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Per WSAZ in Charleston: 63 percent support medical marijuana in poll taken soon after introduction of HB4498 to the West Virginia State Legislature in February 2012.
VIDEO BELOW shows report on introction of HB4498 in WV Legislature
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Posted by Kay Ebeling
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Friday, February 17, 2012
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Sunday, February 12, 2012
News: Not 17 but 6 Year Supply of Gas Left in Marcellus Shale, per U.S. Energy Admin Jan 2012 report
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From New York Times: New Report by Agency Lowers Estimates of Natural Gas in U.S.
Under the agency’s new estimates, the Marcellus shale, which was previously thought to hold enough gas to meet the entire nation’s demand for 17 years at current consumption rates, contains instead a six-year supply. The report comes just five months after the United States Geological Survey released its own estimate of 84 trillion cubic feet for the Marcellus shale. The Energy Information Administration said the sharp downward revisions to its estimates were informed by more data. “Drilling in the Marcellus accelerated rapidly in 2010 and 2011, so that there is far more information available today than a year ago."
(Continue reading http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/29/us/new-data-not-so-sunny-on-us-natural-gas-supply.html?_r=2&wpisrc=nl_wonk at NY Times Jan 28, 2012 )
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From New York Times: New Report by Agency Lowers Estimates of Natural Gas in U.S.
Under the agency’s new estimates, the Marcellus shale, which was previously thought to hold enough gas to meet the entire nation’s demand for 17 years at current consumption rates, contains instead a six-year supply. The report comes just five months after the United States Geological Survey released its own estimate of 84 trillion cubic feet for the Marcellus shale. The Energy Information Administration said the sharp downward revisions to its estimates were informed by more data. “Drilling in the Marcellus accelerated rapidly in 2010 and 2011, so that there is far more information available today than a year ago."
(Continue reading http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/29/us/new-data-not-so-sunny-on-us-natural-gas-supply.html?_r=2&wpisrc=nl_wonk at NY Times Jan 28, 2012 )
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News: Fracking Toll on Livestock Chills Farmers: Bloomberg Commentary
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From Bloomberg: Smelling gas one morning, a southern Pennsylvania farmer almost passed out when he went outside to check on his bellowing cows.
One of the animals did keel over, kicking its feet in spasms. A couple of days later, a calf was fighting for its life, the farmer said. It died.
Something awful is happening over the Marcellus Shale, the vast geological formation in eastern North America where energy companies are looking for natural gas.
Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking... ( Continue Reading: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-02-08/fracking-s-toll-on-pets-livestock-chills-pennsylvania-farmers-commentary.html )
Quotes:
The Pennsylvania farmers I spoke with have lost cows, calves, a horse, a couple dozen chickens. Many of the animals succumb in the same way: seizure-like symptoms, gasping for breath and a quick wasting away. A Rottweiler and a Dalmatian also fell ill and died.
[Testimony:] “We don’t know what the chemicals are in a lot of these cases. It gets very frustrating: What was in the tissue? What killed these animals exactly?” In 2010, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture quarantined 28 head of cattle after they drank wastewater from a fracking site in Tioga County
Energy representatives dismiss the veterinarians’ study
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From Bloomberg: Smelling gas one morning, a southern Pennsylvania farmer almost passed out when he went outside to check on his bellowing cows.
One of the animals did keel over, kicking its feet in spasms. A couple of days later, a calf was fighting for its life, the farmer said. It died.
Something awful is happening over the Marcellus Shale, the vast geological formation in eastern North America where energy companies are looking for natural gas.
Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking... ( Continue Reading: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-02-08/fracking-s-toll-on-pets-livestock-chills-pennsylvania-farmers-commentary.html )
Quotes:
The Pennsylvania farmers I spoke with have lost cows, calves, a horse, a couple dozen chickens. Many of the animals succumb in the same way: seizure-like symptoms, gasping for breath and a quick wasting away. A Rottweiler and a Dalmatian also fell ill and died.
[Testimony:] “We don’t know what the chemicals are in a lot of these cases. It gets very frustrating: What was in the tissue? What killed these animals exactly?” In 2010, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture quarantined 28 head of cattle after they drank wastewater from a fracking site in Tioga County
Energy representatives dismiss the veterinarians’ study
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Saturday, February 11, 2012
News: NJ Passes Fracking Ban, PA compromises
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N.J. Senate panel approves bill to ban fracking
The Star-Ledger - NJ.com - Feb 9, 2012
By Matt Friedman/Statehouse Bureau AP File Photo A worker connects a hose to a truck to collect foam from a drill pit used in a Rice Energy Marcellus Shale drilling rig in Lone Pine, Pa. A Senate panel has approved a bill to ban the practice known as ...
