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Stairway Wild Area - one of Pennsylvania's newly protected places, thanks to DCNR!
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"What we are doing to the forests of the world is but a mirror reflection of what we are doing to ourselves and to one another." - Mahatma Gandhi
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Summer is in full swing and we have another jam-packed issue for you. The good, the bad & the ugly news contained herein should comfort, inspire and possibly infuriate you, hopefully motivating a wave of positive action.
First, the good news - Some new developments just came to fruition for the Pennsylvania Wilds! DCNR designated five new "Wild Areas" to be protected from future industrialization. The new Wild Areas total almost 50,000 acres.
Next, the bad news - Nadia Steinzor of Ecowatch sums up Pennsylvania's failure to protect the health of its citizens by failing to regulate the industry after years of public input and planning.
And finally, the ugly - In case you haven't seen the latest on what's been happening in the Gulf since the beginning of this decade, we bring you the details from Think Progress.
What the natural gas industry gets away with almost seems like some sort of cruel joke, but sadly it's true. Now is the time to speak out and take some action. We need to stand up to the "profits over people" mentality and get our nation's economy on a better track.
As long as the status quo continues with the economy versus the environment, no one wins. By replacing toxic and destructive industries with those that promote truly clean energy and environmental rejuvenation, we can create a better future for our citizens.
Have you switched your electricity over to a renewable energy supplier yet? There are some great providers out there, and many can be found at PA Power Switch. If you sign up for Arcadia Power through the Sierra Club by July 31st, you'll receive four free LEDs.
The March for Clean Energy takes place this Sunday in Philadelphia, the day before the Democratic National Convention convenes. Concerned citizens are gathering and speaking out for the adoption of a Democratic platform that ushers in a sustainable energy future for America. Details follow the main newsfeed below.
Stay positive & do what you can. Every little bit counts!
Sincerely,
Brooke Woodside
Managing Editor
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by Barb Jarmoska, RDA Working Group
Passed in 1964, the Wilderness Act proclaims, "A wilderness, in contrast with those areas where man and his own works dominate the landscape, is an area . . . where man himself is a visitor who does not remain."
Hats off to Cindy Dunn and the PA DCNR for the recent designation of five "Wild Areas," acreage set aside to protect the unique wild character of the forest, open to the public for recreation and enjoyment but with limited human activity and no industrialization.
DCNR Secretary Cindy Dunn said "Our Wild Areas offer the best places in our state forest system where people can experience wilderness, pursue peace and solitude, hike, watch wildlife and camp."
The newly designated Wild Areas are:
Hammersley Wild Area -- 30,000 acres in Susquehannock State Forest in Potter and Clinton counties. It is the largest roadless area in Pennsylvania, protecting exceptional value streams and native brook trout habitat.
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| | "the Pool" - Hammersley Wild Area - photo credit: Curt Weinhold |
Penns Creek Wild Area -- 6,200 acres in Bald Eagle State Forest in Mifflin and Union counties, protects the scenic stream corridor, riparian habitats, undeveloped nature and a nationally-recognized trout stream. Quebec Run Wild Area -- 6,000 acres in Forbes State Forest in Fayette County is characterized by its wild nature and high quality streams. It is home to several rare and threatened species. Square Timber/Big Run Wild Area -- 5,600 acres in Elk State Forest in Cameron County, this large, undeveloped area provides opportunities for primitive recreation, as well as providing key habitat for many aquatic and terrestrial organisms. Stairway Wild Area -- 2,700 acres in Delaware State Forest in Pike County, it provides opportunities for primitive recreation, supports a unique diversity of plant and animal species, and contains exceptional value streams. What a refreshing contrast this designation provides to the recent "YES" vote cast by Representatives Garth Everett and Jeff Wheeland in favor of the privatization of our state parks for commercial purposes. Thankfully, saner heads prevailed and HB 2013 failed to pass with a final vote of 77 to 123. Click here to see a roll call of all votes.Had Everett and Wheeland succeeded, our state parks, renowned for trout streams and hiking trails, could have been converted to golf courses and water parks by for-profit corporations. Here in Lycoming County, it remains my hope that the 28,000 acres known as the Clarence Moore lands in the Loyalsock State Forest will one day be included in DCNR's Wild Area designations. In order for that to happen, we must first vote into office men and women of integrity who are willing to represent the best interests of present and future generations of Pennsylvania citizens over the profits of campaign-contributing corporations.
