Marcellus Shale News Wire: March 29, 2010

A Collection of Marcellus Shale and Gas Drilling Articles from
Pennsylvania and Beyond: Vol. 1 Issue 15
 

Altoona Mirror
Locals hope to inform others of Clearville natural gas project
March 22, 2010
By Wendy Zook

http://www.altoonamirror.com/page/content.detail/id/528108.html

CLEARVILLE - Angel Smith and her husband, Wayne, have lost animals on their Bedford County farm and have begun to see health effects on themselves. They believe the problems are a result of contamination from a natural gas project of water that they give their animals and use to wash their hands and brush their teeth.

"It's around all this drilling," Angel Smith said.

As the Steckman Ridge underground natural gas storage field project from Texas-based Spectra Energy began to take off in 2007, the Smiths saw some of their cows and one of their horses seemingly lose all control of motor skills before dying a short time later. A pet Dalmatian also died.

A veterinarian said the deaths could be attributed to high levels of arsenic, a chemical that has steadily increased in water tested by state Department of Environmental Protection and Spectra Energy on the Smith's property in the past two years, Angel Smith said.

Reuters
Philadelphia seeks ban on natgas-drilling method
Mar 25, 2010
By Jon Hurdle

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN2511677120100326?type=marketsNews

PHILADELPHIA - Philadelphia officials asked a state regulator on Thursday to ban the natural-gas drilling technique known as hydraulic fracturing until its environmental effects, especially on drinking water, are studied. "We call on the Delaware River Basin Commission to halt Stone Energy's operations, and not approve their application, or any other applications, until a full environmental impact assessment of fracking in the Delaware River Basin has been conducted," the council said in a unanimous resolution.

The Tribune-Democrat
Environmentalists fear damage from natural gas drilling
March 20, 2010
By Susan Evans

http://tribune-democrat.com/local/x434665314/Drilling-concerns-Environme...

Environmentalists say the state must take preventive measures to avoid damage from natural gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale. Otherwise, Pennsylvania will again see the same damage to streams and native fish that was caused by coal mining in the past, members of the Laurel Mountain Chapter of Trout Unlimited said in a position paper.

The New York Times
BP, Others Push Against Federal Regulation of Fracturing
March 23, 2010
By Mike Soraghan

http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2010/03/23/23greenwire-bp-others-push-again...

BP America Inc. and two other oil and gas companies are lobbying for the new Senate climate and energy bill to recommend against federal regulation of hydraulic fracturing.

The Daily Review
Fixing roads crisis: Give credit when credit is deserved
March 21, 2010

http://thedailyreview.com/opinion/fixing-roads-crisis-give-credit-when-c...

The response to the current crisis disrupting and endangering travel on township and state roads in Bradford County has been very encouraging.  But, it is not enough.

The destruction of sections of roads resulting from the huge increase in the volume of heavy vehicles servicing the natural gas industry all over the county has been substantial and will continue. What originally was old, flimsy blacktop has been pounded into rubble gouged with ridges, trenches, knolls, bumps, and potholes. Worse, when wet, a roadway can become muddy, slippery, impassable mire. School buses, emergency vehicles, delivery and other trucks, and local commuters all are hard-pressed to deal safely with the unprecedented phenomenon.

The Sun Gazette
Council opts to explore tax on natural gas
March 23, 2010
By Bryan G. Robinson

http://www.sungazette.com/page/content.detail/id/541058.html?nav=5014

WELLSBORO - Wellsboro Borough Council decided Monday night not to adopt a resolution opposing a severance tax on natural gas as suggested by the Tioga County Association of Boroughs.

The Pittsburgh Tribune
Forestry experts, industry tangle over woodland use
March 21, 2010
By Paul Pierce

http://pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/s_672697.html

David O'Barto said he worries about the deterioration of Pennsylvania's forests.  O'Barto, a consulting forester from Unity Township, has become president of the Pennsylvania Council of Professional Foresters as it lobbies to amend the state's professional licensing law to add foresters to a list that includes engineers, land surveyors and geologists.  "We need to demand from the industry competent practices of forest regeneration and watershed management," O'Barto said.

Daily American
Drilling Upsets Neighbors
March 20, 2010
By Bruce Siwy

http://www.dailyamerican.com/articles/2010/03/19/news/local/news048.txt%...

BAKERSVILLE — Not everyone in the Jefferson Township community is thrilled about their new 137-foot tall neighbor. Jerri Rigo said she lives less than a quarter-mile from the drilling rig on the farm of Robert and Janet Miller. And she said she hasn’t slept well in three weeks.

Erika Staaf
PennEnvironment
1831 Murray Avenue, Suite 219
Pittsburgh, PA 15217
(412) 521-0943
http://www.PennEnvironment.org