Pennsylvania Fracking Bill Sent To Governor Tom Corbett
Huffington Post - Feb 9, 2012
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Gov. Tom Corbett is expected to sign a sweeping bill that could force Pennsylvania's booming natural gas industry to help pay for a wide range of state and local government programs, toughen safety standards and limit the ability ...
Compromise bill on Marcellus Shale fees goes to Corbett
Philadelphia Inquirer - Feb 9, 2012
HARRISBURG - After nearly four years of debate and false starts, Pennsylvania is one signature away from finally imposing a fee on natural gas extraction from the Marcellus Shale. The House voted shortly before 4 pm Wednesday to approve a compromise ...
Pa. House approves fee on Marcellus Shale gas
Philadelphia Inquirer - Feb 9, 2012
By Angela Couloumbis and Amy Worden HARRISBURG - Pennsylvania is a signature away from imposing a fee on natural gas extraction in the Marcellus Shale. After three years of debate and false starts, the House voted, 101-90, Wednesday to approve a ...
DN Editorial: Roads to hell?
Philadelphia Inquirer - Feb 10, 2012
THE GOOD NEWS is that the General Assembly has finally approved an impact fee for Marcellus Shale gas drillers. The bad news is that it's too little, too late, and way too weak to have much impact on anyone but the drillers, who must be holding secret ...
New Jersey Senate Committee Again Passes Gas-Fracking Ban
BusinessWeek - Feb 9, 2012
By Terrence Dopp Feb. 9 (Bloomberg) -- The New Jersey Senate for a second time moved a bill out of committee that would prohibit fracking for natural gas in the most densely populated US state. New Jersey was set to have the first US statewide ban on ...
Shale gas legislation only awaits PA governor's signature
State Journal - Feb 10, 2012
By Pam Kasey - email After several years of lawmaker wrangling, a bill that would establish an impact fee on gas extracted from shale formations has made its way to the desk of Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett. In a close vote, the Pennsylvania House of ...
Environmental groups blast new PA impact fee bill
Gas Business Briefing - Feb 10, 2012
Pennsylvania environmental groups Thursday condemned just-passed Marcellus Shale-related legislation, saying it lets producers off the hook with a nominal impact fee, while stripping local governments of development control.
N.J. Senate panel approves bill to ban fracking
The Star-Ledger - NJ.com - Feb 9, 2012
By Matt Friedman/Statehouse Bureau AP File Photo A worker connects a hose to a truck to collect foam from a drill pit used in a Rice Energy Marcellus Shale drilling rig in Lone Pine, Pa. A Senate panel has approved a bill to ban the practice known as ...
Pennsylvania Fracking Bill Sent To Governor Tom Corbett
Huffington Post - Feb 9, 2012
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Gov. Tom Corbett is expected to sign a sweeping bill that could force Pennsylvania's booming natural gas industry to help pay for a wide range of state and local government programs, toughen safety standards and limit the ability ...
Compromise bill on Marcellus Shale fees goes to Corbett
Philadelphia Inquirer - Feb 9, 2012
HARRISBURG - After nearly four years of debate and false starts, Pennsylvania is one signature away from finally imposing a fee on natural gas extraction from the Marcellus Shale. The House voted shortly before 4 pm Wednesday to approve a compromise ...
Pa. House approves fee on Marcellus Shale gas
Philadelphia Inquirer - Feb 9, 2012
By Angela Couloumbis and Amy Worden HARRISBURG - Pennsylvania is a signature away from imposing a fee on natural gas extraction in the Marcellus Shale. After three years of debate and false starts, the House voted, 101-90, Wednesday to approve a ...
DN Editorial: Roads to hell?
Philadelphia Inquirer - Feb 10, 2012
THE GOOD NEWS is that the General Assembly has finally approved an impact fee for Marcellus Shale gas drillers. The bad news is that it's too little, too late, and way too weak to have much impact on anyone but the drillers, who must be holding secret ...
New Jersey Senate Committee Again Passes Gas-Fracking Ban
BusinessWeek - Feb 9, 2012
By Terrence Dopp Feb. 9 (Bloomberg) -- The New Jersey Senate for a second time moved a bill out of committee that would prohibit fracking for natural gas in the most densely populated US state. New Jersey was set to have the first US statewide ban on ...
Shale gas legislation only awaits PA governor's signature
State Journal - Feb 10, 2012
By Pam Kasey - email After several years of lawmaker wrangling, a bill that would establish an impact fee on gas extracted from shale formations has made its way to the desk of Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett. In a close vote, the Pennsylvania House of ...
