PToprotecting Communities and Special Places

  e-Newsletter  June 5, 2014

Responsible Drilling Alliance
 quote
"It's the action, not the fruit of the action, that's important.
You have to do the right thing. It may not be in your power,
may not be in your time, that there'll be any fruit. 
But that doesn't mean you stop doing the right thing. 
You may never know what results come from your action. 
But if you do nothing, there will be no result."
 
-Mahatma Gandhi

IN THIS ISSUE


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eventsUPCOMING EVENTS
FFP
Fracking Pennsylvania
Book signing by Author, 
Walter Brasch, Ph. D.
 

Friday, June 6

6 - 8 pm

 

Otto's Bookstore

107 West Fourth Street

 

Mr. Brasch will be signing his works including the NEW edition of Fracking Pennsylvania, which has 70% more content than the 1st edition and twice the graphics; (current to 2014.) 

 

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call
National Conference Call to Ban Fracking
 

Thursday, June 5th

8 pm -9 pm

 

Call: 559-726-1200
Code: 776632

Recent developments across the United States show that the movement to ban fracking is growing stronger by the day!

Join the call as we get national updates from the campaign to stop fracked gas exports; and state updates from Maryland, North Carolina, Illinois, Pennsylvania and Oregon. We will also conduct a short training on how to write effective letters to the editor.

RSVP and help spread the word about this call to your supporters and followers on Facebook and Twitter.

    

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Lobby
Lobby Day in Harrisburg
 

Tuesday, June 17th

 

Join us in Harrisburg to show the State Legislature we oppose further leasing of our State Park & Forest land to help balance the budget.

 

  

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Rally
Cove Point Rally
 

Sunday, July 13th

Washington, D.C.

 

Join us as we head to D.C. to protest 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. 

 

We hope you can join us! 

 

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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
 

Surveys

Fairfield Township - Shaheen Well Site Meeting
 
RDA invites you to come and learn about what's happening in Fairfield Township. 
Invitations were mailed to residents living within the primarily effected corridor, 
but all others are invited as well. 
 
A lawsuit is underway in opposition to the proposed Shaheen well site in Fairfield Township, Lycoming County. During the first hearing, Inflection Energy agreed to, and the court issued a stay that will be in place until August 1st. The Appellants brief is due June 12th, with the Township and Inflection's briefs due after that. The next court date is set for July 2nd, the hearing on the legal issues at hand.   
 
Please come and join us next Thursday, June 12th at 6:30 pm as we discuss the potential impacts of this site as well as others coming our way very soon. One of the more recent negative impacts of the industry that can affect all property owners living near gas operations is a loss of some property values and problems in selling homes or getting mortgage insurance for the people in those areas. 
 
People have also experienced a loss of quality of life, as not only parts of our state forests, but some of our formerly quiet and beautiful rural roads and country sides have been turned into industrial zones. The Route 87 corridor is the first in the county where drilling activity is now occurring in a more heavily populated area. 

Air and water contamination from the gas industry in other shale plays where they have a longer, more concentrated presence has also been documented, and some areas of PA have experienced these problems. We are concerned that these issues will become more prevalent as gas development expands in Lycoming County. 
 
In addition to these broader areas of concern, it is important to realize the enormous complexity and thus the room for error and mishap that occurs with all gas operations. For example, just this past Sunday morning, there was an incident at the Quaker Compressor Station off Route 87 (slated to be linked up to the Shaheen well site through an additional pipeline). A pressure release valve opened and began releasing methane around 4 am as part of a standard practice regulating procedure. Once the pressure dropped, the shut off valve should have closed automatically, but did not. The valve remained open and continued to release a large quantity of methane for nearly two and a half hours until the gas company's emergency crew arrived and closed the valve. Emergency responders who came to the site more quickly were unable to enter due to a locked gate. The incident is now in the hands of the DEP. While this accident did not present an extreme safety concern at the time, it provides evidence of the unpredictability and randomness of gas industry mishaps.

If you have concerns about any of the above mentioned gas activity impacts in your area, we recommend that you contact your banks & realtors if applicable, your local & state representatives, your county commissioners, and your friends and neighbors.

