Regina Hauser, the Executive Director of The Natural Step Network in the United States will be presenting a two day seminar/ workshop sometime in November or December. Please go to http://www.rachelcarsonhomestead.org/ for details and updates.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Professor Ingraffea's thoughts on Marcellus Shale
Prof. Ingraffea’s 9-Point Letter to the Marcellus Shale Industry
Letter
If the Marcellus gas industry did everything it should to make sure natural gas development is "done right," that still would not be good enough for Cornell Professor Dr. Anthony Ingraffea, Director, Cornell Fracture Group. This was presented by Dr. Ingraffea at the Marcellus Shale Conference on September 24, 2010.
The Letter I Wish Had Been Written
July 1, 2007
To: The Citizens of States Over the MarcellusFrom: The Natural Gas Industry
We are writing to ask your permission to develop shale gas in your states using high-volume, slickwater, hydraulic fracturing from long horizontal well legs (HVSHF).
Although you have allowed us to produce oil and gas from thousands of wells over many years, we recognize that we are now asking you to allow us to do much more intense development than ever before, using a technology never before used in your area. We acknowledge our development plan for your states might eventually involve over 400,000 Marcellus wells alone, with thousands more in other shales, and be valued in the trillions of dollars, over decades to come.
We have seen how such intense development with this technology has caused problems where we are using it already in gas shales. We have listened closely to your concerns about these problems, and others on the horizon, so we are writing you now to make a compact with you. We understand that you are granting us a privilege, that, collectively, all of you have to give us the right to develop your gas, because, quite honestly, our plans will significantly affect all of you, not just landowners with whom we might have a business relationship.
Therefore, if you give us the permission we seek, here are our promises to you:
1. Since we will not be developing in your area for another 2-3 years, we have time to help you prepare for our arrival:
We will immediately fund appropriate training programs in your community colleges to produce homegrown workers for our industry. We will subsidize tuition for the students who commit to work in our industry. Those workers will get right-of-first-refusal on our job openings.
We will immediately fund appropriate training programs for your emergency response teams--fire, police, medical, and spill hazards--and we will equip them at our expense.
We recognize that our heavy equipment will damage many of your roads and bridges. We will start now to pay to upgrade these so that they all remain usable not just by our equipment, but by you, too, throughout the development process. This will be a "stimulus" to help your unemployment situation now. When development is complete in an area, we will pay for final repairs necessary to leave all impacted roads and bridges in state-of-the-art condition. This will be a legacy gift to you from our industry.
We will fund the construction or upgrading of regional industrial waste treatment and disposal facilities with adequate capacity to process safely all of the solid and liquid wastes we produce. We will not truck your wastes to other states.
2. We will be transparent about our entire plan for development:
We will tell you as soon as practicable, but no later than 1 year before start of activity, where and when we will drill, and what pipelines and compressor stations will be needed where and by when.
We will publish gas and waste production figures from every well, accurately, and on-time.
We will tell you where your gas is going to market. We will not sell your gas to a foreign market.
We will disclose, completely, all chemicals and other substances we use.
3. We will accept, without debate, all new regulations that might be proposed by your regulatory agencies: your existing regulations are inadequate to cover the new technologies and cumulative impact of HVSHF. We will offer your agencies suggestions for continuous evolution of the regulations as a result of lessons we are learning.
4. With respect to your natural environment legacy:
For every tree we uproot, we will plant at least 1 replacement. We will reforest all access roads as quickly as we can, and minimize the width of all forest cuts.
We will pay a fair price for the water we extract from your lakes and rivers, which will average several million gallons per gas well.
Whatever we break, despoil, or pollute, we will repair, replace, or remediate, at our expense.
5. We will safely dispose of all liquid and solid wastes from our development:
We will never store any flowback fluids or produced water in open pits. All such fluids will be recycled to the highest extent possible by existing technologies, regardless of increase in cost to us.
All liquid and solid wastes remaining from recycling will be treated at the above-mentioned industrial waste treatment plants. We will provide radiation monitoring equipment on every well pad: any materials, including drill cuttings, leaving a well pad that trigger an alarm will be sent to a licensed radioactive waste disposal facility.
