 Throw me a lifeline, not a pipeline!
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August 28, 2014
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We are living in the land of well pads, compressors and pipelines, oh my! As gas well pads continue to grow in number and compressor stations are constructed and expanded, pipelines are following right behind. As this build-out progresses, it is crucial to keep in mind that no one on the local, state or federal level is monitoring the cumulative impacts to our air, water, soil and/or health. The gas industry enjoys numerous exemptions from existing federal laws controlling chemicals; well pads, compressors and pipelines are permitted and monitored one at a time. No aggregate pollutants or impacts are ever considered.
In this issue, local reporter Josh Brokaw keeps us abreast of some local industry plans, Charles Thompson of Pennlive sums up the proposed Atlantic Sunrise Pipeline, and PSE's letter to DEP's Secretary Abruzzi warns that extreme caution and careful consideration should be taken in shale development plans near a Mars, PA school.
Don't forget to check out "In Other News" for more pipeline stories and information including a pipeline safety quiz. Learn how Maryland's been proactive on the fracking front, and view some "Action Points" to take part in. Thank you for caring, and staying informed.
Sincerely,
Brooke Woodside
Managing Editor
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by Josh Brokaw, The Beacon
Pipelines are built to send gas to future power plants that will someday power thousands of homes. Whether the builders are allowed to use what is, in essence, a parking lot has little to do with anything - except local governance.
PUBLISHED AUGUST 13 AT 6:40 AM
To call the ceremony a "groundbreaking" is a bit disingenuous; the plant, owned by Panda Power, is about a quarter constructed already.
Spend six hours in a newsroom, and you find out that groundbreakings are often just the-day-we-rented-the-tent. They occur far after the money has been put into motion. The night before the ceremony, there was a quiet little hearing directly relating to the plant's operations that was held in Wolf Township, just outside Hughesville. It had no bearing on whether the $650 million power plant was to be built.
The Wolf Township hearing was for a "conditional use," like those I've been covering in Loyalsock Township about putting in a gas well [Click here for the latest update on gas well plans for Loyalsock Township]. This hearing, though, brought out no one but the usual folks that show up for any small municipality meeting: Three supervisors; the township solicitor; the secretary; the zoning officer; the planning commission chair; and one representative for the company applying for the zoning exception.
The applicant, in this case, was Primoris Pipeline, a pipeline builder who sent project manager Jamey Lambert up from Alabama to ask the township supervisors whether they can park some trucks, some trailers for tools and offices, and a fuel tank in a graveled lot, while Primoris builds a 12-inch, eight-mile line for UGI, already approved, that will bring gas under the Susquehanna River to the new power plant.
Lambert told the board the traffic impact on busy Route 405 is likely to be less than the number granted for the lot's approved use, a gas station. Operations will be from 6 a.m. till 6 p.m., so there's no concern with overnight work. The 21,000-gallon fuel tank will have an adequate containment pad. If the temporary lighting for the fueling stations bothers the neighbors, it will be changed, Lambert said - "Definitely I want to keep the peace with the neighbors."
The supervisors approved the zoning exception a few minutes into their "regular" meeting. Primoris hopes to start working on the line in two weeks, and the quick decision should help them to start moving in the trailers. The only question for this lot, for this zoning exception, is whether the company will keep using it after their project ends sometime this winter. Maybe Primoris will get more work in the area, and need to keep their fuel tanks and tool sheds there. Perhaps, they'll leave and take everything but the gravel.
There's lots of gravel along Pennsylvania highways, waiting for the next trucks to park.
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------------------------------------- Be sure to check out the latest from Josh on the first permitted gas well in Loyalsock Township. Click the link below to be redirected to his page:
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Lancaster County Struggles with Gas Pipeline Plans: Why should I do this to the future generations?
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by Charles Thompson, Pennlive
Pennsylvania's 21st century energy boom is landing in the midstate in the form of a big dig that, if approved, would see the equivalent of a natural gas interstate highway coursing through some of Pennsylvania's most-prized farmland.
IRONVILLE - South central Pennsylvania, meet Marcellus shale.
It would be the first so-called "greenfield" pipeline expansion - a line built over virgin ground - to cut through south central Pennsylvania as a result of the gas boom. (Another pending Marcellus-related project - the so-called Mariner East line - proposes the addition of a gas transmission line along the route of an already existing line.) If production projections out of the Marcellus shale region are correct, it may not be the last.
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5th Generation Farmer, Dan Forry, West Hempfield Twp, Lancaster County is fighting to keep the natural gas pipeline from going through his property
photo credit: Christine Baker, Pennlive.com
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Can "drill baby, drill" and the hard-earned land preservation ethos that Lancaster County leaders have worked so hard over the last generation to cultivate peacefully co-exist?
