What would cause a sudden spike in radioactive material in this city's water source?
Brett Shipp News 8 Investigation
News 8 Investigates: Dangerously 'hot' water in Hudson Oaks
This following slides are from a presentation on NORM given by the Texas Railroad Commission. Parker County is in District 7.
I will update this post with more information when I get some time.
See entire TRC NORM Seminar: HERE
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Brett Shipp Investigates Radioactive Water in Barnett Shale
Friday, November 20, 2009
Chesapeake Energy Well Blowout Kills One Displaces Neighborhood
A Chesapeake Energy gas well blowout killed one, injured another, caused a neighborhood to be evacuated and sent at least 6 fire fighters to the hospital. The blowout spewed natural gas methane into the air for about 30 minutes.
This well was 300 feet from a house. ...like this well.
LINK
UPDATE: Haynesville Shale 'black rain' after blowout
Barnett Shale Drilling Emissions NOT Breaking News
I appreciate all the reporting we can get on the pollution caused by the "un-clean energy" natural gas, but I have to take issue with WFAA's claim that the emissions are "breaking news."
Peggy Heinkel-Wolfe reported on Barnett Shale drilling emissions on May 30, 2006. Surprisingly, the article is still available online. I saved it long ago so I would have the information for reference.
Cars not only culprit for smog
Gas drilling in the Barnett Shale doesn't help
10:54 AM CDT on Tuesday, May 30, 2006
By PEGGY HEINKEL-WOLFE / Denton Record-Chronicle
Bright, blue skies are turning hazy for the summer, and no one knows yet whether last year’s spike of unhealthy ozone days will subside.There's a lot more to this article including results from a study by University of California and information about the effects of flaring and venting.
While experts say much of the pollution comes from cars, trucks and construction equipment, there’s a new variable in the Denton area’s dirty air equation: Gas drilling in the Barnett Shale. And while drivers must submit their vehicles for emission inspection, gas drillers aren’t required to submit their practices to similar checks.
Individual drilling sites vary in their emissions, as do pipeline and production facilities. Scientists know, for example, that certain drilling practices such as venting and flaring emit hydrocarbons and volatile organic compounds into the air. In addition, those emissions, along with hydrogen sulfide, often leak from pipelines and production facilities.
Not only do emissions from gas fields add to the region’s problems in meeting the environmental standards, but also the compounds themselves are known to affect human health.
What you won't find in Peggy's article is any contribution from University of North Texas.
Not a word from UNT after all this time.Thomas LaPoint, director of the University of North Texas Institute of Applied Sciences, said their department has no one researching emissions or air quality, but have been desperately trying to get the university to recognize its value.
“This is an important topic that someone should be looking at,” LaPoint said.
See Peggy's Barnett Shale Bibliography. It's 5 pages with 2 columns per page.
Barnett Shale Dirty Air Makes WSJ
Airing our dirty laundry air.
EPA Tangles With Texas in Battle Over Air Quality
Agency Takes Activist Stance on Pollution, Calling Local Rules Lax; State Officials Complain of 'Bureaucratic Meddling'
"Our results speak louder than bureaucratic meddling," said Katherine Cesinger, a spokeswoman for Gov. Rick Perry, a Republican.Aren't we so proud of those "results" and what Rick Perry has brought to Texas? From Hank Gilbert
- Texas is the worst air polluter in the nation. (SOURCE: Congressional Quarterly’s State Fact Finder 2007)
- Texas releases more volatile organic compounds into the air than any other state in the country. (SOURCE: ScoreCard.org )
- Texas releases more toxic chemicals into water than any other state in the nation. (SOURCE: ScoreCard.org)
- Texas ranks fifth in the nation in terms of toxic chemicals released into the air. (SOURCE: ScoreCard.org)
- Texas releases more cancer-causing carcinogens into the air than any other state in the U.S. (SOURCE: ScoreCard.org)
- Texas ranks seventh out of the fifty states in terms of the number of cancer-causing carcinogens released into water. (SOURCE: ScoreCard.org)
- Texas ranks second among the fifty states in the amount of hazardous waste generated and first in carbon dioxide emissions. (SOURCE: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency [LINK])
"Our system is not broken," said Bryan Shaw, chairman of the Texas environmental commission. "It's just misunderstood."Aw. It sucks to be misunderstood.
The American Lung Association gives Dallas, Tarrant and Denton Counties a grade of
"F"
for our air quality. When I was in school, an "F" meant you failed. If our system isn't broken, it's missing a good chance.
Dimock, PA Victims Sue Drillers. Pictures from Press Conference
The press release was embargoed until midnight so I stayed up to post it last night.
Residents Take Action to Correct Conduct by Natural Gas Company in Dimock, PA
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.Some pictures from Dimock:
News conference. Ref: Hurdle, Reuters, Lustgarten, ProPublica.Here's the media coverage from today:
Seated, several residents of the Carter Rd. area of Dimock, PA. At the extreme edges can be seen on residence and about 125 feet away a drilling pad.
Reuters
Pennsylvania residents sue over gas drilling
ProPublica
Pa. Residents Sue Gas Driller for Contamination, Health Concerns
"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."NY Times
Pa. Residents Sue Gas Driller Over Polluted Wells
WFAA
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Barnett Shale Emissions Meeting in Fort Worth
I just got home from the meeting in Fort Worth about the toxic drilling emissions. Due to a massive traffic jam, I missed most of the meat of the meeting, Deborah Rogers' presentation. Someone please send me a copy of her presentation so I can turn it into a pdf and post it for everyone to read. Here's a little about Deborah:
Deborah Rogers, owner of Deborah's Farmstead, a dairy just west of Fort Worth, which she started on land that she and her husband bought from her Grandfather, turning it back into a working farm. Deborah has a herd of 85 dairy goats and makes artisanal cheeses, which have won several national awards and much acclaim. She currently serves on the Advisory Council for the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. She has become involved in a campaign to promote greater awareness of the environmental impact of a producing well near her farmI just got in on the tail end and here are a few notes to summarize what i heard:
- The drillers over estimate production by 3 times what can be extracted
because the reserve price drives stock prices. - Historical production data - financial data is based on production that is not there or not recoverable.
- Recently, Aubrey McClendon said Chesapeake has only drilled 15% of the wells they plan to drill. That means another 60,000 to 70,000 wells will be drilled.
- The drilling treadmill = The drillers have to drill more wells to maintain the production levels and they have to drill more to support their debt.
- The technology exists to reduce air emissions by 99%
- Every $1.00 spent on reducing air emissions gains $9.00 in recovered product.
Fort Worth needs a moratorium for 6 to 12 months.
The next speaker was Dr. Michael Honeycutt, Toxicology Division Director, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Austin
The Toxicology Division helps focus TCEQ resources on areas with the greatest potential risks by:Here's a summary of his presentation:
- asessing risks to human health from exposure to environmental pollutants and
- reviewing models, data, assessments, permits, and cleanup plans for possible risks to human health, and estimating their effects on overall air and water quality.
Dr. Honeycutt, by his own admission, knows not one single thing about drilling for natural gas but he can sure tap dance. More study required for...oh, about 20 years. The crowd was clearly unimpressed and hostile.NOTE: TCEQ is trying to make it all about benzene and completely dismisses the neurotoxins which Dr. Theo Colborn says are the main concern. Ironic that Megan Collins from DISH, TX was sitting in the audience listening. I asked Dr. Honeycutt about the neurotoxins and pointed out that TECQ didn't even test for the full range of toxins. They did not test for the sulfides even though one DISH resident has tested positive for Carbon Disulfide. (Most DISH residents can't afford the testing.) He said that they couldn't test for everything at once. (Huh?) I reminded him that Alisa Rich with Wolfe Environmental can test for everything, as she did at DISH, TX and at Deborah Rogers'. Maybe the TCEQ should hire Alisa.
Honeycutt interview on WFAA
The last speaker was Dr. David Sterling, Professor and Chair, Department of Environmental and
Occupational Health, School of Public Health at the University of North Texas Health Science Center in Fort Worth.
He received his PhD in 1986 from the University of Texas School of Public Health in Houston, TX, and is a certified industrial hygienist with training in toxicology andDr. Sterling didn't have a presentation and he only spoke briefly. Here's a summary:
epidemiology, and expertise in exposure evaluation and risk assessment methodologies. Previously he was the Director of the Division of Environmental and Occupational Health at Saint Louis University School of Public Health and Co-Director for the Midwest OSHA Educational Center. Dr. Sterling has been involved with environmental and occupational based research, teaching and service activities for over 30 years. Areas of recent research include: exposure and health risk to lead and other related chemicals from mining, mine processing actives, smelters, and paint; methods for reduction of asthma morbidity and mortality in
school aged children; air pollution impact on emergency department visits for children with asthma and other respiratory disease, and cardiopulmonary illness on older people; manganese exposure to workers and risk of parkinsonism; and asbestos exposure and disease risk.
- We need more study.