Environmental groups blast new PA impact fee bill
Gas Business Briefing - Feb 10, 2012
Pennsylvania environmental groups Thursday condemned just-passed Marcellus Shale-related legislation, saying it lets producers off the hook with a nominal impact fee, while stripping local governments of development control.
News: Fracking May Leak Twice as Much Gas as previously thought, per NOAA study
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From Inside Climate News: Research suggests that emissions of methane, a greenhouse gas 20 times more potent than CO2, far exceed current estimates for gas drilling and production.
Weeks after Barack Obamapromoted natural gas as a key part of U.S. energy policy in his State of the Union address, new research says gas drilling may be emitting far more methane and other pollutants into the atmosphere than current estimates suggest.
The work, performed by scientists with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, focused on Weld County, Colo., home to more than 20,000 gas wells. After years of monitoring and study, the researchers estimated that about 4 percent of the methane produced by these wells is lost to the atmosphere.
That's about twice as much as current estimates would suggest, and twice what the EPA ... (Continue reading Gas Drilling May Be Leaking Twice as Much Gas as Previously Thought, Study Finds Feb 9, 2012
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From Inside Climate News: Research suggests that emissions of methane, a greenhouse gas 20 times more potent than CO2, far exceed current estimates for gas drilling and production.
Weeks after Barack Obamapromoted natural gas as a key part of U.S. energy policy in his State of the Union address, new research says gas drilling may be emitting far more methane and other pollutants into the atmosphere than current estimates suggest.
The work, performed by scientists with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, focused on Weld County, Colo., home to more than 20,000 gas wells. After years of monitoring and study, the researchers estimated that about 4 percent of the methane produced by these wells is lost to the atmosphere.
That's about twice as much as current estimates would suggest, and twice what the EPA ... (Continue reading Gas Drilling May Be Leaking Twice as Much Gas as Previously Thought, Study Finds Feb 9, 2012
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Friday, February 10, 2012
News: Surface Owners Rights Org: How gas wells drilled and what can go wrong
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From SORO: West Virginia is second only to Texas in the number of active oil and gas wells in the country. New drilling permits have more than tripled in recent years and West Virginia surface owners have very few rights to protect them from drillers unless they also own the minerals beneath their land. If you live in one of the state’s oil and gas producing counties you know about the polluted streams, needless destruction of timber, lost home sites, careless road building and ruined pastures caused by drillers.
About WV-SORO
The WV Surface Owners’ Rights Organization (WV SORO) is a growing statewide membership organization whose mission is to protect landowners from abuses by oil and gas drillers.
Read more at WV SORO Website where you can also find:
This “slide show” is to illustrate how a gas (or oil) well is drilled down into the ground. and what can go wrong. (Source: How a gas well is drilled down into the ground, and what can go wrong)
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From SORO: West Virginia is second only to Texas in the number of active oil and gas wells in the country. New drilling permits have more than tripled in recent years and West Virginia surface owners have very few rights to protect them from drillers unless they also own the minerals beneath their land. If you live in one of the state’s oil and gas producing counties you know about the polluted streams, needless destruction of timber, lost home sites, careless road building and ruined pastures caused by drillers.
About WV-SORO
The WV Surface Owners’ Rights Organization (WV SORO) is a growing statewide membership organization whose mission is to protect landowners from abuses by oil and gas drillers.
Read more at WV SORO Website where you can also find:
This “slide show” is to illustrate how a gas (or oil) well is drilled down into the ground. and what can go wrong. (Source: How a gas well is drilled down into the ground, and what can go wrong)
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News: People Are Dying from Reckless Fracking
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From Crooks and Liars: The gas companies insist fracking has nothing to do with the wave of illnesses in the Marcellus Shale communities, yet people with strange symptoms continue to die. We don't know how many more, because when the people whose water was contaminated by the drilling get a clean water supply, they sign a legal agreement not to talk about it anymore:
Fracktivist Carl Stiles, of Bradford County, PA, died [Jan. 31, 2012] after living with illnesses caused by shale gas drilling. Mr. Stiles was forced to move away from his Bradford County home as an environmental refugee.
Carl Stiles had intestinal cancer which he blamed on Chesapeake’s gas drilling. He and his wife abandoned their home last November at the urging of a toxicologist who found barium, arsenic, and VOCs (volatile organic chemicals) in Carl’s blood. Strontium, uranium and radium were found in their water. They’ve been told to expect to get leukemia within two years.
The radioactivity level in their home was almost 7 times the EPA standard limit. The Stiles were forced to abandon their home and all the possessions in it.
