There is news that the Region 3 office of the US Environmental Protection Agency According has established a Resource Extraction Task Force to explore how existing EPA regulations and procedures may be used for stricter protection of natural gas extraction in PA, VA, and WV. Headquartered in Philadelphia, this Region 3 Task Force is reported by insideEPA.com to include the Department of Justice and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.

Although limited by the exemption of hydrofracturing fluids from the Safe Drinking Water Act, the agency may be able to use its authority under the Clean Water and Clean Air Acts. Regardless of what happens in the state legislature this Fall, the prospect of stronger enforcement by the EPA, along with its study of the impact of hydrofracturing on water quality, is good news for the environment.

As the ‘gas-patch’ booms, so do the related number of articles and news items. Below are four locally relevant capsules.

Expert Explains Possible Marcellus Health Problems: At a seminar on August 27, Pitt public health expert Dr. Volz described the variety of hazardous air and water contaminants from well wastewater ponds — including benzene, toluene and xylene.

“We have little data now on the species of organic chemicals in the air as a result of gases released from the fracking fluids. Research is needed,” said Dr. Volz, according to the Post-Gazette. “There’s controversy over whether the levels of gases released can produce health effects. But with thousands or tens of thousands of wells and [gas pumping] stations, you can get an idea of what the emissions will be and what the risk will be to human health.” (more…)

Photo: Bill Belitkus

On September 4, join Matt Peters for a Forest Watch hike in the Allegheny NF. The group will be hunt for Marcellus gas wells, and visit one of the proposed logging project areas currently in the Scoping phase of the USFS public comment process.

The trip can be a day hike for those who wish to return on Saturday evening, or an overnight for those who want to camp out. Those who camp will share a pasta meal.

To carpool or caravan, meet 8:00 am at the Sierra Club office on North Craig.

Things to bring: camera, GPS, field guide, notebooks, cool weather and rain gear, sturdy shoes, food and water (bag lunch for day hikers)…

For more information, contact Matt Peters at matt at wormsnbats dot com or (412) 320-0739.

Curb-side sign in Ithaca, NY.
Photo: P. Wray

Do municipalities have the right to determine whether drilling for Marcellus natural gas be allowed in their district? That is the constitutional question that Pittsburgh Councilman Doug Shields raised at a press conference on August 16. As he proposed a banning of Marcellus drilling in the city, Councilman Shields used the example of a municipality being able to decide whether or not to allow the sale of liquor in its area, as places like Wilkinsburg have done for years. Once allowed, the sale of liquor is then subject to regulation by the state. (more…)

Calvary Catholic Cemetery is on Hazelwood Ave in the Greenfield and Hazelwood neighborhoods of Pittsburgh (map), and is the largest cemetery owned by the Diocese of Pittsburgh. Former Mayors Lawrence, Caliguiri and O’Connor are buried in this cemetery. Those gentlemen are likely to have their bones shaken because the Diocese has leased the 200 acres for Marcellus gas drilling.

Drilling down 5,000 ft. to Marcellus Shale is a big operation!
Photo: Bill Belitkus

If drilling takes place, and why lease if you don’t intend to drill, seismic testing will be undertaken to determine the character of the shale deposit, then a 3-4 acre well pad will be created, containment ponds built for the fracking fluid, and pipelines constructed for the removal of the extracted gas. Even industry-hired consultant Tom Ridge is quoted as saying “I’d have a tough time putting a rig down next to my tomb or next to anyone I’m related to.” (more…)

If you missed previous showings, here is a fresh chance to see the award-winning

Marcellus Shale Movie “GASLAND”
Friday, August 27 (Rain date- August 28)

FRICK PARK
Beechwood at Nicholson (Map)
Pittsburgh, PA 15217

7:30 pm Live Music - 8:15 pm Film – 10:00 pm Q&A with Director Josh Fox

This is a free screening of GASLAND, an eye-opening film about the controversial form of gas drilling called “fracking”. We will also hear first-hand accounts of the harmful effects of the fracking going on in Southwestern PA. (more…)

Curb-side sign in Ithaca, NY.
Photo: P. Wray

With a surprise bipartisan vote of 48-9, on August 3, the New York Senate approved a temporary moratorium on Marcellus Shale drilling in the state. The moratorium would extend to May 15, 2011, giving the state Department of Environmental Conservation time to formulate guidelines for issuing drilling permits. The bill awaits action when the state Assembly’s recess ends September 15. See the news report video. (more…)

A dictionary entry for the word ‘appalling’ reads “Very bad, or much worse than expected”. That sums up the report issued by the Pennsylvania Land Trust (PLTA) on the number of violations recorded by the Dept. of Environmental Protection between January 2008 and June 25, 2010.

