press for wellhead natural gas tax

2010-01-14T13:57:00.003-05:00

Pa. Gov. Rendell to press for wellhead natural gas tax

PHILADELPHIA, Jan 14 (Reuters) - Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell said on Thursday he will press for a wellhead tax on natural gas drilling in the state's Marcellus Shale formation to take effect July 1 this year.

Rendell said the industry can afford to pay the "severance" tax given the higher-than-expected prices that companies agreed to pay this week at an auction to lease state forest lands for gas drilling.

He also cited Exxon Mobil's (XOM.N) recent $31 billion bid for gas producer XTO as evidence of the industry's ability to pay for the development of the massive Marcellus field.

"The private sector believes this is going to be extremely profitable," he told a news conference in the state Capitol. "There is no reason to think that the industry needs to be nurtured any more."

Rendell scrapped an earlier proposal for a severance tax because he said he wanted to encourage development of the industry at a time when natural gas prices were falling.

(or the other story is that he was in bed with the industry. why the change of heart, ed? either way, this won't help you in the next election)

He said the industry expects to seek 5,200 Marcellus well permits in 2010, up from the 1,984 issued in 2009. A total of 958 wells were drilled in the Pennsylvania portion of the Marcellus in the last two years, of which 763 were in 2009. (Reporting by Jon Hurdle; Editing by John Picinich)

Original article link here.

WE WILL BELIEVE THIS WHEN IT ACTUALLY HAPPENS!

French, Norwegian Companies Buy into Shale Gas Drilling

2010-01-14T12:55:00.005-05:00

Profits Privatized, Environmental Costs Externalized

Iris Marie Bloom
Special to the Weekly Press

Over and over, we are told natural gas drilling will help U.S. energy independence. That is the prime rationale for sacrificing billions of gallons of clean water from Pennsylvania streams and rivers to be permanently contaminated with toxic chemicals used in drilling. However, other countries are investing in the Marcellus Shale boom, including France and Norway. Norway may prefer to ship natural gas from Pennsylvania if it’s cheaper than their Russian supply. In short, the exclusive driving force of the industry is not energy independence, but profit.

Check out the full article here - it is VERY informative!

I almost choked on my coffee when I saw this headline - I was just having this exact conversation with someone yesterday. The only difference is that I was implying that the UK would be the first ones interested in importing our gas...I guess France and Norway will just get the ball rolling. How nice is that for them - they get all the "clean" energy and we get saddled with the environmental costs.

(Tioga County) Driller ordered to halt Marcellus work over water permits

2010-01-14T12:45:00.001-05:00

By Andrew Maykuth

Inquirer Staff Writer

The Susquehanna River Basin Commission has ordered a small Marcellus Shale gas-exploration company to cease unauthorized drilling activities in Tioga County, which the commission called an "intentional" violation.

The SRBC, which regulates water use in the Susquehanna watershed, ordered Novus Operating L.L.C., of Royse City, Texas, to cease all "water-related activities" at two drilling sites in Brookfield Township, near the New York border, Susan Obleski, the commission's spokeswoman, said yesterday.

Obleski said commission staff had told the drilling company that it needed SRBC permits before it started work on the wells, and the staff ordered the company to cease operations Tuesday after discovering that work had begun. "We're considering this a willful violation," she said.

Novus in December obtained well permits from the Department of Environmental Protection. But before companies can begin drilling in the Susquehanna basin, they need water-use permits; drilling and hydraulically fracturing the deep Marcellus wells require the use of millions of gallons of fluid.

Novus had not actually withdrawn any water for drilling operations, Obleski said.

Jeff Hughes, the principal manager of Novus, said the company's drill rig had not broken ground, and he denied flouting regulations.

"We want to cooperate with the SRBC," he said. "We want to be working with them for a long time."

Novus has some experience working in Texas and West Virginia, but is a relatively small player in the Marcellus, the shale formation that is attracting intense investment from drilling companies. Of nearly 2,000 Marcellus permits approved last year, Novus has three, all in Brookfield Township.

Obleski said several other Marcellus operators had violated the SRBC's permitting process during the early days of the Marcellus scramble - some had withdrawn water without authorization. She said that the commission then issued an industry notice spelling out the regulatory obligations and that there had been few misunderstandings.

Novus has 30 days to apply to SRBC for water withdrawal and consumptive use. The company is prohibited from any further water-related actions until SRBC acts on the application.

Obleski said civil penalties were likely because the violation was deemed intentional.

Catch the original article here.

Sportsmen Hear Presentation Regarding Marcellus Shale Drilling, Voice Concerns

2010-01-14T12:25:00.004-05:00

January 14th, 2010

Carolyn Merling, correspondent
(our comments in orange)

Sportsmen Hear Presentation Regarding Marcellus Shale Drilling, Voice Concerns

James Clark from the Penn State Cooperative Extension, McKean County, spoke to sportsmen regarding water quality issues stemming from gas well drilling. (Carolyn Merling)

DUBOIS - Trout Unlimited Allegheny Mountain Chapter #036 held their general membership meeting at the YMCA in Dubois Wednesday evening to discuss potential threats to local water quality due to Marcellus Shale gas well drilling. They hosted James Clark from the Penn State Cooperative Extension, McKean County, to speak about water related issues stemming from gas drilling. The meeting was open to members and the general public.

George Kutskel from Trout Unlimited Allegheny Mountain Chapter told the audience, “We are not here to stop it. We know it’s going to happen. We just want to make sure when it happens that we’re not left with the same legacy some of us know from 30-35 years ago. So, we want to make sure it’s done correctly. We know accidents happen but we want to make sure there are funds set aside to clean them up.”

He said that a lot of the mine problems are that there is no money to clean them up.

Clark began by saying that what Marcellus Shale will do for Pennsylvania is going to be impressive. He gave the audience a map that showed the scale of this project, not just for Pennsylvania, but nationwide. In Texas, who has an estimated basin area in square miles of 5,000 square miles, 113,000 jobs were created to support gas drilling. Pennsylvania has 95,000 square miles of estimated basin area. Clark did not say how many jobs would be created for Pennsylvania.

Clark said, “There is no positive environmental benefit because you decide to drill a natural gas well. There’s only minimizing risks.” He said that natural gas is a fossil fuel and that it is the cleanest fossil fuel, but it is still fossil fuel and not an alternative energy.

He primarily spoke about the waste water that is created when drilling for natural gas occurs. Clark said that waste water is the cause for what is slowing down drilling. There are water treatment centers in western, but not eastern, Pennsylvania. Drilling sites in eastern Pennsylvania have to transport by tanker trucks the waste water to the treatment facilities.

(I'm not sure how accurate this is - as far as I know, there are NO treatment facilities in PA that can handle the waste water)

Reverse osmosis would be a good alternative to treating the waste water, however, the volume of water that needs to be treated typically scares away companies who might be able to do that. The first actual facility that could be built would not be complete until 2013. Publicly operated treatment facilities are typically unable to handle the waste water either.

Clark gave an example of how large the Marcellus Shale project has grown. In 2008, Clearfield County gave eight permits for wells. Out of those eight, four were drilled. In 2009, 64 permits were issued and 26 were drilled.

It was explained that West Virginia and Pennsylvania opened their doors to the natural gas drilling in order to open jobs and stimulate the economy. New York was not as quick to open it’s doors. New York first wanted to research the effects of drilling on the environment. They will soon publish an 800 page document that gives the details of what natural gas drilling does to the environment. Clark said New York was probably doing things in the right order by researching first and then proceeding with drilling based on the results of that research.

The jobs that Marcellus Shale will open to Pennsylvania will be many. One member of the audience asked how many years these jobs will be around and was told probably 10-15 years. It is thought that the drilling jobs will leave ghost towns just as mining did 30 years ago. Another question posed by a person in the audience related to whether or not there was a way for citizens to track how many jobs were available to local residents as opposed to out-of-state workers brought in by the company. At this time there is not a tracking system.

(there is no tracking system because no one, including the industry and your politicians, wants you to know that 95% of the "jobs created" are filled by skilled workers brought in from outside the region - yes, there have been jobs "created" but most of them are, and will be in the service industry at mostly minimum wages - PA doesn't need any more low paying service jobs - we need real jobs!)

Members of the audience were encouraged to engage their legislators if they have questions and are seeking specific answers. Clark gave an example of being asked whether he would rather be cold or thirsty. He said that the drilling is coming and that there is simply too much money involved for it not to.

Clark and Kutskel told the audience that vigilance is of the utmost importance in order to protect our land and our waterways. Kutskel said, “if you see a stream that used to run clear and now runs brown, you need to report it immediately.”

To report any pollution violations please contact:

Department of Environmental Protection
1-800-541- 2050

Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission
814-359-5250

Pennsylvania Game Commission
570-389-4744

Original article here.

