Monday, March 29, 2010
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Thursday, March 25, 2010
EPA Launches Study of Hydraulic Gas Drilling
U.S. environmental regulators said last week that they would begin a new study of hydraulic gas drilling, or fracking. The focus of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) investigation will be the environmental and human health impact of shale gas drilling.
Hydraulic fracturing involves injecting water, sand and a cocktail of chemicals at high pressure into rock formations thousands of feet below the surface. This opens existing fractures in the rock and allows gas to rise through the wells. The practice makes drilling possible in areas that 10 to 20 years ago would not have been profitable.
Hydraulic fracturing is currently used in 90 percent of the nation’s natural gas and oil wells. Recently fracking has been used to tap natural gas stored in shale formations, including the Marcellus Shale that lies beneath New York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio.
Energy companies tout fracking as a way of reducing U.S. dependence on foreign oil and polluting coal. But many are beginning to wonder about the impact the practice could have on the environment and public health. The major concern with hydraulic gas drilling is the chemicals used in the process, and the wastewater it produces. According to a recently released report from the Environmental Working Group, distillates from hydraulic drilling include kerosene, mineral spirits and a number of other petroleum products that often contain high levels of benzene, a known human carcinogen that is toxic in water at even minuscule levels. In 2005, Congress in exempted hydraulic fracturing, except fracturing with diesel fuel, from regulation under the Safe Drinking Water Act.
The EPA has allocated $1.9 million for its study, which the agency said is in the very early stages. It will look at the effect on groundwater, surface water, human health and the environment in general. The study should be completed in 2012.
“Our research will be designed to answer questions about the potential impact of hydraulic fracturing on human health and the environment,” Paul Anastas, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Research and Development said in a statement. “The study will be conducted through a transparent, peer-reviewed process, with significant stakeholder input.”
Hydraulic fracturing involves injecting water, sand and a cocktail of chemicals at high pressure into rock formations thousands of feet below the surface. This opens existing fractures in the rock and allows gas to rise through the wells. The practice makes drilling possible in areas that 10 to 20 years ago would not have been profitable.
Hydraulic fracturing is currently used in 90 percent of the nation’s natural gas and oil wells. Recently fracking has been used to tap natural gas stored in shale formations, including the Marcellus Shale that lies beneath New York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio.
Energy companies tout fracking as a way of reducing U.S. dependence on foreign oil and polluting coal. But many are beginning to wonder about the impact the practice could have on the environment and public health. The major concern with hydraulic gas drilling is the chemicals used in the process, and the wastewater it produces. According to a recently released report from the Environmental Working Group, distillates from hydraulic drilling include kerosene, mineral spirits and a number of other petroleum products that often contain high levels of benzene, a known human carcinogen that is toxic in water at even minuscule levels. In 2005, Congress in exempted hydraulic fracturing, except fracturing with diesel fuel, from regulation under the Safe Drinking Water Act.
The EPA has allocated $1.9 million for its study, which the agency said is in the very early stages. It will look at the effect on groundwater, surface water, human health and the environment in general. The study should be completed in 2012.
“Our research will be designed to answer questions about the potential impact of hydraulic fracturing on human health and the environment,” Paul Anastas, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Research and Development said in a statement. “The study will be conducted through a transparent, peer-reviewed process, with significant stakeholder input.”
PA Forests 'Significantly Threatened' by Gas Drilling
By Iris Marie Bloom 24.MAR.10
Vote on Rep. Vitali’s 5-year Moratorium Expected this Week
The Pennsylvania legislature may vote this week to allow Governor Rendell to force the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) to lease yet another huge chunk of Pennsylvania state forests. At a Temple University teach-in attended by over 200 people last Thursday, DCNR Secretary John Quigley stated that Pennsylvania’s forests are "significantly threatened by this uncontrolled gold rush to extract natural gas from the Marcellus Shale."
The forest land already leased is one third of all Pennsylvania’s state forest land. All the state forest land left is sensitive and deserves special protection, according to the Pennsylvania Forest Coalition, PennFuture, Trout Unlimited, and other members of a wide-ranging coalition springing up to defend Pennsylvania’s forests and rivers.
Pennsylvania Representative Greg Vitali (D-Delaware) has introduced a resolution, HB 2235, which would require a five-year moratorium on any further leasing of forest lands. Supporters have become more vocal and active this week, expecting the vote any day. In a March 22nd editorial, "Stop, Look, Assess Drilling’s Full Effects," the Pocono Record advocated for HB 2235: "Pennsylvania should not risk the integrity of the beautiful forests that gave the state its name… Pennsylvania has already leased…a whopping 700,000 acres. Let’s see how that goes before opening the remainder of this valuable public land to energy companies." Over 145 people attended a Poconos forum on Marcellus Shale drilling last month, sponsored by the League of Women Voters out of growing concern about forest fragmentation, water quality and other impacts.
Vitali’s bill would also authorize DCNR, rather than the governor, to decide whether to authorize further drilling after the five-year moratorium.
Legislators not particularly known for environmental advocacy may favor the moratorium for economic reasons: tourism is Pennsylvania’s second most lucrative industry, and that’s not all about people standing in line to see the Liberty Bell. According to the Appalachian Mountain Club, Pennsylvania has more maintained hiking trails than any other state.
The Pocono Record commented, "Responsible legislators also must weigh [shale gas drilling’s] substantial risks, which include chemical spills, water pollution, the incursion of new roads in pristine remote land and heavier traffic in rural areas. Our legislators have a sworn duty to protect Pennsylvania’s natural resources." The Record concluded, "Don’t let our historic forests become a cash cow for drillers."
