More Bubbling Reported on Susquehanna

           
I'm hearing from some folks I know and trust that there's been more bubbling sighted on the north branch of the Susquehanna River.

The next couple of weekends are already booked with projects at home, but I'll be checking this out as soon as I can.

Details to follow.

      

Pennsylvania's DEP is Incompetent

    
Six months ago, some folks in Sugar Run ( Bradford County PA ) noticed the Susquehanna River was bubbling methane where it had never bubbled before.  I was out there three days later taking pictures and shooting video.

Three days after that, on September 8th, 2010, the following comments were attributed to the DEP in the Citizens Voice:

DEP believes the wells at the Welles site are also the most likely source of the new contamination, but that has not been conclusively proved. The agency and Chesapeake are investigating. DEP expects analysis of lab results to be complete within two weeks.

To refresh your memory, here's the full article. When I recently contacted the DEP for a status, I was told the source of the Susquehanna's bubbling was still "under investigation."

Seriously folks...six months?  What happened to "Two weeks?"

Post-post update: In today's ( 3/3/11) edition of the Rocket Courier comes the following:

As far as the methane in the river, he reported that “it’s still bubbling, even with the river as high as it is.” He said another location off the Tony Adams property where the methane had been bubbling this summer is not so evident now.

Here's the skinny: As a tax-paying resident and native-born son of the commonwealth of PA, the folks at the DEP are on my payroll. They may not quite view it that way, but that's their problem. I'm setting a deadline of Tuesday, March 15th for an update on where this investigation stands. After that, all bets are off. 

  
Six months? Getting kinda cranky here...



Bubbling Waters 2 - Susquehanna River from Don Williams on Vimeo.

   

Chesapeake Energy Vows to Drill Responsibly

       
In West Virginia, that is. Catch the details here.

In Pennsylvania, the water supply in home after home in Bradford County has been contaminated not too far from where Chesapeake is drilling. The Susquehanna River is bubbling methane...not too far from where Chesapeake is drilling. And we have only seen the beginning of the nightmare that folks who signed leases have welcomed into our watersheds.

Once the weather warms up a bit, I will be on the river again. I've recently purchased some high tech underwater video paraphernalia, and I plan to shoot some footage - not only of the bubbling waters in Sugar Run - but at another location downstream a bit that has been brought to my attention in the past few days.

2011 is shaping up to be one helluva year. Tom Corbett is our new bought-and-paid-for governor. GASLAND has been nominated for an Oscar. And Chesapeake is making more promises they cannot keep.

Spring is less than two months away. Stay tuned.
  
  

Susquehanna Methane Bubbling

     
These three words have been "Googled" thousands of times over the past week. And from all over the world, they've landed on this blog. Many are coming back daily.

First, thanks for visiting.  In the days and weeks ahead, as this story and struggle continues to unfold, I hope you'll not only return...but I ask that you please spread the word to others. We need the world to be aware of what's happening here in the northeastern United States of America. More than that, if you have gas shales in your part of the world, we need you to understand what will happen when you hear the word "hydrofracturing". And if it's used in the same sentence with the word "safe", you'll know someone is lying.

To that end, I'd ask you to take a few minutes to view a .ppt presentation put together by a resident of Bradford County, PA. Their home is not too far from where the Susquehanna started to belch methane just about a week ago, and their lives have been forever altered for the worse. They have begun to take action, and with their permission, please witness their story.

Note: If you cannot view the link, you will need a Google account to view this document stored on Google docs. Gmail is the quickest, easiest route.

By the way, the 'spokesfolks' for the Natural Gas Industry - the Marcellus Shale Coalition - have been very, very quiet since the Susquehanna became contaminated with bubbling methane. I wonder why?

To all: This is happening - right now - in homes throughout the Marcellus Shale region, and we need to stop it...and we can. Election Day is right around the corner. Vote 'em all out.

Mitakuye Oyasin.
    

Chesapeake's Ocmulgee

    
Folks, the amount of website traffic I've seen over the last few days has been incredible. Hundreds of Google searches for "Susquehanna bubbling" and similar queries have caused me to buy even more storage capacity from my hitmeter. This thing is going global. It's also decimating my lunch money fund.

Oh, and lest ye forget...back in May of this year, our very own DCNR - for a mere $6.15 million - sold the rights to drill under the Susquehanna to Chesapeake Energy. Read about it here.

Now for our international visitors not familiar with our Susquehanna River, the "bubbling waters" can be found between Towanda and the Wyoming County line.

Think there's any connection? Cause and effect coming into play?

Of course not!

Why do I say that? Simply because Chesapeake says it's not a problem:

Matt Sheppard, a Chesapeake spokesman, said that his company had extensive experience drilling in densely populated Fort Worth, Texas, and that wells beneath the Susquehanna posed no unusual challenges.

  
Well Mr. Sheppard, I beg to differ with you.



Bubbling Waters from Don Williams on Vimeo.


The Hitchiti ( Lower Creek ) called it Ocmulgee ( oak-mull-ghee ).

I call it unacceptable. 

If anyone is interested in seeing the bubbling waters up close and personal this weekend, get in touch with me directly at djw444@gmail.com