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PA Abandons Oil & Gas Regs, Fails to Protect Public Health
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Reprinted from EcoWatch - by Nadia Steinzor
Thanks to a bill passed this June by the state legislature, Pennsylvania now has the dubious distinction of being the only state in the nation to abandon oil and gas regulations after they've been fully developed and publicly reviewed.
While other states have modernized oil and gas oversight in the wake of the shale boom, no other state has exempted a major part of the oil and gas industry in the process.
Another part of SB 279 requires the use of public funds to run an advisory council made up primarily of oil and gas industry representatives.
So not only does the bill eliminate environmental protections from oil and gas operations, it holds any future attempts to improve them hostage to oil and gas industry interests. This runs directly counter to the public interest and epitomizes the misplaced legislative priorities that SB 279 represents.
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photo credit: www.nofrackingway.us
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One can only hope that going forward, elected officials will find the courage to stand up to this undue industry pressure and finally give Pennsylvanians the respect and environmental protections they deserve.
Click here to read more from EcoWatch.
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Reprinted from Think Progress - by Samantha Page
The Gulf of Mexico has been struggling with the pollution from offshore oil drilling for a long time, a struggle that was dramatically highlighted by the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill six years ago. But now it has come to light that the oil industry is conducting offshore fracking in the Gulf, which is even more dangerous than conventional oil drilling, according to the Center for Biological Diversity. The group received copies of more than a thousand fracking permits from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) following a court order. Under the Obama administration, between 2010 and 2014, more than 1,200 permits to frack in the Gulf were approved through a largely rubber-stamp process, the Center for Biological Diversity said. The EPA, which does not permit offshore drilling, has meanwhile allowed fracking companies to dump their wastewater directly into the ocean, with little to no environmental review and no system of water monitoring. "Fracking has largely been in a shroud of secrecy," explained Miyoko Sakashita, oceans director at Center for Biological Diversity, whose group was tipped off to the practice after reporters revealed that fracking was occurring in federal waters off California.
The newly released documents reveal that fracking occurred off the coasts of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama with no public involvement and with no site-specific tests undertaken beforehand.
In so doing, the industry was also allowed to dump a staggering 76 billion gallons of waste fluid into the sea in 2014 alone.
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Renewable energy and efficiency are the clean energy solutions we need to combat climate change and create millions of new jobs that will strengthen our economy. With the eyes of the world on Philadelphia, now is the time for us to come together as a united national movement to demand a Clean Energy Revolution! Click on the image above to be redirected to the march homepage for more details.
Sunday, July 24
12 noon - Convene at City Hall
2:30 pm - Rally Independence Mall
The Gas Drilling Awareness Coalition has arranged a bus trip from Wilkes-Barre, PA to the main rally in Philadelphia and back for only $20. The bus will leave from Kohl's in Wilkes-Barre PROMPTLY at 9 am and arrive near the Philadelphia City Hall area. The bus has a restroom and wifi. Passengers may bring coolers & folding chairs. There will be time in Philly to grab a bite to eat before the march/rally. The bus will leave Philadelphia at 5 pm to return to Kohl's in Wilkes-Barre around 7 pm. Click here to purchase a bus ticket.
Josh Fox and the crew of the How to Let Go and Love all the Things Climate Can't Change film will be holding another rally followed by a free film screening and concert Sunday evening at Vernon Park (Germantown, PA). The second rally will begin at 6:30 pm, the film will air at 8:30 pm and a concert will close out the night, beginning at 10:30 pm. Click here for more details. 
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Events
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Keep it Wild Hike -
Smith's Knob
Little Bear Creek Rd
Saturday, July 23 - 11 am
Our last two planned adventures to Smith's Knob were rained out, but we know the "third time's the charm" 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 11 am across from the ranger station on Little Bear Creek Road, which turns east off Rt 87 about 5 miles north of Rt 973.
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RDA Working Group Meeting
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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In Other News 
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Unconventional Natural Gas Development and Asthma
Asthma is common and can be exacerbated by air pollution and stress. Unconventional natural gas development (UNGD) has community and environmental impacts. In Pennsylvania, UNGD began in 2005, and by 2012, 6253 wells had been drilled. There are no prior studies of UNGD and objective respiratory outcomes.
Residential UNGD activity metrics were statistically associated with increased risk of mild, moderate and severe asthma exacerbations. Whether these associations are causal awaits further investigation, including more detailed exposure assessment.
