in-the-spotlight

Poll: Fracking for Natural Gas Is No Longer Obscure

Wed, 22 Dec 2010 00:48:44 +0100

http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2010/12/21/21greenwire-poll-fracking-for-natural-gas-is-no-longer-obs-59592.html?scp=1&sq=gas%20drilling%20survey&st=cse

Poll: Fracking for Natural Gas Is No Longer Obscure
By MIKE SORAGHAN of Greenwire
Published: December 21, 2010

Nearly 3 in 5 Americans -- 57 percent -- have at least some awareness of the once obscure drilling practice of hydraulic fracturing, according to a poll released today by the Civil Society Institute.

The institute, a nonpartisan Massachusetts think tank that advocates solutions to climate change, found that those who have heard of the process often called "fracking" are concerned that the process is not well regulated.

"Americans now understand that, especially with the allure of gas production from unconventional gas plays, even 'getting it right' from a technical and regulatory point of view might still be wrong in terms of clean drinking water," said Cornell University engineering professor Anthony Ingraffea, a critic of the fracturing process who joined the institute's press conference call to release the poll.

The survey (pdf) of 1,012 people conducted Nov. 26-28 by Infogroup/Opinion Research Corp. found that among those who are "very aware" or "somewhat aware," 69 percent are very or somewhat concerned about water quality issues.

The survey found such concern among members of both major political parties -- including 57 percent of Republicans, 74 percent of independents and 86 percent of Democrats.

Industry groups said the poll's questions preordained the answers and established a false choice between energy production and environmental protection.

"Natural gas is a clean, abundant and domestic energy source that holds vast potential to improve air quality, grow local economies and enhance energy security in the United States and, increasingly, around the world." said Dan Whitten of America's Natural Gas Alliance.

In the press call, Ingraffea and the institute's officials noted that in the public's mind, the specific process of "fracking" has become intertwined with drilling in general.

"When we use the word 'fracking,' we don't mean the one hour that fracking is taking place far underground," Ingraffea said. "It's really a placeholder for the whole process."

In fracturing, crews inject tanker-loads of water and sand underground to blow apart the rock and release gas. A small fraction of that concoction is a mixture of chemicals as mundane as ice cream thickener and as toxic as benzene.

When Congress exempted fracturing from the Safe Drinking Water Act in 2005, it attracted little attention because few had ever heard of it. But the increase in drilling in the more densely populated Northeast has raised awareness, along with the anti-drilling documentary "Gas Land." It has also been featured recently on the CBS news show "60 Minutes" and a full episode of the popular network television show "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation."

Improvements in fracturing technology have opened the vast shale formations in Pennsylvania and other states that were previously considered too difficult and expensive to tap.

But the rapid expansion of drilling and fracturing has intensified fears that the toxins and carcinogens in fracturing fluid might contaminate drinking water. Environmentalists and congressional Democrats have pushed not only for public disclosure of fracturing chemicals but also for stricter federal regulation of the practice.

Drilling companies, though, say fracturing is safe and existing state regulation is sufficient. They stress that the fracturing fluid is injected thousands of feet below drinking water aquifers and maintain that there has never been a proven case of groundwater contamination from the fracturing process.

Still, one drilling group said it should do more to get its message to people who live amid the drilling boom.

"One thing is clear: Our industry must continue to educate communities about the steps we're taking each day to protect and strengthen the environment while delivering clean-burning, job-creating energy to American consumers," said Kathryn Klaber, president of Pennsylvania's Marcellus Shale Coalition.

With the Republican takeover of the U.S. House, legislation calling for increased federal regulation and disclosure is likely a non-starter. But the Obama administration is considering requiring drillers to disclose the chemicals they inject under public lands. And industry and states are looking at increased disclosure of fracturing fluids.

The institute's survey found that 19 percent of respondents described themselves as "very aware," 25 percent said they were "somewhat aware," and 13 percent were "not very aware," adding up to 57 percent. A minority said they are "not aware at all" about fracking concerns.

