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“My name is Phyllis. I live in Lake Lynn, Fayette County, SW PA. I have 4 gas wells behind me and a compression station 300 ft in front of me. My grandchildren are suffering headaches and burning throats. The trees are dying behind me. We called the DEP and EPA. Health dep’t doctors can’t give us answers. We don’t know where else to go. They dumped the fracking water in our lakes and creeks here. Someone please help us before it’s too late.”
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Tags: compressor station, illness
Independent Weekender story, 6/9/2010:
Dimock looking at frack facility
Dimock Township Supervisors discussed plans for a hydraulic fracturing solution facility which will prepare hydrofracking solution for the gas well industry as well as storage for produced water awaiting shipping and/or treatment.
Somerset Regional Water Resources has submitted plans to the state Department of Environmental Resources and hopes to obtain the necessary permits for waste transfer and storage. The supervisors noted concerns with possible tank registration requirements.
The property, which is owned by Joseph and Nicole Vibbard, will include a large residual waste storage facility, as well as a structure designed for the storage and mixing of gas industry “products” with water before being taken to gas well sites. The property was formerly a veal farm.
Township secretary Paul Jennings said there is a 30-day time line if residents wish to submit comments to DEP about whether to issue the permits.
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Switzer said that there are seven driveways in a row, including hers, on the left side of SR 3023, and that with the speed of traffic on that state road passing through Dimock, “It’s there but for the grace of God we haven’t been killed” pulling out of their driveways onto the paved road.. . . . .
Norma Fiorentino asked if the supervisors knew what was in the water that Cabot Gas and Oil has been applying to the dirt roads in Dimock.Resident Catherine Probasco said that the water she has seen being applied to Baker Road last summer was oily and foamy. The supervisors said that the calcium for dust control approved at last month’s meeting has been purchased and applied.
Ellis said that Cabot should supply the supervisors with a letter specifying in writing what is in the water they are applying to township roads. “The supervisors should make Cabot give them a report of what they are putting on the road, instead of always praising them.”
Sautner said that he was wondering, “now that the gas wells are here, are we considered residential still, or commercial, or industrial?”
Paul Jennings answered, “That’s up to the assessment office.”
Sautner replied, “Our water is ruined, our property value has dropped down to nothing, but my taxes went up. We are still paying high taxes like anyone else with clean water.”
Lettie Ellis said, “Why not invite the assessment committee to come here to address this?”
Switzer said that there needs to be someone looking out for safety. “A pipeline in Texas exploded today, and there was a blowout at a gas well site in Clearfield,” she said. “Luckily, not in a school yard. Not two hundred feet from a home, like the Carters.”
She noted that there have been 50 incidents of gas migration into water in Pennsylvania. Several residents agreed that if an incident of any kind arose on Hunsinger Road, a disaster would be likely, due to the conditions of that dirt road.
For complete story, click here
Tags: Cabot, Dimock, road spreading, roads
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From Clearville Times, who blogs at http://clearville.wordpress.com/
Clearville, PA like DISH, Texas: “pretty much in the middle of nowhere, which from the gas storage owner’s point of view, made it the perfect place”
Clearville had five production wells drilled by PGE gas drilling company, which produced about two years in the Oriskany formation. Wells suddenly stopped production on the same day and were sold to a gas storage company from somewhere in Texas, known as Spectra Energy or maybe known as a “Spin off of Duke Energy?” from a gas storage operator’s point of view, Clearville, PA made it the perfect place” known as the ” Steckman Ridge Gas Storage Project.”
In Pennsylvania, gas is stored in the Oriskany formation, the source rock for the Oriskany is the Marcellus Shale.
In the middle of nowhere, there seems to be a trend for gas storage fields in the Oriskany formation located near the Marcellus Shale. There is a gas storage field located a few miles down the road from the Steckman Ridge’s underground gas storage field known as the Columbia Gas Storage field, in Artemas, PA. Columbia gas storage field is also located in the middle of nowhere but has been the perfect place since the early 1940′s . Columbia gas has been storing gas in the Oriskany formation where the Marcellus Shale is the source rock.
There is a big difference, between then and now’s, when it comes to gas storage project acquisitions, at least up until 2005. Columbia Gas Storage got off to an easier start in the 1940′s. At that period in time, most all gas production leases gave away gas storage rights in gas production leases.
Landowners over the years with the advent of the internet, became more savvy and placed no gas storage clauses in their gas production leases. Soon these gas leases became known as obstacles in the market place which needed a removal tool. Someone, somewhere, came up with the perfect legal tool to remove these obstacles in the market place for gas storage projects.
Mr. Bush and Mr. Cheney used legal legislative laws as the best use obstacle removal tool in EPACT of 2005. At that time, Mr. Bush and Mr. Cheney likely knew a little about the gas market, heard about obstacles in the market place, and knew a solution was needed for the problem. Minds of genius noted for acquisitions developed and signed a law which classified depleted gas wells which can be taken legally for underground gas storage projects because they are now considered public utilities. This law is broad and can take land which has no gas leases. This law will take any land and give it to a private company for profit once they eye your land as the perfect place for a federally backed underground gas storage field.
Clearville, PA was eyed as the perfect place. Landowners watched Halliburton and Schlumberger legally use exempted fracking chemicals from the SDWA. They watched as horizontal gas storage wells were drilled into the Oriskany sandstone formation. This was a federally backed gas storage project with all the amenities.
