From local news channel WBNG;

September 13, 2010

"The EPA's hearing in Binghamton on hydraulic fracturing begins Monday afternoon.

There'll be 2 identical sessions Monday and 2 on Wednesday. They're being held at the Forum Theater on Washington Street.

Sessions are from 12:00pm-4:00pm and 6:00pm-10:00pm both days.

Registered speakers will be able to present verbal or written comments to the EPA on hydro-fracking.

You can also submit written comments to the EPA directly without attending the hearing. You can email your comments to;

hydraulic.fracturing [at] epa.gov

through September 28. Put "Hydraulic Fracturing Study -- Comments" in the subject line.

You can also mail comments to the EPA at:
Jill Dean
1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Mailcode 4606M
Washington, DC 20460

http://www.wbng.com/news/local/EPA-Hydro-Fracking-Hearing-Begins-In-Binghamton-102758934.html




related fracking article;

Thursday, September 9, 2010

"What will happen to our farms?"

By Samantha Malone, MPH, CPH


"As Dr. Volz and I presented as part of Geneva College's Colloquia Series today - right in the heart of PA's Marcellus Shale play - I found myself brainstorming on what issues FracTracker's DataTool can be used to help address, and what future research questions might result from its use. The next few blog posts of mine will follow that theme.

So the first question I would like to propose is what will happen to our region's farms and their products if an industry can offer $5,000 an acre and 18% royalties (an approximation based on recent verbal reports from owners of mineral rights) to farmers, many of whom are feeling the squeeze financially?

One of the great features of the data tool is its ability to layer different types of data, since all of the data that is uploaded is geo-coded (meaning there are latitudes and longitudes for each entry in the dataset). Using this tool, we created this snapshot:

This map has been zoomed in to take a closer look at how land is being used in Washington County, PA and comparing that with where gas wells are being drilled. The coral area of land, where more than 50% of it is cultivated as you can see, has several wells located within it. This observation leads to my question.

Since many farmers are experiencing financial hardships, it is understandable that the monetary assistance that can at times be provided by leasing out their mineral rights would be a very beneficial (and attractive) option for the farmers. But what does this new temptation mean for the quality of our nation's agriculture down the road? How will public health be affected, e.g. will access to local and fresh foods improve or decline? Will certain land owners be less motivated to farm? Will they use their signing bonuses and royalty checks to purchase new and better farming equipment, which hypothetically would improve the quality and quantity of the agricultural system? Or even, will more events like this one occur, when cattle had to be quarantined because they came in contact with waste water that leaked from an impoundment?

This is an invitation to hear your opinions on the direction this issue might go."

view article with map here;
http://www.fractracker.org/


Fracking adds methane bubbles into groundwater, resulting in water that can become flammable.



"Hydraulic Fracturing Makes Drinking Water Nice and Flammable"

9/3/10 at 10:18 AM

"The controversial practice of hydraulic fracturing (also known as "fracking" — sorry, Battlestar Galactica fans) extracts natural gas from deep underground by using drillers to pump large quantities of water mixed with sand and chemicals under high pressure. That process fractures the rock formation, letting the gas flow freely. So freely, in fact, that communities that live above the Marcellus Shale, a massive underground natural-gas deposit stretching from New York to West Virginia that's being flooded by investors eager to drill, are worried about their drinking water's turn for the flammable.

A group of residents from Dimock, Pennsylvania, called "Carter 15" filed a suit against Cabot Oil & Gas last November for contaminating their well water, including charges that combustible gas was released into the wells, natural gas was discharged into fresh groundwater, and elevated levels of dissolved methane were found in the water wells. A couple in Damascus, Pennsylvania, who have an exploratory gas well near their home were told by the American Natural Gas Alliance that the "water contamination is the result of isolated accidents." Like isolated incidents, only accidental!

Although hydraulic fracturing has been in practice for decades, it has never been done so close to major population centers or on such a large scale, spurred by technological advances and the attendant piles of cash. (Exxon Mobil recently paid more than $40 billion for a company that specializes in extracting natural gas from shale.) It's already being done outside New York City and Philadelphia. By 2020, the Department of Energy estimates that shale gas will make up more than 20 percent of the country's total natural-gas supply. We hope Julia Roberts hasn't retired for the rancher's life in Taos by the time they're ready to film Erin Brockovich."

article found here;
http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2010/09/hydraulic_fracturing_makes_dri.html

"ALBANY, NY (09/13/2010)(readMedia)-- Hundreds of people packed the Broome County Performing Arts Center auditorium today, concerned of natural gas drilling that's spreading to states around the country.