6. We will not cause an increase in any tax levy on your citizens.
We will agree to a substantial increase in permit fees to reflect the expected 4-fold increase in person-time we expect you to spend on review of permits for HVSHF.
We will agree to a state severance tax, the level of which will be floating, according to an accurate accounting of all costs to the state and municipalities.
7. We will practice what we preach about clean fuels and emissions:
Every truck, every generator, every pump, every compressor will run on natural gas--no diesel, no gasoline engines.
We will not allow uncaptured gaseous emissions from any of our processes: no evaporation from open pits, no pressure releases from compressor stations or condensate tanks.
8. We will be sensitive to noise and light pollution, even if a community does not have zoning restrictions in place to regulate such:
All of our pads and compressor stations will have sound/light suppression measures in place before startup.
Site drill pads, compressor stations, and pipelines in collaboration with the community.
9. We will not unduly stress any of your communities:
We will never experiment with drilling many wells in a small area over a brief period of time.
We will abide by all area and time restrictions on permitting.
We will never contest loss of well water use by any citizen. If a well is lost, we will replace it with whatever type of supply is requested by its owner at our expense.
We will never require a citizen harmed by our development to promise silence in return for remediation.
Finally, and humbly, we note that even our best plans and efforts will come up short, sometime, someplace, somehow. Therefore, in addition to all the contributions noted above, we also pledge to establish an escrow account which will receive 1% of the value of all gas produced from shale gas wells using HVSHF each year. This account will be administered by an independent 3rd party, advised by an independent panel you select, and will be used as an emergency fund to compensate those financially or physically harmed by our development in your state.
Thank you for your attention to our request.
The Letter I Hope Will Be Written
July 1, 2011
To: The Natural Gas IndustryFrom: The Citizens of States Over the Marcellus
We have observed, calculated, thought, done the science, and we have concluded that even “doing it right” is wrong.
No thanks.
Presented at the 2010 Rachel Carson Legacy Conference in Pittsburgh, PA on September 24, 2010
DOWNLOAD PDF version of the letter.
»
Add new comment
Letter
If the Marcellus gas industry did everything it should to make sure natural gas development is "done right," that still would not be good enough for Cornell Professor Dr. Anthony Ingraffea, Director, Cornell Fracture Group. This was presented by Dr. Ingraffea at the Marcellus Shale Conference on September 24, 2010.
The Letter I Wish Had Been Written
July 1, 2007
To: The Citizens of States Over the MarcellusFrom: The Natural Gas Industry
We are writing to ask your permission to develop shale gas in your states using high-volume, slickwater, hydraulic fracturing from long horizontal well legs (HVSHF).
Although you have allowed us to produce oil and gas from thousands of wells over many years, we recognize that we are now asking you to allow us to do much more intense development than ever before, using a technology never before used in your area. We acknowledge our development plan for your states might eventually involve over 400,000 Marcellus wells alone, with thousands more in other shales, and be valued in the trillions of dollars, over decades to come.
We have seen how such intense development with this technology has caused problems where we are using it already in gas shales. We have listened closely to your concerns about these problems, and others on the horizon, so we are writing you now to make a compact with you. We understand that you are granting us a privilege, that, collectively, all of you have to give us the right to develop your gas, because, quite honestly, our plans will significantly affect all of you, not just landowners with whom we might have a business relationship.
Therefore, if you give us the permission we seek, here are our promises to you:
1. Since we will not be developing in your area for another 2-3 years, we have time to help you prepare for our arrival:
We will immediately fund appropriate training programs in your community colleges to produce homegrown workers for our industry. We will subsidize tuition for the students who commit to work in our industry. Those workers will get right-of-first-refusal on our job openings.
We will immediately fund appropriate training programs for your emergency response teams--fire, police, medical, and spill hazards--and we will equip them at our expense.
We recognize that our heavy equipment will damage many of your roads and bridges. We will start now to pay to upgrade these so that they all remain usable not just by our equipment, but by you, too, throughout the development process. This will be a "stimulus" to help your unemployment situation now. When development is complete in an area, we will pay for final repairs necessary to leave all impacted roads and bridges in state-of-the-art condition. This will be a legacy gift to you from our industry.
