The Woes of "Gasland"

I am a college student at Delaware Valley College in Doylestown, PA. My father is a member of the forum, and I have recently joined because I need some help from everyone. On tuesday night, our one English professor, is going to be showing "Gasland", with discussion at the end. This teacher is known to lean extremely hard to the left, and have a very closed mind on everything else. He is a very much shove-it-down-your-throat kind of person. 

 

I am pro-drilling, obviously he is not. I assume he is going to use the opportunity to claim "Gasland" as fact, as many others have, and I need as much information if not more to disprove the claims as possible. I have not seen the movie myself (which is the main reason I am attending) but have heard about scenes that are outright lies and stretched truths. I am aware that the flaming water is caused by naturally occurring methane. This is the main scene I am aware of that people have thrown up red flags about. If theres anything else I need to be aware of before hand, I'd love to know. 

 

If anyone has ANY information on pro-drilling, IE sources or information, or things that prove Gasland as false, other then the EID report, that would be great. I'm really looking for publicized information that I can hand out, but I will take anything. Thanks in advance.

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Permalink Reply by Tom Copley on February 27, 2011 at 9:52am

Tyler-- Here's something I wrote. It doesn't refute Gasland, but at least tries to poke a few holes in Josh Fox's rebuttal of EID. Comments welcome. Read more.

--Tom

 

Permalink Reply by PA roughneck on February 27, 2011 at 10:08am

Tyler-

 see this link for the initial report on Markham Well  ( the flaming faucets) in Co.

http://cogcc.state.co.us/cogis/ComplaintReport.asp?doc_num=200190138

  For the full 30 odd page letter from COGCC to Markhams with complete water test results-http://ogccweblink.state.co.us/DownloadDocument.aspx?DocumentId=196...

 Fox also states some 560 chemicals in frac fluids, not to mention 'secret'- here's 3 pages of what they use in PA wells for fracing-courtesy PADEP-

http://www.dep.state.pa.us/dep/deputate/minres/oilgas/FractListing.pdf

  He goes on to state that the antelope in WY are now also endangered species due to drilling- I lived in WY for most of my life and when I left in 2007 the antelope still outnumbered the people! I think EID covers this. His contention that he was raised in PA is also questionable.

  Were a witness in court be proven to be lying in their testimony as much as Fox has been shown to in Gasland, I do beleive all of his testimony would be thrown out and stricken from the record as a perjured witness.

  Seeing as how Fox starts and ends his film in Dimock, you might be interested in the viewpoint of someone who actually is a member of those involved in the DEP/Cabot actions (although not in the lawsuit). His blog can be found here-http://www.pressconnects.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?category=pluckpe...

  You might PM him and see what he might have to offer in the way of rebuttal to the accusations that will most likely surface at the viewing you plan on attending.

  A bit more digging on it (Google-debunking gasland, or some such search terms) should provide you with a lot of good info that isn't just from EID.

        Good luck in the battle,                              Ross

 

Permalink Reply by rfnkmk on February 27, 2011 at 10:26am

I would encourage people to keep an open mind since extremists on either side of an argument tend to stretch the truth to their advantage.

 

Take a copy of this article from a person who has been lighting their water on fire without any drilling nearby.

http://www.evesun.com/printedition/pdfs/2011-02-24.pdf
You can probably find more of these in archived copies of the Scranton Times-Tribune, since many of those who grew up around Dimock have told us they used to light the creeks on fire as children.  I am not saying drilling has no dangers, but it did not start the seeps of natural gas into local waters.

 

Oil &gas companies have done enough in the past to "shoot themselves in the foot", so you are unlikely to convince others by claiming none of it is true. Some was due to lack of knowledge at the time and some was due to trying to save money. Cabot's insufficient casing and cementing in their earliest wells is one example. The smarter O&G companies are now going above and beyond certain regulations. For example, the smart companies are now conducting the pre-drilling water tests far beyond the required 1000 ft from a well. Many people have never tested their water wells before now since they assumed it was of drinking water quality.

 

One other point is that this should lead into a discussion of what we do for energy. Unless your professor is living totally on geothermal and wind power (to supply the electricity to run the geothermal), it is fair to question what we should be doing.  After all, if drilling is so bad should we be doing it in third world countries (for oil) and think that is fine since it will not pollute our country?

 

Remember that the loudest person does not always win the most minds.

Good Luck!

 

Permalink Reply by Kilgour Farms on February 27, 2011 at 2:54pm
Finding natural gas along the Delaware River isn't the hard part.....

it's knowing what to do with it!