(I have much more to say about this article, mainly that it seems like TU is either under-educated or just not willing to speak the full, hard truth about the situation)

Surprise, Surprise! More state land may be offered to Marcellus drillers

2010-01-14T12:16:00.003-05:00

Well, well, well....surprise of the freakin' century... those bastards in Harrisburg couldn't even wait a few days before planning for the next round of state forest rape. It's all money to these guys and the greed is quite evident, given the teeny tiny amount of time between getting in all the current lease bids and planning for the next saddle on the cash cow next year...

Full article here.

Gas drillers bid twice what Pa. budgeted...

2010-01-13T12:28:00.004-05:00

I'll let you all read the original article, since I just posted one similar to it:

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/homepage/81300357.html

However, I thought there were some interesting (and surprising, to say the least) concerns voiced by the very folks who are allowing this to grow so far out of proportion (quotes taken from above linked article):

"Natural-gas drillers yesterday bid $128.5 million to develop 32,000 acres of Pennsylvania state forests, twice the revenue the state had budgeted, prompting fears of a headlong rush to overrun public lands to tap into the rich Marcellus Shale"

Prompting fears where? The fear is already here in the actual places where the drilling is going on. Maybe if the state boys had visited some of their previously leased (and currently drilled) forest land, they'd have already come to this conclusion...things don't exactly look so scary from your corner office in Harrisburg.

"...John Quigley, acting secretary of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, regarded the successful auction as a mixed blessing, saying the windfall could further whet the appetite of policymakers to lease public land to derive immediate revenue without fully understanding the long-term environmental implications of gas development"

This could further "whet the appetite" to lease public land? I'm sorry but the appetite is there, and has been there. Our "policymakers" (or rather policy-breakers) have long been filling up on the gas industry. They know an "easy buck" when they see one. Of course, fast money usually comes with consequences (environmental impacts in this case) but so far, the state government boys have turned a blind eye to this. Think they have a financial crisis now? Wait until the environmental impacts take full effect - public health being effected, strain on our social services due to over-population, lost tourism revenue, lost value on formerly high value (and highly taxable) land, etc., etc.

"As we sit here this afternoon, fully one third of the state forest is now leased for gas exploration," Quigley said in an interview yesterday. "I think that raises some important questions. How much is too much?"

HOLY SHIT! A THIRD OF OUR STATE FOREST?!?!?!? It's one thing for me to be concerned, but it is an entirely different thing if Quigley is concerned. How much is too much, John? How about a third of our forest.

"Quigley encouraged policymakers to enact a statewide severance tax on natural gas as a more sustainable revenue source"

BRA-FREAKIN-VO John. I think that the overwhelming response to the State Forest Lease bids proves that not only does the industry want to be here, but they can also afford to be here. Thus, the "excuse" against enacting a severance tax is complete bull! (if you don't remember, basically the arguement against serverance tax was that it would drive a small, growing industry out of the area and along with it, all of those local jobs it is supposed to produce). A severance tax would be a mere blemish on the face of expenses involved in gas production. Gas companies would still stand to make millions of dollars, with or without the tax. And they know that we have lots of sweet, sweet gas, and they want it no matter what. So let's tax em, eh? I'm sick of breathing their free fumes.

Tioga commissioners accept bid for gas land lease

2010-01-13T11:54:00.002-05:00

Tioga commissioners accept bid for gas land lease

By CHERYL R. CLARKE cclarke@sungazette.com

POSTED: January 13, 2010

WELLSBORO - After putting about 300 acres of county-owned property out for bid to natural gas drillers last month, commissioners on Tuesday voted unanimously to accept East Resources Inc.'s bid of $1,500 per acre and 15 percent royalty*. The matter is subject to a lease review, which has not yet been submitted, by the county solicitor and another "special" attorney with experience evaluating gas company leases.

No other details on what the county's requirements are for the lease, which includes property in Charleston Township off Shumway Hill Road and across Route 6, were available, Commissioner Sue Vogler said.

"Now they will do a deed search and then come back to us with a lease, and as soon as it is available, we will have that information," Vogler said in response to questions from Covington Township resident Leon Kocher, who said he wants to review the lease before commissioners sign it.

Kocher told the commissioners he is concerned about hidden clauses within the lease in regard to holding and storage of gas.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*Seems like the Tioga Commissioners were so in need of cash that they were willing to accept such a LOW BALL offer from East Resources. Private landowners in Bradford County (where there is more competition between companies) are seeing offers of nearly $5000 an acre. Now we know what our commissioners (and gas companies) think our county's land is worth.

I hope that the amount they're going to make will be able to make up for future lost tourism revenue.

Welcome to Beautiful, Historic Wellsboro, PA - where the streets are lined with gas lights and the hills are covered with gas flares!

5 Firms Submit High Bids for Gas Drilling in PA

2010-01-13T11:44:00.003-05:00

5 Firms Submit High Bids for Gas Drilling in Pa.
5 companies submit high bids of nearly $130M for gas-drilling rights in Pa. public forests

Get the full story at the ABC news link:
http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wirestory?id=9549333&page=1

January Trout Unlimited Meeting (1/13) open to public to discuss Gas, Waterdogs

2010-01-11T15:47:00.003-05:00

The local Trout Unlimited chapter will devote it's January meeting to drilling issues and to the Waterdog Program. The meeting will be this coming Wednesday (January 13th) - 7:30 PM at the Holiday Inn, Williamsport.

Here is what I have from TU's Walt Nicholson. He urges all interested individuals and groups to attend:

The meeting on the “Water Dog” program is on Wednesday night the 13th at 7:30 PM at the Holiday Inn. The meeting is open to the public, although we unfortunately did not get our usual publicity out on it other than through direct communication the various watershed groups. You are certainly invited and encouraged to attend.

There will be some preliminary training on the program, and there will also be some discussion about the next steps and further training topics. Our program chair for this meeting is Joe Radley.

Natural Gas Webinars offered by Penn State Cooperative Extension

2010-01-11T15:39:00.003-05:00

A Web seminar to address ongoing implications of natural gas leases will be available at 1 p.m. Jan. 21.

While many landowners across Pennsylvania have signed lease agreements with natural gas exploration companies, new questions - which may or may not be clear in the original leases - continue to emerge. A discussion of these questions will be the focus of a free Web-based seminar titled, "Post Leasing - Considerations of What Happens Next, Lessons Learned to Date."

Sponsored by Penn State Cooperative Extension, the seminar will provide information about the scope of existing and additional lease agreements. The seminar will address some of the trends landowners have been observing as the gas extraction phase begins to ramp up in many parts of the state. Some of these trends include negotiations with landowners for siting the well pad, lease extensions, the addition of roads, pipelines, sound mitigation and the need for timbering. The seminar is available at http://naturalgas.extension.psu.edu/Events.htm.

Online participants will have the opportunity to ask the speaker questions during the session.

The seminar is part of an ongoing series of workshops addressing issues related to the state's Marcellus Shale gas boom. One-hour seminars also will be held at 1 p.m. on the following dates:

Feb. 18: "Underground Injection Wells as an Option for Disposal of Shale Gas Wastewaters: Policies and Practicality." The presenter will be Karen Johnson, chief, Groundwater and Enforcement Branch, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 3.

March 18: "The Impact of Marcellus Shale: What Do the Economic Impact Studies Imply?" Presenter will be Timothy Kelsey, Penn State Cooperative Extension state program leader.

For more information, contact Joann Kowalski, extension educator in Susquehanna County, at 570-278-1158 or jmk20@psu.edu.

Don't Forget, PA DEP Needs Your Feedback!

2010-01-11T12:12:00.004-05:00

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection wants to hear your comments and concerns regarding the newly proposed regulations for flowback water from gas drilling. If you'd like to read this proposal, you can find it on the PA Bulletin site.

Written Comments—Interested persons are invited to submit comments, suggestions or objections regarding the proposed regulation to the Environmental Quality Board, P. O. Box 8477, Harrisburg, PA 17105-8477 (express mail: Rachel Carson State Office Building, 16th Floor, 400 Market Street, Harrisburg, PA 17105-2301). Comments submitted by facsimile will not be accepted. Comments, suggestions or objections must be received by the Board by February 5, 2010. Interested persons may also submit a summary of their comments to the Board. The summary may not exceed one page in length and must also be received by the Board by February 5, 2010. The one-page summary will be provided to each member of the Board in the agenda packet distributed prior to the meeting at which the final-form regulation will be considered.

Electronic Comments—Comments may be submitted electronically to the Board at RegComments@dep.state. pa.us and must also be received by the Board by February 5, 2010. A subject heading of the proposal and a return name and address must be included in each transmission. If an acknowledgment of electronic comments is not received by the sender within 2 working days, the comments should be retransmitted to ensure receipt.

Responsible Drilling Alliance is reminding folks to send in their comments. They have provided an example letter that you may use if you wish (I have some problems with this letter, along with some additional comments to address those issues):

Dear Environmental Quality Board Members,

On behalf of the Susquehanna River, the Chesapeake Bay and all future generations, please pass the proposed rulemaking changes in 25 Code Chapter 95, Wastewater Treatment Requirements, as published in the PA Bulletin November 7, 2009.