We will fund the construction or upgrading of regional industrial waste treatment and disposal facilities with adequate capacity to process safely all of the solid and liquid wastes we produce. We will not truck your wastes to other states.
2. We will be transparent about our entire plan for development:
We will tell you as soon as practicable, but no later than 1 year before start of activity, where and when we will drill, and what pipelines and compressor stations will be needed where and by when.
We will publish gas and waste production figures from every well, accurately, and on-time.
We will tell you where your gas is going to market. We will not sell your gas to a foreign market.
We will disclose, completely, all chemicals and other substances we use.
3. We will accept, without debate, all new regulations that might be proposed by your regulatory agencies: your existing regulations are inadequate to cover the new technologies and cumulative impact of HVSHF. We will offer your agencies suggestions for continuous evolution of the regulations as a result of lessons we are learning.
4. With respect to your natural environment legacy:
For every tree we uproot, we will plant at least 1 replacement. We will reforest all access roads as quickly as we can, and minimize the width of all forest cuts.
We will pay a fair price for the water we extract from your lakes and rivers, which will average several million gallons per gas well.
Whatever we break, despoil, or pollute, we will repair, replace, or remediate, at our expense.
5. We will safely dispose of all liquid and solid wastes from our development:
We will never store any flowback fluids or produced water in open pits. All such fluids will be recycled to the highest extent possible by existing technologies, regardless of increase in cost to us.
All liquid and solid wastes remaining from recycling will be treated at the above-mentioned industrial waste treatment plants. We will provide radiation monitoring equipment on every well pad: any materials, including drill cuttings, leaving a well pad that trigger an alarm will be sent to a licensed radioactive waste disposal facility.
6. We will not cause an increase in any tax levy on your citizens.
We will agree to a substantial increase in permit fees to reflect the expected 4-fold increase in person-time we expect you to spend on review of permits for HVSHF.
We will agree to a state severance tax, the level of which will be floating, according to an accurate accounting of all costs to the state and municipalities.
7. We will practice what we preach about clean fuels and emissions:
Every truck, every generator, every pump, every compressor will run on natural gas--no diesel, no gasoline engines.
We will not allow uncaptured gaseous emissions from any of our processes: no evaporation from open pits, no pressure releases from compressor stations or condensate tanks.
8. We will be sensitive to noise and light pollution, even if a community does not have zoning restrictions in place to regulate such:
All of our pads and compressor stations will have sound/light suppression measures in place before startup.
Site drill pads, compressor stations, and pipelines in collaboration with the community.
9. We will not unduly stress any of your communities:
We will never experiment with drilling many wells in a small area over a brief period of time.
We will abide by all area and time restrictions on permitting.
We will never contest loss of well water use by any citizen. If a well is lost, we will replace it with whatever type of supply is requested by its owner at our expense.
We will never require a citizen harmed by our development to promise silence in return for remediation.
Finally, and humbly, we note that even our best plans and efforts will come up short, sometime, someplace, somehow. Therefore, in addition to all the contributions noted above, we also pledge to establish an escrow account which will receive 1% of the value of all gas produced from shale gas wells using HVSHF each year. This account will be administered by an independent 3rd party, advised by an independent panel you select, and will be used as an emergency fund to compensate those financially or physically harmed by our development in your state.
Thank you for your attention to our request.
The Letter I Hope Will Be Written
July 1, 2011
To: The Natural Gas IndustryFrom: The Citizens of States Over the Marcellus
We have observed, calculated, thought, done the science, and we have concluded that even “doing it right” is wrong.
No thanks.
Presented at the 2010 Rachel Carson Legacy Conference in Pittsburgh, PA on September 24, 2010
DOWNLOAD PDF version of the letter.
»
Add new comment
Thursday, October 7, 2010
October, 2010 Meetings
Join us on October 26, 2010 at 7:00 PM in collaboration with the Monroeville Public Library for Gasland, the documentary, followed by discussion. You might find the following map interesting: http://www.marcellus.psu.edu/images/permit_animation.gif
The meetings on October 4 with Therese of Building New Hope and October 5 with Matt Mehalik of Carnegie Mellon on the Sustainability Needs Assessment for Monroeville were excellent. Thanks so much to both Matt and Therese for their time and expertise. We plan to post the assessment when possible.