We'll learn the answer over the next two years, as the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission weighs the plan, proposed by Oklahoma-based Williams Partners, and the pushback from increasingly engaged midstaters.
Williams, one of the nation's largest gas pipeline operators, is seeking a way to serve producers and suppliers clamoring for the natural gas burbling out of the cracked rock of the Marcellus shale.
For those who haven't been paying attention, the shale formation in the Great Lakes states is said to hold more natural gas reserves than Saudi Arabia holds oil.
Improved drilling technologies introduced over the last decade have made it economically feasible to recover the shale gas, and production has skyrocketed over the last six years.
The distribution system needed to get that gas to market has fallen behind, and that's where the "shiny new tomorrow"-sounding, $3 billion "Atlantic Sunrise" pipeline project comes in.
The proposed 42-inch line alone would channel enough Marcellus Shale gas to power some 7 million homes in markets from Baltimore/Washington to Atlanta, Williams said. And that's not speculative.
Williams notes in its preliminary filings with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the federal agency charged with permitting the project, that the new pipeline's capacity has already been reserved by eight different suppliers.
The energy commission is taking the comments in what's called a pre-filing stage, meaning there's been no formal application entered from Williams. This period allows the company to test the water, learn what concerns are out there, and see how it can best resolve them. Williams would have to buy easements from hundreds of property owners for the proposed line.
Already, Williams made two adjustments to its proposed Lancaster County route:
The first swings the line to the east of Mount Joy, to avoid a wellhead protection area for that community's municipal water sources.
The other has pushed the line away from the Tucquan Glen Nature Preserve, a 336-acre woods in Martic Twp. owned by The Lancaster Conservancy.
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Physicians, Scientists & Engineers for Healthy Energy wrote a letter to DEP Secretary, Christopher Abruzzo regarding Shale Gas Development near the Mars Area School. A few key paragraphs from the letter, follow:
While there is still a dearth of quantitative epidemiology that assesses associations between risk factors and health outcomes, there is a growing body of peer-reviewed science that provides significant evidence of public health risks [1,2]. These risks are of particular concern to our most vulnerable populations (e.g., children), who may be disproportionately exposed and adversely affected by these health hazards [3].
The peer-review process is the cornerstone of scientific inquiry. Our organization, PSE Healthy Energy (www.psehealthyenergy.org), is committed to providing citizens and policymakers with objective, evidence-based information on energy production methods. Towards this end we have compiled a near exhaustive database of all the peer-reviewed articles on unconventional oil and gas development. This library is open to the public and can be accessed by clicking here. We have learned two very important points about shale gas development in the creation and review of this collection of scientific literature.
First, there are clear, well-defined pathways of exposure (e.g., air, water) from shale gas operations to human populations. There are numerous investigations that have linked modern natural gas operations to surface and groundwater contamination and this is well documented in the peer-reviewed literature [4-8] and in PA DEP reporting [9]. Emissions of health damaging air pollutants such as nitrogen oxides (NOx), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), aromatic hydrocarbons, particulate matter (PM), and ground level ozone (smog) precursors including methane (CH4) and VOCs occur throughout the life cycle of shale gas development. While the issue of determining a safe distance to develop unconventional gas from sensitive receptors is complex, evidence suggests that populations located within a mile of unconventional oil and gas development are subject to a statistically significantly elevated hazard from air pollution exposure than those
populations located further away [10]. The Mars Area School is located ~0.6 miles from the proposed shale gas development site and this should be a cause for concern and pause.
It is important to understand that air pollution is caused not only from activities in and around the wellhead, but also from the transportation of water, sand, and chemicals to and from the well pads, from separator tanks, compressor stations, and other ancillary processes. Thus, while a well pad may not be directly adjacent to a population in question, the air pollution impacts of shale gas development can be regional in nature [11]. Studies suggest trucking and other activities deliver significant impacts not only on local air quality [12], but also on regional air quality [13]. Air pollutants known to be health damaging have been measured in concentrations elevated enough to contribute to an excess public health burden for nearby human populations [10,14,15]. Benzene has been identified as a major contributor to elevated cancer risks from air emissions associated with the development of unconventional natural gas [10]. Previous studies have identified an association between this hazardous air pollutant and childhood leukemia [16].
Second, while the science has grown tremendously in the past year, there are still significant data gaps that would provide evidence on the relative safety of shale gas
development. Of the 349 peer-reviewed journal articles contained in the aforementioned database, 231 (~66%) have been published since the beginning of 2013 and 100 (~29%) have already been published this year. What this suggests is that studies are underway and the scientific community is now playing catch-up with the rapid growth of this industry. We are only now beginning to understand the implications of this industry for the environment and human populations. Until better data emerges on the potential risks, precautionary measures are surely warranted with regard to the permitting of new wells
in close proximity to schools.
