Bad Air, Bad Water, Bad Health

Fracking a well near home in PA

Yesterday NY State Senator David Carlucci told the press that the state senate is considering a delay of fracking until some health studies are complete. He told AP reporter Michael Gormley, "We have to put science first; we have to put the health of New Yorkers first."

Meanwhile:

• NY  Dept. of Health Commissioner Dr. Nirav Shah is still working on the health review that should determine whether the final draft SGEIS (Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement) adequately identifies potential public health impacts of fracking;
• Geisinger Health System in PA is studying the impact of Marcellus shale gas mining on health;
• DEP investigators have found two new cases in Dimock, where methane concentrations in private water wells pose an explosion hazard.

But while the NY legislators await results from those studies, there is a wealth of data indicating that gas drilling is not healthy for children and other living things. Especially living things that depend on breathing.

Consider: Pennsylvania recently completed an air pollution study. The overall results weren’t bad. But pollution from shale gas activity has brought pollution to areas that were previously unpolluted.

This reflects what’s been happening in rural areas out west. Vernal, UT saw high levels of ozone and other pollutants resulting from gas drilling. And last July, Sublette County and portions of Lincoln County WY were declared to be in marginal “non-attainment for ozone” under the Clean Air Act. That means they exceeded the federal 8-hour average threshold of 75 parts per billion (ppb), a standard meant to protect human health.

Certainly these impacts aren’t going to hit everyone equally. “Healthy” people in Fort Worth, TX for example may not feel any ill effects, but susceptible populations – children, elderly, people with chronic respiratory and/or cardiac problems – will feel the impacts. And, as has happened in a number of cases, one neighbor’s well may be contaminated while another well escapes harm – at least for a while.

As a wise and compassionate teacher reminded those who were blessed: care for the least of these (who are not so blessed)… for whatever you do for them, you do for me.

NY Legislators Consider Fracking Bills

UPDATE: on Wednesday, March 6 the NY Assembly passed the two-year moratorium by a vote of 95-40. 

News from both the NY Assembly and the NY Senate indicate that state lawmakers are considering a 2-year moratorium on high volume horizontal hydro-fracturing in shale formations. The Assembly, which passed a 1-year moratorium last year, has upped the ante. Now they are seeking a two-year moratorium that would specifically prohibit the state from issuing permits to drill in the Utica and Marcellus shale. That moratorium would expire in May 2015 - allowing enough time for some initial results of the Geisinger Health Study. They could vote as early as tomorrow on this bill.

Meanwhile, the Independent Democratic Conference, which shares control of the state Senate with Republicans, is calling for a two-year delay in hydro-fracking until the independent Geisinger health review is completed. The Senators also want two other reviews on drinking water to be completed as well, before the state begins permitting fracking.

Senator David Carlucci (D), representing Rockland and Westchester counties, told AP reporter Michael Gormley, "We have to put science first; we have to put the health of New Yorkers first."

Landowners Threaten to Sue NY if there's No Fracking

New York has done it again: missed another fracking deadline. And this time the Joint Landowners Coalition of NY (JLCNY) is putting its feet down; they're going to sue the state for not allowing fracking.

Why?Because, says JLCNY attorney Scott Kurkoski, "We've been denied all economic benefit to our property."
At issue is the delay of promulgating fracking regulations because, well, the Commissioner of Health is still working on a health study to determine whether - and how - highly industrialized unconventional drilling requiring high-volume horizontal hydraulic fracturing affects the public health. And the governor is waiting for him to complete the study before he decides whether or not to permit fracking.

This doesn't faze the JLCNY because.... well, because  apparently economic gain trumps health. The idea that the state might want to ensure that public health is not endangered is, to the JLCNY, a "takings". The fact that gas may not even be worth extracting doesn't seem to enter this equation.

Ensuring the health of the public now and for future generations apparently doesn't enter the equation either. Because, says JLCNY president Dan Fitzimmons, the "futures of our children, our communities and everything..." will be taken away if gas drilling isn't allowed.

Ironically, gas drilling IS allowed in NY. It's just one kind of gas drilling that isn't - and, by god, that's the kind JLCNY wants or it will sue. All they're lacking are the plaintiffs.


Meanwhile, other landowners who would prefer to breathe clean air, drink pure water, provide healthy pasture and forage for livestock, and grow nutritious food, wonder if drilling on their neighbor's land might not deny them "all economic benefit" to their property.

Chesapeake in the News Again

Here in NY, Chesapeake has had its run-ins with the Attorney General over the misguided use of "force majeure" to extend leases. Meanwhile, down in PA it looks like they've been taking more cookies from the cookie jar than they're entitled to - at least according to the leases they wrote . Residents have been grumbling about this for months, and now it looks like the lawyers are gonna step up to the plate and see if there are enough cookies left to go around.  Grab your milk and gather 'round the table ...

Frack Ban and Petition Shenanigans in Colorado

On Tuesday, February 19 the Fort Collins (Colorado) City Council voted 5 - 2 to give initial approval to an ordinance that would prohibit all oil and gas exploration activity within city limits. The final vote will take place March 5. But in the intervening days, they've got a lot to discuss.

For instance: who really signed the petition that supposedly came from business owners in favor of fracking within town limits? Because Cali Rastrelli, who used to work at Big Bill Pizza, has no idea how his name got on the petition headed "Vote NO on the Fort Collins Frack Ban". He sure didn't put it there - and the pizza joint, located an hour and a half south of Fort Collins, has no stake in the matter. And to top it off, whoever signed his name spelled it wrong.

Rastrelli's not the only one;  22 of the 55 business owners who supposedly signed onto the Colorado Oil and Gas Association (COGA) -sponsored pro-fracking petition told the local press that they were mistakenly included. Either someone signed their name, or they didn't know what the petition was for. And, in some cases, the business owners were against drilling and fracking within the city - boy, weren't they surprised to see their names on the list.