Drilling Mora County Educational Meeting January 14th 2010
Ronald Broadhead's Report of the Las Vegas Basin according to Dr. Andrew Feldman, geologist, Las Vegas City Councilman, and Luna Community Professor, states that estimates of natural gas reserves in the Las Vegas Basin show less that 1% TOC (Total Organic Carbon) with max of 3.95% TOC, but an average of less than 1% TOC in most areas--resulting in approximately 3 days of natural gas for the nation (Valle Vidal was estimated at 6 days). The Raton Basin, according to Broadhead's Report, is approximately 10% TOC.
Feldman presented on the Geology of the Las Vegas Basin: Gas Drilling and Potential Impacts to
The Environment, January 14th, at Drilling Mora County's educational forum (2nd Thursday of each month).
The Broadhead Report, paid for by industry and NM State Land Office, is being used by Land Commissioner Patrick Lyons to attract natural gas lease sales in the Las Vegas and Tucumcari Basins.
13,000 acres of pristine Mora County lands from Ocate to Wagon Mound were leased in September 2008, and the current White Peak land swap could put more state trust land on the leasing block for natural gas development--once checker-boarded state lands are now interconnected, making drilling feasible.
Feldman indicated that the shale and sandstone formations in the LV Basin and the basin's syncline shape would make natural gas recovery very difficult aside from the small amount of reserve according to the Broadhead report. Additionally, the porosity of the stone allows the gasses to escape, therefore aquifer contamination, would be inevitable..."It will just be a matter of time." said Feldman.
Feldman also stated that there is not enough water in the Las Vegas Basin to support the intensive hydraulic fracturing process used to extract the methane trapped in the rock formations. Where will that water come come from? There are a number of possibilities Feldman said: effluent water from the Las Vegas Treatment plant, but 25% would have to be treated and trucked back to the river; brine water from the deep Pennsylvania rock formation which is calcium sulphate and destructive to the land and aquifers; or purchase water rights.
What most folks do not realize is that all the mineral leases on file in the Mora County Clerk's office as of November 2009 have water rights signed away along with their mineral rights. This could put landowners in a difficult position if their water runs dry on their land due to the hydraulic fracturing process.
Each hydraulic fracturing process uses upwards of 3 million gallons of water. (5,000 gallons of toxic chemicals are added to each 1 million gallons of water used). One gas well can be fraced numerous times (some experts say upwards of 17 times). Radio-active sand, benzene (known human carcinogen), toluene (teratagen), xylene, and ethlybenzene are among some of the proprietary mix of chemicals industry uses in their fracing fluids--all of which cause illness and some death in our human and animal populations. Industry contends that the hydraulic fracturing process and their proprietary chemical mix are safe.
Due to the 2005 Energy Bill, industry is exempt from the Clean Water Act which allows the oil and gas industry to pollute without accountability. In fact, even if they are found to have contaminated the water, this bill exempts them from all liability. This is known as the Halliburton Loophole, passed during the Bush and Cheney administration.
With little to extract and insufficient amounts of water to support natural gas extraction in the Las Vegas Basin, then why would Royal Dutch Shell be holding mineral leases in Mora and San Miguel Counties? That is what we must ponder as we look to Gillette, Wyoming; Dish, Texas; Rifle, Colorado; and some of the eastern states of Pennsylvania and New York where people are living with air and water contamination that increases daily. Asthma rates in Dish are twice the national average, cancer rates in San Juan County are the highest in the State of New Mexico. Benzene, found in water wells of Gillette, have shut the water supplies down. The state currently trucks in bottled water for the residents. Workers in the natural gas fields report bottled water prices higher than gasoline at the pumps.
According to Feldman the “short term pay off vs. long term damage might just not be worth the impacts not just on our land, but our neighbour’s land as well." The financial gain for Mora and San Miguel citizens vs. the damage to the water and environment will be the key each citizen must weigh as our nation pushes for greater development to support this natural gas-extraction frenzy.
Dr. Feldman advocated a ban on natural gas drilling due to the developer's methods combined with the geology of the Las Vegas Basin. "We need to decide what we want," he said. It was clear from those attending Feldman's presentation that they understood full well what was at stake.
Sufficient, safe, renewable energy alternatives have yet to be brought to the table in the United States. Obvious solutions are sustainable,local, small-scale green development: solar, hydro-electric, wind, agricultural production, algae farms--an entirely sustainable model. And of course, cutting public consumption of energy. This, however could throw our local, state, federal and world governments into a tail spin. They have built their operations on the taxes generated from this fossil fuel industry. It is proving difficult for them to shift gears towards local and sustainable. That is where the people's voice and actions will make the difference. And from there, reason prevail.
Mora County is moving toward a sustainable model with certified organic programs, farmers market, and existing flour mills with hydro-electric capacity. Once the bread basket of New Mexico, Mora County has the agricultural land, water and know-how to expand this model. Tapetes de Lana, a spinning mill and weaving facility, can become a major producer of wool insulation, wool spinning and revenue-generator for the county with nearly every landowner raising sheep for its use.
It is all in our vision of what we see for our counties: our vision of the country, and our vision of our world. It is the individual, collectively working along side other individuals within our communities, that make will make the difference and create the vision for a sustainable future.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
GasLand (Documentary)
By ROBERT KOEHLER
An Intl. Wow Company production.
Produced by Trish Adlesic, Josh Fox, Molly Gandour.
Executive producers, Debra Winger, Hunter Gray.
Directed, written by Josh Fox.
With: Josh Fox, Weston Willis, Rep. Maurice Henchey, John Hanger, Wilma Subra, Mike Markham, Marsha Mendenhall, Jesse Ellsworth, Amee Ellsworth, John Fenton, Lewis Meeks, Calvin Tillman.
Narrator: Fox.
Who could have anticipated that one of the most effective and expressive environmental films of recent years would be the work of a Gotham theater director who's never before made a doc? Nobody, perhaps least writer-director Josh Fox, whose "GasLand" may become to the dangers of natural gas drilling what "Silent Spring" was to DDT. The rare example of cinema art that is also an organizing tool, the pic has a level of research, gutsiness and energy that should generate sensational response everywhere it plays. Distribs with a social conscience have a gem to buy, if they dare.
While Fox's theater group, Intl. Wow Company, creates work with social and political content (including his wild, unkempt first feature about returning vets, "Memorial Day"), his achievement with "GasLand" is of a greater level of art and activism.
Narrating a first-person account, Fox relates how a natural gas company made him a lease offer for $100,000 from a natural gas company to explore on his land, which includes the house his parents built in Pennsylvania's Delaware River Basin abutting upstate New York.Fox begins to do his own research on drilling, and leaves countless unreturned messages with natural gas drillers like Halliburton.
Congress' 2005 Energy Policy Act, crafted by former vice president (and ex-Halliburton exec) Dick Cheney, exempts the hydraulic fracturing drilling process used by natural gas companies (known as "fracking") from long-held environmental regulations such as the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts. Freed from customary laws, natural gas companies have drilled like wildcatters in 34 states where huge shale fields contain gas deposits.