Children are a particularly vulnerable population who may exhibit different health outcomes from adults when exposed to environmental pollution [23,24]. From an
exposure perspective, children drink more water, breath more air per unit body weight than adults, and often put objects and their hands into their mouths more frequently than adults. For this reason, children can be more exposed to environmental pollution.
Additionally, children are less able to metabolize and excrete environmental chemicals and their young ages provide longer durations for diseases with long latency periods to develop. Because of these differences children are a vulnerable population that warrants greater protection from environmental risks and therefore greater precaution in oil and gas development permitting decisions.
Permitting wells near schools is ultimately a matter of balancing the goals of safety with the perceived benefits of developing natural gas. Given the number of documented cases of well contamination and the PA DEP's inadequate preparedness for the shale gas boom
[26], it is clear that policy makers should exercise the utmost precaution when making decisions that could potentially impact our most vulnerable populations.
Our organization, PSE Healthy Energy, is dedicated to supplying evidence-based, scientific information and resources on unconventional shale oil and gas development
and other novel energy technologies to a variety of stakeholders. PSE's mission is to bring scientific transparency to important public policy issues surrounding such methods by generating, organizing, translating, and disseminating objective, evidence-based
information.
Click here to read the letter in it's entirety.
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In Other News
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Neil Young, Willie Nelson Host Nebraska Farm Concert to Protest Pipeline
Upcoming Harvest the Hope concert will raise money to help protest the Keystone XL pipeline.
Pennsylvanians Speak out about the proposed "Atlantic Sunrise" Pipeline.
Faith Zerbe, Pine Grove
As Williams/Transco looks to build a new gas pipeline, their slick PR firm is calling "Atlantic Sunrise" through Schuylkill County and beyond, residents around the region are resisting. They are not signing away their landowner rights to the corporation and organizing together with other communities along the proposed route and within the anti-fracking community to oppose the pipeline, due to its harm to communities in the drilling regions and beyond. No fracked gas pipeline path is a good path. It is a David and Goliath fight, but well worth those of us in Pennsylvania who have lived here for generations and call the commonwealth our home. It is our right and the right of every Pennsylvanian to raise families in a healthy and safe environment - and to not get our property taken by eminent
dom
ain because a multi-billion dollar corporation wants to export gas to the highest foreign bidder.
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Rebecca Roter, Brooklyn, PA
The GAO recently faulted EPA for not stepping up fracking enforcement, EPA recently faulted FERC for ignoring upstreat impacts, localized impacts of gas production, cumulative impacts, greenhouse gas emissions, and environmental justice populations. Well I live upstream, less than a mile from the Williams Central Station, with about 20 plus wells within a mile from my home. The services of Wild Well out of Houston Texas were required twice that I know of in the past year in my township to deal with out of control wells: it takes 24 hours for the emergency crew to get here. No one tells us anything whether it is a mercaptan spill, an out of control well, a compressor explosion or fire. I had a sinus infection when I testified April 3, 2014 at the FERC EIS Constitution Scoping hearing and I have another sinus infection just diagnosed today. I have lived in Susquehanna County since 1986 and have not had chronic sinusitis until now. I went home from the April 3 Constitution EIS Scoping hearing to discover the water coming out of my kitchen faucet, well water, smelled like an organic chemistry lab. I am now using a water buffalo and bottled water.
 | | Rt 87 Compressor Station & Gas Pipeline - photos by Brooke Woodside |
Transco's Garden State Natural Gas Expansion Fully Contracted
CLEVELAND, Ohio -
Williams Partners LP's wholly owned subsidiary Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Co. LLC (Transco) has fully contracted its Garden State Expansion project designed to deliver 180 MMcfd of additional natural gas for local distribution to Hurricane Sandy-affected local gas distribution along the New Jersey coast.
The Garden State Expansion consists of additional compression to provide firm transportation from Transco's Zone 6 Station 210 Pooling Point in Somerset County, NJ, to a new interconnection on Transco's Trenton Woodbury Lateral in Burlington County, NJ. Williams plans to place the project into service in phases with the first phase in 2016 and the second in 2017, pending regulatory approvals.
The $150-million project is in addition to the $4.3 billion in capital expenditures planned through 2017 on previously announced Transco growth projects.
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Pipeline Safety Quiz Test your knowledge with this pipeline safety quiz, brought to you by the Danielle Dawn Smalley Foundation.
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MD takes public health approach on fracking
Commissioned by the Maryland Department of Public Health through an executive order by Gov. Martin O'Malley, the study assesses potential environmental health impacts should Maryland open up its western edge to Marcellus Shale drillers.
