An open letter to Journalists on the Comparison of GASLAND to Nazi Propaganda by a member of the Corbett Administration by Josh Fox / GASLAND

March 16, 2011

This week, Teddy Borawski, the chief oil and gas geologist for the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) and a member of Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett’s administration, serving in an official capacity, and on the record, compared my Sundance award-winning and Oscar-nominated documentary film GASLAND to Nazi propaganda stating "Goebbels would be proud."  The slander was the latest in a series of smears and misinformation about the film and character attacks on me. This kind of hateful speech shows a contempt for history, for truth, for science and sets a dangerous precedent in our state's government.  Such slanderous mudslinging has no place in any rational or adult debate on ANY topic, let alone the most important issue facing the state in decades – natural gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale.

Communal Fracture: Concerned Citizens of Western Pennsylvania React to the Various Impacts of Marcellus Shale Fracking on their Communities

The 141 acre farm in rural Washington County was a fixer-upper. 

The challenge of clearing the 80 overgrown acres on this property suited Ron Gulla just fine. So did the prospect of renovating the farm’s pond, tenant house and barn- all of which he did.

Gulla loves to work, he also loves to hunt and fish. “When I was hungry, I used to catch fish right out of my pond,” said Gulla. His property was perfect for all of these pursuits. 

That was until his 2.5 acre pond turned black, killing everything in it- including the fish. 

That was until a dream piece of property turned into a nightmare. 

Dad to Ride Bike to Harrisburg to See the Governor

A press release from our friend Peter, who is going for a ride...

“The Corbett administration's actions for the gas industry are out of
control.”

Pine Grove Mills, PA.  On Wednesday, March 9,  Peter Buckland will
ride his bike 110 miles from his home in Pine Grove Mills [Centre
County] to Harrisburg to arrange a meeting with the Governor.

Date: Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Departure:  from Pine Grove Mills [Centre County]

Destination: the Governor’s office, Harrisburg

Arrival time:  Approximately 1:00 p.m.

Who:  Peter Buckland – [peter.evolves@gmail.com]

Fracking: The Great Uniter?

On the surface, the Marcellus Shale natural gas boom is the classic free market success story. The kind that rank and file Republicans unite behind. 

The typical GOP mindset would tell us that the market allowed Halliburton to create the technology and the government should not regulate how this technology is used. 

The industry is exempt from the 2005 Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) and the Clean Water Act.  Aside from the obvious Halliburton/Vice President Cheney connection, this loophole fits the GOP’s traditional stance on domestic energy. 

Who will ever forget “drill, baby drill”? 

The politics behind the sentiment are simple- jobs, less dependency on foreign oil and an increase in national security. This is all great, unless of course you are a fisherman in  Louisiana or have poisonous tap water in Pennsylvania. 

Party history is one reason that the natural gas industry contributed millions of dollars to Pennsylvania Republican candidates in 2010. 

Pennsylvania is funny state politically. We have the “T”. Pittsburgh and Philadelphia traditionally go Democrat while the rest of the state, in the shape of a “T”, goes Republican. 

This trend held in the last three Presidential elections. The Democrats only won 25% of the counties in each of the elections, but that candidate won the state each time. The counties where most of the fracking is happening typically went Republican.

Interestingly enough, Washington County never went for President Bush and did not go for President Obama either. I guess if you want to be President, you don’t want to win Washington County. 

What Unites is Stronger than What Divides

So what does all of this energy history and political geography have to do with uniting us? Let me tell you. 

I was watching Gasland the other day and I kept thinking about the political leanings of all the people affected by drilling in the film. Just about everywhere Josh Fox went was rural. Rural Wyoming. Rural Colorado. Rural Pennsylvania. All typical Republican strongholds. 

Guess what? These folks weren’t singing the praises of energy independence. They weren’t telling government to get off their property. Instead they were wondering where their government was and they were cursing the “liars” who “raped” their land because of greed. 

Air and water. We need it. We can’t live without it. We the people are tired of corporate interests destroying these lifelines in order to the line their pockets. 

We are not fooled by their smokescreens of being safer from terrorists and promises of new jobs. We know why they want this gas and we are beginning to see what they are willing to do to get it. 

To really understand the potential for uniting that this topic has, check out this extraordinary letter written by The Association of Pittsburgh Priests.

Progressives and priests. Evangelicals and environmentalists. Hippies and good old boys. Politically, these groups may not see eye to eye very often, but they all need air and water. Even more that that, beneath the surface, the belief that we should leave the planet inhabitable for our children and grandchildren. 

Who knows, one day we may have to thank the natural gas industry for uniting our country. 

