No Freedom in this Independence Day Parade

The 4th of July is all about Freedom: the huge tea party in Boston Harbor that slaked nobody's thirst but instead got folks riled enough to say "enough!". And in small towns - at least here in upstate NY and the northern tier of PA - people take their 4th of July celebrations to heart. Just about every town has fireworks, a carnival down at the Legion field, and a parade down Main Street.

Small town 4th of July parades are great fun. The parade committee chooses a theme and neighbors get together to create floats. I've seen everything from flowery princesses to a pointedly political manure spreader.  And everyone gets to participate.

Except not this year. Not in Montrose, PA. Seems that the chairman of the parade committee is censoring free speech.

This year's parade theme is "Helping Your Neighbors" - a worthy theme given that the service clubs of Kiwanis, Lions, and Rotary are sponsoring and organizing the parade.So some neighbors who have been busy helping in the community were astounded when their float application was denied.

For the past two years, these neighbors have been delivering clean drinking water to people down the road in Dimock, who have been without drinking water due to nearby drilling. They washed and waxed their water delivery truck and wanted to decorate it with some banners to let people know the "Citizens for Clean Water" are actively "helping your neighbors".

The problem seems to be that helping one's neighbors by providing fresh water is too controversial. But, hey - a couple thousand years ago the idea of feeding the hungry and clothing the poor was controversial.

Given that our country was born of a protest movement, how did we come to this moment when only "acceptable" political opinions are allowed in a parade celebrating independence from tyranny?

So this 4th of July you won't see people who have truly been helping their neighbors marching in the parade. They have been relegated to the sidelines, where they'll proudly stand with their signs and tell any and all how to get involved helping people in need. 

Newest Duke Study: Higher Methane Levels in Water Wells closer to Drilling

A new study out of Duke University, released today by the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences finds that people living closer to Marcellus gas wells have a higher chance of getting methane - and other chemicals - in their drinking water than people living farther away. This new study expands and confirms findings of an earlier Duke study two years ago.

The team sampled 81 new drinking water wells in six northeastern Pennsylvania counties, and combined data with results from 60 previously sampled wells in PA and Otsego County, NY. Researchers found methane in drinking water of 82% of the 141 homes - and concentrations were six times higher in those homes that were within a kilometer of a gas well. A kilometer is 3280 feet. Currently, many gas companies test water wells within 1,000 feet of proposed gas wells. Clearly not far enough, given Duke's study.

Not only did those homes have higher methane than "allowable" levels, but they also had higher levels of ethane and propane. These are components of the deep gas that shale gas drillers seek, not "biogenic" gas from upper layers.

Tennessee Environmental Official Equates Citizen Concerns about Water Quality to "Terrorism"

There seems to be a lot of tossing about of the T-word, lately... what with TransCanada trying to label protesters as terrorists. Now people who live in Tennessee and have water that comes out of their faucet looking like this (to the left: water from Horseheads, NY)


                  Or like this (on right, Dimock, PA)

 might want to think twice before calling in a complaint to the the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC).  Last month Sherwin Smith, deputy director of TDEC's Division of Water Resources warned a group of Maury County residents that "unfounded complaints" about water quality could be "considered an act of terrorism".

Seems that residents in Mount Pleasant have been complaining to the state's environmental agency for months that their children are getting ill from drinking the water. In a May 29 meeting Smith says, "...you need to make sure that when you make water quality complaints, you have a basis because, federally, if there's no water quality issues, that can be considered under homeland security an act of terrorism." You can hear audio recorded by Statewide Organizing for Community eMpowerment here.


Needless to say, Mount Pleasant residents take a dim view of Smith's statements. They see it as intimidation and a continued lack of concern from the government they support with their tax dollars. You can read more about their long-standing attempts to get the dirty water problem solved here.

You can find out more about SOCM and this particular meeting here.

Things are Booming in Louisiana These Days

When they're not dealing with sinkholes, Louisiana residents are avoiding explosions. Early this morning residents in Washington Parish, LA - abut 80 miles from New Orleans - woke up to an explosion. An 80-foot section of  the Florida Gas Transmission pipeline (a 30-inch pipe) ruptured, leaving a huge crater and clay-baked earth. When it's not busted, the pipeline carries 3.1 billion cubic feet of gas from Texas to south Florida.

The explosion happened in a rural area, and affected only one residence that was about 700 feet from the blast. The heat was so intense that it melted the siding off the pre-fab home.

This is the third explosion in a week for Louisiana. Last Thursday there was an explosion at a chemical plant in Geismar that left two dead and about 100 injured. The following day there was another explosion at another chemical plant, this one in Donaldsonville, that left one dead and eight injured.

TransCanada Tosses "T-Word" About

In an effort to halt protest against Keystone XL pipeline, TransCanada corporation has taken to labeling protesters as "terrorists". In particular, they are targeting Nebraska citizens who have conducted peaceful, nonviolent protests - going so far as to hold "educational" sessions with local law enforcement on what the foreign corporation perceives as "terrorist threats".

Let me repeat: a foreign corporation, that has used eminent domain to take land from ranchers (in TX and other places) is claiming that US citizens protesting their actions are "terrorists".

The group Bold Nebraska used Freedom of Information requests to obtain documents TransCanada presented local law enforcement in an effort to portray law-abiding US citizens as a "threat".

This is the same foreign corporation that is using intimidation tactics against specific residents who have raised concerns and complaints to their local governments. In particular, TransCanada is targeting Julia Trigg Crawford, in Texas, who has been documenting the construction of Keystone pipeline across her land. On her website, Stand Tall she writes:

“When TransCanada said they had a right to forcibly take part of my family's farm for their Keystone Pipeline project, we knew it was time to stand and fight. TransCanada offered a paltry one-time sum, but as we have maintained, this is absolutely not about the money. This is our family saying no foreign corporation who appears to be building a project for their own financial gain should have more of a right to our land than we do.

 Despite the pending court case, TransCanada began constructing the Keystone XL pipeline on her land. Repeat: Despite a Pending Court Case to determine whether the foreign corporation has the right to claim her land using eminent domain (a right reserved for US government)....

Because Julia has protested in a most lawful way, TransCanada has decided to use intimidation tactics: they pay a worker to film Julia at all times and send a helicopter over her land every few minutes to monitor her. Remember - this is not a government taking this action, but a corporation - and a foreign corporation at that.

Julia writes about the whole fiasco on her blog, with lots of photos.