Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel

Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Regulation | Statewide NY

The Andy & Junior Show: Part Deux
March 5, 2013March 5, 2013

If the situation with fracking in New York weren’t so tragic, it would be funny. Shakespearian, even. MDN told you yesterday about the Andy and Junior show—how Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s ex-brother-in-law Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. spilled the beans that Cuomo was ready to allow fracking last month and then it was (trumpet fanfare ta da da da) Junior to the rescue! RFK aka Junior says he talked Andy clean out of it (see The Andy & Junior Show: Why NY Fracking is Delayed Yet Again).

But what’s this? Being stung by having the truth aired to the press by what he thought was his confidant, his amigo (never trust a narcissist like Junior), Gov. Andy told the press yesterday Junior’s talk was not why fracking is still on hold…

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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues

Josh Fox Makes First Public Response to FrackNation
March 5, 2013March 5, 2013

The Washington Examiner picked up on Josh Fox’s first known public response to Phelim McAleer’s documentary FrackNation, the devastating critique of Fox’s documentary Gasland. Fox didn’t say much, but what he did say is illuminating:

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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Maryland | Regulation | Statewide MD

Food & Water Watch Pushes for Fracking Ban in Maryland
March 5, 2013March 5, 2013

The anti-drilling group Food & Water Watch believes they have a sympathetic ear with legislators in the State of Maryland—so they’re making an all-out push to get the miracle of fracking banned in the state. Yesterday they released a faux “report” enumerating what they believe are the negatives of fracking. According to FWW, some of the ills fracking will visit upon the pristine state of Maryland include: “air pollution, water pollution, noise pollution, light pollution, marred landscapes and caravans of trucks full of toxic waste.” You mean, just like it hasn’t in PA, OH and WV?

The propaganda (i.e. press release) issued by FWW yesterday:

Read More “Food & Water Watch Pushes for Fracking Ban in Maryland”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Health Impacts | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Regulation | Statewide NY

The Andy & Junior Show: Why NY Fracking is Delayed Yet Again
March 4, 2013March 4, 2013

The truth came out over the weekend from, of all places, the Associated Press (see below). New York Gov. Andrew (“Andy”) Cuomo’s former brother-in-law, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. (we’ll call him “Junior”), couldn’t resist his “the whole world revolves around me” narcissistic tendencies to let the media know that he, Junior, is the real reason fracking in New York is now dead.

Andy was all set to approve up to 40 test wells for fracking just last month, then Andy (a 1-percenter) talked with Junior (another 1-percenter) and that sealed the fate of 77,000 New York landowners (99-percenters) who want to lease their land for drilling.

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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Regulation | Statewide NY

Anti-Fracking Andy – The Giant (Jobs) Slayer
March 4, 2013March 4, 2013

The ongoing moratorium against the miracle of fracking in New York State for horizontal wells has had a devastating effect on the state’s conventional (vertical) natural gas drilling. The moratorium is, in effect, killing all drilling in the state, according to the Independent Oil & Gas Association of New York (IOGA of NY). It’s also killing thousands of jobs supported by the conventional drilling industry.

Commenting on the “rumor” (blabbed by ex-brother-in-law RFK “Jr”) that Gov. Cuomo will delay a fracking decision until a health study just begun in PA is completed, IOGA of NY said the following:

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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Industrywide Issues | New York | Research | Statewide NY

Park Foundation Funds Army of Water Testing Volunteers in NY
March 4, 2013March 4, 2013

The anti-drilling Park Foundation—the organization that funds such luminaries as the husband and wife lawyer team David and Helen Slottje (see Slottje Alert: Lebanon, NY About to be Fleeced)—is hedging their bets just in case Gov. Cuomo suddenly grows a spine and allows safe fracking to go forward. How? They’re funding 100 volunteers to test New York waterways on a regular basis with the thought the testing could be used in court to prove fracking is causing damage to groundwater supplies—when and if fracking ever comes to New York.

