Hydraulic Fracturing

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    Media Bias in Story re NJ Senate Vote to Ban Frack Waste

    We’re always amazed that because a newspaper is published on dead trees, the reporters for that paper are somehow accorded the honor of being impartial and unbiased–and the pap they write, especially about drilling and fracking, is somehow impartial and unbiased. When in fact nothing could be further from the truth. Case in point: an article appearing in today’s Hackensack, NJ’s The Record, reporting on a bill that passed the NJ Senate yesterday that would ban the treatment or disposal of frack waste in the state. The story says “environmentalists” are delighted because they may be able to arm-twist enough legislators to override a veto by Gov. Christie this time around (they tried it in 2012 and failed).

    It’s the way the obviously anti-drilling reporter “reports” (or rather mis-reports) the news that is so egregious. The article is anything but impartial. The “reporter” (we’d say anti-drilling advocate) definitely takes a side, and attempts his best smear job at clean, safe fracking for natural gas–used by his own state in quantities larger than most other states. To which we say: When will PA, WV and OH start banning their shale gas from being sold to states like NJ and others who ban fracking or the clean, safe treatment of frack waste? Here’s is the article with MDN’s suggested edits, using strike throughs and [brackets]…
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    Rogue Federal EPA Tries New Power Play to Regulate Fracking

    On Friday the rogue and out-of-control federal Environmental Protection Agency continued its rogue and out-of-control ways. Even though the drilling industry has formed FracFocus.org to register the chemicals used at every single well drilled, and even though many states require their drillers to file reports with FracFocus, and even though anyone, including you and me as well as the EPA can run a quick search on any well to find out what chemicals have been used–the EPA is considering their own rule on reporting. On Friday the EPA issued an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR, full copy embedded below) that threatens to bring down the jackboots of the EPA on the necks of drillers everywhere–requiring them to do what they already do. In their ANPR the EPA says maybe new regulations will be federal regs (in violation of the U.S. Constitution which stipulates the states regulate oil and gas drilling), or maybe it will be voluntary, maybe it will be just a report filed with the feds, maybe a report filed with a third party (like FracFocus). Lots of maybes in the generic, mealy-mouthed ANPR.

    Make no mistake. This is the beginning of a huge power grab–something the EPA has lusted for. The clock is ticking on the failed Obama administration and they want to grab any power–by law or fiat–that they can. The EPA has NO business regulating oil and gas drilling in the United States–unless we hand it to them on a silver platter. Once published in the Federal Register there will be a 90-day comment period. Let’s flood the power-crazed EPA with comments telling them “no thanks.” Below is the EPA press release along with a copy of the draft ANPR…
    Read More “Rogue Federal EPA Tries New Power Play to Regulate Fracking”

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    PA Farmers Flourish Thanks to Marcellus While NY Farmers Fail

    A rather long, and surprisingly pretty balanced, article appeared over the weekend in The Buffalo News comparing and contrasting Pennsylvania and New York’s approach to the issue of shale drilling. The reporter actually talked to a number of sources on both sides of the drilling issue and wrote a good article that presents the facts of the economic miracle happening in PA, and the economic misery happening in upstate NY because of our state’s dithering. You can tell it’s a good article when the cadre of about a half dozen anti-drillers (pathetic people with no lives apart from opposing drilling) flock to the comments to condemn the article and condemn those who dare to post a positive comment about drilling.

    The article opens with the classic tale of two cities theme, comparing the fortunes (or lack thereof) of two farmers on opposite sides of the NY/PA border…
    Read More “PA Farmers Flourish Thanks to Marcellus While NY Farmers Fail”

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    Feds Attempt a Power Grab of Delaware River Basin

    grabNew York Sen. Chuck Schumer earlier this week paid nominal lip service to the marvels of shale drilling (see Sen. Chuck Schumer Supports Fracking in NY – Sort of). Although some on the pro-drilling side didn’t like MDN’s take on the gasbag Schumer and his false support of drilling, we offer evidence of his true intentions. Yesterday Schumer and six other senators (all liberal Democrats) introduced a bill to “preserve and improve [the] Delaware River Watershed.” The so-called “Delaware River Basin Conservation Act of 2014” would “establish the Delaware River Basin Restoration Program within the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The program would implement a coordinated approach, requiring the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service director to adopt a basin-wide plan that sustains and enhances the Delaware River basin restoration and protection efforts. The program would support projects from federal, state, and local governments and stakeholders, ensuring that existing successful restoration plans are leveraged.”

