Comment

Comment by Brian Oram, PG on March 9, 2010 at 4:00pm

I think one of the problems is related to activities in other areas and some poor practices by some of the service companies in the past.

The companies should disclose to the public the chemicals they are using not just in the permit package and also a summary of the staging of the chemical use. This should include MSDS sheets, etc.

This is what appears to be a summary of the findings based on the MOA related to Fracking Chemicals- it appears the these companies did not stop using diesal fuel and diesal based products.
http://energycommerce.house.gov/Press_111/20100218/hydraulic_fractu...

As citizens, landowners, and tax payers - we need to make it clear that the drilling companies have to use good practices and the only citizens that can protect us right now are the royalty owners - please do all you can to get a solid lease and support legislation that requires service companies to follow the MOA or support legistation that makes and requires them to provide full disclosure, oversight, report chemicals used, or get additional permits. The gas companies would not have this problem is the service companies did what they agreed- they have only themselves to blame. If we are going this in PA - lets do it the right way.
This are just my thoughts - based on the information I have read to date.

Comment by BuckinghamGasMan on March 4, 2010 at 3:28am

The "Rocket-Courier" apparently interviewed the Mayor and gleaned this little nugget below:

"As tiny as DISH is, it is literally at the crossroads of a natural gas highway. Make that a superhighway. Eleven natural gas pipelines—all of them larger than the Millennium Pipeline in our region, he likes to point out, with easements of up to 125 feet—converge there. And, just outside the town limits, there is a field of 11 large compressors owned by five different companies spread over 35 acres. As for the town itself, it is comprised of two square miles and there are actually 18 gas wells within the town limits, with another 50 or so in the immediate vicinity."

I think the message we can take away from his work is not to live where 11 gas lines come together. Oh, the article says he works in the aviation industry.

Comment by Ralph Kisberg on February 26, 2010 at 4:52am

Here is a letter from Calvin Tillman sent out Wednesday:

