"Gasland," film on Marcellus Shale drilling's environment effects, to be screened in Carlisle

PennLive.com ^ | June 03, 2010 | Donald Gilliland

[epithermal]

Kathryn Klaber, the executive director of Pennsylvania’s Marcellus Shale Coalition, an industry group, said, "Our understanding, based on previews of the film, is that it’s loaded with misleading claims and untruths, and completely fails to recognize the well-known fact that hydraulic fracturing has been used in this state for a half-century, and according to state and federal regulators, has never once been found to adversely impact the public’s underground drinking water supplies."

[epithermal]

I haven't seen the film, but I am sure it is full of lies. For instance see:

http://www.energyindepth.org/2010/06/icymi-longtime-nyt-editor-columnist-on-gasland-one-sided-flawed-in-the-michael-moore-mode/

I know farmers in Idaho who when they drilled their water wells found gas in the water. So, instead of whining about it like environmentalists, they hooked it up and used it to power their farms.

[fieldmarshaldj]

Gasland ?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6dm9rN6oTs

[popdonnelly]

Well, who said environmentalists were under any obligation to tell the truth? I mean, we’re already drowning the polar bears - who can all swim.

[bert]

The moonbat wackos are in full bore hate over this action. They are creating all kinds of fictitious ground water maladies to claim as sins against their hallowed precepts.

Generally, any Obama supporter is an American enemy.

[Safetgiver]

UMMMM, hydro-fraccing has been done here for decades and no one has bitched about it yet. My Dad did it for years for oil, and never caused a problem. What is your agenda?

[takbodan]

I live in North-Central Pennsylvania and supported
natural gas drilling initially. However, our small town
has now seen traffic jams, crumbling roads, nonstop truck traffic, roughneck’s in brawls at the local pub, tainted water in wells, rent prices going through the roof and
a gorgeous countryside blotted with drilling pads.

On the plus side it has brought jobs and investment. I still support gas drilling, but I’m beginnig to wonder what town life will be like here in ten years.

[keeper53]

I agree.

NO FRACKING!

[keeper53]

To clarify, I am against horizontal drilling here in upstate NY.

[Buckeye McFrog]

the full-court press is on from the Enviros to shut Marcellus Shale drilling down. (in the end though I suspect insatiable Democrat greed for more revenue to spend will win out)

[stainlessbanner]

Folks who advocate horizontal gas extranction don't always think long-term sustainability and the outyear effects on environment.

Being good stewards of our natural resources is not excusively the domain of liberals.

[epithermal]

“Being good stewards of our natural resources is not excusively the domain of liberals.”

True, but the distortion of facts to support environmental hysteria is the tactic most used by the environmental-socialist agenda. The wells that are being fracked are thousands of feet deep and have never been shown to contaminate water wells that are 10’s to 100’s of feet deep. Don’t take my word for it, but at least think about the 4000 to 5000 feet of solid rock between a frac job and a water well and ask yourself what is the probability that fluids that deep will contaminate a shallow water well?

[pingman]

Frac on, dude! No problem here; my wife & I love the royalties we get from our wells; no adverse impacts to date.

[stainlessbanner]

Point me to an objective study on the long-term effects of the fracing process. Would like to see one on the strategic infrastructure issues such as water management, environmental sustainability, gas pipe infrastructure, etc.

I own minerals under lease I know what I'm talking about. Do you like near gas fields, active fracing wells, etc?

[epithermal]

I would love to have wells near me, preferably on my property. I am not going to get in a war with you over fracking. If you don’t like it then don’t allow it. But then don’t start complaining about supporting Mideast nations by importing their oil and gas, while they use our money to support terrorist organizations.

I know the fracking issue is a polarizing one in the eastern USA. But the size of the potential reserves there could take us a long way towards energy independence. If the eastern USA rejects gas development, then I am sure Texas will be glad to sell their gas to the Eastern states at greatly increased prices in the future.

[stainlessbanner]

Not complaining at all. You can't really "disallow" natural gas extraction - you can fight it, but be prepared to drag it out in court. I can't say too much on a public forum about it, but there are some cases in Texas that may interest you.

As an investor of natural gas, I would absolutely love gas prices to climb...but not at the expense of future sustainability of the environment.

The issue is not black and white, it's a multi-faceted issue with competing and compliementary issues at play.

Have a nice day.

[epithermal]

I was hoping to get back with you with some references I had found regarding the potential hazards of fracking that I dug up a few months ago when I got into a battle on a liberal forum about it. Unfortunately, I can’t find my links in the thousands I have. I understand when you ask for objective studies of the issue because most studies are done either by industry or environmental groups and it gets difficult to sort out the propaganda. I think one of the more objective studies was done by the Department of Energy, but I believe they hired industry consultants to do it. While industry consultants may be deemed somewhat biased, most have PhD’s in petroleum engineering or hydrogeology and will provide fact based information upon which to draw a conclusion. Environmental hysteria is usually based on anecdotal evidence from people who don’t really understand anything about geology.

The reason I posted this story was because I believe it is mostly propaganda, but until I see it I won’t know for sure.
I consider myself environmentally conscious and believe the #1 resource we need to protect is our water supply. FYI, I have worked for both evil oil companies and for environmental protection agencies. It is my opinion you are usually going to get more objective information from oil companies.

[dfwgator]

I trust the oil companies more simply because they stand to lose a lot more if they are wrong.

What does an environmentalist lose if they’re wrong? Nothing.

[stainlessbanner]

Thank you for looking epithermal - I kindly appreciate the consideration. As a side note, some of my colleagues worked an emergency gas line that blew last week killing one person. Apparently the schematics used were not current or there was some miscommunication about the exact spot to dig; the crew nailed a 3-foot gas line and it sparked a tremendous explosion.

So, in my mind, we not only need to consider the environmental impact, but the infrastructure management, and long-range planning for our communinities. Anyway, just my thoughts on the subject.....have a nice evening.

[Gondring]

True, but the distortion of facts to support environmental hysteria is the tactic most used by the environmental-socialist agenda.

I found it extremely disappointing to see how the pro-drillling side feels the need to propagate lies, also. Read the words they use VERY carefully, and you see they use the same techniques as the Left.

The truth is in-between.

[epithermal]

I am not sure what lies you are referring to by the pro-drilling side, but I am very curious to read some of them. You may be interested to read an analysis of the misinformation purported to be in the new Gasland movie here:

http://www.energyindepth.org/2010/06/debunking-gasland/

I don’t doubt you that proponents of the drilling may be misrepresenting the truth also, but I have yet to see any examples. I would seriously like you to point me to some.

I understand why the local people are hesitant to allow development of the potential natural gas resources in their area, and if they want to shut it down, fine. I just don’t want to then have to listen to them gripe about all the windmills being put up in their area to replace the gas.

Before the drilling is shut down I would like people living in the area to consider that there could conceivably be over 100 years of natural gas supply for their region in the ground under them. If they decide not to drill it, then I am sure the Arab nations will be glad to continue supplying their needs until such time as our currency is no longer worth anything.