Responsible Drilling Alliance
Seeking truth about the consequences of shale gas development   
RDA e-Newsletter, October 2012 v.1     

In This Issue
Follow-Up On Pine Creek Spill
RDA In The News
Proprietary Plans On Public Land
Penn State Stops Work On Pro-Gas Report
Help Support The Keep It Wild Campaign
Follow-Up On
Pine Creek Spill
 

 

by Morgan Myers

 

As reported last week, a Minuteman Environmental Services truck spilled 3,600 gallons of trade secret "Hydraulic Stimulation Fluid" into Pine Creek on September 26th. Responsible Drilling Alliance followed up with DEP and Restoration Ecologist Kevin Heatley to learn more about potential environmental impacts.

  

"In a receiving stream as large as Pine Creek, a 3,600 gallon discharge is not typically going to cause an environmental degradation," said DEP Water Quality Program Manager Tom Randis. "If it happened during a low flow period or in a headwaters stream we'd be talking about a different scenario."

  

"Will the spill kill Pine Creek?" said Heatley. "No, it wont - but what about the cumulative impacts?"

  

DEP conducted a water sampling survey and visually inspected the creek for signs of a fish kill following the spill. DEP decided not to do a macrobenthic survey, which would have provided more information about changes to the environment at the creek's bottom.

  

"We did not do a benthic survey because there was no visual fish kill," said Randis.

  

"Just because a bunch of fish didn't float to the surface does not mean that the stream was not injured," said Heatley. "When you pollute a stream the first thing that happens is you change the organisms at the bottom of the food chain."

  

A macrobenthic survey measures the potential impact to such organisms.

 

"The solution to pollution is dilution," said Randis. "Of course that's not something we advocate, but it does work."  

 

"Dilution is not the solution to pollution," said Heatley. "Salty water will dilute, but what else was in that fluid? There is no safe threshold for radiation. One single radioactive impact could be the thing that triggers your cancer."  

"You're talking about 3,600 gallons of fluid [discharged] into a stream flowing at 2,300 gallons per second.   That's relatively insignificant in terms of a mixing zone," said Randis.    

Hydraulic Stimulation Fluid is HydroRecovery LP's treated frack water. The exact formula is proprietary, but HydroRecovery confirmed that the fluid spilled by Minuteman contained constituents besides brine.

  

"We're going to get Minuteman's product data sheets tomorrow," said Randis. "Our investigative findings will be public information. The company would have to follow very specific protocol for that information to remain confidential."

  

The spill occurred upstream from Jersey Shore Water Authority's Pine Creek intake.

  

"DEP did not notify the Jersey Shore Water Authority because the intake there is only in operation during low flow periods," said Randis of DEP. "Pine Creek is a backup intake. Larry's Creek is their primary water supply."

  

DEP opted not to notify downstream residents of the contamination either.

  

"By the time they got the letter the contamination would have been long gone," said Randis. "Probably to Sunbury by then."

  

"What if your kid is splashing in the creek when that proprietary fluid floats by?" said Heatley. "This shows me that our regulatory community is not looking out for our best interests."

  

Minuteman Environmental Services will be issued a violation for an unauthorized discharge of an industrial waste.

  

"That's a clean streams law violation," said Randis. "We will determine if there will be any fines after we gather all the facts about damage to the receiving stream, what was released, and the response by the responsible party - in this case, Minuteman."

  

DEP was asked if Minuteman would pay for the clean up effort.

  

"The only assumption I can make is yes," said Randis.
 
RDA In The News
Penn State Won't Work On Marcellus Gas Report

Local News

Opinion
 
  Upcoming Events  
October 16th: 
RDA Membership Meeting, Mulligans On The Green 
 
Proprietary Plans On Public Land

Fall colors in the Loyalsock State Forest 
 
by Ralph Kisberg and Morgan Myers


Although Responsible Drilling Alliance has been aware of Anadarko Petroleum Corporation's plans to develop gas rights in and around the Old Loggers Path, Rock Run, Pleasant Stream and other Lycoming and Loyalsock Creek headwater streams for some time now, the plans have yet to be revealed to the public. Apparently such information can be considered "proprietary" despite the fact that the development will take place on public land.