- We need more study to see IF we need emission controls.
- We need more study.
YAY Deborah!
Residents Take Action to Correct Conduct by Natural Gas Company in Dimock, PA
MEDIA ADVISORY For FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20TH, 2009
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
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.
WHAT:
Residents of Dimock and representatives from the firms of Jacob Fuchsberg Law Firm, Zarwin Baum Devito Kaplan Schaer Toddy, and Richard Lippes and Associates will hold a press conference to discuss this important new development.
WHEN:
Friday November 20th, 10:00 a.m.
WHO:
Community members including:
Jean and Ron Carter, residents
Scott Ely, resident
Pat Fanelli, resident
Norma Fiorentino, resident
Julia Sautner, resident
Victoria Switzer, resident
Leslie Lewis, Attorney, Jacob Fuchsberg Law Firm
Paul Schmidt, Attorney, Zarwin Baum Devito Kaplan Schaer Toddy
WHERE:
Press conference will be held at the entrance to the natural gas well pad located between the residences of Pat Fanelli and Ron and Jean Carter, near the Carter residence.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Michael Lebron at 212-475-2950, 917-743-7568, unreceivedogma@mindspring.com
Directions:
From BINGHAAMTON NY
1: Start out MAIN ST becomes COURT ST/US-11 S. 0.9 mi
2: Merge onto NY-363 E. 0.7 mi
3: NY-363 E becomes NY-7 N. 0.3 mi
4: Merge onto I-81 S toward SCRANTON/NEW YORK. 8.5 mi
5: Take EXIT 1 toward US-11/KIRKWOOD/RT-7/CONKLIN 0.2 mi
6: Turn RIGHT onto CR-20/CEDARHURST RD. Continue to follow CR-20 W. 0.8 mi
7: Turn LEFT onto NY-7/CONKLIN RD. 1.7 mi
8: Turn RIGHT onto NY-7/MONTROSE DR (Crossing into PENNSYLVANIA). 1.3 mi
9: NY-7/MONTROSE DR becomes PA-29. 13.3 mi
10: Turn LEFT onto S MAIN ST/PA-29. Continue to follow PA-29. 6.3 mi
11: Turn LEFT onto PA-2024. 0.8 mi
12: Turn RIGHT onto CARTER Rd 0.5 mi
From SCRANTON, PA
1: Start out going SOUTHWEST on N WASHINGTON AVE toward SPRUCE ST. 0.1 mi
2: Turn RIGHT onto SPRUCE ST. 0.1 mi
3: Turn RIGHT onto WYOMING AVE/PA-3025. 0.2 mi
4: Turn LEFT onto MULBERRY ST/US-11/PA-307. Continue to follow US-11 N. 25.9 mi
5: Turn LEFT onto PA-167/MAIN ST. 0.1 mi
6: Turn RIGHT onto PA-167/GREENWOOD ST. Continue to follow PA-167. 4.2 mi
7: Stay STRAIGHT to go onto PA-2024. 5.1 mi
8: Turn LEFT onto Carter Road, 0.5 mi
EPA, TCEQ Take Battle Positions
Battle lines forming between EPA, state environmental agency
Rift deepens after Obama appointment, air permitting review.
And here's why an EPA intervention is appropriate in Texas:
Texas is the worst air polluter in the nation. (SOURCE: Congressional Quarterly’s State Fact Finder 2007)
Texas releases more volatile organic compounds into the air than any other state in the country. (SOURCE: ScoreCard.org )
Texas releases more toxic chemicals into water than any other state in the nation. (SOURCE: ScoreCard.org)
Texas ranks fifth in the nation in terms of toxic chemicals released into the air. (SOURCE: ScoreCard.org)
Texas releases more cancer-causing carcinogens into the air than any other state in the U.S. (SOURCE: ScoreCard.org)
Texas ranks seventh out of the fifty states in terms of the number of cancer-causing carcinogens released into water. (SOURCE: ScoreCard.org)
Texas ranks second among the fifty states in the amount of hazardous waste generated and first in carbon dioxide emissions. (SOURCE: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency [LINK])
Big Meeting Tonight in Fort Worth Addresses Emissions
Deborah Rogers is one of the speakers tonight at the Fort Worth League of Women Voters. Her call for a moratorium on natural gas drilling is an extremely important message to all residents that wish to protect the future of Fort Worth. Please show your support for this effort by attending this meeting. The time to act is now.
UPDATE: From Don Young, "A faint aroma of Hope"
I'm not one to lean on hope to heavily. Action works better for me.
But the recent arrival of Deborah Rogers into the Barnett Shale gas wars is inspiring. She has dared to utter the "M" word in a town overcome by foolish greed. She has boldly questioned the idea of turning Fort Worth into a giant industrial village.
Fort Worth needed a Moratorium years ago but elected officials, the Star-Telegram, Chamber of Commerce and a variety of civic organizations conspired with gas drillers to suppress such an idea.
Now, the City of FW's grand experiment has allowed almost 2,000 gas wells to be placed in our town. Thousands more on the way, UNLESS we fight back. Deborah Rogers has gotten the ear of the power brokers. Hope is in the air.
She will speak tonight at the FWLNA meeting. It should be be a watershed moment in the gas wars. Put on your war bonnet, apply your war paint and SHOW UP.
Details below.
Thursday evening, November 19, 2009
7:00 p.m.
University Christian Church (adjacent to TCU on the north)
2720 So. University Drive
Fort Worth, TX 76109
Flower Mound tests Drilling Waste Water
Oh, it's just salt water. That's all. And traces of "other elements."
But, what about all those fires at salt water disposal wells? I didn't know salt water would burn. Throw a match in the "The Great Salt Lake in Utah" and see what happens. I'm pretty sure it won't burn.
From Dallas Morning News
One expert agrees, comparing the water to the salinity of the Great Salt Lake in Utah. The sample "strikes me as a rather benign oilfield byproduct," wrote Tom Brikowski, a hydrologist at the University of Texas at Dallas, who was asked by The Dallas Morning News to review the analysis.
I would check this "experts" required form disclosing his significant financial interests. He may have forgotten about this or maybe, because colleges and universities sometimes participate in pollution activities, he just thought it best not to mention:
Legacy of UT's oil wealth: a denuded landscape
Decades after production began, saltwater contamination continues to poison West Texas land.
Produced water, which is the correct term for the "salt water" is never "benign." Just a small amount will ruin drinking water and kill everything that grows. Posted on this blog are numerous examples of destruction from produced water.
Below is a satellite image showing an illegal discharge of produced water on the Wise/Montague County line. The large red circle shows that all vegetation is dead and the small red circle is the disposal well where the produced water should have gone. This illegal discharge happened in early June 2008 and you can see pictures HERE. The land is still completely barren.
HERE you can read about another incident of illegal dumping of produced water. If you follow the links and scroll down a bit you can see many pictures of damage from this "salt water."
Produced water often has high levels of NORM:
High Intensity of Drilling Related Radioactive Waste
RRC Has Don't Ask Don't Tell Policy on Barnett Shale Radioactive Waste
And last, but not least, please read the permit that is required for a disposal facility for this "benign" produced water.
Flower Mound residents should not make such an important decision based on one sample! They need to consider samples taken over a long period of time and from different well locations!
UPDATE: From a Flower Mound resident:
No one from the town was there. Williams has not given the town authorization to go and take a sample of their own. I am going to post that now. Williams did this test themselves back in August right when they were asking the town to allow the waste water pipelines.
Sloppy reporting by the Dallas Morning News!
DISH, TX Mayor Sends Cease & Desist Letter to Polluters
The polluters who have ruined DISH, TX citizens quality of life and their health received a cease and desist letter from the Mayor of DISH, Calvin Tillman.
You can read the letter HERE. Below is an excerpt:
Therefore, I must ask your companies to cease and desist operations at this facility until such time as you can guarantee the safety of the citizens who live near the site. I would also ask that you take your responsibility as corporate citizens seriously, and make a valid effort to determine the source of these toxins and correct the deficiency.
In closing, it must be pointed out that your companies’ performance in this community is unacceptable. You have not been the good neighbor that you have promised. Furthermore, you have destroyed the quality of life of the citizens here, and perhaps affected their health as well. I find it ironic that your companies have found it necessary to install a “No Trespassing” sign at entrance to the road that leads to many of these sites. I must ask you, when will you stop your trespassing of these odorous toxins on the citizens of this community?
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
I'm Not Perry is Not the Environmental Plan Texas Needs
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: VINCE LEIBOWITZ
512.705.7001
SCHIEFFER MAKES FUN OF PERRY, CITES STATISTICS, OFFERS NO ANSWERS ON THE ENVIRONMENT
FORT WORTH--Democratic Gubernatorial candidate Tom Schieffer tonight offered no solutions whatsoever relating to the environmental problems facing Texas during a forum in Fort Worth tonight.