Once Fox learns that his beloved Delaware River watershed is being targeted by drillers as part of the massive Marcellus Shale field, he goes on the road to track down residents living near drilling sites. This is seat-of-pants investigating that yields astonishing and disturbing findings, not least of which is how the residents can customarily light a flame near their tap water outlet and set the polluted water on fire. As Fox ventures west, to Colorado, Wyoming and Texas, states riddled with natural gas drill sites, he documents horror story after horror story....continued......
An Intl. Wow Company production.
Produced by Trish Adlesic, Josh Fox, Molly Gandour.
Executive producers, Debra Winger, Hunter Gray.
Directed, written by Josh Fox.
With: Josh Fox, Weston Willis, Rep. Maurice Henchey, John Hanger, Wilma Subra, Mike Markham, Marsha Mendenhall, Jesse Ellsworth, Amee Ellsworth, John Fenton, Lewis Meeks, Calvin Tillman.
Narrator: Fox.
Who could have anticipated that one of the most effective and expressive environmental films of recent years would be the work of a Gotham theater director who's never before made a doc? Nobody, perhaps least writer-director Josh Fox, whose "GasLand" may become to the dangers of natural gas drilling what "Silent Spring" was to DDT. The rare example of cinema art that is also an organizing tool, the pic has a level of research, gutsiness and energy that should generate sensational response everywhere it plays. Distribs with a social conscience have a gem to buy, if they dare.
While Fox's theater group, Intl. Wow Company, creates work with social and political content (including his wild, unkempt first feature about returning vets, "Memorial Day"), his achievement with "GasLand" is of a greater level of art and activism.
Narrating a first-person account, Fox relates how a natural gas company made him a lease offer for $100,000 from a natural gas company to explore on his land, which includes the house his parents built in Pennsylvania's Delaware River Basin abutting upstate New York.Fox begins to do his own research on drilling, and leaves countless unreturned messages with natural gas drillers like Halliburton.
Congress' 2005 Energy Policy Act, crafted by former vice president (and ex-Halliburton exec) Dick Cheney, exempts the hydraulic fracturing drilling process used by natural gas companies (known as "fracking") from long-held environmental regulations such as the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts. Freed from customary laws, natural gas companies have drilled like wildcatters in 34 states where huge shale fields contain gas deposits.
Once Fox learns that his beloved Delaware River watershed is being targeted by drillers as part of the massive Marcellus Shale field, he goes on the road to track down residents living near drilling sites. This is seat-of-pants investigating that yields astonishing and disturbing findings, not least of which is how the residents can customarily light a flame near their tap water outlet and set the polluted water on fire. As Fox ventures west, to Colorado, Wyoming and Texas, states riddled with natural gas drill sites, he documents horror story after horror story....continued......
EPA Announces "Eyes on Drilling" Tipline
David Sternberg (215) 814-5548 sternberg.david@epa.gov
mailto:sternberg.david@epa.gov>
EPA Announces "Eyes on Drilling" Tipline
PHILADELPHIA (January 26, 2010) - 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. Anyone may also send reports by email to
eyesondrilling@epa.gov . Citizens may
provide tips anonymously if they don't want to identify themselves.
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.
EPA wants to get a better understanding of what people are experiencing
and observing as a result of these drilling activities. The information
collected may also be useful in investigating industry practices.
The agency works closely with state and local officials, as well as
industry and public interest groups, to ensure that oil and natural gas
drilling occurs in a manner which is protective of human health and the
environment and complies with applicable laws. The agency is also
counting on concerned citizens to report unusual or suspicious activity
related to drilling operations.
EPA is asking citizens to report the location, time and date of such
activity, as well as the materials, equipment and vehicles involved and
any observable environmental impacts.
The Marcellus Shale geologic formation contains one of the largest
mostly untapped reserves of natural gas in the United States. It
underlies significant portions of Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, and
New York, and smaller portions of Tennessee, Virginia, Maryland, and
Kentucky.
Interest in developing Marcellus Shale has increased because recent
improvements in natural gas extraction technology and higher energy
prices now make recovering the gas more profitable.
Operators produce this gas through a process called hydraulic fracturing
(fracking). Fracking requires drilling a well thousands of feet below
the land's surface and pumping down the well under pressure millions of
gallons of water, sand, and chemicals to fracture the shale.
The process allows the gas trapped in the formation to flow to the well
bore. Approximately 20 to 30 percent of the fluid flows back to the
surface. This "flowback" fluid consists of fracking fluid and brines
which contain dissolved minerals from the formation.
Operators are urged to recycle their flowback water for reuse in the
fracking process, but some of the flowback is taken offsite for
disposal. Chemicals used in the process are often stored on-site.
Spills can occur when utilizing these chemicals or when transporting or
storing wastewater, which can result in the contamination of surface
water or ground water, which is used for many purposes including
drinking water.
Instructions for the tipline can be found at:
http://www.epa.gov/region03/marcellus_shale/tipline.html
mailto:sternberg.david@epa.gov>
EPA Announces "Eyes on Drilling" Tipline
PHILADELPHIA (January 26, 2010) - 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. Anyone may also send reports by email to
eyesondrilling@epa.gov
provide tips anonymously if they don't want to identify themselves.
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.
EPA wants to get a better understanding of what people are experiencing
and observing as a result of these drilling activities. The information
collected may also be useful in investigating industry practices.
The agency works closely with state and local officials, as well as
industry and public interest groups, to ensure that oil and natural gas
drilling occurs in a manner which is protective of human health and the
environment and complies with applicable laws. The agency is also
counting on concerned citizens to report unusual or suspicious activity
related to drilling operations.
EPA is asking citizens to report the location, time and date of such
activity, as well as the materials, equipment and vehicles involved and
any observable environmental impacts.
The Marcellus Shale geologic formation contains one of the largest
mostly untapped reserves of natural gas in the United States. It
underlies significant portions of Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, and
New York, and smaller portions of Tennessee, Virginia, Maryland, and
Kentucky.
Interest in developing Marcellus Shale has increased because recent
improvements in natural gas extraction technology and higher energy
prices now make recovering the gas more profitable.
Operators produce this gas through a process called hydraulic fracturing
(fracking). Fracking requires drilling a well thousands of feet below
the land's surface and pumping down the well under pressure millions of
gallons of water, sand, and chemicals to fracture the shale.
The process allows the gas trapped in the formation to flow to the well
bore. Approximately 20 to 30 percent of the fluid flows back to the
surface. This "flowback" fluid consists of fracking fluid and brines
which contain dissolved minerals from the formation.
Operators are urged to recycle their flowback water for reuse in the
fracking process, but some of the flowback is taken offsite for
disposal. Chemicals used in the process are often stored on-site.
Spills can occur when utilizing these chemicals or when transporting or
storing wastewater, which can result in the contamination of surface
water or ground water, which is used for many purposes including
drinking water.
