Mammon hates Jay Sweeney

And,Jay Sweeney hates no one.

Here is an announcement from Jay Sweeney(Chair of the Green Party of Pa.):

Calling on those who wish to live in harmony with the Earth and protect the planet from assault, abuse and devastation!

Please join us on Earth Day, April 22, 2013, as we call on the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection to fulfill its mission to “protect Pennsylvania’s air, land and water from pollution and to provide for the health and safety of its citizens through a cleaner environment” and to “work as partners with individuals, organizations, governments and businesses to prevent pollution and restore our natural resources.”

Join us as we gather at DEP’s regional offices in Harrisburg, Norristown, Meadeville, Pittsburgh, Wilkes-Barre and Williamsport to demand:
• The resignation of DEP Secretary Michael Krancer for failure to fulfill the DEP mission
• No more permits for gas wells, compressor stations, pipelines, water withdrawals and other infrastructure related to natural gas, coal or oil extraction
• No more toxic secrets — full disclosure of water test results and other studies done by the DEP
• Justice for those harmed by the oil and gas industry
• The reopening of the DEP Office of Energy and Technology Deployment to develop solar, wind and other renewable energy technologies

the threat of democracy

If this evil and blatant usury of our land is not stopped by our elected and sworn representatives by listening to reason, constituents, and the constitution – if they wimp out on their duty to make sure anything done to this state is done right or not at all; if this illegal attack supplants democracy – then democracy will be wrestled back, one way or another.

There will be thousands of gas wells drilled over the next two decades using slick water horizontal hydrofracking – the Back Mountain as Industrial Zone

Gas Drilling Will Bring You:
Lower Property Values
Higher Taxes
Polluted and Unusable Water Sources
Toxic Waste (heavy metals, carcinogens, brine and radioactive materials)
Open Waste Pits
Undisclosed Chemicals
Endocrine Disruptors
Carcinogens Left Underground
Air Pollution
Depleted Water Habitat
Noise Pollution
Eminent Domain
Loss of Farmland
Loss of Tourism
Disrupted Wildlife Habitat
Higher Crime Rate
Increased Drug Use
Choking Truck Traffic
Broken Roads
Increased Accidents
Lower Quality of Life (why do you love this place?)
Earth Shaking
Fractured Bedrock Below (where 10 to 30 tons of chemicals per well, liberated radioactivity, brine, and heavy metals are left underground to slowly migrate toward your family’s water supply)

Educate yourself and take action to stop this now! The first well is drilling this August. Don’t be fooled by the propaganda you see on television and billboards. 1.5% percent of the county households will benefit, 98.5% will suffer.

NOTE – Add on top of this: mismanagement, acts of nature, maximization of profit, and out of state corporations. Then mix in weakened laws and a depleted DEP. And put it all in the context of rapid expansion. Isn’t this a case for MORATORIUM!?

Dick Cheney’s Picture Book of Energy – Page 1

Obviously, the Sun is NOT a good source of energy.

SLEEPING WITH THE ENEMY – opinion by Molly M

SLEEPING WITH THE ENEMY

The meeting held at Misericordia University on May 11th promised to be a presentation by the Department Of Environmental Protection concerning the drilling for gas in the Marcellus Shale. I attended with an open mind, I thought. At the entrance to the meeting, flyers were being handed out touting the safety of the drilling. My first red flag went up when I saw who produced the flyer: Halliburton. Index cards and pencils were handed out to be used to submit questions to John Perry, spokesperson for DEP. Mr. Perry made his well memorized speech about the history of gas drilling in Pennsylvania and threw out lots of numbers and statistics regarding the industry. After his presentation, a faculty member of Misericordia screened the questions and allowed Mr. Perry to answer her carefully selected inquiries. Sadly, my question was never answered.

A gentleman sitting behind me, who would not lease his property, showed me an invitation he received to the meeting sent to him by a gas company. He was not amused by the slanted presentation totally in favor of the drilling process.