Instead, Schieffer said the best thing Texas could do to improve the environment was change governors. Schieffer cited many statistics--almost identical to the ones cited by Hank Gilbert in many of his press releases--but offered zero answers.
Schieffer was, as a member of the Texas Legislature, no friend to the environment:
Tom Schieffer voted to cut the Big Thicket Preserve in half. Schieffer voted against a motion to table an amendment which would have limited the size of the Big Thicket Preserve and protect a larger portion of the Big Thicket wilderness area. (House Journal, Record No. 5, May 2, 1973)
Schieffer supported strip mining with loose regulation. Schieffer voted for a sham bill which would have created exemptions and loopholes for mining companies. (Source: Bills to Limit Strip Mines, Speed Traps Pass House, Houston Chronicle, May 25, 1975) (House Journal, Record No. 9, May 24, 1975, page 3983)
"We know we've got to get rid of Rick Perry, so Schieffer tells us nothing new," Vince Leibowitz, Gilbert campaign spokesman said. "Once again, he offered no solutions for Texans."
Changing History in the Barnett Shale
My last post was about the attempt by certain "FW Leaders" to take credit for ordering drilling emissions studies. It's completely dishonest after Moncrief paved the way for drillers and gave them the key to FW.
Ironically, The Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce Newz-e-letter went out today. Here's the Picture of the Week.
PICTURE OF THE WEEK
Fort Worth Mayor Mike Moncrief introduces his wife, Rosie Moncrief, to Chesapeake Energy CEO Aubrey McClendon during last Friday’s Leaders in Business luncheon at the Petroleum Club of Fort Worth. McClendon got the mayor’s memo that it was Go Purple Day for TCU.
Photo by J.G. Domke, for Basin Oil & Gas magazine
A glimpse of the true history:
An Offer From the Mayor of DISH, TX
FWCanDo calls on State of Texas to place emission controls on gas infrastructure throughout the Barnett Shale region
Sen. Davis Calls for Senate Investation on Barnett Shale Air
Texas' Outstanding Public ServantsPublic Citizen Texas
Hint: Mayor Mikey is not on the list.Fort Worth Mayor Moncrief World Renown for Corruption?
How are these alike? Fort Worth and Wise County
Outrageous: FW leaders care about citizens too late
This is utter nonsense and anyone with half a brain and a pulse knows it. Rather than trying to take any credit at all they should be handing our their apologies for inaction.
FW leaders order report on Barnett Shale emissions
Hicks and Moncrief get the baloney award.
EPA PWNED TCEQ
TCEQ gets pwned in this letter.
In all fairness, I think the people who work for TCEQ are trying very hard right now. They were in Wise County yesterday and we heard excellent reports about the inspector conducting the testing. Very thorough and attentive described the inspectors performance. Maybe TCEQ should promote him.
Drill Rig Erected Behind Selwyn School in Denton
More bad news for Denton. It seems the drillers see that their world may soon be more appropriately regulated so they want to do as much dirty drilling as possible before those regulations are in place.
A rig is being erected behind the Selwyn School in Denton, Texas. Selwyn already sits in the worst part of Denton's worst air. Do we really think it's a good idea to further pollute the air where our children play.
Yesterday I posted about the seismic in South Lakes Park and today Range Resources got the go ahead on their 5 wells.
Meanwhile, Fort Worth is again calling for a drilling moratorium. These are interesting times.
Duck and Cover Rayzor Ranch Neighbors. Here Comes Range Resources.
Court ruling opens door for Rayzor Ranch gas drilling
Neighbors should brace themselves. Range Resources has a less than spotless record.
Range Resources VP Full of Hot Air
Marcellus Shale: The Paid Protectors of Industry
Range Resources Manipulates Royalty Owners with False Choice
Hey Denton! Pay Attention to Range Resources Drilling Record
Rayzor Ranch Neighbors, Here's What Range Resources Drilling Looks Like
Another day, more water polluted by drilling waste
High Country News: Nice Title but Sloppy Journalism
In late September, McClendon and John Pinkerton, the CEO of Range Resources Corp., another company with Marcellus holdings, called on the industry to be more transparent about the chemicals it uses. Chesapeake, which keeps a log of its fracking chemicals on its Web site, has even endorsed New York state's proposal to require drilling companies to register their products and disclose the compounds used.Maybe I'm just not finding the "log" on their website but this, Hydraulic Fact Sheet, does not list the specific chemical compounds used.
I do appreciate that the journalist got this line in:
In 2004, the Environmental Protection Agency decided, based on a questionable study, that it need not regulate fracking, and in 2005, Congress formally exempted it from regulation under the Safe Drinking Water Act.But most of this "article" sounds like CHK's PR person wrote it.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Coldwater Creek Pipeline in Arlington, TX on Channel 11
Here's the video.
They're putting in a massive web of pipelines right in people's yards. Seriously! Enough is ENOUGH!
CHK Plans to Spend Billions Gasing the Barnett Shale
They've only drilled about 15% of the wells they intend to drill here. LINK
Dear God,
Please help us! There will be nothing left alive!
EPA Proposes Stronger Air Quality Standards for Sulfur Dioxide
New standard to protect millions of the nation’s most vulnerable citizens
WASHINGTON – For the first time in nearly 40 years, EPA is proposing to strengthen the nation’s sulfur dioxide (SO2) air quality standard to protect public health. Power plants and other industrial facilities emit SO2 directly into the air. Exposure to SO2 can aggravate asthma, cause respiratory difficulties, and result in emergency room visits and hospitalization. People with asthma, children, and the elderly are especially vulnerable to SO2’s effects.
“Short-term exposures to peak SO2 levels can have significant health effects – especially for children and the elderly – and leave our families and taxpayers saddled with high health care costs,” said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. “We’re strengthening clean air standards, stepping up monitoring and reporting in communities most in need, and providing the American people with protections they rightly deserve.”
EPA is taking comment on a proposal to establish a new national one-hour SO2 standard, between 50 and 100 parts per billion (ppb). This standard is designed to protect against short-term exposures ranging from five minutes to 24 hours. Because the revised standards would be more protective, EPA is proposing to revoke the current 24-hour and annual SO2 health standards.
EPA also is proposing changes to monitoring and reporting requirements for SO2. Monitors would be placed in areas with high SO2 emission levels as well as in urban areas. The proposal also would change the Air Quality Index to reflect the revised SO2 standards. This change would improve states’ ability to alert the public when short-term SO2 levels may affect their health.
The proposal addresses only the SO2 primary standards, which are designed to protect public health. EPA will address the secondary standard – designed to protect the public welfare, including the environment – as part of a separate proposal in 2011.
EPA first set National Ambient Air Quality Standards for SO2 in 1971, establishing both a primary standard to protect health and a secondary standard to protect the public welfare. Annual average SO2 concentrations have decreased by more than 71 percent since 1980.
The public comment period will be open for 60 days after the proposal is published in the Federal Register. The agency will hold a public hearing on Jan. 5, 2010 in Atlanta. EPA must issue final standards by June 2, 2010.
More information about the proposal: http://www.epa.gov/air/sulfurdioxide
Letter Calls for Barnett Shale Drilling Moratorium
This letter makes so much sense. I'll flesh out this post later but for now...
Rogers: Fort Worth needs a moratorium on natural gas drilling
It is no good to improve our schools if the toxins our children are inhaling are damaging to their mental and physical development.Last night I watched the FREE DVD by Theo Colborn, The Endocrine Disruption Exchange. It's frightening! Dr. Colborn is a scientist not and activist. She makes it clear that the biggest health risk is not the cancer but the damage to the human brain.
It is no good if real estate developers spend vast sums of money to enhance the city if we gain a reputation for the poorest air quality in North Texas.Actually, Denton and Wise Counties have the worst air. See EDF analysis and presentation.
Monday, November 16, 2009
National Alliance for Drilling Reform's Gathering Line
Gathering Line - a special pipeline that transports gas from the field to the main pipeline.
The Gathering Line is a round-up of oil & gas drilling news brought to you by National Alliance for Drilling Reform (NA4DR), a broad alliance of grassroots activists from states across the nation that are affected with drilling development.
Amy Goodman interviews
Would you consider this a small footprint?See the effects of 40 years of drilling!Read it at Cheap Tricks and Costly Truths.
Gas drilling is destroying Pennsylvania's wilderness. The Pennsylvania Wilds include more than 2,000,000 acres of publicly owned virgin forest, clear mountain streams and abundant wildlife. Read about how these public lands are being violated and watch Splashdown for public action you can take soon to defend the Allegheny National Forest, part of the Pennsylvania Wilds.
TXsharon continues to follow the abuses of Aruba Petroleum in a Barnett Shale backyard and Wednesday the Wise County Messenger picked up the story--don't miss the comments. It's all on Bluedaze: DRILLING REFORM FOR TEXAS.