The misleadingly-named Community Science Institute provides so-called “volunteers” to do the testing:

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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Orange County | Regulation

Warwick, NY Hypocritically Bans Fracking – We Have a Suggestion
March 1, 2013March 1, 2013

Another group of well-meaning but energy-ignorant New York town board members have voted to ban fracking—this time in the town of Warwick, NY (Orange County—Hudson Valley area). Although there’s no Marcellus or Utica Shale under the town, town council members wanted to make a statement—loud and clear—that they hate fracking and want to strip away the property rights of landowners in the town. Message received.

Just a thought: As MDN readers know, all natural gas comes from well bores that have been fracked. Fracking is used in both horizontal (unconventional) and vertical (conventional) wells. Even conventional natural gas wells in New York are fracked—you did know that, right? If Warwick council members want to make a more meaningful and impactful statement about fracking, we propose the town simply ban the use of natural gas inside town boundaries—by everyone. What’s that? Warwick Town Supervisor Mike Sweeton himself burns natural gas? Say it ain’t so!…

Read More “Warwick, NY Hypocritically Bans Fracking – We Have a Suggestion”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | New York | Regulation | Statewide NY

Unions Say Anti-Fracking Celebrities are Killing Jobs in NY
March 1, 2013March 1, 2013

New York State unions are blasting Yoko Ono, Sean Lennon, Mark Ruffalo and other celebrities (elitist 1 percenters) for killing jobs for hard-working union members (99 percenters) with their activist opposition to shale gas drilling and fracking in New York.

Greg Lancette, political director of the New York State Pipetrades Association—14 local unions with 25,000 members—penned the following op-ed that appears in today’s New York Post:

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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Regulation | Statewide NY

New York Democrats Try, Once Again, To Ban Fracking
February 27, 2013February 27, 2013

Although the evidence has always been there for all to see, it’s now abundantly clear that New York’s Democrat party wants to outright kill oil and gas drilling in the state. They prefer economic suicide to facing down the fracking extremists in their own party.

Yesterday, 30 Assembly Democrats, led by the nose by Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and Environmental Conservation Chairman Robert Sweeney introduced a bill that would ban high volume hydraulic fracturing in the state until 2014. You might as well say it will ban it “forever” because that’s the true intent. They have zero interest in “waiting a little longer for yet one more study.” If you believe that, I have bridge in Brooklyn I’d like to sell you…

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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Industrywide Issues | Maryland | Statewide MD

Maryland Push Poll Gets the Result it Was Designed to Get
February 26, 2013February 26, 2013

A push poll (with loaded questions) commissioned by anti-fracking group Chesapeake Climate Action Network found (surprise!) 78% of Marylanders want to study fracking to death before they allow it in the state.

Does anyone really think this was a legitimate poll? Not when you see the question they asked…

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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Pike County | Pipelines | Tennessee Gas Pipeline

Praying for Dead Trees – The Nutty Gas Protesters of Pike County
February 25, 2013February 25, 2013

Columnist Beth Brelje has penned a must-read editorial on the nutters in Pike County, PA protesting construction of the Tennessee Gas Pipeline’s 323 Line. Brelje says the protesters have scheduled a—get this—prayer vigil, to pray for the “fallen trees.” Yeah, Twilight Zone stuff.

Instead of praying over dead wood, Brelje says protesters might actually want to do something constructive with their time, like:

Read More “Praying for Dead Trees – The Nutty Gas Protesters of Pike County”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Mahoning County | Ohio | Regulation | Utica Shale

Youngstown, OH to Commit Utica Suicide with Vote to Ban Drilling
February 25, 2013February 25, 2013

Is it right for a simple majority to strip away the hard-earned property of their neighbors with an up or down vote? The Founding Fathers called it mob rule, which is why the United States was founded as a democratic republic—not a straight democracy. They recognized that up or down votes that allow citizens to take away property (money, use of land, possessions) from fellow citizens is abhorrent and immoral, which is why they cooked up the ingenious document called the Constitution—full of checks and balances to prevent it from happening.

