Severance Tax Too Low to Pay for Environmental Damage of Fracking

U.S. coal, oil and gas going overseas: How does that bring us 'Energy Independence'?

2011-11-11T23:29:00.000-06:00

Report: ‘Energy Independence’ thwarted as U.S. oil and gas heads overseas

November 7, 2011 By Neil Shader

Credit: Lens Envy, flickr creative commons

These days the phrase ‘energy independence’ has become code for drilling our wild public lands. But what some may not realize is that oil and gas from our wildlands is not staying in the United States.
As it turns out, the oil, gas, and coal that is drilled and mined from right here in the U.S. is actually leaving American shores to fuel cars and furnaces in places like Europe, China, and India.
A new Wilderness Society report titled Exporting America’s Heritage details just how high the exports have risen.
Among the stats revealed:

The U.S. currently exports more than 690,000 barrels refined petroleum products per day like kerosene.
Gasoline exports have more than doubled since 2007 and are on pace this year to exceed 150 million barrels, triple the amount in 2007—even as gas prices remain high.
In the first quarter of 2010, the United States exported more than 17.8 million short tons of coal. American coal exports increased by nearly 50% in the first quarter of 2011.
Two permits for natural gas export terminals have been approved, with several more proposed to send gas from the Marcellus Shale overseas.

Meanwhile American taxpayers are subsidizing the oil companies’ huge profits to the tune of billions per year. In essence we’re spending billions of dollars every year to allow multinational oil and gas corporations to plunder American lands. The profits from sales on the world market go to energy companies and Americans foot the bill.
The report comes out just as the hugely controversial Keystone XL Pipeline continues to unfold this month.
The Keystone XL Pipeline would take oil dug up from Canadian forests and shipped across the American heartland – threatening communities from Montana to Louisiana. Much of the tar sands oil that would come from Canada through the proposed Keystone XL pipeline isn’t earmarked for domestic U.S. consumption. The companies at the end of the pipeline are intending to ship much of it to South America, Europe and Asia. Meanwhile, American communities would be ones on the hook for dealing with the aftereffects of a pipeline spill or burst – like the one that threatened the Yellowstone River earlier this year.
So much for energy independence.
It is clear that the fossil fuel companies don’t need the money American taxpayers are giving them in the form of subsidies – especially if they are then just going to ship much of the oil, gas, and coal to Europe and Asia. It is time to bury the ancient and unnecessary fossil fuel subsidies and instead encourage the development of clean energy that will stay right here at home—and ultimately lead to the energy independence we seek.
A good step in that direction is to prevent the destructive Keystone XL Pipeline from being built. Tell President Obama to stop the Keystone XL pipeline!

Tags: coal, energy exports, gas, Keystone XL pipeline, oil, oil subsidies, solar, wind, Energy

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Dryad50 2 comments collapsed Collapse Expand

Man is not the only species on this planet.... but our past actions in regards to the welfare of other species, their habitat and stewardship of this planet has been abysmal. There has been a few well placed farsighted individuals in our history that have managed to pass laws and establish protected wildlands for the future. When the wild areas are gone, so will mankind.... we are all connected and without clean air, water and protected environments life as we know it now will cease to exist and in fact life will not be worth living.
The human race has been functioning as a plague of locusts consuming resources rapidly due to greed and being concerned only with what we need with little regard for the other life forms that share the planet with us. All are valuable and are interconnected to our very own existance. Mankind is the only species on this planet that has the ability to adversely affect this planet and we've done a bang up job of destroying it piece by piece. At the rate we are going we will create a sparse rock devoid of beauty, with its water polluted beyond redemption, the air fouled and the spark of life extinguished,spinning in space with little to commend it and nothing left of what had been vital and teeming with diverse rich life and all that remains is a gargantuan garbage heap of human discards.
We need to take steps and leaps to protect and perserve what we have. We need to become better at being stewards of this planet. We need to look outside of ourselves and reconnnect with the life around us, it depends on us, our planet depends on us, our very survival depends on us. As each life form becomes extinct without notice, as wild habitats disappear in the pursuit of finite fossil fuel resources such as oil, coal and gas with little importance given to alternate cleaner energy sources by our politicians who are have the oil/gas industries padding their campaign pockets.... is our own extinction so very far behind?
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Lenticular 1 comment collapsed Collapse Expand

I could not agree with you more. We are 7 billion people on this planet. That, in itself, is enough to make a person cringe. I can envision a planet of automation, little or no wildlife, barren soil, thick and polluted air, oceans and waterways fouled with oil and toxins and humans packed together like sardines in a tin. Our chance to save this planet is slipping by and still the politicians, big oil corporations and money mongers run the show. This is a horrible preview of our immediate future and I cannot suggest strongly enough --- WAKE UP PEOPLE!!! LOOK AND SEE WHAT'S HAPPENING TO OUR WORLD RIGHT NOW!!!
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Avery Leinova 1 comment collapsed Collapse Expand

It's time to stop relying on fossil fuels altogether. We have so many other options: wind, solar, hydroelectric power, to fuel our home, business and cars.Discontinuing use of fossil fuels would not only be healthier for the planet, but it would contribute hundreds of thousands of jobs, converting infrastructure and creating new buildings and cars.
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Denis 1 comment collapsed Collapse Expand

We import crude and export refined product. I wouldn't mind this practice if it improved our balance of trade deficit. Since the cost of oil is set on the world market it's irrelevant where it's drilled. However having said this, I do not support fossil fuels as a basic energy source. We definitely have to move towards renewable energy.
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earthcrying 1 comment collapsed Collapse Expand

I wouldnt mind subsidizing them as long as they stopped this and used it for projects like solar power and wind farms. As a 60 year old, i feel for the future generations that will pay the price for what we are doing to the planet now and in the past. very sad
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Pj1fwb 1 comment collapsed Collapse Expand

We must move forward and stop this continued use of fossil fuels! I live in Florida and the people in Tallahassee should have put into place a solar bill concerning new homes! I work in the construction industry here and it just makes me so mad to see a new home being built without solar hot water heating! There is no excuse for it! We have the technology ,but the mind-set is still in the 50"s! I hope the next generation will see the error and correct it!
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SandyK46 1 comment collapsed Collapse Expand

This makes my blood boil. What will it take for most Americans to do something !!!!
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Bob 1 comment collapsed Collapse Expand

Multinational corporations have are continuing to ruin this country. They buy politicians and get votes that they need to continue doing this sort of thing. Huge tax breaks or worse no tax's at all at the end of the day. As a country we should stop this kind of thing now.
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P.F. Bruns, I'm a voice guy. 1 comment collapsed Collapse Expand

And if we're supposed to be "energy independent," how about we force the oil and gas companies to stop artificially raising demand for petroleum products by exporting them and by running existing refineries below capacity?
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luckypuck 1 comment collapsed Collapse Expand

The real shame and crime here is that the global oil markets have been using this process for decades, but notwithstanding, we have parroted the mind-numbing mantra of "energy independence" for almost as long.
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Shoseysr 1 comment collapsed Collapse Expand

The oil industry doesn't deserve any more breaks!
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Elsivs69 1 comment collapsed Collapse Expand

Enough is enough already! We need to go the clean energy way so the future generation can have a planet they can live on healthy and happy. Worse case scenario, we have oil reserves here in this country that we should be taping which could help the economy by creating more jobs and reducing the cost of energy for those who live right here in the USA.
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Michael Kish 1 comment collapsed Collapse Expand

You folks complain about big oil and yet many of you will still drive your cars to work? Watch TV tonight? Sitting on your computer? Own an iPhone or iPad? All of these things are compliments of big oil.

I love scenic areas. I love wilderness. I love being in the wilderness. I'm blessed to make a living photographing wild places. But I also understand that we currently NEED oil. My camera, computer, and printer are all made of plastic. You simply can't eliminate oil from the picture (pun intended). Some say stop all drilling and others will say drill everything to hell.....neither approach is right. We have to strike a balance.
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Mdeycaza 1 comment collapsed Collapse Expand

Nationalize the oil companies and use the profits for health and education like many other countries do.
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Chisholm 1 comment collapsed Collapse Expand

We need help in Wisconsin. Big Oil has invaded farms and forests mining "frack sand", waging war against farmers and land owners with the help of Real Estate Ageents urging land owners to sell or lease their properties. This is the first step in fracking and fracturing the viscera, deep in the earth to release the oil and gas. Watch "Gaslands." Shall I send photos of the processing plants and the deep wounds in Mother Earth? We have been fighting the invasion and losing for more than three years. I have not heard anything from The Wilderness Society . this is the home of Also Leopold. The Land Ethic is meaningless to Big Oil or the farmers whose ancestors tilled the soil, the cut over the and burned top soil after all the Pine was dicimated.
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mdmonahan, Just another tall good looking Irishman. 1 comment collapsed Collapse Expand

I appreciate the information. Puts the lie to much of the jaw flapping about "energy independence". Just code words for "energy company freedom to increase profits" at the expense of the American tax payer.
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Teresa Weeks 1 comment collapsed Collapse Expand

If we spent more time and energy taking care of our own first, we would be more able to share with the rest of the world
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deb 1 comment collapsed Collapse Expand

Keep the stuff here! who do I vote for to keep it here????
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Fernando 1 comment collapsed Collapse Expand

Then the G20 talks about "fiscal paradise" and threatens countries listed as a fiscal paradise; However, the biggest fiscal paradises are most of the members of the G20.

