Deep Drilling, Deep Pockets Expenditures of the Natural Gas Industry in New York to Influence Public Policy Part II – Lobbying Expenditures A Report by Common Cause/New York April 2011
April 8, 2011
CC_REPORT_FINAL.PDF (application/pdf Object).
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Gulf Oil Spill
April 7, 2011
http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMra1007197
The Gulf Oil Spill
Bernard D. Goldstein, M.D., Howard J. Osofsky, M.D., Ph.D., and Maureen Y. Lichtveld, M.D., M.P.H.
N Engl J Med 2011; 364:1334-1348April 7, 2011
- Article
- References
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One year after the Gulf oil spill (also known as the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the BP oil spill, or the Gulf of Mexico oil spill), the full magnitude of the environmental, economic, and human health effects of this major disaster remain unknown. Despite a growing literature describing the impact of oil spills on health1-28 (Table 1Table 1
Studies of Effects of Oil Spills on the Health and Safety of Workers and Communities. and Table 2Table 2
Studies of Effects of Oil Spills on Mental Health of Workers and Communities.), it is difficult to respond to the many questions asked by clinicians and the public about this spill or the risk of future spills. The uncertainty is exemplified by the study of 55,000 Gulf oil spill workers by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), which is open-ended rather than focused on a specific number of end points.29 The uncertainty also has consequences for the economic and psychosocial well-being of Gulf Coast residents.
Tourism vs Energy Extraction
April 1, 2011
“Slam Bam, Thank You Ma’am”
Shale Gas Drilling Will Come and Go Without Regard to the Protection of our Precious State
The Facts:
• The tourism industry is critical to the long-term health and diversity of New York’s economy; it is sustainable, steady, and long-term.
• Shale gas drilling may bring a short-term boom, which will be followed by a long-term bust, with the substantial risk of contaminated water, an industrialized landscape, infrastructure destruction, and failing health.
• Gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale will gut the tourism industry in treasured areas, including the Catskills, the Finger Lakes, and surrounding areas.
• Water contamination may destroy our world-renowned trout streams — no more anglers.
• Water and land pollution may dramatically reduce our wild game populations – no more hunters.
• An industrialized landscape will destroy natural beauty – no more bird watchers, autumn leaf peepers, cross country skiers, hikers, kayakers, antique shoppers, second home market.
• Water and land contamination may destroy our organic farms, our vineyards and our new growth industry, agri-tourism.
• New York State estimates that every $1 generated directly by tourism indirectly generates $7 for the State’s economy; while the minimal analysis in the draft SGEIS estimates that every $1 generated directly by the Oil & Gas industry generates only $1.40 for the economy.
• Tourism creates more jobs than gas drilling; tourism is a more labor intensive industry, compared to the Oil &Gas industry, which is about 10 times more capital intensive than the average American industry. Moreover, tourism creates more local jobs, while oil and gas relies on a small, transitory workforce from out-of-state. In particular, the tourism industry is critical to the Catskills, generating 15% of total employment.
• Respected research points to the fact that fossil fuel extraction destroys economic diversity and increases long term poverty rates.
Don’t let Gas Drilling Destroy A Critical Industry
Catskill Citizens for Safe Energy Loves New York and Values our Touri
Pennsylvania Limits Authority of Oil and Gas Inspectors
March 31, 2011
Pennsylvania Limits Authority of Oil and Gas Inspectors
In an unprecedented policy shift, inspectors in Pennsylvania have been ordered to stop issuing violations against drillers without prior approval from Gov. Corbett’s new environmental chief.
The change, ordered last week in response to complaints by the drilling industry and its supporters in the Pennsylvania legislature, dismayed ground-level staff in the Department of Environmental Protection and drew a chorus of outrage from environmental advocates.
“I could not believe it,” said John Hanger, the last DEP secretary under Gov. Ed Rendell. “It’s extraordinarily unwise. It’s going to cause the public in droves to lose confidence in the inspection process.” The order applies only to enforcement actions in the Marcellus Shale….
read more: fully story = http://www.philly.com/philly/news/118971044.html
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Iris Marie Bloom
Director, Protecting Our Waters
www.protectingourwaters.com
Groups Warn Governor Cuomo About Gas Extraction Plan
March 31, 2011
An excellent demonstration of the power of letter-writing and media attention!