    Translation: The feds want to trample over the states and take over the Delaware River Basin, which means there never will be any shale drilling in places like Wayne County, PA which happens to sit in the basin. It’s a horrible bill–a federal power grab–and it needs to be opposed. Vigorously. Thanks Chucky, for your so-called “support” of shale drilling. Schmuck. An even bigger schmuck is Sen. Bob Casey–from Pennsylvania! He’s one of the seven lib Dem senators sponsoring this abomination…
    Read More “Feds Attempt a Power Grab of Delaware River Basin”

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    New PA Bill Would Separate Conventional/Unconventional Regulations

    This one goes under the “that’s interesting” heading. Three Pennsylvania Republican legislators say they will soon introduce new legislation that will separate regulations for conventional (vertical only) and unconventional (shale) drilling in the state. According to Reps. Martin Causer (R-Turtlepoint), Kathy Rapp (R-Warren) and Matt Gabler (R-Clearfield/Elk), the two styles of drilling are way different and “it simply makes no sense to apply the same standards to these operations.” Huh.

    We’re sure the representatives have the best of intentions, but we’re not sure new and different regulations are required. The concern is not about unconventional rules and regulations–the concern is that new rules implemented for unconventional drilling are and have been onerous for traditional/conventional drilling. The claim is that the rules applied across the board to both types of drilling are driving many mom and pop drilling operations out of business. Below is the press announcement and justification for the politicians’ proposed new legislation. We’ll reserve judgment for now and wait to hear more. In the mean time, we come down on the slightly skeptical side that this is truly needed…
    Read More “New PA Bill Would Separate Conventional/Unconventional Regulations”

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    PA Energy Rally Huge Success with Thousands Marching to Capitol

    I Missed the BusA (not so funny) thing happened on the way to the forum, er PA Energy Rally yesterday. MDN editor Jim Willis showed up at the appointed bus stop at 6:45 am with 15 minutes to spare–and as he pulled in, the bus was pulling out onto Interstate 81. Jim missed the bus! The Marcellus Shale Coalition has been very apologetic (and very upset with the bus company–the contract clearly states don’t leave until 7 am). So after inviting you to the rally, and with intentions of having a first-hand account report, Jim missed it. He was equal parts sad and angry–but that’s life.

    But don’t despair. By all accounts it was a great day with anywhere from 2,500-3,000 people marching to the Capitol steps in Harrisburg. By the way, when was the last time you heard about 3,000 anti-drillers marching in Harrisburg? Yeah, us neither. There were, however, anti-drillers who tried to rain on the parade–something like 6 to 8 anti-drillers. You read that right–single digits for the loonies who turned out to hold up a sign against shale drilling in their big, huge “counter protest.” The only people who even noticed them were reporters sticking cameras in their faces. At one point a single anti-driller tried to shout something. A few pro-drillers noticed–and laughed. Silly fools.

    Below we have a couple of media accounts of the rally. Strangely, the AP article is about the most fair and balanced we found. The reliably anti-drilling StateImpact Pennsylvania covered it too, with their reliably anti-drilling slant. We also have a funny sour grapes comment from the anti-drilling Jan Jarrett, former president/CEO of the anti-drilling environmentalist group PennFuture…
    Read More “PA Energy Rally Huge Success with Thousands Marching to Capitol”

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    Sen. Chuck Schumer Supports Fracking in NY – Sort of

    Windbag U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer, Democrat from the great state of New York, appeared yesterday on the cable news station no one watches–MSNBC. He was on Joe Scarborough’s “Morning Joe” program ostensibly to talk about the Keystone XL pipeline and the minimum wage. However, the conversation turned to shale drilling in general, and shale drilling in New York in particular. Sleazeball Schumer was quick to say yeah yeah yeah us Democrats love frackin’ too. Frack on! But when asked if fracking should be done in NY, he backpedaled so hard he just about pulled a hamstring. He doesn’t want to get in man-child Andy Cuomo’s mess when it comes to fracking in the Empire State.