Colleyville tables application for first well site. See story at Flower Mound Citizens Against Urban Drilling
Sue Heavenrich writes about problems with a local compressor station in upstate New York at the "Marcellus Effect." Industrial drilling in Marcellus is impact enough, but without local zoning rural areas are open to invasion by other industrial uses too, including compressor stations. You'll find more on the "Marcellus Effect"
Mortgages and Natural Gas Leases
This is in Pennsylvania but it's only a matter of time, a few more people who just walk away from their homes, and a few more pipeline accidents until...
Some properties may need to be re-mortgaged if gas leases signed
Potential environmental damage to properties could affect their future value, Berrish said.Because gas drilling devalues property, some borrowers will have to get a new appraisal and re-mortgage their homes.
Also...
Freddie Mac and Sallie Mae -- specify in their mortgage contracts that if a borrower signs or sells a right to a mortgaged property, the mortgage holder can demand immediate payment in full.Bet the landmen never mentioned this part.
Seismic Testing in South Lakes Park in Denton, TX
Aw common. They wouldn't be doing seismic if they didn't want to drill there.
Drilling explored
Officials say no wells planned at South Lakes Park as crews test land
Although Titan secured city permits to test the ground at South Lakes Park, city officials “certainly have no intention” of allowing a gas well at the park, said Emerson Vorel, Denton’s parks and recreation director. The city has allowed off-site gas drilling under parkland, but there are no active agreements involving South Lakes Park, city officials said.
What this means is they will drill horizontally from somewhere near the park. ...your backyard, maybe?
Already, Denton has the highest levels of hydrocarbon toxins in the air of the entire Barnett Shale.
TPA Round-up
The Texas Progressive Alliance is starting to feel an odd craving for can-shaped servings of cranberry sauce as it brings you this week's highlights from the blogs.
TXsharon continues to follow the abuses of Aruba Petroleum in a Barnett Shale backyard and Wednesday the Wise County Messenger picked up the story. It's all on Bluedaze: DRILLING REFORM FOR TEXAS.
CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme is really p*ssed that some South Texas Democrats voted against women's health care.
WhosPlayin posted an interview with Neil Durrance, the Democratic candidate seeking to unseat Michael Burgess in Congressional District 26.
A guest post from the ReEnergize Texas blog is the pick of the week over at Texas Vox, where we were quite disappointed that Georgetown City Council Snubbed Students over Nuclear Power.
WCNews at Eye On Williamson posts on some of the talk this past week about raising the statewide gas tax. All that being said there are only two options to pay for transportation in Texas, which will we choose Taxes or tolls?.
McBlogger takes a look at Sen. Hutchison's decision not to resign from her Senate seat.
Off the Kuff looks at a threatened outbreak of homophobic behavior in the Houston Mayor's race.
The War on Christmas starts early at The Texas Cloverleaf, complete with a beach landing at WalMart.
Sue Schechter announced for Harris County Clerk last week and PDiddie at Brains and Eggs caught the press release.
With Thanksgiving almost here, Neil at Texas Liberal ran a picture of a sultry pilgrim holding a turkey, and included in this post information about the status of women in Colonial New England.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
An Offer From the Mayor of DISH, TX
I have been asked on several occasions, by folks around the country to come and talk about the air study here in DISH. It seems a bit odd to me, but it appears that tiny DISH, TX has been the only municipality to perform a study such as this. I will happily share our story here in DISH with anyone who would like to hear about. I firmly believe that the only way to change the current situation is stand together. I further believe that helping you, where ever you may be, will also help us hear in DISH. Therefore, if you are interested in hearing about our story please contact me directly to discuss the possibilities. I will not accept funding for any travel expenses, but also need to know that my presentation would make a difference. Please give me a call or email for details.
Calvin Tillman,
Mayor, DISH TX
940.453.3640
Evaluation of Town of DISH, Texas Ambient Air Monitoring Analysis
Wilma Subra's Evaluation of Study
More concrete evidence on hazardous air pollution generated in communities by oil and gas production
Oil Rig Snuff Film
Moving video of oil rig accidents filmed by Roughnecks.
How can anyone watch this and think THIS IS OKAY?
Find more videos like this on Drilling Ahead
Here's another one.
Find more videos like this on Drilling Ahead
More snuff HERE not for the faint of heart.
S.O.S! EnCana Headed to Marcellus!
Large gas company eyes area for drilling
EnCana Corp. will work with WhitMar Exploration Co. in seeking gas in the Marcellus Shale in the region.
Sins of Encana
Aruba Petroleum Operations Under the Cover of Darkness
There is a device that prevents these diesel emissions but it's not being used.
Diesel emissions contain benzene. Recently high levels of benzene were discovered around Barnett Shale drilling operations. EPA, HELP! Aggregate emissions!
Soon, this rig will move on to another location where it will continue polluting.
DO SOMETHING
Aruba Petroleum Is Sure Mad at Me
EPA Must Aggregate Big Gas Emissions! See Aruba Petroleum Example.
Aruba Petroleum Refuses Simple Step to Improve Barnett Shale Air
VIDEO: Aruba Petroleum In Your Backyard.
Aruba Petroleum Toxic Mess in Barnett Shale
VIDEO: Aruba Petroleum Toxic Spill in Barnett Shale
Spill on Aruba Petroleum Barnett Shale Drill Site!
Aruba Petroleum, Operations in the Barnett Shale - In your backyard
Aruba Petroleum, Operations in the Barnett Shale
Looking Out a Barnett Shale Kitchen Window
Barnett Shale: In Your Backyard
A Fracking Song to Accompany the NY Statewide Drilling Ban
I think New Yorkers are going to pull this drilling ban off. Here's their theme song.
Please Sign the Petition to Ban Hydro- Fracture Gas Drilling in New York State
Energy Efficiency is Possible Now! We Can Do This!
We CAN do this people! It's not as hard as you think.
Energy efficiency now Pt1
Robert Pollin, Professor of Economics & PERI Co-director:
Massive investment in energy efficiency and public transport can drive economy.NOTE: The above statement "it could happen," is what angers me so when I hear the lies from industry [see: Fossil fuel industry knew global warming could not be refuted] and self-serving politicians that confuse conservatives. How can anyone with any moral conscious take a look around at what we are doing to this planet and not say: We can't take the risk of destroying this planet for our children? It's unconscionably selfish. (It will be the mothers who stop this.)
I don't think it's even necessary for us to believe--that it's necessarily true--that what the majority of climate scientists are telling us is true. It's enough that they say it's true, even if it's not true. Because that means we have a non-trivial threat of ecological catastrophe. Even if it doesn't necessarily have to happen, it could happen and so therefore we have to take urgent action to dramatically reduce GHG emissions throughout the world.
We need massive short-term investments in energy efficiency.
We need government subsidies for clean, renewable energy.
Yet we have Pickens lobbying our Congressional members with his Natural Gas Act that will provide huge giveaways for natural gas development and infrastructure, which means more destruction of private property and our planet and more toxins released into our environment. Once Pickens has his infrastructure in place to deliver natural gas to our vehicles, watch the price skyrocket.
Energy efficiency now Part 2
Pollin: Double the number of buses and make them affordable will drive Detroit and the green economy
Jobs generated per dollars spent:
$1 million = 5 jobs in fossil fuel industry
$1 million = 17 jobs in the clean energy economy
$1 million = 5 jobs in fossil fuel industry
$1 million = 17 jobs in the clean energy economy
Going 1 mile in a bus produces 1/2 the GHG emissions as going 1 mile in a car and the cost is 1/2. Double the number of buses so taking a bus will be more convenient.
We have to think seriously about A)Seriously restricting fossil fuel emissions...
Energy efficiency now Part 3
Pollin:
For developing countries going green doesn't mean slowing growth
Re: Cap and Trade:
All of the models, by the way--not mine, but I'm gonna talk about all of the models, without exception--that have estimated the impact of a Cap & Trade type measure--that is the measure that insists on reducing the level of GHG emissions per level of economic activity--every single one of them has shown that there is no discernible negative impact on economic growth. ALL OF THEM, including the most conservative business groups like the American Council of Capital Formation, have been unable to show in their models--now in their headlines they say this is a disaster for growth, but when you actually read the models, that's not what the models say. The models say it has almost no impact on growth.
He thinks the Kerry/Boxer C&T bill is too weak, has too many loopholes and won't do enough to help "climate change" (the weaker term for what's really happening, Global Warming). He likes Senator Cantwell's "tougher" new bill, Cap & Dividend much better because it will help the working people.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Don't light that grill just yet. Pipeline rupture in Ohio
"I was on my porch, heard it and then looked over toward the pumping station and saw a big cloud dust and gas blowing toward the house, Phil Crowders house. You could hear a constant noise it sounded like a jet taking off," tells resident Dan Wilson.That's methane, the most powerful GHG, boiling into the atmosphere. I'm not liking where this bridge fuel is leading us. We might be on the wrong path here.
Residents Unhappy and Concerned About Pipeline Rupture
UPDATE: From the comments: It was a brand new line only in use for 2 days. Maybe the pipeline was built using some of this:
Government Warning: Substandard Materials Used In Gas Pipelines!