ADEQ allows higher pollution level in Arkansas case

2011-08-28T11:31:00.000-05:00

Ark. panel allows mining firm more water discharge
By: L. Lamor Williams | Arkansas Democrat-Gazette | 08/27/11 1:30 PM

A mining company on Friday won permission from state environmental regulators to continue discharging treated stormwater into Wilson Creek at current levels after abandoning a request to have the stream stripped of its drinking water designation.

As part of reclaiming its defunct 500-acre vanadium mine at 4367 Malvern Road in Hot Springs, UMETCO Minerals Corp. collects and treats stormwater in a retention pond, which in turn flows into Wilson Creek.

UMETCO asked the Arkansas Pollution Control and Ecology Commission for the change because the amount of minerals it has been discharging into the stream exceeds standards. The company's permit gave it until September, 2010, to comply with old standards that it has said are impossible to meet.

The new standards of 500 milligrams per liter for total dissolved solids; 56 mg/L for chlorides; and 250 mg/L for sulfates, more closely mirror the federal Environmental Protection Agency's drinking water regulations.

Al Eckert, an attorney for the company, said to meet the previous state standard - 142 for total dissolved solids, or TDS; 15 mg/L for chlorides and 20 mg/L for sulfates - would have required UMETCO to invest in expensive treatment options, including some that would produce waste that could not be discharged.

According to the Department, the level of total dissolved solids in Wilson Creek hovers around 500 milligrams per liter.

The state Department of Environmental Quality, the commission's enforcement agency, is finalizing the terms of a consent administrative order - including a fine - for the time the company has been out of compliance with the old standards. On Friday, Teresa Marks, director for the department, said that the amount of the fine has not been determined.

While the standards have been changed, the creek will still meet the state's secondary drinking water standards, said Ryan Benefield, deputy director of the department.

The department opposed removing the designation from Wilson Creek, prompting UMETCO to withdraw that part of the request which would have raised the discharge of total dissolved solids to around 540 mg/L. Secondary drinking water sources cannot exceed 500.

"That's not a technical issue. It's more of a policy issue," Benefield said. "We thought it would be bad policy to remove the drinking water designation and we also thought that they could modify their treatment system to slightly lower their numbers to meet the drinking water designation."

UMETCO is a subsidiary of Union Carbide Corp. Its Hot Springs vanadium mine opened in 1960 and was closed in 1986. Since that time, the company claims to have spent about $40 million on reclaiming the site.

While Wilson Creek is not a drinking-water source, it feeds into Lake Catherine and eventually the Ouachita River, which are drinking-water sources for cities such as Hot Springs and Arkadelphia.

Area residents have sought to block the change fearing the deterioration of their drinking water quality. In July, a joint legislative committee on public health called on the state Environmental Quality Department to find money for a comprehensive study on Lake Catherine's water quality.

After the vote, Mary Bournival, District 4 Justice of the Peace in Garland County, said she was deeply disappointed by the commission's decision.

"The people of the county feel defeated," she said. "We were not heard."

A UMETCO spokesman was pleased with the outcome.

"Clearly, ADEQ and the commission have seen the results of our continued efforts at the Wilson Creek reclamation site," said Lucius Boudreaux.

State Sen. Mike Fletcher, who's District 27 includes Lake Catherine and Wilson Creek said when he was a boy he swam in Lake Catherine.

"I won't swim in that lake anymore," he said. "I ask you if your drinking water came from that lake, would you vote in favor of changing the standard?"

Joe Nix, a concerned resident of the area and former Ouachita Baptist University chemist who's studied the lake, told the committee that it would probably cost about $300,000 for such a study.

Marks has said the Environmental Quality Department doesn't have the financial resources or manpower to perform such a sweeping study but noted that the agency has been taking water samples.

On Friday, Nix repeated his call for the study and noted that he was sad about the pending decision the commission had to make.

"Unfortunately, I see no other option but for the commission to approve the request," he said, noting that earlier studies don't support the commission denying the request on grounds of environmental harm. "That's not easy for me to say."

Nix's comments comes on the heels of an Arkansas Department of Health study that concluded that the discharges into the creek posed little if any risk to the water quality in Lake Catherine.

The Health Department originally had concerns about the proposed standard change, but withdrew them once it became clear that the new rule would not change the amount of minerals discharged into Wilson Creek.

The Health Department study dated July 29 said "that there is currently no evidence of potential off-site human exposure to UMETCO site-related contaminants through public drinking water sources."

The study further concluded that drinking the water or getting it on one's skin "at or near the UMETCO site is not expected to harm people's health because ... levels of chlorides, sulfates, total dissolved solids, cadmium, chromium, and/or vanadium are below levels of public health concern. Also, there is no evidence of elevated cancer rates and/or cases associated with this site."

After the vote to approve the change, the commission tabled a second motion calling for a resolution stating its intent to have a comprehensive study done of the lake and its waterways.

Bournival was not impressed.

"Personally, I doubt that study will ever be done," she said.

Action on a new study was tabled to give an administrative law judge time to properly research and word such a resolution. The commissioners suggested that the resolution be sent to the governor, legislature and other environmental agencies, such as the Arkansas Game and Fish, Natural Resources and Forestry commissions, to ask them to help fund the study.

Leaders of these agencies sit on the Pollution Control and Ecology Commission.

"There are trees around the lake," Commissioner William Thompson said, jokingly aiming his comment at John Shannon, head of the Forestry Commission. "Maybe the Forestry Commission has some money."

___

Information from: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, http://www.arkansasonline.com

Read more at the Washington Examiner: http://washingtonexaminer.com/news/2011/08/ark-panel-allows-mining-firm-more-water-discharge#ixzz1WLFUVDL3

Van Buren County Gas Advisory Board wants public input on fracking!

2011-08-03T14:55:00.000-05:00

Dear All. 
We have received a large volume of responses to the Public Input Survey
inserted in the V.B. County Democrat last month. We also displayed the
survey titled "Have You Got Gas?" in banks, senior centers, quick picks,
etc. But we need more, many more to get a better reading of public
sentiment(pro and con) around the issue of gas drilling in the
Fayetteville Shale Play. If you don't have a survey you can download it
or fill out online at jeff@VBCGAB.org. The Van Buren County Advisory
Board wants your input on the pro's and con's of gas drilling if you
live in the Fayetteville Shale Play. Your opinion matters to us, your
elected officials and to the entire community. Speak out. 
 
Thanks. tom e. kimmons, member VBCGAB. 
 
stoparkansasfracking.org

An Arkansas blog on the evils of hydro-fracking to produce natural gas in the KARST state of Arkansas

2011-07-12T18:11:00.002-05:00

Fracking blog
Thanks to Sky Blaylock for supplying this link on Facebook.

Monday, July 11, 2011

Drilling Through Caves and Aquifers

All of northwest Arkansas is karst. The National Cave Association website describes karst as a geological term for an area characterized by the presence of caves, sinkholes, aquifers, and disappearing streams. According to tour guides at War Eagle Cavern there are over 2000 documented caves in north Arkansas alone with over 10,000 documented caves throughout all of Arkansas.

There is a river in Missouri that disappears and then reappears in Arkansas at Mammoth Springs. Determining where water flows underground in northwest Arkansas requires dumping dye into the water at one location then searching for springs and searching for that dye by educated guess work. The dye can be found surprising numbers of miles away.

For a better understanding of aquifers look at the United States Geological Survey (USGS) under Water Science for Schools.

Consider watersheds in general. How can puncturing the ground a mile deep in multiple places not make bedrock permeable?

Important broadcasts and publications on FRACKIN!

2011-07-08T19:59:00.002-05:00

Joyce Hale reports:
I just received this alert from a PA friend.

"NPR's This American Life is doing a show this weekend called "Gamechanger," and it's all about Natural Gas Drilling in the Marcellus Shale. We know it will be in part about Washington County, PA, and in part about dueling academic institutions. Sarah Koenig - a producer on the show who lives in State College - came to PA Clean Water Action Director, Myron Arnowitt, first to talk about how the show should cover the story. He helped her brainstorm, find sources and understand what's at stake.

Myron also spent a lot of time helping The New York Times Magazine put together a story that we think will come out this weekend. Lastly (we had nothing to do with this), 60 Minutes is rebroadcasting Shaleionaires, as well. While they give Chesapeake's CEO a lot of air time, the story does a decent job of also showing what has people so scared. So if you missed it the first time, look for Leslie Stahl's story this weekend.

We haven't heard it, of course, but the promo sounds good! Check it out here:http://tal.fm/440

I'm excited about both of the new pieces reaching people across the country, because they both take the issue nationally and may hit people on a more emotional level. TheyNYT's "Drilling Down" series has been important, but I hope these new journalists who have entered the fray will really help the country feel this issue. Like you and I do."

Check your local NPR station for time. I know KUAF in Fayetteville airs This American Life two times: 6:00 am Saturday and 10:00 am Sunday. It is good to see so much being written and broadcast on drilling now.
Joyce Hale

440:

Game Changer

Originally aired 07.08.2011

A professor in Pennsylvania makes a calculation, and the result blows his mind. The numbers say that his state is sitting atop a massive reserve of natural gas—enough to lead a revolution in how America gets its energy. But another professor in Pennsylvania does a different calculation and reaches a troubling conclusion: that getting natural gas out of the ground poses a risk to public health. The story of two men, two calculations, and two very different consequences.

