PToprotecting Communities and Special Places

  e-Newsletter  June 19, 2014

Responsible Drilling Alliance
 quote
"Lycoming County is poised to become the biggest 
gas producing county in the entire US."
 
-Tom Gillespie, Director, Health, Safety & Environment
Inflection Energy, LLC
 
IN THIS ISSUE


Missed a week?
Find former
newsletters here.

eventsUPCOMING EVENTS
KIW
Keep it Wild Hike
Ricketts Glen

 

THIS Saturday, June 21

11 am

 

Falls Trail

 

RDA will be leading our next Keep it Wild Hike up the Falls Trail at Ricketts Glen.

 

The Falls Trail is 7.2 miles, and includes some of the most difficult hiking in the park.
The scenery is well worth the effort, however, the terrain is rocky, can be slippery, and descends steeply on both the Ganoga and Glen Leigh sides. Hikers should take extra precautions with trail conditions, wear proper footwear, stay on the trail, and be in good physical condition.  

 

Driving Directions:

From Williamsport - Take 180E/220N, Take exit 15 for 220 N toward Halls/Pennsdale, turn left onto 220N, follow to the stop sign in Hughesville & turn right onto N Main St, at stoplight, turn left onto 118E, follow about 25 miles to Ricketts Glen State Park. When you get to the park, turn right into the parking lot just before the stream crosses under 118.

 

We hope to see you there!

 

 

 

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Rally
Cove Point LNG Export Facility Rally
 

Sunday, July 13th

Washington, D.C.

 

Join us as we head to D.C. to stand with thousands of others against this atrocious proposed LNG export terminal. If you are interested in joining our caravan, please contact us by CLICKING HERE and using "Cove Point Caravan" as the subject line.

 

CLICK HERE for more details & to officially register for the event.

 

We hope you can join us!

 

 

 

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FFP
Frack Free Parks
(Take Internet Action!)
  

Help stand up to Governor Corbett's plan to expand drilling in our state parks and forests to balance the budget. If you haven't already done so, take a picture of yourself outdoors or in one of our beautiful state parks with the sign pictured below & share it everywhere! Be a part of it on Tumblr, Facebook and Twitter. Click the picture below to print the sign.

 

  

CLICK HERE 

for more information on what to do & where to submit your photo(s).

 

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LNGsidebar
Urge President Obama to halt the approval of LNG Export Terminals

 

 

Right now, communities across the country are facing air, water, and climate pollution at the hands of natural gas companies. And the stakes have gotten even higher --  the potential for more fracking so the natural gas industry can export LNG to other countries. 

 

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moratorium
Request a Moratorium on Further Leasing of Our State Park & Forest Lands

 

 

Our state forests are rare places that provide respite and recreation for our citizens. The proposed lift on the moratorium of gas leasing will lead to further drilling that will jeopardize fragile ecosystems. Our state forests and parks should be set apart, protected and held in trust for the future.

 

We need your help to stop additional gas leasing of state park and forest land. We urge you to please take action by sending a message to your legislators so the General Assembly will not open the door to additional leasing.

 

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rdaJoin 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 to our efforts.
 
Please use the Donate button below to send a donation or join online, or download the membership form here
 
 
 

Shaheen

Fairfield Township - Shaheen Neighbors Meeting Review
 
RDA members held an informational meeting last Thursday evening regarding the proposed Shaheen well site and others coming to the area very soon.
 
  Shaheen Mtg 4
 

RDA members, local residents and politicians gathered at American Legion Post 104 in Montoursville last Thursday to hear members of the RDA Board of Directors address the crowd on four important topics concerning the gas industry build-out now ramping up in Lycoming County. 

 

Attorney Mark Szybist presented details of a pending lawsuit against Inflection Energy, and highlighted the importance of local zoning power. All Pennsylvania municipalities may adopt -- and both Lycoming County and Fairfield Township have adopted -- comprehensive plans outlining how the municipality will develop. The comprehensive plan is essentially a blueprint identifying objectives for future development, including:  land use, housing, community facilities, and protection of natural resources. The County's plan can be found HERE, and the 

Township's, HERE. Zoning ordinances, along with subdivision, land development, and other local ordinances, implement comprehensive plans and are supposed to 

reflect the plan's goals.