Groups warn Cuomo about gas extraction plan
About 40 groups, ranging from Neighbors of the Onondaga Nation to Trout Unlimited, wrote to Gov. Andrew Cuomo Tuesday advising him to put the brakes on allowing hydraulic fracturing that they said would pose risks as currently planned. Companies are eager to drill into the deep shale deposits below New York’s surface to extract natural gas.
“We are writing to you on an issue of urgent importance to all New Yorkers – assuring that New York State does not rush to allow risky new drilling techniques in the Marcellus and Utica Shale formations unless the protection of the State’s drinking water supplies and other irreplaceable resources can be demonstrated,” the groups, including Common Cause and the Natural Resources Defense Council, wrote.
“Specifically, we ask that you clearly confirm that the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) will be allowed both adequate time and resources to fully and properly evaluate the full range of potential risks associated with new natural gas development utilizing hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” before issuing a revised draft Supplemental Generic Environmental Impacts (DSGEIS) pursuant to Executive Order 41 (EO 41). Simply put, the arbitrary June 1, 2011 target date established by former Governor David Paterson in EO 41 is wholly inadequate to allow for the development of an appropriately comprehensive or legally sufficient revised DSGEIS.”
The letter was copied to Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Joe Martens.
AP Interview: New York drilling regs may take all summer
Published: Thursday, March 31, 2011, 9:36 AM Updated: Thursday, March 31, 2011, 9:41 AM
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Joe Martens, the new head of New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation, says gas drilling in the massive Marcellus Shale formation is the most daunting environmental issue the agency has faced in its 40-year history, but he’s hopeful rules will be in place by summer’s end to address all the potential impacts.
In an interview with The Associated Press Wednesday, Martens said DEC staff will meet twice a week starting in early April and through the summer to complete a new environmental impact statement for gas drilling that addresses issues raised in the 13,000 comments received on the first draft completed in September 2009.
New York has had a moratorium on gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale since 2008 while new rules are being developed.
MARCELLUS SHALE: THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UNKNOWN NYS Grange Apr. 11 at 7pm
March 30, 2011 1 Comment
MARCELLUS SHALE: THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UNKNOWN
LESSONS LEARNED FROM BRADFORD COUNTY PENNSYLVANIA
An educational seminar on natural gas exploration is scheduled for
Monday April 11th, from 7pm to 9pm at the New York State Grange Headquarters in Cortland, NY.
The seminar will focus on the issues associated with natural gas production in shale formations and lessons learned by our neighbors in northern Pennsylvania (PA).
With over 400 wells, Bradford County, PA is considered to be at the forefront of development in the Marcellus shale “natural gas play”. When the race for natural gas development in shale formations came to PA, the State and Bradford County were not as prepared as they would like to have been. The PA Department of Environmental Protection was quick to issue permits for extracting gas through the use of horizontal hydrofracturing. Horizontal hydrofracturing brought a wide range of opportunities and impacts to the local communities.
With the current moratorium on horizontal hydrofracturing in New York State, local communities have an opportunity to hear firsthand what is happening in northern PA in order to be better prepared for natural gas development, should it come here. With over 30 years of experience at the Bradford County Conservation District, Manager Mike Lovegreen knows every nook and cranny of his county and has seen firsthand the impact this industry can have on small rural communities. Mike will be discussing his experiences relating to the natural gas industry and what the Conservation District and local municipalities roles are regarding issues such as water quality monitoring, roads, economic development, etc. He will discuss the importance of maintaining a good working relationship between local government, the gas industry and the community. All landowners, local officials and community members are invited to attend this informational seminar focusing on Bradford County’s experiences with the natural gas boom of recent years.
This seminar is sponsored by the Cortland County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) and is free and open to the public. If you have any questions about the seminar or any of the services or programs provided by the SWCD please call 607-756-5991 or visit the SWCD website at http://www.cortlandswcd.org.