But alas, the Constitution has become nothing more than toilet paper in some places, like Youngstown, Ohio…

Read More “Youngstown, OH to Commit Utica Suicide with Vote to Ban Drilling”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Crime | Energy Services | GreenHunter Resources | Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Trucking | Washington County (OH) | Wastewater

Protesters Get Violent, Shut Down OH Frack Water Plant
February 21, 2013February 21, 2013

GreenHunter Energy operates a bulk storage and shipping facility near New Matamoras (Washington County), Ohio for salt water (“brine”) that comes from shale wells long after they are drilled and fracked. Brine is naturally occurring water from deep below the ground—water without chemicals from fracking—it just contains a lot of minerals. That fact doesn’t seem to matter to some obtuse protesters.

Yesterday, a group of 100 or so protesters, organized by an extremist group called Appalachia Resist!, stormed the New Matamoras brine facility and shut it down. They engaged in criminal acts by plugging the toilets, stealing keys and in general terrorizing the employees at the facility. Ten of the protesters were arrested (their names, ages and home cities are listed below). More will be charged once police are done reviewing video tapes of the incident.

You may be interested to know that almost all of the people arrested were from other states—not even Ohio residents. GreenHunter is pressing charges, which includes felony counts and possibly charges under the Anti-Terrorism Act.

Read More “Protesters Get Violent, Shut Down OH Frack Water Plant”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Medina County | Ohio | Regulation

Big OH Company Will Leave Town if Anti-Drilling Resolution Passes
February 20, 2013February 20, 2013

Politicians in Brunswick, OH (near Cleveland) are about to learn a lesson the hard way. The Brunswick City Council intends to pass a resolution that calls shale gas drilling “risky” and asks the state legislature to allow local municipalities to ban it—the implication being they want to ban it in Brunswick. The resolution is outright anti-drilling and hostile to the drilling industry. If it passes, a large local company that’s been located in the city for 100 years says they’ll leave and take a huge chunk of tax revenue with them.

Philpott Rubber held a press conference to discuss their very serious threat. Philpott provides “environmentally friendly” products and services for shale drillers through their subsidiary Philpott Energy & Transportation Company. Philpott is planning a major expansion of their business due to an increase in drilling. If Brunswick persists in passing the resolution, Philpott will build a new wholesale operation outside the city, denying the city a boatload of tax money.

Read More “Big OH Company Will Leave Town if Anti-Drilling Resolution Passes”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA | Washington County

Hearing on PA DEP Water Testing – 2.5 Hour Gripe Session
February 20, 2013February 20, 2013

Pennsylvania State Rep. Jesse White (Democrat from Cecil, PA) held a hearing yesterday in Washington, PA that took aim at practices by the state Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) over how they test (or don’t test) and report (or don’t report) on water supplies near active shale drilling locations. The DEP was invited to attend their own roasting but declined, calling White’s hearing political theater, unproductive, unprofessional and a waste of time (see PA DEP Not Attending Hearing on Water Testing Near Shale Drilling).

With representatives from anti-drilling organizations like Earthworks and PennFuture scheduled to testify at the hearing, it’s not surprising the DEP declined to show up just to be bullied. The session was apparently a 2 1/2 hour dump-on-the-DEP-fest:

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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Chautauqua County | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Regulation | Statewide NY

Anatomy of a Moratorium – Why Some NY Towns Ban Fracking
February 19, 2013February 19, 2013

Ill-informed (we would call them willfully ignorant) people show up at a town board meeting and make false statements about the shale drilling industry and ask the board to ban fracking. It’s a scene that plays out repeatedly across New York State, and has just happened again—this time in Pomfret (Chautauqua County), NY, in the western part of the state:

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