In related news, environmentalists found a temporary solution to protect West Virginia forests also vulnerable to shale gas drilling. Conservation groups succeeded last Friday in stopping the federal Bureau of Land Management from auctioning publicly owned oil and gas reserves under the Monongahela National Forest in West Virginia. The Center for Biological Diversity, Wilderness Society and Friends of Blackwater were among the groups warning that oil and gas development would threaten endangered bats, a native brook trout fishery, clean water and scenic resources inside the forest.
In Philadelphia, packed auditoriums marked two watershed events last week: the Schuylkill Watershed Congress, sponsored by Delaware Riverkeeper Network on March 13th, and the March 18th teach-in on the environmental impacts of Marcellus Shale drilling in Pennsylvania, sponsored by Temple University. The Temple teach-in included highly technical and scientific information as well as lively debate and confrontations between environmentalists, regulators, and industry lobbyists. "The timing was good… listening to the speakers, I renewed my commitment to work hard to keep shale gas drillers out of our watershed," commented Francine Cohen, a graduate student at Temple.
The Delaware River Basin Commission public comment period remains open until April 12th regarding the first shale gas drilling permit, and the first water withdrawal permit, in the Delaware River watershed. Both permits could be decided as early as May 5th.
Vote on Rep. Vitali’s 5-year Moratorium Expected this Week
The Pennsylvania legislature may vote this week to allow Governor Rendell to force the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) to lease yet another huge chunk of Pennsylvania state forests. At a Temple University teach-in attended by over 200 people last Thursday, DCNR Secretary John Quigley stated that Pennsylvania’s forests are "significantly threatened by this uncontrolled gold rush to extract natural gas from the Marcellus Shale."
The forest land already leased is one third of all Pennsylvania’s state forest land. All the state forest land left is sensitive and deserves special protection, according to the Pennsylvania Forest Coalition, PennFuture, Trout Unlimited, and other members of a wide-ranging coalition springing up to defend Pennsylvania’s forests and rivers.
Pennsylvania Representative Greg Vitali (D-Delaware) has introduced a resolution, HB 2235, which would require a five-year moratorium on any further leasing of forest lands. Supporters have become more vocal and active this week, expecting the vote any day. In a March 22nd editorial, "Stop, Look, Assess Drilling’s Full Effects," the Pocono Record advocated for HB 2235: "Pennsylvania should not risk the integrity of the beautiful forests that gave the state its name… Pennsylvania has already leased…a whopping 700,000 acres. Let’s see how that goes before opening the remainder of this valuable public land to energy companies." Over 145 people attended a Poconos forum on Marcellus Shale drilling last month, sponsored by the League of Women Voters out of growing concern about forest fragmentation, water quality and other impacts.
Vitali’s bill would also authorize DCNR, rather than the governor, to decide whether to authorize further drilling after the five-year moratorium.
Legislators not particularly known for environmental advocacy may favor the moratorium for economic reasons: tourism is Pennsylvania’s second most lucrative industry, and that’s not all about people standing in line to see the Liberty Bell. According to the Appalachian Mountain Club, Pennsylvania has more maintained hiking trails than any other state.
The Pocono Record commented, "Responsible legislators also must weigh [shale gas drilling’s] substantial risks, which include chemical spills, water pollution, the incursion of new roads in pristine remote land and heavier traffic in rural areas. Our legislators have a sworn duty to protect Pennsylvania’s natural resources." The Record concluded, "Don’t let our historic forests become a cash cow for drillers."
In related news, environmentalists found a temporary solution to protect West Virginia forests also vulnerable to shale gas drilling. Conservation groups succeeded last Friday in stopping the federal Bureau of Land Management from auctioning publicly owned oil and gas reserves under the Monongahela National Forest in West Virginia. The Center for Biological Diversity, Wilderness Society and Friends of Blackwater were among the groups warning that oil and gas development would threaten endangered bats, a native brook trout fishery, clean water and scenic resources inside the forest.
In Philadelphia, packed auditoriums marked two watershed events last week: the Schuylkill Watershed Congress, sponsored by Delaware Riverkeeper Network on March 13th, and the March 18th teach-in on the environmental impacts of Marcellus Shale drilling in Pennsylvania, sponsored by Temple University. The Temple teach-in included highly technical and scientific information as well as lively debate and confrontations between environmentalists, regulators, and industry lobbyists. "The timing was good… listening to the speakers, I renewed my commitment to work hard to keep shale gas drillers out of our watershed," commented Francine Cohen, a graduate student at Temple.
The Delaware River Basin Commission public comment period remains open until April 12th regarding the first shale gas drilling permit, and the first water withdrawal permit, in the Delaware River watershed. Both permits could be decided as early as May 5th.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Welcome to Emporium!
Attached is a photo of the new and awesome Emporium sign from the Pennsylvania Wilds Design Assistance Program. Congratulations to the Sylvan Heritage Council for securing this grant! Another grant was secured by Copy Katz…that sign is coming from another source and should be installed soon.
A total of 29 signs were awarded in the Pennsylvania Wilds12 county region.
The Lumber Heritage Region serves as Project Manager for this current program. Congratulations again!
A total of 29 signs were awarded in the Pennsylvania Wilds12 county region.
The Lumber Heritage Region serves as Project Manager for this current program. Congratulations again!
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Photo of the Day
Red squirrels are the theme of the day :) Be sure to check out Nelson Haas' red squirrel, and other works, HERE
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