Responsible Drilling Alliance
TOPHow can anyone see this and think it's OK?
December 4, 2014
Yeagle Road well pad as seen from a Rider Park vista

This week we're bringing you a heart-felt story from our own Barb Jarmoska. The title says it all, and highlights the problem:  a lot of people DON'T see and are NOT informed about what's going on with our beautiful state at the behest of the gas industry. Thank you so much for taking the time to read through this publication and for participating in the dialogue we so desperately need. 

 

With the end of the year quickly approaching, it's time to think about a year-end, tax-deductible donation to RDA, so that we can continue our efforts in fighting this good fight. We are not merely seeking monetary donations, but also new memberships, active participation and assistance in our endeavors for the benefit of all Pennsylvanians. We truly hope that you can join us!

 

"In Other News" brings you some enlightening information, and as usual, there are number of new "Events/Action Points" presented in the sidebar for your participation.

 

Thanks again for caring & staying informed.

 

Sincerely,


Brooke Woodside

Managing Editor

 

Visit our website at:  www.rdapa.org

How can anyone see this
and think it's OK?

by Barb Jarmoska, RDA Treasurer

 

I was at a family gathering last month, one of those 40-plus-people-in-one-room affairs with 15 conversations happening all at once. Rather than joining one of the exchanges, I chose to listen and observe. You learn a lot that way.


The conversation I honed in on began with a question posed to a Williamsport resident, "So, whaddya think of all the fracking that's happening in PA?"
 

"It's great," replied the Grampian area homeowner to the New Englander's query, "We've got zero unemployment, new restaurants popping up everywhere, and all the farmers are becoming millionaires. There's more truck traffic on the bypass, but it doesn't bother me. The reports you hear about people lighting their water on fire are hype; there's no proof of any real harm."
 

Wow. Had they been eavesdropping with me, Vince Matteo, Tom Corbett, Doug Lawler, Roger Ailes, Tom Shepstone, Phelim McAleer, Tom Marino, Eugene Yaw, Jeff Wheeland, Patrick Henderson, James Inhofe, Tom Gillespie, the Koch brothers (and others too numerous to mention), would have let out a cheer, maybe even done a little happy dance. The industry's ad campaign is working as promised. This Williamsport resident, who walks his dog on Packer Street, likes to eat at the new Cracker Barrel, and communes with nature in Brandon Park, is happy. "Keeping it wild" is no concern. Drilling in Rock Run? No problem. Where's Rock Run?
 

The industry's four-cornered, foundational sound bites: economic opportunity and flag-waving patriotism coupled with assurance of corporate responsibility and environmental safety have been brewed into such a sizeable vat of Kool-aid that network TV-watching, local-newspaper-reading citizens belly up to the bar and unconsciously chug their daily draft.
 

The industry's message has also been so touted as the whole truth by those who hold the reins of power in Lycoming County (and elsewhere) that attempts to illuminate the other side of the gas drilling coin are apt to be labeled "controversial" at the least and "environmental extremism" at most. Evidence of this can be seen in newspaper editorials, pro-industry rulings by elected officials, and even the refusal of the Community Arts Center to rent the theater to RDA to show the 4 movies we planned to bring to Williamsport in 2014. A brief backstory:  on the heels of RDA's successful showings of Gasland I and II, which netted a combined audience of over 2400, the RDA Board of Directors approved a "Movie of the Month" plan, intending to launch the series with screenings of Unearthed, Backyard, Groundswell Rising and Triple Divide. Admission would be free and each documentary would be followed with a talk-back by the producers and directors. Unfortunately, RDA's plan was unacceptable to certain CAC financial backers. Their threats to withdraw support prompted the CAC to deny us permission to pay the requisite $500 fee to use the venue for these public events. Access denied; RDA's desire to balance the conversation on Marcellus Shale with a precautionary principle message rooted in sustainability, health, and safety is not welcome in Williamsport.
 

I held my tongue and didn't join that overheard conversation at the family gathering. But I did fantasize about teleporting those engaged in the discussion to Yeagle Road in Eldred Township. Yeagle Road runs along the southeastern boundary of Rider Park and connects Route 973 with Wallis Run Road. There are a number of beautiful homes in the rural neighborhood, each representing a significant financial investment by property owners, homes where children are raised and memories made, homes with value beyond that which can be measured in dollars and cents.
 