Another UPDATE: These pipelines are supposed to undergo a hydrostatic testing before they go into operation. How could it happen that a brand new, 2-day-old pipeline that underwent testing could rupture this quickly?
More on Aledo Injection/Disposal Well
This from earlier in the week:
Injection Well Near Homes Cited Again
The leak was caused from an open valve that no one seems to remember opening or knows why or how long it was left open. Nice to know this company has such a high level of responsibility.
CES Salt Water Disposal of Gainesville was cited this month after a Railroad Commission inspection showed an open bradenhead valve. It allows an operator to monitor pressure between the surface and production casing of the disposal well and to detect any leaks.According to the Star-Telegram article, the disposal well is very close to homes that depend on private water wells.
Ken Hall, an independent geologist who owns several small oil companies, said it is important to know why the valve was open.
Hall said there should not be pressure on the bradenhead, because that puts pressure on the pipe in the disposal well that protects the aquifer.
"The bradenhead consists of a valve and a gauge. The gauge ensures there is no pressure. Damage occurs when there is pressure. If the valve is open, there is not going to be any pressure. . . . The question is, Did the valve open automatically because there was pressure, or was it opened to relieve pressure?"
Kathy Chruscielski, who formed a group to monitor gas drilling in Parker County, said the well should never have been allowed so close to schools and homes.
"The potential consequences for people living so close to that well with private water wells are enormous. So far, nothing has happened."
Since saltwater injection/disposal wells seem to be a frequent cause of water contamination and sinkholes, it doesn't seem prudent to place them next to aquifers or homes or anything you don't what to possibly fall into a very deep hole.
Tell me again how natural gas is such a "clean energy."
A Sink Hole Up Close and Getting Way Too Personal
As I've mentioned previously, sink holes seem to follow drilling around. Sink holes are another part of the picture landmen never mention when seducing mineral owners with their so-called "free money."
Cheap Tricks and Costly Truths takes readers on a tour of Wink Sink #2 and teases us with predictions of Wink Sink #3. Calling EPA! Are you listening?
Other sinkholes
Update: Curious me had to dig around for more sinkhole information.
From Pennsylvania DEP one cause of sinkholes:
Any change to the hydrologic system (putting more water in or taking it out) causes the system to become at least temporarily unstable and can lead to sinkholes.Here's a video of the Daisetta, TX sinkhole.
>
This TX sized sinkhole made the Wall Street Journal.
In 2006, the Texas oil and gas industry injected 6.7 billion barrels of liquid, mostly water, beneath the ground, and experts say that amount has been rising as new wells have multiplied and old wells are revived. Federal regulators, environmentalists and community groups worry that lax oversight is allowing some of the water -- which can be 10 times as salty as seawater and often contains oil, heavy metals and even radioactive material -- to escape from underground reservoirs. That could lead to the contamination of underground drinking-water supplies, the pollution of soil and surface water, and more sinkholes as underground structures are eroded.Drill, Baby! Drill!
The WSJ blames the Texas Railroad Commission for lax regulations of the 30,000 and growing injections wells.
Critics have argued for several years that the Texas Railroad Commission, which oversees the oil and gas industry, hasn't kept close enough tabs on the state's more than 30,000 disposal sites, allowing problems to go undiscovered. John Tintera, in charge of technical permitting for the Railroad Commission, said the agency regularly inspects disposal facilities and scrutinizes companies for violationsThat's not true, John!
Wise County has more class II commercial injection wells than any other Texas County. What a distinction! We have the most injection/disposal wells and the most VOC's in our air. Aren't we proud? Seems we might be overdue for a sinkhole.
Texaco's mistake sent a drilling rig, 65 acres of land, barges, trees, a whole lake and...down a sink hole. Go watch the video.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Marcellus Shale Environmental Conservation Roundtable
I want one of these in Texas. Oh yeah, too late. =(
About the natural gas pricing: Anyone who thinks we are going to have cheaper natural gas for any length of time, I have a really gentle mule I'd like to sell you. By the time Pickens gets through converting everything in the whole country to natural gas thereby driving demand UP, those natural gas vehicles will sit idle in the driveway because the gas will be too high. ...sound like an improvement?
Oh how cute! Now they are talking about fracking at the Dallas/Fort Worth Airport. No mention of earthquakes though.
Part 2
Part 3
Shale Gas: Major Destruction for Minor Gain
Berman isn't saying that the major shale players — companies such as Chesapeake Energy, Devon Energy and Houston-based Petrohawk Energy — are wrong, but he's skeptical that shale gas will be the domestic energy boon that the companies claim.It's an awful lot of destruction, devastation to our planet and compromising health and safety for some very short-term gain.
“I'm saying it's a bubble,” Berman said. “They're creating an illusion.”
This is fueled by Pickens a pretender who only wants to line his own pockets.
John Royall, president and chief executive of Gulf Publishing, said he didn't receive any pressure from gas companies. World Oil serves a global audience, and gas shale is largely a domestic issue. Berman had written on the topic for a year, and Royall decided that was enough.
“Art had an interesting take on shale gas,” he said. “It was interesting, provocative stuff, but it was time to move on.”
Berman doesn't come off as obsessed or paranoid. He simply believes that the industry has abandoned caution when it comes to shale, wasting millions drilling wells with a lack of scientific analysis.
“All of my instincts say if you approach it this way, it's just insanity,” he said.
If he's right, the insanity could affect us all. As Congress discusses carbon capture and environmentalists champion converting vehicles to run on natural gas, the prospect that gas supplies could be far less than we think could have a profound economic impact on the country.
“My message isn't ‘this is bad,' it's that we need to practice some caution here,” Berman said.
Just Say WHOA!
Bushland, TX Pipeline Blast Victims File Lawsuit
Lawsuit filed in Bushland Blast
I saw a video this week of the aftermath. Cars melted, it looked like a bomb had gone off.
Another article
Family hurt in Texas pipeline explosion files suit
The 24-inch pipeline exploded near Bushland, 15 miles west of Amarillo, about 1 a.m. on Nov. 5. The blast shook homes, melted window blinds and shot flames hundreds of feet into the air that were seen 20 miles away. The blast left a hole about 30 yards by 20 yards and close to 15 feet deep.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Aruba Petroleum Is Sure Mad at Me
They think I've been unfair to them--surreal, I know. But, I'll have to get into that later. Right now, here's a quick update.
Tim and Christine are on the front page of the Wise County Messenger!
Well not welcome
By Brandon Evans
"I was taking my daughter to school," Christine said, "when a neighbor called me and said bulldozers were all over my yard."Don't miss the comments under the Messenger story. Quite entertaining.
It was mid-September. Christine returned home to find 100 feet of their metal horse fence cut down. Bulldozer blades were plowing through their horse pasture. Aruba Petroleum, an energy company based in Plano, was beginning the process of drilling a fresh gas well on the Ruggiero property.
The Ruggieros said the company failed to give them proper warning. They also failed to secure the Ruggieros' horses, allowing them to gallop away down the dusty road after cutting down the fence. Fortunately, someone who lived in the area spotted and contained the horses. The horses now have to be boarded.
Previous posts:
EPA Must Aggregate Big Gas Emissions! See Aruba Petroleum Example.
Aruba Petroleum Refuses Simple Step to Improve Barnett Shale Air
VIDEO: Aruba Petroleum In Your Backyard.
Aruba Petroleum Toxic Mess in Barnett Shale
VIDEO: Aruba Petroleum Toxic Spill in Barnett Shale
Spill on Aruba Petroleum Barnett Shale Drill Site!
Aruba Petroleum, Operations in the Barnett Shale - In your backyard
Aruba Petroleum, Operations in the Barnett Shale
Looking Out a Barnett Shale Kitchen Window
Barnett Shale: In Your Backyard
Air Pollutants Linked With Barnett Shale Gas/Oil Production
The case builds for emission controls.
This slide show summarizes the EDF analysis in an easy to understand format.
Update: EDF slide #13
More Misinformation from Patton Boggs
This is not the first time Patton Boggs has spread it on thick but this time is oh, so, funny!
Here is an "Energy/Environmental" Alert put out by our DC Environmental Group. It deal with two U.S. Circuit Court cases allowing suits against energy companies for emitting greenhouse gases. Of course, this was precipitated by the U.S. Supreme Court decision saying the EPA had to regulate CO2 as a pollutant. Sigh.The most hilarious thing is at the first link where they reference Lou Dobbs and his whine about persecution. Lou Dobbs resigned suddenly yesterday evening and in disgrace for his inflammatory views.
http://www.pattonboggs.com/news/detail.aspx?news=1002
For more information, please call Timothy A. Vanderver at 202-457-6074.
The conclusion in the memo is that either the cap and trade bill on which Congress is working or the EPA regulations should be passed in order to preempt individual suits like this. There is, of course, a third way. Recognize that anthropogenic global warming is a creation of the political process, not science.