Remember: “There is no way to save your land from the laws of a federally backed gas storage project. If someone, somewhere, spots your land as the perfect place, you can kiss it goodbye.”
Clearville, PA; the Oriskany formation; the Marcellus Shale is the Oriskany source rock; in the middle of nowhere; all goes somewhere; from a gas storage operator’s point of view; Clearville was another perfect place.
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Tags: clearville, DEP, eminent domain, Marcellus, natural gas, PA, Steckman Ridge compressor station
DISH, TX — Shortly after a natural gas well was fractured using the controversial technique of hydraulic fracturing, a private water well within a thousand feet of the natural gas well site began showing sedimentation. DISH resident Amber Smith says shortly after the well was fractured a fine sand like sediment was present in the water from their private water well. The Smith family installed a water filtration system shortly after the sediment became present and continued using the water. However, after a year the sedimentation reached the point that it clogged the entire plumbing system, and the water well is now unusable.
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The Smith family removed the tank from the water well and removed over ten pounds of the sand like substance. After dismantling and cleaning the well system, the Smith family reassembled the well only to have it completely obstructed after only 30 minutes of operation. Devon Energy who is the operator of the gas well has refused to take responsibility for the failure. The Railroad Commission of Texas responded and took samples of the tainted water for limited analyzing. The town of DISH also had independent testing accomplished to determine the content of the sand like substance. The water well owned by the Smith family shows levels of arsenic at 7.5 times the acceptable level for drinking water. The water also contained lead at levels that were 21 times above the acceptable levels, and chromium at more that double the allowable limits. Independent testing shows elevated levels of butanone, acetone, carbon disulfide, strontium, as well as heavy metals, all above safe drinking water standards. The town is awaiting additional test results..
DISH is located in the epicenter of the Barnett Shale gas play and is home to a megacomplex of compressor stations, as well as pipelines, metering stations, gathering lines and gas wells. The town of DISH spent nearly 15% of its annual budget on a comprehensive air study after months of complaints to the state regulatory agencies and the operators of the compressor sites, gave the citizens no relief. DISH mayor Calvin Tillman says that “we are finally getting our air cleaned up, and now our water is showing signs of pollution, we take two steps forward and three steps back”. These results clearly show a correlation between the natural gas drilling process and water contamination, and this industry should no longer make claims that they have never contaminated a water source. DISH resident Amber Smith is extremely concerned that her young children has been drinking this water. Attached is a photo of the contaminated water.
Tags: Devon, DISH, toxic, water contamination, water wells
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“When they were pulling in with their Cadillacs and their gold rings and gold teeth and said they were going to make us rich, all that showed me was them getting rich and us getting screwed,” says Burton.
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(Great conflict of interest story at that link, too)
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Delaware County officials in particular: it’s clear you think that having NYC telling us what to do is bad. And so it is. But tragically, if you facilitate or allow gas drilling to take place here, you – and your constituents – will have get used to much worse:
From a homeowner in Mt Pleasant Township, Pennsylvania -.I wanted to pass along an update of what has been happening in Mt. Pleasant Township. I find this whole thing very disturbing and unethical! Several weeks ago our township zoning hearing board denied a variance and special exception to our zoning ordinances for MarkWest and Range Resources. MarkWest was for the expansion of the compressor next to our home and another station in our township. Range Resources was for hosting the “man camps” at the drill sites.http://www.observer-reporter.com/OR/Story/05-13-2010-mt–pleasant-bunk-houses (MarkWest processes the gas that Range Resources pulls out of the ground)..The man camps are set up when the driller starts the horizontal drilling. They drill around the clock and claim that they need men there the entire time. Some work 14 hour shifts. Mobile trailers are placed on the drill pad to house the workers. They contain sleeping quarters, eating areas and shower houses. They have housed locally anywhere from 25 to 70+ men at one time. During our public hearing an employee of Range Resources admitted that they leave background checks up to their sub-contractor, Patterson Drilling. They only do back ground checks in the last state the man worked in. This is NOT a federal background check. Therefore, sex offenders can be living at these sites and we would never know. They are going to be drilling ten wells across the street from our school and another ten beside the school. We are VERY concerned about the safety of the children. There are no fences around these camps. In addition, the drilling company was hesitant in supplying documentation on the disposal of human waste from the site. Like they aren’t dumping enough in our creeks….This was a huge statement in the State. However, the industry retaliated. These two companies, along with their sub-contractors, boycotted all of our local businesses. Which in turn had business owners pressuring the township supervisors to reverse the decision..Then Range Resources sent letters to land owners who have leases. The letters stated that since MarkWest couldn’t expand the compressor station, Range couldn’t drill for gas. Therefore, this was causing a delay in them receiving their royalties. Once again, more phone calls to the township supervisors..
It now sounds like within days the twp. supervisors will over turn this decision and allow MarkWest to expand their compressor stations..As if our community was not already divided enough, now the industry put in a bigger wedge. “Divide and Conquer”. I know this has happened in other parts of the country. I find this a pitiful attempt to punish communities that tried to stand up to them. This will further intimidate other rural communities..Not that I expect you to aid in this in anyway, but I just wanted you to understand what were are dealing with here. This just adds to the nightmare we deal with!.Steph HallowichHickory, PA.Below: Range Resources’ letter to lessors, threatening them with loss of their royalties if they don’t pressure their township supervisors to give Range Resources what it wants.
Tags: compressor station, Hickory, man camps, MarkWest, PA, Range Resources
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