http://www.westchester.com/news/westchesternews/government/13523-legislators

by laura legere (staff writer)
Published: June 21, 2010

click below to read article

http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/hazards-posed-by-natural-gas-drilling-not-always-underground-1.857452

For OpEdNews: Chris Landau – Writer

B.P, Halliburton and Transocean have unleashed Armageddon and now there is no stopping it. Senator Bill Nelson has told us how bad it is.

This is our worst nightmare. The oil industry has killed the Gulf of Mexico.

My worst fears have been realized. If this link is true and the oil is coming through the sea floor, they have either blown out the formation or blown out the cement (which we know they did anyway to get the blowout to occur). I am beginning to realize why they have not wanted toclose the valves on the cap. The more theyclose it, the more oil is going to come up through the sea floor, next to the well casing. I listed 12 points in my attached article. The really big concern here is that their directional wells are now pointless. They are GUARANTEED to fail because you can not pump mud or cement into a blown out well. It just does not set with oil and gas roaring past.

The next biggest concern is that they have to get 8 new wells in immediately to relieve the background oil and gas pressure. The oil is going to start coming up at an ever increasing rate along the casing and theblowout preventer.The oil and gas is going to act as ahigh pressurepressure washerand erode away all the sandstone and mudstone.There is nothing they can do about it.

This is also the end of B.P. The claims will go on forever.

What these guys do not understand is that it is much worse than they think. Here is the reason why.

They need to date the oil to find out how old the oil is. The rock formation might be 30 to 200 million years old here. I do not know and have not looked at under sea maps.

The oil is either old oil, say almost as old as the formation, or they have drilled into a massive active fault zone that is reducing carbon dioxide to methane. If it is high inhydrogen sulfide, it is reducing calcareous sediments to oil and more natural gas in the presence of salt solutions. Now they are providingmore saltwater, so via the Wurtz Synthesis more oil is going to be created than natural gas. The methane is going to be converted to ethane, propane, butane, pentane and other long chain organic compounds.You see if oil is being made now, at a very rapid rate in this area, the pressure is never, ever going to drop off along the casing and the oil is going to flow into the gulf forever.The only hope to reduce the pressure will be by sinking more new wells into this area and try and drain off the oil and gas as quickly as it is being made.

You see oil is basically inorganic. It is not made from dead squashed plankton. It is not a fossil fuel. It is an inorganic chemical compound reduced from calcareous sediments and carbon dioxide and methane gas. My peer reviewed published papers using chemical and thermodynamic equations show how this occurs. The link to the papers is available below. Of course although I was published by The American Institute of Professional Geologists in 2009 and the Association of Environmentaland Engineering Geologists in 2008, it does not mean that my theories are accepted by the majority of geologists. It will probably take 50 years, as with the theory of Continental Drift to get accepted by geologists in general. Maybe this disaster will shave off 20 years. Things evolve slowly in geology!

We can only hope it is old oil. We can only date oil back 100 000 years by carbon dating, but that is fine. We need to know if this oil is 10 to 100 years old and if its age is changing as it escapes. Is the escaping oil getting older or younger? So we need to start dating the oil on a weekly basis to see what is happening.

I volunteer for the job.

One last point that the public does not understand. It is not about deep water drilling where the problems have arisen. It is about high pressure oil and gas drilling that creates the problems. These zones can be found on land as well as at sea and can start from as little as 10000 feet, not the 20000 of this well. These high pressure wells have always been a problem. Of the millions of wells drilled, there are thousands of these ticking time bomb, high pressure wells in existence and new ones are being drilled every day. New risks are being taken daily.

The world has to make a concerted effort to get off oil. It is killing us.

I hope Ihave not been too technical, but the matter is grave.

NEWS RELEASE

DELAWARE RIVER BASIN COMMISSION
P.O. Box 7360, 25 State Police Drive
West Trenton, NJ 08628

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Clarke Rupert, (609) 883-9500 x260

DRBC EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR DETERMINATION EXTENDED TO INCLUDE NATURAL GAS EXPLORATORY WELLS

WEST TRENTON, N.J. (June 14) – Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) Executive Director Carol R. Collier today announced that she has supplemented her May 19, 2009 determination to include natural gas exploratory wells.

“My 2009 determination that sponsors of natural gas extraction projects in shale formations must obtain commission approval before commencing such projects expressly did not cover wells intended solely for exploratory purposes,” Collier said. “Today, I am extending the provisions of my 2009 determination to include exploratory wells, subject to reservations for exploratory well projects already approved by the states on or before June 14, 2010.”

