By Cameron S.

Water is not the plentiful resource it used to be. Farmers in Denver, CO who have been bidding for water now face a new problem from oil and gas drillers. Companies that provide water for hydraulic fracturing (fracking) at well sites were top bidders at Colorado’s premier auction on water once claimed exclusively by farmers.  The Northern Water Conservancy District runs the auction, offering excess water diverted from the Colorado River Basin.

The problem with the drilling companies taking the water is that when they use it, it is forever taken out of the “hydrological cycle.” The chemicals that are being used in the fracking process contaminate the water to the point that it can never be recycled.

The idea of fighting with energy industry giants over water leaves farmers and environmentalists uneasy. “What impact to our environment and our agricultural heritage are Coloradans willing to stomach for drilling and fracking?” said Gary Wockner, director of the Save the Poudre Coalition, recently stated in an article by The Denver Post.

Northern Water spokesman and fracking activist Brian Werner begs to differ. “If you have a beneficial use for the water, then you can bid for that water. We see the beneficial use of the water as a positive for the economy of the whole region. Fracking is one of those uses. Our uses of water have evolved over 150 years.”

These energy industries “carry a big stick” at auctions and will likely have the money to outbid the competition everytime.

By Cameron S.

Dimock, PA has received the first tanker of fresh water to four houses where federal regulators say they found arsenic and chemicals often used in gas drilling in the well water. The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) discovered these chemicals through testing and decided it was time Dimock got some help.

Cabot Oil & Gas Corp. is criticizing regulators’ reasoning for investigating them in the first place. Their argument is that they are being singled out and the results from the tests are from surrounding areas rather than where their drilling occurred. “It appears that EPA selectively chose data on substances it was concerned about in order to reach a result it had predetermined,” stated Cabot Oil & Gas Corp.

“We test for arsenic in all of our water systems,” Pennsylvania American Water spokeswoman Susan Turcmanovich said. “If there was any detection of arsenic at any level, it would be reported in the water quality report and sent to all its customers.”

By Cameron S.

Ohio started off the New Year with their 11^th earthquake since March near the Youngstown area. Over the past year Ohio Governor John Kasich has welcomed energy companies with open arms, “I told them if you come to Ohio and you screw up – you’re not going to want to screw up.”

The earthquakes since March have put the 177 deep well injection sites in Ohio under the microscope. According to Columbia University seismic experts, the injection of 100,000+ barrels of oilfield waste fluids into a fault line probably caused the quake. The wells are known as Class II injection wells and the waste they hold contains a brine-water mix that contains chemicals used in the oil and gas production process.

“Pennsylvania only has six injection wells like the one thought to have triggered earthquakes in Youngstown,” said Kent Jackson, staff writer for the Times-Tribune. Because of this Ohio has been accepting much oilfield waste from out-of-state, including Pennsylvania. According to The Plain Dealer Ohio’s disposal wells are needed more than ever, with nearly 37,000 barrels a day, records show a 60 percent increase in out-of-state waste.

Ohio isn’t the only area that has experienced this phenomenon; Oklahoma has endured more than 50 earthquakes this past year alone. The bulk of these occurred within 2.1 miles of Eola Field, a fracking operation in Southern Garvin County, the most recent date being measured at 5.6. This earthquake was Oklahoma’s biggest earthquake to date. “There are 181 injection wells in the Oklahoma County where most of the weekend earthquakes happened,” said Matt Skinner, spokesman for the Oklahoma Corporation Commission, which oversees oil and gas production in the state and intrastate transportation pipelines.

State Rep. Bob Hagan of Youngstown said, “We’re dealing with earthquakes and we’re dealing with a dangerous chemical solution that seems to have found a home in Ohio.”

 According to a story in the U.K.’s Blackpool Gazette  on 10/15/2011, British energy chiefs have sent a stark warning to shale gas company Cuadrillo Resources to stop the tremors or be shut down. It comes as the company held urgent talks with the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) to consider a report about the risk of earthquakes associated with fracking. The meetings followed the British Geological Survey’s (BGS) conclusion that two recent earth tremors felt nearby were most likely caused by fracking. See story at blackpoolgazette.co.uk

Cloudless blue skies and high temperatures provided the setting for the annual Hancock Community Fall Festival on Saturday, October 8, 2011. Attractions at Fireman’s Park included a bake sale to benefit the Hancock Education Foundation, face painting and mini-golf for the kids, hay rides and hot dogs and mammoth pumpkins for sale.

 The main event, however, was the field of tractors in all shapes and sizes. The tractor parade is the highlight of the Fall Festival. When Hancock first started the Fall Festival the tractor portion of the parade was small; with only three or four entries. But as more enthusiasts heard about the parade the number of participants has increased. This year there were 39 tractors and one team of horses.

 Robert R., a life-long resident of Hancock, was one of the first people to bring his tractor to the Fall Festival. His love for the community combined with his passion for rebuilding John Deere tractors played an integral role in the growth of the parade through the years.

 Four years ago Bob R. passed away but his spirit lives on as every October more and more tractors show up to roll through the streets of Hancock.