Yeagle Road well pad as seen from a nearby home

 

The well pad on Yeagle Road might not be there had the First Community Foundation Partnership decided not to lease Rider Park for gas drilling. Back in the day, you may have signed the "Save Rider Park" petition or watched the video about the park, produced by Earthjustice in 2011. It's still on youtube and you can CLICK HERE to view it. Once that public outcry had diminished, FCFP signed a sub-surface lease on the 800+ acres. With the approval of horizontal drilling under the park, private property along the park's boundary swiftly became prize well-pad turf. 


What is unique about the "TLC" well pad on Yeagle Road is its visibility. I urge you to take a drive, pull alongside the well pad, turn off your car, listen and observe. The time of day you choose for your field trip doesn't matter; operations are ongoing 24/7. Imagine living there beside the woods, before the gas wells - and now.
 

The home owners closest to the well pad are no longer drinking from the water well that supplied them with clean water for 21 years. After several days of drilling, the water that ran from their taps was discolored and of questionable safety. Inflection Energy has provided them with a water buffalo, hidden from roadside view and connected to their indoor plumbing.
 

For another field trip, and an expanded look at the impact of the gas industry in PA, you can head to State College. The Marcellus Shale Documentary Project will be on display at the Palmer Museum of Art on the Penn State campus through December 14th. I assure you, it's worth your time to see this free exhibit, which features photographic images that tell the stories of Pennsylvanians affected by the gas industry. According to the gallery's web site, "By creating a visual document of the environmental, social, and economic impact of the drilling, the work aims to engage communities in the current Marcellus Shale debate while providing important historical images for the future." http://www.the-msdp.us
 

Last month, I had the privilege to serve as a tour guide to two PSU professors who are part of the Marcellus Shale Gallery Conversation series at the Palmer. We met on Yeagle Road, where they viewed the well pad from nearby homes. From there, I drove them to Rider Park where we hiked the Katy Jane Trail, spending time at the vista that overlooks the Yeagle Road well pad. Even from that distance, the sound of the drill bore and bulldozers and a multitude of diesel engines overpowered that of birdsong and wind-rustled leaves. One of the professors asked me, "How can anyone see this and think it's OK?" I had no answer.
 

Had my teleportation of those distant cousins been a reality, I might have asked them the same question.  

An RDA glance back through 2014 - Join us as we enter into 2015!

The Responsible Drilling Alliance, a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation based in Williamsport, PA, was formed by local citizens in 2009 in response to the sudden and dramatic - and to most local leaders, welcome - industrial transformation of the region as a result of the arrival of unconventional gas extraction. RDA recognized early on that the social, economic and environmental costs of this industry had been neither properly nor thoroughly evaluated, and that the right of the citizens to local self-determination had been manipulated and undermined by an aggressive, industry-funded marketing campaign of disinformation. 


Over the last five years, RDA has emerged as the pre-eminent grass-roots organization in northcentral Pennsylvania addressing the issue of shale gas. The group's reputation is built on the communication of science- and experience-based information and informed risk assessment. In addition, RDA is in a unique geographic position, located in the heart of the Marcellus shale gas play. As a result, the organization has gained credibility across demographic boundaries. RDA's position, opinions, and observations have been sought by members of the environmental community, political officials, industry leaders, educators, and the general public.

Moreover, RDA members have hosted and assisted a range of national and international organizations and groups seeking the truth behind the consequences of natural gas extraction. This list includes: educators, students, citizens, media personnel, and representatives from other regions in PA as well as New York, Maryland, New Jersey, Ohio, Michigan, Texas, Washington DC, Wyoming, North Carolina, New Brunswick, Alberta, Bulgaria, France, South Africa, Germany, Switzerland, Ireland, the United Kingdom, and Poland. 

 

Because RDA is a non-profit organization, we rely on grants and community donations for the important work we do. In order to continue our valuable education and advocacy outreach in 2015, we need your help. Please join us in fighting this good fight by CLICKING HERE to become a member or to renew your membership for the upcoming year. Print the form, fill it out & send it in along with your tax-deductible donation (or if printing is an issue, feel free to send a note with the requested information instead.) Membership forms can be mailed to RDA, PO Box 502, Williamsport, PA 17703. Or you can donate via PayPal by CLICKING HERE. We also welcome your active participation and assistance in our endeavors. 

