Biblio
The Subcommittee on Energy and Environment will hold a hearing entitled, "Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals in Drinking Water: Risks to Human Health and the Environment," on Thursday, February 25, 2010, at 9:30 a.m. in room 2322 of the Rayburn House Office Building.
This hearing will examine the science and regulation of endocrine disruptors that may be found in sources of drinking water. Posted Tuesday, 23 February 2010. See TEDX — The Endocrine Disruption Exchange.
INVITED WITNESSES:
- Jim Jones, Deputy Assistant Administrator, Office of Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances, Environmental Protection Agency
- Linda S. Birnbaum, Ph.D., D.A.B.T., A.T.S., Director, National Institutes of Environmental Health Sciences
- Gina Solomon, M.D., M.P.H., Senior Scientist, Natural Resources Defense Council
- Christopher J. Borgert, Ph.D., President and Principal Scientist, Applied Pharmacology and Toxicology, Inc.
Oil And Gas Development: Increased Permitting Activity Has Lessened BLM's Ability to Meet Its Environmental Protection Responsibilities
GAO-05-418 June 17, 2005
Highlights Page (PDF) Full Report (PDF, 70 pages) Accessible Text Recommendations (HTML)
Summary
Rising U.S. energy consumption and concerns about dependency on foreign energy sources have prompted the administration to aggressively pursue domestic oil and gas production, including production on public lands, which in turn has generated concern that the impacts of this activity may compromise the use of public land for other purposes.
GAO determined:
(1) the extent to which the level of oil and gas development on public lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has changed in recent years, and how the change has affected BLM's ability to mitigate impacts;
(2) what policy changes related to oil and gas development BLM recently made and how these policies affected BLM's environmental mitigation activities; and
(3) what challenges BLM faces in managing its oil and gas program.BLM's ability to meet its environmental mitigation responsibilities for oil and gas development has been lessened by a dramatic increase in oil and gas operations on federal lands over the past 6 years.
On March 18, 2010, The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it will conduct a comprehensive research study to investigate the potential adverse impact that hydraulic fracturing may have on water quality and public health.
Natural gas plays a key role in our nation’s clean energy future and the process known as hydraulic fracturing is one way of accessing that vital resource.
There are concerns that hydraulic fracturing may impact ground water and surface water quality in ways that threaten human health and the environment.
EPA Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) Environmental Engineer Committee Hydraulic Fracturing Research Plan Review. 4/7/2010- 4/8/2010. The St Regis, 923 16th Street, NW, Washington DC 20006.
2011 EPA Hydraulic Fracturing Study Plan Review Panel Selections.
Disclaimer Although not required to do so, EPA generally posts public comments submitted to the SAB, Clean Air Science Advisory Committee (CASAC) or Council and their subcommittees on the internet to make them easily available to the public. Posting of public comments is not an Agency endorsement of, or agreement with, any information or viewpoints presented in the public comment, nor is it an Agency endorsement of the quality or correctness of such information and viewpoints. The SAB Staff intends to remove the public comments from the internet upon finalization of the pertinent advisory activity. Once removed, the comments may be obtained by contacting the Designated Federal Officer (DFO).
