Cawley's job numbers called "misleading"

"Cawley touts job creation at gas drilling sites," "Research group calls Cawley's statements 'misleading,'" Bucks County Herald, July 14, 2011, C1.

"Game Changer" on This American Life

Episode 440, originally aired July 8, 2011.
"A professor in Pennsylvania makes a calculation, to discover that his state is sitting atop a massive reserve of natural gas—enough to revolutionize how America gets its energy. But another professor in Pennsylvania does a different calculation and reaches a troubling conclusion: that getting natural gas out of the ground poses a risk to public health. Two men, two calculations, and two very different consequences."

"Commission needs to keep moratorium"

Madeline Rawley's letter to the editor of the Intelligencer, June 12, 2011:

As your Tuesday editorial on natural gas fracking rightly said, "if something goes wrong, the result can be catastrophic."

Our elected officials in the Delaware River Basin, influenced by a perhaps illusory promise of economic development and a new source of energy, may soon decide to lift the moratorium they have placed on fracking here, and risk a catastrophe, just as the Japanese government officials did when they responded to a Tokyo energy company and placed nuclear energy plants on an earthquake fault that had a tsunami danger as well. The result was a short-term gain for very long term pain.

The Delaware River Basin Commission, created to protect the waters of the Delaware River, which runs past Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey and Delaware, hearing about the environmental, drinking water and public health problems that natural gas fracking can cause, wisely put a moratorium on drilling. Now, however, the commission, composed of the four governors of Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey and Delaware, and the general who heads the Army Corps of Engineers, says they will vote soon on whether to lift the moratorium and permit the drilling to begin.

Unbelievably, the commission is planning to vote before a research study, being conducted by the federal government's Environmental Protection Agency about the effects of fracking on drinking water, is completed, thus risking the drinking water of more than 15 million people, among whom are the residents of Philadelphia, New York City, four Bucks County towns and a portion of Doylestown Township. Other Pennsylvania rivers, like the Susquehanna and the Monongahela, have already been affected by the toxic chemicals, salt and radioactivity that result from breaking Marcellus shale to release the gas. The EPA will not be issuing its preliminary report until next year, with the final report due in 2012.

Why is the Delaware River Basin Commission considering lifting the moratorium before the EPA study is released? Shouldn't they learn before permitting drilling whether it is safe to do so? Why the rush? Why is the commission already considering an invalid application from a subsidiary of Exxon Mobil to draw water from a trout creek in upstate New York? Is it because Exxon Mobil, knowing that millions and millions of gallons of water are needed to drill wells if the moratorium is lifted, believes the moratorium will be lifted soon?

Please google "Delaware River Basin Commission" for contact information. Tell the DRBC to keep the moratorium in place until the EPA study says gas drilling will not destroy our clean Delaware River water, our most basic need.

Madeline Rawley
Doylestown Township

PennEnvironment's 2011 Lobby Day, June 7

Details at https://secure3.convio.net/engage/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=1965

PennEnvironment petition: "Protect our rivers from gas drilling"

At https://secure3.convio.net/engage/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=1971

"Why we need to study first and drill when it's safe"

Elizabeth Tatham, Intelligencer Soapbox guest opinion, April 8, 2011:

Letters will be accepted by the Delaware River Basin Commission until April 15 at 5 p.m., and emails can be sent to Stephanie@delawareriverkeeper.org before April 14 at noon, to be printed and delivered to the DRBC office. Unless there are enough of them to convince the governors of Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey and Delaware and President Obama's representative to wait two years for the EPA study to show how gas drilling can be done safely in the Delaware Basin, drilling can begin this fall.

From Nockamixon and Buckingham in Bucks County to the Delaware River's headwaters in New York state, gas drilling will seriously impact the people and environment in this basin. The proposed regulations will unfortunately not protect our water because they allow practices that have been harmful to drinking water in western and northeastern Pennsylvania and other states.

Gas Drilling and Your Rights

 Drilling for Natural Gas in the Marcellus Shale and in Bucks County:

Your Community Rights as a Tax Payer in Pennsylvania

Saturday, October 23, 2010, 1:00–3:00 p.m.

James Michener Free Library

401 West Mill Street, Quakertown, PA 18951

In response to high interest from landowners, lease-owners, their neighbors, and the people who live downstream of proposed gas drilling, the Bucks Transition Group is offering a free public forum for helpful information about the rights and protections for the people of Pennsylvania. 

Drilling for natural gas is happening in the Marcellus Shale formation. Leases have also been signed in Nockamixon Township, Bucks County, PA.

Speakers:

1.   Paul Schmidt will address legal avenues for affected communities and potential lawsuit claims related to injury to individuals and property. Schmidt co-chairs the Zarwin Baum Environmental Practice Group in Philadelphia and provides environmental legal services to a wide range of clients.

2.   Shireen Parsons will discuss Pennsylvania citizens’ constitutional rights and possibilities of redress.  Parsons is a community organizer for the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund in PA. CELDF is a nonprofit, community-interest law firm. 