 

Mark went on to explain that under the Oil and Gas Act of 2012 (Act 13), municipalities are pre-empted from imposing requirements on the same features of oil and gas operations that are regulated under Act 13. Local governments do, however, have the power to restrict the location of oil and gas operations to appropriate zoning districts, and to impose requirements on industry operations not pre-empted by Act 13.

 

Barb Jarmoska spoke of the "quality of life" impacts that come with gas industry development, as she took the audience on a photographic journey of her own experience. Barb's presentation began with beautiful nature & family photos taken around her homestead in the Loyalsock Creek valley, as she discussed what's most important to her own quality of life. The photo montage drastically transformed into heavy industrial activity, beginning with the widening of the No Outlet country road that provides access to her unleased land, with subsequent photos showing trucks, trucks, more trucks and even a port-o-potty placed on her property without her permission.

 

The parade of truck traffic, typical of gas industry development, accessed two well pads constructed in close proximity to one another in the Loyalsock State Forest above Jacoby Falls. Barb lamented the fact that her children and grandchildren have already moved "off the shale" due to gas development. She quoted Inflection Energy's Tom Gillespie, who claimed in a recent public meeting at the Community Baptist Church that, "Lycoming County is poised to become the biggest gas-producing county in the entire US." Wildlife and nature now appear bountiful around Barb's home, but only time will tell what the lasting consequences of the industry's presence will be.

 

Shaheen Mtg

Retired chemical & environmental safety engineer Ted Stroter got down to the nitty gritty details concerning potential health issues from contaminated air and water. Though the information was complex, he debunked the industry's claims that they use "safe" chemicals in their fracking formulas and also highlighted the many hazardous materials that come back up the well bore as "flowback" fluid. Ted listed symptoms to watch out for that could mean air quality issues, and highlighted the complexity of properly gauging such air contamination. The importance of pre-drill drinking water testing was emphasized.

 

Ralph Kisberg completed the panel as he discussed property values, mortgage challenges, and insurance issues, warning that certain banks (including one in this area) will deny loans to shale gas-leased properties or those in close proximity to gas related operations. He also explained that in more mature shale plays than the Marcellus, studies have shown property values declined and buyers were harder to find than before the gas industry showed up. For more in-depth information on these issues, refer to our past newsletter Homeowner's Dreams.

  

Thank you to everyone who came out to learn more about what's coming to our area & what we can do about it. We must all stand together if we are going to make a positive difference for our environment and for our future generations.


Cove

The Absurdity of Cove Point

by Brooke Woodside

 

Are you aware of the industry's plan to ship our country's natural gas overseas? That is exactly what the proposed Cove Point export terminal is all about. And if this one is constructed, others will follow. Can you believe the hypocrisy? After all, one of the first claims the industry made was that fracking would be a key player in promoting our energy independence. Now, just as the US is investing in major infrastructure to be able to fully utilize the gas, companies such as Cabot Oil & Gas plan to ship it to countries like Japan and India where it will be much more profitable for them. The export contracts are already in place, and the conversion of the facility is awaiting approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). This is very unsettling to many & rest-assured it will not go down without a fight.

 

Thanks to the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, the New Jersey Sierra Club and the New Jersey Highlands Coalition, FERC has recently been held accountable for separately evaluating and approving four related pipeline expansion projects for which it found "no significant impacts." All four projects applied to the same company's pipeline expansion, although they were given different names. The Court is requiring FERC to re-evaluate the cumulative environmental impacts of the four interrelated projects - all together this time. Click Here for the full story on this recent D.C. Circuit Court decision. Hopefully this will motivate the Commission to do a more thorough review of future projects and possibly reconsider the cumulative impacts of the Cove Point terminal.