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Edward Hanlon 202-343-9946 hanlon.edward@epa.gov |
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Background Document- Evaluation Impacts to Underground Sources of DW by HF of Coalbed Methane Reservoirs. (PDF, 1 pp., 12,672 bytes) |
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| Agency-provided Background Material | Background Document- Modern Shale Gas Development in the United States-A Primer. (PDF, 116 pp., 5,359,127 bytes) |
| Agency-provided Background Material | Background Document-Unconventional Gas Shales Development Technology and Policy Issues. (PDF, 53 pp., 2,546,992 bytes) |
| Agency Briefing Material | EPA Presentation Materials, 4-6-10. (PDF, 22 pp., 776,783 bytes) |
| Charge to the Committee | Charge Questions - Advice on Hydraulic Fracturing Research . (PDF, 3 pp., 45,693 bytes) |
| Public Comments | List of Public Speakers-Hydraulic Fracturing April 2010 Meeting as of 4-6-10. (PDF, 1 pp., 17,113 bytes) |
| Public Comments | Oral Statement Submitted by Chad Bradley, Representing Chesapeake Energy Corporation, 4-7-10. (PDF, 4 pp., 1,350,622 bytes) |
| Public Comments | Oral Statement Submitted by Craig Segall, Representing Sierra Club, 4-5-10. (PDF, 5 pp., 81,937 bytes) |
| Public Comments | Oral Statement Submitted by Jennifer Peters, Representing Clean Water Network, 4-6-10. (PDF, 3 pp., 124,334 bytes) |
| Public Comments | Oral Statement Submitted by Keith Hastie, Representing US Fish and Wildlife Service, 4-7-10. (PDF, 2 pp., 433,041 bytes) |
| Public Comments | Oral Statement Submitted by Lauren Pagel, Representing EARTHWORKS, 4-7-10. (PDF, 2 pp., 17,787 bytes) |
| Public Comments | Oral Statement Submitted by Mary Krueger, Representing The Wilderness Society, 4-6-10. (PDF, 3 pp., 75,525 bytes) |
| Public Comments | Oral Statement Submitted by Mike Watts, Representing Halliburton Energy Services Inc., 4-6-10. (PDF, 6 pp., 72,197 bytes) |
| Public Comments | Oral Statement Submitted by Mr. Lee Fuller, Representing Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA) and Energy In Depth (EID), 3-28-10. (PDF, 3 pp., 46,255 bytes) |
| Public Comments | Oral Statement submitted by Mr. Richard Liroff, representing Investor Environmental Health Network, 3-26-10. (PDF, 6 pp., 85,739 bytes) |
| Public Comments | Oral Statement Submitted by Stephanie R. Meadows, Representing American Petroleum Institute, 4-6-10. (PDF, 5 pp., 26,559 bytes) |
| Public Comments | Presentation by Craig Segall, Representing Sierra Club, 4-5-10. (PDF, 9 pp., 333,895 bytes) |
| Public Comments | Presentation Submitted by Mary Krueger, Representing The Wilderness Society, 4-6-10. (PDF, 3 pp., 2,008,663 bytes) |
| Public Comments | Public Comments Submitted by Beth Pierce, 4-6-10. (PDF, 2 pp., 11,822 bytes) |
| Public Comments | Public Comments Submitted by Bill Podulka, 4-6-10. (PDF, 3 pp., 27,229 bytes) |
| Public Comments | Public Comments Submitted by David and Ginny Farmer, Dryden, NY, 4-6-10. (PDF, 1 pp., 8,764 bytes) |
| Public Comments | Public Comments Submitted by Debra Anderson, Representing Red Rock Pictures, 4-6-10. (PDF, 2 pp., 12,177 bytes) |
| Public Comments | Public Comments Submitted by Ellen Schmidt, Ithaca, New York, 4-5-10. (PDF, 1 pp., 8,462 bytes) |
| Public Comments | Public Comments Submitted by Fernando de Aragón, Representing Ithaca-Tompkins County Transportation Council, 4-5-10. (PDF, 4 pp., 65,781 bytes) |
| Public Comments | Public Comments Submitted by Frances Littin, Representing Sheldrake Point Winery, 4-6-10. (PDF, 1 pp., 400,153 bytes) |
