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Sides in fracking debate try to discredit claims
Cornell study subject of gas-industry rebuttal
12:21 AM, Apr. 18, 2011
Written by
Jon Campbell
Staff Write

It came almost immediately.

Only a few hours after media reports began popping up on a Cornell University study about greenhouse emissions related to hydraulic fracturing, an industry trade group released a 2,000-word rebuttal meant to debunk it.

The Cornell study -- which contends methane seeping from wells during drilling and hydrofracking has a greater 20-year impact on global warming than coal emissions -- is the latest in a long line of reports heralded by one side of the issue and ripped by the other. It's a larger symbol of the three-year-old debate: The two sides of the argument don't agree on much of anything and move quickly to discredit the other's claims, leaving some wondering where to find the facts on the hotly contested issue.

"I'm struck by the fact that people on both sides of the debate hear, but don't listen," said Don Siegel, a hydrology professor at Syracuse University and a shale gas proponent. "The discourse has gotten far too polarized to the point where people just refuse to compromise or even consider the other side of the argument."

Many of those both for and against gas drilling have called for policy decisions to be based on sound science and facts. They disagree, however, about what those facts show, or if there's even enough out there to make a determination.

"I find it very, very frustrating that there is very little of what I would call peer-reviewed, hard science on either side," said Kevin Millar, a Village of Owego trustee and a member of New York Residents Against Drilling. "I just try to look for what I would consider the most objective, verifiable science on it, and to look for something that isn't skewed by industry or, for lack of a better word, the anti-gas-drilling movement, is hard."

Both Siegel and Dan Fitzsimmons, president of the Joint Landowners Coalition of New York, said a main source of information is governmental websites and research. New York is set to release a second draft of its Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement this summer, which is meant to set forth permitting guidelines and assess the environmental issues associated with high-volume hydrofracking.

Fitzsimmons also pointed to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, both of which have pages on their websites dedicated to hydrofracking.

"They're some of the best places to go to really get the facts of what you need to get," Fitzsimmons said. "You put everything together and you look at it, and then you compare and make determinations."
Read more here: http://www.theithacajournal.com/article ... |FRONTPAGE
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I think the finger lakes is safe for now... the shale deposits we have here are relatively low in saturation and not a priority. The country would have to be really hard up for natural gas in order to consider it. But it's such a good thing that it's on people's minds, as legislation needs to be put in place not to make sure that if it does come to the region, it cna be controlled and monitored properly.

When I was hiking in Chestnut Ridge Park near Buffalo, which contains Eternal Flame Falls, on my way out some old lady, who was sucking down a slim cigarette, rudely asked "what the hell are you doing down there?" I was carrying two tripods, my photography equipment all packed up, and I was covered in mud from climbing (and a bit of falling) around. After I told her I was photographing and handed her a card, she mentioned she thought I was "surveying for gas."

Although it makes for a pretty flame in the waterfall, the Hanover formation in Western NY is far less of a potential site than the Marcellus formation that runs through the Southern Finger Lakes. It helps to know this. Additionally, if mining were to occur into Marcellus stone, it would most likely happen near small villages along the Appalachians.

Is it destructive to the environment? Absolutely and undeniably. It pretty much kills the water table for years. But can it be cleaned up and managed? Possibly. Does that cost outweigh the fuel wealth extracted? Yes, if you are a private industry and the taxpayers foot the bill years later when damage is detected. Can it be controlled up front? That is up to debate.
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Drilling fluid gushes from northern Pa. gas well
Chemicals contaminate nearby stream; neighbors evacuated
6:35 PM, Apr. 20, 2011
Written by
Michael Rubinkam
The Associated Press

ALLENTOWN -- A blowout at a natural gas well in rural northern Pennsylvania spilled thousands of gallons of chemical-laced water Wednesday, contaminating a stream and forcing the evacuation of seven families who live nearby as crews struggled to stop the gusher.

Chesapeake Energy Corp. lost control of the well site near Canton, in Bradford County, around 11:45 p.m. Tuesday, officials said. Tainted water continued to flow from the site Wednesday afternoon, though workers finally managed to prevent any more of it from reaching the stream.

No injuries were reported, and there was no explosion or fire.

