Thomas J Shepstone's Blog – January 2013 Archive (15)

Natural Gas Trains and Trucks Rolling Through

Don Roessler discusses the impacts natural gas is having on the trucking and railroad industries, specifically the decision to convert many of these vehicles to compressed natural gas (CNG).

Since this is my first time writing for this website, I’d like to give you a little background before I begin so you can have a better understanding of my interest in natural gas and it’s use as a fuel source for the trucking and railroad industries. My roots are in Washington County, Pa. where…

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Added by Thomas J Shepstone on January 30, 2013 at 7:33am — No Comments

What A Country!

Sometimes the other side in the natural gas debate makes the best case for our side. If you are looking for an example, check out our Sautnergate story from last summer.  There is a new example from northeast PA's recent celebrity visit. In this example, local activist Vera Scroggins (who always asks for respectful debate) shows us exactly what she means by that term. 



Readers of this blog are very familiar with the name Vera Scroggins, a/k/a Vera…

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Added by Thomas J Shepstone on January 24, 2013 at 1:05pm — No Comments

FrackNation Speaks for Forgotten Man

FrackNation premiered on TV last night. Many watched from home and others got together with friends and family and watched it at different places together. The natural gas debate has brought supporters closer than ever, in fact. We encourage everyone to watch the movie and offer our reviews in hopes you’ll do so.

Simply put; the movie FrackNation is a great film. It speaks up for the forgotten men and women in the natural gas debate; the landowner, the worker and the consumer; the…

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Added by Thomas J Shepstone on January 23, 2013 at 7:59pm — No Comments

The Depth and Breadth of Natural Gas Industry Talent

Oil and natural gas quality assurance specialist Don Crusan gives his thoughts about the many people of the natural gas industry who make the Marcellus Shale region a great place to live and work, focusing on the wide array of opportunities and jobs to be found in the industry.

I have been chasing the money and projects in energy sectors over the years, from coal through nuclear and settling on natural gas and oil for the last 35 years as a Quality Assurance Specialist. I specialize…

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Added by Thomas J Shepstone on January 21, 2013 at 7:33pm — No Comments

Promised Land Needs Real Jason Bourne

Promised Land is another weak plot movie geared toward sending a politically correct message. That message is based on false information and naive goals, not to mention a lack of courage in addressing real energy issues facing our nation. We could use a real Jason Bourne about now.

Matt Damon played a killer con man in a movie called The Talented Mister Ripley. In his new movie, Promised Land, Mr. Damon plays a conflicted gas company landman selling leases to folks in a small town.…

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Added by Thomas J Shepstone on January 20, 2013 at 4:05pm — No Comments

Women's Group Seeks Balanced Energy Approach

A recent conference of of women in the energy and communications sectors in New York City focused on the need for a balanced approach to energy development in New York, one that will heavily involve natural gas. It is the only strategy that offers sensible solutions to the state’s energy demands, given the practical realities.

I had the pleasure of attending my second Women in Communication and Energy (WICE) meeting on January 17. The meeting took place in New York City at Columbia…

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Added by Thomas J Shepstone on January 19, 2013 at 1:26pm — No Comments

Student Indoctrination Campaign Targets Natural Gas

The remarkable similarity between the strategy of natural gas opponents and a recent event at a Middletown, New York, elementary school raises the specter of student indoctrination. The Times-Herald-Record participated in using fourth graders to perpetuate a political stunt intended to send a message to Governor Cuomo to oppose hydraulic fracturing, a subject about which, 9-year olds can hardly be expected to offer a mature opinion.

To All Parents and Grandparents:

This morning…

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Added by Thomas J Shepstone on January 13, 2013 at 9:52pm — No Comments

Promised Land "Cringe-Worthy"

The Wyalusing Rocket-Courier has engaged in some real journalism in reporting on the reception of Promised Land in the natural gas regions of Pennsylvania. It completely bested Bloomberg News in presenting a balanced take on the movie, reporting not only the views of natural gas opponents but also those locals who thought the movie was “cringe-worthy.”