| Public Comments | Public Comments Submitted by Harry Levine, representing Advocates for Springfield, 4-7-10. (PDF, 2 pp., 11,361 bytes) |
| Public Comments | Public Comments Submitted by Honorable Brad Henry, Governor of the State of Oklahoma, 3-25-10. (PDF, 1 pp., 58,570 bytes) |
| Public Comments | Public Comments Submitted by Hugh Kimball, Baldwinsville NY, 4-5-10. (PDF, 1 pp., 10,603 bytes) |
| Public Comments | Public Comments Submitted by Jan Zeserson, Ithaca, New York, 4-5-10. (PDF, 1 pp., 11,494 bytes) |
| Public Comments | Public Comments Submitted by Jill Wiener, Callicoon Center NY, 4-6-10. (PDF, 3 pp., 20,347 bytes) |
| Public Comments | Public Comments Submitted by Joe Wilson, Ithaca, NY, 4-5-10. (PDF, 5 pp., 47,843 bytes) |
| Public Comments | Public Comments Submitted by Kari Matsko, Representing Northeast Ohio Gas Accountability Project-NEOGAP, 4-6-10. (PDF, 13 pp., 746,003 bytes) |
| Public Comments | Public Comments Submitted by Karl Seeley, Representing Hartwick College, 4-5-10. (PDF, 1 pp., 9,090 bytes) |
| Public Comments | Public Comments Submitted by Ken Zeserson, Representing Town of Ulysses New York Planning Board, 4-5-10. (PDF, 50 pp., 567,832 bytes) |
| Public Comments | Public Comments Submitted by Kirk Glundal, Representing EarthEmbers, 4-6-10. (PDF, 1 pp., 8,789 bytes) |
| Public Comments | Public Comments Submitted by Marge Hubbert, Cortland New York, 4-5-10. (PDF, 1 pp., 11,935 bytes) |
| Public Comments | Public Comments Submitted by Marilyn Hunt, 4-6-10. (PDF, 7 pp., 374,498 bytes) |
| Public Comments | Public Comments Submitted by Marilyn Hunt, 4-7-10. (PDF, 1 pp., 8,519 bytes) |
| Public Comments | Public Comments Submitted by Mark Dunau, Representing Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York, and Delaware County Farm Bureau of New York, 4-7-10. (PDF, 3 pp., 25,930 bytes) |
| Public Comments | Public Comments Submitted by Martha Robertson, Representing Tompkins County Legislature, 4-5-10. (PDF, 4 pp., 98,977 bytes) |
| Public Comments | Public Comments Submitted by Martha Robertson, Representing Tompkins County Legislature, 4-8-10. (PDF, 8 pp., 211,284 bytes) |
| Public Comments | Public Comments Submitted by Michael P. Crall, Representing U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District, 3-26-10. (PDF, 14 pp., 4,216,085 bytes) |
| Public Comments | Public Comments Submitted by Michael Scarna, Representing Trybe Inc., 4-6-10. (PDF, 2 pp., 106,094 bytes) |
| Public Comments | Public Comments Submitted by Michelle Bamberger, Representing Vet Behavior Consults, 4-6-10. (PDF, 2 pp., 15,088 bytes) |
| Public Comments | Public Comments Submitted by Mr. Ben Wallace, Representing Penneco Oil Company, 3-26-10. (PDF, 6 pp., 2,175,822 bytes) |
| Public Comments | Public Comments Submitted by Mr. Bob Bemis Representing Noble Energy, Inc., 3-29-10. (PDF, 4 pp., 51,412 bytes) |
| Public Comments | Public Comments Submitted by Mr. Bob Flournoy, Representing Energy Investment Partners-3-24-10. (PDF, 1 pp., 9,637 bytes) |
| Public Comments | Public Comments Submitted by Mr. Caswell F. Holloway, Representing New York City Department of Environmental Protection, 3-31-10. (PDF, 1 pp., 780,578 bytes) |
| Public Comments | Public Comments submitted by Mr. D. Gerow Baker, representing Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission-3-26-10. (PDF, pp., 2,957,003 bytes) |