The hearing is the public comment portion of an Environmental Protection Agency investigation into the safety of a controversial process that extracts natural gas from shale rock. Known as hydraulic fracturing, or fracking in the industry, it injects thousands of gallons of chemical-laced water and sand into natural gas wells, cracking the shale rock and allowing the gas to flow out.

Environmental advocates, concerned citizens and public health groups statewide are calling for the highest standards and best protections for all waters statewide. In New York State, the groups are calling on the State Legislature to enact strong laws and that regulations are on the books before any drilling is allowed in New York.

The EPA is holding the hearings, the last of four nationwide, to receive public input on the scope of its study on the potential effect hydrofracking may have on groundwater. Fracking is a natural-gas drilling technique in which a mix of sand, water and chemicals is blasted deep underground to break up shale and release the gas. The agency is looking for insight on what the highest priority of the study should be, as well as where the gaps in public knowledge are, and suggested locations for a case study.

Four hundred people with have the opportunity to speak to a panel of EPA researchers during the sessions today and Wednesday. Each speaker is limited to two minutes of testimony.

The 400 speakers, 300 of whom were held over from the original list of registrants for the Aug. 12 meeting at Binghamton University, which was postponed, include a variety of stakeholders, including Congressmen Maurice Hinchey and Binghamton Mayor Matthew T. Ryan.

"The EPA's study of hydrofracking will be crucial to understanding the gap between the thousands of reported contamination cases and the gas industry's denials of culpability," said Roger Downs, conservation program manager for the Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter. "We are confident that a scientific analysis of drilling will demonstrate that fracking, as it is currently practiced, is unsafe."

Congressman Maurice Hinchey says the study must be "Unbiased and comprehensive, and EPA must get out into the field to understand what is happening and what must be done to protect water supplies and health. EPA must not be influenced by industry or politics, as they were in 2004, and ensure the study is carried out in the public interest."

Oren R. Lyons, a traditional Faithkeeper of the Turtle Clan, and a Member of the. Onondaga Nation Council of Chiefs of the Six Nations of the Iroquois said "The Onondaga Nation is very concerned about the process known as 'hydro-fracking'. We, in this area, are responsible for 1/3 of the world's potable water. If we ignore that responsibility by letting gas companies frack with our resources our children and our children's children will suffer."

Josh Fox the Director of the Sundance Winning Film Gasland (http://www.gaslandthemovie.com) said: "The EPA has to act now. They should not wait two years to shut this dangerous process down. This should never have started in the first place--we need at least a five year moratorium to protect our water and our communities."

Wes Gillingham, Program Director for Catskill Mountainkeeper said "The 2005 Energy Act exempted the gas industry from all of the critical federal environmental laws including the Clean Water Act. These hearings are the first step in bringing this industry back under the oversight of the Environmental Protection Agency."

"Even with drilling at only a fraction of what industry has planned, problems are mounting," said Nadia Steinzor of Earthworks Oil and Gas Accountability Project. "EPA must look at the cumulative impacts of drilling and the many steps involved in fracturing operations."

The environmental, public health and community groups voicing concerns at the hearings include Binghamton Regional Sustainability Coalition (BRSC), Catskill Mountainkeeper, Citizens Campaign for the Environment, Coalition to Protect New York (CPNY), Committee to Preserve the Finger Lakes, Community Environmental Defense Council Inc. (CEDC), Damascus Citizens for Sustainability (DCS), Delaware Riverkeeper Network, Earthjustice, Earthworks Oil & Gas Accountability Project (OGAP), Environmental Advocates of New York, Frack Action, Gas Drilling Awareness for Cortland County (GDACC), Green Party of New York State, Highland Concerned Citizens, National Wildlife Federation, Natural Resources Defense Council , Neighbors of the Onondaga Nation, New York Residents Against Drilling (NYRAD), New Yorkers for Sustainable Energy Solutions Statewide (NYSESS), NYH2O, Otsego 2000 of Cooperstown, NY, People for a Healthy Environment, Inc. (PHE, Inc.), Riverkeeper, Schoharie Valley Watch, Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter, Sullivan Area Citizens for Responsible Energy Development (SACRED), Sustainable Otsego, Binghamton University Student Organizations: SUNY CHOW, SUNY VINES, Food Co-op, Philosophy Club, Student Action Collective and NYPIRG."

article found here;
http://readme.readmedia.com/New-Yorkers-Rally-at-EPAs-Fracking-Hearing-to-Voice-Concerns-About-Environmental-Dangers/1724028