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"The Talent Show" - featuring This American Life contributors - June 29

Ira Glass and TAL...

Time to get to work on June 29, 2011

2011-06-28T23:55:00.000-05:00

To Those Concerned about Gas Drilling in Arkansas:

Republicans take balanced approach to big government

2011-06-28T09:48:00.000-05:00

Please click on image to enlarge.

BS detectors sound alarm every time this guy speaks

2011-06-10T23:21:00.002-05:00

The Colbert Report
Tags: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,Video Archive

Fema workers walked Town Branch neighborhood on May 19, 2011, to invite residents to apply for federal help if their property was damaged by recent storms and flooding

2011-05-20T11:02:00.000-05:00

Please click on individual images to ENLARGE. And don't be shy about telling the FEMA folk as much as possible about any storm damage your property may have sustained. Your information also should be reported to city officials to help them plan for future similar disasters. See direct links to FEMA information site at bottom of this post.

Check Your Application Status

Are You Ready?

Download Are You Ready? (PDF) An In-depth Guide to Citizen Preparedness.
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What is DisasterAssistance.gov?

Provides disaster assistance information from the U.S. Government.
Details over 60 different forms of assistance from 17 federal agencies.
Reduces the number of forms to file and shortens the time to apply.

Fracking-good sites

2011-05-15T00:14:00.003-05:00

stoparkansasfracking.orgFracking Web site

Louisiana fracking warriors

Louisiana Environmental Action Network

Waterkeepers

Sheffield Nelson to speak about effort to raise severance tax during annual meeting of League of Women voters in Fayetteville

2011-05-11T10:17:00.001-05:00

To Those Interested in Natural Gas Issues:

There is a growing concern about environmental and health issues related to the development of natural gas. In spite of the Arkansas Legislature's failure to strengthen regulations, which have successfully passed in other states, we now have an opportunity for the voters to take action. An initiated act has been introduced to revise Arkansas's natural gas severance tax. It would raise the current 5% to 7% and disallow the exemptions that were negotiated in the 2008 version. This action introduced by Sheffield Nelson will be on the 2012 general election ballot if a sufficient number of signatures are collected on petitions and if the electorate understands the issue when they go to vote. These are two big if's! That is why it is important to learn what this is about so that you can spread the word. Volunteers are also needed to help with the petition drive.

Arkansas's taxpayers are faced with over $455 million dollars of highway damage from the heavy truck traffic operating in the Fayetteville Shale Play. The current severance tax paid by the industry and royalty recipients has come nowhere close in covering this cost. Nelson's initiated act would raise the rate to compare with those of adjoining states and provide more funding for these repairs.

Sheffield Nelson is the invited guest speaker at the League of Women Voters of Washington County annual meeting and dinner on Thursday, May 19. He will also be presenting information at a press conference that same day. The public is invited to both of these events, but reservations to the dinner are needed by May 13. Here are the details:

Public Press Conference

When: Thursday, May 19, 3:00 pm

Where: Fayetteville Town Center - Mockingbird Room, 15 West Mountain, Fayetteville

Who: Media representatives and members of the public interested in the natural gas severance tax petition

Reception for Sheffield Nelson

When: Thursday, May 19, 5:15

Where: Butterfield Trails Village - "The Lodge", 1923 Joyce Boulevard, Fayetteville

Who: Anyone interested in meeting Sheffield Nelson from League members or public

Sheffield Nelson Guest Speaker at LWVWC Dinner

When: Thursday, May 19, 5:45

Where: Butterfield Trails Village - "The Lodge", 1923 Joyce Boulevard, Fayetteville

Who: Anyone interested in hearing Sheffield Nelson speak - League members or public

Cost: $10.00 per person for dinner - Reservations required by May 13 to Joyce Hale 527-2777 or email joycehale43@gmail.com

Feel free to share this information and contact me if you have any questions.

Joyce Hale

Joyce Hale, President

League of Women Voters of Washington County

479-527-2777

April 16, 2011, report on Fracking pollutants

2011-05-08T08:12:00.000-05:00

Committee Democrats Release New Report Detailing Hydraulic Fracturing Products

Apr 16, 2011

Today Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Henry A. Waxman, Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Edward J. Markey, and Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Ranking Member Diana DeGette released a new report that summarizes the types, volumes, and chemical contents of the hydraulic fracturing products used by the 14 leading oil and gas service companies. The report contains the first comprehensive national inventory of chemicals used by hydraulic fracturing companies during the drilling process.

“Hydraulic fracturing has helped to expand natural gas production in the United States, but we must ensure that these new resources don’t come at the expense of public health,” said Rep. Waxman. “This report shows that these companies are injecting millions of gallons of products that contain potentially hazardous chemicals, including known carcinogens. I urge EPA and DOE to make certain that we have strong protections in place to prevent these chemicals from entering drinking water supplies.”

“With our river ways and drinking water at stake, it’s an absolute necessity that the American public knows what is in these fracking chemicals,” said Rep. Markey. “This report is the most comprehensive look yet at the composition of the chemicals used in the fracking process, and should help the industry, the government, and the American public push for a safer way to extract natural gas.”

“It is deeply disturbing to discover the content and quantity of toxic chemicals, like benzene and lead, being injected into the ground without the knowledge of the communities whose health could be affected," said Rep. DeGette. “Of particular concern to me is that we learned that over the four-year period studied, over one and a half million gallons of carcinogens were injected into the ground in Colorado. Many companies were also unable to even identify some of the chemicals they were using in their own activities, unfortunately underscoring that voluntary industry disclosure is not enough to ensure the economic benefits of natural gas production do not come at the cost of our families' health.”

During the last Congress, the Committee launched an investigation into the practice of hydraulic fracturing in the United States, asking the leading oil and gas service companies to disclose information on the products used in this process between 2005 and 2009.

The Democratic Committee staff analyzed the data provided by the companies about their practices, finding that:

The 14 leading oil and gas service companies used more than 780 million gallons of hydraulic fracturing products, not including water added at the well site. Overall, the companies used more than 2,500 hydraulic fracturing products containing 750 different chemicals and other components.
The components used in the hydraulic fracturing products ranged from generally harmless and common substances, such as salt and citric acid, to extremely toxic substances, such as benzene and lead. Some companies even used instant coffee and walnut hulls in their fracturing fluids.
Between 2005 and 2009, the oil and gas service companies used hydraulic fracturing products containing 29 chemicals that are known or possible human carcinogens, regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) for their risks to human health, or listed as hazardous air pollutants under the Clean Air Act.
The BTEX compounds – benzene, toluene, xylene, and ethylbenzene – are SDWA contaminants and hazardous air pollutants. Benzene also is a known human carcinogen. The hydraulic fracturing companies injected 11.4 million gallons of products containing at least one BTEX chemical over the five-year period.
Methanol, which was used in 342 hydraulic fracturing products, was the most widely used chemical between 2005 and 2009. The substance is a hazardous air pollutant and is on the candidate list for potential regulation under SDWA. Isopropyl alcohol, 2-butoxyethanol, and ethylene glycol were the other most widely used chemicals.
Many of the hydraulic fracturing fluids contain chemical components that are listed as “proprietary” or “trade secret.” The companies used 94 million gallons of 279 products that contained at least one chemical or component that the manufacturers deemed proprietary or a trade secret. In many instances, the oil and gas service companies were unable to identify these “proprietary” chemicals, suggesting that the companies are injecting fluids containing chemicals that they themselves cannot identify.

Due to an embargo break, the committee is releasing the report this evening iead on Monday morning.

Severance tax never enough to cover the damage

2011-05-08T00:04:00.003-05:00

youtu.be/twM30MRavLI' Video from NY effort to ban fracking.

Invitation to attend Earth Day 2011 at World Peace Wetland Prairie and share your information on environmental and natural-resource conservation

2011-04-15T23:27:00.000-05:00

Please click on image to ENLARGE view of Donna Stjerna and Kelly Mullholan's poster for Earth Day 2011 at World Peace Wetland Prairie.

World Peace Wetland Prairie EARTH DAY 2010 VIDEO
Flickr collection of sets of photos from World Peace Wetland Prairie
World Peace Wetland Prairie blog
World Peace Wetland Prairie.com
Aubrey's photos at flickr.com

2000-2005 archive of stories and photos related to creation of WPWP: www.aubunique.com

Please use link below the map to see larger view of the WPWP area, which also allows a person to travel the world by 'Google AIR' by simply using the cursor to move in any direction or search for other addresses.

View World Peace Wetland Prairie in a larger map

Frackin' song a hit with those who understand the problem

2011-04-09T23:50:00.000-05:00

Best Frackin' song ever, some agree.

TEXas getting fracked in its TexASSS

2011-04-08T23:54:00.002-05:00

How Texas Got Fracked Over By Gas Drillers

By Jim Schutze, Fri., Apr. 8 2011 @ 12:32PM

Comments (23)

Categories: Schutze

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We added insult to injury a long time ago in this whole business of fracking in Dallas -- you know, the kind of natural gas drilling where they blow up underground rocks in a geological formation called the Barnett Shale, releasing trapped gas. Now, if you don't mind, I need to add injury to insult to injury: The state is letting the frackers skate out of paying their taxes.