(Continue Reading Carl Stiles, Fracking Activist, Dies Away From His Contaminated Marcellus Shale Home at Crooks and Liars Feb. 1, 2012)
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From Crooks and Liars: The gas companies insist fracking has nothing to do with the wave of illnesses in the Marcellus Shale communities, yet people with strange symptoms continue to die. We don't know how many more, because when the people whose water was contaminated by the drilling get a clean water supply, they sign a legal agreement not to talk about it anymore:
Fracktivist Carl Stiles, of Bradford County, PA, died [Jan. 31, 2012] after living with illnesses caused by shale gas drilling. Mr. Stiles was forced to move away from his Bradford County home as an environmental refugee.
Carl Stiles had intestinal cancer which he blamed on Chesapeake’s gas drilling. He and his wife abandoned their home last November at the urging of a toxicologist who found barium, arsenic, and VOCs (volatile organic chemicals) in Carl’s blood. Strontium, uranium and radium were found in their water. They’ve been told to expect to get leukemia within two years.
The radioactivity level in their home was almost 7 times the EPA standard limit. The Stiles were forced to abandon their home and all the possessions in it.
(Continue Reading Carl Stiles, Fracking Activist, Dies Away From His Contaminated Marcellus Shale Home at Crooks and Liars Feb. 1, 2012)
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News: Colorado frack wells leave bubbling creeks behind: Hydrocarbon Contamination
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From EarthWorks Blog: "Several water wells were contaminated-one so heavily that it presented an explosive hazard. About 100 gas wells had been improperly constructed, in contravention of the COGCC well construction regulations. They said that the methane either came from the rocks underlying the aquifer through gas wells or natural migration."
In 2007, Garfield County was the most heavily drilled county in Colorado and was one of the most heavily drilled areas in the entire Rocky Mountain region. With some 2000 wells permitted per year, by theColorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC), the area was a flurry of heavy trucks, dust, and conflict.
In addition to the usual beefs between surface owners and industry, which are proliferating throughout the shale plays today, Garfield County had seen one of the country’s first publicized cases of water contamination resulting from oil and gas activities.
An EnCana crew noticed irregularities while completing a well south of Silt, Colorado, including a drop in the level of cement they had placed between the well casing and the borehole wall. Intended to seal this annular space to keep gas from rising toward the surface, the cement drop meant that somewhere, several thousand feet below the surface a fracture was receiving cement, and possibly other fluids.
Shortly thereafter, neighbors were shocked to observe the creek on their property bubbling. Eventually ... (Continue reading A case study in how industry influence squelches the science of gas drilling impacts at Earth Works Blog Feb 9. 2012 )
"After the gas wells proliferated, not only did the instances of contamination with hydrocarbons appear, but their concentrations rose with the number of gas wells..."
From EarthWorks Blog: "Several water wells were contaminated-one so heavily that it presented an explosive hazard. About 100 gas wells had been improperly constructed, in contravention of the COGCC well construction regulations. They said that the methane either came from the rocks underlying the aquifer through gas wells or natural migration."
In 2007, Garfield County was the most heavily drilled county in Colorado and was one of the most heavily drilled areas in the entire Rocky Mountain region. With some 2000 wells permitted per year, by theColorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC), the area was a flurry of heavy trucks, dust, and conflict.
In addition to the usual beefs between surface owners and industry, which are proliferating throughout the shale plays today, Garfield County had seen one of the country’s first publicized cases of water contamination resulting from oil and gas activities.
An EnCana crew noticed irregularities while completing a well south of Silt, Colorado, including a drop in the level of cement they had placed between the well casing and the borehole wall. Intended to seal this annular space to keep gas from rising toward the surface, the cement drop meant that somewhere, several thousand feet below the surface a fracture was receiving cement, and possibly other fluids.
Shortly thereafter, neighbors were shocked to observe the creek on their property bubbling. Eventually ... (Continue reading A case study in how industry influence squelches the science of gas drilling impacts at Earth Works Blog Feb 9. 2012 )
"After the gas wells proliferated, not only did the instances of contamination with hydrocarbons appear, but their concentrations rose with the number of gas wells..."
Waterfall Disappears, Fracking Road Appears, while energy industry ad proclaims opposite
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They didn't even pave paradise*, just threw gravel all over it. Before and After Pictures Below document removal of a waterfall by natural gas industry contractors, to make way for a road accommodating hydraulic fracturing wells in Blake Run area of Wetzel County, West Virginia.
Using a waterfall to illustrate its point, Chesapeake Energy ran its "Champion of Natural Beauty" ad displayed at right around the same time it was overseeing removal of a waterfall from Wetzel County West Virginia to make way for a road carrying natural gas products in and out of the region.
