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Anti-Drillers Continue to Use NY Decision to Bully Other States

no bullyingMore evidence to support what MDN has been telling you: That nutjob anti-fossil fuelers are using the New York decision to ban fracking in an attempt to bully other states (see Anti-Drillers Seek Domino Effect in More States After NY Frack Ban). Three odious groups are behind much of this bullying: Food & Water Watch, Earthjustice and the National Resources Defense Council. Notice which “network” they run to for rebroadcast of their pap–the anti-American, terrorist-loving Al Jazeera. Also notice that before the NY ban these same people said there isn’t all that much of an economic benefit for fracking in NY. No reason to frack in NY, no one would make any money on it. Now that the ban is in place? They say fracking in NY would have been “a financial boon for the state” which makes Cuomo’s decision “momentous.” It’s called talking out of both sides of a lying mouth…
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NY Farmers to Cuomo on Frack Ban–You Gave us the Shaft

There is ongoing fallout from New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s political decision to disallow fracking during his tenure as governor (an act that disqualifies him from running for national office). Farmers in the Southern Tier of NY are weighing in on Cuomo’s political decision, and they’re none too happy:
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NY Health Dept Fracking Report Based on Anti-Drilling “Research”

The Fix is InThe most compelling “let the science decide” reason for banning fracking in NY given by Gov. Andrew Cuomo? Because his hand-picked Commissioner of the Dept. of Health, Howard Zucker, said he wouldn’t let his own kids play outside near a fracking site. If you actually read the biased report filed by Zucker, you find the following: a) Zucker says there are no scientific conclusions, as of yet, that fracking harms “public health”–he clearly admits it, and b) he laundry lists a bunch of “studies” and reports that are not peer reviewed, not published, and funded by anti-drilling groups to disparage fracking. He overlooked and left out published, peer reviewed studies that say fracking doesn’t harm people. That is, Zucker stacked the deck, he loaded the dice–whatever metaphor you want to use. The outcome was predetermined (a political decision by Cuomo) and Zucker prostituted himself and has permanently damaged his own reputation by being the “fall guy” for Cuomo’s decision. We expect it’s a quid pro quo–Zucker finds against fracking in return for moving from “Acting” Commissioner to full Commissioner at the DOH–a job he’s clearly not qualified for. Keep an eye out for Zucker’s permanent appointment in the near future. When you see it, you’ll know the fix was in…
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Upstate NY Politicians Criticize Cuomo over Frack Ban

New York state representatives and local town leaders from upstate NY are almost universally critical of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s political decision to ban fracking. According to elected leaders, Cuomo has just screwed upstate in a big way. They also point out the complete reversal in Cuomo’s position from just one year ago when he embraced using fracked natural gas in western NY…
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Residents Near Leaking Triad Hunter Well in OH Still Displaced

It’s now 10 days since Triad Hunter, a division of Magnum Hunter, lost control of a Utica Shale gas well in Monroe County, OH (see Triad Hunter Well Blowout in Monroe County, OH – No One Injured). The problem is, for the 28 homes (50 or so people) who live nearby, they are still displaced–evacuated from their homes. They’ve been allowed back for a few hours at a time, periodically. But the wellhead needs to be replaced and until that’s done, it’s not safe for them to return full-time. Triad Hunter is hoping that Wild Well Control will have the wellhead replaced so that residents can return home tomorrow–December 23rd–and spend Christmas at home instead of at the friends, family and hotel rooms they’re staying in now…
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FERC Approves Columbia East Side Project in SE PA

In March 2013, Columbia Gas Transmission, a subsidiary of Nisource, applied to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to add then-16 miles (now 19 miles) of new pipeline in southeastern PA and NJ to help fire a natural gas-fired electricity generating plant with cheap Marcellus Shale gas (see Columbia’s SE PA Pipeline Project Includes Compressor Upgrade). The project, called the East Side Expansion, faced some stiff opposition–especially with upgrades to a compressor station in Forks Township, Northampton County (see Columbia Hits Resistance to Compressor Upgrade in SE PA). Last Friday, Columbia announced FERC has approved the project and construction will now begin…
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FERC Approves Williams Leidy Southeast Project in PA/NJ

Since January 2013, Williams has been working on a project called Leidy Southeast that will create several new loops in northeast Pennsylvania and in New Jersey (including new compressor stations) to bump up the capacity of the Williams Transco interstate gas pipeline (see Williams Takes Next Step with Transco Leidy Pipeline Expansion). In August, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) said there would be no significant impacts to the environment, a good sign that the project would get the green light (see FERC Says “No Significant Impact” from Leidy Southeast Pipeline). The green light came last Thursday when FERC gave final approval for the project…
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Partisan Attack on Shale Drilling by PA Budget & Policy Center

The virulently leftist, anti-drilling and partisan so-called non-profit Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center (kook lefties) released a report last week, funded by the Park Foundation and Mamma Teresa Heinz Kerry’s Heinz Endowments, that says shale drilling in Pennsylvania is responsible for just about everything bad: high deaths due to traffic accidents, high rents, crime, and (don’t laugh), even sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Who knows–maybe even the Black Plague, ebola, sun spots, stray comets and other calamities can also be laid at the feet of shale drilling…
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Unemployment “Plummets” in SWPA, Thanks to the Marcellus

All we heard about, endlessly, from mainstream media in Pennsylvania during the 2014 PA campaign for governor is how Corbett (Satan himself) can’t do anything right, and even his so-called best buddies in the energy industry couldn’t cover up the fact that Pennsylvania is losing jobs like crazy. Unemployment in the Keystone State sucks. Where are all those promised shale jobs? Yada yada yada. So went the narrative. But that was then, this is now. Now that the media’s candidate (Tom Wolf) has won, it’s time to start telling the truth again. The truth? In places where there’s active drilling, like southwestern PA, unemployment numbers are way down, at historic lows…
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Remembering NY Pro-Gas Fighter Nick Schoonover

Nicholas J. “Nick” Schoonover, of Tioga Center, NY was a beloved son, husband, father, grandfather, brother-in-law, uncle and dedicated pro-driller. Nick passed away on Tuesday, December 16, 2014 at Lourdes Hospital in Binghamton after a courageous 26 month battle with chronic lyme disease. We are cross-posting an article from Tom Shepstone’s excellent Natural Gas Now website to commemorate Nick. We didn’t personally know Nick, but MDN friend Vic Furman did, and Vic writes a great post about a man who was instrumental in the fight to allow fracking in New York…
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Shale Gas News Radio – December 20, 2014 [Audio]

radio on the airEvery Saturday the one-hour Shale Gas News show airs on Scranton, PA’s 94.3 FM “The Talker” radio station. The show is co-hosted by Kevin Lynn of Linde Corporation and Bill desRosiers from Cabot Oil & Gas. MDN editor Jim Willis knows Bill and counts him as a friend. Bill asked Jim to join he and Kevin on this past Saturday’s program to discuss the New York decision to ban shale drilling. Below is the lineup for the show (Jim appeared at the beginning of the program), along with an option to listen to a recording of the full hour. MDN will bring you the latest program show notes and recordings for Shale Gas News each week (well worth your time to listen)…
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