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P rotecting Communities and Special Places
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e-Newsletter January 10 , 2014
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"Let our New Year's resolution be this: we will be there for one another as fellow members of humanity, in the finest sense of the word." ~ Goran Persson
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UPCOMING EVENTS
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Save the Date!
The next
Keep It Wild Hike
will take place on January 19
Watch for details soon!
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Public Hearing on Proposed Oil and Gas
Regulations
January 13
6:00 p.m.
Pennsylvania College
of Technology
Klump Academic Center
One College Avenue,
Williamsport, PA
Several groups have developed talking points for Monday's hearing in Williamsport. Find PennFuture's talking points here and another set of talking points here.
Anyone planning to present comments at a public hearing must contact the EQB at least one week in advance to reserve a time. Oral comments are limited to five minutes.
An earlier hearing planned for Wyoming County at Tunkhannock High School was postponed and has been rescheduled for
January 27 at 6 p.m.
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Film Screening
"Triple Divide"February 8
2:00 p.m.
Campus Theater
Lewisburg, PA 17837
Screening sponsored by Shale Justice; free admission, donations requested.
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Pennsylvania Community
Rights Workshop
Who decides what happens in your community, and how
did it get that way?
February 21, 6-9 p.m.
February 22, 9-4 p.m.
Susquehanna University
Sponsored by
Shale Justice,
Space is limited to 40 participants!
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IN THE NEWS
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This Week's ScoopsObviously unhappy with the Supreme Court ruling overturning sections of Act 13, Governor Corbett's administration filed for a reconsideration at the beginning of the New Year. Earlier this week, Gov. Corbett sent out a message seemingly full of concern for the waters of Pa., saying the current lack of protection for our waters due to the Supreme Court ruling is "simply unacceptable." Hmmmm, is this really our Governor speaking from his heart, or is there an election coming up this year???? Meanwhile, a new article from State- Impact Pennsylvania examines environmental concerns when fragmenting forests and disturbing forest ecosystems. It also notes that the
Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) is unwilling to release any details about a monitoring program put into place in 2010 to examine the impacts of drilling in our forests, and even recently denied providing that information for a Right To Know Law request made by StateImpact Pennsylvania. Got to love that transparency!
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Join RDA
We welcome your active participation and are in
need of help for special events, publicity, research, and other projects. Contact us
for details.
Membership levels: Adventurer..............$10 Explorer.................$20 Woodlander............$50 Guardian..............$100 Naturalist.............$500 Preservationist...$1,000
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 2014, please consider a tax-free contribution
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Radio Disney Discovers It's a Small World
By ANN PINCA
"There's so much that we share
That its time we're aware
It's a small world after all"
No one knows that better than Radio Disney, now that a united force of angry citizens have shared their opinion of Radio Disney's decision to partner with the Ohio Oil and Gas Energy Education Program (OOGEEP)
to present Rocking in Ohio, an interactive oil and gas education program geared for kids.
Funded entirely by OOGEEP, a non-profit industry-funded education program whose mission includes "the promotion of a positive public awareness of the local oil and gas industry, and its vital energy and economic benefits to Ohio," the Rocking in Ohio program debuted in August and made the rounds throughout the Buckeye State at venues that included county fairs, museums, and even schools.
While kids loved the fun, fast-paced program complete with prizes, many parents were outraged to know that their children were learning about Ohio's oil and gas industry through a one-sided, promotional program complete with a Disney endorsement. An online petition, in tandem with a Sierra Club Twitter campaign, called for Radio Disney to immediately "stop promoting oil and gas extraction to kids," and through the connected "small world" of the Internet, the petition soon garnered over 80,000 signatures.
Radio Disney quickly listened to its public and withdrew its support for the program, issuing this statement on January 9 to the Huffington Post: "The sole intent of the collaboration between Radio Disney and the nonprofit Rocking in Ohio educational initiative was to foster kids' interest in science and technology. Having been inadvertently drawn into a debate that has no connection with this goal, Radio Disney has decided to withdraw from the few remaining installments of the program."
Kudos to the parents behind the petition and the Sierra Club, since one earlier report said that Radio Disney planned to take the program nationwide if it was a success. Fortunately, the Rocking in Ohio program is now stopped--or should we say "frozen"--in its tracks.
