Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel

Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Industrywide Issues

Rise of the New (Environmental) Nazis – Free Speech Under Attack
April 11, 2016April 11, 2016

Is this how it started in Nazi Germany in the 1920s? No, we’re not being melodramatic. Those are the thoughts flying through our heads when we read that the Attorney General from the U.S. Virgin Islands–an unincorporated “territory” of the United States–issued a subpoena to the conservative think tank Competitive Enterprise Institute demanding all communication between it and ExxonMobil on the issue of mythical “climate change.” The AG, a radical Democrat, is fishing to see if he can sue Exxon into extinction, because people at Exxon may have an opinion on climate change contrary to the radical AG’s opinion. No longer can adults have honest disagreements on important issues like climate change. Now, if you disagree and attempt to offer evidence to support your position, including communication with a “non-approved” source–you may end up in jail and your money stripped away. The parallels between what leftists today are doing and leftists did nearly a century ago in Germany are chilling. The first thing to go is freedom of expression…
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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Crime | Energy Services | Huntingdon County (PA) | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Regulation | Sunoco Logistics

Sunoco Tricks Radicalized Protester – Returns and Cuts More Trees
April 8, 2016April 8, 2016

Last week MDN told you about the daughter of a Huntingdon County, PA landowner radicalized by Big Green groups–as evidenced by her association with well known protesters previously arrested–who took to a tree on her mom’s property in order to illegally stop crews working on tree clearing for the Mariner East 2 pipeline (see PA Anti Literally Goes Up a Tree to Stop Mariner East 2 Pipeline). Even though she was breaking the law–and a judge’s order–local law enforcement couldn’t be bothered with climbing the tree to arrest her (see ‘Wackos in the Trees’ Protest Continues in Huntingdon County, PA). Nor, does it seem, did they arrest her after she came down on April 1. She stayed up a tree until April 1 because crews can no longer clear trees for fear of harming the threatened Indiana bat species that sometimes hangs out in those trees. Or at least, that’s what we thought. In a very clever move, tree clearing crews returned to the property this week, after April 1, and cleared more trees previously inhabited by the nutty landowner’s daughter. Don’t worry, they got permission…
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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Industrywide Issues | Pipelines

NJ Residents “Get Rowdy” in Opposition to NY-NJ Pilgrim Pipeline
April 8, 2016April 8, 2016

Yesterday MDN reported on the antics of anti-fossil fuelers in New York in their quest to stop an oil pipeline from Albany to New Jersey (see NY Antis Attempt to Stop Pilgrim Pipelines with Local Bans). Antis in NY aren’t the only ones up in arms over the Pilgrim Pipeline project. A “rowdy” group of New Jerseyites are also miffed and want their county government to put the kibosh to the pipeline plan…
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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Industrywide Issues | New York | Pipelines | Regulation | Statewide NY

NY Antis Attempt to Stop Pilgrim Pipelines with Local Bans
April 7, 2016April 7, 2016

“Whoa, take ‘er easy there, Pilgrim.” – John Wayne in the movie “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance” (1962) In November, MDN told you about Pilgrim Pipeline Holdings, developing an East Coast pipeline to carry refined petroleum products such as gasoline, diesel, heating oil, and jet and aviation fuel northbound from Linden, New Jersey to Albany, New York (178 miles). In addition, a second Pilgrim pipeline will carry crude oil from Albany south to NJ and other locations. Two pipelines, side by side, liquids flowing through them in different directions (see Will Pilgrim Pipeline be Allowed to Settle in the NY World?). Anti fossil fuel nutters who infest New York State are, however, attempting to block both pipelines by using a 107 year-old law and local bans. Will the antis succeed yet again?…
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Albany County | Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | New York | Pipelines | Statewide NY | Williams

RFK Jr Invokes Religion at Anti-Pipeline Rally in Albany, NY
April 6, 2016April 6, 2016

