the marcellus play

October 28, 2010

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
power vs progress
the state vs you

FrackMountain.com

March 15, 2010

Much of Pennsylvania sits atop an ocean of “natural”  gas trapped within a humongous layer of shale.  It is called the Marcellus formation and lies more than a mile below the surface.  To extract such entombed “resources”, big oil will fracture and pulverize the  shale beneath us to free the gas.  This is not popping a bubble, this is boring and exploding tunnels beneath you.

I live in an area called the Back Mountain.  It is upland northwest of a large and populated valley.  The Back Mountain comprises  over 100 square miles and is home to approximately 27,000 humans.  It is a verdant and pastoral quilt of  relatively thriving communities and two small university campuses.  Everything that happens here drains to the Susquehanna River then into the Chesapeake Bay.

Recently, EnCana Corporation was given permission to drill three “exploratory” natural gas wells  here.

There are many disadvantages and dangers associated with this activity.  There is one advantage.  Money.  Gas companies are offering thousands of dollars per acre for landowners to lease their rights over to the drillers.  Then, if there are operating wells on your property you also get a royalty.  In these hard times, it seems a godsend to over taxed and forgotten farmers and  land owners.  I heard of one man who signed a lease because he needed a new roof on his house.  Most do so in ignorance of the real consequences and potential risks.

Here is a partial list of  our concerns: endocrine disruptors,  carcinogens, radioactive mud, hydrocarbons, massive truck traffic, lower property values, higher crime rates,  spills, violations, fish kills, pipelines, spoiled wells, ill neighbors, and on and on it seems to go.

In early February I became involved in a movement to stop (or at least contain) this usery.  We are organizing.   One initiative was to establish a web presence with links to information.  Therefore, I started the blog FrackMountain.com.

This is the reason I am rarely here at qazse.

Thanks, Herb

budku2

February 27, 2010

2007_0306firstbatch0241.jpg

after playing in snow
he comes home
a confection

Happy Lent

February 17, 2010

ídem

January 22, 2010

vete a la mierda no voy a hacer lo que me dices que me

death class of 2064

January 22, 2010

The DJ

schmoozes
“And now we have a request”

“Here’s a little
Rage, Against, The Machine”

Then starts to croon,on the keyboard:

“Killing in the name of!
Some of those that work forces, are the same that burn crosses
Some of those that work forces, are the same that burn crosses
Some of those that work forces, are the same that burn crosses
Some of those that work forces, are the same that burn crosses…”

as the aids hand out medication.

lyrics:Rage Against the Machine

still has lousy karma

January 4, 2010

Think I saw Hitler today
buzzing around piles
of slimy dog poop

making one of those
truculent speeches
to the eggs he just laid.

consider this:

December 25, 2009

abused-child-sudan

“what is good for children
is good for mankind” –

quote source
photo source

first posted 1/1/09

Plastic Piece on Earth

December 21, 2009

How Is This Change?

December 15, 2009

Living like royalty in a desperate world.