Instructions for the tipline can be found at:
http://www.epa.gov/region03/marcellus_shale/tipline.html
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
‘Petro-pirates’ robbing Alberta’s resources--FFWD Calgary
Flushing justice down the pipeline with Wiebo Ludwig’s arrest
Published January 14, 2010 by Jack Locke in Viewpoint
Corey Pierce
"I have lived 15 km downwind of a gas plant. I can tell you stories about the clouds of toxic chemicals that are emitted in the dark of night, while country children sleep in their beds. I can tell you how the Alberta government watchdog agency prohibited me from speaking at a public hearing over whether to allow Shell Canada to expand its Caroline gas plant. I can tell you how the government of Alberta intercepted my private communications for at least four months in 1999." says Jack Locke
Why is a bomber targeting EnCana's oil facilities and why is the RCMP targeting Wiebo Ludwig?
In July 1999, as director of the Alberta Human Rights Coalition, I wrote letters to the Alberta minister of justice and all Canadian premiers calling for a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to examine: the conduct of the RCMP in relation to actions and methodologies employed in the investigation of oil and gas site vandalism and the treatment of Ludwig's Trickle Creek community; the events surrounding the tragic death of Karman Willis; and the impact of the oil and gas industry on human health.
Why? Because Alberta is not a democratic province. It is a province controlled by international corporations that see profit and extraction of natural resources as their prime object.
In order to accomplish their objective, the industry will use its abundant resources to do things that are not very nice. Companies will send crews of desperate men to attack the land and lay waste on anyone who gets in their way. These crews may wear uniforms and call themselves Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Or the petro-pirates may hire private security forces to instigate dirty tricks to dissipate legitimate opposition to the destruction of Alberta's air, water and land.
There is a great amount of opposition in Alberta to what the Progressive Conservative dynasty allows. There are voices in every Alberta city that oppose the wanton poisonings of citizens who happen to live downwind or adjacent to an oil or gas well.
But Oilberta is a one-industry town. It is run by the bosses of EnCana, Shell and other giant corporations. They have infiltrated every aspect of Alberta society: hospitals, schools and the government. They have put a clamp on dissension and discussion in a most disgraceful way......continued
County enacts drilling moratorium--Las Vegas OPTIC
Las Vegas Optic
15 January 2010
By David Giuliani
The San Miguel County Commission passed a year-long moratorium on permits for oil and gas drilling — a move supported by everyone who spoke before the panel, including an industry spokeswoman.
No one has approached the county about possible drilling, but companies have proposed such activity in neighboring Mora and Santa Fe counties.
In calling for the moratorium, the county plans to form a task force and seek the advice of experts to develop a new ordinance for drilling. The current land-use ordinance includes just a half page dealing with such activity.
More than 20 speakers came before the commission to urge the moratorium’s passage.
Leslie Turk, who lives on Las Dispensas Road, said she believed the moratorium would give the county a chance to develop an ordinance that would adequately protect residents and all of the aspects of the county that are “unique to us.”
She also said she was concerned about the chemicals used in drilling as well as the issues surrounding split estates, where someone else owns the subsurface rights to properties.
Cristino Griego, a Sapello resident, said he wanted the county to develop an oil and gas ordinance that was as strict as possible allowed under the law.
Another area resident, Miguel Pacheco, went further.
“The moratorium is a good thing. What I would like to see is an eventual ban,” he said to applause. “The legalities will be complicated, but it’s the right thing to do.”
Karin Foster of the Independent Petroleum Association of New Mexico said her group, too, favored a moratorium.
........continued........
15 January 2010
By David Giuliani
The San Miguel County Commission passed a year-long moratorium on permits for oil and gas drilling — a move supported by everyone who spoke before the panel, including an industry spokeswoman.
No one has approached the county about possible drilling, but companies have proposed such activity in neighboring Mora and Santa Fe counties.
In calling for the moratorium, the county plans to form a task force and seek the advice of experts to develop a new ordinance for drilling. The current land-use ordinance includes just a half page dealing with such activity.
More than 20 speakers came before the commission to urge the moratorium’s passage.
Leslie Turk, who lives on Las Dispensas Road, said she believed the moratorium would give the county a chance to develop an ordinance that would adequately protect residents and all of the aspects of the county that are “unique to us.”
She also said she was concerned about the chemicals used in drilling as well as the issues surrounding split estates, where someone else owns the subsurface rights to properties.
Cristino Griego, a Sapello resident, said he wanted the county to develop an oil and gas ordinance that was as strict as possible allowed under the law.
Another area resident, Miguel Pacheco, went further.
“The moratorium is a good thing. What I would like to see is an eventual ban,” he said to applause. “The legalities will be complicated, but it’s the right thing to do.”
Karin Foster of the Independent Petroleum Association of New Mexico said her group, too, favored a moratorium.
........continued........
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Mora County Commission adopts CLUP & San Miguel County Commission votes in a Moratorium
Tuesday, January 12th, the Mora County Commission adopted a revised version of the Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP) during their regular commission meeting. This revision has not been reviewed with or by the citizens and is currently not yet available for review. Anyone interested in a copy must sign an "Inspection of public records" form, or write a letter requesting an electronic or hard copy of the CLUP adopted January 12th 2010 from the Mora County Clerk's Office, Joanne Padilla. According to the Attorney General's Office, the county must respond within three days, and produce a document within 15 days.
John Grubesic, county attorney, indicated that this document represents the ideas of Mora County's land use plan. More than ideas, it represents the goals and visions of Mora County which were originally drafted in 1994 and adopted in 1995 by the Mora County Commission. This plan was written with a 25-30 year vision of land use policy for Mora County.
While Mr. Grubesic indicated that the CLUP should be revised regularly, it will be important for the citizens to review this latest revision in order to acquaint themselves with the latest "goals and vision" that the Commission and Land Use Administrator, Rumaldo Pino, have agreed to for the Mora County citizens. These changes will set the current and future land use goals and visions for Mora County.
The DRAFT revisions (available in electronic format by emailing drillingmoracounty@gmail.com) to the 1995 CLUP represented significant changes which incorporated land use for oil and gas development in Mora County. There were other changes in the draft version as well, such as renewable energy (solar, wind, algae farms and hydro-electric). Beyond energy issues, roads, emergency response preparations, cell towers, outdoor storage, septic system improvements etc. were included. As a result of a state CDBG grant, Mora County hired Sites Southwest, Albuquerque, to conduct public meetings and put together the July 2009 draft revision copy. Many state requirements for Mora County were a result of acquiring the state funds.
The public process to revise this document, as stated in the 1995 adopted version of the CLUP, was to be an open, public process every step of the way. Mr. Gubesic spoke about the three public meetings that were held to include public participation. Those meetings were attended heavily by Shell representatives and a few Mora County citizens. The actual effectiveness of the meetings for public comment will be seen once the citizens have access to review the newly revised and adopted CLUP dated January 12th 2010.
Industry submitted an 80 page revision to the county which if adopted in any significant or perhaps even minor proportion, could in time turn Mora County from agricultural into an industrial land use county. According to attorney John Grubesic, he had phone conversations with industry and the NMELC. Citizen's access to the county attorney have been somewhat limited.