A group of around 200 anti-fracking activists–or fractivists–protested at the steps of the New York State Capitol Building in Albany, NY yesterday. They were there nominally to protest Gov. Cuomo’s inevitable cave to allow the Constitution Pipeline to be built across the eastern portion of the state. However, the language from the speakers–in particular from the rather nutty Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. (i.e. “Junior”)–was instructive. These people are fossil fuel haters–and their speeches dripped with their irrational hatred for all fossil fuels. Junior called fossil fuels “the dirtiest fuels from hell,” and then he called so-called renewable energy “patriotic fuels from heaven.” Some of you have laughed and poked fun at MDN, some of you have written us in anger, some have even unsubscribed when we have commented in the past on the hysterical and irrational antics of anti-fossil fuelers, pointing out that their belief in man-made global warming is religious and faith-based and NOT rooted in science. Junior’s own words yesterday are 100% vindication of our position. He couches the debate over fossil fuels in religious language. We were, and always have been, right about anti-drillers. The vast majority of antis don’t oppose drilling because of “water contamination” or “air pollution” or “methane migration” or any of a hundred other red herring excuses. They object because they fervently choose to believe in global warming, with no scientific evidence whatsoever, making all fossil fuels “evil” in their twisted worldview…
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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | New York | Orange County | Pipelines | Spectra Energy | Westchester County

Hypocrites Protest “Fracked Gas Infrastructure” in Hudson Valley
April 5, 2016April 5, 2016

We spotted a story from the Hudson Valley area of New York State–close enough to New York City that it’s infested with anti-drilling liberals–that caught our attention for a couple of reasons. It’s a story of about a protest held yesterday in Peekskill, NY. The protest was against Spectra Energy’s work on their Algonquin Incremental Market (AIM) pipeline project. From all appearances, four protesters showed up for the protest–and yet it got big news treatment. Most Sundays there are more than four people who show up at MDN HQ for lunch (when our kids come home to visit). The local newspaper hasn’t ever shown up to cover these momentous (for the Willis household) events. Perhaps if we held up a big banner outside that says “Welcome Home Children” the local news outlets would arrive and cover it? But we digress. The other aspect of the story that caught our attention is the admission by one of the protesters that they not only oppose the AIM project–they oppose all “fracked gas infrastructure” projects. She is demanding that NY “transition to safe, clean, renewable energy, which is wind, water and solar.” That is, the protesters are animated and motivated by an irrational hatred of all fossil fuels. How did the protesters arrive at their protest? Driving cars that burn fossil fuels riding on tires made from petroleum products and sitting on seats made from plastic (a petroleum product) wearing clothes on their bodies and shoes on their feet made from petroleum products. Holding up signs objecting to…petroleum products…
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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Industrywide Issues

Democrat Attorney Generals Back Away from Al Gore, NY AG
April 4, 2016April 4, 2016

Remember the story we ran last week noting a big climate change meeting in New York City where Al Gore partnered up with the New York’s odious, anti-drilling Attorney General Eric Schneiderman to smear fossil fuel companies and threaten them with lawsuits if they don’t admit global warming is real and that their companies are killing the earth (see Climate Change Hucksters, Incl. NY AG & Al Gore, Threaten O&G)? Along with Gore and Schneiderman there were attorneys general from 11 states also attending–and got their picture taken with the King of Climate Change himself. Turns out it was all just a photo op. While Gore and Schneiderman wanted the world to think that all of these states are prepared to sue fossil fuel companies, the attorneys general from 9 of the 11 states are backing away. They don’t want to sue fossil fuel companies. Only California and Massachusetts joined New York in the threat. So the entire thing was a charade, a scam, one more in a line of scams from Gore…
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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Crime | Energy Services | Huntingdon County (PA) | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Sunoco Logistics

‘Wackos in the Trees’ Protest Continues in Huntingdon County, PA
April 1, 2016April 1, 2016

Yesterday we told you about a Big Green effort to stop tree clearing for the Mariner East 2 pipeline in Huntingdon County, PA–about a young woman who climbed 40 feet up a tree to sit in a tree house so crews could not cut down the trees around her (see PA Anti Literally Goes Up a Tree to Stop Mariner East 2 Pipeline). She’s still “up a tree.” Looks like her publicity stunt worked because starting today crews can’t legally cut any more trees for fear of hurting an Indiana bat. (We say it’s more than bats that are batty in Huntingdon County.) The young woman’s mother, who happens to own the property and the trees, was arrested approaching the cutting crews (after being told by a judge to stay away) because, she says, she feared they would cut a tree close to her ~~blithering idiot~~ daughter and hurt her. There’s also another nutter up a tree on the property. Even though the tree climbers prevented harvesting of a few trees, Sunoco Logistics, the builder of the pipeline, says it’s no big deal–they got almost all of the trees cut they needed to and come fall it won’t take long to nip the last few. Here’s how anti-drilling PBS (funded in part with taxpayer dollars) reported the ongoing “tree-sit,” as they call it…
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Air Quality | Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA

