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By arimoore, on November 11th, 2009%
The New York-based Toxics Targeting went through the Department of Environmental Conservation’s own database of hazardous substances spills over the past thirty years. They found 270 cases documenting fires, explosions, wastewater spills, well contamination and ecological damage related to gas drilling. Many of the cases remain unresolved. The findings are contrary to repeated government assurances that existing natural gas well regulations are sufficient to safeguard the environment and public health. The state is considering allowing for gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale watershed, the source of drinking water for 15 million people, including nine million New Yorkers. Guest: Walter Hang, President of Toxics Targeting, an environmental database firm in Ithaca, New York. (More at Democracy Now)
Walter Hang writes:
I just posted data at www.toxicstargeting.com for 270 oil and gas spill spills in New York State that have caused fires, explosions, home evacuations, polluted drinking water wells as well as long-term impacts on forests, streams, wetlands, ponds and other waterways.
You can view video of flammable drinking water in Candor, NY reported by a homeowner “who is concerned about natural gas drilling near him.”
I believe these findings destroy the myth that the Department of Environmental Conservation’s current oil and gas regulations are adequate to safeguard the environment and public health. For that reason, I am asking Governor Paterson to withdraw the dSGEIS.
By arimoore, on October 9th, 2009%
11/3 7 pm at Cornell Cinema (Willard Straight Hall) with an introduction by Shaleshock representative Helen Slottje
The natural gas drilling boom hit the midwest with promised of big money and promises of a clean alternative to fossil fuels. The reality has been far more complicated, with landowners forced to accept drilling rigs right outside their front doors, groundwater becoming contaminated, and public health issues, especially among children. Split Estate focuses on Garfield County, Colorado, where the breathtaking panoramas and clear mountain water are threatened by an industry that is exempt from federal protections like the Clean Water Act , and where one resident demonstrates the degree of benzene contamination by setting a stream alight with a match. A cautionary tale, and one that is all the more important to hear now, and in the Finger Lakes, as gas companies prepare for a massive hydro-fracking push throughout our area. “This film is of value to anyone wrestling with rational, sustainable energy policy while preserving the priceless elements of cultural heritage, private enterprise above-ground, and the precious health not only of people but the land itself.” (Gov. Bill Richardson, New Mexico)
2009, color, 1 hour 16 minutes, USA
By arimoore, on October 9th, 2009%
10/23 7 pm free screening at Unitarian Church of Ithaca, 306 North Aurora Street, co sponsored by the Unitarian-Universalist Social Justice Council and Shaleshock. Followed by discussion and presentation of information about impacts of gas drilling in Marcellus Shale
The natural gas drilling boom hit the midwest with promised of big money and promises of a clean alternative to fossil fuels. The reality has been far more complicated, with landowners forced to accept drilling rigs right outside their front doors, groundwater becoming contaminated, and public health issues, especially among children. Split Estate focuses on Garfield County, Colorado, where the breathtaking panoramas and clear mountain water are threatened by an industry that is exempt from federal protections like the Clean Water Act , and where one resident demonstrates the degree of benzene contamination by setting a stream alight with a match. A cautionary tale, and one that is all the more important to hear now, and in the Finger Lakes, as gas companies prepare for a massive hydro-fracking push throughout our area. “This film is of value to anyone wrestling with rational, sustainable energy policy while preserving the priceless elements of cultural heritage, private enterprise above-ground, and the precious health not only of people but the land itself.” (Gov. Bill Richardson, New Mexico)
2009, color, 1 hour 16 minutes, USA
By arimoore, on September 21st, 2009%
Read Tom Wilbur’s Marcellus Shale: A tale of two cities:
Nearly two years after drilling began in Dimock, residents, rich and poor, have learned to live with the routine din and clamor of drilling rigs and traffic.
As more wells come on line, royalty payments flow in as gas flows out. Some have made millions, while others have made just enough to disqualify them from food stamps… “All we want is a decent place to live and decent water,” said Fiorentino, whose royalty payments have averaged less than $300 a month. “Why do some people get water and compensation, and others don’t?” (Read more)
By arimoore, on August 25th, 2009%
Read Ithaca council raises natural gas-drilling concerns by Krisy Gashler:
Raising concerns about drinking water, roads and safety for emergency responders, Ithaca’s Common Council is getting involved in the discussion about gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale.
The majority of the city’s watershed for its Six Mile Creek drinking water source is outside the city in the Towns of Ithaca and Caroline. Roughly 38 percent of the total land area in Tompkins County has already been leased for oil and gas drilling, including 12 percent in the Town of Ithaca and 49 percent in Caroline, according to gas lease deed information compiled by the citizen’s action group Shaleshock.
Common Council Planning Committee Chairwoman Jennifer Dotson, I-1st, said city officials have concerns in four major areas: water use and wastewater disposal; impact on roads and infrastructure; safety, especially for firefighters who may have to respond to fires or accidents at drilling sites; and the tax structure for oil and gas revenue.
The planning committee this week discussed strategies they could use to protect the city, including identifying critical natural areas, adopting road preservation laws, and demanding disclosure of all chemicals in hydro-fracturing (fracking) fluid before considering whether to accept it at the wastewater treatment plant, which discharges into Cayuga Lake. (Read more)
By arimoore, on August 12th, 2009%
The village of Horseheads is poised to grant an EIS (Environmental Impact Statement) waiver to Schlumberger (the largest servicer of gas drilling operations in the world) for the 67 acre plant they plan for Horseheads. Both the Planning Board and Village Board meet this week. Especially if you live in Chemung County, please fax the Village Board and Planning Board at (607) 739-3941. Below is a sample letter.
Continue reading Protect Chemung County's future
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About Us Shaleshock is an information hub connecting people to regional groups and projects working to stop exploitative drilling in the Marcellus Shale.(more)
2009 Signs of Sustainability
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