This same day the Mora County CLUP was passed, San Miguel County Commission adopted a one year moratorium. When questioned by a citizen during the Mora County Commission meeting in December 2009, about whether or not Mora County had a moratorium in place, Commissioner Peter Martinez, Chair, responded that Mora County did not.
In fact, the Mora County Commission voted two years ago, Spring, 2008, to put a moratorium in place. The county attorney drafted a moratorium, but the commission has yet to adopt this moratorium. Perhaps the leadership of the San Miguel County Commissioners will pave the way for Mora County Commissioners to take an equally strong, definitive leadership role in Mora County. Such action would give the citizens some indication what their intentions are regarding the future of Mora County and the pending oil and gas development by Shell LTD.
John Grubesic, county attorney, indicated that this document represents the ideas of Mora County's land use plan. More than ideas, it represents the goals and visions of Mora County which were originally drafted in 1994 and adopted in 1995 by the Mora County Commission. This plan was written with a 25-30 year vision of land use policy for Mora County.
While Mr. Grubesic indicated that the CLUP should be revised regularly, it will be important for the citizens to review this latest revision in order to acquaint themselves with the latest "goals and vision" that the Commission and Land Use Administrator, Rumaldo Pino, have agreed to for the Mora County citizens. These changes will set the current and future land use goals and visions for Mora County.
The DRAFT revisions (available in electronic format by emailing drillingmoracounty@gmail.com) to the 1995 CLUP represented significant changes which incorporated land use for oil and gas development in Mora County. There were other changes in the draft version as well, such as renewable energy (solar, wind, algae farms and hydro-electric). Beyond energy issues, roads, emergency response preparations, cell towers, outdoor storage, septic system improvements etc. were included. As a result of a state CDBG grant, Mora County hired Sites Southwest, Albuquerque, to conduct public meetings and put together the July 2009 draft revision copy. Many state requirements for Mora County were a result of acquiring the state funds.
The public process to revise this document, as stated in the 1995 adopted version of the CLUP, was to be an open, public process every step of the way. Mr. Gubesic spoke about the three public meetings that were held to include public participation. Those meetings were attended heavily by Shell representatives and a few Mora County citizens. The actual effectiveness of the meetings for public comment will be seen once the citizens have access to review the newly revised and adopted CLUP dated January 12th 2010.
Industry submitted an 80 page revision to the county which if adopted in any significant or perhaps even minor proportion, could in time turn Mora County from agricultural into an industrial land use county. According to attorney John Grubesic, he had phone conversations with industry and the NMELC. Citizen's access to the county attorney have been somewhat limited.
This same day the Mora County CLUP was passed, San Miguel County Commission adopted a one year moratorium. When questioned by a citizen during the Mora County Commission meeting in December 2009, about whether or not Mora County had a moratorium in place, Commissioner Peter Martinez, Chair, responded that Mora County did not.
In fact, the Mora County Commission voted two years ago, Spring, 2008, to put a moratorium in place. The county attorney drafted a moratorium, but the commission has yet to adopt this moratorium. Perhaps the leadership of the San Miguel County Commissioners will pave the way for Mora County Commissioners to take an equally strong, definitive leadership role in Mora County. Such action would give the citizens some indication what their intentions are regarding the future of Mora County and the pending oil and gas development by Shell LTD.
Mora County Commission adopts CLUP & San Miguel County Commission votes in a Moratorium
Tuesday, January 12th, the Mora County Commission adopted a revised version of the Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP) during their regular commission meeting. This revision has not been reviewed with or by the citizens and is currently not yet available for review. Anyone interested in a copy must sign an "Inspection of public records" form, or write a letter requesting an electronic or hard copy of the CLUP adopted January 12th 2010 from the Mora County Clerk's Office, Joanne Padilla. According to the Attorney General's Office, the county must respond within three days, and produce a document within 15 days.
John Grubesic, county attorney, indicated that this document represents the ideas of Mora County's land use plan. More than ideas, it represents the goals and visions of Mora County which were originally drafted in 1994 and adopted in 1995 by the Mora County Commission. This plan was written with a 25-30 year vision of land use policy for Mora County.
While Mr. Grubesic indicated that the CLUP should be revised regularly, it will be important for the citizens to review this latest revision in order to acquaint themselves with the latest "goals and vision" that the Commission and Land Use Administrator, Rumaldo Pino, have agreed to for the Mora County citizens. These changes will set the current and future land use goals and visions for Mora County.
The DRAFT revisions (available in electronic format by emailing drillingmoracounty@gmail.com) to the 1995 CLUP represented significant changes which incorporated land use for oil and gas development in Mora County. There were other changes in the draft version as well, such as renewable energy (solar, wind, algae farms and hydro-electric). Beyond energy issues, roads, emergency response preparations, cell towers, outdoor storage, septic system improvements etc. were included. As a result of a state CDBG grant, Mora County hired Sites Southwest, Albuquerque, to conduct public meetings and put together the July 2009 draft revision copy. Many state requirements for Mora County were a result of acquiring the state funds.
The public process to revise this document, as stated in the 1995 adopted version of the CLUP, was to be an open, public process every step of the way. Mr. Gubesic spoke about the three public meetings that were held to include public participation. Those meetings were attended heavily by Shell representatives and a few Mora County citizens. The actual effectiveness of the meetings for public comment will be seen once the citizens have access to review the newly revised and adopted CLUP dated January 12th 2010.
Industry submitted an 80 page revision to the county which if adopted in any significant or perhaps even minor proportion, could in time turn Mora County from agricultural into an industrial land use county. According to attorney John Grubesic, he had phone conversations with industry and the NMELC. Citizen's access to the county attorney have been somewhat limited.
This same day the Mora County CLUP was passed, San Miguel County Commission adopted a one year moratorium. When questioned by a citizen during the Mora County Commission meeting in December 2009, about whether or not Mora County had a moratorium in place, Commissioner Peter Martinez, Chair, responded that Mora County did not.
In fact, the Mora County Commission voted two years ago, Spring, 2008, to put a moratorium in place. The county attorney drafted a moratorium, but the commission has yet to adopt this moratorium. Perhaps the leadership of the San Miguel County Commissioners will pave the way for Mora County Commissioners to take an equally strong, definitive leadership role in Mora County. Such action would give the citizens some indication what their intentions are regarding the future of Mora County and the pending oil and gas development by Shell LTD.
John Grubesic, county attorney, indicated that this document represents the ideas of Mora County's land use plan. More than ideas, it represents the goals and visions of Mora County which were originally drafted in 1994 and adopted in 1995 by the Mora County Commission. This plan was written with a 25-30 year vision of land use policy for Mora County.
While Mr. Grubesic indicated that the CLUP should be revised regularly, it will be important for the citizens to review this latest revision in order to acquaint themselves with the latest "goals and vision" that the Commission and Land Use Administrator, Rumaldo Pino, have agreed to for the Mora County citizens. These changes will set the current and future land use goals and visions for Mora County.