Hickory, PA

Called the epicenter of MS gas, this is just a piece of Hickory's story....more to come

The Money Trail: The Texas Connection

Just over half (21 of 40) of the Marcellus Shale Coalition's members are Texas based companies. With natural gas pollution in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area equalling that of pollution caused by vehicles, the time has come to time to take the business out of their backyards.

Total campaign contributions from Marcellus Shale interests out of Texas for 2010 was just under $550,000. Here are the details (alphabetized by recipient):

The Money Trail: Tom Corbett in 2010

In the Pennsylvania gubernatorial campaign, then candidate Tom Corbett was labeled "Toxic Tom" by critics of his close ties with the natural gas industry. Candidate Corbett received approximately 270 Marcellus Shale related campaign contributions totaling $1,169, 546.41 


Big money buying influence in a state without limits. 

Follow the trail here:

The Money Trail

In the next series of posts, I will look at the amount of money dumped on Pennsylvania politicians by the natural gas industry over the past few years. In a state where there are no limits to political contributions, the numbers are staggering.

Along with posting totals, I will be posting the seemingly endless list of individual contributions made by the industry to various politicians. This will take up a lot of your screen and will require extensive scrolling, but I feel this visual is critical to understanding what the communities of Western Pennsylvania are up against. In American politics money buys influence and Western Pennsylvania has been inundated by some of the premiere heavyweight influence procurement specialists.

The Road Most Traveled

When Ravenna Swetts, 72, and Marguerite Swetts, 84, both of Perryopolis, PA drove down state route 119 in East Huntingdon around lunch time this past October, they couldn’t have imagined being rear ended in broad daylight by the triaxle truck that took their lives. 

There is a lot of previously unimagined truck traffic on state, federal and local roads in Western Pennsylvania these days. Traffic that wasn’t here prior to the Marcellus Shale rush. 

The truck that hit the two women was carrying a load of sand to a drill site. Convoys on state routes, oversized loads on rural roads and speeding tanker trucks are now a common and frightening sight in our region. 

Rural roads are susceptible to the most dangerous scenarios. According to the Department of Transportation, 27% of fatal vehicle crashes in Pennsylvania in 2009 occurred while negotiating a curve. With so many big trucks traveling our back roads, our communities are at risk. 

Quality of Life

The dramatic increase in driving danger, traffic and deterioration of roadways are not the public health hazards that air and water pollution are. However, the truck traffic that drilling brings further detracts from the quality of life in our region. 

The truck convoys that I have witnessed remind me of similar convoys I saw on a trip to Dubai in 2008. The traffic there was a nightmare, most of which was caused by trucks used in the city’s non-stop construction at the time.

I talked to some locals about it and they started off raving about their city, but ultimately concluded that the traffic and the danger associated with it takes away from their quality of life. I am starting to understand how they felt. 

If Western Pennsylvania is the “Saudi Arabia of natural gas” as some politicians tout it, this traffic is only going to increase and so are the dangers associated with it. But, our safety and quality of life are not the only concerns this increase in traffic brings. 

Funding Our Infrastructure 

Who is going to pay for this? According to Marcellus-Shale.us, municipalities require bonds on roads that industry uses for repairs and upkeep. But, what is to stop drillers from changing their routes to avoid paying these bonds? Furthermore, there is nothing in place for state and federal government to secure bonds from companies using these roads. 

Once again the natural gas industry is guilty of shortsightedness. The promises of increased property value and new sustainable jobs have not come to fruition. Fracking is proving to be a dirtier business than anyone could have imagined and our health is paying the price. Now, the insurgence of out of state trucks is making our roads unsafe while accelerating the destruction of our infrastructure. 

Government Help

Today Pennsylvania legislators are trying once again to pass a severance tax on the gas being pumped from the Marcellus Shale. One-third of the proposed tax revenue would go to the counties and municipalities where the drilling is being done. If we have to have the drilling (and it’s not going away just yet) this appears to be a sensible way to fund the fixing of our roads. 

Unfortunately, the Republican leadership is opposed to a severance tax on drillers. This isn’t a party issue- heavily Republican Alaska and Texas both have severance taxes, as does every other state that has natural gas drilling.

As frustrating as everything surrounding drilling is, there is beauty in the fight. This is one issue that unites the majority of us. This is our water, our air, our roads and our future. Partisan politics be damned. 

The Source of The Tax Refusal?

In upcoming posts, I will take a look at a possible reason why state politicians refuse to tax the take, take, take natural gas industry the way they should. Could money be involved? Stay tuned. 