Ad Copy reads:
“The mountains of West Virginia are an American treasure. Their bold natural beauty reflects the spirit, pride, and fortitude that are so firmly engrained in the character of this state and its people. Chesapeake is proud to be here- helping to safely produce the vast reserves of clean burning natural gas in the Marcellus Shale and to build new prosperity and stability for generations to come. Chesapeake Energy. America’s Champion of Natural Gas ™
BEFORE: 2004
AFTER: 2010
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WELL MAP Blake Run, Wetzel County WV
Information in this post was garnered from http://wcag-wv.org/W/Water/WaterfallRemovalBlakeRun.htm Wetzel County Action Group, West Virginia
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Posted by Kay Ebeling, Producer, City of Angels Blog.
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*
Paving Paradise refers to Big Yellow Taxi by Joni Mitchell
Video below is Mitchell singing the song in concert in 1970.
Don't it always seem to go,
That you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone.
They paved paradise,
Put up a parking lot
- Joni Mitchell, 1970, Big Yellow Taxi
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They didn't even pave paradise*, just threw gravel all over it. Before and After Pictures Below document removal of a waterfall by natural gas industry contractors, to make way for a road accommodating hydraulic fracturing wells in Blake Run area of Wetzel County, West Virginia.
Using a waterfall to illustrate its point, Chesapeake Energy ran its "Champion of Natural Beauty" ad displayed at right around the same time it was overseeing removal of a waterfall from Wetzel County West Virginia to make way for a road carrying natural gas products in and out of the region.Ad Copy reads:
“The mountains of West Virginia are an American treasure. Their bold natural beauty reflects the spirit, pride, and fortitude that are so firmly engrained in the character of this state and its people. Chesapeake is proud to be here- helping to safely produce the vast reserves of clean burning natural gas in the Marcellus Shale and to build new prosperity and stability for generations to come. Chesapeake Energy. America’s Champion of Natural Gas ™
BEFORE: 2004
AFTER: 2010
***********
This post also appears here on AlterNet today***********
WELL MAP Blake Run, Wetzel County WV
Information in this post was garnered from http://wcag-wv.org/W/Water/WaterfallRemovalBlakeRun.htm Wetzel County Action Group, West Virginia
***
Posted by Kay Ebeling, Producer, City of Angels Blog.
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*
Paving Paradise refers to Big Yellow Taxi by Joni Mitchell
Video below is Mitchell singing the song in concert in 1970.
Don't it always seem to go,
That you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone.
They paved paradise,
Put up a parking lot
- Joni Mitchell, 1970, Big Yellow Taxi
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Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Videos: Waterfall Removal by Frackers, Slides on Wetzel County WV Damage
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Watch another video on Blip Rose Baker's slide presentation on video from Dec 2011 meeting about fracking in Wetzel County, West Virginia. http://blip.tv/actv23/fracking-wetzel-12-1-11-5821151 all dogs go to heaven...
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Watch another video on Blip Rose Baker's slide presentation on video from Dec 2011 meeting about fracking in Wetzel County, West Virginia. http://blip.tv/actv23/fracking-wetzel-12-1-11-5821151 all dogs go to heaven...
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Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Fracking in WV, watch slide presentation. Video link here
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Watch on Blip video of Dec 2011 meeting with slide presentation (Unable to embed video from Wetzel County WV at this blog.
But click http://blip.tv/actv23/fracking-wetzel-12-1-11-5821151 to watch the 1.5 hour presentation.)
Some quotes:
"We were videotaping and there were accidents every day," says Rose Baker as she shows the slides.
Where Baker lives in rural WV, "we wake up in the morning, we hear the birds, we hear nature. That's all gone now."
Now there's 1800 trucks a day on roads where there were often no cars at all for hours.
"Once you sign a lease, it's a broad contract. They can come back next year and take more gas and not pay you. If you allow them in, you have to watch every little detail."
You can see natural gas wells from planes flying overhead, 24-hour lights in the rural region with no towns for miles around.
The natural gas fracking wells are massive.
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Posted by Kay Ebeling, producer, City of Angels Blog
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Watch on Blip video of Dec 2011 meeting with slide presentation (Unable to embed video from Wetzel County WV at this blog.But click http://blip.tv/actv23/fracking-wetzel-12-1-11-5821151 to watch the 1.5 hour presentation.)
Some quotes:
"We were videotaping and there were accidents every day," says Rose Baker as she shows the slides.
Where Baker lives in rural WV, "we wake up in the morning, we hear the birds, we hear nature. That's all gone now."
Now there's 1800 trucks a day on roads where there were often no cars at all for hours.
"Once you sign a lease, it's a broad contract. They can come back next year and take more gas and not pay you. If you allow them in, you have to watch every little detail."
You can see natural gas wells from planes flying overhead, 24-hour lights in the rural region with no towns for miles around.
The natural gas fracking wells are massive.