The meetings on October 4 with Therese of Building New Hope and October 5 with Matt Mehalik of Carnegie Mellon on the Sustainability Needs Assessment for Monroeville were excellent. Thanks so much to both Matt and Therese for their time and expertise. We plan to post the assessment when possible.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Home Grown Sustainability, From Pittsburgh to D.C.
My fellow classmates are part of University College at American University, which is a living and learning community. We all take the Environmental Science class, Sustainable Earth, and live in the same dorm with each other as roommates. We have the class 2 times a week with an additional lab once a week and a D.C. lab led by our leader an additional day per a week as well. It's really neat to be able to call Washington D.C. our "lab!" So far, we have participated in Freshmen Service Experience which was three days out of a week long welcome week. There were many different groups that American University, Earth Day Network, Green went to many different sites as volunteers. We went to Clagett Farm in Upper Marlboro, MD. As volunteers at this recently certified organic farm, we contributed to the volunteer work force that runs Clagett, harvesting squash, potatoes (digging them out of the ground, very tedious laborious work), and cucumbers and weeding a strawberry field.While there are some paid workers who serve as the base for the farm, many of the workers are either working for CSA shares or as pure volunteers. In addition, we have gone to The Earth Day Network in Dupont Circle Washington D.C. and learned about their yearlong effort to educate and make changes to society. With lobbyists in Congress and people working with schools and local businesses, they gave us many opportunities to apply for internships and eventual full time jobs, opening our eyes to the importance and relevance of green jobs overall.
In addition to our D.C. labs, our actual class lab has included testing the water quality of the Potomac river in canoes and off a pier, and using those results to find the overall water quality which is not stellar but is better than it has been in the recent past. The Sustainable Earth lecture portion of the class is taught by Dr. Kiho Kim, a researcher of coral reefs. He leads the class discussion with engaging PowerPoints and goofy anecdotes of his experience in Costa Rica and other tropical sites.
Being able to live and have class with students who care about the planet and are mindful of their actions not only gives us all a greater hope for humanity, but helps us produce greater ideas for change and also study for tests. With many more D.C. field trips in the near future and many more problems to solve, the future of Sustainable Earth is exciting. American University has a major focus on sustainability including greening many roofs (which a few of us helped with, hauling rocks and soil) and focusing on locally grown food. If American University is any indicator of the future, the future looks bright. Laura Beck
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Rachel Carson Legacy Conference
The conference opens with views of a sustainable future, and a message from Senator Casey urging support for his legislation rescinding the Marcellus Shale exemption from the Safe Drinking Water Act.This Conference examines the health, environmental and community effects we will experience from Marcellus Shale drilling and offers solutions from other places.
We urge precautions be taken to protect our air, water and fertile land from the effects of development. We focus on building the infrastructure and the economic and social structure to move to a renewable and sustainable energy base soon.. Dr. Karl-Henrik Robert of Sweden, founder of The Natural Step framework and principles will give the keynote address, followed by Mayor Ken Melamed of Whistler British Columbia whose community has implemented a sustainable policy. We have several presenters discussing energy systems based on wind, solar, anaerobic digestion of municipal sewage or dairy manure to produce methane in a sustainable way while solving other water and land use issues. This is a provocative discussion with an eye toward moving forward now to a sustainable future.
Register at www.rachelcarsonhomestead.org
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Field Trip to Westmoreland Conservation District September 22, 2010
Join Us! Visit the Westmoreland Conservation District and learn about green rooftops, permeable pavement, solar and more. Formal tour with Kathy Hamilton, landscape architect, and Sustainable Monroeville 2:00-4:00 PM September 22, 2010; Informal self-guided tour of grounds 5:00-7:00 PM with Jesse John Salensky. http://www.wcdpa.com/
In collaboration with the Turtle Creek Watershed Association and the Monroeville Public Library.
In collaboration with the Turtle Creek Watershed Association and the Monroeville Public Library.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Upcoming Events, August, 2010
Here are three upcoming events you might be interested in:
1) This coming Friday evening, August 27 at the Blue Slide Park in Squirrel Hill, there will be a showing of the movie Gasland followed by a discussion with Josh Fox, the creator of the documentary. Live music at 8:00, outdoor movie screening at 8:30. Rain Date, August 28.