Philly Green Group Throws Temper Trantrum After Energy Hub Meeting
April 1, 2016April 1, 2016

Petulant, spoiled rotten children often grow up to be petulant, spoiled rotten adults–adults who throw temper tantrums when they don’t get their own way. Such is the case with members of Green Justice Philly, a coalition of anti-drilling groups opposed to fossil fuels and opposed to a plan to bring more fossil fuels to Philadelphia as part of a northeastern “energy hub” concept. Yesterday we told you about Wednesday’s closed-door meeting where a new study was released, a “road map” that can be used to bring more natural gas and natural gas liquids to the City of Brotherly Love (see Philly Chamber Publishes Roadmap to Turn Region into “Energy Hub”). There certainly wasn’t much love displayed by a handful of boisterous protesters outside of the meeting. The meeting was private and the disruptive protesters were not allowed inside to conduct their normal mischief. And therein lies the winter of their discontent. Following the event Green Justice Philly issued a press release to pout like little children crying that mommy wouldn’t let them into the room. Awww, poor babies…
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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Crime | Energy Services | Huntingdon County (PA) | Industrywide Issues | Litigation | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Sunoco Logistics

PA Anti Literally Goes Up a Tree to Stop Mariner East 2 Pipeline
March 31, 2016March 31, 2016

Another environmentalist has tipped over the edge. The daughter of a landowner in Huntingdon County, PA scampered up a tree and planted herself there to prevent that tree and others near it from being cut down by crews clearing a path for the Mariner East 2 pipeline. Just two days ago we told you that Huntingdon County Common Pleas Judge George Zanic previously issued an order to Ellen Gerhart to allow tree clearing on three acres of her property (see Court Grants Mariner East 2 Right to Clear Trees in Huntingdon, PA). Gerhart’s daughter Elise literally “went up a tree” yesterday to a platform pre-built there, between two trees, and says she’ll stay there until the end of the week when tree-clearing season is over. You can’t clear trees after March 31st for fear of killing a threatened bat species. No word on when/if authorities will climb the tree and forcibly remove her. Thing is, she’s not alone. Radical environmentalists are behind Gerhart’s stunt. Two well-known anti-drilling radicals were arrested for blocking work at the site–and bail was set at $100,000 each. Yes, it’s time to get serious with these repeat lawbreakers. It’s also time to go up the tree and extricate Ms. Gerhart and put her in jail with them…
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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA

Radical Group PennEnvironment Repeats Debunked Lies re Fracking
March 31, 2016March 31, 2016

Question: How do you know when PennEnvironment is lying about fracking? Answer: When they open their mouths to speak. That about sums up a conference call held by the radical Big Green group PennEnvironment yesterday. The call was held to repeat and regurgitate the same old lies, and otherwise bamboozle stupid people who don’t know any better–about the so-called harms of fracking, particularly on human health. Apparently PennEnvironment believes if you wait a few years until after your lies were 100% debunked, and just repeat the same lies again, people will forget and believe you the second, third, or fourth time. Here’s how it went down yesterday…
Read More “Radical Group PennEnvironment Repeats Debunked Lies re Fracking”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Earthquakes | Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Pennsylvania | Statewide OH | Statewide PA

Harrisburg “Reporter” Blames Republicans for Earthquakes in Ohio
March 31, 2016March 31, 2016

Truly amazing. That’s our reaction to the latest anti-drilling article published by the Democrat-controlled Harrisburg Patriot-News from “reporter” (i.e. anti-drilling advocate and propagandist pretending to be a reporter) Candy Woodall. Woodall used the news about a report recently released by the U.S. Geological Survey regarding earthquakes caused by injection wells to blame a series of earthquakes in Ohio on the previous Republican governor Tom Corbett. Yep. Corbett and his hated (for Democrats) Secretary of the Dept. of Environmental Protection at that time, Mike Krancer, are why there was a series of earthquakes near Youngstown, OH, including a 4.0 magnitude quake on Dec. 31, 2011 (see Youngstown Earthquake and Fracking: Is There a Connection?). Those wicked Republicans who just love to destroy everything. Here’s how the propagandist Woodall used a legitimate story and prefaced it with a totally made-up introduction, just so she could hammer Republicans on fracking one more time…
Read More “Harrisburg “Reporter” Blames Republicans for Earthquakes in Ohio”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | NEXUS Pipeline | Ohio | Pipelines | Statewide OH