For some additional information, try www.icecap.us or look at this recent article http://www.agu.org/pubs/crossref/2009/2009GL039628.shtml
The rest of the misinformation provided by Patton Boggs is from sources of similar caliber. Last time I checked, Patton Boggs receives millions in lobby money from Big Gas.
Renewable Energy From Cow Poo
1 dairy + 2600 cows = 130 tons manure/day
“The way we’ve broken it down is, two cows can power one home each day. So our cows power about 1,300 homes.”Manure Power: Dairies harness methane to create renewable energy
This is how I picture our sustainable energy future: We all have a solar panel, a wind turbine on the roof, a couple of cows, a garden, some chickens and a car that runs on urine. We're all set. Energy independent from renewable sources.
Hank Gilbert Calls On Texas To Go Green
Proposes Overhaul Of Environmental Regulatory Agency, Increasing Renewable Portfolio Standard
AUSTIN—Democratic Gubernatorial candidate Hank Gilbert unveiled a series of bold, common sense proposals addressing energy and the environment on Wednesday in Austin.
With Lady Bird Lake and the skyline of one of America’s ten greenest cities as his backdrop, Gilbert called for a statewide plan to address global warming, energy conservation, and renewable energy as well as a complete overhaul of environmental regulation in Texas.
“Environmental regulation in Texas is a maze that the average citizen has great difficulty navigating,” Gilbert said. “Depending upon the particular problem, an average person could be bounced back and forth between the Texas Commission On Environmental Quality and the Texas Railroad Commission several times before ultimately giving up. That must end,” he said.Gilbert outlined a plan under which environmental regulation and oversight from several state agencies including the Texas Railroad Commission are combined with those of the Texas Commission On Environmental Quality under a new agency, the Texas Environmental Commission.
“The New Texas Environmental Commission will centralize environmental regulation and natural resource and energy conservation under one umbrella. This is the kind of common sense policy we need to protect our land, air, and water,” he continued.In addition, Gilbert called for the issuance of a statewide plan to address global warming, energy conservation, and renewable energy.
“In the early 1990s, a joint legislative committee warned our state about the threats of global warming. To date, we still have no cohesive plan to address the issue of greenhouse gasses threatening the atmosphere over Texas. It is time to stop kicking the can down the road and address the problem now,” he said.In terms of energy, Gilbert called for an elected Commissioner to head the Public Utility Commission and for increasing the state’s Renewable Portfolio Standard.
“Under current law, our state has a target of requiring electric providers to produce 10,000 mega-watts of energy from renewable sources by 2025. Already in Texas we have over 7,000 mega-watts of generation capacity coming from renewable energy. I’m calling for mandating that energy providers generate 20 percent of our state’s power from renewable energy by 2020,” Gilbert said.Gilbert’s proposal also includes:
- Consolidating utility regulation under the Public Utility Commission of Texas. (currently natural gas regulation rests with the Texas Railroad Commission)
- Overhauling existing statutes and administrative regulations to hold polluters and regulated industries accountable to Texans.
- Incentives for increasing wind, solar, and biomass capacity.
- Raising energy efficiency standards for residential and commercial construction.
- Requiring the establishment of state energy standards for various appliances.
- Property tax incentives for homeowners who install solar panels on their homes, and eliminating the sales tax on the purchase and instillation of solar panels.
- Giving businesses a franchise tax deduction for the cost of solar and wind energy systems designed to power their businesses.
- Giving homeowners and businesses property tax exemptions for the appraised value of solar, wind, or biomass energy systems.
- Retooling the Texas Enterprise Fund to focus on bringing green jobs to Texas.
- Retooling the Texas Emerging Technology Fund to focus on helping develop new green energy and environmentally sound technologies.
- Requiring all existing coal power plants to adopt cleaner technologies by 2017.
- Adopting strict standards for mercury and other pollutants from existing power plants and factories.
- A moratorium on permits for new coal power plants unless their emissions are captured and stored.
- Requiring cement production plants to reduce mercury emissions by 80 percent by 2014.
- Strict standards for underground disposal wells (commonly called injection wells).
- Mandatory use of purification technology for drilling waste to be disposed of through injection wells by 2020.
- A Surface Owner Protection Act.
- A constitutional amendment requiring all revenues generated by the Sporting Goods Sales Tax as well as other user fees and taxes presently dedicated to the park system to be so allocated.
- $150 million be allotted for the acquisition and development of new state parks and for the addition of land to existing state parks.
“We must protect our natural resources and significantly reduce pollution Texas’ carbon footprint. It’s time to go green, Texas,” Gilbert concluded.FACT SHEET
Go Green, Texas
BY THE NUMBERS
Texas is the worst air polluter in the nation. (SOURCE: Congressional Quarterly’s State Fact Finder 2007)
Texas releases more volatile organic compounds into the air than any other state in the country. (SOURCE: ScoreCard.org )
Texas releases more toxic chemicals into water than any other state in the nation. (SOURCE: ScoreCard.org)
Texas ranks fifth in the nation in terms of toxic chemicals released into the air. (SOURCE: ScoreCard.org)
Texas releases more cancer-causing carcinogens into the air than any other state in the U.S. (SOURCE: ScoreCard.org)
Texas ranks seventh out of the fifty states in terms of the number of cancer-causing carcinogens released into water. (SOURCE: ScoreCard.org)
Texas ranks second among the fifty states in the amount of hazardous waste generated and first in carbon dioxide emissions. (SOURCE: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency [LINK])
There's a lot more...
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Today Was a Horrible Smog Day!
If you want to know how bad the smog was here and how our air ranks compared to the rest of the country, check out the information and pictures at Durango Texas.
I was in Wise County today with people from out-of-town. We all had sinus problems, sore throats and coughs after about an hour's exposure to the drilling toxins. Big Gas has an exemption from our Clean Air Act that allows them to get away with THIS. Emission from natural gas development should be aggregated!
Wise County, Texas has Most VOC's in Region
UPDATE: Help is on the way!
Hank Gilbert Calls On Texas To Go Green
Don't forget that on Governor Perry's watch Texas became #1 in every thing that is dirty!
Also remember that in 2004 Kay Bailey Hutchinson was 2nd only to George Bush in the most money received from the oil & gas industry.
Texas is #1 in all things DIRTY!
FACT SHEET
Go Green, Texas
BY THE NUMBERS
Texas is the worst air polluter in the nation. (SOURCE: Congressional Quarterly’s State Fact Finder 2007)
Texas releases more volatile organic compounds into the air than any other state in the country. (SOURCE: ScoreCard.org )
Texas releases more toxic chemicals into water than any other state in the nation. (SOURCE: ScoreCard.org)
Texas ranks fifth in the nation in terms of toxic chemicals released into the air. (SOURCE: ScoreCard.org)
Texas releases more cancer-causing carcinogens into the air than any other state in the U.S. (SOURCE: ScoreCard.org)
Texas ranks seventh out of the fifty states in terms of the number of cancer-causing carcinogens released into water. (SOURCE: ScoreCard.org)
Texas ranks second among the fifty states in the amount of hazardous waste generated and first in carbon dioxide emissions. (SOURCE: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency [LINK])
There's a lot more...
TEDEX VIDEO: What You Need to Know About Natural Gas Production
Dr. Theo Colborn, The Endocrine Disruption Exchange, has new videos covering possible health effects of natural gas drilling.
Chemicals in Natural Gas Operations
What you need to know about natural gas production
Dr. Colborn has delivered her talk "What You Need to Know About Natural Gas Production" many times across the country. It has educated and motivated individuals nationwide to organize and address the environmental and health issues raised by natural gas operations. She calls for full public disclosure of all chemicals used during drilling and fracturing and raises the issues of ground-level ozone and air pollution that have been almost completely ignored.Also available:
Now, TEDX has produced a video of this lecture, complete with photos and data slides to illustrate the fact that natural gas is not the 'clean energy' that industry is touting it to be.
Learn how males are susceptible to endocrine disrupting effects in
“The Male Predicament”
Split Estate: I Finally Got to See it Tonight
What a tragic documentary, but very well done. Everyone should watch Split Estate so they will know the true price of natural gas.
My day involved cameras and drilling, but I can't say anything else about that.
Injection Well Near Homes Cited Again
This is the same drilling waste disposal well that I posted about previously:
Injection/Disposal Well Failure Dismissed by Texas Railroad Commission
The well has failed again and yet the Texas Railroad Commission gives them 17 days to continue operating while they try to fix the problem. Why not shut them down until they are in compliance? When I posed this question to the Texas Railroad Commission District 9 in Wichita Falls, the inspector replied, "Mam, this is not a Communist country." Huh?Company is again cited for improperly operating disposal well near Aledo
Regulating after a failure is too late!
IEA Says We've Got Gas. Do We Believe Them?
Why would we believe this:
IEA's Chief Economist: U.S. Nat Gas Industry a Global Game-Changer
Considering this:
Whistleblower: Oil Decline Figures Intentionally Distorted (By IEA)
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
EPA Must Aggregate Big Gas Emissions! See Aruba Petroleum Example.