When compared to the 43 percent of Americans who are "very/somewhat" aware of fracking, 49 percent of Republicans and 47 percent of independents knew about the issue, contrasted with 39 percent of Democrats.

The pollsters looked more closely at Pennsylvania and New York. The New York survey (pdf) found that half of New York state residents were "very aware" (22 percent) or "somewhat aware" (28 percent) of fracking as a "water pollution issue." The numbers roughly reversed in New York City, where more than half (53 percent) of residents were unaware of fracking as an issue, with 38 percent "very aware" (16 percent) or "somewhat aware" (22 percent).

In Pennsylvania, where the Marcellus Shale drilling is most intense, the survey (pdf) found that 60 percent of respondents are aware of fracturing.

DECEMBER EVENTS

Wed, 24 Nov 2010 20:11:21 +0100

MOVIE: GASLAND at 2 locations!

1. FREE public screening, open discussion group and Skype session with producer Josh Fox following the film

When: Wednesday, December 1, 2010 at 8:30 p.m.

Where: Kiva, Kent State University,

(The Kiva is located next to the Student Center)

Kent, OH

Sponsor: Concerned Citizens of Portage County, The Kent Stage and Kent Environmental Council

2. The OEC sponsored showing at the Gateway Film Center will be held December 1 at 7:00 p.m. Details: http://www.theoec.org/greenscreen.htm

When filmmaker Josh Fox is asked to lease his land for drilling, he embarks on a cross-country odyssey uncovering a trail of secrets, lies and contamination. A recently drilled nearby Pennsylvania town reports that residents are able to light their drinking water on fire.

After the show: Filmmaker Josh Fox will join us via Skype for a 30-minute Q & A session!

Learn more about the film at www.gaslandthemovie.com.

Tickets

$8.50 adult
$5.00 student

Purchase tickets online or at the door before showtime.

Nov 16 2010: Chris Mobaldi(SPLIT ESTATE) Passes - As Pittsburgh Bans Natural Gas Drilling

Tue, 16 Nov 2010 18:19:45 +0100

SPLIT ESTATE - A documentary Film: In Loving Memory
Chris Mobaldi, featured in Split Estate, died this morning, 45 days after surgery for her third pituitary tumor.
"My sweet brave friend is now at peace... she put up such brave fight - she wanted so to prevent health damages from gas and oil happening to others - especially children" - Tara Meixsell

The Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund

Pennsylvania Community Rights Network
P.O. Box 2016 Chambersburg, Pennsylvania 17201
www.celdf.org

Pittsburgh Bans Natural Gas Drilling

Adopts first-in-the-nation ordinance –

elevates the right of the community to decide, not corporations

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 16, 2010

CONTACT: Ben Price, (717) 254-3233
benprice@celdf.org

PITTSBURGH: Today, the Pittsburgh City Council unanimously adopted an ordinance banning corporations from conducting natural gas drilling in the city.

The ordinance was drafted by the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund (CELDF) at the invitation of Councilman Bill Peduto, and was introduced by Councilman Doug Shields.

Pittsburgh’s first-in-the-nation ordinance confronts the threat of Marcellus Shale drilling – an activity permitted by the state which allows corporations to site drilling activities over the wishes of a community.

Energy corporations are setting up shop in communities across Pennsylvania, to drill for natural gas in the Marcellus Shale formation. The gas extraction technique known as “fracking” has been cited as a threat to surface and groundwater, and has been blamed for fatal explosions, the contamination of drinking water, local rivers, and streams. Collateral damage includes lost property value, ingestion of toxins by livestock, drying up of mortgage loans for prospective home buyers, and threatened loss of organic certification for farmers in affected communities.

Councilman Shields stated, “This ordinance recognizes and secures expanded civil rights for the people of Pittsburgh, and it prohibits activities which would violate those rights. It protects the authority of the people of Pittsburgh to pass this ordinance by undoing corporate privileges that place the rights of the people of Pittsburgh at the mercy of gas corporations.”

