May 24, 2016
Frank Finan in action with his FLIR camera. His videos reveal invisible emissions from gas infrastructure.
"Doing nothing is not an option." - Frank Finan

Insidious: "causing harm in a way that is gradual, or not easily noticed." (source: Merriam-Webster)

You might have clicked on images in the sidebar of this newsletter from time to time which led you to infrared video of gas infrastructure. Such images provide a glimpse of the potentially insidious nature of the seemingly inanimate compressors, well pad stacks, and storage/processing tanks now dotting our landscape. Those videos are most often shot through the lens of Frank Finan's awesome FLIR camera. RDA's Barb Jarmoska jumped at the opportunity to ride along with Frank and see him in action. She describes the images captured as well as her experience with Mr. Finan in our feature article below.

Don't miss a free night at the movies, courtesy of RDA and our co-sponsors! Details follow our feature story.

Frank's images give us an inside look at what's infiltrating our air. Keeping with the insidious theme of this issue, news continues with some disturbing study results of what can end up in our water due to fracking wastewater chemicals.

Next, we offer you an insider's look at the "resignation" of DEP Secretary Quigley. Jan Jarrett tells the story of a forced resignation that is surely a loss to all of us who care deeply about the environment and the future of Pennsylvania. 

Finally, the Pennsylvania Environmental Defense Foundation is in need of donations to continue fighting for our right to clean air and water. The Forest Coalition will match the first $4,000 received. See the final story below for more details.

In Other News, we bring you a clip featuring bittersweet input from DEP's recently resigned Secretary, John Quigley; some interesting coverage of DEP's recently dropped violation charges against Range Resources; and a look at what Oklahoma's new earthquake frequency is doing to property owners' insurance policies.

There's a lot going on next month! Mark your calendars for the upcoming Keep it Wild hike to Smith's Knob on Sunday, June 5th; RDA Working Group meeting Wednesday, June 8th; and a free night at the movies Monday, June 13th.

And just so you know, our newsletter is undergoing a few changes for the summer. The format and the publication schedule will no longer be fixed, but we promise to keep you up to date with important news, events and opportunities to make your voice heard.

Be safe in your holiday travels & enjoy! :)

Sincerely,
 
Brooke Woodside
Managing Editor
 
Out of Sight, Out of Mind?
by Barb Jarmoska, RDA Board of Directors

Once upon a time about five years ago, Frank Finan made a decision. "Doing nothing was not an option," he told me on the Sunday afternoon I spent with him earlier this year.

Frank, a resident of Susquehanna County, found himself and his neighbors increasingly surrounded by natural gas activity and infrastructure. Wells, pipelines and compressor stations were cropping up everywhere near Frank's home. He feared that the regulations and oversights needed to adequately protect the people and the planet were sorely absent. Frank also believed that if folks could actually see the gasses streaming from the stacks on compressor stations and gas wells, they would be more apt to react with justifiable outrage.

At the time, Frank knew very little about FLIR (Forward-Looking Infrared) technology. That has all changed. Over the past half-decade, making visible the invisible has become Frank's passion and life's work. His is a labor of love, a selfless gift of his time, talent and resources for which he asks no compensation.

Frank purchased his FLIR optical gas imaging camera for $55,000. The camera is able to convert invisible infrared energy into an electronic signal which is visible on a digital recording. Frank also bought a Nissan van to use as his traveling videography studio.

Frank Finan and his FLIR - Photo credit: Barb Jarmoska

So what is it exactly that Frank is filming and documenting? An unidentified cocktail of potentially toxic hydrocarbons that may include benzene, formaldehyde, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene. No one knows for sure. Some of the elements in this potpourri of carbon-containing molecules belong to a class of chemicals known as volatile organic compounds (VOCs). VOCs have a high vapor pressure resulting from a very low boiling point, which causes them to readily evaporate and enter the surrounding air, a trait known as volatility - the trait from which they get their name.

Many volatile organic compounds are hazardous air pollutants. When combined with nitrogen oxides, VOCs can also form ground level ozone (aka smog) which threatens health and contributes to climate change. 

According to the National Institute of Health, "Long-term exposure to volatile organic compounds can cause damage to the liver, kidneys, and central nervous system. Short-term exposure to volatile organic compounds can cause eye and respiratory tract irritation, headaches, dizziness, visual disorders, fatigue, loss of coordination, allergic skin reactions, nausea, and memory impairment."

