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Pr otecting Communities and Special Places
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e-Newsletter May 17, 2013
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" The so-called shale gas / oil bridge is the only one
ever conceived where the bridge is constructed of
the danger into which you do not want to fall. ~ Anthony Ingraffea, Ph.D., P.E.
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SAVE THE DATE!
Gasland Part II
June 19, 2013
7:30 p.m.
Community Arts Center
220 West Fourth Street Williamsport, PA
570.326.2424
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Tell Us Your Story
The Pennsylvania Campaign for Clean Water wants to know about your experience with drilling-impacted water.
Click the picture for more information |
Have you Kept it Wild this week?
CALL TODAY!
Governor Corbett:
717.787.2500
DCNR Secretary Allan: 717.772.9084
Rep. Rick Mirabito: 570.321.1270
Watch this excellent PA House video on the Loyalsock State Forest and share it far and wide!
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Support
Gina McCarthy's nomination to
head the EPA
The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee voted to move Gina McCarthy's nomination as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to the full Senate. Call your legislator and ask them to approve her nomination. Find your federal legislator here
Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/05/16/3400928/senate-committee-backs-epa-nominee.html#story
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Study: More fracking health concerns than previously thought
Dr. Poune Saberi and colleagues collected responses from 72 adults visiting a primary care physician's office in the hydrofracking-heavy area of Bradford County, Pa.According to Saberi,
"This survey indicates that there is a larger group of people with health concerns than originally assumed."
Gas Rush Stories
Independent filmmaker and journalist Kirsi Jansa has released this 16-minute documentary, Life above Marcellus Shale 2011-2012, based on the first ten episodes of her short documentary series, Gas Rush Stories.
Lost and then Found
No need to worry about the lost nuclear gauge that fell off a contractor's truck earlier this week. The PA DEP announced yesterday that the gauge was recovered.
Good news not only because no radiation was released, but because the cost of those gauges runs from three to five thousand dollars.
Read the DEP press release here
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We welcome your active participation and are in
need of help for special events, publicity, research, and other projects.
Contact us for details.
As a 501(c)(3)
non-profit
organization, RDA
relies on donations
for the important work we do. In order for
RDA to continue its valuable education
and advocacy
outreach in 2013, please consider
a tax-free contribution
to our efforts.
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The Marquardt well pad in Penn Township, Lycoming County in March 2011
IMAGES: Ann Pinca
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Decompressing in Susquehanna County
Late Tuesday night the Williams Central Compressor station in Brooklyn Township, Susquehanna County, exploded and erupted in flames. Reports say that the 11 employees on site were able to escape uninjured. Curious details have emerged from the incident, such as emergency responders arriving with no siren warnings and nearby residents only notified of the event by Williams 12 hours later - or not at all.
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The damaged Williams Central Compressor Station
IMAGE: Rebecca Roter
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An initial report posted on PAHomepage.com, the online site of WBRE-TV and WYOU-TV, cited an unidentified DEP spokesperson as saying that "explosions at compressor stations are rare." Recent events seem to indicate otherwise. A quick glance online revealed several incidents in both Pennsylvania and across the U.S. These include:
- April 11, 2013: Tyler County, WV. A compressor station explosion left two employees dead and two injured.
- April 14, 2013: Logan County, OK. Luckily, there were no injuries in this station's explosion and fire.
- March 19, 2013: Bradford County, PA. Though not an explosion, one employee suffered minor injuries during a fire at Southwestern Energy's Clark Compressor Station in Herrick Township.
In March 2012, another Williams compressor station in Springville Township, Susquehanna County, PA exploded, fortunately with only one of several employees on site suffering minor injuries, and in November 2011, a compressor station in Bedford County, PA, exploded in flames during the night, forcing the evacuation of about 150 people from their homes. With increased drilling, the need for more compressor stations will continue. Though all of the incidents above were accidents caused either through human error or mechanical failure, it is evident that the "rare" event of an explosion or fire at these facilities is actually a reality that must be seriously considered. By Ann Pinca Watch the WNEP video hereWatch the PAHomepage video here |
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 Keep it Wild Hike Jacoby Falls Trail
Sunday, May 19 at 1:00 p.m.
Look for spring wildflowers as you hike in the Loyalsock State Forest to Jacoby Falls, where a mountain stream plunges 29 feet to the rocks below. Park at the trailhead on Wallis Run Road; bring a friend, bring the family - carpool if you can. See you on the trail!
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Unprotected
Review of a national webinar
by Barb Jarmoska, RDA Board of Directors
In 2006, I rode my bicycle 3,200 miles across America, raising over $10,000 dollars for Breast Cancer Action (BCA), a national women's health advocacy organization. Unlike the majority of its sister non-profits, BCA doesn't take a dime of corporate funding from companies that profit from or contribute to breast cancer. This level of financial independence means BCA can always be a fierce advocate for women's health, not obligated to craft a message that is acceptable in the eyes of corporate polluters.
The bike ride was seven years ago, but my connection to and abiding respect for BCA remains. Recently, I participated in a webinar they hosted entitled,
"Fracking and its Connection to Breast Cancer". It doesn't surprise me that
BCA has joined the fierce national debate on fracking, as the chemicals used by the gas industry are powerful carcinogens and endocrine disruptors. These two categories of toxins are the most closely linked to the onset of breast cancer.
The theme of the BCA's presentation was: SAFE FRACKING IS A FAIRY TALE. Using slides, presenters focused on the oil and gas industry's legal
ability to declare itself exempt and excepted from all or crucial portions of seven federal environmental safety laws. These include:
- Safe Drinking Water Act
- Clean Air Act
- Clean Water Act
- Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
- National Environmental Policy Act
- Toxic Release Inventory of Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act
- Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (also known as the Superfund Law)
I've know about these exemptions/exceptions for several years. In spite of that, I'm always shocked anew by how very unprotected from potential harm we are here in the heart of the Marcellus sacrifice zone, where industrialization is full speed ahead in our farmland, forests, and rural neighborhoods.
After an hour's worth of anatomy and physiology, toxicology and biochemistry to back up their claim, the webinar concluded with this truth:
The gas industry is protected. We are not.
Click here to view the webinar on BCA's web site, www.bcaction.org
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Over the Top?
Carbon dioxide average readings for an entire 24-hour period surpassed the 400 ppm level at Mauna Loa for the first time on Thursday, May 9. According to Bill McKibben, co-founder of 350.org, "We're in new territory for human beings--it's been millions of years since there's been this much carbon in the atmosphere. The only question now is whether the relentless rise in carbon can be matched by a relentless rise in the activism necessary to stop it."
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RDA Newsletter
Ann Pinca, managing editor
Ted Stroter, RDA Board of Directors editor
Ralph Kisberg, contributing editor
Robbie Cross, President - RDA Board of Directors
Jenni Slotterback, Secretary - RDA Board of Directors
Barb Jarmoska, Treasurer - RDA Board of Directors
Mark Szybist - RDA Board of Directors
Kevin Heatley - RDA Board of Directors
Roscoe McCloskey - RDA Board of Directors
This weekly e-letter is written and designed by the RDA consultants and Board of Directors and sent to RDA members/subscribers. Every effort is made to assure complete accuracy in each issue. This publication and the information contained herein is copyrighted by RDA and Ann Pinca and may not be reproduced without permission. All rights reserved. Readers are invited to forward this newsletter in its entirety to broaden the scope of its outreach. Readers are also invited to comment to the managing editor regarding contents and to submit articles to be considered for publication in a future issue.
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Donations may also be sent by mail to: Responsible Drilling Alliance, P.O. Box 502, Williamsport, PA 17703
Thank you for your support!
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