The proposed changes would greatly limit additional TDS from new facilities. TDS cause toxicity to fresh water species through increases in salinity and, changes in the ionic toxicity of individual ions and results in a shift in biotic communities. Studies show that other watersheds in Pennsylvania (eg the Monongahela River) are already being adversely impacted by TDS discharges by the gas drilling operations.

Additionally, watershed analysis conducted by the PA DEP indicates that the West Branch of the Susquehanna River and the Moshannon River Watersheds are severely limited in their capacity to assimilate new loads of TDS and sulfates, primarily due to acid mine drainage from long-abandoned coal mines--a legacy of Pennsylvania's last energy rush. Increased TDS and sulfate loading would reverse years of hard-won progress by Pa DEP in improving water quality in these watersheds.

Thank you for your support of the Susquehanna River and Chesapeake Bay.

(name and address of sender)

The first thing I noticed about this letter is that it actually regurgitates, in part, some of the exact language used in the proposal. I hope that some of you may take it upon yourselves to put this into your own words and maybe provide some info or quotes from other sources to back it up. While I agree that the boys in Harrisburg might like to see their words repeated in your letter, I think that it also makes the letter writer look just a bit lazy.

Second, I have two major problems with this proposal, neither of which are addressed in the above letter.

1. The language used to describe "new" discharges seems suspicious to me. I feel like this may be a trick to "grandfather" current flowback water discharges so they won't have to meet the new standards. In that case, how can we clean up what has already been polluted if there is still some of the very pollution we're fighting against being legally discharged into some of our most endangered streams?

2. I am very uncomfortable with how AMD (acid mine drainage) treatment is specifically singled out as something that would not be effected by these new regulations. Why would we not want to set higher standards for the clean-up of AMD? AMD is very toxic (just look at the orange Tioga River) and it is an "old" mess. We would surely clean up old messes before creating new ones, right? The proposal states that "this is important to assure that efforts to treat AMD... are not thwarted by imposing limits on these projects with overwhelming positive environmental benefits". "OVERWHELMING" positive benefits?!? Since when are positive environmental benefits "overwhelming"?!? Bottom line, I feel this is an effort to shuffle some of this regulation under the rug and look the other way when it comes to flowback water discharge in our coal regions.

The inclusion of the AMD distinction seems to me like a serious conflict of interest. Why? For example, in Tioga County there is a good portion of drilling taking place on former coal lands (much of it is State Forest land). Where is the water coming from to supply these sites? From the streams around the area that are already laden with AMD. And where does that flowback water go right now? Back into those some streams that are already dead from AMD. Anyone see the problem with this picture?

I'd absolutely love to some "OVERWHELMING POSITIVE" movement forward on this.

"Fracking" Under Pressure

2010-01-10T16:55:00.002-05:00

"Fracking" Under Pressure...

(This article was published 1/10/10 on the Philadelphia Inquirer site - above link takes you there!)

Williamsport, PA Freshlife "Options" January issue focuses on Gas

2010-01-05T14:01:00.002-05:00

Freshlife, a wellness and health organization in Williamsport, PA has focused largely on the Marcellus Shale boom (and the inherent environmental issues) in the January issue of their free Publication, "Options".

To view on the web or download a copy (PDF), please visit this link.

Discuss Gas Drilling w/US House Representative Christopher Carney in Williamsport, PA on 1/6/10

2010-01-05T13:31:00.000-05:00

CARNEY ANNOUNCES LYCOMING TOWN HALL MEETING
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH AARP

Washington, D.C.—Congressman Chris Carney will hold a Listening Tour Town Hall Meeting at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 6, at Lycoming College in Williamsport. He will be available to discuss issues affecting our community ...

“Listening to the people of Pennsylvania’s 10th District is a responsibility I take very seriously as their representative in Congress,” said Congressman Carney. “Every year, I hold town hall meetings for each of the district’s 14 counties, events that provide me with an opportunity to not only meet constituents but hear their concerns and take their questions. I look forward to meeting constituents on Wednesday.”

See Rep Carney's recent statement about the Frac Act from the following source: http://thedailyreview.com/news/carney-comments-on-frac-act-1.487952

When asked for comment regarding his stance on the FRAC Act, Carney's office issued the following formal statement from Carney:

"Ensuring our community has safe drinking water in the midst of our natural gas boom is of significant concern to me and my staff. I supported legislation this year that directs the Environmental Protection Agency to further study the relationship between hydraulic fracturing and drinking water and to determine whether the process requires federal oversight. I look forward to reviewing that analysis."

"I am also working closely with the state Department of Environmental Protection to assure better oversight at the state level and ensure that the agency actively investigates complaints. The Marcellus Shale has provided our community with a tremendous economic opportunity, but the state must be more vigilant in establishing and enforcing its own regulations.

"It is too early to tell whether the FRAC ACT is necessary. We must work with the enforcement mechanisms already in place and not rush to add another layer of bureaucracy."

DEP needs to hear from you and your organization...

2010-01-05T13:19:00.004-05:00

Pennsylvania's Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has proposed new regulations for industrial wastewater that is high in total dissolved solids (TDS).

Natural gas drilling operations in the Marcellus Shale uses substances high in TDS for hydrofracturing (fracking) wells. The wastewater that comes back out of wells (flowback fluid) after fracking is also high in TDS. The high levels of TDS in Marcellus wastewater is mostly in the form of salts and can be two to four times saltier than seawater.

Frac and flowback fluids can enter streams and rivers intentionally (legally by permit) or accidentally. The result can be a danger to health for all organisms - including humans. It can also make the water unfit for industrial use.

DEP needs the new regs to ensure that wastewater generated at Marcellus Shale gas drilling sites does not damage streams and rivers.

To read details about the proposed new regs, go to this link in the PA Bulletin: http://pabulletin.com/secure/data/vol39/39-45/2065.html

DEP's Environmental Quality Board (EQB) held several public hearings on the proposed new regs held across the state, and some of the testimonies given by members of the public can be viewed at this site: http://www.northcentralpa.com/category/category/gas-drilling

DEP needs to hear from all who care about our environment, our heath and the businesses which depend on clean water.

Please consider having your organization send a letter or email to the EQB commenting on the proposed new regs. Feel free to craft comments based on the testimonies of others and/or from the talking points noted at the end of this message.

If individual members of your organization are willing to write letters or send emails to the EQB, that would be very helpful.

Natural gas industry representatives are lobbying very hard, backed by substantial funding, to prevent any strengthening of the existing regs. In fact, lobbyists are asking for the regs to be even weaker than they are now.

Send written comments by postal- or e- mail on the proposed rule NO LATER THAN FEBRUARY 10, 2010:

Environmental Quality Board
P.O. Box 8477
Harrisburg, PA 17105-8477
regcomments@state.pa.us

Here are some talking points to make about DEP’s proposed changes to Chapter 95, Wastewater Treatment Requirements. These come courtesy of Clean Water Action.

1. We need safe drinking water! DEP’s proposal will go a long way towards ensuring that our drinking water supplies will not have unsafe levels of total dissolved solids (TDS). DEP should not weaken their proposed discharge standard for TDS.

2. We need these regulations to be in place as soon as possible to protect our rivers and drinking water. DEP should stop giving out more drilling permits until wastewater rules are in place. DEP should also stop allowing existing or proposed wastewater plants to pollute our rivers unless they follow these new rules.

3. DEP should add discharge standards for those contaminants that are frequently found in Marcellus Shale gas drilling wastewater. These would include bromides, arsenic, benzene, radium, magnesium, and possibly others. Many of these contaminants are very difficult for drinking water systems to remove.

4. DEP needs to ensure that all aspects of the generation of Marcellus wastewater are regulated. Currently there are no requirements to track wastewater from drilling sites to treatment plants, and there is no oversight over the reuse of Marcellus wastewater.

Notarized or not, few dispute gas leases

2010-01-05T12:59:00.003-05:00

by Jason Przybycien
przybycj@tiogapublishing.com

Published: Tuesday, December 29, 2009 1:34 PM CST

Despite reports that many gas leases in Tioga County were improperly notarized, officials say nothing has resulted as a result of those reports.

WENY TV News reporter Patrick Card aired a story Dec. 8 about how a Tioga County notary public notarized dozens of gas leases while the signers weren’t present. The report masked the notary’s identity, but said many of the leases were for East Resources Inc., Warrendale, a gas drilling company involved in the Marcellus shale play.

John Sieminski, East’s chief counsel, told this reporter earlier this month that leases may have been improperly notarized, but it only mattered if a party to the lease wanted to dispute it. So far, no one had.

“I’m talking with people in our land department and waiting to see what else is developed,” Sieminski said.

- NOTE from Tioga Gas Watch: It will be interesting to see if anyone WILL step forward and dispute a lease in respect to improper notarization...

Permit Watch Update...

2010-01-05T12:42:00.004-05:00

Some of you may be wondering where the permit updates have gone - I've decided that since it is so easy for anyone to get these updates by email, it is not worth my time to post them every day. Don't worry, I'm still watching the permits - not only for Tioga and Lycoming counties, but now also for Bradford and Potter counties. So, with the addition of watching these two extra counties, there is quite the list of daily updates.