As if we need another example after DISH, TX and the DIRTY SECRET.
The oil & gas industry has broad exemptions from all of our federal environmental laws.
The Clean Air Act:
The CAA provides that oil and gas wells, and in some instances pipeline compressors and pump stations, shall not be aggregated together to determine if they are subject to the provisions that establish NEHAPS and thus require MACT. This exemption to the aggregation requirement allows the oil and gas industry to pollute the air while being largely unregulated under the CAA.Since Big Gas doesn't respond to human decency and reasonable requests to control emissions, EPA must intervene and aggregate emissions.
Take this example provided by Aruba Petroleum. (Go ahead and click for a larger version. You really need to get the full effect.)
Before I arrived at Tim's and Christine's house Sunday afternoon, I could see the cloud of diesel hanging in the Wise County air. At the entrance of what used to be their 4+ acre horse pasture, filled with lush bermuda grass and their beloved horses, I slammed on the brakes and jumped out with camera in hand (I have some impressive video for later). The sight was startling even after many visits. Each time the diesel emissions are worse than the last.
There is a part available for this rig that prevents these emissions but Aruba Petroleum refuses to use it. This is another example of why we desperately need the EPA to step in and intervene in Texas.
The horses now live at a stable which costs their owners $1,000/month. Diesel emissions are dangerous for people and animals.
Picture below is before the Aruba Petroleum invasion.
When Aruba Petroleum leaves this site, they will go to another and another and another and...
For more videos see: ArubaGreed
EPA Study Reveals Widespread Contamination of Fish in U.S. Lakes and Reservoirs
Is anybody out there surprised about this?
A new EPA study shows concentrations of toxic chemicals in fish tissue from lakes and reservoirs in nearly all 50 U.S. states. For the first time, EPA is able to estimate the percentage of lakes and reservoirs nationwide that have fish containing potentially harmful levels of chemicals such as mercury and PCBs.Say thank you to the Bush administration. This is what you get when you allow industry to go unregulated. People are surprised to learn just how cold and callus industry is. The sooner YOU understand that industry exists for one reason and one reason only--profit--the better our society will be. It's not even reasonable to expect industry to have morals. Industry is psychopathic so the only way to force good behavior is to make sure the penalty is not worth the price.
...rare exceptions do exist.
Congress Orders EPA to Study Hydraulic Fracturing
In 2005, at the urging of Dick Cheney, former Halliburton CEO, Congress exempt fracing from the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) as part of the Energy Policy Act of 2005. In 2001, Cheney’s energy task force report “touted” benefits and ignored consequences. His office was “involved in discussions about how fracturing should be portrayed in the [EPA] report.” EPA used "questionable science" to support the decision.
Now there's a new sheriff in town and a new Congress!
Congress Tells EPA to Study Hydraulic Fracturing
As part of the $32 billion Interior and Environment Appropriations Bill recently signed by President Obama, lawmakers asked the EPA to re-visit hydraulic fracturing, the process where copious amounts of water and sand mixed with toxic chemical additives are furiously pumped underground to break up gas-bearing rock thousands of feet below.
The bill urges the EPA to use a portion of the money to fund a scientifically robust and peer-reviewed study of the relationship between hydraulic fracturing and drinking water, "using a credible approach that relies on the best available science."
WAHOO!
Whistleblower: Oil Decline Figures Intentionally Distorted
They lied to us! /feigned shock
They hardly ever do that.
Fossil fuel industry knew global warming could not be refuted
API Leaked Memo Reveals Industry Staged Energy Rallies
The WOT also comes to mind, but back to the oil decline lies:Key oil figures were distorted by US pressure, says whistleblower
The world is much closer to running out of oil than official estimates admit, according to a whistleblower at the International Energy Agency who claims it has been deliberately underplaying a looming shortage for fear of triggering panic buying.If you haven't seen all the latest research indicating that the shale gas reserves are dramatically less than they've been telling us, just Google it.
The senior official claims the US has played an influential role in encouraging the watchdog to underplay the rate of decline from existing oil fields while overplaying the chances of finding new reserves.
Is there anyone out there who still doubts that this country is run by Big Gas and Big Oil? Is there anyone out there who wants to do something about it?
It is time to get off the dirty fossil fuels and save this planet for future generations.
The Gathering Line
Gathering Line - a special pipeline that transports gas from the field to the main pipeline.
The Gathering Line is a round-up of oil & gas drilling news brought to you by National Alliance for Drilling Reform (NA4DR), a broad alliance of grassroots activists from states across the nation that are affected with drilling development.
Splashdown wants to encourage everyone to get behind the 2 Action Alerts to clean up the Chesapeake Bay and all inflowing waterways. 1. You can send an easy click message to Congress to urge them to join in sponsoring this critical Clean Water legislation. 2. Beginning Nov. 9th, public input (also easy click to comment) is being sought on strategic plans for President Obama's Executive Order for cleaning up the Bay. So please, hop to it!
TXsharon continues to report from a backyard in the Barnett Shale. Despite all the local and national press on drilling related toxins, carcinogens and neurotoxins in our air, Aruba Petroleum Refuses a Simple Step to Improve Barnett Shale Air and thereby recklessly and willfully endangers public health and safety. Read it on Bluedaze: DRILLING REFORM FOR TEXAS.
The New Energy Army Pickens Proposes to force his plan upon the nation Read it at Cheap Tricks and Costly Truths.
Peacegirl writes about the situation in Clearville, PA, where compressor stations are causing serious environmental problems. Read Compressor Stations Wreak Havoc in PA. Watch two videos, and see for yourself what it looks like to have tiny oily spots on every surface, every plant, farm equipment, a pond- everywhere. It is unbelievable! See the cemetery adjacent to a Clearville compressor station where local residents hope someday to "rest in peace." They are wondering if that day will come sooner rather than later because of the serious health threats they now fear from the gas industry. Who will help the residents of Clearville? Is the PA DEP doing its job? Visit Gas Wells Are Not Our Friends. Reader comments are always welcome.
Sue Heavenrich reports on a recently released report about drilling accidents in NY 270 Drilling Accidents in NY So Far Read about that and and more at The Marcellus Effect.
Flower Mound Citizens Against Urban Drilling urges everyone to read the Environment Texas study to learn how excessive waste of fresh water and toxic chemicals gas drillers use in the extraction of the gas are threatening our drinking water in the Barnett Shale area.
Monday, November 09, 2009
TCEQ Notice to Regulated Community
Notice to the regulated community regarding Public Participation, Flexible Permits, Qualified Facilities, and New Source Review (NSR) Reform.
I'm pretty sure this all means the EPA isn't thrilled with TCEQ permitting practices.
Radioactive Drilling Waste in Barnett Shale and Marcellus Shale. It's in our water!
There's NORM in the Marcellus Shale. Read about it on ProPublica. Is New York’s Marcellus Shale Too Hot to Handle?
It's here in the Barnett Shale too, of course.
From the PARCHED Newsletter:
Combined Radium 226 & 228 levels in Aledo have tested above Maximum levels for safe drinking water.
The presence of radiunuclides in the shallow Upper Trinity Aquifer is highly unusual. Aledo did NOT have radionuclides in the 2007 water quality report.
As reported earlier, Diamond Oaks municipal water well in Hudson Oaks (Parker County) was taken out of service after tests indicated the presence of radionuclides. Radium 226, radium 228 and Alpha radiation at entry point 007 tested in excess of the Maximum Contaminant Levels. According to Kristi Krieg, Drinking Water Specialist at the TCEQ, the well was closed after an enforcement letter was sent to the city on May 22, 2009. Krieg said that the affected Hudson Oaks water well is 230 feet deep in the Paluxy formation. Hudson Oaks Director of Operations Patrick Lawler estimated that the well, located near the New River Fellowship Church off Interstate 20, had been in service since the 1980s. The source of the contamination is unknown.Also see:
It is unusual for a water well to be closed due to radionuclides. According to Krieg, the City of East Chico is the only other municipal water well to close for radionuclides in the four county Upper Trinity Groundwater Conservation District area. The East Chico water well in Wise County closed earlier this year.
CITY OF ALEDO WELLS HAVE NOW BEEN IDENTIFIED after tests indicated the presence of radionuclides. Radium 226, radium 228.
THESE WELLS SUPPLY WATER TO ALEDO SCHOOLS.
10 Cows Dead or Deformed After Hydraulic Fracture on Farm
This happened on a farm in the Marcellus Shale. A previous post about this that links to some pictures is here.
Pennsylvania Landowner Blames Energy Drilling for Water Pollution
This report is by Jon Hurdle who is a Reuters reporter.
PERFECT BASELINE TESTSThe landowner has filed a lawsuit against the drillers.
Baseline tests on Zimmermann's water a year before drilling began were "perfect,'' he said. In June, water tests found arsenic at 2,600 times acceptable levels, benzene at 44 times above limits and naphthalene five times the federal standard.
