Hydraulic Fracturing

Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Public Opinion | Statewide NY

Poll of NYers Finds Continued Even Split on Drilling Issue
July 30, 2012July 30, 2012

Last week Quinnipiac University released the survey results for the latest New York State poll they conduct periodically. For some time they have asked the same questions regarding shale gas drilling in the state. The results from the latest survey, along with a summary of previous surveys going back one year, are embedded below.

MDN likes to give you the full, unvarnished survey results so you can see for yourself the language used in the questions, and the breakout of the responses between downstate and upstate. What does the latest survey show? What it’s shown for the past year or more: New Yorkers are divided 50/50 on the question of drilling in the Marcellus Shale.

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Hancock County | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | West Virginia

First Marcellus Well Drilled in Hancock County, WV
July 30, 2012July 30, 2012

Hydraulic fracturing has begun on the first shale gas well in West Virginia’s northern-most county, Hancock County:

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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Regulation | Tompkins County

Warning: Caroline Residents to be Stripped of Property Rights
July 30, 2012July 30, 2012

The Town of Caroline in (where else?) Tompkins County, NY is getting ready to strip away the property rights of their citizens. All that stands in the way is a sham public hearing and a town board vote and poof—the property rights for thousands of residents—guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution—are gone. This is something that is happening (distressingly) with an increasing frequency in New York State.

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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues

Mainstream Media Bias Against Fracking Indisputable
July 27, 2012July 27, 2012

The Media Research Center (MRC) has an excellent article about the negative propaganda spewed in the mainstream media against the miracle of hydraulic fracturing. In researching the issue, MRC finds this about the news programs of the three major networks:

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Coterra Energy (Cabot O&G) | Energy Companies | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Susquehanna County

EPA Closes the Door on Dimock Investigation – Water is Clean
July 26, 2012July 26, 2012

The federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a statement yesterday that they’re now officially finished with their investigation of Dimock, PA water wells. EPA testing of 64 wells in the area found elevated levels of arsenic, barium or manganese in four wells—all of those substances are naturally occurring. EPA has been delivering water to the four households, but since those households now have water treatment systems to fix the problem, as of August 6 the EPA will end all water deliveries. (Calling Josh Fox and Mark Ruffalo! We haven’t seen you in Dimock for a while. This is your last chance for another 2 hour visit/photo op. Better grab it while you can.)

The EPA statement (see below) closes a very long chapter in the fight over hydraulic fracturing and the false claims that fracking leaks chemicals into water supplies. Cabot Oil & Gas, the driller accused of contaminating water supplies around Dimock, was delighted (and vindicated) by the EPA’s investigation and was quick to comment (also below).

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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Maryland | Statewide MD

Food & Water Watch Pushes for Fracking Ban in Maryland
July 26, 2012July 26, 2012

The odious Food & Water Watch, based in Washington, D.C., has joined up with a Democrat Maryland state delegate, Shane Robinson, in calling for a statewide ban on fracking in Maryland. News flash: There is no fracking in Maryland there won’t be until 2014 at the earliest, and if they did start drilling, the Marcellus Shale is only found in two counties in Maryland! But that makes no difference to F&WW.

F&WW are the same people circulating a “ban fracking” petition in rich neighborhoods in Rhode Island, where there is no shale to frack, in a pathetically transparent fundraising attempt (see this MDN story). Yeah, same organization. Makes you wonder if this latest call to ban fracking is yet more fundraising on the part of F&WW.

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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Statewide NY

Alec Baldwin’s Anti-Fracking (and Entertaining) Blog Post
July 26, 2012July 26, 2012

The anger-challenged actor Alec Baldwin writes an anti-fracking blog post for the Huffington Post. It’s meant to bring pressure on one person: NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

The post is incoherent (and narcissistic), as is usual for Baldwin. MDN only mentions and links to it for entertainment value, since you know, Alec is an entertainer (the one job he’s good at—when he’s not in an out-of-control rage).

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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Regulation | Statewide NY

Surprising Revelations about Cuomo’s Fracking Plan [FREE]
July 25, 2012July 25, 2012

Gov. Cuomo’s rumored plan to begin horizontal hydraulic fracturing of shale for oil and gas (mostly gas) in New York State is an important issue that threatens to fracture the alliance of those of us on the pro-drilling side of the debate. Many people (including MDN) are rightly outraged that not all landowners in all areas of the state will be given the opportunity to participate in drilling—at lease initially (if you believe the rumors about the governor’s plan).

But a highly placed source with knowledge of both the landowners’ plight and the governor’s thinking recently spoke to MDN to let us know we’re viewing this issue through the wrong end of the telescope and that landowners outside of select counties have not been left out. Let me explain…

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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues

France’s Confusing Stance on a Fracking Ban
July 25, 2012July 25, 2012

Yesterday MDN reported on the Bloomberg Businessweek story that France is reconsidering its ban on fracking (see this MDN story). It seems the Businessweek story created a bit of a stir because the French government has assured everyone the ban remains. Except if new technology comes out, then they might reconsider. All of which is driving Greenpeace bonkers (which is always a good thing).