Drilling down 5,000 ft. to Marcellus Shale is a big operation!
Photo: Bill Belitkus

Of the 1,435 violations associated with Marcellus Shale gas extraction, PLTA identified 952 as having harmed the environment, and they were broken down as:

• 268 involving improper construction of waste water impoundments
• 10 involving improper well casing
• 154 involving discharge of industrial waste
• 16 involving improper blowout prevention

The big companies East Resources, Chesapeake, Chief, and Cabot accounted for 449 of these 952 harmful violations. In what some may see as fine understatement, DEP Secretary John Hangar said “The industry as a whole is not operating at an excellent level. We are not demanding perfection, but we are demanding excellence.” (more…)

On June 9, 2009, Sens. Bob Casey and Chuck Schumer introduced the Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals Act (S.1215). The purpose of the bill is to repeal the exemption of hydraulic fracturing fluids from the Safe Drinking Water Act and to require oil and gas companies to disclose the chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing operations. With S.1215 stuck in committee and with only eight co-sponsors, Sen Casey has now been able to include most of S.1215 into the Clean Energy Jobs and Oil Company Accountability Act (CLEAR) (S.3663) that Majority Leader Reid is trying to get through the Senate.

The gas drilling industry may claim that the chemistries of the fracking fluids are in fact open to the public. If so, then the exemption to the Clean Water Act would not be necessary and nation-wide standards would be acceptable.

Leasing of our state forest lands for Marcellus Shale leasing has reached its limit. First, some facts: of the 2,100,000 acres in Pennsylvania’s state forest system, 71% are above the Marcellus Shale deposits containing natural gas. Of that 71%, 47%, or 700,000 acres, are currently under lease. The state does not own the mineral rights under all of that 700,000 acres; the mineral rights under 290,000 acres are privately owned. These statistics are from the DCNR Bureau of Forestry Marcellus website.

Map of new gas well pads in
the Clear Run watershed of
Tioga State Forest.
Map courtesy of DCNR

Of special interest at the Bureau’s website is the section “Impacts of Leasing Additional State Forest Land”. To examine “whether a moratorium is needed”, the wild areas of the state’s forest lands in north-central Pennsylvania are mapped, and the intrusion of Marcellus shale drilling is illustrated. The Bureau’s conclusion is that “This analysis shows that no additional leasing involving surface disturbance can occur without significantly altering the ecological integrity and wild character of our state forest system.” Even more strongly … “There are zero State Forest Land acres suitable for gas leasing involving surface disturbance.”

A bill calling for a five-year moratorium on any further leasing of state forest lands (HB2235) was passed by the state House by margin of 157 to 33 on May 4. The bill now languishes in the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee chaired by Sen. Mary Jo White.

ACTION: Please contact Sen. Mary Jo White at mwhite at pasen dot gov and urge her to move HB2235 out of committee, AND send a copy to your State Senator.

The EPA call for public guidance on the planned study of the impact of hydraulic fracturing on water quality resulted in the largest public environmental hearing ever in Western Pennsylvania. As 1,200 people filled the Southpointe venue on July 22, the event gained national attention. An earlier EPA hearing in Ft. Worth had 600 attendees, and in Denver there were about 350.

At the Southpointe hearing more than a hundred people testified, with testimony running at about 10:1 for people deeply concerned about the impact of fracking on their water supply. This was not only an expression of strong for the EPA study, but it hopefully demonstrated to legislators the deep concern that the public has about Marcellus Shale drilling. (more…)

Curb-side sign in Ithaca, NY.
Photo: P. Wray

The increasing alarm over Marcellus Shale drilling has created attempts to place moratoriums on new drilling until the impacts of such drilling are thoroughly understood and necessary regulations are in place. The following is a summary of the moratoriums on future drilling that have been proposed in Pennsylvania and New York. Prospects of moving the bills of the various  committees is dim, unless public outcry overcomes the push for state revenues, etc. (more…)

Allegheny County Council will meet to hear comment from the public regarding the impact of Marcellus Shale drilling in the county.

5:00 p.m., Wednesday, July 21
Gold Room, 4th Floor
Allegheny County Courthouse,
436 Grant Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15219.

IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT COUNTY COUNCIL LEARN OF THE PUBLIC CONCERN OVER MARCELLUS DRILLING

The primary purpose of this hearing is to allow the opportunity for public comment regarding Marcellus Shale related natural gas drilling within Allegheny County. A general impression is that many members of Council view Marcellus drilling as a fine opportunity for new jobs and income in the county. We expect that at the public hearing there will be a strong contingent of industry-related witnesses.

Individuals wishing to speak must register with the County Council Clerk online at www.county.allegheny.pa.us/council, no later than 24 hours prior to the scheduled beginning of the hearing. Each registered speaker will be allotted a maximum of three (3) minutes.

Written testimony will be accepted through 5:00 p.m. on July 23, 2010.

Photo: Pennsylvania DCNR

The following is based in part on notes from the Pennsylvania Chapter’s Director Jeff Schmidt. (more…)

Two days after an estimated eight hundred people saw the movie “Gasland” in Pittsburgh, Sen. Mary Jo White declared in a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette op-ed that natural-gas drilling is quite safe with the regulations that are in place. If any people were unduly concerned about the risks from Marcellus drilling after watching Gasland at the theater or on HBO, an industry website aims to assure them that the Gasland movie contained several serious errors. Even DEP Secretary John Hangar got into the act by calling Gasland director Josh Fox a “propagandist” and describing the film as “fundamentally dishonest” and “a deliberately false presentation for dramatic effect.”
Fox responded to the criticism on the Daily Show. Stay tuned.