Veterans Defend Seneca Lake Against Environmental Enemies "Foreign or Domestic"

Colleen Boland and Sandra Steingraber arrested @ Seneca Lake

On October 27, retired Air Force Senior Master Sgt. Collen Boland zipped up a fleece jacket emblazoned with her name, rank and rows of decorations, then headed to Crestwood energy’s site on Seneca Lake. There, she linked arms with others defending Seneca Lake from the proposed gas storage project. When a tractor trailer approached, Boland and the others refused to move. Within minutes Sheriff’s deputies showed up and arrested the protesters.

Boland, who was born and raised in Corning, NY, never thought of herself as an activist. She never thought of herself as a tree-hugger. After four years of service in the Army and another thirteen in the Air Force, Boland retired. She took off her uniform and moved on to new things.

But with industrialized drilling and gas storage encroaching on the local landscape, Boland reluctantly polished her boots and dusted off her awards and decorations and prepared to serve in a new way.  In a press conference last week she reflected on her years of military service, and the places she was stationed. One thing they had in common, she said, is water. Children in Schuyler County and Dimock, Pennsylvania, like children in Malaysia and elsewhere, need access to clean water.

Explaining why she wore a “civilianized” version of her Air Force jacket, Boland explained that she was trying to dispel the notion that “the only people standing up to protect our water, our air, and our communities are tree-hugging hippies or out of touch dreamers. Don't get me wrong, I love trees, but I was never quite cool enough to be a hippie —and I'm certainly not dreaming," she said to laughter and applause.

Boland is distressed and offended that people who oppose extreme fossil fuel extraction are being dismissed as “people who don’t belong here.” We do belong here, she declared.

 "I am still serving, still defending. I am defending the natural beauty of the Finger Lakes region that I love against all enemies foreign and domestic. Crestwood is my enemy." Boland isn't the only Veteran defending the lake; Dwain Wilder, a former sailor, spent his Veterans Day in jail for his part in the protest.

Watch the video of the press conference and read an interview with Boland in the Air Force Times.

LA Sinkhole Grows; State Considers Permits for Similar Projects

After a week of rain, more residents are finding bubbles seeping through the surface of their land  near the ever-growing sinkhole in Assumption Parish, LA.

No one seems to be able to control the expanding Bayou Corne“sinkhole” – an oil/gas industry-owned salt dome storage facility that measures one mile across by 3 miles long.  The collapsing dome has engulfed eight acres and could, experts say, grow to the size of 30 football fields. The dome collapsed in August and some 300 people who were evacuated still remain without their homes.

If this were not enough, on December 19 residents around Lake Peigneur were shocked to learn that the Department of Natural Resources is considering a permit to develop natural gas storage caverns beneath their lake. This is the same lake that, in 1980, experienced a huge sinkhole when a gas drilling rig accidentally drilled into an underground salt cavern. Two and a half billion gallons of water was sucked into a giant whirlpool that measured about 100 feet across. It also sucked down 11 barges, a tugboat, fishing boats, and 65 acres of land from Jefferson Island. Fortunately the 55 miners in the salt caverns managed to evacuate the catastrophe.

Assumption Parish residents are wondering whether anyone is paying attention to their plight. Their governor, Bobby Jindal has not dropped by since he declared an emergency and mandated evacuation in early August. Meanwhile, the Houston-based Texas Brine company has failed to meet several deadlines for the cleanup effort.

Louisiana Sinkhole Shakes, Grows, Flares

Jeff Dubinsky

There's lots of activity down in Assumption Parish, Louisiana - but it's mostly geological. The sinkhole has grown about four acres since it started at the beginning of August. That's on top of the thousands of earthquakes - oops, "tremors" - recorded by the USGS. According to the article:

Last week, Dr. Raoult Ratard, State Epidemiologist with Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals Office (DHH) of Public Health, sent an environmental data report of the Bayou Corne oil and gas sinkhole event to Assumption Parish President Martin S. Triche, stating that methane, detected in the area industrial water wells, presents a potential health risk, a "Type 2 of fire/explosion.”

Meanwhile, about 150 families remain evacuated from their homes - they were told to leave August 4. Now, officials are warning people about the presence of methane, and some are wondering just how safe it is to stay in their homes.

Jeff Dubinsky flew over the sinkhole yesterday and took a series of photos. He also noted the intense petroleum fumes and odors:

... the heaviest and strongest I have ever experienced in all my time in Louisiana. Perhaps even worse still was that the odor was hovering directly over the community... 

Protesters Block Inergy Facility near Watkins Glen, NY

William Huston / Shaleshock Media

Over on Seneca Lake, just north of Watkins Glen is a salt mine that Inergy is converting to a gas storage facility. Even though there are tons of questions about the environmental issues - including a large  impoundment for holding brine that will be pumped out of the salt caverns when gas is stored - the company is steaming ahead with its plans.

Seneca Lake is beautiful, with wineries lining the shores and boats bobbing about. It's nestled in between hills, so any leaking brine or other things would, of course, run downhill into the lake.

William Huston / Shaleshock Media

That's got a number of citizens concerned. They've petitioned their town boards, the NY Department of Environmental Conservation and Inergy representatives, to no avail. So yesterday a few hardy souls - 17 of them, mostly gray-haired and over 60 - headed to the gate of the Inergy facility to express themselves more clearly.