 In 2008 the parade became The Bob R. Memorial Parade. His daughter, Cindy A., said, “My father was special in his willingness to use his skills to help other people. I really admired that and the humble way he did it. It is a testament to his kindness to others that the community named this parade after him.”

“It’s a wonderful thing, where people get together. I participate because the more tractors the better, and I can help out. It’s good for the town. I hope this gets passed on for generations to come,” said Callicoon resident Bill E.

In the future, Terrence O. (the parade organizer) hopes to increase the size of the parade, adding a tractor rodeo, barrel rolling and tractor drag racing.

Yellowstone River…The Yel­lowstone River in Montana fell victim to an oil spill in early July. An ExxonMobil pipeline ruptured downstream of a town of 6,500 people. It was unclear how much oil was actually released into the river, however, large shiny patches could be seen in the current. Fear­ing an explosion, at midnight of­ficials evacuated 140 people but allowed them to return at around 4 am. Experts believe the pipeline burst because it may have been exposed to debris from eroding parts of the river bed. More than 100 people from the EPA were sent to clean up the mess. Initially, the area’s drinking water was shut off, but was restored after testing showed no sign of contamination. (source: The New York Times)

Southern Tier Gas Produc­tion…Though drilling on the Mar­cellus Shale has been put on hold, gas companies have still managed to make the Southern Tier and western New York one of the larg­est producers of New York State’s natural gas. The state Department of Environmental Conservation’s annual production figures stated that areas around Broome Coun­try made up a significant portion of the 35.8 billion cubic feet of natural gas produced this year. Chenago County was reportedly the fifth-most productive county in 2010. However, DEC figures have shown a 29 percent decrease in New York state production since 2008. The United States, as a whole, used a reported 22.8 trillon cubic feet of natural gas in 2009. (source: The Ithaca Journal)

Not What It Seems… Stephen Herzenberg of the Keystone Re­search Institute recently rebutted the claims by the Marcellus Shale report of large economic job growth in the state of Pennslyva­nia. Although the report claims the gas industry will create 48,000 new jobs, Herzenberg reports that the majority of these jobs are sim­ply “new hires,” replacing fired or retired workers.The Keystone report states that since the fourth quarter of 2009, only 1.7% of new hires in Pennslyvania were by gas companies. Also, since 2010, Pennslyvania, as a whole, has created 11,400 new jobs. Gas companies have only accounted for 9,288 of those new employ­ment opportunities.(source: The Hancock Herald)

People Remain Unheard… A planned 60-day public comment period, where New Yorkers could voice their opinions on hydro-fracking has been pushed back to “late summer.” Originially sched­uled for the beginning of August, the Department of Evironmental Conservation (DEC) delayed the review so that they can publish new findings on the socio-eco­nomic impact study done by the Buffalo-based consultant Ecology and Environment. Permits will not be issued for drilling on the Marcellus Shale untill the final version of the review is completed, giving both proponents and protes­tors another year to duke it out. A preview of the regulations was released and among the highlights was a ban on fracking in the New York City and Syracuse water­sheds. (source:Associated Press)

Future for Renewable en­ergy looks dim… Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection’s Office of Energy and Technology Deployment seems to be slowly shutting down. Gov.

Tom Corbitt and his administration has made many recent staff reas­signments and fired of directors in the department. According to the Citizens for Pennsylvania’s Future the recent changes will put more than 100,000 jobs at risk. (source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Effectiveness of Regulations Questioned… A federal panel on the Marcellus Shale gas drilling agrees that current regulations may not be good enough to protect the public health and the environment. For some time, the gas industry has said that hydraulic fracturing into the shale is safe. The federal government, while working to promote domestic energy pro­duction, is also under pressure to repeal industry exemptions from environmental safeguards. The panel’s report states that there are serious environmental impacts from drilling, and that if effective environmental action is not taken today, the potential consequences will grow to more serious prob­lems.” Some aspects of the report are in clear conflict with industry statements. The report concludes that the industry must monitor its own activity and make the results known to public. The draft will be reviewed by an Energy Department committee next week before being finalized. (Source; ProPublica)

By Ron R

As the threats to the environment and quality of life that widespread high-volume hydraulic fracturing grow, towns across the Southern Tier of N.Y. have taken a stand and placed their own restrictions on drilling. Following is a chart of towns and counties that have already banned drilling, towns that have bans under official consideration, and towns where a moratorium on drilling is in place. Since this chart was made there have been five towns moved into the banned column.

(Chart produced by Karen Edelstein which shows the movement for a ban on a local municipal level in N.Y.)

DRBC Faces Several Lawsuits over Failure to Follow Regulations of NEPA

By Alex R.

On August 10, Damascus Citizens for Sustainability (DCS) filed a lawsuit against the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC).

The lawsuit was filed in response to the DRBC recent proposal to permit 18,000 wells for hydraulic fracturing (fracking) along the Delaware River. The DCS claims that the DRBC is in violation of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) which states that any new regulations proposed by a federal body can only be made after a full environmental impact study is done.