    Here’s how it went with Chucky yesterday…
    Read More “Sen. Chuck Schumer Supports Fracking in NY – Sort of”

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    New Research Project Samples Water Wells in E Ohio Near Fracking

    Researchers at the University of Cincinnati are looking for homeowners with private wells willing to have their wells sampled as part of ongoing research into the effects (or lack thereof) from nearby fracking. The idea is to do some real science for a change–that is, to take samples before drilling begins and then again during and after–to see if shale drilling has an effect on ground water supplies. What a brilliant concept! Real, in the field research and done before, during and after. Sharp folks at UC.

    Here’s the details from the UC on what they play to do, and how to contact them if you live in Carroll, Columbiana, Harrison, Belmont, Noble, or Guernsey counties in Ohio…
    Read More “New Research Project Samples Water Wells in E Ohio Near Fracking”

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    White House Professes to Love Fracking – Yeah, Right

    Yesterday senior White House officials, in a press briefing, went on the record with a “strong endorsement” of the U.S. oil and gas industry and its resurgence due to shale drilling and fracking. John Podesta, a top adviser to President Obama, essentially said the White House loves fracking. He then said fracking is a bridge to the libs’ ultimate dream of an alternative energy nirvana future. In the meantime, fracking will be tolerated by our benevolent and beloved Dear Leader, Herr Barack.

    Yes, it was all theater as it always is with this bunch. They didn’t mean a word of it. How can we make such a bold statement? Because their actions speak way louder than their lying words. The Obama White House is doing everything they can to make fracking harder–from punitive and restrictive BLM regulations to new EPA regulations. They just as soon strangle fracking as allow it–so in the meantime, they’ll just take credit for something they’ve had NOTHING to do with. Oh, and the timing of the White House “we love fracking” statement sure is curious–coming the day before the White House will release their third “climate assessment” to let us all know that carbon is set to make Mother Earth bake…
    Read More “White House Professes to Love Fracking – Yeah, Right”

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    NJ Engineering Firm Coming to Montrose to Clean Up Fracking Mess

    Sadat Associates, a Trenton, NJ-based environmental engineering company, rather arrogantly believes it will sashay in and clean up “the mess” caused by fracking in the Marcellus Shale–at least that’s how we read an article appearing in The Times of Trenton. Sort of like Superman has arrived on the scene–now all our problems will be fixed. Sadat Associates has a lot to learn about getting work in the Marcellus Shale industry.

    Our prediction–they may want to stick to servicing their current industrial polluting clients in New Jersey. We doubt too many will take kindly to their poor portrayal of a safe industry in northeast Pennsylvania…
    Read More “NJ Engineering Firm Coming to Montrose to Clean Up Fracking Mess”

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    Turns Out that State College Teens are the REAL Scientists

    Back in February we told you about high school kiddies from the State College, PA area who are helping with a project to monitor water conditions in a creek that runs through Black Moshannon State Park (see State College Teens Help Out with Shale Network Water Sampling). The project is part of something called the Teen Shale Network. The point is to monitor the water to get baseline readings ahead of shale drilling slated to be begin nearby, and then again after–to see if there are any changes that can be attributed to shale drilling. Wow! What a concept! Real, live, actual, in-the-field empirical research.

    Contrast the dedication of these kids slogging through the snow all winter, entering freezing waters to do real, actual science, with that of people like Cornell “professors” Tony Ingraffea and Robert Howarth, who sit in ivory towers reading the work of other scientists and generating term papers they call “research” (see Devastating Critique of New Ingraffea/Howarth Methane Study by EID). Big difference. If you ask us, the State College kids are the real scientists. Here’s an update on the activity of our real scientists doing real research…
    Read More “Turns Out that State College Teens are the REAL Scientists”

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    Radical Trout Unlimited Says Fracking OK Sometimes…Really??