If you visit www.YouTube.com and type "Frank Finan FLIR" into the search window, you'll come up with 283 results. Each of these is a video showing some form of hydrocarbon release into the atmosphere. Each has been filmed by Frank and posted for the world to see - all at no charge.

The day I spent with Frank, we began at the largest of Lycoming County's nearly 20 compressor stations, the Barto Station just off Beaver Lake Road east of Hughesville in Penn Township. The video Frank shot that day shows clear evidence of hydrocarbons streaming from the stacks in this once pastoral landscape. You can't see the invisible emissions from the Barto Station, but a FLIR camera can. Click the image below to see what's really happening there.



Next, Frank and I traveled north on Routh 87 into the Loyalsock Valley. This once-beautiful eastern gateway to the PA Wilds is now a highly industrialized stretch of highway with a natural gas marshalling area, numerous pipelines, a compressor station, an odorizing station, an under-construction compressed natural gas (CNG) tank-truck filling station and 10 gas wells - all in a 4-mile stretch of what used to be farmland and quiet residential neighborhoods. "For Sale" signs appeared on numerous homes along the way, causing us to speculate why folks were leaving the area.

Frank continued to video the gas facilities as we followed the highway, careful not to trespass on industry property during the filming. The Energy Transfer compressor station on Quaker State Road, easily visible on Rt 87, was not operating at full capacity that day. There was, however, a chemical release of some kind that can be seen at the 2:20 minute mark on this video.

Just 2/10 mile from the Loyalsock Valley Elementary School, stacks at the Nature Boy well pad were releasing a small but continual stream of chemicals into the air. That day, the wind carried these invisible compounds in the direction of children playing soccer in the school's athletic fields. Click here for the video.

If VOCs were visible, would the outcry from people living near natural gas compressor stations reach a din that elected officials and regulatory agencies could not ignore? If VOCs were visible, would it change the outcome of PA's local and state elections? Perhaps.

At the end of our time together, Frank and I shared memories of the friends we have in common who have left PA, each of them seeking a place to live where they believed the air and water provided a greater measure of health and safety. I asked Frank about his own future plans. Knowing what he knows, and seeing what he sees, does he plan to remain in his Susquehanna County home? His reply, "For now, I just go day by day. When I think about the future, being wrong is my only hope."
A Night at the Movies


7 pm - Monday, June 13th
Campus Theatre, Lewisburg

RDA and Keep it Wild welcome Oscar-nominated filmmaker Josh Fox to the Susquehanna Valley as we present a FREE screening of Fox's latest film at the Campus Theatre on Market Street in Lewisburg, PA.

Following the huge success of his Gasland films, 
Fox's new documentary, 
How to Let Go of the World
and Love All the Things Climate Can't Change 
premiered in January at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival where it received seven standing ovations. Let Go and Love recently received the Documentary Award for Environmental Advocacy at the DC Environmental Film Festival. 

The film will begin promptly at 7 pm followed by a talk-back with Fox on the Theatre stage at 9 pm.

RDA thanks our sister organizations for their
co-sponsorship of this event:

Susquehanna Valley Climate Action Network
Bucknell Center for Sustainability and the Environment
Wild Goose Farm and Community Education Network
Susquehanna Valley Progressives
Rivertown Coalition
Mystery Solved: 
Chemicals in Fracking Wastewater Can Taint Nearby Fresh Water
Continuing with the insidious consequences of the oil & gas industry, we bring you this study showing disturbing findings for the fate of our watersheds if things keep rolling along as they have been.

This mystery was solved: Scientists say chemicals from fracking wastewater can taint fresh water nearby 


The boom in unconventional drilling for natural gas known as fracking hit so fast that scientists have had to scramble to determine whether it's safe for humans and the environment. Mostly they're still trying to catch up.

But a study by the US Geological Survey appears to have answered a critical question about the millions of gallons of chemical-laced water that are injected into the wells to fracture rocks and release trapped gas. Is there any cause for concern when that water is stored later, whether in treatment facilities or special underground wells?

The short answer is yes, said the study's lead author, Denise Akob, a USGS microbiologist.

"The key take away," said Akob, who led a team of researchers from Duke University and the University of Missouri in studying a stream near a wastewater storage site in Lochgelly, WV, "is really that we're demonstrating that facilities like this can have an environmental impact."