The DRAFT revisions (available in electronic format by emailing drillingmoracounty@gmail.com) to the 1995 CLUP represented significant changes which incorporated land use for oil and gas development in Mora County. There were other changes in the draft version as well, such as renewable energy (solar, wind, algae farms and hydro-electric). Beyond energy issues, roads, emergency response preparations, cell towers, outdoor storage, septic system improvements etc. were included. As a result of a state CDBG grant, Mora County hired Sites Southwest, Albuquerque, to conduct public meetings and put together the July 2009 draft revision copy. Many state requirements for Mora County were a result of acquiring the state funds.
The public process to revise this document, as stated in the 1995 adopted version of the CLUP, was to be an open, public process every step of the way. Mr. Gubesic spoke about the three public meetings that were held to include public participation. Those meetings were attended heavily by Shell representatives and a few Mora County citizens. The actual effectiveness of the meetings for public comment will be seen once the citizens have access to review the newly revised and adopted CLUP dated January 12th 2010.
Industry submitted an 80 page revision to the county which if adopted in any significant or perhaps even minor proportion, could in time turn Mora County from agricultural into an industrial land use county. According to attorney John Grubesic, he had phone conversations with industry and the NMELC. Citizen's access to the county attorney have been somewhat limited.
This same day the Mora County CLUP was passed, San Miguel County Commission adopted a one year moratorium. When questioned by a citizen during the Mora County Commission meeting in December 2009, about whether or not Mora County had a moratorium in place, Commissioner Peter Martinez, Chair, responded that Mora County did not.
In fact, the Mora County Commission voted two years ago, Spring, 2008, to put a moratorium in place. The county attorney drafted a moratorium, but the commission has yet to adopt this moratorium. Perhaps the leadership of the San Miguel County Commissioners will pave the way for Mora County Commissioners to take an equally strong, definitive leadership role in Mora County. Such action would give the citizens some indication what their intentions are regarding the future of Mora County and the pending oil and gas development by Shell LTD.
Monday, January 11, 2010
Environmentalists debate whether natural gas is safer for the environment
Staci Matlock
The New Mexican
Posted: Friday, January 08, 2010 - 1/5/10
New Mexico is a top producer of natural gas and some environmentalists
see the fuel as a more environmentally friendly energy choice than
coal.
But is it?
Carl Pope, executive director of the Sierra Club, sees well-regulated
natural gas production as a good way to transition from coal and oil
to renewable sources like solar, wind and biofuels. "Natural gas is an
excellent example of a fuel that can be produced in quite a clean way,
and shouldn't be wasted," he said. "We see it as part of the energy
transition to a post-fossil fuel economy."
But Johnny Micou, who helped martial a grass-roots effort to stop
exploratory oil and gas drilling in the Galisteo Basin near Santa Fe,
said the environmental impact of unconventional drilling practices
that are allowing industry to tap into new natural gas sources have
not been thoroughly studied. "The cumulative environmental impacts of
drilling need to be considered," he said.
Micou thinks the Sierra Club needs to take a tougher stand. Supporting
natural gas as a "transition" fuel only delays the sense of urgency
needed to make a real and substantial shift in energy sources. "There
are parts where we (he and Pope) agree, but I would like to see more
strides now and a significant change from the way we do energy sources
and automobiles," Micou said. "Soft-pedaling on industry now is going
to perpetuate the problem."
New Mexico is the fourth- or fifth-largest producer of natural gas in
the country every year and revenues generated from the billions of
cubic feet extracted are a big boost for the state. Most of the
natural gas comes from the San Juan Basin in northwestern New Mexico
and the Permian Basin in the south. Now energy companies are eyeing
basins from Tucumcari to Mora that are potentially rich in natural
gas.....continued.........
The New Mexican
Posted: Friday, January 08, 2010 - 1/5/10
New Mexico is a top producer of natural gas and some environmentalists
see the fuel as a more environmentally friendly energy choice than
coal.
But is it?
Carl Pope, executive director of the Sierra Club, sees well-regulated
natural gas production as a good way to transition from coal and oil
to renewable sources like solar, wind and biofuels. "Natural gas is an
excellent example of a fuel that can be produced in quite a clean way,
and shouldn't be wasted," he said. "We see it as part of the energy
transition to a post-fossil fuel economy."
But Johnny Micou, who helped martial a grass-roots effort to stop
exploratory oil and gas drilling in the Galisteo Basin near Santa Fe,
said the environmental impact of unconventional drilling practices
that are allowing industry to tap into new natural gas sources have
not been thoroughly studied. "The cumulative environmental impacts of
drilling need to be considered," he said.
Micou thinks the Sierra Club needs to take a tougher stand. Supporting
natural gas as a "transition" fuel only delays the sense of urgency
needed to make a real and substantial shift in energy sources. "There
are parts where we (he and Pope) agree, but I would like to see more
strides now and a significant change from the way we do energy sources
and automobiles," Micou said. "Soft-pedaling on industry now is going
to perpetuate the problem."
New Mexico is the fourth- or fifth-largest producer of natural gas in
the country every year and revenues generated from the billions of
cubic feet extracted are a big boost for the state. Most of the
natural gas comes from the San Juan Basin in northwestern New Mexico
and the Permian Basin in the south. Now energy companies are eyeing
basins from Tucumcari to Mora that are potentially rich in natural
gas.....continued.........
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Land swap: State poised to lose irreplaceable treasure--New Mexican
I have been keeping up with the proposed land swap that New Mexico Land Commissioner Pat Lyons is trying to complete in the Whites Peak area involving 40,000 acres of prime hunting land in northeastern New Mexico near Ocaté.
What a disgrace. Shame on this man. The sooner he completes his term in office, the better!
I highly commend local activist Max O. Trujillo of Las Vegas, who helped bring the proposed swap to our attention, state Rep. Brian Egolf, Gov. Bill Richardson, Edward Olona of the Wildlife Federation, former state Land Commissioner Ray Powell and all others who have worked to keep this land from disappearing under Lyon's watch.
In the 1970s or 1980s, the state of New Mexico had an opportunity to buy the Vermejo ranch northwest of Cimarron for $25 million. We missed out on the chance. When the state didn't buy it, Penzoil moved in and bought this wonderful land. New Mexico had the money. Today, this place is probably worth 100 times more.
I really don't blame the area's large-scale ranchers for trying to butter up Commissioner Lyons, if he is easy prey! The proposed land within the trade that would come to the ranchers is probably worth many more millions than Mr. Lyons is attempting to sell it for. This land is like gold to all nature lovers, whether they be birdwatchers, campers, hunters, sight-seers, hikers, etc....continued.......
What a disgrace. Shame on this man. The sooner he completes his term in office, the better!
I highly commend local activist Max O. Trujillo of Las Vegas, who helped bring the proposed swap to our attention, state Rep. Brian Egolf, Gov. Bill Richardson, Edward Olona of the Wildlife Federation, former state Land Commissioner Ray Powell and all others who have worked to keep this land from disappearing under Lyon's watch.
