This is great work. I’d like to
Letters-to-the editor tips
|
AUSTIN, TX — “Call it hydraulic fracturing — without the hydro.
In most hydraulic fracturing operations, several million gallons of water, together with sand and chemicals, get pumped down a hole to blast apart rock that encases oil or gas. But with water increasingly scarce and expensive around Texas, a few companies have begun fracking with propane or other alternative liquids.
‘We don’t use any water,’ said Eric Tudor, a Houston-based official with GasFrac, a Canadian company that fracks with propane geland butane. ‘Zip. None.’ At a GasFrac operation in South Texas last month, a sticker on one worker’s hard hat showed a red slash through the word H2O.
Water-free fracking still remains an early-stage technology, with potentially higher initial costs than conventional fracking methods. But as lawmakers and oil regulators focus on the large quantity of water used for fracking wells, the concept is getting a closer look.”
— Kate Galbraith, Texas Tribune
link to article
NEW YORK, NY — “One of the most fascinating and disturbing issues that comes up again and again around fracking is the multitude of exemptions and entitlements that have been handed to the industry at the expense of citizens. Exemptions from the federal drinking water law. Exemptions from citizen challenges. Exemptions from local land use standards and licenses that have protected private property and neighborhoods.
These are all troubling. But one of the most alarming is the fact that overzealous protections for the limited economic interests of oil and gas companies are prioritized over the broad property rights that Americans have enjoyed for most of the nation’s history (based in part on ideas of law, property and the public interest going back to the Magna Carta).
In short, rules on the books in many states—which take away the public’s ability to protect their own property and neighborhood integrity—actually subvert the very fabric of our democracy. It is dangerous stuff that we are seeing emerge in state laws, reducing citizen rights and insulating industry from accountability. A focus on this troubling trend is becoming more and more a focus of our advocacy.”
— Henry Henderson, NRDC Switchboard
link to blog
PITTSBURGH, PA — “What causes clear, fresh country well water to turn orange or black, or smell so bad that it’s undrinkable?
Residents of a western Pennsylvania community have been trying for more than a year to get that question answered in their quest to get clean water back.
Some of them say the water was spoiled by drilling deep underground for natural gas. Others point to pollution from old coal mines. They’ve also been told it could even be a baffling mix of natural and manmade reasons that change the water over time, like the leaves change on trees. But no one knows for sure, and they say the uncertainty is maddening.”
— Kevin Begos, Associated Press
link to article
 The Chesapeake Energy Corporation in Oklahoma City is building a field office on a 291-acre site that it bought for $7.11 million. LOUISVILLE — “The countryside in eastern Ohio is marked by rusting tanks that stand in open fields and along the edges of family timber patches, like graveyard headstones for an era of energy riches that most people here thought had passed.
Petroleum from this region once supplied John D. Rockefeller’s Standard Oil refineries in Cleveland, 70 miles to the north. More than 6,500 conventional oil and gas wells have been drilled here in Stark County over the decades, according to state records; most no longer yield enough fuel to market. But natural gas buried in shale thousands of feet below the surface is attracting more than $1 billion in private investment and rapidly reviving the area as an energy producer.
To prepare, market and transport the natural gas, companies are building an expansive network of regional field offices, processing plants and other infrastructure.”
— Keith Schneider, The New York Times
link to article
AUSTIN, TX — “In Karnes County, at the heart of the Eagle Ford Shale, oil and gas drillers seeking to use water for hydraulic fracturing must get a permit from the local groundwater authority. They can pump only a certain amount of water, and they must report how much they use.
In Dimmit County, another Eagle Ford Shale drilling hotbed, drillers can pump as much water as they want — and no permit is required.
This tale of two counties reflects the ambiguity in state rules regarding groundwater for fracking. Texas’ water code was written well before the spread of fracking, which involves sending millions of gallons of water (along with sand and chemicals) down a well to rupture hard rock that contains oil or gas. As a result, some groundwater authorities require companies using water for fracking to obtain a permit, while others do not. The groundwater groups want legislators to clarify the regulations so that they can understand the amount of water being pumped from aquifers in their area for fracking, and potentially put limits on the volumes being pumped.”
— Kate Galbraith, The Texas Tribune
link to article
 A shale gas drilling rig near Blackpool, Lancashire. LONDON, U.K. — “The meeting at Wells town hall was typical: scores of people packed tightly, talking passionately about the prospect of fracking in the green hills of Somerset and working out ways of stopping it.