If you're interested in following PA DEP permit activity, I highly recommend signing up for the DEP eNotice service. It just takes a moment to submit your email and set preferences for the types of permits and counties and/or townships you'd like to get updates on. Sign up today and you'll get your first permit update tomorrow morning in your inbox! The updates come out nearly every day, even on weekends and holidays.

Here's the link to sign up for PA DEP eNotice. Once you have created an account you can set up your notification preferences. If you'd ever like to add (or remove) certain preferences, you can login to your account at any time and do so.

As I already said, I'm still watching the permit updates. I will probably post if I see anything out of the ordinary come through...

Gas Leases in PA Filed Illegally

2009-12-09T16:38:00.003-05:00

Gas Leases in PA Filed Illegally (VIDEO)
Patrick Card

December 8, 2009 WELLSBORO -- A WENY-TV News investigation shows that there could be a large number of natural gas leases in Pennsylvania that were filed illegally. The legality of the leases is linked to the process taken by natural gas companies when the leases are signed. When a landowner signs the lease, the landowner by law must appear before a notary, who is technically an appointed state official. In a number of cases, landowners said they never appeared before a notary but the notary's seal still appeared on their documents. Some of them said they never realized they had to because they weren't told that by gas company representatives when they signed the lease. Others didn't even live in the State of Pennsylvania on the date that the notary's seal appeared on their lease. One notary we spoke to, who requested anonymity because she could lose her license, said it's been common practice to cut corners to get gas leases done faster for the past 20 years. "[I've done] at least 50, if not as many as 100," she said. When asked if she knew it was illegal, she said, "Yes. It's absolutely common practice. No question about it." Many of the leases she signed illegally were with East Resources, a drilling company based in Mansfield. The notary we spoke to said the representative from East brought her the leases despite knowing it was illegal for her to notarize the leases without the landowner present. East's lawyer said the company was unaware of any allegations like this one but said the company would investigate. He went on to say it is East's policy to follow all relevant laws and regulations dealing with gas leases. The Pennsylvania Department of State regulates notaries in Pennsylvania. A spokesman for the department confirmed that notaries found to be certifying leases without seeing the landowner would be investigated and possibly stripped of their licenses. Watch the video below:

Original link to story here on the WENY site.

UPDATE: December 1st "Split Estate" showing is canceled!

2009-11-24T18:02:00.003-05:00

Unfortunately, due to a last minute scheduling conflict, the December 1st showing of "Split Estate" at Penn Tech has been canceled.

Alternate venues are being looked into - if there is anyone in Tioga County that is willing to donate a space to show this film (preferably sometime in December) please contact me at the email to the right. At the very least we need space for at least 50 people (probably more) with electricity and either a wall to project the film on or space to put up a small projector screen. Anyone with a space that actually has multimedia capability (projector, dvd player, sound system) and is willing to work with us, PLEASE contact me! That would be ideal!

Thanks, we'll let you know when there is another date set so please check back soon!

PERMITS: Tioga County, PA Permit Update 11-22-09

2009-11-23T21:49:00.003-05:00

These are the permit updates for November 22, 2009:

Authorization # 813723 has been updated on 11/20/2009. (Mainesburg Rd., Sullivan Township)

There were no updates for today.

NEW: More 'testing the waters' needed in Pennsylvania

2009-11-23T14:16:00.006-05:00

By Patriot-News Editorial Board

November 15, 2009, 7:17AM

New York City has one thing right: We are what we eat and drink, and the water used in Marcellus Shale gas drilling is not sounding very appetizing.

In a startling finding this week, radioactive material was discovered in the wastewater samples analyzed by the New York Department of Environmental Conservation.

More testing is sure to follow, but the announcement has New Yorkers on edge and should have Pennsylvanians looking closer, too.

The Marcellus Shale gas drilling process is extremely water intensive. Millions of gallons of water are run through the shale. The resulting wastewater is then treated and discharged, mostly back into public waterways.

A drilling rig used to bore thousands of feet into the earth to extract natural gas from the Marcellus shale deep underground is seen on the hill above the pond on John Dunn's farm in Houston, Pa. Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2008. (AP Photo)

That’s why this is an issue that goes well beyond trout fisherman and nature lovers who want to keep lands and streams pristine. It could impact anyone who relies on public water when something goes awry.

It’s also noteworthy that New York’s DEC is proposing its wastewater be sent to treatment plants here in the Keystone State. Their dirty runoff could all too soon be our problem.

The oil and gas industry wants to ensure they are compliant with water issues. To their credit, they have called for more tests, and drillers here in Pennsylvania are eager to abate public concern as they begin to expand their operations in the commonwealth.

But we need more than just tighter regulations on the books. Pennsylvania needs an active testing system to identify a water issue quickly so action can be taken.

The suggestion this week from the Susquehanna River Basin Commission to set up 30 water-monitoring stations is welcome and should be implemented.

For less than a million dollars, the commission can set up new and sophisticated stations all along smaller tributaries of Susquehanna River, many of which only have very basic instruments in place now. The devices can take minute-by-minute readings of water levels, acidity and temperature, among other characteristics.

The Susquehanna River Basin Commission developed the plan after watching the fallout from what appears to be contaminated wastewater along the Pennsylvania-West Virginia border. It’s hard to reverse the damage from large amounts of water, which is why time is of the essence in identifying problems.

Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Secretary John Hanger said he supports the plan. He told the Patriot-News editorial board, “The state has too little monitoring of what is going on. We still depend heavily on [outside] complaints.”

But Hanger isn’t sure if he will have any funds to devote to it given the cuts DEP received this year.

The water issues that are already surfacing reiterate the need for the Pennsylvania Legislature to wake up and enact a severance tax on gas drilling. This is not an “infant industry” in need of government support. It is our commonwealth that needs the financial and environmental protection to ensure the drilling is done fairly to all, including generations yet to come.

Article link here.

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The cost to test our waters is something that should NOT come from our already over-stretched state budget and DEP funding. This is something that should be charged to the GAS INDUSTRY. A SEVERANCE TAX (the one our legislators deemed to be a possible hindrance to the industry - that's government slang for "the industry paid us not to pass this") would help cover the costs of water testing and other activities related to protecting our environment from gas drilling pratices.

PERMITS: Tioga County, PA Permit Update 11-21-09

2009-11-21T21:34:00.003-05:00

These are the permit updates for November 21, 2009:

Authorization # 814275 has been updated on 11/19/2009. (Morris Run)
Authorization # 814276 has been updated on 11/19/2009. (Jackson Summit)

Please remember that the eMapPA function only works on Windows, Internet Explorer 6 or higher.

NEW/LEARN: "Split Estate" documentary showing December 1st in Tioga County

2009-11-21T19:43:00.008-05:00

There will be a showing of the documentary "Split Estate" at Penn College of Technology on December 1, 2009 at 7:00PM in Room 108.

The film takes a look at the natural gas industry with a focus on Colorado. "Split Estate" is a term that describes the situation when one entity owns the surface rights of a property, while another owns the underground rights (or "mineral rights").

The learn more about the film, please visit the Split Estate website. The trailer is below!

NEW/STATE/FED: Pa. Residents Sue Gas Driller for Contamination, Health Concerns

2009-11-21T10:58:00.003-05:00

by Abrahm Lustgarten, ProPublica - November 20, 2009 10:00 am EST

Dimock resident Julie Sautner, seen here in her basement with her water filtration system, flushed her toilet one day to find a rush of earth-brown water. Tests showed her drinking water was high in aluminum, iron and methane. She is now part of a lawsuit against driller Cabot Oil and Gas. (Abrahm Lustgarten/ProPublica

Pennsylvania residents whose streams and fields have been damaged by toxic spills and whose drinking water has allegedly been contaminated by drilling for natural gas are suing the Houston-based energy company that drilled the wells. A worker at the company is among the 15 families bringing suit.

The civil case, filed Thursday in U.S District Court in Scranton, Pa., seeks to stop future drilling in the Marcellus Shale by Cabot Oil and Gas near the town of Dimock. It also seeks to set up a trust fund to cover medical treatment for residents who say they have been sickened by pollutants. Health problems listed in the complaint include neurological and gastrointestinal illnesses; the complaint also alleges that at least one person's blood tests show toxic levels of the same metals found in the contaminated water.

The suit alleges that Cabot allowed methane and metals to seep into drinking water wells, failed to uphold terms of its contracts with landowners, and acted fraudulently when it said that the drilling process, including the chemicals used in the underground manipulation process called hydraulic fracturing, could not contaminate groundwater and posed no harm to the people who live there.

"We've been lied to, we've been pushed around, and enough is enough," said Julie Sautner, whose drinking water began showing high levels of methane, iron and aluminum in February and who is receiving fresh water deliveries from Cabot. "We need to push back."

A Cabot spokesman, Ken Komoroski, did not return calls for comment.