| Public Comments | Public Comments submitted by Mr. Edwin P. Przybylowicz, Representing Seneca Lake Pure Waters Association, 3-27-10. (PDF, 15 pp., 2,524,294 bytes) |
| Public Comments | Public Comments Submitted by Mr. Gregory D. Russell, Representing the Ohio Oil and Gas Association, 3-29-10. (PDF, 7 pp., 1,394,322 bytes) |
| Public Comments | Public Comments Submitted by Mr. James F. Barre, Representing Keuka Lake Association, 3-29-10. (PDF, 2 pp., 18,257 bytes) |
| Public Comments | Public Comments Submitted by Mr. Jeff Zimmerman, Representing Damascus Citizens for Sustainability and Friends of the Upper Delaware River, 3-29-10. (PDF, 3 pp., 75,495 bytes) |
| Public Comments | Public Comments Submitted by Mr. Keith Curley, Representing Trout Unlimited, 3-29-10. (PDF, 1 pp., 194,585 bytes) |
| Public Comments | Public Comments Submitted by Mr. Mike Paque, representing Ground Water Protection Council, 3-26-10. (PDF, 1 pp., 32,007 bytes) |
| Public Comments | Public Comments Submitted by Mr. Robert Neid, Representing Schoharie Valley Watch, 4-2-10. (PDF, 1 pp., 9,536 bytes) |
| Public Comments | Public Comments Submitted by Mr. Steve Coffman, Representing Committee to Preserve the Finger Lakes, 3-26-10. (PDF, 4 pp., 23,286 bytes) |
| Public Comments | Public Comments Submitted by Mr. William Wegner, Representing Riverkeeper, Inc., 3-29-10. (PDF, 25 pp., 1,787,077 bytes) |
| Public Comments | Public Comments Submitted by Ms. Katherine Klaber, Representing Marcellus Shale Coalition, 3-29-10. (PDF, 3 pp., 97,101 bytes) |
| Public Comments | Public Comments Submitted by Ms. Kathleen M. Sgamma, Representing Independent Petroleum Association of Mountain States (IPAMS), 3-29-10. (PDF, 7 pp., 344,892 bytes) |
| Public Comments | Public Comments Submitted by Ms. Natalie Roy, Representing Clean Water Network, 3-29-10. (PDF, 6 pp., 120,366 bytes) |
| Public Comments | Public Comments Submitted by Oskar Schmidt, Ithaca, New York, 4-5-10. (PDF, 1 pp., 9,210 bytes) |
| Public Comments | Public Comments Submitted by Ramsay Adams, Representing Catskill Mountainkeeper, 4-6-10. (PDF, 4 pp., 23,009 bytes) |
| Public Comments | Public Comments Submitted by Ronald E. Bishop, Cooperstown, NY, 4-7-10. (PDF, 1 pp., 9,795 bytes) |
| Public Comments | Public Comments Submitted by Sandy Podulka, Brooktondale, NY, 4-7-10. (PDF, 9 pp., 59,415 bytes) |
| Public Comments | Public Comments Submitted by Sarah Gowin, Ithaca, New York, 4-5-10. (PDF, 1 pp., 12,707 bytes) |
| Public Comments | Public Comments Submitted by Scott M. Stringer, Representing Manhatten Borough, New York City, NY, 4-7-10. (PDF, 12 pp., 839,399 bytes) |
| Public Comments | Public Comments Submitted by Secretary of Energy Robert Wegener and Secretary of Environment J.D. Strong of the State of Oklahoma, 3-26-10. (PDF, 4 pp., 246,855 bytes) |
| Public Comments | Public Comments Submitted by Stephen L Dungan, Walton, NY, 4-5-10. (PDF, 2 pp., 15,423 bytes) |
| Public Comments | Public Comments Submitted by Stephen Penningroth, Ithaca, NY, 4-7-10. (PDF, 16 pp., 92,429 bytes) |
| Public Comments | Public Comments Submitted by Stuart Kemp, Representing Halliburton Energy Services Inc., 4-6-10. (PDF, 16 pp., 244,179 bytes) |
| Public Comments | Public Comments Submitted by Talia Lugacy, Hancock, NY, 4-6-10. (PDF, 3 pp., 131,129 bytes) |
| Public Comments | Public Comments Submitted byTom Noonan, Hancock, NY, 4-6-10. (PDF, 3 pp., 76,172 bytes) |
The UIC Program is responsible for regulating the construction, operation, permitting, and closure of injection wells that place fluids underground for storage or disposal.