Shields added, “With this vote we are asserting the right of the city to make critical decisions to protect our health, safety, and welfare. We are not a colony of the state and will not sit quietly by as our city gets drilled. We encourage communities across the region to take this step and join with us to elevate the rights of communities and people over corporations.”

CELDF’s Ben Price, who is engaging with communities across the state seeking to protect themselves from drilling, said, “Communities are coming to recognize that our state laws and government are not in place to protect their interests, but rather the interests of private corporations.”

Price applauded the city for taking a stand on behalf of community rights. “Some will say that the municipality doesn’t have the authority to ban this noxious practice associated with gas drilling. The only way that’s true is if the state has the authority to strip the residents of their rights, and it doesn’t.”

Under the ordinance, corporations that violate the ordinance or that seek to drill in the city will not be afforded “personhood” rights under the U.S. or Pennsylvania Constitution, nor will they be afforded protections under the Commerce Clause or Contracts Clause under the federal or state constitution.

In addition, the ordinance recognizes the legally enforceable Rights of Nature to exist and flourish. Residents of the city shall possess legal standing to enforce those rights on behalf of natural communities and ecosystems.

The Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund, located in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, has been working with people in Pennsylvania since 1995 to assert their fundamental rights to democratic local self-governance, and to enact laws which end destructive and rights-denying corporate action aided and abetted by state and federal governments.

~ 30 ~

Mari Margil

Associate Director

Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund

503-381-1755

Skype: mari.margil

mmargil@celdf.org

www.celdf.org

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Oct-Nov 2010 EVENTS

Tue, 16 Nov 2010 18:06:25 +0100

Democratic State Representative Linda Bolon is hosting a town-hall meeting regarding fracking/gas production.

The panel will consist of attorneys, a representative from the Ohio Attorney General's Office, Bankers and others. Pros and cons to the Marcellus/Utica Shale issues will be one of the topics discussed.

It will be held; on October 25th, 7:00 PM at the Columbiana County Career and Tech. Center; 9364 St. Rte. 45. For those of you who aren't familiar with the area; it is on Rt. 45 south of Pondi's.

Map:
http://www.mapquest.com/maps?name=Columbiana+County+Career+Center&city=Lisbon&state=OH&address=9364+State+Route+45&zipcode=44432&country=US&latitude=40.76541&longitude=-80.74997&geocode=ADDRESS&id=5814993

NOVEMBER EVENTS
#1. Dr. Sandra Steingraber, author of "Living Downstream: An Ecologist's Personal Investigation of Cancer and the Environment," which was just released in its second edition, and the subject of a new documentary based on the book, will be speaking at both Denison and Kenyon Universities.

Monday, November 1st: Kenyon College, Gambier; 7:30 pm lecture, Higley Auditorium

Wednesday, November 3rd: Denison University, Granville; 4:30 pm lecture, Slayter Union Auditorium.

Sandra Steingraber has become one of the most powerful voices speaking against the dangers of fracking. You will want to read her recent piece in Orion magazine.

http://www.orionmagazine.org/index.php/articles/article/5839

#2 GASLAND Movie showing!
Monday Nov 8th at 7:30pm
The Cinematheque at The Cleveland Institute of Art
11141 East Boulevard
Cleveland, OH 44106
Phone: (216) 421-7450
http://cia.edu/cinematheque

#3 The People's Oil & Gas Summit

Join us in Pittsburgh on November 19th and 20thand meet people affected by oil and gas drilling from across the US and Canada.

Learn about oil and gas impacts, toxics associated with drilling activities, how natural gas fits into the climate change debate, and how to protect yourself and your communityThe People's Oil & Gas Summit will be held at Pittsburgh's Radisson Hotel Green Tree.

For more information and to register before extended Nov 7 deadline, visit summitupdate.earthworksaction.org.

Presentations and Discussions will include...