Upstream from the storage tanks, the waters of Wolf Creek tested normal. Downstream, there were detectable levels of chemicals that commonly lace fracking waste - barium, bromide, calcium, chloride, sodium, lithium, strontium. The report called the levels low, not enough to have a noticeable impact on marine life. But they did appear to have an effect on something that could be equally important.

Communities of microbes that help support life were dramatically altered downstream. There was a lower diversity of the life forms downstream, "which could impact nutrient cycling," a building block of life in the creek, the USGS explained in a statement that announced the study.

"Water samples adjacent to and downstream from the disposal facility exhibited evidence of endocrine disruption activity compared to upstream samples," the USGS explained. Long story short, endocrine disruptors can wreak havoc on the hormones of mammals. In the Chesapeake Bay watershed that includes bays, rivers, streams and creeks in six states and the District of Columbia, scientists have determined that endocrine disruptors have switched the testes of male smallmouth bass to ovaries.
The Truth Never Got Its Pants On

There's a famous quote variously attributed to either Mark Twain or Winston Churchill to wit: A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth gets its pants on. Right now, no one knows that better than John Quigley who resigned as Department of Environmental Protection Secretary on Friday.
Donations Matched!
Now is a great time to donate to PEDF's fight for our clean air and water.

We are awaiting the State Supreme Court's decision on PEDF's case regarding Article I § 27 of our State Constitution (our right to Pure Air and Clean Water). 

Litigation is expensive. Please consider becoming a part of the case by contributing to PEDF's legal defense fund.

The Forest Coalition board has reauthorized another matching grant for the next $4,000 donated to PEDF. Just mention "PFC Matching" with your donation. Click the following link for more details:
http://www.pedf.org/please-help.html. 

PEDF is a 501 (c) (3) charity. Please mail your checks to:
Pennsylvania Environmental Defense Foundation
PO Box 371, Camp Hill PA 17001-0371.
In This Issue

Events

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Keep it Wild Hike - 
Smith's Knob Redux


Sunday, June 5, 12 Noon
Little Bear Creek
Plunkett's Creek Township

Our last planned adventure to Smith's Knob was rained out, so we've put this scenic hike on the schedule once again. Come join us as we hike to the beautiful vista pictured above! Hikers will gather at 12 noon across from the ranger station on Little Bear Creek Road, which turns east off Rt 87 about 5 miles north of Rt 973. 

Due to concerns with the long and challenging ascent, we may begin the hike on the gentler slope of Painter's Run. Look for the event on RDA's Facebook page for up-to-date information. 

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RDA Working Group Meeting 
Wednesday, June 8, 5:30 pm
Cloud Nine Restaurant
Montoursville, PA

Everyone is invited and encouraged to attend. We welcome your active participation and are in need of help for special projects, publicity, research and other endeavors. Please come join us and see what the RDA Working Group is all about. Attendance at a meeting is not an obligation to join the group.

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A Free Night at the Movies

Monday, June 13, 7 pm
RDA and Keep it Wild welcome Oscar-nominated filmmaker Josh Fox to the Susquehanna Valley as we present a FREE screening of Fox's latest film at the Campus Theatre on Market Street in Lewisburg, PA.

How to Let Go of the World and Love All the Things Climate Can't Change recently received the Documentary Award for Environmental Advocacy at the DC Environmental Film Festival. 

The film will begin Promptly at 7 pm followed by a talk-back with Josh Fox on the Campus Theatre stage at 9 pm.

In Other News InOtherNews

------------------
Quigley Comments on How Natural Gas Leaks Accelerate Climate Change

PA news station WGAL's Mike Straub explains how methane accelerates global warming faster than CO2. John Quigley chimes in on the issue three days before he resigned as Secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection.


------------------
DEP Drops Plans to Pursue $8.9 Million from Range Resources

A Texas natural gas driller is no longer facing an $8.9 million civil penalty from the state Department of Environmental Protection for alleged violations at a well in eastern Lycoming County.

The DEP on May 6 notified Range Resources-Appalachia it no longer would pursue an $8.957 million fine for alleged violations related to the gas well on the property of Lewis Harman outside Hughesville.

Range then withdrew the appeal before the Environmental Hearing Board and that board last week formally dismissed it.

Later attempts to learn why DEP decided not to pursue the civil penalty were unsuccessful.


------------------
Fracking-Related Quakes Make Earthquake Insurance Nearly Unobtainable in Oklahoma

Insurance companies moved to limit their exposure, often at the expense of homeowners, a Reuters examination has found.