Read about it in this New York Times article dated, January 21, 1884

http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?_r=1&res=9C0DE7D7...
Permalink Reply by Bruce Wayne Allen on February 27, 2011 at 3:04pm
Good evening Tyler check out state of Colorado feedback on Gasland Movie. I think your best opportunity is just to ask this professor what is his choice for electric power generation feedstock dirty Coal, natural gas, nukes are the legitimate feedstocks at this time. Then bring up the fact the state of Colorado, has already made the natural gas their choice, and  Gasland debacle was mainly filmed in state of Colorado(they know the truth). Then produce GHG green house gas emissions, and the whole global warming story. Tell him natural gas 1/2 CO2 emissions of dirty coal and no heavy metal particulates. Hey natural gas is right for America, and the world, and everyone wants their  slice of the natural gas pie. Asia, Eroupe, Middleeast, China then let him take the hard left. Also good Gasland debunk on New Yorkers for safe Drilling in the Marcellus.
Permalink Reply by Tyler Morton on February 27, 2011 at 3:11pm
Do you have the location of any articles, reports, or releases of the Colorado feedback on Gasland? I would be very interested in seeing them, I'm sure they can be very helpful. Thanks in advance.
Permalink Reply by Bruce Wayne Allen on February 28, 2011 at 12:20am

Check out Oklahoma passes hydraulic fracturing post for more information. I am at work today so limited to put much togearher for you also check API.org good presntation of hydraulic fracturing process. Chesapeake Energy also good for information.

Bruce

Permalink Reply by David J. Reed on February 28, 2011 at 2:53am
Permalink Reply by PA roughneck on February 28, 2011 at 5:22am

Tyler,

  another link to a very evenhanded look at what both sides have to say regarding Gasland-

http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2011/02/24/24greenwire-groundtruthing-...

Permalink Reply by Sherry on February 28, 2011 at 5:25am

The most balanced report I have found to-date is Frac Attack: Risks, Hype & Financial Reality of Hydraulic Fracturing in the Shale Plays released in July 2010 released by Ann Davis Vaughn (Reservoir Resource Partners) and David Purcell of Tudor-Pickering-Holt & Co (Energy Investment and Merchant Banking firm).  Ann Davis Vaughn spent 20 years as an investigative and financial journalist including 14 years as a senior writer for the Wall Street Journal.  Here's the link: http://www.tudorpickering.com/pdfs/TPH.Fracturing.Report.7-8-10.pdf

Also search out some of Dr. Terry Engelder's information.  Just Google him and you'll get plenty of YouTubes, etc.

Good luck!

Permalink Reply by Scott-A. on February 28, 2011 at 5:26am

 

Hey Tyler,

I have provided environmental consulting services to the Oil and Gas industry for the past 23 years.  I have also recently accepted a position with a Marcellus Shale exploration and production (E&P) company as the northern Pennsylvania environmental compliance manager.  I am also a landowner in the Marcellus region and lease my mineral rights to the gas industry.  Above all, I am a Delaware Valley College Alumnus, class of 88. 

 

Your post caught my eye for a number of obvious reasons.  The truth is natural gas is the cleanest and greenest MAJOR energy source in this country.  Approximately 40% of this country’s energy usage comes from petroleum, 22% natural gas, 23% coal, 8% nuclear, 3% hydro, and 3% renewable.  Josh Fox fails to mention that the lion share of this country’s energy usage (40% petroleum) is imported from bad people that don’t like us and would rather see us dead than buy their oil.  However, we would be a starving third world country wo/ this energy resource. 

 

The fallacy of corporations not being environmental sensitive is a hoax.   E&P companies are required to apply for multiple permits, and are subject to regulatory inspections fines and penalties.  The stewardship E&P companies have demonstrated is far more proactive than most any other industry.  PADEP is hiring hundreds of inspectors for 2011 to regulate this industry.  PADEP will and have shutdown drilling operations at the first sign of contamination.  In these rear cases, E&P companies have made headlines and the industry has taken a hit.  If wells are drilled following the appropriate required engineering technologies and utilizing the appropriate engineering controls there is no risk of any adverse environmental impacts. 

 

Please keep us posted. 

 

BTW is this English professor Dr. Zeamer?

Permalink Reply by Tyler Morton on February 28, 2011 at 10:40am
No, Zeimer is AWESOME though, I have him for speech right now. Never had a problem with him. The professor is Professor Stamps, I've never had him myself, but one of my good friends has and I've taken a look at their reading material and heard stories.

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