"As a precautionary measure, seven families who live near the location have been temporarily relocated until all agencies involved are confident the situation has been contained. There have been no injuries or natural gas emissions to the atmosphere," Chesapeake spokesman Brian Grove said in a statement.

Chesapeake said a piece of equipment failed late Tuesday while the well was being hydraulically fractured, or fracked. In the fracking process, millions of gallons of water, along with chemical additives and sand, are injected at high pressure down the well bore to break up the shale and release the gas.

State environmental regulators were taking water samples from the unnamed tributary of Towanda Creek on Wednesday but did not report a fish kill. Towanda Creek is stocked with trout.

Officials advised a neighboring farmer to prevent his cows from drinking surface water, according to DEP spokeswoman Katy Gresh.

She said reports from the scene indicate that fracking water was gushing from the wellhead, pooling on the pad, then escaping containment.

"Discharge of fluids to the unnamed tributary appears to be stopped," she said.

The blowout comes amid a natural gas-drilling boom in the Marcellus Shale formation below Pennsylvania and neighboring states. Fracking allows affordable access to gas supplies that once were too expensive to tap. Critics complain that the chemicals used in fracking may be contaminating water supplies.
http://www.theithacajournal.com/article ... |FRONTPAGE
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Anti-fracking concert set for Binghamton
Daylong Big Splash hopes to attract big acts
10:26 PM, Apr. 20, 2011
Written by
Jon Campbell

A Trumansburg-based environmental group applied for a permit from the City of Binghamton earlier this month to host a day-long concert at Recreation Park on the West Side. The event would feature two stages, 10 bands, food vendors — and a message aimed at highlighting the dangers of natural gas drilling and hydraulic fracturing.

If approved, the Binghamton Big Splash would take place from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on June 5 and would run in connection with a symposium at the Riverwalk Hotel & Conference Center the previous day. Christopher Tate, who is organizing the event for the Finger Lakes Clean Waters Initiative, said the group hopes to attract a few thousand throughout the day.

"We're all about protecting the water, and that is what the event is about," Tate said. "Water is the economic resource of the future, not gas. If protecting our water means that we're against the gas interests, then yes we are."

The Sim Redmond Band, Driftwood and Yolk, a Binghamton-based band that saw regional success in the 1990s, are confirmed for the concert, according to the application. Mayor Matthew T. Ryan is also scheduled to be a featured speaker.

Tate said the roster of bands and special guests is in flux, but added his group was in discussion with some popular artists. The concert, which will be free to attend with a suggested donation to help cover costs, is receiving support from the organizers of the Finger Lakes GrassRoots Festival of Music and Dance, an annual event held in Trumansburg.

"We're currently confirming the lineup," Tate said. "We expect some headliners to come in very soon."

The permit must be approved by a number of departments within the city before it gets the official thumbs up. Andrew Block, executive assistant to Ryan, said it shouldn't take long for the city to act on the application.

"A permit like this needs to be submitted at least 30 days ahead of time, and it's still well ahead of that deadline," Block said. "From there, it can take anywhere from one day to five days to receive approval."

Read more here: http://www.theithacajournal.com/article ... cal%20News
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Chesapeake Energy suspends fracking in Pa.
Company to determine cause of recent spill
8:18 PM, Apr. 21, 2011
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Staff and Wire Reports

Chesapeake Energy Corp. on Thursday suspended hydraulic fracturing at all of its wells throughout Pennsylvania until it determines the cause of a spill at a Bradford County drilling site.

Chesapeake said crews have significantly reduced the flow of chemical-laced water from its out-of-control natural gas drilling well near Canton.

Read more here: http://www.theithacajournal.com/article ... cal%20News
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The concert is a little much ado about nothing in my opinion but it's good news I guess....if people need a reason to throw a concert.
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I know that you don't think that it's going to happen, but people down here are really freaked out about it (obviously :lol: ). I guess that the whole PA situation feels a little closer to home here. Personally, I'm not all about drilling for natural gas to begin with which is why I've turned the reps away every time that they've visited here with their promises of great wealth. I know that's being a nimby, but...a gas well was drilled (not even using fracking) just a mile down the road a few years back and it immediately affected everyone's well in the neighborhood.
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