The original injury here is the air and groundwater pollution associated with so-called injection wells in this part of Texas. Since they started doing it in Fort Worth, air pollution there has doubled. The original insult was when the Texas Railroad Commission, the weirdo 19th-century government body in charge of regulating this stuff, decided not to regulate it.

But here's the new injury: An analysis purportedly carried out by the by the Texas Legislative Budget Board but buried by somebody, according to the Texas Observer, shows that the fracking industry has been dodging its fair share of state taxes by a cool $8 billion just for wells drilled in 2009.

Does that number ring a bell? Maybe that's because it's very close to the shortfall in state education funding -- a deficit that is about to decimate public schools across Texas.

(Update at 4:12 p.m.: I've posted an update in the comments. But long story short: The LBB called me back, said it is their report, and told me they didn't publish it because they were told not to.)

The report connects some important dots: The money the drillers are failing to pay in Texas comes straight out of that Rainy Day Fund -- you know, the cash reserve everybody was hoping could be used to stave off this crisis. Sounds like the fund would be twice its current size if the frackers had paid their decent due.

The report is clear. That damned Railroad Commission came up with a wing-ding definition of "high cost drilling" -- forget it, it's part of a technical formula -- effectively allowing much of the industry to skate on its taxes.

Totally.

They're supposed to pay 7.5 percent on revenues. The report says many of them pay zero percent -- nothing. The average rate is less than 2 percent.

And here's the other part: While the Rick Perry Republicans have been down there talking about gutting public education in Texas, this report apparently has been buried. Somebody must have leaked it to some reporters yesterday, and now it's out and about.

I have a call in to the Legislative Budget Board -- as does every other reporter in Texas covering this issue, I must assume, and since yesterday they ain't been talkin'. I do have to issue a caution. I guess the report could be a fake.

I also have a call in to Dallas' own Republican Rep. Dan Branch from District 108, who is a member of the Legislative Budget Board's board of directors.

It doesn't look like a fake, and in the discussion of it in Austin nobody has suggested it's a fake. But in the absence of a call-back from the LBB, I can't assert its absolute authenticity here.

Why talk about it now, before it has been authenticated? Listen: In the current political atmosphere in Texas, the only way to get the truth out of those bastards is with a technique I call journalistic fracking. It's very technical, but I will try to simplify.

We know there are large deposits of truth trapped in an intellectual formation we call the "Rick Perry Shale." By injecting information into the Rick Perry Shale under extremely high pressure, we are sometimes able to blast some of that trapped truth free. So turn away and put your finger in your ears.

How do we react to this? Pollute us. Fool us. Pick our pockets. Abuse our children. But what? Don't do it twice? Is Texas just totally populated by people who allowed other kids to steal their lunch money when they were in elementary school?

Comments (23) Write Comment Email to Friend Print Article

The difference between a nuclear plant IN YOUR STATE and a coal plant IN YOU STATE: The speed at which they kill and how long they keep killing

2011-04-02T22:01:00.000-05:00

http://www.readersupportednews.org/off-site-news-section/209-209/5492-radioactive-water-confirmed-to-have-seeped-into-sea-from-nuke-plant

Up to 1,000 bodies left untouched near troubled nuke plant

TOKYO, March 31, Kyodo

Radiation fears have prevented authorities from collecting as many as 1,000 bodies of victims of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami from within the 20-kilometer-radius evacuation zone around the stricken Fukushima nuclear plant, police sources said Thursday.

One of the sources said bodies had been ''exposed to high levels of radiation after death.'' The view was supported by the detection Sunday of elevated levels of radiation on a body found in Okuma, Fukushima Prefecture, about 5 km from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station.

The authorities are now considering how to collect the bodies, given fears that police officers, doctors and bereaved families may be exposed to radiation in retrieving the radiation-exposed bodies or at morgues, according to the sources.

They initially planned to inspect the bodies after transporting them outside the evacuation zone, but the plan is being reconsidered due to the concerns over exposure.

Local residents have been forced to leave the zone since the current nuclear crisis began unfolding at the Tokyo Electric Power Co. plant, which is leaking radioactive materials as its cooling systems for its reactors and nuclear spent-fuel pools have been knocked out by the disaster.

Even after the bodies are handed over to the victims' families, cremating them could spread plumes containing radioactive materials, while burying the victims could contaminate the soil around them, according to the sources.

The authorities are considering decontaminating and inspecting the bodies where they are found. But the sources said that cleansing decomposing bodies could damage them further.

Victims can be identified through DNA analysis of nail samples, but even then considerable time and effort must be taken to decontaminate the samples, according to experts.

Elevated levels of radiation detected on the victim in the town of Okuma last Sunday forced local police to give up on retrieving the body.

''Measures that can be taken vary depending on the level of radiation, so there need to be professionals who can control radiation,'' said an expert on treating people exposed to radiation. ''One option is to take decontamination vehicles there and decontaminate the bodies one by one.''

==Kyod

Something Arkansas does NOT need now: Disastrous House Bill 1895 could be voted on by Arkansas Senate tomorrow

2011-03-24T22:59:00.000-05:00

In the News...			GET INVOLVED...
Get the most up-to-date, national news from Sierra Club at the Sierra Club Press Room. Get local news about Arkansas legislative issues at the Arkansas Citizens First Congress site. Important Legislative Update: The Southwestern Electric Power Company (SWECPO) has drafted HB 1895 which would make it much easier for utilities to get power plants approved under the radar, hurt ratepayers and cut the public out of the commenting process. The bill can be found at http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/assembly/2011/2011R/Pages/BillInformation.aspx?measureno=HB1895 This bill is bad on several levels: 1) HB 1895, written by the utility Southwestern Electric Power Company (SWEPCO), would change the utility law that is the subject of pending litigation in suits where SWEPCO is a party. Changing the law right before a judge makes a ruling is not a tactic of which I want my legislature to be a part. 2) This bill would create a “declaration of need” proceeding to determine whether there should be more electricity production in Arkansas, but not create public notice requirements for the proceeding. If a government agency is conducting a decision making process that could later on affect my utility rates, I want to make sure that I’m given the opportunity to be a part of that discussion. And I won’t know how to attend if the law doesn’t require me to be notified. 3) HB 1895 would tip the scales to the utilities so that they can pressure government to raise electric rates even more. The bill would create a separate “declaration of need” proceeding where a determination for the need of increased electric capacity would provide the basis for utilities to recover new costs through increased rates. We, the ratepayers, would be stuck with higher bills. Unfortunately, it has already passed the Arkansas House. It is possible that this bill will wind up on the Senate floor, and we need concerned citizens to call their senators now and urge them to vote NO on HB 1895. In order to find your own senator, visit: http://www.arkansas.gov/senate/senatorSearch.html For more information about the bill, please contact: Lev Guter Associate Field Organizer Sierra Club - Arkansas lev.guter@sierraclub.org (941) 779-3337

What Arkansas needs NOW!

2011-03-24T21:13:00.002-05:00

Local Pipeline Safety Policy
http://www.pstrust.org/resources/regs/local_pol.htm

Model Setback Ordinance for Transmission Pipelines
http://www.mrsc.org/Subjects/PubSafe/pipesetbackord.aspx

Myths and Misleading Statements About Oil and Natural Gas Pipelines
http://www.pstrust.org/library/myths.htm

Joyce Hale's video on fracking as presented on December 8, 2010. at Fayetteville Public Library

2011-03-06T06:44:00.000-06:00

Drillers to stop injections until March 29 meeting of Arkansas Oil and Gas Commission

2011-03-04T12:01:00.002-06:00

Drillers say they will halt disposal of fluids

By Arkansas Online Press Services

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Chesapeake Operating Inc. and Clarita Operating LLC both said before a hearing Friday in Little Rock by the state Oil and Gas Commission that they will comply with an emergency request to stop injections of used natural-gas drilling fluid in the two wells in Faulkner County.
The drillers made the announcement in a pre-meeting notice. Still, the commission voted 8-0 to approve an emergency order ceasing operations at that the two injection wells. Commission staff suspects that the wells may be linked to an outbreak of hundreds of small earthquakes in the Faulkner County area.

Arkansas Earth Day Festival 2011 invites all to attend and volunteer for the April 23 event

2011-03-01T15:58:00.002-06:00

Having trouble viewing this email? Click here

EARTH DAY 2011

Saturday April 23rd

North Little Rock Riverfront Park

10am - 3pm

FREE

RAIN OR SHINE

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Chris Haynes

Chair

Nao Ueda

Secretary

Patrick Wright

Treasurer

Lisa Barrett

Brian Evans

Leah Hennings

Jennifer Holman

Mikel Lolley

Jacob Peck

John Pennington

ADVISORY BOARD

Jody Hardin

Mayor Patrick Hays

Kelly Ross

Rep. Kathy Webb

Brad Williams

CO-DIRECTORS

Shelley Green

Sally Mengel

QUICK LINKS

FESTIVAL LINKS

Apply for a Booth

Sell Your Food

Become a Sponsor

Sign Up to Volunteer

Join Us for the Arkansas

Dear Arkansas Earth Day supporter,

We would like to cordially invite you to celebrate the 2011 Arkansas Earth Day Festival! Arkansas' largest environmental festival features exhibits and workshops on living responsibly and promoting a clean environment. Come enjoy live music, festival food, and kids' activities of all kinds. Mark your calendars for Saturday, April 23rd from 10am-3pm at the Northshore Riverwalk, North Little Rock.