The BIG PICTURE – where are they drilling, why and who’s next?
Natural gas, CLIMATE JUSTICE and PUBLIC HEALTH: life cycle impacts of gas
Hydraulic FRACTURING: Full Disclosure, NO Exemptions
To lease or not to LEASE; landowner and mineral owner rights
CLIMATE CHANGE: Beyond coal, oil and gas: what is our ENERGY FUTURE?
MEDIA: reforming the industry one blog, story, movie and wiki at a time
Legislate, Litigate, AGITATE: lessons on organizing and civil disobedience

Featured Speakers/Participants...

Lois Gibbs – environmental justice advocate, Love Canal activist, Executive Director, Center for Health, Environment and Justice * Dr. Theo Colburn – world renowned scientist, co-author of Our Stolen Future, President of The Endocrine Disruption Exchange * Wilma Subra – MacArthur Genius Award Winner, chemist, environmental advocate, President of Subra Company * Tony Ingraffea - Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Cornell University (invited) * Bill McKibben – author, journalist, environmentalist (invited) * Josh Fox – “Gasland” filmaker * Chris Cziksentmihalyi – Director, MIT Center for Future Civic Media * Abrahm Lustgarten – ProPublica investigative journalist (invited) * Andrew Nikiforuk – Canadian journalist and author * Mark Ruffalo – actor, FRACKING activist (invited) * Jim Fitzgerald – Professor of Sociology, Fort Lewis College, Colorado, gas-field activist * TXSharon –Texas OGAP Organizer and Blogger * John Fenton - affected landowner, Pavillion Wyoming * Wes Gillingham – Program Director, Catskill Mountainkeeper * Activists and citizens from Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Louisiana, Montana, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, West Virginia, Wyoming, and Canada.

NOVEMBER EVENTS

Fri, 22 Oct 2010 17:53:54 +0100

#1. Dr. Sandra Steingraber, author of "Living Downstream: An Ecologist's Personal Investigation of Cancer and the Environment," which was just released in its second edition, and the subject of a new documentary based on the book, will be speaking at both Denison and Kenyon Universities.

Monday, November 1st: Kenyon College, Gambier; 7:30 pm lecture, Higley Auditorium

Wednesday, November 3rd: Denison University, Granville; 4:30 pm lecture, Slayter Union Auditorium.

Sandra Steingraber has become one of the most powerful voices speaking against the dangers of fracking. You will want to read her recent piece in Orion magazine.

http://www.orionmagazine.org/index.php/articles/article/5839

#2 The People's Oil & Gas Summit

Join us in Pittsburgh on November 19th and 20thand meet people affected by oil and gas drilling from across the US and Canada.

For more information and to register before extended Nov 7 deadline, visit summitupdate.earthworksaction.org.

Presentations and Discussions will include...

The BIG PICTURE – where are they drilling, why and who’s next?
Natural gas, CLIMATE JUSTICE and PUBLIC HEALTH: life cycle impacts of gas
Hydraulic FRACTURING: Full Disclosure, NO Exemptions
To lease or not to LEASE; landowner and mineral owner rights
CLIMATE CHANGE: Beyond coal, oil and gas: what is our ENERGY FUTURE?
MEDIA: reforming the industry one blog, story, movie and wiki at a time
Legislate, Litigate, AGITATE: lessons on organizing and civil disobedience

Featured Speakers/Participants...

OCTOBER EVENTS

Wed, 15 Sep 2010 20:21:58 +0100

LANDOWNER WORKSHOP: Look Before You Lease (and AFTER too)

Oct 1st at 6pm

Spend time with experts from around the country in mineral leasing and accounting, corporate accountability, and gas development regulations. Learn about the impacts of leasing on your land and community and how to ensure protective lease terms and landowner rights. Ask questions about what leasing your land means and the current terms of your lease.