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Posted by Kay Ebeling, producer, City of Angels Blog
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Fracking damage in WV seen in video, photos from Wetzel County Action Group
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From 4,300 feet away, Condensate Tank Discharge at Durig Well "was loud and could be heard and seen for hours," reports Ed Wade who published video below on Feb. 26, 2011.
Rocking of tank as it discharges noticeable in second half of video. (Read a version of this post today at AlterNet)
Source of all these materials: http://wcag-wv.org/ Wetzel County Action Group.
February 16, 2011 pictures of polluted water being released from pipeline on Blake Ridge.
From 4,300 feet away, Condensate Tank Discharge at Durig Well "was loud and could be heard and seen for hours," reports Ed Wade who published video below on Feb. 26, 2011.
Rocking of tank as it discharges noticeable in second half of video. (Read a version of this post today at AlterNet)
Source of all these materials: http://wcag-wv.org/ Wetzel County Action Group.February 16, 2011 pictures of polluted water being released from pipeline on Blake Ridge.
Monday, February 6, 2012
News: Fracking gas companies steal minerals and rights out from under us
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Gas company accused of not appreciating surface owner’s rights
Posted in Mountain Statesman Monday, Feb 6th, 2012, by Bobby Jennings
PRUNTYTOWN – Triana Engergy, LLC (Triana) of Charleston, West Virginia was recently accused of wrongful occupation and destruction of property by Paul Nielsen of Grafton. According to Nielsen’s report, he had been working in Ripley for the week. When he returned for the weekend to his property on Lost Run he found over 11 acres of it cleared of timber and dozer work was being done....
“We did not try to block their drilling…we just wanted fair reimbursement. We just didn’t want them to have the whole 236 acres,” commented Neilson.
“How do they just move in and do this?” questioned Nielsen as he surveyed his ruined property. He contacted a variety of offices and individuals to inquire about how to approach the situation. Neilson found one consistent response, “We have nothing to do with that, you need to contact someone else.”
Regarding the issue of land owners’ rights, the companies’ website states, “Landowners can be assured that Triana Energy utilizes the latest technologies, chooses each well-site, and designs each location for maximum efficiency in an effort to reduce the impact on the environment and its neighbors in the surrounding communities.
Read the whole story at Mountain Statesman Feb 6, 2012
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Gas company accused of not appreciating surface owner’s rights
Posted in Mountain Statesman Monday, Feb 6th, 2012, by Bobby Jennings
PRUNTYTOWN – Triana Engergy, LLC (Triana) of Charleston, West Virginia was recently accused of wrongful occupation and destruction of property by Paul Nielsen of Grafton. According to Nielsen’s report, he had been working in Ripley for the week. When he returned for the weekend to his property on Lost Run he found over 11 acres of it cleared of timber and dozer work was being done....
“We did not try to block their drilling…we just wanted fair reimbursement. We just didn’t want them to have the whole 236 acres,” commented Neilson.
“How do they just move in and do this?” questioned Nielsen as he surveyed his ruined property. He contacted a variety of offices and individuals to inquire about how to approach the situation. Neilson found one consistent response, “We have nothing to do with that, you need to contact someone else.”
Regarding the issue of land owners’ rights, the companies’ website states, “Landowners can be assured that Triana Energy utilizes the latest technologies, chooses each well-site, and designs each location for maximum efficiency in an effort to reduce the impact on the environment and its neighbors in the surrounding communities.
Read the whole story at Mountain Statesman Feb 6, 2012
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Wednesday, February 1, 2012
News: Fracking Expansion, per Corporate Crime Reporter, West Virginia
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From CORPORATE CRIME REPORTER Morgan County USA.
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From CORPORATE CRIME REPORTER Morgan County USA.
Baker is one of ten brothers and sisters. She grew up with her family in Wetzel County. Her father was self-employed – he farmed and timbered his land.(Read the whole story here: Chesapeake Energy Supports the Community – Unless the Community Opposes Fracking, Corporate Crime Reporter 5 (10) January 28, 2012
“Now, things are different,” Baker says.
Baker can’t drink her well water. It’s polluted from the fracking. Her sister-in-law can’t drink her water or use the water to shower.
It too is polluted from fracking.
“Truck traffic is horrible.”
“We have a small farm here. We never used to hear any sort of noise. Now, you step outside and you hear the truck traffic. You hear the gas wells being flared. The flaring sounds like a jet engine. You hear the constant roar of diesel engines from these compressor stations. You smell the gas.”
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Friday, January 27, 2012
MyMinutes: Morgan County WV meeting on Fracking Jan 26, 2012
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“Fracking problems are not solvable by us,” said the County Commission task force on Marcellus Shale.
But Berkeley Springs has to protect its water.
Who will come to Bath when the Springs burst into flames?