Join us and live green Arkansas!

Be Part of the Festival

Do you want to be part of the festival? Could the attention of thousands of environmentally-minded Arkansans impact your business or organization? If so, we invite you to be involved in the 2011 Arkansas Earth Day Festival. Applications for

Sponsors, Booths, Food Vendors, Volunteers and Performers are at www.ArkansasEarthDay.org. ALL are welcome to apply and our application deadline is March 28th.

Volunteer with Us

KEEP LITTLE ROCK BEAUTIFUL

CITYWIDE CLEAN UP

Saturday, March 12th 8am-Noon

Be part of the largest clean up in Little Rock. We will be helping with various cleanup activities around Little Rock. Please email info@arkansasearthday.org if you would like to volunteer.

Volunteer at the Earth Day Festival

...And get a free T-Shirt!

We are seeking volunteers for the day of the festival to assist in a number of ways. Go to www.ArkansasEarthDay.org to apply.

If you are interested in becoming more involved, supporting our vision, or just finding more information about us and our events, check out our website at www.ArkansasEarthDay.org or attend one of our upcoming meetings!

Thank You for Supporting Us!

Remember, Every Day is Earth Day!

The Arkansas Earth Day Foundation (AEDF) is a non-profit coalition engaging Arkansans,

growing awareness, and encouraging action for a clean, healthy, and sustainable Natural State

through an annual festival and year-round community initiatives.

ARKANSAS EARTH DAY FOUNDATION

1423 South Main St, Office D

(in The Green Corner Store)

Little Rock, AR 72202

501.247.2953

www.arkansasearthday.org

info@arkansasearthay.org

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Arkansas Earth Day Foundation | 1423 Main St | Little Rock | AR | 72202

Shreveport Times reports on damage to Sparta aquifer

2011-02-26T10:37:00.000-06:00

Sparta aquifer being drained for natural-gas storage site in north Louisiana, reports the Shreveport Times.

What Arkansans need to deal with the drillers in the fayetteville shale

2011-02-17T23:18:00.001-06:00

New report on Shale Natural Gas Development in AR‏

7:18 PM

Shawn Porter
greensinger@fastmail.fm
Send email
Find ema

dd to contacts

From:	Shawn Porter (greensinger@fastmail.fm)
Sent:	Thu 2/17/11 7:18 PM
To:

We've added this sender to your safe list. That way you can always see what they've sent you.

Pardon cross posting..

Please review and reply with any formal business, civic group, or organizational endorsement that would help demonstrate wide public support for this formal paper (attached). Proposed text for legislative remedies will soon be sent out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Arkansas In The Balance: Managing the Risks of Shale Natural Gas Development in the Natural State provides an assessment of risks from the industry at each stage in the life cycle of a typical hydraulically fractured gas well, and it concludes with recommendations that we think should be implemented for responsible development of gas reserves in Arkansas. I'm sure that industry will claim that these reforms are unnecessary and cost prohibitive, but several other states are already implementing these protections.

The recommendations in the report include:

1.      Improve protections for private landowners, including more information about their rights and the best management practices they should expect from gas companies, better notification when gas company officials will be on their land, and disclosure of gas company practices and chemicals used on their property.
2.      Improve disclosure from gas companies so the public knows the amounts and types of chemicals used, assurance that chemical waste is disposed of properly, the source of water used in the process, the level of contamination of the produced water, how much water is left inside the well, and the fate of the remaining contaminated water after the fracture process.
3.      Require gas companies to reduce the noise from their operations to preserve the peace of rural communities.
4.      Monitor and regulate air emissions from the gas industry, especially in places where many wells and compressors are concentrated near populated areas, and require the companies to use all cost effective measures to reduce air emissions.
5.      Protect water quality from contamination by the gas industry by requiring the gas industry to follow their own best management practices; testing of private water wells that are near proposed gas wells before and after drilling occurs; strengthening regulations and monitoring to ensure that chemicals do not contaminate water at any stage of the drilling process; strengthening regulations that ensure the drill shafts do not corrode or leak into underground aquifers; and requiring the industry to reduce the erosion impacts of the thousands of miles of pipelines, roads and drilling pads.
6.      Improve inspection and enforcement at gas drilling sites to make sure each well is inspected at least once a year and more often during critical stages of development to ensure that violations are caught and corrected quickly. The report recommends that Arkansas agencies create a fee system for gas drillers to pay for better inspection and enforcement programs so Arkansas tax payers are not asked to subsidize the industry.
7.      Increase bonding requirements to make sure Arkansans do not have to pay for the clean up and closure of abandoned mines.

Day late and dollar short: EPA plans full study of fracking

2011-02-09T21:52:00.000-06:00

Fracking study proposed by EPA.

Natural-gas drilling in Fayetteville shale region subject of forum sponsored by Sierra Club

2011-01-22T15:12:00.004-06:00

September 18, 2006, video of eroded fill dirt washing off the Aspen Ridge (now Hill Place) construction site at 11th Street and South Duncan Avenue

2011-01-14T21:14:00.001-06:00

Full disclosure of chemicals used in fracking is open for comment to the Arkansas Oil and Gas Commission

2011-01-07T16:02:00.002-06:00

To those interested in the natural gas development in Arkansas:

Pittsburgh stands first in the country to have banned the fracking process from their city. Attending the rally before the vote was Josh Fox giving a spirited speech. I thought you would be interested to hear the passion he displays even after the long involvement he has had with this project.

Update on Arkansas activity:

Arkansas Oil and Gas Commission -

Jan. 10th is the cutoff date to make comment requesting full disclosure of all fracking chemicals by CAS identification. While there have been improvements made to the Oil & Gas Commissions rule on disclosure, it is incomplete by failing to incorporate the Federal standards for proprietary secrecy. A simple request that they finish to the job of disclosing chemicals for public safety and land owner consideration is in order. Request that all comments be extended to the commissioners as well. Use the following information to make comment:

EMAIL: Larry.Bengal@aogc.state.ar.us

Copy to: Commissioners - Chad White, Chairman, W. Frank Morledge, Charles Wohlford, Bill Poynter, Mike Davis, Kenneth Williams, William L. Dawkins, Jr., Jerry Langley, and Chris Weiser

Mr. Lawrence C. Bengal, Director

Production and Conservation

Arkansas Oil and Gas Commission

301 Natural Resources Drive, Suite 102

Little Rock, Arkansas 72205

Subject: Full disclosure of chemical constituents used in natural gas fracking

Issue: The current B-19 ruling is incomplete in providing limited claims for proprietary formulas. The best approach would be full disclosure of every constituent by CAS identification, but at minimum the Federal guidelines for trade secrets should be included in the rule in their entirety. The current wording is incomplete and does not provide how secrecy would be granted or what percentage would be allowed.

Thank you for assisting with this important comment, if you are able to help. Pass the word.

Joyce Hale's presentation on fracking at Fayetteville Public Library on December 8, 2010

2011-01-02T13:52:00.002-06:00

For a slide show of many more photos from this gathering and even more from numerous other gatherings of Arkansas natural-resource conservationists and environmentalists use this link.
Please click on individual images to ENLARGE.

Haynesville shale gets its own movie. Please view the trailer here and NOW

2010-12-24T01:24:00.000-06:00

Haynesville Movie Trailer from Gregory Kallenberg on Vimeo.

World Peace Wetland Prairie was once approved to be an apartment complex but Town Branch Neighborhood gathered friends to make it a city nature park

2010-12-12T00:33:00.002-06:00

New York activists fighting fracking

2010-11-26T10:24:00.001-06:00

Cox Cable changes of interest to viewers of Fayetteville's public channels

2010-11-21T20:43:00.002-06:00

aubunique: Please fill out online survey of opinion of perfor...

2010-11-09T20:43:00.000-06:00

aubunique: Please fill out online survey of opinion of perfor...: "Greetings Everyone! CAT Performance Survey 2010 As we reach the end of 2010, Community Access Television (CAT) requests the favor of yo..."

Cox Cable pulls surprise on city of Fayetteville, Arkansas, with plan to move public-access, government channel and educational channel to EXPENSIVE digital tier of channels: So much for open government when thousands of people will not be able to afford access to the public channels

2010-11-08T21:34:00.000-06:00

Please click on image to ENLARGE view of Cox Cable advertisement in recent issue of The Northwest Arkansas Times.

For several years I have been able to turn away phone and online salesmen wanting me to take the satellite systems and later the Uverse TV system of AT&T. But now Cox has set up a situation that will require me to drop their service and take the Uverse, which will automatically cut my cost because I have AT&T phone service already. Cox has one thing the others don't have: The local public stations at minimal cost. This is the time for the city administration to begin negotiating with COX. This is a draconian measure that will hurt COX in the long run.

A few more words from David Whitaker on election eve

2010-11-01T20:55:00.002-05:00

aubunique: Insect Festival coming up

2010-10-06T20:01:00.000-05:00

aubunique: Insect Festival coming up: "Please use live links on site to navigate and read more detail. Bumpers College Home Entomology Home O..."

aubunique: Tree and Landscape Committee sets annual city tree...