"As I return from almost a full week touring the Marcellus, I reflect on all the people I met for the first time. Many of these people had spoke via phone or email with me on several occasions; however, most had never met me in person. These folks welcomed me into their homes as though I was a lifelong friend or family member, not a complete stranger, who lived thousands of miles away. I was impressed with the genuine values that my new friends possessed. I could not begin to try to thank everyone individually, so I will just say thank you to everyone I met on this trip.
Although I was invited, and a few worked extremely hard coordinating my packed schedule, this really was a vacation for me. My new friends just gave me a reason to see this new land, like I had not seen it before. It had been burning inside of me to see how other gas shale plays were being accepted, and if the companies acted better there than they did here in DISH, TX. Although, I spoke at a dozen events during this tour, meeting new people and sharing their experiences was the real joy.
It was purely amazing at how many people traveled across snow-packed roads, and got up early on Saturday morning to let me share our story. Also, there were dozens of public officials who opened their minds to listen to me speak. During five days of speaking, almost 2,000 people came to hear the story of DISH, TX. What further amazed me was that no matter where the event, the seats were full. Whether, the church in Oneonta, school in Downsville, or the movie theater in Elmira, the seats were pretty much full, all the way until my last talk in Callicoon, that was standing room only. It amazes me, that this many people came to share our stories. The crowds continued to grow, and I reached almost 1,000 people on Saturday alone. What was even more amazing was that even those who did not share my views were respectful and courteous. Some of my friends in the industry had went to great lengths to create a hostile environment for me in the Marcellus, and that simple did not happen. Even those who asked the hard questions, which I welcomed, were respectful.
I was further impressed by the convictions of my new friends to their cause. Many had turned down the opportunity for vast fortunes, and chose not to climb into to bed with the energy company landman. When approached with these prospects, they simply said "no". I am not sure that I have ever met such a large group of unselfish people in my life. Willing to forgo money to hang on to their way of life. I am not sure how to describe the respect I now have for my new friends.
My main purpose for this trip was to let people know that there was more to natural gas exploration than a signing bonus, and a monthly royalty check. It had been my hope to allow folks to make a decision with their eyes wide open, not their eyes wide shut. I think there were many that began to think about this for the first time after listening to the story of the town that was sacrificed for the good of the shale. There are some that will never listen, and only look for the one thing that can give them a reason to say "it won't happen here". For those, it would not have mattered what I would have said, their minds would not be clouded with the facts, it was already made up.
Another reason for wanting to take this tour, was to see for my own eyes how others were being affected by the shale boom. I have been trying to get stricter regulations here in TX and urged my new friends in the Marcellus to pursue the same. If this extraction of natural gas is going to take place, it must be tightly regulated. However, some of my new friends don't believe that it is possible to perform this safely, even with the tightest regulations. After visiting Dimock, PA, it was hard to argue with their logic. I got to meet the lady whose water well exploded, and tears filled my eyes when I heard the story told by another lady whose children would get sick after drinking the water from their once clean water well. I saw the tainted water from another poisoned well, and frankly, was not prepared for the emotions felt when we delivered fresh water to a family that had been refused this right by the drilling company. Some were getting water delivered by the company who poisoned the water, but a few were denied one of the simple rights that we should all expect as hard working Americans. Cabot Oil and Gas, has essentially turned this small neighborhood into a third world country, and won't even show those they are poisoning the courtesy of delivering water to them. These families would have surely been better off, if the shale had passed them by.
In DISH we have dealt with the air toxins, but unfortunately we have not given the water much thought. There certainly have been issues with water here in the Barnett Shale, but nothing like water wells exploding. However, that does not mean that we do not have water quality issues, it just means we don't know it if we do. No one knew six months ago that we had toxic levels of chemicals in the air surrounding several natural gas wells and production facilities, and therefore, we should think about our water here as well. This trip made me think about issues that I not previously thought about, and that was the greatest gift I received.
I have never been to a place where I received such a warm reception, and on some days I was passed through several people. By the end of the week, you would have thought, I had lived there my entire life. I even got to see the local hero Josh Fox, who put me in his now famous documentary GasLand. Some even went as far as to declare that I had been adopted as their own mayor. And though I missed my family something terrible, I was saddened to have to leave such a clean and beautiful place, and return to the dirty ole town. I can now see why my new friends want to maintain their clean air and clean water, and I hope to help them do it. I am glad to announce that I will be returning to the Marcellus Shale in April, to complete my tour, and see my new friends again. Thanks again for accepting that crazy mayor from Texas into you homes and lives. I hope it was a good for you as it was for me. Please post this on your blogs or pass on to your mailing groups.



Calvin Tillman
Mayor, DISH, TX
(940) 453-3640

Comment by Robin Fehrenbach Scala on February 26, 2010 at 4:50am

I am not questioning the mayor's sincerity about his alleged problems in Dish Texas.
I am questioning why anyone thinks his problems have anything to do with shale drilling in New York. He knows nothing about NY and admits so.
Frankly, I believe what he needs is a copy of "land use for dummies" so he can do a better job.

Comment by Robin Fehrenbach Scala on February 26, 2010 at 4:46am

Already got a copy of his letter.

Comment by Ralph Kisberg on February 26, 2010 at 4:42am

RFS, actually, I am a ( small acreage ) landowner who has not leased yet and probaby won't, mainly because I'd rather wait a generation or two and see how things turn out, the shale isn't going anywhere and I believe that over time industry standards and practices will only get better. Maybe I will miss out but that's my choice. As far as being in the "Anti-brigade", I think some companies do a better job than others and some are more forthright than others but what concerns me most is the overall picture with so many different entities with such varying levels of indusrty and local experience being involved here. I don't see anyone looking at the big picture. It's one authority overseeing this aspect and another - department in the DEP's case - overseeing that. It would also be a bit awkward for me to be in the "anti-brigade" since I have worked in the energy business and in oil and gas specifically both as a laborer while in my 20's and on the finance side in the 1980's. As for Mayor Tillman, I will post a letter he sent after arriving back in Texas and you can judge his sincerity.