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Why Methane is Such a Potent Greenhouse Gas
Methane comes from a lot of things, not just a gas well. It bubbles up out of swamps, landfills and rice paddies. Believe it or not, cows are also a major source of methane.
Methane is [also] the second most prevalent greenhouse gas emitted in the United States from human activities. In 2014, methane accounted for about 10 percent of all such emissions, according to the EPA. Globally, over 60 percent of total methane emissions come from human activities.
So why is methane such a big deal? According to a recent study, methane is up to 100 times more potent a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. And to explain why, we have to begin not on earth, but in space.
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World's Largest Storage Battery
By 2021, electricity use in the west Los Angeles area may be in for a climate change-fighting evolution.
For many years, the tradition has been that on midsummer afternoons, engineers will turn on what they call a "peaker," a natural gas-burning power plant In Long Beach. It is needed to help the area's other power plants meet the day's peak electricity consumption. Thus, as air conditioners max out and people arriving home from work turn on their televisions and other appliances, the juice will be there.
Five years from now, if current plans work out, the "peaker" will be gone, replaced by the world's largest storage battery, capable of holding and delivering over 100 megawatts of power an hour for four hours. The customary afternoon peak will still be there, but the battery will be able to handle it without the need for more fossil fuels. It will have spent the morning charging up with cheap solar power that might have otherwise been wasted.
Early the next morning, the battery will be ready for a second peak that happens when people want hot water and, again, turn on their appliances. It has spent the night sucking up cheap power, most of it from wind turbines.
Click here to read more from Scientific American.
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Montana County Passes Updated Oil & Gas Regulations
The Carbon County Commissioners passed new regulations to protect citizens from the dangers of oil and gas drilling, a significant win for local activists. The Development Regulations update, the first since 1989, follows the county's adoption of an updated Growth Policy last year. Key provisions of the new regulations include: ---Requires an approved site plan prior to the issuance of a conditional use permit, which would be a matter of public record before a permit is granted. This is not required today.---Provides landowners the right to receive baseline water testing, paid for by the driller before drilling begins. This is critical to determining the cause of any future contamination.---Establishes a 750-foot minimum distance, or setback, of oil and gas development from homes, and---Ensures dust control on roads used for hauling near drilling sites, with mitigation plans approved on a case by case basis.
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Well Count - Lycoming County
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One permit renewal was issued since our last publication. Click on the blue title for more information on the well:
Anthony Township:
EXCO Resources, LLC (PA)
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Fruits and Vegetables Grown with Oil Field Wastewater?
California's Central Valley produces fruits and vegetables for much of the United States, but did you know they may be grown with wastewater from oil field operations - even some organic brands?!
Last year, Water Defense revealed that the Cawelo Water District was accepting oil wastewater and selling it to its agricultural water users. But Cawelo wasn't alone.
New Food & Water Watch research shows that this practice is more widespread than previously realized, impacting the North Kern Water Storage District as well.
This is a national problem as California exports much of this produce to the rest of the US.
Brands that buy some of their products from farmers in these water districts include: Sunview Raisins and Grapes, Trinchero Family Estates (Sutter Home wines), Halos mandarins (formerly known as Cuties) and The Wine Group (Cupcake and Fish Eye wines).
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Make Frackers Pay for Water!
Even though hard-working Pennsylvanians have to pay monthly water bills, fracking companies and other large industries are free to consume billions of gallons of water from the state's rivers and streams without paying a dime. Luckily, State Representative Mike Sturla is working to change that by introducing a proposal to place a fee on water withdrawals greater than 10,000 gallons per day for non-agricultural and non-municipal uses.
It's time for frackers to pay their fair share for our most important public resource. Ask your state representative to support H.B. 2114 today.
Click here to forward a message courtesy of PennEnvironment.
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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.
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RDA Newsletter
Brooke Woodside, RDA Working Group, Managing Editor
RDA Working Group Members/Contributing Editors:
Barb Jarmoska, Ralph Kisberg, Ted Stroter, Norm Lunger
RDA Board of Directors:
Jim Slotterback, President
Robbie Cross, Vice President
Jenni Slotterback, Secretary
Mark Szybist
Roscoe McCloskey
Dianne Peeling
This 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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(Our website is currently under construction) Phone: 888.332.1244 (toll free)
Please mail donations to: RDA, PO Box 502, Williamsport, PA 17703 |
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Copyright © 2016. All Rights Reserved.
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