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.

Poetry Project – a poem by R

We all breathe the same air
drive the same roads
see the same sky.
So is it any wonder why
we don’t want our land to die?

Richer, poorer, privileged or middle class
all of us live here
now in fear
of losing what some take for granted
and others hold dear.

To lose our land and our health
all for ill-gotten wealth
is more than we can bear.
We must be strong in the fight.
We can only do this if we UNITE.

“DEP lies to residents of Waterville”

Here is a most recent update on the Pine Creek Toxin Spill from the Responsible Drilling Alliance:

Subject: DEP lies to residents of Waterville about chemical product hazards: Sungazette “DEP: Gas industry treatment behind discharge on hillside”

AIRFOAM HD discharging into spring water from gas production — Dan Spadoni of the DEP said to the reporter in this news article that the MSDS sheet states that Airfoam HD is not dangerous — but it is, Air Foam HD has high levels of a chemical called 2-BE (2-Butoxyethanol) which is strongly associated with a rare form of adrenal cancer. The MSDS sheets for Airfoam HD indicate that this chemical product can cause health problems and is also soluble in water. Water tests for 2-BE are extremely expensive, costing over $100 for a 500ppm test of a water sample (as Wayne and Angel Smith in Clearville, PA found out last winter). There is already one poster child for 2-BE contamination and this rare adrenal cancer in a gas drilling area: Laura Amos.

Pine Creek Update

Here is an update from Responsible Drilling Alliance:

This is what the Sun Gazette article did NOT say about Airfoam HD, the substance running down the hill in Waterville and into Pine Creek.

From Damascus Citizens for Sustainability:
2-Butoxylethanol (2-BE) is a foaming agent used for natural gas production and is proven to cause cancer in animals. 2-BE is a primary component of AirFoam HD, a product that has been found on drilling pads in Pennsylvania — the Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) for Air Foam HD state that is dissolves in water and that chronic exposure causes cancer. Testing for 2-BE costs over $100 per test, and the cost burden is on the landholder. DEP has failed to test for drilling or fracking chemicals in their standard tests, which are only performed when landowners report problems in their water supply, not before the problems occur. Residents who will soon have natural gas production occurring in their region or upstream from their groundwater supply must hire an independent water testing company to do a “baseline test” to show the lack of contaminants prior to the drilling. Without a baseline test, it is more difficult to convict a drilling operator for water contamination – the drilling operator can claim that there is no proof that the contaminant was not in the groundwater supply prior to the drilling.

From The Endocrine Disruption Exchange a nonprofit organization founded by Dr. Theo Colborn. TEDX is dedicated to compiling and disseminating scientific evidence on the health and environmental problems caused by low-dose exposure to chemicals known as endocrine disruptors, which interfere with development and function.

In order to prevent injury while working with potentially harmful products, Material Safety Data Sheets are designed to inform people who handle, ship, and use these products about their physical and chemical characteristics and their direct and/or immediate health effects. Many MSDSs do not address the outcome of long term, intermittent or chronic exposures, or adverse health effects that may not be expressed until years after the exposure. 2-Butoxylethanol (2-BE) is one of the nastier things the drilling industry uses, It is soluble in water, vaporizes in air, and is taken up through the skin. It can cause a very specific adrenal tumor linked to its exposure. 2-BE is implicated in a wide variety of health effects in most systems of the body and should be handled with great care. Studies have indicated there is no known level of dilution where 2-BE does not have an effect on organisms. Download the spreadsheet at: http://www.endocrinedisruption.com/chemicals.fracturing.php

This incident is of grave concern to us all, especially those who live in Waterville or had planned to catch and eat fish from Pine Creek.

A Must Hear Video – 9 minutes

Here is a direct testimony by an intelligent articulate man who has been betrayed by Big Gas. His name is Ron Gulla from Hickory, PA. He is speaking out. PLEASE LISTEN.

There are several other videos of Ron on You Tube. PS – a thank you to Susquehanna River Sentinel for finding thi

Dick Cheney’s Picture Book of Energy – page 6

Scars give Mother Earth more character!

Pine Creek Toxin Spill

Pennsylvania General Energy has stopped natural gas drilling operations at a Waterville, Pa site after white soapy water was discovered flowing from its drill site.  This tainted spring runoff flows into beautiful Pine Creek.

It is believed to be 2-Butoxylethanol (2-BE), a foaming agent used for natural gas production proven to cause cancer in animals. See How Should We Do the Mountain for more details.

photo source:

An Incredible Web Resource

When I slammed this blog together six weeks ago, I poured over website after website and tried to provide links for a quick education. There was much I never got to review.  My initial objective was to get the word out as soon as possible – to give a web presence to the work already started by people like Tom Jiunta and Audrey Simpson.

Recently I became aware of a dynamite set of sites: one a website and the other its matching blog.  They are UN-NATURAL GAS.org and UN-NATURAL GAS.org WEBLOG. They were created by CDOG – Chenango Delaware Otsego Gas Drilling Opposition Group. They cover national as well as regional drilling stories. Subjects such as cost externalization, community readiness, moratoria, and energy independence. Check out the Organizer’s Page and the comprehensive FAQ page on the website. Also the images section and the “Lies” section. This is the primer for which I have been looking. The site is a work in progress. It is creative, edgy, and informed. I plan to return to it often. Grab a beverage and check it out. Please.

Poetry Project – A Poem By Kayak Dude!

There once was a lass from EnCana,
Offering riches beyond heaven’s manna,
She promised everyone more
But when we tallied the score,
All we gained was a dead Susquehanna.

the FrackMountain Poetry Project

I invite anyone/and everyone to submit a poem (or song, essay, rant) related to BIG GAS, the Marcellus play, the beauty of this area, its heritage….you get the idea.   I will start things off:

who will want their milk?

Once fields of clover
now radiated mud,

the neighbor cows –
still chewin’ cud.

At my table
I sit and think,

Next time I better buy
elsewhere’s drink.