By this supplemental determination, all natural gas well project sponsors, including the sponsors of natural gas well projects intended solely for exploratory purposes, must first apply for and obtain commission approval before commencing any natural gas well project for the production from or exploration of shale formations within the drainage area of Special Protection Waters in the Delaware River Basin.

“For the purpose of this determination, any natural gas well drilled in or through shale is assumed to be targeting a shale formation and is subject to this determination, unless the project sponsor proves otherwise,” Collier added. All other aspects of the 2009 determination remain in effect.

Today’s action recognizes the risks to water resources, including ground and surface water that the land disturbance and drilling activities inherent in any shale gas well pose. “In light of the commission’s May 5, 2010 decision to finalize natural gas regulations before considering project approvals, this supplemental determination removes any regulatory incentive for project sponsors to classify their wells as exploratory wells and install them without DRBC review before the commission’s natural gas regulations are in place,” Collier said. “It thus supports the commission’s goal that exploratory wells do not serve as a source of degradation of the commission’s Special Protection
Waters.”

“Where entities have invested in exploratory well projects in reliance on my May 2009 determination and information from DRBC staff, there are countervailing considerations that favor allowing these projects to move ahead,” Collier stated in her supplemental determination. “I am informed that since May of 2009, Pennsylvania has issued a limited number of natural gas well drilling permits within the Delaware River Basin targeting shale formations, while New York State has not issued any natural gas well permits targeting shales in the basin since that date. In contrast to the thousands of wells projected to be installed in the basin over the next several years, the risk to basin waters posed by only the wells approved by Pennsylvania since May 2009 are comparatively small. Not only are these wells subject to state regulation as to their
construction and operation, but they continue to require commission approval before they can be fractured or otherwise modified for natural gas production. In light of these existing safeguards and the investment-backed expectations of the sponsors of these projects, this supplemental determination does not prohibit any exploratory natural gas
well project from proceeding if the applicant has obtained a state natural gas well permit for the project on or before June 14, 2010.”

Most of the shale formations that may be subject to horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing techniques requiring large volumes of water in the basin are located within the drainage area to DRBC’s designated Special Protection Waters (SPW). The commission’s SPW program is designed to prevent degradation in streams and rivers considered to have exceptionally high scenic, recreational, ecological, and/or water supply values through stricter control of wastewater discharges, non-point pollution control, and reporting requirements. Coverage of the DRBC’s SPW anti-degradation regulations includes the 197-mile non-tidal Delaware River from Hancock, N.Y. south to Trenton, N.J. and the land draining to this stretch.

Any person adversely affected by this action may request a hearing by submitting a request in writing to the commission secretary within 30 days of the date of this supplemental determination in accordance with the DRBC’s Rules of Practice and Procedure.

The DRBC was formed by compact in 1961 through legislation signed into law by President John F. Kennedy and the governors of the four basin states with land draining to the Delaware River (Delaware, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania). The passage of this compact marked the first time in our nation’s history that the federal government and a group of states joined together as equal partners in a river basin planning, development, and regulatory agency.

Additional information, including the complete supplemental determination, can be found on the commission’s web site at www.drbc.net.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/04/AR2010060402716.html?hpid=sec-nation
Gas spews for hours from out-of-control Pa. well

Washington Post
By MARC LEVY and JENNIFER C. YATES
The Associated Press
Friday, June 4, 2010; 4:55 PM

PENFIELD, Pa. — An out-of-control natural gas well in a remote area
of Pennsylvania shot explosive gas and polluted water as high as 75
feet into the air before crews were able to tame it more than half a
day later, officials said Friday.

The gas never caught fire and no injuries were reported, but state
officials worried about an explosion before the well could be
controlled. The well was brought under control just after noon Friday,
about 16 hours after it started spewing gas and brine, said Elizabeth
Ivers, a spokeswoman for driller EOG Resources Inc.

Pennsylvania, historically an insignificant source of natural gas, is
trying to adapt its laws to respond to a furious rush to tap a
gas-rich shale formation under its land. The blowout could test the
ability of state regulators, who promised an aggressive investigation
into the accident.

“The event at the well site could have been a catastrophic incident
that endangered life and property,” Department of Environmental
Protection Secretary John Hanger said in a statement. “This was not a
minor accident, but a serious incident that will be fully investigated
by this agency with the appropriate and necessary actions taken
quickly.”