But what was most striking was not the level of alarm, though it was high, but the variety of people who had turned out on a rainy weekday evening. Teenagers, parents with babies, pensioners all had their say. Some were veterans of previous environmental battles but many others admitted they had never taken much interest in green issues before.
…The focus of these concerns is four parcels of land in north Somerset, south of Bath and Bristol, for which four PEDLs (petroleum exploration and development licences) have been sold by the government.
Campaigners fear if fracking is allowed, land and water supplies could be contaminated for generations. Another major concern is that fracking could disrupt Bath’s world famous hot springs, believed to originate somewhere in the Mendips.”
— Steven Morris, The Guardian
link to article
CANTON — “Drilling opportunities in Ohio’s Utica shale might extend farther west, according to revised maps posted by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.
ODNR geologists posted new maps on the agency’s website last week after reviewing information from 100 new locations.
The revised map supports earlier speculation that eastern Ohio — including Stark, Carroll and Tuscarawas counties — should be a hot spot for oil and liquid natural-gas production. But it extends potential production farther west and south.”
— Edd Pritchard, CantonRep.com
link to aricle
 Ohio State House Please join us in advocating for the Fracking Emergency Medical Right to Know Act Wednesday, March 20 . We chose this date because both houses are in session, which will increase the likelihood of your legislators’ presence in Columbus.
We can help set up appointments with your legislators and coordinate with you directly, if you respond to menglish@ohiocitizen.org or nrutz@ohiocitizen.org or you can call 513-221-2100 or 216-861-5200. Please include a phone number (preferably a cell phone) and email where we can reach you. We will be back in touch with information on where our “home base” will be for the day. Thanks and we look forward to seeing you Wednesday, March 20.
— Melissa K. English, Development Director, Ohio Citizen Action
WCMH: News, Weather, and Sports for Columbus, Ohio
COLUMBUS — “Several environmental groups claim laws passed in Ohio that exempt the oil and gas industry chemical disclosure violate the United State’s EPA ‘Community Right To Know Act.’
Teresa Mills, from the Center for Health, Environment & Justice, filed a formal petition with the U.S. EPA claiming during and before a spill, first-responders and neighbors have a right to know what chemicals are used in their community.
Mills said, ‘Ohio has been in violation of EPCRA since 2001 when state lawmakers passed House Bill 94 and further compounded by passage of Senate Bill 315 in 2012.’”
— Rick Reitzel, nbc4i.com
link to article
21 News Now, More Local News for Youngstown, Ohio –
HARTFORD TOWNSHIP — “Fracking at a horizontal well will take place for the first time in Trumbull County Wednesday.
Workers were busy at the Halcon Energy well site off of Hayes-Orangeville Road Tuesday when a number of trucks were pulling in and out of the complex that sits in the middle of open land just down the street from residential properties.
Neighbors say they could hear some action at the site, but it wasn’t too loud.”
— Lindsay McCoy, WFMJ.com
link to article
 Gov. John Hickenlooper is opposed to the bid by the Fort Collins City Council to ban fracking. (Andrew Harrer, Bloomberg News file)
“The Fort Collins City Council on Tuesday night banned fracking within city limits, defying the governor and other state authorities who say local governments have no right to regulate the oil and gas industry.
The ban was expected to bring lawsuits from the state and from the Colorado Oil and Gas Association.
‘We are responsible for the residents of Fort Collins and their well-being’, Mayor Karen Weitkun said before the meeting. ‘We’re truly representing the people when we come forward with a decision, even though it may conflict with the state’s.’”
— Bruce Finley, The Denver Post
link to article
CANTON — “…Sure, it’s admirable that a few political leaders want penalties increased for illegal dumping of wastewater. Those penalties are peanuts to oil and gas drilling companies, and don’t think the companies haven’t taken them into consideration when ordering a 20,000-gallon truck to dump fracking waste secretly at night.
We’re told this is a “great opportunity for Ohio,” but how much will it cost to clean the waterway? How much does it cost to treat cancer? How much does it cost to deal with poisoned water? How much does it cost Ohio when people move away because their property values sink?”