(These are my raw notes from the Jan. 26, 2012, Morgan Count Commission meeting on fracking:)
City Attorney for the Town of Bath Richard Gay presented to the working group on fracking about Landowners’ Rights and Land Use issues:
State Constitution Article 9 section 11 gives the county jurisdiction over land records.
But thanks to Dillon’s Rule passed in the 1800s, the Legislature has authority over ALL land in the state and the county can only carry out the state’s wishes.
More recently, Chapter 8A amendment passed in 2004 Article 7-10 Subpart B led to an appeals court battle involving landowners, counties, and the state. At the end of an appeals process, the DEP won, so in the end, “Fracking problems are not solvable by us,” agreed the committee members.
December 2011: The state Legislature passed the Natural Gas Horizontal Well Control Act http://www.martindale.com/natural-resources-law/article__1405998.htm in a special session of the West Virginia Legislature while the rest of us were getting ready for Christmas.
The state Constitution limits what any county in West Virginia can do.
With nudging from the packed audience of citizens, the group brainstormed on what we can do to protect the water in Berkeley Springs from natural gas fracking,
All agreed, we have to educate people:
Fracking uses volatile chemicals to explode rock underground and release natural gas. Pipes then take the product away for oil companies elsewhere to develop, leaving the poison chemicals behind.
Commissioners agreed that people in West Virginia has had its share of experience with oil companies and leasing.
“There are legions of cases fraught with leasing issues,” said Richard Gay.
Most members of the audience were concerned about the upcoming arrival of land men buying mineral rights. “What can people say when they come to talk about an oil lease?” asked several citizens.
I called out, “How much do they pay for leases?” and that depends. Early in the game, the offer will be in the low four figures per acre, but if they find gas, of course, the value rises.
“Pay you enough to move away,” came a grumbling voice from the crowd.
Meantime, a lot of people do not even know what fracking is. “The whole process was pre-empted by the state,” Gay said. The County’s one tool is a Commercial ILP which Gay said the County can only use “to make sure the state sticks to the state’s ordinancew.”
Jim Hoyt said, “Our commercial ILP does require Storm Water Management."
The commissioners told us that private citizens can file a complaint under the federal Clean Water Act....
The county CAN make a recommendation to the state that would “enable us to restrict fracking as it comes closer to Morgan County,” said – Hoyt.
“To protect the Springs.”
(Me: Finally someone mentions what to me is so obvious. The Springs!!! Berkeley Springs, the Town of Bath, and Morgan County have a vested interest in arresting the expansion of fracking before it gets here. The Springs!)
I call out, did you guys say you were writing a recommendation to the state to protect the Springs. A couple commissioners squirm,
"Well, we're writing it... we've been working on it for a while.
Let’s see if they've finished writing the recommendation to the state by next meeting.
The conversation started to drift, there was talk of Wetzel County, where there are now about thirty fracking wells, which has created jobs for local people.
They got jobs waiting on all the employees from other states who are filling up the hotels and restaurants.
Watch out for the Land Man, someone called out.
“The Lease Hound.”
“They can come on your land and take the minerals,” one commissioner mentioned as we were packing up to leave.
In my notes I find reference to things like “delayed rental” and “best management practices.”
Point is Berkeley Springs has to protect its waters. How many people will come to dip in the Springs if the water starts to erupt in flames?
.
- Kay Ebeling
Berkeley Springs WV
.
As humans turn into cogs, our one hope may be Guerrilla Documentaries. In feature film below, Yes Men speak at conferences as corporate PR reps and reveal a lot of truth in the process:
.
“Fracking problems are not solvable by us,” said the County Commission task force on Marcellus Shale. But Berkeley Springs has to protect its water.
Who will come to Bath when the Springs burst into flames?
(These are my raw notes from the Jan. 26, 2012, Morgan Count Commission meeting on fracking:)
City Attorney for the Town of Bath Richard Gay presented to the working group on fracking about Landowners’ Rights and Land Use issues:
State Constitution Article 9 section 11 gives the county jurisdiction over land records.
But thanks to Dillon’s Rule passed in the 1800s, the Legislature has authority over ALL land in the state and the county can only carry out the state’s wishes.
More recently, Chapter 8A amendment passed in 2004 Article 7-10 Subpart B led to an appeals court battle involving landowners, counties, and the state. At the end of an appeals process, the DEP won, so in the end, “Fracking problems are not solvable by us,” agreed the committee members.
December 2011: The state Legislature passed the Natural Gas Horizontal Well Control Act http://www.martindale.com/natural-resources-law/article__1405998.htm in a special session of the West Virginia Legislature while the rest of us were getting ready for Christmas.