If the agency finds that mistakes were made, it will take steps to
prevent similar errors from repeating, he said. He said it was too
early to tell the extent of any environmental damage.

Details about the accident were still sketchy, but the agency was told
that unexpectedly high gas pressure in the new well prevented the crew
from containing it, said Dan Spadoni, a spokesman for the Department
of Environmental Protection.

Ivers said she could not immediately respond to questions about how
the accident happened. Public safety and protection of the environment
are of the utmost importance, the company said in a statement.

David Rensink, the incoming president of the American Association of
Petroleum Geologists, said gas well blowouts are very rare and can be
very dangerous to control, since a spark can set off an explosion.

Typically, a blowout preventer – a series of valves that sit atop a
well – allows workers to control the pressure inside, he said.

Just such a device figured into the massive oil spill off the coast of
Louisiana. The oil rig’s blowout preventer was supposed to shut off
the flow of oil in the event of a catastrophic failure, but failed to
do so.

The Pennsylvania well is on the grounds of a hunting club in a heavily
forested section of Clearfield County, near Interstate 80 and about 90
miles northeast of Pittsburgh.

Houston-based EOG, formerly part of Enron Corp., was drilling into the
Marcellus Shale reserve, a hotly pursued gas formation primarily under
Pennsylvania, West Virginia, New York and Ohio that some geologists
believe could become the nation’s most productive natural gas field.

There are more than 1,000 Marcellus Shale wells in Pennsylvania alone,
some of them within view of homes, farmhouses and public roads.

There were no homes within a mile of the well, and polluted drilling
water was prevented from reaching a waterway, said Spadoni, the
department spokesman.

On Friday afternoon, a worker blocked a dirt road to the site, while
trucks hauling water tanks streamed past him. He said he was not
allowed to talk about what had happened.

The crew accident happened just after the crew finished a process
called hydraulic fracturing – in which millions of gallons of water,
sand and chemicals are blasted underground to shatter tightly
compacted shale and release trapped natural gas. They were clearing
out debris from the well when gas shot out of it, Spadoni said.

Workers evacuated the site and contacted county authorities, said John
Sobel, a Clearfield County commissioner. The DEP said it wasn’t
notified until 1:30 a.m. – more than five hours after the blowout.

The polluted water flowing out of the well and into the woods was
stopped by a trench and a pump installed by a contractor, Spadoni
said. Companies that specialize in securing out-of-control wells were
called in, he said.

As a precaution, the Federal Aviation Administration issued a flight
restriction Friday morning, saying no planes below 1,000 feet should
go within three miles of the site. The restriction was lifted it
shortly after the well was capped.

Gas Blast Rocks Texan Town
The Wall Street Journal

LEGAL ACTIONS BEGIN WITHIN WATERSHED BASIN
Damascus Citizens has filed multiple legal notices. Counsel,
Jeff Zimmerman challenged the failure of the DRBC to review
so-called “exploratory wells” within the “Special Protection
Waters” of the Upper Delaware River Basin watershed.

Additionally, a filing has been made with the Environmental
Hearing Board of the PA-DEP appealing the issuance of a
“Drill and Operate” permit for an “exploratory well” within
the watershed basin.

The drilling disaster unfolding in the Gulf is an “exploratory
well.” The massive explosion was caused by a single methane
bubble. The Deepwater Horizon in the Gulf was given an
exclusion – just like the exclusion the DRBC is allowing
for the “exploratory wells” now being constructed within
the watershed region.

http://www.DamascusCitizens.org
Damascus means … “a well-watered place”

Keep Cochecton Green
A must read to see how our local governments work!

LEGAL ACTIONS BEGIN WITHIN RIVER BASIN
The Delaware Riverkeeper Network and Nockamixon
Township, Bucks County, PA have jointly submitted a
hearing request concerning a decision issued by the
Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) to allow
a test well in Nockamixon Township to move forward
without DRBC review. The administrative challenge
was submitted to the DRBC on May 21, 2010.
http://www.damascuscitizens.org/news.html

MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT – WEDNESDAY, JUNE 2
Please join Members of Congress, Philadelphia City Officials
and Community Leaders, American Rivers Foundation, Sacred,
National Park Service, Delaware Riverkeeper, NYH20, Catskill
Mountainkeeper, Protecting Our Waters-Philadelphia, Clean Air
Council, Catskill Citizens, and Damascus Citizens in Narrowsburg,
NY, in Philadelphia, and in Washington, DC to affirm a major
national announcement to protect the Upper Delaware River
from the catastrophic impacts of drilling and hydro-fracking.
Wednesday, June 2
Narrowsburg, NY – Main Street – 11 a.m.
Philadelphia, PA – City Hall – Noon

Rt191 south at Teeple road.