A health impact assessment starts with what is called "scoping," reaching out into the community to find out what concerns and questions already exist. Then it gathers baseline public health information on the community. This takes a snapshot of residents' current health status, which then provides a method for future comparisons should drilling occur in the area. The report does not predict future health impacts from natural gas development. Rather it looks at all the available epidemiological studies that form the basis of potential health concerns. In this case, the researchers then rated these concerns, with air pollution topping the list.
Pennsylvania never did a similar health impact assessment for Marcellus Shale drilling even though the drilling boom began almost 10 years ago.
The final report:
is available.
The public comment period will be open until
October 3, 2014.
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Gas Pipelines - What Citizens Need to Know
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About the Proposed Atlantic Sunrise Pipeline
Potter's Farm
702 Mountain Road
Pine Grove, PA
Has your family or Schuylkill county land been approached by Williams Corp. to build a high pressure gas line on your property? Join Schuylkill Pipeline Awareness & allies for a community public information session about the proposed Atlantic Sunrise Pipeline Project, the permitting process & what communities are doing along the pipeline route to organize to protect their land and rights along the proposed route.
They will have experts present from Clean Air Council, Pipeline Safety Coalition, Shale Justice & Delaware Riverkeeper Network to answer questions about gas pipelines. They will have community members there who have had similar pipelines pass through their area in the last several years. There will be maps and pictures of similar pipeline construction practices at the meeting. This session will be outside with good weather or in the barn if it rains - so bring a lawn chair if you have one.
If you have any questions, please contact:
Please share with your neighbors and friends.
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People's Climate March
- NYC
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Sunday, September 21
In September, heads of state are going to New York City for a historic summit on climate change. With our future on the line, we will take a weekend and use it to bend the course of history.
In New York City there will be an unprecedented climate mobilisation - in size, beauty, and impact. Our demand is a world we know is within our reach: a world with an economy that works for people and the planet. In short, a world safe from the ravages of climate change.
This moment will not be just about New York or the United States. Heads of state from around the world will be there, as will the attention of global media. We know that no single meeting or summit will "solve climate change" and in many ways this moment will not even really be about the summit.
We want this moment to be about us - the people who are standing up in our communities, to organize, to build power, and to shift power to a just, safe, peaceful world.
To do that, we need to act - together.
RDA members will be attending this event, please CONTACT US if you are interested in joining our party.
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Frack Free Parks
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The Campaign Continues
It's not too late to participate in the "Frack Free Parks" campaign initiated by the Save the Loyalsock Coalition. Take a "selfie" in the woods with THIS SIGN and email it to
so they can upload it to the tumblr site. Then feel free to share it all over your other social media.
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PA Moratorium Petition
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Request a Moratorium on Further Leasing of our State Park and Forest Land
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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Request Full Disclosure of the Chemicals Used in the Fracking Process
The United States is in the midst of a rapid expansion of hydraulic fracturing ("fracking") to extract oil and gas from deep rock formations. Communities have raised concerns about the more than 750 chemicals and other components used in the drilling process.
But right now, companies can keep these chemicals a secret-along with any health and environmental effects they may have. Even when fracking-related accidents or chemical spills happen, doctors and public safety officers don't even have access to the chemical exposure information necessary to treat and protect people.
People have a right to know what chemicals are being used in their neighborhoods.
The Union of Concerned Scientists has drafted a comment form to the EPA. Click the link below & be sure to customize your comment for a stronger impact.
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Tell President Obama to put the brakes on fracked LNG Exports.
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 liquefied natural gas (LNG) to other countries.
President Obama is only hearing one side of the story from the Department of Energy, and it favors the natural gas industry. DOE's recent study on the economics of fracked gas exports completely ignores the public health, environmental, and climate costs of an export rush.
Let's remind President Obama of all the other costs -- the cost of buying drinking water because your well is polluted with fracking chemicals, lost work days because your child is sick due to respiratory problems, and increasing utility bills to heat our homes while communities are left to pay the price for fracking.
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Sign Up/Make a Donation
We welcome your active participation and are in need of help for special events, publicity, research, and other projects.
It costs nothing to sign up for our e-newsletter or become a member of our organization, but tax-free donations are accepted & greatly appreciated.
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.
Membership levels:
Adventurer..................$10
Explorer......................$20
Woodlander................$50
Guardian..................$100
Naturalist..................$500
Preservationist.......$1,000
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RDA Newsletter
Brooke Woodside, RDA Working Group, Managing Editor
Barb Jarmoska, Treasurer - 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
Mark Szybist - RDA Board of Directors
Roscoe McCloskey - RDA Board of Directors
Jim Slotterback - RDA Board of Directors
Dianne Peeling - RDA Board of Directors
This biweekly e-newsletter 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.
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Phone: 888.233.1244 (toll free) Please mail donations to: RDA, PO Box 502, Williamsport, PA 17703
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Copyright © 2014. All Rights Reserved.
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