NTC Consultants has estimated the required truck trips per well over the 2 phases requiring transportation: Drilling Rig Mobilization, Site Preparation and Demobilization Drill Pad and Road Construction Equipment 10 – 45 Truckloads Drilling Rig 30 Truckloads Drilling Fluid and Materials 25 – 50 Truckloads Drilling Equipment (casing, drill pipe, etc.) 25 – 50 Truckloads Completion Rig Mobilization and Demobilization Completion Rig 15 Truckloads Well Completion Completion Fluid and Materials 10 - 20 Truckloads Completion Equipment (pipe, wellhead) 5 Truckloads Hydraulic Fracture Equipment (pump trucks, tanks) 150 - 200 Truckloads Hydraulic Fracture Water 400 - 600 Tanker Trucks Hydraulic Fracture Sand 20 - 25 Trucks Flow Back Water Removal 200 - 300 Truckloads Well Production Production Equipment 5 – 10 Truckloads Source: www.marcellus-shale.us

Our Best Interests at Heart?

Property Values: Up or Down?

Times are tough all over, unemployment is up and money is tight. Desperate times do call for desperate measures. With all this in mind, leasing your land to natural gas drillers might sound like a good idea about now. 

I am not going to pretend to understand an individual’s level of desperation or pass judgement on what  someone feels they need to do to survive. But after looking into the connection between gas drilling and property value, I may have some food for thought. 

A home is the largest purchase most of us will ever make, often times it is our nest egg. But, if you lease your land for drilling, you may find your home unsellable. The fact is that most banks (and insurance companies) are unwilling to take on the risk of financing a mortgage built on gas leased land. What’s even more frightening is that many banks won’t finance a mortgage if your neighbor, not you, has leased their land. Now that’s toxic. 

You Should Know:

The following financial organizations consider financing these types of mortgages excessively risky: FHA, HUD, GMAC, Wells Fargo, First Place, Fidelity, First Liberty and Bank of America.

Job Rush?

One of the promises made by the natural gas industry has been job growth in Western PA. There are a lot of studies and data out there on workforce needs for Marcellus Shale drilling, a lot to sift through. So, when I decided to look at what the industry was saying about its own prospects, I figured I would see the most inflated data yet. What I found was anything but. 

According to the Marcellus Shale Education and Training Center, it takes 410 individuals, doing150 tasks to drill a single well. On the surface this looks like a lot of jobs, but the total hours worked for these 410 jobs only amount to 11.5 full-time jobs per well. Of the jobs per well, 98% of these jobs are only needed during the drilling process. 

These two statistics point to one thing: transient temporary workers. The natural gas companies are bringing jobs to our region, but they are also bringing the workers. So, where are they coming from? 

The corporations that make up the Marcellus Shale Coalition, the top drillers in the region, are not exactly local. Seven of the forty companies are based in Pennsylvania, but 21 are based in Texas. The remaining corporations are based out of seven other states and Canada. These companies are training their employees out of state and bringing them here to fill most of the temporary positions and then its off to another well.

It's Only Temporary 

The jobs that come to Pennsylvania are largely temporary. Temporary financial relief from leasing land to drillers. Temporary property value increase for the housing needs of temporary workers. 

A longer look shows that many of the industry's promises have proven to be temporary ones.  What isn’t temporary is the impact on our environment and our health. 

Drilling Issues 101 with Anita Barkin of CMU

As I start to look deeper at the impact of drilling on the region’s health, I wanted to get an expert’s take, both in terms of public health and the other issues surrounding drilling.

Anita Barkin, DrPH, CRNP, Director of University Health Services at Carnegie Mellon University, agreed to answer a few of my questions. I should also note that Anita is a community activist in the battle against drilling, hosting meetings at her home and attending town halls regularly. 

NN: What do you see as drilling’s most significant impact on public health?

AB: Air and water contamination.  The water in the Mon (Monongahela River) is already compromised.  There has been talk of the DEP (State Department of Environmental Protection) giving the Mon impaired status.  Drillers will tell you that this is not due to Marcellus Shale drilling, but to mine run-off from coal and the contamination by industries along the river.  I say you're right (mostly), but if the water is already impaired, what happens with increased drilling along with the draw off that will take place to drill more wells (it takes 2.5-5 million gallons of water to drill one well)? The water will come from rivers and streams.  

Pittsburgh already has one of the highest rates of lung disease and asthma in the country. Radioactive materials are brought up in the "produced water".  Carcinogens and neurotoxins are used in drilling and return to the surface in the produced water. Our current sewage plants are not equipped to remove these byproducts.  We are playing Russian roulette with our greatest, limited resource: our water.  Volatile organic compounds are in the impoundments and vaporize to contaminate our air. What happens when we add the contamination from drilling?  Fort Worth, Texas has major air quality issues due to drilling.  

NN: Have the companies been cooperative when it comest to meeting with citizens? 

AB: They have up to now.  However, since the election of Corbett, who took one million dollars in campaign contributions from the industry, they have been less responsive.  