Please call these representatives if you dont believe the above statement!

As reported on page 3 of The Daily Star on Wednesday, May 12 in an article by Patricia Breakey, Delhi News Bureau, The Delaware County Board of Supervisors passed Resolution 90. I suggest you contact your town supervisor with your comments. Their contact information may be found at http://www.co.delaware.ny.us/departments/cob/bos.htm

…. In a continued effort to allow natural gas drilling in the watershed, the board approved a resolution requesting that the Delaware River Basin Commission expedite the development of rules and regulations for the development of gas drilling in the watershed.

According to the resolution, “natural gas drilling in Delaware County offers extraordinary and desperately needed economic opportunities.

“In addition to state Department of Environmental Conservation regulations, Delaware County is also subject to heavy regulatory oversight from New York City and is, therefore opposed to any further regulatory oversight by DRBC that would exacerbate the economic burdens on Delaware County,” the resolution said.

Meredith Supervisor Keitha Capouya was the only person to oppose the resolution. She said she agreed with a good deal of what was in the resolution but was not in agreement with trying to rush the drilling regulations.

“I would like more information on the safeness,” Capouya said.

Hancock Supervisor Sam Rowe added: “It’s got to be done safely, but let’s see what is in the Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement. Everybody is trying to reinvent the wheel.”

Colchester Supervisor Bob Homovich said: “Anytime you drill or mine for anything there are risks and there are always going to be risks, but the constant taking without paying the residents of Delaware County is thievery.

“If they want to take away the mineral rights from Delaware County they should have to pay,” he said.

Board Chairman James Eisel said: “Every day the technology for drilling improves. It can be done safely and it is being done all over the world.”

Patricia Breakey can be reached at 746-2894 or at stardelhi@stny.rr.com.

http://thedailystar.com/localnews/x433567586/Delaware-board-accepts-grant-for-emergency-system

http://www.riverreporter.com/issues/10-05-06/news-gasglance.html

BREAKING NEWS: DEC Attempts End Run Around Natural Gas Drilling Concerns — from Catskill Mountainkeeper

At first glance it appears as if the State’s announcement today to offer separate reviews of gas drilling in the New York City and Syracuse watersheds is being done to protect the drinking water of New York City and Syracuse.

However, in reading the DEC’s statement closely, it is clear that they are not offering any special protections to these cities but are instead saying that the rules to determine permitting for gas drilling will be different in the New York City and Syracuse watersheds than in the rest of New York State.

The DEC statement said that gas drilling in the watersheds will NOT be regulated by the rules in the GEIS and that each individual well in the watersheds will need to go through an environmental review.

They did not say that drilling is banned in the watershed and they did not say that each individual well permit in the watersheds would need a supplemental impact study. Based on what they did say, the regulations governing permitting for gas drilling using hydrofracking in the watersheds will be different, which means that those regulations could even be less rigorous that those they would cover the rest of New York State.

There is no way to know the motivations or thinking behind the DEC’s statement, however:
It appears as if the DEC is trying to give the impression that there won’t be drilling in the watersheds to remove political pressure from New York City officials.

It also appears as if the DEC decided to exclude the watersheds from their final GEIS so that they won’t have to address the comments from the comprehensive scientific study that was prepared by the New York City DEP as part of their review of the Draft DGEIS. We would like the DEC to clarify whether or not they will analyze these comments as part of their review process.

Whatever their motives, this announcement does nothing to further protect the people of New York State from health and environmental threats posed by industrial gas drilling.

Ramsay Adams, Executive Director of Catskill Mountainkeeper said, “This is an attempt to take the watershed issue off the table without actually dealing with it, to fast- track drilling for the rest of us. And it’s not even protecting the watersheds. It’s bad on both levels. It’s a really unfortunate turn of events, because it doesn’t address any of the fundamental problems.”

Catskill Mountainkeeper calls on Governor Paterson and DEC Commissioner Grannis to hold up the issuance of any final report until all the scientific evidence (including the results of the recently commissioned report by the EPA) can be thoroughly reviewed and evaluated AND a second draft is issued so the public has the opportunity to review and comment. The stakes are too high and the potential danger is too great to do otherwise.

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State Decision Blocks Drilling for Gas in Catskills