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Radio Disney and the OOGEEP present Rocking in Ohio at the Ohio State Fair
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The Propaganda Campaign for Kids
By ANN PINCA
While it was surprising to see the Disney name linked to promotion of the oil and gas industry, it certainly is not a new concept. The oil and gas industry has a history of attempts to promote its business to children. Not that long ago, Talisman Terry and Chesapeake Charlie appeared in coloring books for kids until Stephen Colbert chased them out of town with a good dose of keen wit. Last August, RDA reported on Anadarko Petroleum's Energenie, who appeared in Williamsport in the form of a Little League pin and stars in Anadarko's online book, The Adventures of Energenie. Shell features a web page of Energizing Games designed to introduce kids to oil and gas products, including one called Petro Product Pic, while Encana has its infamous cake video used to demonstrate hydraulic fracturing to kids.  | |
A Look Underground: The Encana Cake Video
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But more insidious is when corporate influence enters our schools, where parents expect young children to learn unbiased facts, not facts slanted by industry funding. The Ohio Oil and Gas Energy Education Program (OOGEEP) that partnered with Radio Disney is an industry-funded non-profit organization that not only promotes the oil and gas industry in a positive light, but also works to develop and implement educational materials for schools and public outreach programs. A look at their educational materials web page shows a wide array of materials, from placemats and word searches for younger kids to science fair project ideas and lab plans for teachers. One can only hope that teachers utilizing these materials are also presenting well-rounded discussions on environmental issues and include alternative energy options. In 2012, RDA spent time at the Wyalusing Elementary School teaching kids about fossil fuels, gas drilling, and renewable energy as a follow-up to presentations made by Chesapeake Energy, but sadly, this sort of effort is not always possible. Consequently, parents must be involved with what their children are learning in school and be ready to provide a balanced discussion if corporate-funded programs hijack a lesson's objectivity. Unfortunately, as school budget funding shrinks, corporate influence in schools will probably increase. Whether it's the oil and gas industry or one of many others, and we must be ready to meet the challenge corporate dollars can present in the classroom. Slightly off-season, but "enjoy" this incredible song from the Clean Coal Carolers.  | |
Clean coal carolers
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MarcellusGas.Org Offers New Service to all Web Site Visitors
MarcellusGas.org released the following message offering their new "Well Watch" feature, which provides a weekly listing of well pad-related activity in townships you are interested in following. This service is available to visitors, not just members, and is very useful to have if you are interested in following well pad activity in a specific area. MarcellusGas.Org is an independent entity that is not affiliated with any other company or organization. Their efforts are supported by Full Member contributions, and their modest annual membership fee provides members with a wealth of information. From MarcellusGas.Org:
Our programmers have put the final touches on our new "Well Watch" feature, which is now available to all visitors. Well Watch is a free weekly notification service that informs you of recent well-related activity
in townships you are interested in.
At the beginning of every week, an email notice is sent that includes updates on recent well activity. The Well Watch updates inform you of:
- Newly approved well permits
- Changes in a permitted well's status
(new starts, pluggings, regulatory inactive, abandoned)
- Recent inspection related events for individual wells
You may choose to receive notifications for as many townships as you like, and you can change your township preferences at any time. Each event listed in your Well Watch update will include the well name, permit number,
and a link to a detailed report for the well.
This new feature is free, and available to all visitors. To review the details of this service, and choose the townships you'd like notification for,
follow these instructions:
CURRENT MEMBERSSign-in at the site using this link:www.MarcellusGas.Org/Well-WatchAfter signing in, simply choose the townships you're interested in.NEW VISITORSFirst set up a Guest account at:
You will receive a confirmation email containing an activation link for your new account. Click the activation link, and after your account
is activated, follow this link:
www.MarcellusGas.Org/account/well_watch_prefs.php
You may unsubscribe from Well Watch notifications at any time, and you can revise your township preferences as often as you'd like.We're confident that our new Well Watch feature will help our members stay informed of the most recent changes within their townships of interest.Our permit related information at the site is updated on a weekly basis... There are currently 13,693 permitted unconventional gas wells in the state, located on 4,460 well-pads.11,723 are horizontal wells, and 7,779 are reported as active.In the past week, we've added 337 inspection reports, bringing the total number of inspection events at our site to 48,058. For more information, visit MarcellusGas.Org at their web site.
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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
Roscoe McCloskey - RDA Board of Directors Jim Slotterback - 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.
Please note: The RDA newsletter includes reporting on a variety of events and activities, which do not necessarily reflect the philosophy of the organization. RDA practices only non-violent action in voicing the organization's beliefs and concerns.
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Contact RDA with questions and comments using either the address below, by email at responsibledrillingalliance@gmail.com or by phone at 888-332-1244 (toll free).
Donations can be sent by mail to: Responsible Drilling Alliance, P.O. Box 502, Williamsport, PA 17703
Thank you for your support!
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