VIDEO INVESTIGATION: Gas Well Flaring in the Marcellus Shale
“Flaring” is a term used to describe the burning of natural gas from a well that has not yet been linked to a pipeline. When a well is “flared,”a huge flame lights up the sky, reaching higher than tree tops, accompanied by a noise similar to a 757 jet engine. The sight and sound of a flaring well are quite intimidating, but the practice is not a risk to public health according to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, or DEP.
Air Pollution from Gas Drilling a ‘Huge Problem’
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) issued a press release in May regarding an “air quality study near Marcellus Shale natural gas operations in Bradford, Lycoming, Sullivan, and Tioga counties.” Eight sites were sampled over three five-day periods to determine if specific pollutants were a threat to anyones air quality in acute amounts.
Hydraulic Fracturing: Pennsylvania General Energy Company Damages Pine Creek by Violating Dam Permit
The Pennsylvania Department of Environment Protection (DEP) served a notice of four violations on the new dam, accusing PGE of violating its permit by building a stone dam instead of the approved sand-bag dam, designed to be temporary, and “polluting the Waters of the Commonwealth” by discharging harmful sediment into the Pine Creek, “a High Quality stream.”
Marketplace Radio: Natural Gas Discussion About Gov. Cuomo’s Decision to Allow More Fracking in New York
The debate over fracking Released by Marketplace, Tuesday, July 5, 2011 Natural gas could be poised to become the number two energy source in the world. But the drilling process, also known as fracking, is controversial. KAI RYSSDAL: Crude oil rose almost $2 today, closed just shy of $97. That consistently high per barrel price is one of [...]
New Jersey Legislature Bans Hydraulic Fracturing for Natural Gas (Fracking)
“Today, New Jersey sent a strong message to surrounding states and to the nation that a ban on fracking is necessary to protect public health and preserve our natural resources,” said Senator Bob Gordon (D-Bergen). “Any benefits of gas production simply do not justify the many potential dangers associated with fracking such as pollution of our lakes, streams and drinking water supplies and the release of airborne pollutants. We should not wait until our natural resources are threatened or destroyed to act. The time to ban fracking in New Jersey is now.”
Hydrofracking in the Marcellus Shale: How a Pressure Bulb is Created
When you apply pressure to soil or rock, the pressure doesn’t just stop at the surface you are pushing on; the pressure spreads and dissipates through the surrounding soil or rock. In hydro-fracking, the pressure applied is enormous. In order to crack the rock down deep, the injected pressure has to be in the same ballpark as the weight of the soil and rock overhead.
Pennsylvania Marcellus Shale Waste Records Are Incomplete
On May 12, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sent Pennsylvania DEP Secretary Michael Krancer a letter asking “Pennsylvania to do a better job sampling, monitoring and regulating Marcellus Shale wastewater discharges near public drinking water sources.” Specific requests from the EPA included using “stricter public drinking water standards” and enacting “legally enforceable wastewater disposal regulations instead of relying on voluntary actions.” Brine Treatment Corporation in Franklin County, Pa. has not stopped receiving Marcellus waste altogether but is now limiting the amount of Marcellus wastewater it accepts, treats, and discharges into waterways.
High Speed Rail Faces Financial Setbacks in California
The agency spearheading California’s efforts to build a bullet train through the center of the state is plunging forward despite repeated warnings that it may be tens of billions of dollars short of the money needed to build and operate the system, records and interviews show. “There is an air of unreality” about the project’s $45 billion construction budget, a panel of experts warned the state Legislature [PDF] last year.
The Hype of Natural Gas Reserves Challenged by New York Times Article
President Obama said recently, referencing an estimate that the United States has enough gas to supply the country for more than a century. That’s a contention that’s being challenged by a series of New York Times articles over the past few days that show some U.S. Energy Department officials and energy market analysts questioning whether the much-ballyhooed “natural gas boom” is overhyped, or even a “giant Ponzi scheme.”
Gas Companies Ongoing Quest to Keep Fracking Chemicals Confidential
While state regulators and the drilling industry say the rules should help resolve concerns about the safety of drilling, critics and some toxicologists say the requirements fall short of what’s needed to fully understand the risks to public health and the environment. The regulations allow companies to keep proprietary chemicals secret from the public and, in some states, from regulators. Though most of the states require companies to report the volume and concentration of different drilling products, no state asks for the amounts of all the ingredients…
*Accepting cases in Pennsylvania and Ohio.