At the upcoming meeting, RDA board members will discuss the following topics and answer questions:

1.  Legal Issues

2.  Quality of Life Issues

3.  Potential Health Issues from Contaminated Air or Water

4.  Property Value / Mortgage & Mortgage Insurance Issues

Meeting Details:
Thursday, June 12th - 6:30pm
American Legion Hall, Post 104
Broad Street, Montoursville (across from the cemetery) 
 
We look forward to seeing all concerned citizens at this meeting.

Corbett

 

A Closer Look

 

So what are some of the "unseen" ill-effects of the industry? Below are a couple water and air contamination issues for your information.

 

The following is a water contamination map created by Bill Huston of Binghamton, NY. Click on the map to see a larger version and to access Mr. Huston's blog regarding his information compilation.

 

 

 

 

CLICK HERE to see a video filmed with a FLIR (thermal imaging infrared) camera at a compressor station in Springville, Susquehanna County. This shows the "invisible" air pollution happening so silently and discretely all around us. Watch the video and maybe you will "see" something a little more disturbing in the future as you pass by these seemingly inanimate compressor stations.

 

Frackfreeparks

Frack Free Parks
the campaign continues...
by Brooke Woodside

photo credit: Jim & Jenni Slotterback

Is history repeating itself? Pennsylvania established it's first State Park more than one hundred years ago. This was in response to the lumber, coal and oil industries taking full advantage of the "seemingly endless supply" of our natural resources. Pennsylvania's beautiful forested lands were quickly becoming more of a desert than a life-sustaining environment. This got the ball rolling and inspired citizens and leaders to start preserving and protecting "special places." Valley Forge, where George Washington encamped the army during the American Revolution, became our first State Park in 1893 (this and further info on the history of our state parks can be found on the DCNR website by clicking HERE). 
 
Flash forward to our pristine landscape with abundant regrown forests, flourishing after such past devastation. Of course there are still ongoing problems with acid mine drainage, etc that have never quite been remedied, but for the most part it has been a pretty strong recovery attributable to increased preservation and protection throughout the past century. Our state parks have actually done a beautiful job in making our state a leader in this arena, but all this seems to be changing again. This time it is the natural gas industry clear-cutting sections of our state forest for pipelines, gas well pads, roads and compressor stations. This of course is only part of the current problem along with the water contamination and air pollution that also come along with the industry. And with the Governor's plans to include gas leasing as part of our state budget ($75 million), the problem only seems to be gaining momentum. CLICK HERE for an update on the Governor's current plan
 
A lawsuit is currently underway that will hopefully give the power back to DCNR to determine what is best for our state forests, and protect them from governing commands to lease however much land is necessary to meet the budget goal. CLICK HERE to learn more about this lawsuit and see what our past DCNR Secretaries have to say about it. It seems as if DCNR truly wants to do the right thing, but since the end of the Rendell Administration and throughout the entire Corbett administration thus far, their hands have been tied. I personally know a few individuals that work for DCNR & they are in that field because they love nature and sincerely want to protect our environment, not because they want to make money off of the exploitation.

If you would like to show your opposition to the Governor's plan, take your picture with the sign pictured below and share everywhere!
 
 
Be part of it on Tumblr, Facebook and Twitter! 
 
Check out the submissions & find more info here: 

rdapa

Now there's an easier way to get to our website! 

Check it out:  RDAPA.org

Read on to learn a little more about our organization:

RDA is an education and advocacy coalition based in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Founded in 2009 by a group of seven native or long time area residents, RDA seeks to add balance to this very volatile issue of shale gas development by educating ourselves and the public about it's many negative impacts. These impacts get less publicity than the positive, often inflated benefits constantly advertised in national and local news. Along with national, state and local conservation and environmental organizations, RDA advocates for regulations needed for our environment, health, safety, long-term economic well-being and quality of life. Our founding group and membership include people with gas leases and those adamantly opposed to gas development in one of the largest and last core forest ecosystems in the eastern United States and other ecologically special places. Protection of vital sources of clean water and air and for rejuvenation for people now and those who follow us, drives us to be a small cog in a large movement for clean energy and an ecologically and economically just society. 


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).   
 
For more information, visit the RDA web site, or like us on Facebook.

Donations can be sent by mail to: Responsible Drilling Alliance, P.O. Box 502, Williamsport, PA 17703 
Thank you for your support!
      undefinedResponsible Drilling Alliance