Among the 15 families bringing the case to court is Nolan Scott Ely, a Cabot employee who could lend an inside perspective to the case on how the company operates and how it has approached the myriad problems the company has had in Dimock. Nolan Ely did not return calls for comment.

Ely's relatives, who have lived in Dimock for generations, own several properties where Cabot has wells. In January a well at the home of Michael Ely, one of Nolan Ely's relatives who is also part of the lawsuit, caught fire after methane leaked underground into the water supply. At the top of the hill near Michael Ely's home is Cabot's Ely 6H well, which is among the most productive horizontal wells drilled in the Marcellus Shale. Cabot has touted Ely 6H as being one of the company's most profitable.

Fifteen families in Dimock, Pa., file a lawsuit against natural gas drilling company Cabot Oil and Gas, seeking to halt future drilling in the Marcellus Shale near their town. Meet the residents behind the lawsuit. (Abrahm Lustgarten/ProPublica)

Cabot's problems in Dimock go back to January, when a drinking water well belonging to Norma Fiorentino -- who is a plaintiff in the lawsuit -- exploded after a methane buildup. Since then methane and metals have been found in numerous drinking water wells in the region. In the last year Pennsylvania's Department of Environmental Protection has determined that Cabot was responsible for several spills of diesel fuel and drilling mud and for an 8,000-gallon leak of hydraulic fracturing fluids being prepared by a contractor, Halliburton, that seeped into a fresh water stream in September.

The DEP concluded early on that faulty well construction allowed contaminants to leak from Cabot's wells into water supplies. In September, following the fracturing fluid spill, the state temporarily banned Cabot from hydraulically fracturing any more wells near Dimock, but that prohibition was lifted several weeks later.

On Nov. 4 the DEP issued a document listing more than a dozen infractions, including fracturing fluid spills, diesel spills and well-construction problems that allowed methane gas to seep underground into private drinking water wells. The document lists 13 families whose drinking water is affected by the contamination, many of whom are being supplied fresh drinking water by Cabot.

The lawsuit, filed by the New York City-based law firm Jacob D. Fuchsberg and two other firms based in Philadelphia, Pa., and Buffalo, N.Y., did not specify what monetary damages would be sought from Cabot. Dimock residents tell ProPublica that they would be entitled to two thirds of the net judgment after expenses if they win.

Lawyers handling the case did not respond to requests for comment.

In addition to the cost of health care and health monitoring, the suit seeks compensation for the loss of property values in the rural area -- something that would allow affected residents there, if nothing else, to leave.

"I don't think we've asked for the moon here," said Victoria Switzer, a Dimock resident who is party to the suit. "I mean, Norma just wanted water, for goodness' sake. The compensation, if it were enough to know that we could go away, that's all I want."

Write to Abrahm Lustgarten at Abrahm.Lustgarten@propublica.org

Original story link here.

NEW: Update on 2009-2010 State Forest Gas Leasing for Tioga County, PA

2009-11-20T13:09:00.005-05:00

Click map to go to the DCNR PDF of this map.

Pennsylvania DCNR has released the information for the latest round of State Forest gas leasing that was proposed by our new State Budget. In total for the whole state, there are 31,947 acres up for lease, all in the north-central portion of the state. To see a larger version of the Tioga County/Tioga State Forest Lease offering, click the map above (PDF link).

If you'd like to learn more about the specifics of the lease, the entire 71 page lease agreement PDF is available to the public at DCNR's Oil & Gas Lease offering site. For a more detailed map of the lease tract, including full information on the "special consideration areas" within it (ecological, watershed, viewshed and timber areas), check out page 71.

This newest lease tract is located mainly north of the Marsh Creek area on the mountain. This contains the northeast portion of the Pine Creek watershed. There is currently a large amount of activity on private parcels in the valley south of this tract.

You can see all of this information for the other lease tracts as well at DCNR's 2009/2010 Oil & Gas Lease Offering page.

NEW/STATE/FED: Dimock, PA Residents Take Action to Correct Conduct by Natural Gas Company

2009-11-20T12:22:00.004-05:00

From the Jacob Fuchsberg Law Firm:

Residents Take Action to Correct Conduct by Natural Gas Company in Dimock, PA

Families will announce an important development in their fight to restore homes, land and community after environmental onslaught

DIMOCK, PA – Fifteen families living on Carter Road in Dimock Township, Pennsylvania, located in Susquehanna County in the northeast region of the State, plan to announce on Friday, November 20, 2009, the filing of a civil lawsuit in Federal Court in an effort to require a major gas and oil drilling company to repair the damage that has occurred to themselves, their homes and properties as a consequence of drilling for natural gas.

Beginning with Cabot's solicitations in 2006, these families entered into gas lease agreements with Cabot Oil & Gas Corporation, headquartered in Houston, Texas. These lease agreements allowed Cabot to extract natural gas from beneath their properties in exchange for monetary compensation. These families, like so many others who signed leases, had high hopes for a better future with the revenue this activity was supposed to provide.

The Carter Road families maintain they were given assurances that their property and land resources would remain substantially preserved for themselves and their children and that their health and quality of life would not be adversely affected by drilling operations. In addition, if it was determined that Cabot’s operations were adversely affecting their water supply, then Cabot would immediately disclose that information to the families and take all steps necessary to return their water supply to pre-drilling conditions.

Instead, these residents have had their hopes dashed, their health threatened, their safety and way of life destroyed, and the pristine land around them compromised.

The complaint will assert that the families suffer environmental contamination and pollution caused by the conduct and activities of Cabot. It will be alleged that Cabot caused the release of combustible gas into the underground water supply and discharged hazardous chemicals and industrial wastes onto properties and into local streams. The families are requesting a clean up under the Hazardous State Clean Up Act, and medical monitoring, as well as compensatory damages for their loss of property value, emotional distress, and personal injury.

Link to story here. We will be following this for the latest updates.

This case is VERY important. It will likely provide a precedent for other cases like it. It will hopefully raise public awareness about the problem, not only locally but also nationally. Also, it will hopefully add a little extra fire under the butts of the EPA, which is currently doing a review of hydraulic fracturing, as well as strengthen the push for more stringent regulations of hydraulic fracturing.

PERMITS: Tioga County, PA Permit Updates for 11-17-09 thru 11-20-09

2009-11-20T11:32:00.002-05:00

I apologize, I've been unable to post the permit updates for the past few days - playing catch-up.

These are the permit updates for November 17, 2009 (there were none on the 16th):

Authorization # 806634 disposed on 11/12/2009. (Roseville)
Subfacility ID=1000493 Name=COLE 236 3H eMapPA search
Authorization # 806660 disposed on 11/12/2009. (Roseville)
Subfacility ID=1000499 Name=COLE 236 5H eMapPA search
Authorization # 806683 disposed on 11/12/2009. (Roseville)
Subfacility ID=1000517 Name=DETWEILER J 235A 3H eMapPA search
Authorization # 810323 disposed on 11/12/2009. (Jackson Summit)
Subfacility ID=1002380 Name=CAMP NEVER TOO LATE 521 5H eMapPA search

These are the permit updates for November 18, 2009:

Authorization # 811942 has been updated on 11/16/2009. (Sabinsville)
Subfacility ID=1003046 Name=SHARRETTS 805 1V eMapPA search
Authorization # 811945 has been updated on 11/16/2009. (Asaph)
Subfacility ID=1003047 Name=PALMER 809 1V eMapPA search
Authorization # 812385 had completed the following sub-task: Send Deficiency Notice/Receive Response on 11/16/2009. (Potter Brook)
Subfacility ID=1003300 Name=SYLVESTER 1H eMapPA search
Authorization # 812962 disposed on 11/13/2009. (Fellows Creek Rd., Ward Township)
Authorization # 812966 disposed on 11/13/2009. (Lick Run Rd., Gaines Township)
Authorization # 813412 has been updated on 11/16/2009. (Blossburg)
Subfacility ID=1003802 Name=DETWEILER 4H 39277 eMapPA search
Authorization # 813416 has been updated on 11/16/2009. (Blossburg)
Subfacility ID=1003804 Name=DETWEILER 5H 39278 eMapPA search
Authorization # 813420 has been updated on 11/16/2009. (Blossburg)
Subfacility ID=1003809 Name=DETWEILER 6H 39279 eMapPA search
Authorization # 813723 has been updated on 11/16/2009. (Mainesburg Rd., Sullivan Township)
Authorization # 813829 has been updated on 11/16/2009. (Roseville)
Subfacility ID=1003994 Name=ENSMINGER 486 4H eMapPA search
Authorization # 813830 has been updated on 11/16/2009. (Roseville)
Subfacility ID=1003999 Name=ENSMINGER 486 6H eMapPA search
Authorization # 813836 has been updated on 11/16/2009. (Knoxville)
Subfacility ID=1004000 Name=NEAL 815 1V eMapPA search
Authorization # 813838 has been updated on 11/16/2009. (Mansfield)
Subfacility ID=1004002 Name=WOOD 496 5H eMapPA search
Authorization # 813840 has been updated on 11/16/2009. (Sabinsville)
Subfacility ID=1004004 Name=STAPLES 804 1V eMapPA search
Authorization # 813842 has been updated on 11/16/2009. (Sabinsville)
Subfacility ID=1004005 Name=SALESE 802 1V eMapPA search
Authorization # 813947 had started the following major task: Begin/End Administrative Review on 11/16/2009. (Potter Brook)
Subfacility ID=1004022 Name=AUSTINBURG 1H eMapPA search
Authorization # 813951 had started the following major task: Begin/End Administrative Review on 11/16/2009. (Potter Brook)
Subfacility ID=1004028 Name=NORTH FORK 1H eMapPA search