Let’s try to sort it out.

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Chenango County | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Regulation

2 More NY Southern Tier Towns Vote to Endorse Drilling
July 24, 2012July 23, 2012

Two more townships in Chenango County, NY have passed resolutions supporting whatever plan the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) proposes with respect to horizontal hydraulic fracturing for the Marcellus and Utica Shale. Anti-drillers would say they’ve voted to support drilling, although the resolutions simply state they will leave it up to individuals to decide.

The towns of Coventry and Greene voted to adopt a resolution in favor of drilling. Of the townships located in the Lucky Five Counties (Broome, Chemung, Chenango, Steuben and Tioga) that have voted on the topic of drilling, the vast majority have voted in favor, or more accurately with a neutral resolution saying they won’t ban it.

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Energy Companies | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Total

France Considers Lifting its Ban on Fracking
July 24, 2012July 23, 2012

Don’t look now, but one of the shining examples of an entire country that banned fracking—France—a country exalted by anti-drillers as a shining example for America to emulate, is considering…lifting the ban! That’s right, the new French government, which is Socialist to the point of being Communist, sees all of the jobs being created by shale drilling in the U.S.—and they’re lusting for it.

Faced with keeping the ban to placate the greens, or lift the ban and embrace safe drilling and reap thousands of new jobs, the new Socialist French government is leaning toward the later. C’est la vie.

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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues

5 Things Business Insider Learned about Fracking
July 24, 2012July 23, 2012

When a mainstream media outlet deigns to tell the truth about fracking, as did the AP a few days ago (see this MDN story), other news outlets start saying things like the fracking debate has “reached a new, bizarre dimension” (Business Insider, July 23). Isn’t it sad when truth is considered bizarre?

Business Insider (BI) got a headache from all the fracking talk—they just don’t know who to believe. I mean, when the AP outs Josh Fox as a liar, maybe the world really is coming to end, right? So BI turned to a geologist, Dr. Steven Marshak at the University of Illinois, to help them out. Dr. Marshak writes geology textbooks, so BI figures he must know a thing or two about fracking.

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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues

AP to Josh Fox: Fracking Does Not Cause Breast Cancer
July 23, 2012July 23, 2012

Wow, something we never thought we would see: The Associated Press skewers Josh Fox (Gasland and The Sky is Pink), exposing the lie he spreads that breast cancer rates are higher in the Barnett Shale in Texas because of fracking. The truth is, breast cancer rates in that area are not higher than other areas of the state or country. Oh oh Josh, don’t look now, but your lies are being exposed by your pals in the mainstream media.

The AP story starts out this way:

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Chenango County | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Regulation

Sen. Libous Responds to Chenango County, NY Rumor
July 23, 2012July 23, 2012

MDN recently told you about the CNY Landowner’s Coalition sounding the alarm that Chenango County, NY may not be included in the initial hydraulic fracturing “test run” that is rumored to be coming from Gov. Andrew Cuomo (see this MDN story). Coalition members number in the thousands and represent over 240,000 acres of land—the largest single coalition MDN is aware of. So when they mobilized their members to write and call Gov. Cuomo and State Sen. Tom Libous (their representative in Albany), that’s just what happened. And the politicians noticed.

At a recent pro-drilling event, Sen. Libous responded to the rumor that Chenango County would be dropped from the rumored plan to allow fracking in “The Lucky Five” counties:

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Earthquakes | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Wastewater

Bloomberg Targets Fracking for Recycling Water, Earthquakes
July 23, 2012July 23, 2012

Another masterful hit job against fracking by Bloomberg, this one appearing in Bloomberg Businessweek. The latest propaganda piece masquerading as an article, titled “Fracking Foes Build Momentum for Recycling,” goes after fracking based on the amount of water used, especially in light of the “the worst U.S. drought in a half century.”

The aim of the article is to plant the seed that fracking uses too much water, although the article’s authors admit (slipping in this fact along the way) that water use for hydraulic fracturing in Pennsylvania is less than one-tenth of one percent (0.01) of all water used every day in that state. In other words, the amount of water used by fracking in PA is a rounding error. Makes no difference—the authors plow on trying to sully the reputation of fracking.

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Fayette County | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania

Ohiopyle, PA Summer Camp Brainwashes Kids Against Fracking
July 23, 2012July 23, 2012

Be careful which camp you send your kids to this summer. The camp they attend may just be brainwashing them against the miracle of hydraulic fracturing, like the Mountain Watershed Association did when it held its Clean Water Camp last week at the Ohiopyle Community Center in Ohiopyle, PA.

Little 8 year-olds at the camp were visited by Tour de Frack bike riders on their way to a hippie-fest anti-fracking rally in Washington, D.C. and they took time out to share a brainwashing session with youngsters:

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