The state Constitution limits what any county in West Virginia can do.
With nudging from the packed audience of citizens, the group brainstormed on what we can do to protect the water in Berkeley Springs from natural gas fracking,
All agreed, we have to educate people:
Fracking uses volatile chemicals to explode rock underground and release natural gas. Pipes then take the product away for oil companies elsewhere to develop, leaving the poison chemicals behind.
Commissioners agreed that people in West Virginia has had its share of experience with oil companies and leasing.
“There are legions of cases fraught with leasing issues,” said Richard Gay.
Most members of the audience were concerned about the upcoming arrival of land men buying mineral rights. “What can people say when they come to talk about an oil lease?” asked several citizens.
I called out, “How much do they pay for leases?” and that depends. Early in the game, the offer will be in the low four figures per acre, but if they find gas, of course, the value rises.
“Pay you enough to move away,” came a grumbling voice from the crowd.
Meantime, a lot of people do not even know what fracking is. “The whole process was pre-empted by the state,” Gay said. The County’s one tool is a Commercial ILP which Gay said the County can only use “to make sure the state sticks to the state’s ordinancew.”
Jim Hoyt said, “Our commercial ILP does require Storm Water Management."
The commissioners told us that private citizens can file a complaint under the federal Clean Water Act....
The county CAN make a recommendation to the state that would “enable us to restrict fracking as it comes closer to Morgan County,” said – Hoyt.
“To protect the Springs.”
(Me: Finally someone mentions what to me is so obvious. The Springs!!! Berkeley Springs, the Town of Bath, and Morgan County have a vested interest in arresting the expansion of fracking before it gets here. The Springs!)
I call out, did you guys say you were writing a recommendation to the state to protect the Springs. A couple commissioners squirm,
"Well, we're writing it... we've been working on it for a while.
Let’s see if they've finished writing the recommendation to the state by next meeting.
The conversation started to drift, there was talk of Wetzel County, where there are now about thirty fracking wells, which has created jobs for local people.
They got jobs waiting on all the employees from other states who are filling up the hotels and restaurants.
Watch out for the Land Man, someone called out.
“The Lease Hound.”
“They can come on your land and take the minerals,” one commissioner mentioned as we were packing up to leave.
In my notes I find reference to things like “delayed rental” and “best management practices.”
Point is Berkeley Springs has to protect its waters. How many people will come to dip in the Springs if the water starts to erupt in flames?
.
- Kay Ebeling
Berkeley Springs WV
.
As humans turn into cogs, our one hope may be Guerrilla Documentaries. In feature film below, Yes Men speak at conferences as corporate PR reps and reveal a lot of truth in the process:
.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
H. B. 3251 for Medical Marijuana in West Virginia
.
(Read the bill:
H. B. 3251 at West Virginia Legislature
Introduced by
Delegate Mike Manypenny, D-Taylor
Introduced on February 21, 2011.)
SUMMARY:
"The purpose of this bill is to create the Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act. The bill states legislative intent of permitting the medical use of marijuana. The bill determines the types of patients and their physicians and caregivers who are exempt from prosecution. The bill also limits the amount of marijuana that may be possessed. The bill designates compassion centers and prohibits the operation of a motor vehicle. The bill also requires the use of identification cards and all record keeping to be confidential. The bill requires sales tax to be collected and deposited into a special fund for drug prevention and abuse. The bill requires reports be made to the Governor and Legislature. The bill requires the collecting of sales tax. The bill further sets forth duties of the State Police, defines terms, grants and rule-making authority."
Copy URL to read Entire bill at
http://www.legis.state.wv.us/bill_status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=hb3251%20intr.htm&yr=2011&sesstype=RS&i=3251
but there has been little action on it since last year...
.
(Read the bill:
H. B. 3251 at West Virginia Legislature
Introduced by
Delegate Mike Manypenny, D-Taylor
Introduced on February 21, 2011.)
SUMMARY:
"The purpose of this bill is to create the Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act. The bill states legislative intent of permitting the medical use of marijuana. The bill determines the types of patients and their physicians and caregivers who are exempt from prosecution. The bill also limits the amount of marijuana that may be possessed. The bill designates compassion centers and prohibits the operation of a motor vehicle. The bill also requires the use of identification cards and all record keeping to be confidential. The bill requires sales tax to be collected and deposited into a special fund for drug prevention and abuse. The bill requires reports be made to the Governor and Legislature. The bill requires the collecting of sales tax. The bill further sets forth duties of the State Police, defines terms, grants and rule-making authority."
Copy URL to read Entire bill at
http://www.legis.state.wv.us/bill_status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=hb3251%20intr.htm&yr=2011&sesstype=RS&i=3251
but there has been little action on it since last year...
.
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