In the 1970s or 1980s, the state of New Mexico had an opportunity to buy the Vermejo ranch northwest of Cimarron for $25 million. We missed out on the chance. When the state didn't buy it, Penzoil moved in and bought this wonderful land. New Mexico had the money. Today, this place is probably worth 100 times more.
I really don't blame the area's large-scale ranchers for trying to butter up Commissioner Lyons, if he is easy prey! The proposed land within the trade that would come to the ranchers is probably worth many more millions than Mr. Lyons is attempting to sell it for. This land is like gold to all nature lovers, whether they be birdwatchers, campers, hunters, sight-seers, hikers, etc....continued.......
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Sierra Club's Pro-Gas Dilemma
National Group's Stance Angers On-the-Ground Environmentalists in Several States By BEN CASSELMAN
LIVERPOOL, N.Y. -- When energy companies began preparations to drill for natural gas in upstate New York last year, the local Sierra Club quickly organized against them.
The group's New York chapter demanded studies on the environmental risks, pushed for stricter regulations and called for a statewide ban on most gas drilling. The drilling hasn't begun as the state works to develop regulations.
It would have been a typical story of environmentalists battling industry, except for one thing: The national Sierra Club is one of natural gas's biggest boosters.
Carl Pope, the Sierra Club's executive director, has traveled the country promoting natural gas's environmental benefits, sometimes alongside Aubrey McClendon, chief executive of Chesapeake Energy Corp., one of the biggest U.S. gas companies by production.
The national group's pro-gas stance has angered on-the-ground environmentalists in several states who say their concerns are being marginalized......continued......
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Drilling Mora County's Two Year Anniversary
January 2008-December 2009
• January 2008 --Organized concerned citizen group, Drilling Mora County
• February 2008—DMC began working as citizen group with Mora County Commission
--Work with Commission to organize a special meeting to help educate everyone on oil and gas development in Mora County.
• March 2008—Retained New Mexico Environmental Law Center for legal representation
• April 2008—Received our first grant
• May 2008-- A special meeting May 6th on oil and gas development for the people to learn about what will happen if it should come into Mora County—250 attended The panel: Johnny Micou, Common Ground United and Drilling Santa Fe; Oscar Simpson, NM Wildlife Federation; Paula Garcia, Mora Land Grant and NM Acequia Association; Don Schreiber, Rancher, Rio Arriba County; Bill Sauble, NM Cattle Growers Association; Bruce Frederick, NM Environmental Law Center; and Nick Ashcraft, NMSU, Daniel Sanchez, OCD
--Launched a letter-writing campaign on the State Trust Land going for bid in Mora County to Land Commissioner Patrick Lyons
• June 2008--Attended state land office meeting June 17th to present to the commissioner petitions to halt auction of 40,000 acres of state trust lands in Mora and Colfax Co.
-- Ran OPTIC ad regarding “Safe-keeping” of White Peak from State Trust Land auction
• September 2008—Launched a letter writing campaign regarding the State trust land leased Mora County, 13,000 acres
• February 2009—Received 2nd grant
• April 2009—Both Senator Tom Udall’s field representative and, Representative Ben Ray Lujan’s field representative began attending periodic educational, P&Z and commission meetings
• May 2009—Began bimonthly educational meetings alternating between Ocate and Mora with guest speakers at the meetings
--Began running monthly ¼ page ads in OPTIC through to the end of August 2009
• June 2009—Designed and printed bumper stickers
• July 2009--Special Commission meeting on oil and gas development for the citizens to present their views to the commission and planning and zoning –arranged by the County Manager as a result of our ad campaign
--Launched a letter-writing campaign to the Mora County Commission, Governor and our state representatives
• August 2009—Began writing a survey to send out to citizens of Mora County re: land use
• September 2009—Found and released information about Santa Fe Opera leases in San Miguel and Mora County to the media
• November 2009—Developed Alianza Tierra de Mora and the “Core Values” paper
• December 2009—NMELC began writing an oil and gas ordinance for DMC to present to the commission
ADDITIONALLY
• January 2008- December 2009 • Wrote dozens of letters to the editor,
• Wrote op ed in Santa Fe New Mexican/Albuq. Journal North,
• Wrote article in Horsefly
• Wrote multiple articles in Sierran
• Produced a bi lingual educational handout on oil/bas handout sheet—English and Spanish
• DMC core members appeared on numerous shows on KUMN,. KNMX, and Taos radio,
• Put the issue of oil and gas in front of the citizens of Mora County and San Miguel Counties
• Been an active concerned citizen group for two years
• January 2008 --Organized concerned citizen group, Drilling Mora County
• February 2008—DMC began working as citizen group with Mora County Commission
--Work with Commission to organize a special meeting to help educate everyone on oil and gas development in Mora County.
• March 2008—Retained New Mexico Environmental Law Center for legal representation
• April 2008—Received our first grant
• May 2008-- A special meeting May 6th on oil and gas development for the people to learn about what will happen if it should come into Mora County—250 attended The panel: Johnny Micou, Common Ground United and Drilling Santa Fe; Oscar Simpson, NM Wildlife Federation; Paula Garcia, Mora Land Grant and NM Acequia Association; Don Schreiber, Rancher, Rio Arriba County; Bill Sauble, NM Cattle Growers Association; Bruce Frederick, NM Environmental Law Center; and Nick Ashcraft, NMSU, Daniel Sanchez, OCD
--Launched a letter-writing campaign on the State Trust Land going for bid in Mora County to Land Commissioner Patrick Lyons
• June 2008--Attended state land office meeting June 17th to present to the commissioner petitions to halt auction of 40,000 acres of state trust lands in Mora and Colfax Co.
-- Ran OPTIC ad regarding “Safe-keeping” of White Peak from State Trust Land auction
• September 2008—Launched a letter writing campaign regarding the State trust land leased Mora County, 13,000 acres
• February 2009—Received 2nd grant
• April 2009—Both Senator Tom Udall’s field representative and, Representative Ben Ray Lujan’s field representative began attending periodic educational, P&Z and commission meetings
• May 2009—Began bimonthly educational meetings alternating between Ocate and Mora with guest speakers at the meetings
--Began running monthly ¼ page ads in OPTIC through to the end of August 2009
• June 2009—Designed and printed bumper stickers
• July 2009--Special Commission meeting on oil and gas development for the citizens to present their views to the commission and planning and zoning –arranged by the County Manager as a result of our ad campaign
--Launched a letter-writing campaign to the Mora County Commission, Governor and our state representatives
• August 2009—Began writing a survey to send out to citizens of Mora County re: land use
• September 2009—Found and released information about Santa Fe Opera leases in San Miguel and Mora County to the media
• November 2009—Developed Alianza Tierra de Mora and the “Core Values” paper
• December 2009—NMELC began writing an oil and gas ordinance for DMC to present to the commission
ADDITIONALLY
• January 2008- December 2009 • Wrote dozens of letters to the editor,
• Wrote op ed in Santa Fe New Mexican/Albuq. Journal North,
• Wrote article in Horsefly
• Wrote multiple articles in Sierran
• Produced a bi lingual educational handout on oil/bas handout sheet—English and Spanish
• DMC core members appeared on numerous shows on KUMN,. KNMX, and Taos radio,
• Put the issue of oil and gas in front of the citizens of Mora County and San Miguel Counties
• Been an active concerned citizen group for two years
Gas complaints jump to TCEQ's top priority--CST 12-24-09
Gas complaints jump to TCEQ's top priority
Residents can report odors, other problems with shale facilities
06:12 PM CST on Thursday, December 24, 2009
By Peggy Heinkel-Wolfe / Staff Writer
Complaints about odors and other pollution at Barnett Shale gas facilities -
be they wellheads, metering stations, compressors or other facilities - have
become a top priority at the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
Enforcement officials in Austin issued new complaint and investigation
procedures to the regional directors last week, after health concerns by
Dish residents came to the fore.