We have been pointing up here on these pages, and at The Real Promised Land, one simple fact about the movie – it does reflect the…

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Added by Thomas J Shepstone on January 12, 2013 at 10:06am — No Comments

State of the State Not Good without Natural Gas

This week, in Albany two fairly large groups met head-to-head just prior to Governor Cuomo’s State of the State Address. One group was there to show support for natural gas development as the leverage to bring jobs and a prosperous economy back to the New York’s Southern Tier, while the other was bent on deliberately frustrating those efforts. We also attended the rally where we interviewed those opposed to natural gas development.

While these opponents were a very vocal group, it was…

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Added by Thomas J Shepstone on January 11, 2013 at 4:46pm — No Comments

Frack Nation - A Win for the Good Guys!

The movie Frack Nation premiered Monday night. The film is a case of the good guys hitting a home run that changes the entire game. It reclaims the debate by telling the truth about Josh Fox, his movie Gasland and hydraulic fracturing. It excels in weaving together the science and the story in high-quality cinema, giving voice to ordinary citizens impacted by the campaign against natural gas being spearheaded by wealthy NIMBY’s.

Some of the stars of Frack Nation made the trip to the…

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Added by Thomas J Shepstone on January 8, 2013 at 1:49pm — No Comments

Rumors of Southern Tier Rebound Greatly Exaggerated

There are rumors floating around, spread by the New York State Department of Labor (DOL), to the effect the Southern Tier of New York is on the path to growth and revitalization, a comeback if you will. Sadly, it’s not the case. The Southern Tier has regained but a tiny fraction of 20,800 jobs it’s lost over the last decade and needs natural gas development. Make no mistake about it.

Earlier today, we received a little blurb from one of our regular readers and commenters extolling the…

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Added by Thomas J Shepstone on January 6, 2013 at 8:24am — No Comments

Promised Land Falling Flat

The film Promised Land debuted at the box office this weekend, and while we will have to wait to see how it did with the general public, it’s not scoring too high with movie critics.

The film Promised Land officially opened this weekend and a lot of people are curious about whether it will be successful. As with any major Hollywood film, the initial litmus test will be how well the it does opening weekend. The pre-release showings weren’t so hot. Unfortunately, more detailed…

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Added by Thomas J Shepstone on January 5, 2013 at 3:14pm — No Comments

How About A Lawsuit Against the DRBC for Us?

A member of the Northern Wayne Property Owners Alliance (NWPOA) expresses her deep frustration over the lack of action at the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) on regulation of natural gas development, suggesting Governor Corbett ought to sue or, better yet, Governor Christie should just do his job and vote.

Pardon me, but I can't help but get annoyed listing to media interviews of Governor Corbett and Governor Christie.

First, why is Governor Corbett spending our tax…

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Added by Thomas J Shepstone on January 5, 2013 at 6:57am — No Comments

The Secret Report from DOH

Earlier this year the New York Department of Environmental Conservation indicated that public comments on the SGEIS precipitated a need for a review of public health concerns. It turns out DEC had the review completed all along and kept the information from the public. Begging the question, would the release of a report contradicting a loud and vocal minority of activists harm the administration’s reputation too much – or did they simply drop the ball and are now trying to cover their…

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Added by Thomas J Shepstone on January 3, 2013 at 7:03pm — No Comments

The Slottje Road Show

The actors in Park Foundation funded Slottje Road Show claims several victories over the last year in their war against natural gas development but they are pyrrhic victories, with almost none in towns having any realistic prospects for such development and one gigantic loss in the City of Binghamton where Slottje’s recommendation was thoroughly trashed by the Broome County judge hearing the case.

A year-end review is a great time to gain some perspective, especially regarding ongoing…

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Added by Thomas J Shepstone on January 1, 2013 at 11:13am — No Comments

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