    For the past few years MDN has pointed out that groups like Trout Unlimited (TU) are strongly anti-drilling. Maybe not every last member is against drilling, but every quote we’ve ever read from the organization proper or it’s members comes down on the side of being against shale drilling. In February the watchdog group Center for Consumer Freedom named TU and others as “radical green groups” (see Trout Unlimited, Other Groups Outted as Radical Green Groups).

    We thought it was interesting, and funny, that the increasingly anti-drilling Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (must be the industry spends more ad dollars with their rival the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review) ran an article focusing on the ever-so-reasonable TU and it’s considered, erudite, nuanced approach to shale drilling. A TU senior official says in the article: “We’re not opposed to fracking, we just think it shouldn’t happen everywhere.” Right. Just change that last word to “anywhere” and you have their real sentiments…
    Read More “Radical Trout Unlimited Says Fracking OK Sometimes…Really??”

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    Unusual Letter to the Editor in Upstate NY Newspaper

    A letter to the editor published in the Jamestown, NY Post-Journal is so unusual, it caught our eye and made us want to share it with you. As you know, there is an ongoing moratorium (let’s just call it a ban, because that’s what it really is) in New York–going on almost six years now. Some 70,000 landowners and a lone energy company, Norse Energy, are the only ones with the guts to sue to break the ban (see NY Hearing on JLCNY/Norse Lawsuit v Cuomo, Martens, Shah).

    The letter to the editor we noticed is in some respects like many others. It points out the rank hypocrisy of anti-drillers in NY who oppose shale drilling when 1/3 of the state–including many in the anti-drilling movement–heat their homes with fracked natural gas from Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia. The letter also points out some other key arguments. The unusual thing about the letter? It’s from a former member of the NY State Assembly–a Democrat. THAT caught our attention…
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    20 Youngstown U Profs Attempt PR Stunt on Frack Ban – Goes Limp

    On Wednesday, 20 Democrat faculty members who teach at Youngstown University, most of whom (perhaps all) are *not* professors in the geosciences area (i.e. they’re clueless about fracking) attempted a PR stunt that well, went limp. They all endorsed a frack ban that’s coming around for the THIRD time on the ballot in Youngstown (voting happens May 8). Even the Democrat mayor of Youngstown knows that such a ban would be a “jobs killer” for the city and recommends a “no” vote next week (see Anti-Drillers Force 3rd Vote on Frack Ban in Youngstown).

    Here’s the limp effort from 20 professors at a university you probably should not send your children to because people like those listed below mis-teach there:
    Read More “20 Youngstown U Profs Attempt PR Stunt on Frack Ban – Goes Limp”

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    Boone Pickens Says Fracking Doesn’t Hurt Anybody–He Should Know

    You’ve gotta love the plain spoken, Texan, oil billionaire T. Boone Pickens. At a conference in California, Boone said fracking won’t hurt anybody.He also said environmentalists “moan and groan about it,” but at the end of the day fracking happens two miles below the surface. Boone says he’s fracked 2,000 wells during his life and none of them caused environmental damage.

    Boone also talked about renewable energy and the one “insignificant” adverse effect that comes from fracking…
    Read More “Boone Pickens Says Fracking Doesn’t Hurt Anybody–He Should Know”

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    EDF Endorses Drilling & Fracking Again, Sort Of

    Former Mayor of New York City Michael Bloomberg, a very wealthy Democrat who ran as a Republican and then changed to become an Independent, along with the mostly anti-drilling head of the Environmental Defense Fund, Fred Krupp, teamed up to write an op-ed which they sent around to, well, everyone, including MDN. The New York Times picked it up and ran it, so we though we would insert it below. It essentially says regulations so strict they force the breath out of shale drillers is a good thing. So let’s continue to let them drill, as long as they jump through fractals of hoops while they do it.

    The piece is noteworthy because the EDF, the “best” of the anti-drilling wacko so-called environmentalist organizations, frequently is criticized by their wacko “green” brethren because they won’t call for an outright ban on all shale drilling. And indeed in this op-ed Krupp endorses shale drilling and fracking–but like we said, as long as it’s regulated so tight it leaves drillers with little profit or incentive…
    Read More “EDF Endorses Drilling & Fracking Again, Sort Of”