Soil samples detected mercury and selenium above official limits, as well as ethylbenzene, a chemical used in drilling, and trichloroethene, a naturally occurring but toxic chemical that can be brought to the surface by gas drilling.
The chemicals can cause many serious illnesses including damage to the immune, nervous and respiratory systems, according to the Endocrine Disruption Exchange, a researcher of the health effects of chemicals used in drilling.
People in rural areas are most vulnerable to the ill affects of drilling and it's in the rural areas where we have the most difficulty getting any media coverage.
Rural residents who live near gas drilling say their water has become discolored, foul-smelling, or even flammable because methane from disturbed gas deposits has migrated into water wells.The owner expresses the same sentiment that so many living near drilling do:
DEATHS, MUTATION OF LIVESTOCK
Farmers in southwest Pennsylvania blame cattle deaths and mutations on local fracking. Other complaints attributed to tainted water include children's sickness, skin rashes and neurological disorders.
The industry says the chemicals used in fracking are injected through layers of steel and concrete thousands of feet below aquifers, and so pose no threat to drinking water. Spokesman argue there has never been a documented case of water contamination as a result of fracking.
"I don't want to live here anymore."
Another report in a PA paper is not nearly as thorough:
Cow deaths have couple questioning water quality
The landowner who did not own any mineral rights bought a freezer to keep the carcasses of dead and deformed animals. He's not the first to keep animal carcasses in the freezer. Lisa Bracken has a freezer full of animals that have succumbed to exposure to drilling toxins.
Drilling is sure hard on cattle.
Breaking! Chesapeake Official Admits: Fracking Fluid Deadly!
I bet we'll be seeing more of these stories. I've heard stories of Texas cattle but the drillers scoot in there and pay owners hush money so it never makes the papers.
TPA Round-up
The Texas Progressive Alliance hopes everyone had a happy Election Day last week, and is already looking forward to the next one. Here are this week's highlights.
TXsharon continues to report from a backyard in the Barnett Shale. Despite all the local and national press on drilling related toxins, carcinogens and neurotoxins in our air, Aruba Petroleum Refuses a Simple Step to Improve Barnett Shale Air and thereby recklessly and willfully endangers public health and safety. Read it on Bluedaze: DRILLING REFORM FOR TEXAS.
refinish69 announces his endorsement for the Democratic nominee for Texas governor at Doing My Part For The Left. The progressive choice has to be Hank Gilbert with his policy issues and especially his strong stance on GLBT issues. Hank Gilbert for Texas Governor was the only choice refinish69 could make.
Justin at Asian American Action Fund Blog has a thorough take on the results of election day in Houston.
The Texas Cloverleaf provides an election night roundup of some of DFW's races you never heard of, and some national ones you have.
If you dislike Rep. Dennis Kucinich as much as Mayor McSleaze, there's probably something right with you.
quizas of South Texas Chisme notes that Galveston medical facilities are among those not notifying about rules for the poor, while CouldBeTrue notes South Texas Democrats join Republicans in shafting poor women. Shame on them.
BossKitty at TruthHugger Let me ‘dis’ the local Austin TV news media who gets around to breaking the Health Care Reform Bill news TWO and a half hours later. Hooray for the House Austin just lives in a bubble.
Over at BlueBloggin, nytexan takes a long look at another disgusting practice of our medical insurance industry. We Have One Twisted Health System, Living Organ Donors Beware. The organ donor’s family is never charged for donating. The family is charged for the cost of all final efforts to save your life, and those costs are sometimes misinterpreted as costs related to organ donation. Surprise for organ donors: unexpected medical bills. Austin man who gave kidney to co-worker is one of many who have faced health complications, billing problems.
Bay Area Houston says Hispanics, the largest voting block in Texas, are not voting.
WhosPlayin learned of an illegal meeting of Lewisville ISD trustees this past Thursday and Friday, and has video of trustees mentioning this blogger when discussing whether to implement video recording of trustee meetings.
Vince at Capitol Annex takes a look at an interesting story about Judge Sharon Keller of Court of Criminal Appeals that was eclipsed by the tragedy at Fort Hood.
Off the Kuff has six questions for the runoffs in Houston.
Harris County Clerk Beverly Kaufman toes the ethical line with her active promotion of an assistant for her job, and the local media thinks that's just fine. Get the details in PDiddie's Brains and Eggs.
At TexasKaos, Libby Shaw has news for Cornyn and Sessions about the Republican Resurgence. As she notes:
I wouldn't gloat too much, boys. Your job in Washington just got a lot harder. Meanwhile, back here at home, in case you boys forgot that Houston is the largest city in Texas, three progressive Democrats and one Republican ran for mayor. The Republican dude and the old white guy with boatloads of bucks lost. The run-off race is between a gay woman and an African American male.
See the rest here: I have news for John Cornyn and Pete Sessions
WCNews at Eye On Williamson reports on the local toll authority's latest shenanigans, CTRMA to jack up tolls on 183-A, add automatic annual increases.
Neil at Texas Liberal bought Thanksgiving cards drawn by a young person with cancer who is being treated at Houston's M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. The design Neil bought is both bleak and hopeful.
There was much rejoicing this week at Texas Vox and among the environmental community at large when it was announced that Dr. Al Armendariz was named new Region 6 Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. A Texas EPA administrator that "embodies the ‘Principles for Environmental Leadership and Real Change’"? You better believe it.
Sunday, November 08, 2009
Map Shows Gas Drilling Across US
If you want to avoid the horrors of having a drilling rig and gas well in your backyard, contaminated water and air, avoid the states with red or pink.
That pretty much leaves Texas out.
Saturday, November 07, 2009
Main Gas Line Rupture Sends Methane and Toxins Into Atmosphere
Tell me again how natural gas is such a "clean energy" it should be our bridge fuel and we should convert all our vehicles and electric plants to this really "clean energy" and drill, baby, drill all these super "clean energy" gas wells right in our backyards.
Lie to me! Hurt me! Beat me! Make me write hot checks!
Main Gas Line Rupture Imperial Texas
Final Wildcat Football game of the season, finds us traveling to McCamey, Texas. During the pep rally, the principal made an announcement that we should all avoid the highway next to the gas plant in Imperial, Texas. Seems that the main gas line ruptured.My friend lives there out there! From an email, it seems people in Wink have lost their ability to taste because of all the gas in the air.
Natural gas is the most powerful GHG, 20 Xs more powerful than CO2. So, tell me again how methane is going to help us reduce climate change? I'm not able to put all this together. Maybe if you release some more methane and a few more toxins, I'll finally see the LIGHT.
August 19, 2009
Natural Gas Well Blowout Could Last for Days
methane escaping with such force they make the area a "no fly zone"
August 24, 2009
Fort Bend Gas Well Blowout Finally Capped
BREAKING: Methane 3 times higher than normal in DISH, TX
Here's a thought: Maybe this "clean energy" is the major cause of global warming. Sure seems like a lot of leaking going on.
Drilling Related Sink Hole Forming in Carlsbad, NM
Collapse of cavern under N.M. city feared
The cavern was formed over three decades as oil-field service companies pumped fresh water into a salt layer more than 400 feet below the surface and extracted several million barrels of brine to help with drilling. State regulators flagged it as a potential danger after concluding that it was similar to two wells northwest of Carlsbad that collapsed without warning last year.
Over the past few decades, communities in Texas, Kansas, Michigan, Canada and Europe learned of similar underground danger only after cracks appeared and the ground began to sink. Regulators are trying to determine how to prevent collapses by better managing a practice that is used throughout the world.
It sounds like Wink, Texas is the location of the next drilling related sinkhole in Texas.
Texas' Outstanding Public ServantsPublic Citizen Texas
Public Citizen Texas Honors Texas’ Outstanding Public Servants
My personal favorites:
[Greg] Harman from the San Antonio Current will be named the Environmental Journalist of the Year for his outstanding work uncovering the true cost of nuclear power, from cradle to grave.I hear a cradle to grave study exists showing that natural gas is NOT cleaner that coal. I'm hoping I receive that soon.
Best New Legislator will go to state Sen. [Wendy] Davis (D-Fort Worth) for her dedication to public health and moral obligation, as well as her efforts to promote a clean and healthy environment for her Tarrant County residents. In the first half of the 81st Legislature, Davis succeeded in passing two bills relating to the Barnett Shale natural gas drilling that has affected her designated district of Tarrant County.Wahoo, Wendy!
This year, [Glenn] Lewis will be presented the Whistleblower of the Year award for his above board actions for change in support of a Public Citizen cause. Recently, Lewis was employed as a technical writer and editor for the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, working on a low-level radioactive waste dump. After the agency drafted a license for Waste Control Specialists, against recommendations by the eight-member permit review team, Lewis courageously resigned rather than participate in the issuance of the license.Also, Lon Burnam's staffer, Doug Lewin was Best Legislative Staffer.
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