Members of the Texas Oil and Gas Accountability Project pushed for new tools
and new procedures, which include odor logs and nuisance affidavits that
residents can complete themselves.
Although Dish residents pushed for the procedures, people anywhere in the 19
counties of the Barnett Shale gas development can make a report, TCEQ
spokeswoman Andrea Morrow said in an e-mail.
TCEQ doesn't have jurisdiction over all complaints about operations at
natural gas facilities, but the agency has a good relationship with the
Texas Railroad Commission in dealing with those complaints, according to
Morrow.
For example, TCEQ can take complaints about odors, emissions and spills that
threaten soil and water quality beyond the production site.
Odor complaints are harder to pin down than those emissions that can be
seen, such as smoke or dust, according to Kevin Ware, an environmental
engineer with Denton-based KJ Environmental Management Inc.
Not all odors associated with toxic compounds are highly offensive or
necessarily unpleasant. Mercaptan and other gas smells are usually
offensive, but people should be aware of other peculiar odors, such as
rotten eggs, and sweet or sour smells, Ware said.
"When hydrogen sulfide first hits your nose, it smells like rotten eggs,"
Ware said, adding that if you can smell hydrogen sulfide, that's better than
when you can't. At higher, more toxic concentrations, people can't smell
hydrogen sulfide.
Other toxic chemicals associated with natural gas production, known as
aromatics, have a sweet smell, "like nail polish," Ware said. Those
compounds - benzene, toluene, ethyl-benzene, xylene and naphthalene - have
known effects on human health, from respiratory and neurological disorders
to cancer.
State environmental officials will now investigate an emissions or pollution
complaint within 12 hours of receiving it, taking overnight complaints the
following morning, Morrow said.
Along with the infrared cameras, inspectors will take equipment that
measures ambient air quality, volatile organic compounds and sulfides to the
site. Some of the equipment, such as the summa canisters that measure air
quality, is less expensive to use than the special cameras, Morrow said.
After gathering information, they will send the findings, including any
video, along with a questionnaire to the operator to get the problem fixed,
according to the Dec. 17 memo to regional directors.
If the inspectors find hazardous conditions at the site, inspectors will
remain there until the operator addresses the emergency.
Dish Mayor Calvin Tillman called the move a big step in the right direction.
"It's a shame it took this much pressure to get us some relief," Tillman
said, adding that in his five-plus years as mayor and town commissioner,
he's never felt the support of the community the way he does right now. "A
lot of people have had enough."
PEGGY HEINKEL-WOLFE can be reached at 940-566-6881. Her e-mail address is
pheinkel-wolfe@dentonrc.com.
Residents can report odors, other problems with shale facilities
06:12 PM CST on Thursday, December 24, 2009
By Peggy Heinkel-Wolfe / Staff Writer
Complaints about odors and other pollution at Barnett Shale gas facilities -
be they wellheads, metering stations, compressors or other facilities - have
become a top priority at the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
Enforcement officials in Austin issued new complaint and investigation
procedures to the regional directors last week, after health concerns by
Dish residents came to the fore.
Members of the Texas Oil and Gas Accountability Project pushed for new tools
and new procedures, which include odor logs and nuisance affidavits that
residents can complete themselves.
Although Dish residents pushed for the procedures, people anywhere in the 19
counties of the Barnett Shale gas development can make a report, TCEQ
spokeswoman Andrea Morrow said in an e-mail.
TCEQ doesn't have jurisdiction over all complaints about operations at
natural gas facilities, but the agency has a good relationship with the
Texas Railroad Commission in dealing with those complaints, according to
Morrow.
For example, TCEQ can take complaints about odors, emissions and spills that
threaten soil and water quality beyond the production site.
Odor complaints are harder to pin down than those emissions that can be
seen, such as smoke or dust, according to Kevin Ware, an environmental
engineer with Denton-based KJ Environmental Management Inc.
Not all odors associated with toxic compounds are highly offensive or
necessarily unpleasant. Mercaptan and other gas smells are usually
offensive, but people should be aware of other peculiar odors, such as
rotten eggs, and sweet or sour smells, Ware said.
"When hydrogen sulfide first hits your nose, it smells like rotten eggs,"
Ware said, adding that if you can smell hydrogen sulfide, that's better than
when you can't. At higher, more toxic concentrations, people can't smell
hydrogen sulfide.
Other toxic chemicals associated with natural gas production, known as
aromatics, have a sweet smell, "like nail polish," Ware said. Those
compounds - benzene, toluene, ethyl-benzene, xylene and naphthalene - have
known effects on human health, from respiratory and neurological disorders
to cancer.
State environmental officials will now investigate an emissions or pollution
complaint within 12 hours of receiving it, taking overnight complaints the
following morning, Morrow said.
Along with the infrared cameras, inspectors will take equipment that
measures ambient air quality, volatile organic compounds and sulfides to the
site. Some of the equipment, such as the summa canisters that measure air
quality, is less expensive to use than the special cameras, Morrow said.
After gathering information, they will send the findings, including any
video, along with a questionnaire to the operator to get the problem fixed,
according to the Dec. 17 memo to regional directors.
If the inspectors find hazardous conditions at the site, inspectors will
remain there until the operator addresses the emergency.
Dish Mayor Calvin Tillman called the move a big step in the right direction.
"It's a shame it took this much pressure to get us some relief," Tillman
said, adding that in his five-plus years as mayor and town commissioner,
he's never felt the support of the community the way he does right now. "A
lot of people have had enough."
PEGGY HEINKEL-WOLFE can be reached at 940-566-6881. Her e-mail address is
pheinkel-wolfe@dentonrc.com.
In New Gas Wells, More Drilling Chemicals Remain Underground--ProPublica
December 27, 2009 8:12 am EST
by Abrahm Lustgarten
A hydraulic fracturing operation in Bradford County, Pa. It's possible that for each modern gas well drilled in the Marcellus and places like it, more than three million gallons of chemically tainted wastewater could be left in the ground forever.(Photo courtesy of the New York State Environmental Impact Statement)
A hydraulic fracturing operation in Bradford County, Pa. It's possible that for each modern gas well drilled in the Marcellus and places like it, more than three million gallons of chemically tainted wastewater could be left in the ground forever.(Photo courtesy of the New York State Environmental Impact Statement)
For more than a decade the energy industry has steadfastly argued before courts, Congress and the public that the federal law protecting drinking water should not be applied to hydraulic fracturing [2], the industrial process that is essential to extracting the nation's vast natural gas reserves. In 2005 Congress, persuaded, passed a law prohibiting such regulation.