2) Sunday, August 29, the Rachel Carson Homestead Sustainable Feast on the Ninth Street, now Rachel Carson Bridge. Cost is $10.00. Noon to five PM.
3) Tuesday evening, August 31 at 7:00 PM at the Coliseum 7310 Frankstown Avenue, a joint meeting of Transition and groups forming around the Marcellus Shale issue. Come Learn!
Elisa Beck
http://www.sustainablemonroeville.com/
http://www.transitionpgh.org/
1) This coming Friday evening, August 27 at the Blue Slide Park in Squirrel Hill, there will be a showing of the movie Gasland followed by a discussion with Josh Fox, the creator of the documentary. Live music at 8:00, outdoor movie screening at 8:30. Rain Date, August 28.
2) Sunday, August 29, the Rachel Carson Homestead Sustainable Feast on the Ninth Street, now Rachel Carson Bridge. Cost is $10.00. Noon to five PM.
3) Tuesday evening, August 31 at 7:00 PM at the Coliseum 7310 Frankstown Avenue, a joint meeting of Transition and groups forming around the Marcellus Shale issue. Come Learn!
Elisa Beck
http://www.sustainablemonroeville.com/
http://www.transitionpgh.org/
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
September, 2010 Meetings of Sustainable Monroeville
Join us on Wednesday, September 1 from 7:00-8:30 PM at the MPL for our regular September meeting. No official speaker, so come prepared with long introductions and brainstorm and plan future sustainable projects in our town! We will re-schedule Mark Dixon of YERT at a future date!
See prior post for another exciting meeting on September 15!
Elisa Beck
Sustainable Monroeville
http://www.sustainablemonroeville.com/
http://www.transitonpgh.org/
See prior post for another exciting meeting on September 15!
Elisa Beck
Sustainable Monroeville
http://www.sustainablemonroeville.com/
http://www.transitonpgh.org/
In Danger of Falling Food: Free documentary screening and discussion
In Danger of Falling Food: A Community Discussion
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Monroeville Public Library Gallery Space
Cosponsored by Sustainable Monroeville
Please join us as we view and discuss In Danger of Falling Food, an hour-long documentary about the permaculture concept featuring Australian ecologist Bill Mollison. Mollison was born in 1928 and has been called the father of permaculture, an integrated system of design encompassing not only agriculture, horticulture, architecture and ecology but also money management, land access strategies and legal systems for businesses and communities. The aim is to create systems that provide for their own needs, do not pollute and are sustainable. Mollison received the 1981 Right Livelihood Award for for developing and promoting the theory and practice of permaculture. The discussion will focus on permaculture strategies in Monroeville and will be facilitated by Kate O'Brien, Jeff Newman and Elisa Beck of Sustainable Monroeville.
Mark Hudson
Head of Adult Services
Monroeville Public Library
4000 Gateway Campus Blvd.
Monroeville, PA 15146
412-372-0500x13
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Monroeville Public Library Gallery Space
Cosponsored by Sustainable Monroeville
Please join us as we view and discuss In Danger of Falling Food, an hour-long documentary about the permaculture concept featuring Australian ecologist Bill Mollison. Mollison was born in 1928 and has been called the father of permaculture, an integrated system of design encompassing not only agriculture, horticulture, architecture and ecology but also money management, land access strategies and legal systems for businesses and communities. The aim is to create systems that provide for their own needs, do not pollute and are sustainable. Mollison received the 1981 Right Livelihood Award for for developing and promoting the theory and practice of permaculture. The discussion will focus on permaculture strategies in Monroeville and will be facilitated by Kate O'Brien, Jeff Newman and Elisa Beck of Sustainable Monroeville.
Mark Hudson
Head of Adult Services
Monroeville Public Library
4000 Gateway Campus Blvd.
Monroeville, PA 15146
412-372-0500x13
Monday, August 23, 2010
Rachel Carson Legacy Conference: September 24, 2010
If you pick two conferences to attend this year in Pittsburgh, make this one of them!