3.   Nancy Janyszeski, Supervisor for Nockamixon Township, where over 300 property owners have signed leases.

Speakers will also discuss local rights to clean air, water, and soil and will address your questions and comments.  Please join us.

Contact:  Henry D'Silva

                  The Bucks Transitions Group

                  267-679-0617 – henrydsilva@comcast.net

"Gasland" at County Theater June 2

Special screening of Gasland, a documentary film by Josh Fox
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
6:00 p.m. Reception
7:00 p.m. Screening
Panel discussion following the film
County Theater, Doylestown

Delaware Riverkeeper Network invites you to attend a special screening of Gasland, a documentary film by Josh Fox. The showing in Doylestown on June 2 will be the kick-off of a 20-stop tour of Gasland across Pennsylvania and New York in a run-up to the June 21st HBO premiere of Gasland, winner of this year’s Sundance Special Jury Prize. Josh Fox will appear at the screening and you can meet him at the reception beforehand; a lively panel discussion will follow the film. For more info: delawareriverkeeper.org. Watch the trailer at youtube. RSVP on Facebook (optional).

Letter to the Editor, May 13, 2010

State forests under attack

Intelligencer

To the Editor:

Most Pennsylvanians would be surprised to hear that our wild forests are often being sold off to the highest bidder for destructive practices that will do irreparable harm to these beautiful places.

For example, state officials have already opened up 700,000 acres of state forest lands for harmful gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale region. That's more than 40 percent of Pennsylvania's state forests. This means more roads, pipelines, well pads and truck traffic in our state forests. In turn, this means further lost habitat for our state's species and more pollution in pristine streams that serve as drinking water sources for downstream communities.

Sadly, this trend may continue. Many politicians in Harrisburg only see the short-term financial gain that can be reaped from our state forest lands, profit that will go to many of the richest corporations in the world, like Exxon-Mobil and Halliburton.

Luckily, there is a proposal to halt further leases for drilling in our state forests, House Bill 2235, introduced by Rep. Greg Vitali of Delaware County. If passed, this legislation will help keep parts of Pennsylvania's state forest wild for now and for future generations.

David Masur, Director
PennEnvironment
Philadelphia
www.PennEnvironment.org

"Gas industry pumping in funds"

By Gary Weckselblatt, Intelligencer, May 12, 2010:

GOP gubernatorial candidate Tom Corbett has received the most from the industry - $361,000.

"Gas drilling debate rages in Del. River watershed"

By Michael Rubinkam, Associated Press, April 18, 2010:

Pleasant Mount, Pa. — A few hundred yards from Louis Matoushek's farmhouse is a well that could soon produce not only natural gas, but a drilling boom in the wild and scenic Delaware River watershed.

"Activists: No backing for natural gas fracking"

By Theresa Hegel, Intelligencer, February 26, 2010: "'Down river' residents who have great concern about natural gas drilling's effect on the environment traveled hours by bus to tell the Delaware River Basin Commission about it. . . ."

"Shale group: Rendell tax unfair, Pa. laws outdated"

By Marc Levy, AP/Intelligencer, February 12, 2010: "The natural gas industry in one of the nation's hottest exploration spots is bracing for a political tussle over whether and how Pennsylvania will tax methane from the potentially lucrative Marcellus Shale formation. . . ."

"Pa. to hire more oil and gas drilling inspectors"

By Andrew Maykuth, Philadelphia Inquirer, Jan. 28, 2010.

LWV's Marcellus Shale drilling forums

"Marcellus Shale drilling forum meets controversy," by Amanda Cregan, Intelligencer, January 17, 2010: "The League of Women Voters meetings on Marcellus Shale held in numerous counties in Pennsylvania are being blasted by some environmentalists. . . ."

Next forum: Wednesday, February 24, 9:15 AM, Heritage Towers, 200 Veterans Lane, Doylestown. Note: This is a change of location; best to double-check the League's calendar.

Exxon expands natural gas holdings

"Exxon's Bid Spotlights Bright Future for Natural Gas," by Katie Howell, New York Times, December 15, 2009.

"How Marcellus Shale gas came to be tax-exempt in Pa."

By Mario F. Cattabiani and Amy Worden, Philadelphia Inquirer, 10/25/2009.

"Pa. Tapped, Drillers Not"

By Andrew Maykuth, Philadelphia Inquirer, 10/25/2009.

Marcellus shale natural gas extraction

Radio Times WHYY, October 15, 2009: "Hour 1: The Marcellus Shale formation lies beneath much of Pennsylvania, and it's where energy companies expect to find a motherlode of natural gas. But the process and politics of removing it also extracts a cascade of questions. Joining us to help understand the issues are Abrahm Lustgarten, investigative reporter with ProPublica.org; extraction industry spokesman Lee Fuller of EnergyInDepth.org; and David Masur of the advocacy group PennEnvironment."