“We want a proper study guaranteed to us under NEPA,” said DCS member Pat Carullo.

The DRBC is made up of representatives from the four states that the Delaware River runs through; New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New Jersey. It also includes a federal organization, The Army Corps of Engineers. The DRBC argues that even though that some of their branches are federal that they themselves are not a federal body. They are not all state nor all all federal, they are a hybrid.

“Our belief is that we are not a federal agency. therefore, we do not believe we have to follow the regulations of NEPA,” said DRBC representative Clarke Rupert.

Although they did not do an environmental impact study as described under NEPA, the DRBC claims that they did a number of tests concerning the impact of natural gas drilling.

The DCS is not the first organization to press charges against the DRBC involving the same offense. Over the past few weeks, the Delaware Riverkeeper, Hudson Riverkeeper, National Park Conservation Association, and Columbia University all filed similar lawsuits. The New York State attorney general also looks like he will be filing a similar lawsuit.

The cases will be taken up in federal court and both sides project that the judge will try to consolidate all of them into one case.

Feds Deem Millennium Pipeline Unsafe

By Ron R. and Alex R.

The Millenium gas pipeline, which runs 180 miles from Steu­ben County to Rockland County in New York, could be at risk of rupturing.

According to an August 5 publication of ProPublica, federal regulators voiced their concerns about unsafe pipeline welds when workers noticed bubbles in a creek near Broome and Tioga County borders last January. A spokesman for the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) explained, “The leak was a result of faulty welding that hadn’t passed inspection, but was installed despite regulations.”

The one-eighth inch leak re­leased 1.3 million cubic feet of natural gas into the atmosphere. The original leak occurred near Owego, but more safety violations have been observed along the line. There is currently an investigation taking place between the Corning and Ramapo pipeline sections.

This discovery is of real con­cern to residents of Hancock. The pipeline runs through the town and is located near a number of homes in the area. Also a number of other pipelines carry gas from Pennsylvania’s Marcellus Shale to the Millennium line.

After the PHSMA conducted their five-month investigation fol­lowing the discovery of the leak in January, they released a document which caused the concerns. The report stated, “…It appears that the continued operation of the af­fected pipeline without corrective measures would pose a pipeline integrity risk to public safety, property or the environment.” The report also stated, “Other welds with similar defects may also de­velop leaks and potentially lead to a rupture of the pipeline.”

Spokesmen for the PHMSA told Columbia Gas Transmission that they have until the end of the year to inspect the line and fix the problems. Theresa Gibbon, spokeswoman for Millennium Pipeline Co., established that the a rupture of the pipeline.”

Theresa Gibbon, spokeswoman for Millennium Pipeline Co., established that they have been working on the issues but didn’t comment on what actions are being taken.

Experts say that an explosion in the Millennium line could be drastically more harmful than the rupture in San Bruno, California, during September that killed eight people.

The pipeline owner, Columbia Gas Transmission, lowered the pressure on the line, decreasing the explosion risk. Even after the recent discovery, the Millennium line continues to run at twice the pressure of the San Bruno line.

The faulty weld where the leak began failed an inspection but the section was put into service. Many other welds may have been similarly defective according to authorities.

The uncertainty has caught the attention of Congressman Maurice Hinchey (D-NY). “Congressman Hinchey is pleased that the PHMSA is looking into this manner. All efforts must be made to prevent future leaks from the pipeline because of the risks that such leaks pose to the environment and public health,” said Matt Morosi, a spokesman for Hinchey.

Spokesmen for the PHMSA told Columbia Gas Transmission that they have until Dec. 31 to inspect the line and fix the problems.

Students and Residents Attend a Memorial for Fallen Soldier Justin Whiting

By Brooke C.

This Memorial Day, the Village of Hancock, FFS Students, and relatives came together to celebrate the life of Justin Whiting, who died in Iraq serving America in 2008.

Whiting, son of FFS staff member Randy Whiting, is buried in the cementary at French Woods, and this year a memorial service was held at his gravesite in remebrance of him.

A sizeable crowd of people congregated at the Whiting’s farm and walked down a path towards an American flag at half-mast. After the whole crowd assembled, they proceeded down the road to the small white church where Justin’s grave is located.

Boy Scout Troop 147, from Hancock, and Troop 174, from The Family School, raised the flag near his grave, while Cindy Argiros gave a short speech.

While the ceremony was beautiful, it paled in comparison to the events that occurred afterwards. When the ceremony was over, students and residents approached Randy and Cindy Whiting to offer hugs and condolences.

Then several students circled around Justin’s grave and said the Lord’s Prayer in honor of the man whom none of them had met but who had given the ultimate sacrifice for their freedom.

The ceremony was extremely profound for many students, several of whom felt close to Justin despite never having met him.

On the way back to the school, students walked in the bright sunshine contemplating the sacrifice that this man had made for them. For the rest of the day, Justin Whiting was in their prayers as they participated in the other Memorial Day activities.

“Seeing the community all come out to support each other is moving because it’s like having an extended family that takes care of each other and remembers. I feel very fortunate to live in a place like this,” said Cindy Argiros.