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Previous presentation
Mike Lovegreen, Bradford County Conservation District Manager, spoke at the Otsego County Water Quality Coordinating Committee meeting on Tuesday, February 22 on first-hand experiences there. He had a lot of interesting things to say — some expected, some not. The boom town information is worth a look. Please see the article in the current issue of OCCA’s newsletter, “The Lookout.” A video is available, and there is a link to his PowerPoint presentation on the OCCA website homepage.
Comment:
James Northrup
TASK FORCE ON ENSURING STABLE NATURAL GAS MARKETS
March 23, 2011
63704_BPC_web.pdf (application/pdf Object).
Bipartisan Policy Center and the American Clean Skies Foundation
TASK FORCE ON ENSURING STABLE NATURAl GAS MARKETS
Groups say facilities wrongly discharging drilling wastewater
March 13, 2011
Groups say facilities wrongly discharging drilling wastewater.
Groups say facilities wrongly discharging drilling wastewater
Two municipal sewage treatment facilities that together discharge 150,000 gallons a day of Marcellus Shale wastewater into the Monongahela River watershed don’t have federal permits for such pollution discharges and should, according to two environmental organizations that say they will sue the facilities in federal court.
Clean Water Action and Three Rivers Waterkeeper on Thursday filed a “notice of intent to sue” against sewage treatment operations in McKeesport and Franklin, Greene County, claiming the facilities are in violation of the federal Clean Water Act.
The notice marks the first legal action challenging the widespread practice of discharging Marcellus wastewater through municipal treatment facilities that do not have permits to treat such waste.
The groups were critical of both the state Department of Environmental Protection and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for failing to enforce existing discharge permits, which limit the facilities to treating and discharging sewage waste water. At least 11 sewage treatment facilities in the state accept and discharge Marcellus wastewater.
“We cannot wait any longer to rely on the state and the EPA to act,” said Myron Arnowitt, state director of Clean Water Action. “These sewage plants have been illegally discharging gas drilling wastewater into our rivers since 2008 without a permit as required by the Clean Water Act.”
Mr. Arnowitt said the treatment facilities should immediately stop accepting the gas drilling wastewater or seek permission to amend their permits so they can legally do so.
The 18-page legal notice sent to the treatment plant and municipal officials in McKeesport and Franklin is a requirement of many federal environmental laws that include citizen suit provisions. It’s the first step toward filing a lawsuit and provides 60 days to negotiate a settlement before a lawsuit can be filed.
In response to water quality concerns, the DEP in 2008 limited the Municipal Authority for the City of McKeesport’s treatment and discharge of Marcellus Shale drilling wastewater to 1 percent of its total discharge, or an average of 102,000 gallons a day going into the Monongahela River. This year the authority’s Marcellus discharge is limited to 99,700 gallons a day, based on its average daily discharge in 2010.
The Franklin Township Sewer Authority in Greene County discharges an average of 50,000 gallons a day of Marcellus drilling wastewater into the South Fork of Ten Mile Creek, a tributary of the Monongahela River. That’s equal to 5 percent of the authority’s daily discharge, and allowed under a negotiated consent agreement with the state Department of Environmental Protection.
Those state-imposed treatment and discharge limits don’t address the main claim of the environmental groups: that their existing discharge permits haven’t been changed to allow them to accept the drilling wastewater and that the discharges are having a detrimental effect on water quality in the rivers.
About 500,000 people get their drinking water from the Mon.
“Their failure to follow proper procedures for authorization to discharge oil and as wastewater renders their discharge illegal,” the notice states. “Their failure to follow the requirements pertaining to the pretreatment program also leaves them in violation of the Clean Water Act.”
Joe Ross, executive director of the McKeesport authority, and George Scott, general manager of the Franklin facility, said Thursday afternoon they hadn’t seen the notice filing or been contacted by the environmental groups, so declined to comment.
R40894.pdf (application/pdf Object)
March 8, 2011
Unconventional Gas Shales: Development, Technology, and Policy Issues. R40894.pdf (application/pdf Object). Congressional Research Service, 2009 No. R40894
GDACC 