 

Back in January, former newsletter editor Ann Pinca presented "The Cove Point Connection," as word was beginning to spread of this planned liquefied natural gas (LNG) export facility. Much of that information is still relevant and can be accessed by clicking the title above. If you are unclear about what LNG actually entails, please take some time to read this very informative LNG Fact Sheet. If the Cove Point facility is constructed, the hydro-fracturing of our "Marcellus Sacrifice Zone" will only grow with devastating intensity while questionable companies like Cabot Oil & Gas rake in the profits.

 

The exportation of LNG will undoubtedly increase the price of natural gas for Americans and burn more fossil fuel as part of the processing from gas to liquid and back to gas, as well as the enormous amount of fuel used for refrigeration and transportation to countries across the ocean. There are also large amounts of methane lost as fugitive emissions during the processing, venting and transportation; and these emissions are more than 30 times stronger than carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas. So just in case all the fuel consumed in the process of merely obtaining the natural gas isn't disturbing enough, now liquefying, cooling & shipping are added to the equation as well as all the potential hazards that come along with LNG. If you are interested in learning more about the supposed positive and negative aspects of LNG, check out this blog.

 

All hope is not lost as there are still a few steps you can take to stand up to this monstrosity. First, the Sierra Club has prepared a letter to President Obama, which you can quickly fill out and send by clicking here. Second, there's another petition you can sign by clicking here to request an Environmental Impact Statement to take a closer look at the cumulative impacts of this project. Third, there will be a huge rally in Washington D.C. on Sunday, July 13th to oppose gas exports through the Cove Point terminal and beyond. RDA is inviting interested parties to contact us at this email address with "Cove Point Caravan" in the subject line, so that we can join forces in carpooling or maybe renting a van or bus to head down there together. Thousands are expected to turn out to this event. Please join us in helping to make it happen! Click on the image below to view more details and officially register for the event.

 

 

PEDF

PEDF's Lawsuit Update 
 
The Pennsylvania Environmental Defense Foundation (PEDF) has been undergoing litigation with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and Governor Tom Corbett since April of 2012. The lawsuit is based on Article 1, Section 27 of the Pennsylvania
brine water impoundment
Constitution which states that all citizens have the right to "clean air, pure water, and the preservation of the natural, scenic, historic, and aesthetic values of the environment." The Commonwealth Court affirmed that the suit had merit and rejected Governor Corbett's attempt to get it dismissed. The DCNR testimony featured in the last newsletter was from a related hearing last month. The photos pictured here along with the one up top were presented as part of Cynthia Bower's testimony in the same hearing. All of her images were taken in the Waterville/Ramsey area of Pine and Little Pine Creeks in the Tiadaghton State Forest, Lycoming County. Read on to learn more about this important lawsuit.
 
 
~14.5 acre site cleared for compressor station & freshwater impoundment
 
 
The suit maintains that the Commonwealth is NOT upholding its duties as Trustee and the Governor is NOT upholding the following three PA laws upon which the suit is based:  Article 1, Section 27 of the PA State Constitution, the 1995 Conservation & Natural Resources Act (CNRA), and the 1955 Oil and Gas Lease Fund Act (OGLFA), which established the Oil and Gas Lease Fund (OGLF). On June 5th, Judge P. Kevin Brobson issued an Order for the Preliminary Injunction presented by PEDF. Apparently the Commonwealth Court cannot prevent Governor Corbett from including $75 million from new state forest and park land leasing in the 2014-15 state budget, and the General Assembly must first conclude the state budget process before the
pipeline infrastructure
Court can act upon the Preliminary Injunction. When the state budget is enacted, PEDF will file an application requesting a status conference with the Court. Although this part of the process is on hold for the moment, the main part of the case continues and Oral Argument is set for September 8, 2014. Be sure to visit the PEDF Website for a very thorough step by step account of how the case has been progressing over the last 2+ years. 
 

RDA Newsletter

Brooke Woodside, Managing Editor
Ted Stroter, RDA Board of Directors, Editor
Ralph Kisberg, RDA Working Group, 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 biweekly 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 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. There is a forward link below. Readers are also invited 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.
 

Contact RDA with questions and comments using either the address below, by email at [email protected] or by phone at 888.332.1244 (toll free).   
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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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