This site provides information for owners and operators of injection wells and state regulators on how to safely operate injection wells to prevent contamination of underground drinking water resources.
See: A searchable database covering all EISs filed with EPA since January 2004.
See: Where You Live (EPA) Regional Contacts.
State UIC Programs have primary enforcement responsibility (or primacy) once their UIC programs have been approved by EPA. The UIC Program Primacy page provides information about the requirements for obtaining primacy and which states have been granted this authority.
The UIC Program requirements were developed by EPA and designed to be adopted by states, territories, and tribes. States, territories, and tribes can submit an application to EPA to obtain primary enforcement responsibility, or primacy.
Agencies that have been granted this authority oversee the injection activities in their states. The requirements for primacy programs are outlined in the UIC regulations at 40 CFR Part 145.
EPA regulates public water systems; it does not have the authority to regulate private drinking water wells. Approximately 15 percent of Americans rely on their own private drinking water supplies, and these supplies are not subject to EPA standards, although some state and local governments do set rules to protect users of these wells. Unlike public drinking water systems serving many people, they do not have experts regularly checking the water’s source and its quality before it is sent to the tap. These households must take special precautions to ensure the protection and maintenance of their drinking water supplies.
"...Check the paper or call your local planning or zoning commission for announcements about hearings or zoning appeals on development or industrial projects that could possibly affect your water.
Attend these hearings, ask questions about how your water source is being protected, and don't be satisfied with general answers. Make statements like "If you build this landfill, (just an example) what will you do to ensure that my water will be protected." See how quickly they answer and provide specifics about what plans have been made to specifically address that issue."
Hydraulic fracturing is the injection of fluid under pressure to facilitate the production of oil and natural gas.
This page explains the process of hydraulic fracturing, how hydraulic fracturing is regulated, and EPA’s national 2010-2012 study on hydraulic fracturing of coalbed methane.
Weston Wilson Whistle Blower Letter
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 2002 Study was crticized by EPA Whistle Blower Weston Wilson in this letter written to Senators Allard and Campbell and Representative DeGette. Denver, Colorado. October 8th, 2004.
See New York Times Editorial on Halliburton Loophole.
See also the Energy Policy Act of 2005.
U.S. EPA, 2002. Study to Evaluate the Impacts to the U.S. Drinking Water Supply (USDWs) by Hydraulic Fracturing of Coalbed Methane Reservoirs.
The study of coalbed methane (CBM) wells involved interviews with approximately 50 state and local government agency staff members, communications with about 40 citizens who were concerned that CBM production had adversely affected their drinking water wells, and searches for confirmed incidents of drinking water well contamination.
EPA published a draft report in August 2002, requested public comment, and incorporated changes as appropriate in Evaluation of Impacts to Underground Sources of Drinking Water by Hydraulic Fracturing of Coalbed Methane Reservoirs; National Study Final Report (2004)
The EPA's guidance led Congress to pass the 2005 Energy Policy Act that included the "Halliburton Loophole" of 2005. Exemption to EPA regulations for safe drinking water was granted for fracking in 2005.
"EPA has preliminarily found that the potential threats to public health posed by hydraulic fracturing of coalbed methane wells appear to be small and do not justify additional study. " (2002).
See: Hydraulic Fracturing Background Information
See: NYT Editorial: Questions About Fracturing
EPA's Current Hydraulic Fracturing Study (2010-2012)
In its Fiscal Year 2010 budget report, the U.S. House of Representatives Appropriation Conference Committee identified the need for a focused study of this topic. EPA agrees with Congress that there are serious concerns from citizens and their representatives about hydraulic fracturing’s potential impact on drinking water, human health and the environment, which demands further study.
More information on EPA's Hydraulic Fracturing Research Study.