2010-10-06T11:22:00.000-05:00

aubunique: Tree and Landscape Committee sets annual city tree...: "12th Annual Celebration of TreesSaturday October 9, 2010 7:00 am Town Center entrance on the Fayetteville SquareEvery year the Tree and Lan..."

Two such wetland plants growing together are a strong indicator of wetland

2010-08-15T21:44:00.001-05:00

Please click on image to ENLARGE and widen view of Asclepias incarnata (swamp milkweed) and Verbena hastata (swamp vervain) growing together on south Fayetteville wetland.

Diana fritillary on butterfly milkweed on June 21, 2010 CATRO_Title_03_0...

2010-07-22T19:35:00.000-05:00

NCAT announces that Arkansas among 3 states chosen to launch National Energy Corps program

2010-07-13T13:10:00.002-05:00

Arkansas Chosen as One of 3 States to Launch National Energy Corps Program

The National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) is pleased to announce that it has been awarded funding from the Corporation for National and Community Service to launch the National Energy Corps AmeriCorps program.

By forming collaborations with local non-profit organizations, community action agencies, local governments and energy service organizations, the National Energy Corps initiative will foster community sustainability by addressing the core challenges of clean energy:

* Hands-on Energy Assistance
* Energy Education and Outreach
* Community Energy Planning and Organizing
* Green Jobs Training and Skills Development

The National Energy Corps program is an AmeriCorps initiative of the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) in cooperation with The Corporation for National and Community Service that was created to address unmet community energy needs by promoting sustainable energy consumption and
education, fostering community sustainability and helping to mitigate the effects of global climate change.

The National Energy Corps initiative builds on the success of the Montana Energy Corps pilot, a program funded by the Montana Governor’s Office of Community Service. Since October of 2009, Energy Corps members in Montana have been busy assisting with weatherization services for low-incomes areas,
developing clean energy awareness campaigns for communities and performing community building energy audits on reservations.

“We see a need for sustainable energy services across the country,” says Energy Corps Program Director Holly Hill. “The Energy Corps program has been a great success in Montana and we hope we can replicate that success on a larger scale.”

As a product of the successful Montana Energy Corps program, the National Energy Corps initiative will launch this fall in three additional states, Pennsylvania, Iowa and Arkansas. The Arkansas Energy Corps program will be managed by the NCAT Southeast Regional Office, located in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
NCAT Southeast Regional Office Director Margo Hale says, “The Southeast Regional office is thrilled to be one of three states to launch the National Energy Corps initiative. This is a great opportunity for our region and our state.”

Arkansas will have approximately 15 National Energy Corps positions available, beginning in September 2010. Energy Corps members will serve an 11 month term of service and receive the same benefits as an AmeriCorps member, which include a monthly living stipend, an education award, health insurance
and a experience of a lifetime providing direct services to their community. National Energy Corps members will be placed with host organizations in communities throughout the state of Arkansas to implement solutions for sustainable energy.

NCAT is currently accepting applications from non-profit organizations interested in hosting an Energy Corps member. Host organizations will be required to provide a detailed description of how an Energy Corps member working for their program will facilitate clean energy-related services.

Applications for host organizations must be submitted by the close of business by July 20, 2010. More detailed information regarding this partnership opportunity is available by reviewing the full application instructions attached or by contacting Holly Hill at 406-494-8652/hollyh@ncat.org or Melissa Terry at 479.575.1382/melissat@ncat.org.

###

The National Center for Appropriate Technology is a nonprofit organization founded in 1976. NCAT’s innovative and diverse projects in the fields of
sustainable energy, sustainable agriculture and rural community development are supported by foundations, government/private sector grants and contracts, as well as through individual contributions and memberships.

--
AR Energy Corps Coordinator
National Center for Appropriate Technology
SE Field Office
207 W. Center
Fayetteville, AR 72701
www.ncat.org
479.575.1385

Earth Day Festival began Friday night with Caring for Creation at Mount Sequoyah; Earth Day at World Peace Wetland Prairie from 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, April 18, 2010, offers eduction and fun for all ages

2010-04-16T23:04:00.003-05:00

Please click on image to ENLARGE for closer view of sample photos from WPWP.

PLEASE double-click the image to ENLARGE view and ENLARGE further with your computer's tools to read small type. For more about World Peace Wetland Prairie please see www.flickr.com/photos/7295307@N02/collections/ www.flickr.com/photos/7295307@N02/collections/

PLEASE double-click the image to ENLARGE view and ENLARGE further with your computer's tools to read small type.

MANY REASONS TO PROTECT LAND SUCH AS WORLD PEACE WETLAND AND PINNACLE PRAIRIE FOREVER:

World Peace Wetland Prairie is the riparian zone of a small stream that historically was fed by seep springs and rainwater from three directions when the first westward immigrants settled Fayetteville, Arkansas. World Peace Wetland Prairie has the deepest layer of dark, rich soil in its subwatershed because leaves and other vegetative matter accumulated as the flowing water slowed and soaked into the absorbent soil and enriched that soil. Pinnacle Foods Inc.'s mounded wet prairie to the west is the main source of clean water flowing to World Peace Wetland Prairie at this time. Before the railroad was built, water flowed off Rochier Hill to the northwest and from the prairie and savannah to the north of WPWP that has been replaced by fill dirt and paving for apartments. Water from the east and north slopes of the high land where Pinnacle Foods Inc. now sits flowed to WPWP along with all the water from the high ground near 15th Street, which moved north to WPWP before flowing east to the Town Branch of the West Fork of the White River. Such remnants of prairie help keep the water where it falls and recharge the groundwater. Like the many similar remnants of such prairie in our diverse geographical area, WPWP and Pinnacle Prairie are the surface manifestation of a significant bedrock fault. Such sunken wetland is a characteristic feature that appears above geological faults worldwide. The Karst map of Washington County Arkansas shows the WPWP watershed in red, meaning that it is a critical groundwater recharge area. Preserving such depressional wetland in our city is the least expensive way to reduce downstream flooding and siltation of our water supply. Hundreds of native plants grow. Many birds and other wildlife prosper on healthy wetland vegetation. And prairie vegetation sequesters carbon dioxide and cleans the ground water.

KEEP the WATER where it FALLS!

Fracturing for fuel ought to be outlawed, many say: Will it happen?

2010-04-16T00:26:00.002-05:00

Item from environmental email list.
Names omitted to protect those guilty of actually thinking about the situation and commenting:

In yesterday's Dem/Gazette, a front-page article said that Exxon is seriously concerned that Congress might outlaw hydraulic fracturing for natural gas, or pass regulations that make the practice too expensive to use. Such a law would, of course, be wonderful for the immediate environment such as water resources near the natural gas sites, and is also essential for eventually solving global warming because we're doomed if we go ahead and exploit all these "unconventional" fossil fuel resources. What do you know about efforts to pass such a federal law? How can we help pass such a law?

A related thought: Either a carbon tax, or a cap & trade system, would increase the cost of producing natural gas and might make fracturing unprofitable compared with other energy sources.

Gas-well work damages environment in several ways

2010-04-14T11:39:00.002-05:00

Folks,

I agree 100% with Art. We need to transition from fossil fuels, and we 
need to start it in a serious way, NOW. Not just dribs and drabs here and 
there, the way we are doing it today. Whether the human race is capable 
of such wisdom, is of course, less than certain.

Unfortunately, our treatment of groundwater exhibits our shortcomings. 
Our almost universal depletion of aquifers and pollution of them is a 
really bad idea. Yet it goes on, with almost no effort to turn things 
around.

-- Malcolm

Malcolm K. Cleaveland, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus of Geography
Tree-Ring Laboratory TEL: 479-575-3159
Dept. of Geosciences, Division of Geography FAX: 479-575-3469
Ozark Hall 113
University of Arkansas - Fayetteville
Fayetteville, AR 72701 U.S.A. INTERNET: mcleavel@uark.edu

On Tue, 13 Apr 2010, Art Hobson wrote:

> Hi Dina -
>
> Thanks for this note. I wonder what indirect effects these small quakes are 
> having, on groundwater, on buried gas lines, and other things. It might be 
> worth asking Mr. Al-Shukri if he is aware of any such effects.
>
> In my opinion, the big gorilla in these unconventional gas operations (i.e. 
> any gas operation other than simple drilling and release of gas) is global 
> warming. It's been clear for decades, and James Hansen makes it very clear 
> in his recent book "Storms of My Grandchildren," that humankind must not 
> exploit these unconventional fossil resources: shale oil, shale gas, tar 
> sands, deep offshore oil, conversion of coal to liquid and gaseous fuels, 
> etc. Atmospheric CO2 is already up to 390 parts per million, and Hansen 
> shows that this level is already unsustainable and will probably melt much of 
> Greenland and the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. This melting has already begun, 
> but at a slow pace. The pace will increase, and the rate of global sea level 
> rise will eventually reach several meters (yards) per century. According to 
> Hansen, "For the moment the best estimate I can make of when a large sea 
> level change will begin is during the lifetime of my grandchildren--or 
> perhaps your children." Hansen is the head of NASA's Goddard Institute for 
> Space Studies and arguably the world's leading climate scientist.
>
> We must stop the insane exploitation of all these difficult-to-recover 
> unconventional fossil resources. There's far too much carbon in them for the 
> planet to handle without shifting to an entirely new climate regime, one that 
> humans won't be well suited for. The sensible way to do this is to put an 
> economic price on carbon emissions, using a carbon tax & rebate 
> (preferred--see Hansen's book) or a cap & trade system. We haven't really 
> begun to do this yet. We'd better get busy.
>
> - Art
>
>
> On Apr 12, 2010, at 4:47 PM, Dina Nash wrote:
>
>> Wonder how the folks who live "in the middle of nowhere" feel about being 
>> dismissed as unimportant? This is the area where my grandparents taught 
>> school, where more and more people are moving to (Greenbriar and in all 
>> directions out from it). What's happening to their sense of security and 
>> to their livestock, their water wells, and the foundations of their old 
>> barns and homes? At least, there's now the recognition that the drilling 
>> is causing the earthquakes. Wonder how many small ones will happen before 
>> larger ones are triggered? How many does it take for permanent changes in 
>> the water table to happen?
>> 
>> If you have information about people being affected, will you please 
>> contact me and I'll pass the information on to the Sierra Club folks who 
>> are trying to organize measured responses to the shale drilling issue.
>> 
>> Dina Nash, Pulaski County League of Women Voters, Environmental Co-chair
>> Little Rock
>> 501-554-2200 (c)
>> 
>> ----- Forwarded Message ----
>> From: Barry Haas 
>> Sent: Sun, April 11, 2010 11:28:17 PM
>> Subject: April 10, 2010 Arkansas DemGaz article: Scientist blames quakes 
>> on drilling
>> 
>> Scientist blames quakes on drilling
>> By Kenneth Heard
>> LITTLE ROCK — A series of temblors near Greenbrier in central Arkansas, 
>> including one Thursday evening, were more likely caused by gas and oil 
>> drilling than an active fault, geologists said Friday.
>> The U.S. Geological Survey reported an earthquake measuring 1.6 in 
>> magnitude about 5 miles northwest of Greenbrier at 5:01 p.m. Thursday.
>> There were no reports of damage.
>> Several other quakes hit the area over the past several months, said 
>> Haydar Al-Shukri, director of the Arkansas Earthquake Center at the 
>> University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
>> Because the earthquakes have occurred infrequently, Al-Shukri believes 
>> they are caused by workers drilling for oil and gas in Faulkner County. He 
>> expects more, minor ones to rattle the area as drilling continues.
>> “If it were a fault zone, we’d see constant activity,” Al-Shukri said. 
>> “These are occurring sporadically in areas close to drilling and 
>> injecting.”
>> He said drilling and injecting the holes with fluid create pressure 
>> underground and cause shifting of tectonic plates.
>> An area about 8 miles east of Hector in Pope County also has seen an 
>> increase in rumblings, he said. The U.S. Geological Survey reported seven 
>> quakes measuring 1.8 in magnitude or greater in the past three weeks.
>> The epicenters of the quakes were at different depths - another indication 
>> that they are not fault-based and instead are caused by the drilling, 
>> Al-Shukri said.
>> “When someone extracts oil or injects a lot of fluid into the subsurface, 
>> it causes a tip in the balance,” he said. “These quakes are the result of 
>> that imbalance.”
>> Al-Shukri doesn’t expect the earthquakes to be greater than 3.5 in 
>> magnitude.
>> Quakes measuring 4.0 in magnitude can cause minor structural damage.
>> “We don’t anticipate any problems,” he said. “They are small and most are 
>> happening in the middle of nowhere where the drilling is going on.”
>> This article was published April 10, 2010 at 5:24 a.m.
>> 
>> 
>
> Art Hobson, Physics, U Arkansas, Fayetteville.
> See my liberal-arts physics textbook and other stuff at 
> http://physics.uark.edu/hobson/.

EPA to throw cold water on natural-gas industry pollution

2010-03-24T23:12:00.000-05:00

Ever since a documentary filmmaker's drinking watercaught fire as a result of contamination from a nearby natural gas extraction operation — in which millions of gallons of water, sand and top-secret chemicals are injected deep into deposits of shale to free the natural gas trapped within — the industry behind this innovation has had a PR problem.

And well it should: While the industry loves to cite a 2004 study conducted by the EPA that declared hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking" for short, safe for drinking water supplies, the EPA now says that study was wholly inadequate to address the orgy of fracking now occurring in the United States. Fracking involves pumping water and chemicals deep into the earth — and potentially into watersheds — to force natural gas to flow into shafts to be excavated. The EPA has announced that it will conduct a new study to re-evaluate the safety of the practice. But you can imagine how that's going over in an industry that has literally exploded in the past ten years, spewing so much natural gas into U.S. supplies that it has, all by itself, chopped the price of natural gas in half.

But if you thought the debate over the health care bill was dirty, you haven't begun to conceive of the fights between water, energy and the environment that will play out in the 21st century, as supplies of conventional oil dwindle and reserves of conventional natural gas (Canada is currently our largest supplier) continue to shrink. Fracking has the potential to become the U.S.'s tar sands.

Aside from the fact that exploiting remote stores of natural gas means a whole new reserve of carbon for us to send into the atmosphere, there are other parallels with the climate policy debate: Waxman and Markey are involved, and fracking has friends on the Hill, just like countless other carbon-intensive, fossil fuel-centric industries.

The bottom line is that as oil becomes scarce, and funding for our domestic renewable energy industry continues to languish for lack of a strong and consistent signal from Washington, the U.S. is left with a lousy choice: burn more coal or burn more natural gas. Fracking gets us more of the latter, which is easier on the climate, BTU for BTU, but could destroy our dwindling supplies of fresh water in the process. The debate is already getting personal for citizens of America's most populous city: New York's water comes from natural reservoirs within protected watersheds, upstate, which is precisely where oil and gas companies propose to launch yet another bacchanal of fracking.

The gas isn't going away, and neither is our need for cheap energy. Whether that will beat out our desire to have uncontaminated wells is precisely what the upcoming EPA study is designed to address. Yet, if things play out as they have in the climate arena, the science will matter only to the defenders of the environment, while industry and its cronies act to preserve their own short-term interests.

Photo credit: Todbaker

Christopher Mims is a Florida-based journalist whose work has appeared in Scientific American, Wired, Popular Science, Technology Review, Discover magazine and others.

Ask Congress to restore Clean Water Act now

2010-03-22T11:08:00.001-05:00

Please double-click "view as webpage" link near top right to see full post.

March 22, 2010	View as Webpage \| Forward \| Subscribe

	Dear Aubrey, If you think the Clean Water Act protects your drinking water from pollution, think again. Please take action today to ensure fundamental safeguards for clean water in our streams, rivers, and lakes. A confusing 2006 Supreme Court decision on the Clean Water Act has left the fate of 60 percent of the nation’s stream miles -– that provide drinking water for 117 million Americans –- in legal limbo. As a result, as reported in The New York Times, polluters are now claiming complete exemptions from reporting what they dump into local streams. Congress can resolve this problem by passing legislation to restore full federal protection for all our waters. Help us ensure that all of our nation’s waters are protected under the Clean Water Act. Urge your representative to support introducing and passing the Clean Water Restoration Act today. Thank you for your support. Sincerely, Katherine Baer Senior Director, Clean Water Program

To contact American Rivers, email us at outreach@AmericanRivers.org.
To update your profile or change your preferences click here. To unsubscribe click here.

I would like to express grave concern over the loss of protection for many of our small streams that provide clean drinking water for 117 million Americans in communities across the country. Supreme Court decisions in the Rapanos and Carabell cases have made it confusing and burdensome for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to protect small streams and wetlands under the Clean Water Act.

As a result, enforcement actions against polluters have declined sharply the EPA estimates that over 1,000 cases have been shelved or dropped altogether. More recently it has become clear that some polluters are using the decisions as a justification to avoid any permitting and reporting requirements for discharging pollutants into our waters.

For the Clean Water Act to fulfill its goal of restoring the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the nation's waters, all waters must receive protection corresponding with Congress' original intent when passing this landmark law. Upstream waters must be protected from pollution and destruction if we expect downstream waters to be fit for swimming, drinking, and fish and wildlife, and downstream communities to be safe from flooding.

I urge you to act in the interest of preserving clean water for healthy communities and wildlife. Please support introduction and passage of the Clean Water Restoration Act, which would clarify the definition of waters to eliminate uncertainty and ensure clean water in accordance with the goals of the Clean Water Act.

Thank you for your consideration.

Gas-well waste problem in Texas. See Pandora's Wells in Fort Worth Weekly at link below

2010-03-01T09:36:00.002-06:00

Pandora's Wells | Fort Worth Weekly - News, Entertainment, Restaurants, Music

Democracy Now video below shows hidden cost of hydraulic fracturing in search for fossil fuel

2010-02-25T15:55:00.001-06:00

The morning of February 23, 2010, on Democracy Now (every weekday morning 7am CAT Ch. 18) Amy interviewed Josh Fox, the director of the new film, "Gasland."
He traveled about 10 states and discovered widespread pollution of groundwater by hydraulic fracturing. The or a connection to CCTF is the harm caused by the reckless search for additional fossil fuels. There are hidden costs in fracturing; the public needs to know the true costs in this and all energy sources. Also the corruption involved (another cost):

The 2005 Energy Bill exempted the natural-gas industry from the Safe Drinking Water Act especially to give free rein to fracking. Imagine the amount of money spent on campaign contributions and lobbying to produce that special corporate-interest legislature.