CORNballs Tell OH Landowners to Call Police & AG to Stop Pipeline
March 31, 2016March 31, 2016

MDN has written a number of stories about CORN–the COalition to Reroute NEXUS (see our stories here). The CORNballs have just resurfaced to pedal more obstructionist advice, hoping to incite a riot against a simple pipeline in Ohio. Do you know how many thousands of miles of pipelines already exist in Ohio–and have for generations? And yet this group falsely paints a picture of environmental holocaust if one more pipeline is built in the Buckeye State. Like community organizers everywhere, CORN is attempting to foment civil unrest and create an atmosphere where there are potential clashes between landowners, the pipeline company, and local law enforcement. They hope and pray for an “incident” that they can use as publicity to paint the pipeline as evil and uncaring about landowners. It’s all bilge–every last bit of it. Here’s the latest PR offensive from the CORNballs of Ohio…
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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Industrywide Issues | New York | Pipelines | Regulation | Statewide NY

NY Comptroller Attacks Natural Gas Pipelines with Safety “Audit”
March 30, 2016March 30, 2016

New York State’s Comptroller, Thomas DiNapoli, is a hard-left Democrat who has repeatedly targeted the fossil fuel industry in the Empire State–and beyond. As we’ve previously observed, DiNapoli is an anti-drilling bully (see our extensive list of MDN articles on DiNapoli’s attacks here). His latest attempt to smear the fossil fuel industry is to attack pipeline infrastructure. His office conducted an “audit” of pipeline safety from 1995 through 2014 (full copy below) and has supposedly found 194 pipeline “incidents” resulting in 23 fatalities, 123 injuries and $77 million in property damage. The aim, of course, is to imply pipelines are unsafe. There is no context in DiNapoli’s report. For example, during the same period, how many bridges have had “incidents” and how many deaths have there been from bridge accidents? During the same period how many railroad “incidents” have there been and how many deaths? When you stack up pipelines against any other form of transportation, pipelines are the safest mode of transport by far–it’s not even close. But you wouldn’t know that from DiNapoli’s slanted report…
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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Industrywide Issues | Litigation | New York | Regulation | Statewide NY

Climate Change Hucksters, Incl. NY AG & Al Gore, Threaten O&G
March 30, 2016March 31, 2016

A small group of rabidly partisan Democrats who have drunk deeply from global warming Kool Aid–including New York’s corrupt Attorney General Eric Schniederman and global warming huckster Al Gore–gathered yesterday in New York to declare they are ready to litigate from sunup to sundown to ensure Dictator in Chief Obama’s Clean Power Plan (currently being challenged in court) is implemented–both now and by the next El Presidente. It is, of course, a sham. They don’t really believe in global warming–most of them anyway. They’re not that stupid (although Al Gore may be). They want total control over the source of energy you use–because it personally empowers them (in the case of New York Attorney General Schneiderman) and enriches them (in the case of Al Gore who buys and sells energy credits). It’s corruption at the highest levels…
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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Industrywide Issues | Lancaster County | Pennsylvania | Pipelines

Antis Stitch Together Pipeline Quilt in Lancaster County, PA
March 29, 2016March 29, 2016

Last Thursday MDN editor Jim Willis and his wife made a day trip to Amish country–Lancaster County, PA. Jim loves the region. Jim’s wife loves to shop in the region! The flowers were already blooming, the grass green and being mowed, and the crops planted. Nothing like a good whiff of manure from a nearby farm! Wouldn’t you know that a small group of anti-fossil fuelers opposing pipelines in the region would wait until Monday to stage a media event? Why couldn’t they have done it while Jim was there?! The protesters got the bright idea of creating a quilt 50 feet wide–the distance of a pipeline right-of-way–and getting sympathetic media types to come take pictures…
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