Hydraulic Fracturing Research Study PDF (2pp, 343k)
See: Stakeholder Involvement Strategy
EPA Update. November 9-10 2010
On November 9, 2010, EPA announced that eight out of the nine hydraulic fracturing companies that received voluntary information requests in September agreed to submit timely and complete information to help the Agency conduct its study on hydraulic fracturing. However, the ninth company, Halliburton, has failed to provide EPA the information necessary to move forward with this important study. As a result, and as part of EPA's effort to move forward as quickly as possible, today EPA issued a subpoena to the company requiring submission of the requested information that has yet to be provided.
See: Letter sent by EPA to Halliburton PDF (2pp, 516K).
See: The subpoena sent by EPA to Halliburton PDF (11pp, 3.5M).
See: EPA Press Release on Results of Voluntary Information Request
See: Birth of EPA
Public Comments for Peer Review Panel Needed by November 22, 2010
On September 10, 2010, the Science Advisory Board (SAB) Staff Office posted a List of eighty-five Nominated Candidates for a Panel under the auspices of the SAB that will provide independent expert advice on EPA’s draft Hydraulic Fracturing Study Plan to investigate the potential public health and environmental protection research issues that may be associated with hydraulic fracturing. This List of Candidates is posted on the SAB Web Site. Public comments on this List of Candidates were received by October 1, 2010.
See: Natural Gas Drillers Protest Nomination of Fracking Critics for EPA Review Panel
See: Molly Ivins (2003). Bushwhacked : Life in George W. Bush's America
David Sternberg. 1/27/2010. "EPA Announces “Eyes on Drilling” Tipline".
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced the creation of the “Eyes on Drilling” tipline for citizens to report non-emergency suspicious activity related to oil and natural gas development.
The agency is asking citizens to call 1-877-919-4EPA (toll free) if they observe what appears to be illegal disposal of wastes or other suspicious activity.
Tip email address: eyesondrilling@epa.gov
Citizens may provide tips anonymously if they don’t want to identify themselves.
EPA's Mid-Atlantic Region has a natural gas drilling tip line for reporting dumping and other illegal or suspicious hauling and/or disposal activities.
Tip mailing address: EPA Region 3
1650 Arch Street (3CEOO)
Philadelphia, PA 19103-2029
In the event of an emergency, such as a spill or release of hazardous material, including oil, to the environment, citizens are advised to call the National Response Center at 1-800-424-8802.
Public concern about the environmental impacts of oil and natural gas drilling has increased in recent months, particularly regarding development of the Marcellus Shale formation where a significant amount of activity is occurring.
While EPA doesn’t grant permits for oil and gas drilling operations, there are EPA regulations which may apply to the storage of petroleum products and drilling fluids. The agency is also very concerned about the proper disposal of waste products, and protecting air and water resources.
See: Marcellus-Shale.us based in Pennsylvania, Photographs of fracking trucks.
U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) Energy Kids Website. Nonrenewable Natural Gas.
The main ingredient in natural gas is methane, a gas (or compound) composed of one carbon atom and four hydrogen atoms. Millions of years ago, the remains of plants and animals (diatoms) decayed and built up in thick layers. This decayed matter from plants and animals is called organic material — it was once alive. Over time, the sand and silt changed to rock, covered the organic material, and trapped it beneath the rock. Pressure and heat changed some of this organic material into coal, some into oil (petroleum), and some into natural gas — tiny bubbles of odorless gas.
Burning natural gas produces carbon dioxide which is a greenhouse gas. Greenhouse gases contribute to the "greenhouse effect."
Scientists know with virtual certainty that increasing greenhouse gas concentrations tend to warm the planet, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Climate Change State of Knowledge.
As with other fuels, natural gas also affects the environment when it is produced, stored, and transported. Because natural gas is made up mostly of methane (another greenhouse gas), small amounts of methane can sometimes leak into the atmosphere from wells, storage tanks, and pipelines.
The order prohibits the company from conducting all earth disturbance, drilling and hydro-fracturing operations throughout Pennsylvania.