These are the permit updates for November 19, 2009:

Authorization # 812385 has been updated on 11/17/2009. (Potter Brook)
Subfacility ID=1003300 Name=SYLVESTER 1H eMapPA search
Authorization # 813947 has been updated on 11/17/2009. (Potter Brook)
Subfacility ID=1004022 Name=AUSTINBURG 1H eMapPA search
Authorization # 813951 has been updated on 11/17/2009. (Potter Brook)
Subfacility ID=1004028 Name=NORTH FORK 1H eMapPA search

These are the permit updates for November 20, 2009:

Authorization # 806116 has been updated on 11/18/2009. (Millerton)
Subfacility ID=1000221 Name=KIPFERL 261 4H eMapPA search
Authorization # 806674 has been updated on 11/18/2009. (Roseville)
Subfacility ID=1000508 Name=COLE 236 6H eMapPA search
Authorization # 810686 has been updated on 11/18/2009. (Mansfield)
Subfacility ID=1002513 Name=BECHTEL 488 2H eMapPA search
Authorization # 811942 has been updated on 11/18/2009. (Sabinsville)
Subfacility ID=1003046 Name=SHARRETTS 805 1V eMapPA search
Authorization # 812552 has been updated on 11/18/2009. (Marshlands)
Subfacility ID=1003386 Name=BERGEY 812 1H eMapPA search
Authorization # 812557 has been updated on 11/18/2009. (Marshlands)
Subfacility ID=1003387 Name=BERGEY 812 2H eMapPA search
Authorization # 812558 has been updated on 11/18/2009. (Marshlands)
Subfacility ID=1003388 Name=BERGEY 812 3H eMapPA search
Authorization # 812559 has been updated on 11/18/2009. (Marshlands)
Subfacility ID=1003389 Name=BERGEY 812 4H eMapPA search
Authorization # 812578 has been updated on 11/18/2009. (Marshlands)
Subfacility ID=1003407 Name=MARTIN 806 2H eMapPA search
Authorization # 812584 has been updated on 11/18/2009. (Marshlands)
Subfacility ID=1003412 Name=MARTIN 806 4H eMapPA search
Authorization # 812591 has been updated on 11/18/2009. (Marshlands)
Subfacility ID=1003425 Name=MARTIN 806 6H eMapPA search
Authorization # 812708 has been updated on 11/18/2009. (Roseville)
Subfacility ID=1003501 Name=WOOD 512 5H eMapPA search
Authorization # 812877 has been updated on 11/18/2009. (Marshlands)
Subfacility ID=1003581 Name=SIMONETTI 817 6H eMapPA search
Authorization # 812882 has been updated on 11/18/2009. (Marshlands)
Subfacility ID=1003592 Name=SIMONETTI 817 5H eMapPA search
Authorization # 812886 has been updated on 11/18/2009. (Marshlands)
Subfacility ID=1003593 Name=SIMONETTI 817 4H eMapPA search
Authorization # 812894 has been updated on 11/18/2009. (Marshlands)
Subfacility ID=1003594 Name=SIMONETTI 817 3H eMapPA search
Authorization # 812895 has been updated on 11/18/2009. (Marshlands)
Subfacility ID=1003603 Name=SIMONETTI 817 2H eMapPA search
Authorization # 812896 has been updated on 11/18/2009. (Marshlands)
Subfacility ID=1003604 Name=SIMONETTI 817 1H eMapPA search
Authorization # 813546 has been updated on 11/18/2009. (Marshlands)
Authorization # 813641 has been updated on 11/18/2009. (Knoxville)
Subfacility ID=1003916 Name=IANSON 823 1V eMapPA search
Authorization # 813643 has been updated on 11/18/2009. (Sabinsville)
Subfacility ID=1003917 Name=BLUE RUN FARM INC 800 1V eMapPA search
Authorization # 813656 has been updated on 11/18/2009. (Marshlands)
Subfacility ID=1003925 Name=COURTNEY 129 6H eMapPA search
Authorization # 813657 has been updated on 11/18/2009. (Crooked Creek)
Authorization # 813685 has been updated on 11/18/2009. (Crooked Creek)
Subfacility ID=1003940 Name=AVERY A 212 5H eMapPA search
Authorization # 813688 has been updated on 11/18/2009. (Roseville)
Subfacility ID=1003946 Name=CHAPMAN 237 2H eMapPA search
Authorization # 813829 has been updated on 11/18/2009. (Roseville)
Subfacility ID=1003994 Name=ENSMINGER 486 4H eMapPA search
Authorization # 813830 has been updated on 11/18/2009. (Roseville)
Subfacility ID=1003999 Name=ENSMINGER 486 6H eMapPA search
Authorization # 813836 has been updated on 11/18/2009. (Knoxville)
Subfacility ID=1004000 Name=NEAL 815 1V eMapPA search
Authorization # 813838 has been updated on 11/18/2009. (Mansfield)
Subfacility ID=1004002 Name=WOOD 496 5H eMapPA search
Authorization # 813840 has been updated on 11/18/2009. (Sabinsville)
Subfacility ID=1004004 Name=STAPLES 804 1V eMapPA search
Authorization # 813842 has been updated on 11/18/2009. (Sabinsville)
Subfacility ID=1004005 Name=SALESE 802 1V eMapPA search

Please remember that the eMapPA function only works on Windows, Internet Explorer 6 or higher.

STATE: Susquehanna River Basin Commission proposes automated monitors for streams in Marcellus Shale region

2009-11-16T22:10:00.005-05:00

By FORD TURNER, The Patriot-News

November 11, 2009, 10:59AM

Each monitoring station would have a data-gathering device and
a platform powered by a solar panel. (Courtesy Photo)

The Susquehanna River Basin Commission wants to be ready in case pollution makes its way into sensitive streams and creeks in the region where natural gas drilling is on the increase.

The commission has proposed a network of 30 automated, solar-powered water quality monitoring stations for the northern tier of Pennsylvania and southern New York.

The northern tier counties have been a prime focus in Marcellus Shale natural gas exploration. Through September, 575 of the 1,340 Marcellus Shale drilling permits issued by the state this year were for sites in Susquehanna, Bradford and Tioga counties.

Extracting natural gas from the shale is done by injecting large amounts of treated water into the shale layer.

The government-sanctioned commission regulates withdrawal and use of water from the river and its tributaries.

"As the demand for water from smaller rivers and streams increases, particularly from the natural gas industry, so does the amount of wastewater that is generated," said commission Executive Director Paul Swartz. "It is important to monitor these smaller, remote waterways to verify whether or not they are being impacted by certain pollutants."

Swartz estimated the cost of the network at $750,000.

The commission's board will be asked to spend $100,000 on the first four stations. The agency is looking for partners to share the remaining cost.

Article link: http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2009/11/susquehanna_river_basin_commis.html

PERMITS: Tioga County, PA Permit Update 11-15-09

2009-11-15T18:21:00.002-05:00

These are the Tioga County, PA permit updates for November 15, 2009.

Authorization # 809635 disposed on 11/10/2009. (Marshlands)
Subfacility ID=1001977 Name=TRACT 839 815 1H eMapPA search
Authorization # 809636 disposed on 11/10/2009. (Marshlands)
Subfacility ID=1001981 Name=TRACT 839 815 2H eMapPA search
Authorization # 809644 disposed on 11/10/2009. (Marshlands)
Subfacility ID=1001982 Name=TRACT 839 815 3H eMapPA search
Authorization # 809646 disposed on 11/10/2009. (Marshlands)
Subfacility ID=1001986 Name=TRACT 839 815 4H eMapPA search
Authorization # 811584 has been updated on 11/13/2009. (Jackson Township)
Authorization # 812962 has been updated on 11/13/2009. (Fellows Creek Rd., Ward Township)
Authorization # 812966 has been updated on 11/13/2009. (Gaines Township)
Authorization # 813641 has been updated on 11/13/2009. (Knoxville)
Subfacility ID=1003916 Name=IANSON 823 1V eMapPA search
Authorization # 813643 has been updated on 11/13/2009. (Sabinsville)
Subfacility ID=1003917 Name=BLUE RUN FARM INC 800 1V eMapPA search
Authorization # 813656 has been updated on 11/13/2009. (Crooked Creek)
Subfacility ID=1003925 Name=COURTNEY 129 6H eMapPA search
Authorization # 813657 has been updated on 11/13/2009. (Elk Township)
Authorization # 813685 has been updated on 11/13/2009. (Crooked Creek)
Subfacility ID=1003940 Name=AVERY A 212 5H eMapPA search
Authorization # 813688 has been updated on 11/13/2009. (Roseville)
Subfacility ID=1003946 Name=CHAPMAN 237 2H eMapPA search

Please remember that the eMapPA function only works on Windows, Internet Explorer 6 or higher.