--
Dick Bennett
jbennet@uark.edu

Arkansas Supreme Court to hear major environmental case the week before Earth Day: Will the court do the right thing?

2010-02-09T23:17:00.001-06:00

State Supreme Court Sets Hearing on Swepco Power Plant
By The Associated Press - 2/9/2010 12:03:25 PM

LITTLE ROCK - The Arkansas Supreme Court is to hear oral arguments on April 15 in a utility's appeal of a ruling that voided its permit to operate a $1.6 billion coal-fired electric generation plant in southwest Arkansas.
(Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be broadcast published, rewritten, or redistributed.)
Copyright © 2010, Arkansas Business Limited Partnership. All Rights Reserved.

Photo montage of World Peace Wetland Prairie

2010-02-09T12:00:00.002-06:00

Please click on image to ENLARGE and navigate up and down, right and left, to see whole montage.

Montage by Lauren D. Hawkins with photos by Aubrey James Shepherd

OMNI Center for Peace, Justice and Ecology invites all to open house from 3 to 6 p.m. today

2010-02-06T11:31:00.001-06:00

View Larger Map

OMNI Center for Peace Justice and Ecology opens new house to all TODAY!
Office Phone: (479)935-4422
omni.center.for.pje@gmail.com
“OMNI Center for Peace, Justice & Ecology
educates and empowers people to actively
build a non-violent, sustainable and just world.”
Saturday,
February 2010
3:00—6:00 PM
3274 N. Lee Ave
OMNI CENTER for PEACE, JUSTICE & ECOLOGY
You are invited to celebrate the dedication of
OMNI Center’s new building! Enjoy music, re-
freshments, good fellowship, speakers, and
tours! Learn more than 35 ways to be involved
in OMNI. Help build a culture of peace in an
earth restored, that includes everyone.
Children
Welcome!
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Access
Refreshments
Will Be
Served!
Open House!

Arkansas Natural Heritage leases mineral rights

2010-01-16T18:21:00.000-06:00

NWAOnline.com

Natural areas’ mineral rights leased

By ALISON SIDER

Saturday, January 16, 2010

LITTLE ROCK — The Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission leased its mineral rights in two designated natural areas in the Fayetteville Shale formation to XTO Energy on Friday, for a bonus payment of more than $1.4 million in addition to any royalties from gas produced from the land.

XTO paid more than $3,000 an acre for both areas, with a 25 percent royalty payment, well above the minimum bid of $950 an acre set by the Natural Resources Committee.

The commission was approached in October by gas companies about leasing their mineral rights on 197.5 acres of the Big Creek Natural Area in Cleburne County, and 228 acres of Cove Creek Natural Area in Faulkner County, Deputy Director Chris Colclasure said.

“We’re the lessors of last resort; we’re not in the business to make money from gas leases for the Natural Heritage Commission. But we need to be good neighbors,” said Karen Smith, the commission’s director.

Large portions of the natural areas are in 640-acre sections shared with other landowners, most of whom had already leased their mineral rights to gas companies. Drilling and exploration activity could not begin in these areas unless the commission signed on as well.

“They were basically just waiting on us,” Colclasure said. The commission has not leased the mineral rights on a 640-acre section within Big Creek Natural Area that it does not share with any other landowners, Colclasure said.

The state purchased the natural areas to preserve habitats for plant and animal species and for public enjoyment. To help maintain their integrity, several restrictions were built into the leases. The commission stipulated that no gas wells or other surface disruptions can take place on the public lands, and no gas wells can be drilled within a 200-foot “buffer” zone. Colclasure said the commission also asked the private landowners who own portions of the mineral rights in Big Creek natural area to include similar provisions in their lease contracts.

This is the commission’s third and largest mineral rights lease. It leased 40 acres in the Big Creek natural area in 2007 for a $20,000 bonus and another 40 acres last summer for a $120,000 bonus. The commission also has received royalties from drilling that began in one of these areas over the summer.

The revenue from these transactions goes to the commission as stipulated by a state statute, Smith said. It intends to use the money for special projects such as land acquisitions, Smith said.

Smith said they have seen nothing negative from allowing drilling activity under their lands.

“We have stewardship staff that go to these natural areas and monitor periodically, and we have not witnessed any environmental impact to our land ownings,” she said.

Since drilling began in the Fayetteville Shale five years ago, several state agencies have found themselves with land holdings that sit on top of the valuable resource. The horizontal drilling practices employed in the Fayetteville Shale have allowed gas companies to drill laterals thousands of feet long and deep beneath the earth’s surface, so gas can be extracted with minimal disruption above.

State agencies, excluding universities, recorded $39,256,000 in accounts described as “mineral leases, mineral leases and royalties, and mineral oil and gas leases,” in the 2009 fiscal year, said Paul Lothian, the head of the Department of Finance and Administration’s accounting department. In addition, the state has received about $750,000 from mineral rights on federal land within the state that has been leased.

The Game and Fish Commission is the most active agency in the market for mineral rights. It has leased more than 11,000 acres and received bonus payments in the neighborhood of $34 million since it started leasing its mineral rights in wildlife management areas, said Deputy Director Loren Hitchcock.

Hitchcock said the commission stipulated that drilling activity can only occur during certain parts of the year and not during hunting season, leaving about a four month window. “I think we have enough safeguards in place to deal with their operations,” he said.

The commission is being sued by James Dockery, a Little Rock man who claims that the money from natural gas leases held by the agency should go to the state’s general fund and not to the agency itself.

The Arkansas State Parks Department leased its mineral rights in Woolly Hollow State Park in Greenbrier to Chesapeake Energy in May 2009 but will not allow drilling on the surface. The department received nearly $197,000 for the rights to drill under the 432-acre park.

Other state agencies that have leased mineral rights for gas exploration include the Highway and Transportation Department, the Department of Human Services, the University of Arkansas, University of Southern Arkansas and Arkansas State University at Searcy and Beebe, said Jerry Bradshaw, mineral leasing officer in the Real Estate Division of the state land commissioner’s office.

Most of these have no drilling clauses included in their lease agreements, he said.

“Everybody’s a pretty good steward of the land,” Bradshaw said.

Business, Pages 31 on 01/16/2010

Fasting activists inspiring others in Copenhagen to hang tough and demand Climate Justice NOW!

2009-12-13T20:03:00.000-06:00

"I support Climate Justice Fast!" sent you a message on Facebook...‏
From: Facebook (notification+pu1pu1md@facebookmail.com)
Sent: Sun 12/13/09 4:23 PM
To: Aubrey James Shepherd (aubreyshepherd@hotmail.com)
Anna C Keenan sent a message to the members of I support Climate Justice Fast!

--------------------
Subject: Hunger for Survival - Thursday 17 December 2009

Hello, Climate Justice Fast supporters,

http://www.facebook.com/anna.c.keenan?ref=profile#/event.php?eid=227106867068&ref=mf

During the COP15 conference, the Climate Justice Fast here in Copenhagen has inspired people around the world to higher levels of activism, and has generated a huge number of media hits from Turkey to Japan to Greece to Korea and all around the world!

Due to the inspiration that the fasters have provided to - in particular - the 1000-strong youth activist contingent at the conference, the youth groups and a number of large environmental organisations have decided that they would like to invite their members to fast for one day - THIS THURSDAY 17 DECEMBER - in support of the CJF, and solidarity with the millions who have and will lose their lives due to the preventable and involuntary hunger, disease and conflict resulting from climate change.

We have created a facebook event here - sign up if you are willing to join the day of fasting and reflection: http://www.facebook.com/anna.c.keenan?ref=profile#/event.php?eid=227106867068&ref=mf

Many notable climate and sustainability leaders, including Vandana Shiva, will also be joining in this fast and moral call.

“If not us then who, and if not now then when?”

One day before the Heads of State arrive to finalise the deal in Copenhagen, we are calling for all people, everywhere across the world, to join a single global day of fasting – voluntarily going without food – and personal reflection on the climate crisis, and what we as humanity need to do to solve it.

Commit to join the day of fasting by joining this facebook event - and inviting all of your friends!

http://www.facebook.com/anna.c.keenan?ref=profile#/event.php?eid=227106867068&ref=mf

Now, we must be done with trying to persuade politicians with debates and intellectual argument. They have heard it all already. Now they face a decision about what is simply morally right.

On Thursday 17th December, we will therefore not yell, but instead quiet our voices and raise up our hearts in silence, not telling our leaders what they should do, but instead use the historically symbolic and powerful act of the fast to ask our leaders to reflect on the gravity of the choices they are about to make.

http://www.facebook.com/anna.c.keenan?ref=profile#/event.php?eid=227106867068&ref=mf

*** UPDATE on the fasters ***

Sara Svensson, Anna Keenan and Paul Connor are all now on the 39th day of their fast, having started on the 6th of November. Matthieu Balle, a solar panel installer from Paris who joined us immediately after hearing about us on French radio, is now reaching his 22nd day. Daniel Lau and Michael Morphett have both bravely decided to end their fasts, following medical advice, after both passing 30 days without food - a heroic feat.

The fasters are all in high spirits and good health, and are under appropriate medical supervision.

****