The 302 violations that serve as the basis for the order were documented over a period of two years, beginning in August 2007.
Buffalo News. "Protesters picket company looking to drill in Allegany State Park". Apr 16, 2010.
AMHERST -- About 50 protesters demonstrated this afternoon in front of the headquarters of the company that wants to drill for oil in Allegany State Park.
The demonstrators, most of whom were college-age, spoke out against U.S. Energy Development Corp.'s proposal to harvest gas and oil from mineral deposits below sections of the park.
U.S. Energy Development Corporation is "one of the largest drillers in both New York and Pennsylvania."
...the sometimes loosely governed rush to liberate this fuel from rock deposits through hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” has helped invigorate opponents of drilling. I agree with Christopher Helman over at Forbes, who wrote a couple of days ago that low gas prices mean there’s little to lose by holding up drilling in highly contested areas (the Marcellus Shale here in New York being the prime battle zone) while an Environmental Protection Agency scientific review is completed.
I was at the Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday and officials there made a convincing case that the hydraulic fracturing study, due out in 2012, will clarify where real risks lie.
But campaigners who fight natural gas altogether, like anyone else immersed in the struggle over an energy policy that works for the long haul, had better come up with a real-world game plan for fostering human progress while limiting environmental risks.
Otherwise, they’ve moved from the Nimby camp to the world of the Banana (build absolutely nothing anywhere near anything).
See: Climate Co-benefits and Child Mortality Wedges
About Dot Earth
In Dot Earth, which recently moved from the news side of The Times to the Opinion section, Andrew C. Revkin examines efforts to balance human affairs with the planet’s limits.
Sample the Electronic Newsletter above featuring articles on industrial development of natural gas to gain a perspective on how government energy policy is crafted.
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Energy Information Administration. Report #:DOE/EIA-0484(2009).
Much of the increase in U.S. natural gas reserves results from expanded knowledge and exploration of shale resources.
World marketed energy consumption increases by 49 percent from 2007 to 2035 in the Reference case.
Total energy demand in non-OECD countries increases by 84 percent, compared with an increase of 14 percent in OECD countries.
NETL Oil & Natural Gas Technologies Reference Shelf. Recently released and in-demand reference materials are available directly from this page using the links on this website.
The National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), part of DOE’s national laboratory system, is owned and operated by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). NETL supports DOE’s mission to advance the national, economic, and energy security of the United States.
The Gates of Hell
This pit of fire that has been burning for 40 years looks more like something out or Mordor than Turkmenistan. But the burning crater of natural gas began shortly after a Russian drilling rig collapsed into the Underworld and no one knew what to do.
Having opened this huge poisonous gas cavern up, the atmosphere and the nearby residents in the village of Derweze decided the next logical move would be to set this huge crater on fire, and it has been burning ever since.
Here’s video of some tourists enjoying the incredible, football-field-wide hole to hell (not literally).
The Centralia Underground Coal Fire
Our former publisher and Pennsylvanian Bill Coffin used to talk about this one all the time, so I have been familiar with its existence for some time. Nevertheless, it’s completely nuts. Like the Gates of Hell, it has been burning for decades — since 1962 in fact. But unlike the Turkmenistan fire, its genesis is not so clear.
It is suspected to be a blunder by the local fire department in 1962 which had been tasked with cleaning up the local landfill, which itself sat on top of an abandoned strip mine. To accomplish this, they set the landfill on fire, apparently not an unheard of method at the time. However, the theory goes that the fire was not put out properly, and heated up veins of coal underneath the landfill, which began to smolder over time.
Eventually the reaction lit an underground fire which continued to burn, which caused little concern from local authorities until almost two decades later when in 1981, a 12-year-old boy fell into a 150-foot sinkhole which suddenly opened up in the backyard underneath his feet.
An actual sign in Centralia, PA.
A call to reduce the exorbitant bail set for non-violent civil disobedience.