Challenging Marcellus Shale:
Consequences and Alternatives
Keynote Speaker: Karl-Henrik Robèrt, Ph.D., MD - one of Sweden’s foremost cancer scientists and the founder of The Natural Step.
Register Here
September 24, 2010Pittsburgh, PA
The 2010 Rachel Carson Legacy Conference : Challenging Marcellus Shale - Consequences and Alternatives will address the health, environmental and community effects Pennsylvania will face with the development of the Marcellus Shale natural gas fields.
We have gathered people from New York, Colorado and Pennsylvania with experience and expertise in evaluating hte results of the deep shale fracking industry. The Alternatives approach will be highlighted by keynote speaker Dr. Karl-Henrik Robèrt of Sweden founder of The Natural Step process for reaching a sustainable economy. He will be followed by Ken Melamed, Mayor of Whistler, B.C., who will describe the Whistler 2020 plan as implemented based on Dr. Robert's approach and a panel of renewable and sustainable energy businesses illustrating current economically viable applications of renewable energy systems. Learn more and register
Challenging Marcellus Shale:
Consequences and Alternatives
Keynote Speaker: Karl-Henrik Robèrt, Ph.D., MD - one of Sweden’s foremost cancer scientists and the founder of The Natural Step.
Register Here
September 24, 2010Pittsburgh, PA
The 2010 Rachel Carson Legacy Conference : Challenging Marcellus Shale - Consequences and Alternatives will address the health, environmental and community effects Pennsylvania will face with the development of the Marcellus Shale natural gas fields.
We have gathered people from New York, Colorado and Pennsylvania with experience and expertise in evaluating hte results of the deep shale fracking industry. The Alternatives approach will be highlighted by keynote speaker Dr. Karl-Henrik Robèrt of Sweden founder of The Natural Step process for reaching a sustainable economy. He will be followed by Ken Melamed, Mayor of Whistler, B.C., who will describe the Whistler 2020 plan as implemented based on Dr. Robert's approach and a panel of renewable and sustainable energy businesses illustrating current economically viable applications of renewable energy systems. Learn more and register
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Gasland - Free Film
Join us for a free community screening of GASLAND, an eye-opening film about the controversial form of gas drilling called "fracking."Time: 6pm
Date: August 5th
Location: 518 Foreland Street, Pittsburgh, PA
Hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking," is a process to extract oil and natural gas deep within the earth. Drillers blast water, sand and chemicals 8,000 feet into the ground. The natural gas industry says fracking will create jobs and provide cheap energy for decades. But the truth is that fracking poses a serious threat to clean air and water, biodiversity, and the health of our communities. Companies are now drilling, or seeking to drill, all throughout the Marcellus Shale: a region in the Appalachian Basin that includes large chunks of Pennsylvania which contain largely untapped natural gas reserves. And Halliburton – yes, Halliburton – is building a huge outpost in Williamsport, PA to service decades of drilling in the Marcellus Shale.
The PA Department of Environmental Protection has granted five permits for fracking sites in Allegheny County. They list two of those sites as "active."
About GASLAND - When filmmaker Josh Fox is asked to lease his land for drilling, he embarks on a cross-country odyssey uncovering a trail of secrets, lies and contamination. A recently drilled nearby Pennsylvania town reports that residents are able to light their drinking water on fire. This is just one of the many absurd and astonishing revelations of a new country called GASLAND. Part verite travelogue, part expose, part mystery, part bluegrass banjo meltdown, part showdown."
Gasland website - http://gaslandthemovie.com/
Marcellus Shale Info - http://www.marcellus-shale.us/
Monday, August 2, 2010
EcoLakewood and Sustainable Monroeville
Join us tomorrow evening, Monday, August 2, 2010 at 6:00 PM for a pot luck dinner and to hear Jen Goetchius speak at 7:00 in the program room of the Monroeville Public Library. Pot Luck: Bring a dish with at least one locally sourced ingredient if you can. Remember to bring a plate, cup, and utensils!Jen Goetchius of Sustainable Monroeville was the creator of our Sustainble Monroeville website/ blogspot and facebook page and continues to post on these sites along with me. She also founded EcoLakewood outside of Cleveland and will be working with us to take Sustainable Monroeville to the next level! Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow evening.
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