PERMITS: Tioga County, PA Permit Update 11-14-09

2009-11-14T21:30:00.002-05:00

These are the Tioga County, PA natural gas related permit updates for November 14, 2009. (FYI, I did not receive any updates yesterday)

Authorization # 805993 disposed on 11/9/2009. (Fellows Creek Rd., Ward Township)
Authorization # 805995 disposed on 11/9/2009. (Mainesburg Rd., Ward Township)
Authorization # 806683 has been updated on 11/12/2009. (Roseville)
Subfacility ID=1000517 Name=DETWEILER J 235A 3H eMapPA search
Authorization # 813412 has been updated on 11/12/2009. (Blossburg)
Subfacility ID=1003802 Name=DETWEILER 4H 39277 eMapPA search
Authorization # 813416 has been updated on 11/12/2009. (Blossburg)
Subfacility ID=1003804 Name=DETWEILER 5H 39278 eMapPA search
Authorization # 813420 has been updated on 11/12/2009. (Blossburg)
Subfacility ID=1003809 Name=DETWEILER 6H 39279 eMapPA search
Authorization # 813473 has been updated on 11/12/2009. (Ward Township)
Authorization # 813545 has been updated on 11/12/2009. (Middlebury Township)
Authorization # 813546 has been updated on 11/12/2009. (Gaines Township)
Authorization # 813657 had started the following major task: Begin/End Technical Review 1 on 11/12/2009. (Elk Township)

Please remember that the eMapPA function only works on Windows, Internet Explorer 6 or higher.

NEW: Marcellus shale drilling is biggest threat to Pennsylvania wilds

2009-11-14T21:17:00.003-05:00

By Patriot-News Op-Ed

November 14, 2009, 8:00AM

by Robert Pennell

They call it the “Pennsylvania Wilds,” more than 6 million acres of relatively unspoiled forests and mountains in 12 northern Pennsylvania counties. The area has long been known for its remnants of virgin forests, pristine mountain streams, abundant wildlife and magnificent vistas. More than 2 million of those acres are public land, an area equivalent to the acreage occupied by Yellowstone National Park.

Today, however, if you were to visit this part of our commonwealth, you would be greeted by a different environment. You would find a proliferation of new roads being cut into the forests, with semis and tanker trucks hauling tons of heavy equipment and water to remote destinations.

Not since the heyday of heavy timbering has there been such an assault on our northern forests.

This is all about the natural gas being extracted from a widespread geological formation known as Marcellus Shale.

The drilling companies refer to this as the Marcellus “play,” to denote focused drilling efforts within this region. Although geologists have known for some time that the formation contained vast untapped wealth, it has not been until recently that a process called hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” combined with horizontal drilling, has been employed to successfully extract the gas from great depths beneath the surface.

This sounds great for our ailing economy, right? The answer is yes, but only if the proper environmental procedures and regulations are followed and enforced.

Unfortunately, we already have witnessed significant negative environmental impacts resulting from the activities of several drilling companies that either chose not to follow the rules or were simply careless in the execution of their efforts.

In the development of a typical Marcellus gas well, an access road must first be constructed or an existing forest road must be improved to handle the heavy truckloads of equipment and water. Next, about 5 acres of forest must be destroyed to make room for a well pad and water retention pond.

Millions of gallons of water must then be hauled to the site for the fracking operation, which also requires the addition of several potentially toxic chemicals. After the fracking operation is complete, the contaminated water flows back to the surface where it must be treated before discharged into a receiving river or stream.

So why should we be concerned over these activities? Construction of roads and pad sites can cause erosion and sedimentation pollution in some of our highest-quality streams. Excessive water withdrawals from smaller streams can result in the loss of aquatic life. Inadequate liner materials in wastewater retention ponds can result in contaminants leaching into groundwater, and more and better off-site treatment plants are needed to handle the ever-increasing volumes of contaminated frack water.

With this in mind, the state Department of Environmental Protection has seemingly shot itself in the foot when it comes to protecting our natural environment from the inevitable problems of rapidly escalating gas extraction activities.

This year, DEP made the decision to dismiss the county conservation districts as the watchdogs over local construction activities, and then instituted a fast-track permitting rule whereby construction plans would no longer be subjected to scrutiny by DEP, as long as the plans are certified by a registered engineer.

This practice already has proved itself ineffective in a recent case in which the DEP-approved engineer’s plans failed to include some of the most basic measures to control erosion and sedimentation at several well sites.

Then there’s the major issue of our state legislators failing to impose a gas severance tax that could pump much-needed General Fund capital into the state coffers and provide a funding source to help pay for future environmental mishaps

Gov. Rendell proposed such a tax in June to help balance the state budget, but he later backed down. Although every other major natural gas-producing state imposes a severance tax on gas extraction, it is relevant to note that more than $1 million was spent this year by oil and gas lobbyists to help defeat this tax in Pennsylvania.

When the state budget was finally passed, the agencies that suffered the largest cutbacks are the same agencies we depend on to oversee the health of our natural environment: DEP and DCNR.

Now more than ever, it is imperative that our legislators support and pass a gas severance tax that allocates a substantial percentage to our environmental programs. We must keep the “wild” in Pennsylvania Wilds.

Robert Pennell is secretary of the Pennsylvania Council of Trout Unlimited.

Original Article is here.

PERMITS: Tioga County, PA Permit Update 11-12-09

2009-11-12T11:59:00.002-05:00

These are the Tioga County, PA natural gas related permit updates for November 12, 2009.

Authorization # 810314 has been updated on 11/10/2009. (Millerton)
Subfacility ID=1002375 Name=SEELEY 524 5H eMapPA search
Authorization # 812686 has been updated on 11/10/2009. (Sabinsville)
Subfacility ID=1003486 Name=ACKLEY 806 1V eMapPA search
Authorization # 812692 has been updated on 11/10/2009. (Crooked Creek)
Subfacility ID=1003495 Name=VANDERGRIFT 290 5H eMapPA search

There were a few others that I was unable to determine whether they are gas related or not, so I didn't list them...

Please remember that the eMapPA function only works on Windows, Internet Explorer 6 or higher.

PERMITS: Tioga County, PA Permit Update 11-11-09

2009-11-11T19:52:00.003-05:00

These are the Tioga County, PA Permit updates for November 11, 2009.

Authorization # 802403 has completed the following event: Send PA Bull Notice/End Public Comm Prd on 11/9/2009. (Arnot)
Authorization # 804590 has completed the following event: Send PA Bull Notice/End Public Comm Prd on 11/9/2009. (Elk & Gaines Townships)
Authorization # 805993 has been updated on 11/9/2009. (Fellows Creek Rd., Ward Township)
Authorization # 805995 has been updated on 11/9/2009. (Mainesburg Rd., Ward Township)
Authorization # 806634 has been updated on 11/9/2009. (Roseville)
Subfacility ID=1000493 Name=COLE 236 3H eMapPA search
Authorization # 806660 has been updated on 11/9/2009. (Roseville)
Subfacility ID=1000499 Name=COLE 236 5H eMapPA search
Authorization # 812682 has been updated on 11/9/2009. (Asaph)
Subfacility ID=1003485 Name=BIESER 814 1V eMapPA search
Authorization # 812699 has been updated on 11/9/2009. (Crooked Creek)
Subfacility ID=1003498 Name=PARTHEMER 284 2H eMapPA search
Authorization # 812703 has been updated on 11/9/2009. (Mansfield)
Subfacility ID=1003500 Name=SHERMAN 498 2H eMapPA search
Authorization # 812708 has been updated on 11/9/2009. (Roseville)
Subfacility ID=1003501 Name=WOOD 512 5H eMapPA search
Authorization # 812962 has been updated on 11/9/2009. (Fellows Creek Rd., Ward Township)
Authorization # 813193 has been updated on 11/9/2009. (Mansfield)
Subfacility ID=1003742 Name=LEHMAN 516 5H eMapPA search

Please remember that the eMapPA function only works on Windows, Internet Explorer 6 or higher.

NEW: PA to Lease Forest Land for Gas Drilling

2009-11-10T12:10:00.003-05:00

By Don Hopey, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources will lease 31,967 acres of state forest land for deep gas well drilling, an amount that could meet a legislative mandate to raise $60 million from the sale of such leases in the 2009-10 budget year.

Department Secretary John Quigley said yesterday that offering leases on the forest land balances the state's environmental and fiscal obligations.

"We chose these tracts of land after extensive environmental reviews to protect the health of the forest now and in the future, to allow for gas and timber extraction and public recreation, and to keep ecosystems intact that support a diversity of wildlife and plants," Mr. Quigley said.