NN:What is the one thing people considering selling their land rights should take into account? 

AB: What is the REAL level of compensation they will receive?  The companies have asked for money back from landowners because they "miscalculated"  the production.  Also, people need to know that no independent source verifies production. The companies monitor the production themselves.  

People who want to sign a lease should consult with an attorney with expertise in the field.  The Landsmen sell you a bill of goods.  What will the company do if your water is contaminated or your ground is contaminated?  If your property loses value because of an "accident", I hope what they pay you is enough to make up for that.  

NN: Of all the issues and possible consequences of drilling, what aren't people talking about that they should be? 

AB: People who are in the know and have educated themselves have a pretty comprehensive idea about the concerns. The major problem is lack of knowledge in the general population about the impacts. They think that this is the shallow gas well drilling that has taken place historically.  This is not shallow drilling and people need to understand the difference.

NN: Could this actually be good for the region?  

AB: My belief is that the current industry will benefit only the corporations.  Corporations are, by nature, out to make money; they are not out to protect the public (case in point - Gulf oil spill). From what I have heard, gas is a cleaner burning fuel than coal but the current extraction method is a problem.  There are ways to get the gas without some of the hazards but it costs more money to do it that way and corporations don't want to spend the money.  By the way, don't buy the party line that this gas will make us energy independent - oil and gas are NOT interchangeable fuels.

What Struck Me...

A lot of what Anita said got my attention. Nothing more than how the public needs to understand the difference between traditional shallow drilling and this extreme deep drilling. I can remember growing up in this area and wishing we had natural gas on our property. People my parents knew were cleaning up and I wanted a piece of the action. 

Marcellus Shale drilling is a whole other animal. Anita referenced the the Gulf spill when talking about corporations; I think the Gulf spill is a fantastic analogy to use in educating the public. The deep drilling in the Gulf was extreme and look what happened. Consider the potential for disaster with extreme drilling in populated areas. 

Next Time and Beyond...

I am going to take a look at more of the ancillary dangers to the public, such as the heavy traffic being created on rural roads.

I will also take a long look at the economic impact of drilling. From the desire to drill to the desire to sell land right, money runs the show. But are the promised windfalls coming to fruition? 

Inauguration Day

Dignitaries in overcoats are surrounded by the familiar patriotic bunting from one end of the capital to the other. It is the dawn of a new day in Pennsylvania politics; today Tom Corbett takes the oath of Governor. A time to celebrate for some. But, for those concerned with the consequences of drilling the Marcellus Shale, this is no time for celebration. 

Hundreds came to the party to protest the laissez-faire stance the new Governor has towards this potentially toxic practice (see footage under videos). The protestor are looking for a moratorium on further drilling on private and public lands in Pennsylvania. They also aim to protect the state’s water and air from the effects of drilling and fracking.

The group also wants to end the fast tracking of new well permits in Pennsylvania. This and their other goals are unlikely, given the Governor's pro-business campaign promises and track record. This is a fight that has to be taken to the people in town hall meetings and educational events around the state. 

What the Frack!?!

One of the first questions people have when it comes to this issue: what is fracking? Fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, is the process of forcing water, chemicals and sand down a well - as far as ten thousand feet - at high pressure. The mixture then fractures the Marcellus Shale formation, releasing natural gas which travels up the well. ProPublica has a fantastic graphic of the process  for you visual learners. 

What Goes Down...

What becomes of this mixture that is forced down the well? Just what you’d think, it comes up. The now contaminated water is placed in open pits, or fracking ponds, while it waits for transport to a treatment facility. The issue of treating is a sticky one, numerous news outlets and citizens have caught tankers dumping their water around Western Pennsylvania, as shown in one of the videos. 

This toxic water is at the root of the Marcellus Shale controversy. This water can get into our drinking supply underground as well as via surface spills. After a recent spill, the USDA quarantined cattle that drank contaminated water. Unfortunately, us humans are not afforded the same safeguards. The gas industry is exempt from federal clean and safe water acts. 

Toxic Mix

Anita Barkin, DrPH, CRNP, Director of University Health Services at Carnegie Mellon University, provided me with a number of resources that describe the chemical mix forced down these wells. The chemical component is actually made up of 80 different chemicals . Experts like Dr. Barkin tell us that 93% of these chemicals cause adverse health effects, 60% are on the dreaded carcinogen list and 40% are endocrine disrupters- substances that interfere with the hormones responsible for cell metabolism, reproduction, development and behavior. The impact on public health is not to be taken lightly. 

The Road Ahead

I find it fitting that my first posting to this blog I am so energized over, comes on inauguration day. It is the dawn of a new day. What’s next? Stay tuned. 

Inauguration Day Sparks Protest

Illegal Roadside Frack Dumping