Nearly 3,000 pages of documents from the Oklahoma Insurance Commission reviewed by Reuters show that insurers and the reinsurers who cover them grew increasingly concerned about exposure to earthquake risks because of heightened frequency of seismic activity, which scientists link to disposal of saltwater that is a byproduct of oil and gas production.

Even as they insured more and more properties against earthquakes in the past two years, six insurers hiked premiums by as much as 260 percent and three increased deductibles. Three companies stopped writing new earthquake insurance altogether, state regulatory filings obtained by Reuters show. Several insurers took more than one of those steps.
 

Well Count - Lycoming County
------------------
New permits/violations were issued this month in the following townships. Click on the blue titles for more information on each well/violation:

Cascade Township:
ANADARKO E&P ONSHORE
(permit renewal)
(permit renewal)

Cogan House Township:
RANGE RESOURCES APP
(permit renewal)

Pine Township:
RANGE RESOURCES APP
(two Environmental Health & Safety Violations were issued:

CSL 402(b) - 
POTENTIAL POLLUTION -
Conducting an activity regulated by a permit issued pursuant to Section 402 of The Clean Streams Law to prevent the potential of pollution to waters of the Commonwealth without a permit or contrary to a permit issued under that authority by the Department.

78.54 - 
GENERAL REQUIREMENTS - 
Operator failed to control and dispose of fluids, residual waste and drill cuttings,
including tophole water, brines, drilling fluids, drilling muds,
 stimulation fluids, well servicing fluids, oil and production fluids in a manner that prevents pollution of the waters of the Commonwealth.

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

1,476 - Total number of permitted unconventional wells in Lycoming County

1.3 Million - Estimated total royalty income for producing wells in Lycoming County

91% - Average drop in well production over the first 36 months 


Petitions

------------------
Tell Your Legislators to Let DEP Drilling Regulations Move Forward
On April 21, the Independent Regulatory Review Commission approved the new oil and gas regulations - one of the key final steps in Pennsylvania's complex regulatory process.  

Now, the Pennsylvania General Assembly is trying to overturn the very rules they called for more than four years ago.

The new regulations would be a huge benefit to the state, finally prohibiting the use of pits to store shale gas drill cuttings and waste fluids, requiring shale gas operators to obtain a water management plan before they withdraw water for hydraulic fracturing, prohibiting the use of shale gas wastewater on roads for dust suppression and de-icing, and improving waste tracking and reporting requirements.

Tell your legislators today to protect Pennsylvania's streams and oppose any resolution or bill that would overturn or delay implementation of the new oil and gas regulations.

Thanks to the PA Chapter of Trout Unlimited, you can click here to send your message now. The PA Trout system will automatically find your House and Senate member based on your address.

------------------
The Fox Is Guarding the Hen House - Demand an Investigation!

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) operates as a rubber stamp on the pipeline infrastructure projects that come before it for review.  FERC approval is a foregone conclusion for each project that goes before the FERC Commissioners for their vote. This extreme conflict of interest is fueled by the fact that FERC is 100% funded by the pipeline industry and the other industries it is supposed to be independently regulating. In addition, the revolving door between FERC and industry employees strengthens the capture of the agency that fuels the bias.  

Help secure an independent investigation by the Government Accountability Office into the abuses of power, process and law by FERC when it comes to interstate natural gas pipelines, their compressors and LNG export facilities. 

Write your congressional representative now to urge their help in securing this necessary independent review.

Click here to send your letter to all of your federal senators and congressional representatives with just one click.
Join RDA!
It costs nothing to sign up for our e-newsletter, but tax-free donations are accepted & greatly appreciated. Please consider a tax-deductible donation to RDA. 

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 2016 and beyond, please consider a tax-free contribution to our efforts.

You can send a membership 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:
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RDA Newsletter

Brooke Woodside, RDA Working Group, Managing Editor
Ralph Kisberg, RDA Working Group, Contributing Editor (CE)
Barb Jarmoska, Treasurer - RDA Board of Directors, (CE)
Jim Slotterback, President - RDA Board of Directors
Robbie Cross, Vice President - RDA Board of Directors
Jenni Slotterback, Secretary - RDA Board of Directors
Mark Szybist - RDA Board of Directors
Roscoe McCloskey - RDA Board of Directors
Dianne Peeling - RDA Board of Directors
Ted Stroter, RDA Working Group, Chemical Advisor (CE)

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:  888.332.1244 (toll free)

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