Ohio Room, Kilcawley Center
Youngstown State University, Youngstown, OH
Directions http://web.ysu.edu/gen/ysu/Directions_Campus_Map_and_Tour_p166.html

MOVIE SHOWING: SPLIT ESTATE

OCT. 9th at 7pm

Location: http://westshorefilmseries.wetpaint.com/

EVENT: Marcellus Shale Forums Aug 26 & 27

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 16:42:12 +0100

Aug 26th Marcellus Shale informational forum (Just over the border in PA)

Speaker: Conrad Dan Volz, DrPH, MPH. This forum will include representatives
from legal groups, environmental research and academic institutions, and the
natural gas industry. Contact CHEC for more information at this time:
412-624-9379 or chec@pitt.edu.

When

Thu Aug 26 6pm – 9pm Eastern Time

Where

Chippewa E-Free Church, 239 Braun Road, Beaver Falls, PA 15010 (map)

Aug 27th What Do We Need to Know? The Potential Public Health Impacts of Marcellus Shale Drilling

Serious potential environmental and public health concerns surround the gas extraction    
process used in the Marcellus Shale, the sedimentary rock formation underlying    
significant portions of Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York, and West Virginia. This panel    
discussion will address the following topics: Conceptual site modeling,    
Potential human exposure pathways to water and air contaminants, Behavioral and    
community health concerns, Public health preparedness related to gas industry    
operations, Fractracker.org, a Web platform that gives researchers the ability    
to directly engage citizens in the collection of datat to effectively    
demonstrate the impacts of Marcellus Shale gas extraction. Panelists: Dan Volz,    
DrPH, MPH, assistant professor, GSPH Department of Environmental and    
Occupational Health, and director, Center for Healthy Environments and    
Communities (CHEC), Charles Christen, DrPH, CHEC director of operations, and    
Samantha Malone, MPH, CPH, CHEC communications specialist. Contact CHEC for more    
information: chec@pitt.edu,    
412-624-9379 

When	Fri Aug 27 1:30pm – 3pm Eastern Time
Where	University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, G23 Auditorium, Pittsburgh, PA (map)

EVENT: MOVIE AUGUST 12TH

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 16:38:14 +0100

WHEN: Thursday, Aug 12th, 7:00 pm

WHERE: Bela Dubby (Coffee/Art/Beer)

13321 Madison Avenue

Lakewood, OH 44107

WHO: Presented by the Lakewood Democratic Club in conjunction with Sierra Club Northeast Ohio Group and the Northeast Ohio Gas Accountability Project (NEOGAP), followed by open discussion led by NEOGAP Director Kari Matsko.

WHAT: Split Estate is a 76-minute documentary chronicling the David-vs-Goliath struggle currently raging over oil and gas production in the United States. While the film focuses on the social, environmental, and health costs of natural gas and oil production in the western United States, it offers insight into the universal politics among government entities, oil and gas interests, and citizens in resource-rich residential areas (including Ohio).

Split Estate presents a prime opportunity for concerned citizens to learn how to change drilling practices and make the gas and oil industry accountable to the communities in which it operates. It features scenes with landowners, community activists, and U.S. Senators John Kerry and Tom Udall. Some of the long-term health risks of oil and gas development are described by Theo Colborn, PhD, Daniel Thau Teitelbaum, MD, and Kendall Gurdes, MD. What you don’t know can hurt you!

Split Estate www.splitestate.com is produced and directed by Debra Anderson. It is distributed by bulldogfilms www.bullfrogfilms.com

EVENT: GET THE FACTS ON RESIDENTIAL OIL & GAS DRILLING

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 15:30:09 +0100

State Rep Matt Patten to Hear Citizen Concerns on Proposed Neighborhood Drilling

July 26th 7:00 pm
North Royalton Library
14600 State Rd
North Royalton, OH
(440) 237-3800

Mayor Bob Stefanik, City Councilman Gary Petrusky will also be present

Affirming GASLAND

Mon, 12 Jul 2010 14:54:13 +0100

A de-debunking document in response to specious and misleading gas industry claims against the film.

http://www.damascuscitizens.org/Affirming-GASLAND.pdf