The six tracts proposed for leasing are located in the Elk, Moshannon, Sproul, Susquehannock and Tioga state forests in Cameron, Clearfield, Clinton, Potter and Tioga counties.

The leases require a minimum bid of $2,000 an acre and royalties of 18 percent. If the state gets $2,000 bids on all the offered acreage, it would raise almost $64 million.

State Sen. Mary Jo White, R-Venango, who pushed for the sale of leases as chairwoman of the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee, said she is pleased the department moved quickly to implement an important part of the budget and is hopeful the offering will be successful.

Ms. White, in a statement released by her spokesman, also noted that responsible development of the Marcellus shale natural gas reserves was critical to avoiding a personal income tax increase as part of the recently passed budget.

According to state officials, the department has held 73 lease sales since 1947. The last, in 2008, brought in $190 million for 74,000 acres. But gas and lease prices have declined since then, and last spring the Conservation and Natural Resources Advisory Council recommended that consideration of all new state forest land leases for drilling be put on hold.

Chris Novak, a DCNR spokeswoman, said a couple of recent lease agreements with large groups of private landowners in Susquehanna and Bradford counties indicates that gas drilling companies will still pay premium prices for desirable acreage.

In September, Fortuna Energy Inc. agreed to lease about 30,000 acres from a coalition of 600 property owners for $5,500 an acre. And Hess Corp. agreed to pay $3,500 an acre to another landowner coalition for drilling rights on 11,400 acres.

It's been estimated that the Marcellus shale beds, 5,000 to 8,000 feet deep below three-quarters of Pennsylvania, could hold as much as 363 trillion cubic feet of natural gas worth as much as $1 trillion.

According to the DCNR, there are about 660,000 acres of state forest land under lease for gas production and 750 wells in production. If the just-proposed leases are successfully bid, the leased total would rise to 692,000 acres, about one-third of the 2.1 million acres of state forest.

Pre-qualified bidders may submit bids until 2 p.m., Jan. 12, at which time they will be opened publicly. The department said leases will be awarded based on the amount of the first year's land rental. The primary lease term is 10 years and a lease covers annual land rental amounts and possible royalties.

For more information about state forests and gas leasing, visit the DCNR Web site at www.dcnr.state.pa.us or call 717-772-9101.

Original Article Link: http://www.postgazette.com/pg/09314/1012136-113.stm

NEW: Range Resources posts Marcellus Safety Drill Video

2009-11-10T11:55:00.003-05:00

Range Resources Corp. said Monday it has posted a video to its Web site, www.rangeresources.com, describing a first-of-its kind, large-scale safety drill in the Marcellus Shale play recently conducted in Lycoming County.

The company said in a news release that state Sen. Gene Yaw filmed and produced the video and is sharing it with multiple outlets to benefit first responders across the state. Yaw is a member of the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee and represents Lycoming, Bradford, Susquehanna, Union and Sullivan counties*, where drilling is occurring in the Marcellus Shale play.

Range, along with the Lycoming County Oil and Gas Task Force, organized the preparedness drill to help public safety officials better understand the Marcellus Shale drilling process. The event took place Sept. 19 on a Range drill site in northeastern Pennsylvania. About 120 first-responders were in attendance. State, local and county emergency responders were involved, as well as the state Department of Environmental Protection. Range underwrote the effort.

Yaw noted that many emergency workers in his area have never been on a drill site.

"We wanted to provide a hands-on experience allowing them to practice maneuvering around drilling equipment, while exposing them to multiple potential rescue scenarios. While we have an excellent safety record with zero emergency incidents in our first five years of drilling in the Marcellus, our goal is to ensure that public safety workers are knowledgeable about our operations and well-equipped for an expedient response."

Range was the first company to use modern drilling and completion techniques to successfully drill to the Marcellus Shale in 2004. Since then, other natural gas companies have moved into Pennsylvania and are actively drilling the Marcellus Shale formation.

See the video here.

(article from: www.observer-reporter.com)

*Please note that Tioga is NOT listed!

Tioga County, PA Gas Watch

Bradford County (and everywhere else in PA), you are being misled...

Firms find more gas beyond the Marcellus field

PA Faces of Frackland

SAVE THESE DATES: Tillman, Gasland & Split Estate Events - Williamsport & Gaines, PA

Around here, health and well-being come first

Josh Fox's "Gasland" coming to Williamsport, PA - May 11

Contamination suspends Cabot's Pa. gas drilling (AGAIN)

Well, Well Neighbor

Public Hearing Set on Marcellus Shale Environmental Impacts

Gas Pains: How the Marcellus rush threatens our environment and our economy

Marcellus drilling transforms the state

Speaker: Drilling bad for PA

Arrogance hardly helps drillers' goals

Natural gas boom brings "riches" to a rural town

Frack tour reveals details about natural gas operation

Test well water before Marcellus Shale gas drilling begins, experts advise

Be a Hero for PA State Forests! Events in April...

PUBLIC/INTERACTIVE MAP - Road Conditions in Tioga County, PA

New report shows natural gas economic impact will be minimal

Politicians propound challenge of gas growth is balancing fact, fiction

Water truck rolls in Stony Fork

Wellsboro Council opts to explore tax on natural gas

Lock Haven woman dies in Tioga County crash (w/gas truck)

"Split Estate" Showing at Mansfield University March 29

Blossburg Borough considers leasing Island Park lands for gas drilling

Fuel spill reported in Armenia Township

Tioga County Commissioners questioned about gas lease money

Natural Gas Exploration Ruining Roads in Northern Tier (w/VIDEO)

Dump Truck Crash on Fallbrook Rd. - WHAT WAS SPILLLED?!?

Susquehanna River Basin Commission's real-time water quality data available online

Region’s Roads Under Siege

International Firms Eye Marcellus Shale

Pittsburgh Business Times - by Anya Litvak

Joe Hoeffel's Position on Marcellus Shale

In Pa. governor's race, predictable giving (AKA East Resources is spending profit from YOUR gas to lobby)

PA DEP Comment Period NOW OPEN for proposed Wastewater Treatment facility in Blossburg, PA

RESIDUAL WASTE GENERAL PERMITS

Tioga County inks East leases

by Jason Przybycienprzybycj@tiogapublishing.com

DISH, Texas mayor: "Take local control of gas drilling" (+ video)

(Photo - ERIC WENSEL) - Calvin Tillman, Mayor of Dish, Texas, speaks to the audience at the Elmira Heights Theater during a forum on natural gas drilling in the area above the Marcellus Shale gas deposits.

Marcellus Shale & Sewage Sludge: Same Sh*t, Different Day

Is flowback and waste from gas drilling radioactive? Rewards and Risks of the Marcellus

Bucknell's "Ask the Experts": Carl Kirby on Marcellus Shale

Truck driver accused of operating an oversize load, causing multiple accidents

Dish, Texas mayor to appear in Elmira, NY to discuss gas drilling

Marcellus Shale Coalition Releases the "Facts" on Flowback Water Treatment

Blossburg to examine ‘rooming house’ law

by Jason Przybycienprzybycj@tiogapublishing.com

Scientists search for the best treatment...

Some Tioga County residents opposed to gas industry water ‘farm’ on Johnson Hill

Marcellus rush echoes history of recklessness

Double-take of the Day: Pa. Gov. Rendell to press for wellhead natural gas tax

French, Norwegian Companies Buy into Shale Gas Drilling

(Tioga County) Driller ordered to halt Marcellus work over water permits

By Andrew Maykuth

Sportsmen Hear Presentation Regarding Marcellus Shale Drilling, Voice Concerns

Sportsmen Hear Presentation Regarding Marcellus Shale Drilling, Voice Concerns

Surprise, Surprise! More state land may be offered to Marcellus drillers

Gas drillers bid twice what Pa. budgeted...

Tioga commissioners accept bid for gas land lease

Tioga commissioners accept bid for gas land lease

5 Firms Submit High Bids for Gas Drilling in PA

January Trout Unlimited Meeting (1/13) open to public to discuss Gas, Waterdogs

Natural Gas Webinars offered by Penn State Cooperative Extension

Don't Forget, PA DEP Needs Your Feedback!

"Fracking" Under Pressure

Williamsport, PA Freshlife "Options" January issue focuses on Gas

Discuss Gas Drilling w/US House Representative Christopher Carney in Williamsport, PA on 1/6/10

DEP needs to hear from you and your organization...

Notarized or not, few dispute gas leases

by Jason Przybycienprzybycj@tiogapublishing.com

Permit Watch Update...

Gas Leases in PA Filed Illegally

UPDATE: December 1st "Split Estate" showing is canceled!

PERMITS: Tioga County, PA Permit Update 11-22-09

NEW: More 'testing the waters' needed in Pennsylvania

By Patriot-News Editorial Board

November 15, 2009, 7:17AM

by Jason Przybycien
przybycj@tiogapublishing.com

by Jason Przybycien
przybycj@tiogapublishing.com

by Jason Przybycien
przybycj@tiogapublishing.com