It was a total waste of time. I learned nothing. If the Huntsville Dam is polluted, Mr. Perry’s solution would be to provide drinking water to the thousands of folks depending on the dam for water. Water buffaloes on Wyoming Avenue?

My conclusion at the end of the meeting was that the DEP is in the pocket of the gas industry and cannot be relied upon to protect us. He gave me no reassuring feeling that this process will be safe. I came away feeling frustrated and depressed.

killing a creek in West Virginia – Molly M.

My daughter lives in West Virginia near the PA border. Here are some articles she sent to me about a fish kill on a creek 30 MILES LONG! The kill was caused by a gas company allowing fracking fluid into abandoned mines.
This happened last September.

www.post-gazette.com
A bloom of toxic alien algae is being blamed for killing thousands of fish, mussels and other forms of aquatic life in more than 30 miles of Dunkard Creek along the Pennsylvania-West Virginia border this month.

wvgazette.com
Three weeks ago, fish started dying in Dunkard Creek, a scenic stream that winds along the West Virginia-Pennsylvania border in Monongalia County

www.marcellus-shale.us
Dunkard Creek experienced a large fish kill in 2009 from golden algae and high chloride water.
___________________________________________

drillsylvania

Why is it that the Constitution is paramount, until it comes to money?

I found out who built on the Huntsville reservoir.

Can one sign the ethics pledge and still support the gas play?

Drilling under the sacred Susquehanna, and eminent domain seem like aggressive (somewhat sociopathic) moves.  Many are getting very very frustrated. Count me in.

the constitutional play

this is: oil vs solar
marketing vs truth
walmart vs main street
insanity vs sanity
landmen vs farmland
lawyers vs community
lobbyists vs democracy
secrecy vs transparency
the state vs you

Local Bloggers on Earth Day

Another Monkey has written an Earth Day post for today. We are blessed with several wonderful local bloggers who take the environment very seriously. At the end of Another Monkey’s post he lists the other Earth Day bloggers and links to their posts (thanks D.B.). Please take the time to read them. Thank you.

GDAC Earth Day Statement

Earth Day Statement

The Gas Drilling Awareness Coalition is here today to protest the drilling for natural gas in Luzerne County. We have studied the impacts of natural gas extraction by deep well drilling and hydraulic fracking in the Marcellus shale and other deposits throughout our country and recognize the inherent risks to our local environment. These risks challenge not only the quality of life for the populated Back Mountain area through disruption of our roads, air and water quality, but this activity poses an unacceptable risk to the fresh drinking water supplies of the people of the Wyoming Valley from West Pittston to West Nanticoke and all of the towns in between. The gas companies have received a permit to drill in Lehman Township, that is only 1.7 miles from the Huntsville reservoir and the county commissioners want to drill in Moon Lake Park that is less than ½ mile from the Ceasetown reservoir. Both of these fresh water dams and aquifers supply drinking water to over 80,000 people in the Valley. The majority of people in our county will not reap the financial benefits from this drilling but will be taking on all of the risks. We want to say to EnCana gas company of North America, and any other gas company seeking to exploit our area, we do not want you disturbing our communities, polluting our air and water, damaging our roads, decreasing our property values, and dividing our people. We ask you to leave. We also want to stand up against the larger issue that communities are told they have no say in what happens in their townships and local ordinances are superseded by the state. We the people, hereby declare our right to decide what types of activities we choose to allow in our communities and how to regulate them. This right to self-govern is inalienable and what American democracy is all about. If you feel that your rights to self-determination are being violated and are against allowing our beautiful county to be turned into an industrial zone littered with hazardous chemicals, our air disturbed by lung damaging fumes, and quality of life all negatively impacted by natural gas drilling, then join us in stopping this activity and asking our legislators to do the same.

Dr. Thomas Jiunta

Gas Drilling Awareness Coalition