Comment by Robin Fehrenbach Scala on February 23, 2010 at 11:25pm

The landowners of the marcellus have been working on this for several years.
Ralph, maybe you are not one of us, but if you were you would know that.
We CARE about our land more than anyone else possibly could. We want to AVOID any problems seen elsewhere.
HOWEVER, we plan to do it right. Clearly we did listen to what he said. He is pro-drilling, and so are we. He made mistakes and we intend to avoid them.
You are obviously part of the anti-brigade judging by your theory that "we believe the gas companies are right..."
We don't believe everything they tell us, hence the better lease language (rather than boilerplate leases as used in Texas and everywhere else).

Comment by rcarpenter on February 23, 2010 at 11:22pm

they will drill . & we will be burdoned by it , lets not be ripped off & poisoned. period

Comment by Ralph Kisberg on February 23, 2010 at 5:41pm

As someone who has spent extended time with Calvin Tillman and has been to Dish, I think some of the ugly, ignorant comments posted in this forum prove who the zealots are. Mayor Tillman is an extremely decent, fair and conservatively minded person who has a twofold purpose in paying his own way here; one is a genuine concern to help not see what has happened in his community occur in other places new to gas drilling booms. The other is to help gather publicity, support and information for what he is up against in Texas. His tour is a learning opportunity for him too and he will freely acknowlege differences in oversight and regulations between PA and NY and Texas - where gas companies have eminent domain power for all levels of pipelines, where mineral valuations are included in property taxes and environmental oversight is much less rigorous and industry geared than here. If you want to believe the gas companies are right and most all the developement will be of no real consequence environmentally here, fine, I truly hope you are correct. But if you love this area and value more than just growth and temporary economic expansion, you might want to listen to what he has to say about subjects like declining property values, unsaleable property and false industry assurances.

Comment by Kilgour Farms on February 23, 2010 at 5:51am

I was at the Calicoon meeting as well. Two of us got to talk to the Mayor without prying eyes for about ten minutes..

It's what happened after talking to the mayor that shows the typical obstructionists responses in a debate.

Myself and another person who is pro-drilling were talking after the meeting, after the news reporters left and we had finished talking to the mayor, we were approached by one of the founders of a group of overzealous obstructionists, there were still about 20-30 people there at the time, I assume mostly like minds greenies.

He told us if we wanted to debate, debate him. we looked at each other puzzled by the request.

This person then made the statement, "drilling will kill everything and poison everyone", I replied, "you don't know what your talking about". With that he started to scream,, I mean scream, "don't tell me I don't know what I'm talking about", after all he wanted to debate and I don't know if he thought we should agree with his statements. I then asked him "are you from Mars", with that I thought he was going to stroke out, his face turned blood red with veins sticking out of his forehead and neck. He then screamed out "I'm not from Mars", much louder then the first time, I actually thought he was going to hit me. He then told us "I'm going to the wall with this" and I told him, " I think you already hit the wall and have gone through it a couple of times".

We then started to walk away and he yelled out, "you walked away the last time too", its obvious why we walked away. As we where leaving he again yelled out, " and you probably think I'm a communist", the person with me turned around and said "if the shoe fits". We then continued to walk out knowing we won the debate without a lot of effort.

I'm trying to show these extremists can't debate issues they have no facts for and why they would prefer to shout down anyone that is pro-drilling at meetings I've been to. They don't want the facts brought out for everyone to hear.

If they truly have the facts they should present them, not shout others down. People should be made aware of the intolerance these people have for anyone who disagrees with them and their fear mongering and Voodoo science.

It shows the leadership of these groups are not environmentalists but obstructionists willing to use misinformation and relying on fear to further their agenda. The sooner the rank and file of these organizations realize theses zealots are trying to ban drilling not make it safer, the better off all Americans will be.