 

2014 has been quite a year for PA's gas boom, and RDA has been working hard to be sure you are knowledgeable and informed about what's happening. Here's a brief list of what we've been up to throughout the past year:

 

-Promoting awareness & appreciation of our "PA Wilds" through "Keep it Wild" hikes

 

-Donating books to the James V. Brown library (The Boom and Fracking Pennsylvania)

 

-Representing PA citizens at a wide variety of conferences, meetings, and hearings

 

-Participating at the Peoples' Climate March in NYC

 

-Publishing informative bi-weekly newsletters

 

-Hosting informational meetings for local residents

 

-Demanding accountability

 

-Leading guided tours (from the ground and sky) for out-of-state and foreign citizens interested in the fracking industry

 

-Facilitating and assisting scientific research 

 

Even if you're not in a position to make a donation at this time, there is plenty you can do to join us in helping to control the industrialization of rural PA:

 

-Talk to your neighbors, friends and family

 

-Attend your township meetings

 

-Watch for permit application notices and attend township hearings

 

-Voice your concerns to your township officials as well as local and state legislators

 

-Report problems and demand accountability

 

-Vote for the candidates who support local community rights and/or have the endorsement of environmental watchdog groups such as PennEnvironment, Sierra Club, etc.

 

-Stay informed and educated about deep shale gas drilling and its impacts on your community, quality of life and our natural resources

 

-Attend informational presentations

 

-Join RDA on our hikes to some of the most beautiful places in Lycoming County

 

-Teach your children and grandchildren to treasure the natural wonders of PA

 

-Sign up for the RDA bi-weekly newsletter (or sign up a friend!)

 

-Join and support RDA

 

Would you like to become more involved in what's happening in your township, but aren't sure who to contact or where to go for your local public meetings? Click here to be redirected to the PSATS database where you can search for your township's contact information by County. If your township has a website, you will be redirected there, otherwise their contact information will be listed. Unfortunately, we couldn't find a complete listing of all PA boroughs/cities with contact information, but since they tend to be a little more urban, hopefully you can locate your borough/city office or website for contact & meeting information.

 

The gas industry is only gaining speed in Pennsylvania as time goes on, so NOW is truly the time to get involved & be a part of the solution. It is up to us, the citizens of this beautiful state to speak up and fight for local zoning control and tighter environmental regulations in order to protect and preserve the home that we all share, love and cherish. Please join us! 

In This Issue
Events/
Action Points
In Other News InOtherNews
Solar and Wind Energy Winning on Price vs. Conventional Fuels

For the solar and wind industries in the US, it has been a long-held dream:  to produce energy at a cost equal to conventional sources like coal and natural gas... that day appears to be dawning. 

The cost of providing electricity from wind and solar power plants has plummeted over the last five years, so much so that in some markets renewable generation is now cheaper than coal or natural gas.


------------------

Carcinogenic Chemicals Contaminate Air Near Fracking Sites

It seems as though, with each day that passes, yet another health and environmental hazard is identified as being linked to hydraulic fracking, the process of injecting more than 200 chemicals at high pressure into the ground, shattering rock and releasing one of America's most valued resources, natural gas.

Hydraulic fracking continues to be proven more dangerous than scientists imagined, with the latest research unmasking unthinkable health effects in residents living near a fracking site.

Only through observation have scientists begun to learn exactly which chemicals are being injected at high pressures into the earth, as the industry believes proprietary rights trump the public's right to know about which chemicals make up fracking mixtures.


------------------

The Downside of the Boom

North Dakota took on the oversight of a multibillion-dollar oil industry with a regulatory system built on trust, warnings and second chances.

This is a fairly lengthy report, but definitely worth the read if you have the time.


Tuesday, December 9 - 8:30 pm

Loyalsock Township Firehall
715 Northway Road, Williamsport

Appeal No. 2014-012 - Notice is hereby given that the Loyalsock Township Board of Supervisors will hold a public hearing in the Loyalsock Township Firehall, to hear the following request for conditional use:  Appeal of Inflection Energy, LLC to be allowed to construct and operate a natural gas well site pad on a property at 515 Hepburn Hill Rd. Oil and Gas Development is a conditional use in the R-U zoning district. The application and plans for this proposal are on file in the Codes Office located in the Township building. Said plans may be viewed during normal Township Office business hours.