— Letter to the editor, CantonRep.com
link to letter to the editor
CLEVELAND — “…In a Feb. 17 letter to the editor, Thomas E. Stewart of the Ohio Oil and Gas Association called injection wells “a reliable and effective disposal method” for the liquid waste from hydraulic fracturing. Herein lies the problem: It’s reliable and effective for the oil and gas industry. What about the rest of us? Ohio has quickly become a regional dumping ground for the industry’s millions of gallons of fracking waste. The waste Ben Lupo’s company allegedly dumped was found to have known carcinogens, and the waste being shipped from Pennsylvania was found to be radioactive by the U.S. Geological Survey.”
— Other Voices, The Plain Dealer
link to letter to the editor
 Ohio House Speaker Bill Batchelder (Medina) applauds Gov. John Kasich during his 2013 State of the State speech. LIMA — In his State of the State speech last night, Ohio Governor John Kasich was restrained in his promotion of oil and gas drilling in Ohio.
In 2012, Kasich was an enthusiastic champion of what he called the “shale boom.” In March, he even told WCMH-TV in Columbus that one energy company assured him “they were going to take a trillion dollars’ worth of value out of our state.” This claim was dismissed by industry analysts. His Administration and the legislature pushed through a new state law, S.B. 315, to make things as easy as possible for drilling companies from Oklahoma and Texas to use hydraulic fracturing (fracking) in Ohio.
Last night’s speech
And let’s just talk about our philosophy in one area — oil and gas. We believe in having an environment where we can prosper the oil and gas industry, but we also believe that in the process of doing it, we cannot endanger people and we cannot endanger the environment. And if you use common sense, you, in fact, can protect the public safety. You, in fact, can protect the environment and you can create jobs, and we are doing it in Ohio. . . .
The only other reference to oil and gas was a few words for his proposed increase in the severance tax in the state budget. It ended with a mild suggestion: “Look at our tax cut plan, and keep that family sitting around that table in mind as we move forward on this issue.”
— Paul Ryder, Assistant Director, Ohio Citizen Action
 Ohio Governor John Kasich delivers his State of the State Address Tuesday night in Lima LIMA — “Governor John Kasich described an improved economic outlook in Ohio since he took office during his State of the State Address on Tuesday saying more than 120,000 jobs have been created.
…The plan also broadens the sales tax base and increases the severance tax for high-volume oil and gas driller’s fracking in Utica shale, which has drawn criticism from the oil and gas industry.
‘Twenty cents on a $90 barrel of oil. It’s not sustainable,’ Kasich said.
He also touted legislation created with Mahoning Valley legislators.
‘Well [Democratic State Representative Sean O'Brien, Ohio 63rd District] wants all these amendments. I said we’ll give them to him. Let’s pass the darn thing and we’ve got the best rules and regulations in the country on fracking,’ Kasich said.”
— Leslie Barrett, WFMJ.com
link to article
|
Letters supporting the Fracking Emergency Medical Right to Know Act 7,546 neighbors have sent handwritten letters and made personal phone calls urging state legislators to support the Fracking Emergency Medical Right to Know Act as of May 8, 2013.
Ohio coal-fired power plants
Resources on proposed Cleveland incinerator
AEP’s Muskingum River Power Plant
Letters to American Electric Power 989 neighbors have sent handwritten letters urging AEP to retire its Muskingum River coal plant as of July 15, 2011.
Letters to Duke Energy 2,307 neighbors have sent handwritten letters and telewires urging Duke Energy to retire Miami Fort Unit 6 and Beckjord coal plants as of July 15, 2011.
Letters to Kokosing Asphalt 8,709 neighbors have sent handwritten letters and petitions urging Kokosing Asphalt to be a good neighbor as of February 25, 2011.
Letters to Rumpke 9,205 neighbors have sent handwritten letters and petitions urging Rumpke to be a good neighbor as of April 15, 2011.
Letters to FirstEnergy 3,914 neighbors have sent handwritten letters and petitions urging FirstEnergy to retire their four Lake Erie coal plants as of July 15, 2011.
Mountaintop removal coal mining
Letters to Senator Sherrod Brown and Senator Rob Portman 6,615 members have sent handwritten letters and petitions to Senator Brown urging him to support US EPA rules that will protect our health from polluting coal plants as of January 24, 2012.
3,751 members have petitioned Senator Portman urging him to support US EPA rules that will protect our health from polluting coal plants as of January 24, 2012.
|
