Random Ramblings on a Sunday Morning

   

Busy weekend folks. Our basement, which was host to ~4"  ( 10 cm ) of water thanks to record rainfall at the beginning of October, is now ready for painting and to be put back together. We've used the same contractor for the 4th time now on various jobs throughout the house, and we were once again pleased with the efficiency and quality of the work done. Today is my day to get the furniture, A/V equipment and computer workstations back in place. Should be fun...

Scanning the Internet this morning, I came to the conclusion that most of my fellow bloggers have pretty much nailed the protocols for mining Marcellus Shale-related happenings. Check out the blogroll to the left for all the recent happenings. And as most visitors have an extra 60 minutes this morning, spend a few of them @ Reflections when you get a chance. Not only can Steve take some great pictures, the man can write. So today, I'm going to touch briefly on a couple of recent events and, as some might say, be all over the map with today's post.

If you're wondering why I used the pic above, check out this article. One by one, freedoms guaranteed by our Constitution are being slowly challenged and/or taken away. I am very happy I do not live within an easy drive of Northumberland Borough, and I'll leave it at that.

Am I a bass or a lass? Seems fish in the Susquehanna, thanks to the pharmaceutical cocktail we flush down our drains and toilets which are not removed by wastewater treatment plants, are showing up in increasing numbers with traits of both genders. Read more here.

And, since we are now dumping treated fracking wastewater into the Susquehanna, who knows what we'll be finding next. The picture isn't pretty and it's getting worse every day.

I received a few new pics from my friends along the north branch of the Susquehanna in the past few days. Here's the best IMHO, taken near Wysox, PA.

Photo by D. Natt

Finally, for today anyway, I recently learned that several folks who present themselves as stewards of the Susquehanna River have leased their land for natural gas drilling. In one instance, it will require drilling UNDER the Susquehanna River to get to their property. 

I am deeply disturbed to have learned this. More down the road.  

  

Dr. Ingraffea Speaks the Truth about Hydrofracturing

    
Not a lot of time for comments this morning, so I'll get right to it. Dr. Tony Ingraffea ( Cornell ) is considered to be one the the leading experts on this planet about rock fracture mechanics.

How's this quote for starters:

“One cannot predict in a jointed rock mass how far a fluid will go or where the fluid will go at what point in time. It’s unpredictable. We knew that in 1987.”

Take a few minutes to read the rest of the article in the Rocket Courier.


More comments in a future post.
    

PA's Tubmill Creek turns Blood Red

     
On one hand, I have little sympathy for these folks, as they signed a lease for $37,500 to allow drilling on their property. On the other hand, XTO ( a subsidiary of Exxon ) should have immediately reported this "priority watershed" trout stream being contaminated.  They didn't, and when caught, released the following statement:

XTO spokesman Jeff Neu said XTO's priority is, "and will remain, to ensure the safety of the community, our employees and contract personnel and to protect the environment."

And yes, XTO Energy is yet another fine, upstanding member of the Marcellus Shale Coalition.

And since our very own DCNR has inked a deal to allow drilling under the Susquehanna in Bradford County, I thought you might be interested in this tidbit from the very same article:

Gresh said the one-time event occurred when drillers were tunneling under the creek to make way for a connection linking the well with a pipeline, and the drill broke through to the water.

Of course, with Chesapeake Energy's safety record, that will never happen to the Susquehanna....right?

Folks, the only priority of the members of the Marcellus Shale Coalition is making money, and they will turn our streams, forests and streets any color they can to accomplish their objective.
  

Under Governor-elect Tom Corbett, the kataclysmic environmental katastrophe has only just begun.

And guess who won't be paying for the clean-up?

P.S.: Hats off to the Times-Tribune for understanding what was covered under Governor Rendell's recent drilling moratorium, as it was clearly evident Gov-elect Tom Corbett did not.

 Tom Corbett, ( R-Drillers ) ?   Gotta love it.

           

Corbett Wins - Penn's Woods Loses

    
"Pennsylvania Governor-elect Tom Corbett says one of his first acts in office will be to lift a moratorium on Marcellus Shale gas-drilling permits on state lands -- a move that would reverse a drilling halt imposed by outgoing Gov. Ed Rendell."


Read the rest here.

Tom Corbett's following act will be to rename the Rachel Carson Building, the Department of Environmental Protection's headquarters in Harrisburg. He's currently accepting bribes bids from all natural gas drilling companies to earn the naming rights. Details to follow.  

Congratulations to the Marcellus Shale Coalition.

You got what you paid for.

Ladies and Gentlemen...let the games begin.

             

Marcellus Mayhem in Northeastern PA

               

Gas well fire at Procter & Gamble extinguished, no injuries reported

BY MICHAEL J. RUDOLF (TIMES-SHAMROCK WRITER)Published: November 2, 2010

WASHINGTON TWP. - A fire at a natural gas well on the Procter & Gamble plant site near Mehoopany brought several firefighters and other emergency personnel to the scene Monday evening.

Ultimately, the local responders weren't needed, as workers from Citrus Energy Corp. were able to shut the well down.

Crews were first called out around 5:15 p.m. for a report of an "out-of-control gas well fire." The fire was at a well about a mile east of the P&G plant, off Carney Cemetery road. It is one of five wells on the P&G property.

Citrus officials called for emergency help because gas leaking from somewhere on the well site was burning, said Gene Dziak, director of the Wyoming County Emergency Management Agency. The role of the local crews was to stand by and secure the perimeter of the scene, he said. They were set up at a command post near the eastern entrance to the plant.

Attempts to reach a Citrus Energy spokesman were unsuccessful.

Dziak said the fire continued to burn for a short time after the well was shut down because of residual gas in the lines between the valves and the point where the gas was escaping.

Emergency crews were released from the scene about 7 p.m.

There were no injuries, and no explosion, Dziak said. The fire indicated the leaking gas was consumed, and not released into the atmosphere, he said.

Because gas drilling is relatively new to Wyoming County, Dziak said emergency crews are still developing their protocols. The massive response was probably more than necessary, he said.

"We didn't initially know what we were getting into," Dziak said.

Citrus officials planned to investigate the cause of the fire today, he said.

Contact the writer: mrudolf@wcexaminer.com

+ + +

Oh...and there was another drilling related incident in today's headlines as well.

Ho, hum. Don't you just l-o-v-e the internet?

Photo credit to The Daily Review

       

Susquehanna Bubbling for 60+ Days

   

Here we are, 60 days later. The Susquehanna River is still bubbling methane at Sugar Run, and to my knowledge, the report promised in "about two weeks" by the DEP is nowhere to be found. And, if you follow this blog, you know that more wells and streams in PA and WV have become contaminated by Chesapeake Energy's shoddy drilling practices. Of course...it wasn't their fault!

I haven't decided what disgusts me more, the silence from Harrisburg and Washington, or the silence from my fellow former so-called river advocates. Pathetic doesn't quite cover it.

Finally, even though I'm pretty sure he's not going away for good, I bid farewell to Renegade @ Fracking Underground.

See you down the line.