Saturday, December 13 - 8 am

Hepburn Township Firehall
Route 973

Inflection Energy has filed a conditional use application for the Hannan Wellsite in Hepburn Township.

Please feel free to contact us at the following phone # or email address for more information:

888-332-1244



September 23 - December 14

The Palmer Museum of Art, State College

 

The "Marcellus Shale Documentary Project" features photographic images that tell the personal stories of Pennsylvanians affected by the Marcellus Shale gas industry. By creating a visual document of the environmental, social and economic impact of the drilling, the work aims to engage communities in the current Marcellus Shale debate while providing important historical images for the future. In capturing images of the people and places most affected by gas drilling, photographers Noah Addis, Nina Berman, Brian Cohen, Scott Goldsmith, Lynn Johnson and Martha Rial examine both the positive and negative results of the recent boom in the gas industry and how the environment and the communities that live with the resources are being shaped.

 

Click Here for more details on the entire exhibition.

 


Campout 
NPR Petition 
Think About It

Most Americans consider NPR an independent media organization, so it might surprise you that one of its biggest corporate sponsors is the American Natural Gas Alliance, a front group that exists only to promote some of the worst energy polluters in America.

The ANGA has been an NPR corporate sponsor for months, using its airtime to promote the misleading 'think about it' campaign that is in fact a promotion for the dangerous and destructive drilling process known as fracking.

NPR's financial dependence on the fracking industry could be fouling its news coverage, just like fracking fouls up our air, water and climate. Fracking puts America on a path toward a bleak energy future, with polluted land, flammable tap water and earthquakes.

Meanwhile, clean, green energy sources like wind and solar can provide 99 percent of our electric, transportation and manufacturing power needs. No fracking required. Even better every time we choose renewable energy over oil, coal and gas, we reduce emissions, lower the cost of energy and create jobs.

When trusted news outlets like NPR take money from ANGA and repeat their deceptive marketing claptrap - on OUR airwaves - we have to question their objectivity. 


FrackFreeParks
Frack Free Parks
 
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.


Colorado
Protect Colorado's Wilderness from Fracking
The Obama Administration is finalizing plans for 1.5 million acres of public land in Colorado, including more than 300,000 acres of our last wild places. 

The administration is poised to hand over these lands to oil and gas companies to expand dangerous fracking operations. If frackers turn these wild places into an industrial landscape, the damage would be irreversible.  

These lands are beloved by Americans for camping, hiking, fishing, wildlife viewing and more. They provide important habitat for countless species, including moose, elk, deer, lynx, mountain goats, bighorn sheep, mountain lions and sage grouse.

Colorado has already become a poster child for the perils of fracking, with hundreds of occurrences of toxic waste spills, groundwater and river contamination and other ill effects being reported. 


Fracktracker Alliance recently released a free iPhone app - designed to collect and share experiences related to oil ad gas drilling across the United States. The app allows people to submit oil & gas photos or reports. Users can view a map of wells drilled near them as well as user-submitted data.


Join RDA!
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, 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 2015, please consider a tax-free contribution to our efforts.

You can send a donation to the address listed at the bottom of this email, click here to donate via PayPal, or click here to download our current membership form to fill out and send in along with your donation.
 
Membership levels:
Adventurer..................$10 
Explorer......................$20
Woodlander................$50
Guardian..................$100 
Naturalist..................$500 
Preservationist.......$1,000 


Past Newsletters
RDA Newsletter

Brooke Woodside, RDA Working Group, Managing Editor
Barb Jarmoska, Treasurer - RDA Board of Directors, Editor
Ralph Kisberg, RDA Working Group, Contributing Editor
Ted Stroter, RDA Working Group, Contributing Editor
Jim Slotterback, President - RDA Board of Directors
Jenni Slotterback, Secretary - RDA Board of Directors
Mark Szybist - RDA Board of Directors
Roscoe McCloskey - RDA Board of Directors 
Robbie Cross - 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.

Responsible Drilling Alliance | [email protected]
Phone:  888.332.1244 (toll free)

Please mail donations to:
RDA, PO Box 502, Williamsport, PA 17703


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