Madison, W.Va. – EmmaKate Martin and Benjamin Bryant were arrested this morning while blockading the driveway to Massey Energy’s regional headquarters in Boone county, W.Va. Magistrate Snodgrass set their bails at $100,000 each for misdemeanor charges of trespassing, conspiracy to commit a misdemeanor, obstructing an officer, and littering.
Source: Climate Ground Zero
Andrew works for the Student Environmental Action Coalition's as administrative coordinator. As a student, he organized for the Michigan Student Sustainability Coalition. There are not many things he loves more than movement building.
May 17, 2010: Climate Ground Zero Activists Blockade Massey Energy Headquarters
On the morning of May 17, 2010 two activists associated with Climate Ground Zero erected a tripod tent on the driveway of Massey Energy's regional headquarters in Boone county, West Virginia. The two activists, EmmaKate Martin and Benjamin Bryant, locked themselves to the base of one of the poles. Both were arrested and charged with misdemeanor offenses of trespassing, conspiracy to commit a misdemeanor, obstructing an officer and littering. Their bails were set for $100,000 each by West Virgina Magistrate Snodgrass.
The banner they hung from the tripod read “Massey, Profits Before People & Mountains, Fight Back!” The bail was the largest ever set against any activists conducting non-violent actions against mountaintop removal in West Virginia.[56]
In the class-action Tawney case (2009), in West Virginia, people who sold natural gas to Chesapeake and its predecessors — Triana Energy, NiSource Inc. and Columbia Natural Resources — alleged they were cheated out of some of their royalty payments, and the jury agreed.
Morgan Stanley PE committed funding to Henry Harmon’s Marcellus-shale-focused start-up Triana Energy LLC roughly a year ago, shortly before Kohlberg Kravis Roberts invested $350 million in Terrence Pegula’s Marcellus-focused East Resources.
Triana Energy is involved in the ongoing development of new energy resources in the Appalachian Basin.
Triana Energy and Marathon Oil Corporation Join Forces to Develop Marcellus Acreage
CHARLESTON, WV, February 3, 2011 Triana Energy, LLC and Marathon Oil Corporation (NYSE: MRO), through a wholly owned subsidiary, have joined forces to develop approximately 82,000 acres of Marcellus prospects in Fayette County, Pennsylvania and several counties in northern West Virginia.
Triana Energy Investments, LLC is an independent, privately held oil and gas exploration and production company headquartered in Charleston, West Virginia. Marathon is an integrated international energy company engaged in exploration and production; oil sands; integrated gas; and refining, marketing and transportation operations. Marathon, which is based in Houston, has principal operations in the United States, Angola, Canada, Equatorial Guinea, Indonesia, Iraqi Kurdistan Region, Libya, Norway, Poland, and the United Kingdom.
See: Jim Balow. "Doth Chesapeake protest too much?". The Charleston Gazette. March 12, 2009.
See: Ken Ward Jr. "Roane Gas Royalties Deal OKd, NiSource, Chesapeake to Pay $380 Million, Drop Federal Appeals." IStockAnalyst.com. Oct. 25, 2008.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Center for Disease Control. July 2006. ToxFAQs™ for Hydrogen Sulfide (Ácido Sulfhídrico) In addition to methane, natural gas typically contains other hydrocarbons such as ethane, propane, butane, and pentanes. Raw natural gas may also contain water vapor, hydrogen sulfide (H2S), carbon dioxide, helium, nitrogen, and other compounds.
ATSDR serves the public by using the best science, taking responsive public health actions, and providing trusted health information to prevent harmful exposures and diseases related to toxic substances. ATSDR is directed by congressional mandate to perform specific functions concerning the effect on public health of hazardous substances in the environment. These functions include public health assessments of waste sites, health consultations concerning specific hazardous substances, health surveillance and registries, response to emergency releases of hazardous substances, applied research in support of public health assessments, information development and dissemination, and education and training concerning hazardous substances.
See: Dusty Horwitt. (2009). Drinking Water Threatened by Toxic Natural Gas and Oil Drilling Chemicals. Environmental Working Group.