Now an important part of that argument -- that most of the millions of gallons of toxic chemicals that drillers inject underground are removed for safe disposal, and are not permanently discarded inside the earth -- does not apply to drilling in many of the nation's booming new gas fields.
Three company spokesmen and a regulatory official said in separate interviews with ProPublica that as much as 85 percent of the fluids used during hydraulic fracturing is being left underground after wells are drilled in the Marcellus Shale, the massive gas deposit that stretches from New York to Tennessee.
That means that for each modern gas well drilled in the Marcellus and places like it, more than 3 million gallons of chemically tainted wastewater could be left in the ground forever. Drilling companies say that chemicals make up less than 1 percent of that fluid. But by volume, those chemicals alone still amount to 34,000 gallons in a typical well.
These disclosures raise new questions about why the Safe Drinking Water Act, the federal law that regulates fluids injected underground so they don't contaminate drinking water aquifers, should not apply to hydraulic fracturing, and whether the thinking behind Congress' 2005 vote to shield drilling from regulation is still valid...continued.......
Boom Bust Baby--Passing Gas in Mora County
by Dr. Fiona Sinclair 2009
As the cities partake in green vision quests dreaming a carbon neutral future, rural New Mexicans tremble at the possibility that this beautiful landscape of potential will be poked, polluted and gutted with pipelines, roads, flares and holding ponds wrought by a natural gas boom carried in on the wings of climate change.
With the Federal administration pushing natural gas cars and energy options as the stepping stone to reducing CO2 emissions on target with a new global deal, those of us sitting atop split estates are experiencing how the agenda of large global corporations have begun to take precedence over community concerns like quality of life, the future of our land base, and of course water, the life blood of existence here in New Mexico.
At the end of the year the world meets in Copenhagen to hash out a new climate agreement which will supersede the Kyoto Protocol. Kyoto should have driven global emissions down to 1990 levels, but without the participation of the USA—which produced approximately 25% of the world’s carbon emissions until it was recently overtaken by China—there has been an increase in emissions. Copenhagen is a different story, with Obama on board the emission impossible task on the table this time has politicians promoting alternatives alongside renewables such as natural gas, nuclear power and ‘clean’ coal. These are nothing but old resource intensive industries dressed in emperor’s new clothes.
The drive behind the current motion to buy-up sub-surface mineral rights is directly connected to the national agenda on climate change. With 80% of land ownership falling into the category of a split estate many folk are finding that they only own the surface of their land, while sub-surface rights—the dominant estate—are bought by prospectors and sold to oil and gas companies. Under ‘Takings Law’ a rig can set-up 100 feet from your house, use enormous amounts of water and routinely inject “non-proprietary fluids” into the ground. This undisclosed cocktail of chemicals is not only exempt from the Clean Air and Clean Drinking Water Acts, but ends up in surface ponds (some lined, some not) , contaminates wells, causes severe health problems, can poison cattle, deplete the water table, and ruin the integrity of all life in the area.
Given the enormity of the problem humanity currently faces as carbon levels rise to tip the very basis of life into trauma, it is somewhat understandable that the primary decision makers—government, business, intellectuals—should rally to pull out all the stops and put every energy option on the table. But it doesn’t make sense to consider short term profits at the expense of the environment, especially given the fact that we have renewable technologies that achieve the same result without harming the environment or the lives of people who depend on this fragile land base for survival.
Unfortunately, short sighted decision making at the federal level filters down to the local. In Mora County Shell Oil recently submitted a re-write of the county Land Use Plan removing references to historic agricultural practices in favor of drilling and development. Meanwhile, protests submitted by hundreds of county residents fall on deaf ears as a new county court house rises in the sky. At 55,000 square feet this anti-Christ of green has enough room for every county resident and their milk goat with room to spare. This is a heavy weight for future generations to bear, yet a weight that Shell revels in as they ride the wave of global demise to bring hope in the form of a dark angel swinging her sword of destruction so the county can pay it’s dues on time......more.......
As the cities partake in green vision quests dreaming a carbon neutral future, rural New Mexicans tremble at the possibility that this beautiful landscape of potential will be poked, polluted and gutted with pipelines, roads, flares and holding ponds wrought by a natural gas boom carried in on the wings of climate change.
With the Federal administration pushing natural gas cars and energy options as the stepping stone to reducing CO2 emissions on target with a new global deal, those of us sitting atop split estates are experiencing how the agenda of large global corporations have begun to take precedence over community concerns like quality of life, the future of our land base, and of course water, the life blood of existence here in New Mexico.
At the end of the year the world meets in Copenhagen to hash out a new climate agreement which will supersede the Kyoto Protocol. Kyoto should have driven global emissions down to 1990 levels, but without the participation of the USA—which produced approximately 25% of the world’s carbon emissions until it was recently overtaken by China—there has been an increase in emissions. Copenhagen is a different story, with Obama on board the emission impossible task on the table this time has politicians promoting alternatives alongside renewables such as natural gas, nuclear power and ‘clean’ coal. These are nothing but old resource intensive industries dressed in emperor’s new clothes.
The drive behind the current motion to buy-up sub-surface mineral rights is directly connected to the national agenda on climate change. With 80% of land ownership falling into the category of a split estate many folk are finding that they only own the surface of their land, while sub-surface rights—the dominant estate—are bought by prospectors and sold to oil and gas companies. Under ‘Takings Law’ a rig can set-up 100 feet from your house, use enormous amounts of water and routinely inject “non-proprietary fluids” into the ground. This undisclosed cocktail of chemicals is not only exempt from the Clean Air and Clean Drinking Water Acts, but ends up in surface ponds (some lined, some not) , contaminates wells, causes severe health problems, can poison cattle, deplete the water table, and ruin the integrity of all life in the area.
Given the enormity of the problem humanity currently faces as carbon levels rise to tip the very basis of life into trauma, it is somewhat understandable that the primary decision makers—government, business, intellectuals—should rally to pull out all the stops and put every energy option on the table. But it doesn’t make sense to consider short term profits at the expense of the environment, especially given the fact that we have renewable technologies that achieve the same result without harming the environment or the lives of people who depend on this fragile land base for survival.
Unfortunately, short sighted decision making at the federal level filters down to the local. In Mora County Shell Oil recently submitted a re-write of the county Land Use Plan removing references to historic agricultural practices in favor of drilling and development. Meanwhile, protests submitted by hundreds of county residents fall on deaf ears as a new county court house rises in the sky. At 55,000 square feet this anti-Christ of green has enough room for every county resident and their milk goat with room to spare. This is a heavy weight for future generations to bear, yet a weight that Shell revels in as they ride the wave of global demise to bring hope in the form of a dark angel swinging her sword of destruction so the county can pay it’s dues on time......more.......
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