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
Dying for Christmas – version 2
December 14, 2009
The tree we cut
and carried
into our home
the one
we shackled
then
trimmed
sang to
then
toasted
now lies
in the gutter
her
hooks
and tinsel
riffling on the wind
2007
with nature
December 11, 2009
the more
i am
with nature –
the less
of me
i must kill
2008
if bees no more
April 5, 2009
Apricots
Almonds
Apples
Alfalfa
Blueberries and
Buckwheat
Cantaloupe and
Clover
Cucumber
Cranberry
Peaches
Pears
and Plums
Raspberry
Strawberry
and Pumpkin
Watermelon
Sunflowers
Squash and
Zucchini
all no more…
forever
soon
February 23, 2009
soon
no amount
of insecticide
will help
pro life? breakfast
February 5, 2009
Reptiles,
we eat
the embryos of others.
But fuck not!
with ours.
with nature
December 29, 2008
the more i am
with nature –
the less of me
i must kill
dying for Chrtistmas
December 2, 2008
The tree we cut
and carried
into our home
the one
we shackled
then
trimmed
sang to
then
toasted
now lies
in the gutter
her
hooks
and tinsel
riffling on the wind
against the dark sky
November 10, 2008
just one leaf holds on
brown and brittle it struggles
loosing some pieces
qazse 