When will this information become public? The people of Pennsylvania deserve the right to offer input on the management of public land before  another insider deal is done. Why don't stakeholders other than the developer and an administration with huge campaign contributions from the gas industry have a seat at the table with the DCNR? A true gem of our public lands is on the chopping block, and no direct benefit to the public - in fact, only detriment - will accrue from shale gas development in this special place.

On September 7th, Responsible Drilling Alliance, the PA Forest Coalition, Citizens for Pennsylvania's Future, the Keystone Trails Association and the Sierra Club sent a letter to DCNR Secretary Richard Allan asking for environmental impact studies, public meetings on development alternatives, and public comment periods on any proposed agreements between DCNR and Anadarko. We have yet to receive a response.

RDA President Ralph Kisberg and PA State Senate candidate Luana Cleveland spoke to a high level DCNR staff person in Harrisburg on Tuesday who denied any talks between DCNR and Anadarko about developing the Clarence Moore tracts.  On Monday, State Rep. Garth Everett told RDA that Anadarko and DCNR are "discussing development of the Clarence Moore tracts".

Anadarko stake
On Wednesday, RDA found stakes for a "preliminary" pad site on a portion of Clarence Moore where maps tell us DCNR controls surface development. We also saw flagging for road widening and the placement of gas and water pipelines.

If Rep. Everett was misled and there are no discussions between DCNR and Anadarko, how would the latter be able to stake out a portion of forest that the former has jurisdiction over? Something doesn't add up.

The stakes and flagging RDA discovered Wednesday are in addition to those found on Crandall Town Trail last week. This new "preliminary" site is along John Merrell Road, about  0.4 miles west from Cascade Road on Burnett's Ridge.

Well pads around here have typically been constructed following a loose southwest to northeast trend line, with each pad along that line ideally about 1/2 mile apart. By extrapolating this pattern you get a rough idea of Anadarko's planned layout for the Clarence Moore 25,000 acres of mineral rights. In the case of other developments on large tracts of land, a trend line will emerge approximately every 2 miles to the north and south. The discovery of the sites planned for Burnett's Ridge and Sullivan Mountain confirms this basic well pad layout pattern, although topographical and water features have modified it somewhat.

The length of some operators' laterals has approached 10,000 feet. By exercising its surface control of � of the Clarence Moore tract, DCNR could force the company to push their trend lines farther apart. This would mitigate surface disturbance to the state forest by about half. If development were delayed for a longer period, hydraulic fracturing technology might evolve to the point where the surface need not be disturbed at all. If the administration were willing to include the public in its negotiations with Anadarko, perhaps this region's beauty, tranquility and decades of forest equity would not be thrown away so easily.

DCNR's furtive behavior concerning its negotiations with Anadarko does not serve its mission or the interests of the people. Why are surface use plans on public land allowed to be considered proprietary? Why does DCNR deny negotiations with Anadarko when all evidence points to the contrary? Most of all, why is public land being developed without public input?



Vista on Old Loggers Path


Hikers visiting from Philadelphia.


Ralph pointing towards Potash Mountain
and Pleasant Stream drainage.

Penn State Stops Work On Pro-Gas Report

The Responsible Drilling Alliance notes that Pennsylvania State University has abandoned work on a series of papers which advocate for the shale gas industry. 
 

Released under the guise of independent research but commissioned by the industry, these papers contained highly exaggerated predictions of jobs, economic development, and tax revenues. They profoundly influenced public opinion, the debate on the severance tax, and regulation of the industry.

As this industry develops, RDA seeks the best outcome for the Commonwealth, its citizens, and its environment.  Objective, unbiased research is needed for Pennsylvania to profit and be protected.

 

RDA would like Penn State to publicly renounce this series of biased reports and put procedures in place to protect the university's research reputation from further exploitation from outside interests.

 

 RDA contact:

Jon Bogle
[email protected]  
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