William Huston / Shaleshock Media

Two of the protesters chained themselves to the fence and kept traffic from entering or leaving for two hours. Another stood alongside, refusing to move when ordered to do so by the police, summoned by Inergy to clear them out. Three people were arrested: Jerry Alderson of Hector, age 63 and editor of the No Frack Almanac; Gary Judson, age 72, a retired minister; and Susan Walker, aged 53, of Dundee.

William Huston / Shaleshock Media

They were charged with trespassing, stuffed into sheriff's cars and transported to the Schuyler County Jail for processing. Lo and behold, there on the wall, engraved on a bronze plaque at the jail was a prayer that very well could have been written for these protesters:
  

Lord, I ask for courage.

Courage to face my own fear.

Courage to take me where others will not go.

I ask for strength.

Strength of body to protect others.

Strength of spirit to lead others.

I ask for dedication

Dedication to my job, to do it well.

Dedication to my community, to keep it safe.

Louisiana Sinkhole keeps growing

The sinkhole above a salt dome used to store brine keeps on growing. It gobbled up another 20 or so feet yesterday. Here's what AP had to say about it yesterday:

When the sinkhole expanded Sunday, the owners of three natural gas pipelines at the edge of the liquefied area were asked to flare off and depressurize their pipelines as a precaution. Louisiana Highway 70 was temporarily closed and Gov. Bobby Jindal declared a state of emergency in Assumption Parish. At least 150 homes and several businesses were ordered to evacuate.

Read more - and see a video at the Clarion Ledger.

Update on Louisiana Sinkhole

According to a report in today's Advocate, Louisiana Department of Natural Resources and Texas Brine Co. officials knew about problems since January 2011, and possibly earlier, that one of the company’s salt dome caverns may have developed problems that could be causing the sinkhole in Assumption Parish. They also admitted that there is an accumulation of radioactive scale from NORM (naturally occurring radioactive material) in the brine they stored.

Assumption Parish, LA Disappearing down a Giant Sinkhole

At the end of June, some folks in Assumption Parish, LA,noticed bubbles coming up in the water in the Bayou Corne area. This is an area near where a blow-out occurred during earlier gas drilling, so people thought the bubbles might be methane.

Sure enough, testing showed that the bubbles were methane – but no one could figure out where they’re coming from: the gas well? The pipeline? Nearby salt caverns owned by a gas company?

Then yesterday a big sinkhole began to form. People complained of smelling diesel earlier, but no official action was taken. However, on Friday a the sinkhole began swallowing up several acres of trees, so Governor Bobby Jindal declared an emergency and ordered 150 homes evacuated.

The sinkhole is located about half a mile from the road but only 600 feet from the nearest pipeline. The nearest water well is 1300 feet away, the nearest home about 2500 feet. Photos here.

 

Is it related to the bubbling methane? Possibly – the sinkhole is only 1900 feet from the nearest bubbles. At the rate it’s growing, it might get there before too long; already it’s threatening storage wells of flammable hydrocarbons.

Texas Sharon is keeping an eye on things as they progress - the amazing thing is that there is little about this in the news.

DEC Announces Scoping Document for LPG Underground Storage near Seneca Lake

Just a bit over two months ago my colleague Peter Mantius wrote about the intent of industry to turn salt mines adjacent to Seneca Lake into LPG storage caverns. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), as Lead Agency for the Finger Lakes liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) storage project, has determined that the scope of the proposed action and its potential for significant adverse environmental impacts is such that a draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (DSEIS) should be prepared. A Draft Scoping Outline for the DSEIS is available for review here - but if you want to comment, you'll need to hurry. Comments are due by the end of the month.

Finger Lakes LPG Storage, LLC proposes to construct and operate a new underground liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) storage facility for the storage and distribution of propane and butane on a portion of a 576 acre site located on NYS Routes 14 and 14A west of Seneca Lake in the Town of Reading, New York. The storage facility will utilize existing caverns in the Syracuse salt formation created by US Salt and its predecessors' salt production operations. 

As proposed, a maximum of 2.10 million barrels (88.20 million gallons) of LPG will be stored in these caverns seasonally, displacing some of the brine currently filling them, and will be withdrawn by displacement of propane by brine when demand occurs during the heating season and displacement of butane by brine during the gasoline blending season. During storage operations, the brine displaced by LPG will be stored and contained in a 14 acre lined surface impoundment with a capacity of 2.19 million barrels (91.98 million gallons) on the hillside immediately east of the junction of Routes 14 and 14A. 

The facility will connect to the existing Teppco LPG interstate pipeline, and will ship LPG by truck via NYS Routes 14/14A and rail to the existing Norfolk and Southern Railroad. As proposed, the project involves construction of a new rail and truck LPG transfer facility, consisting of a 6 rail siding capable of allowing loading/unloading of 24 rail cars within 12 hours, and a truck loading station capable of loading 4 trucks per hour. The rail/truck loading facility is capable of being operated on a 24 hour basis 365 days a year. Construction will also include surface works consisting of truck and rail loading terminals, LPG storage tanks, offices and other distribution facilities, and stormwater control structures. 

A draft scope is available for review and written comment by involved and interested agencies and the public. Copies of the draft scope can be obtained from the contact person listed below and on the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYS DEC) website at: http://www.dec.ny.gov/permits/6061.html. The end of the comment period on the draft scope is January 31, 2011.

For more information about this please contact David L. Bimber at 585-225-3401 or dlbimber@gw.dec.state.ny.us.