Hickenlooper May Be in Bed With the Oil Industry, But Coloradans Have His Wake-up Call

Governor Hickenlooper had a few particularly cozy days with the oil and gas industry the other week. First, he appeared in industry-funded ads in newspapers and on radio stations across the state, proclaiming that no water in Colorado had been contaminated by fracking. After being forced to issue a weak mea culpa amid cries of ethics violations over his unabashed hawking of the oil and gas industry, Hickenlooper then claimed that fracking fluids are edible: "You can eat this -- the CEO of Halliburton took a big swig of this thing. And not to be outdone, I took a swig of it myself."

Then, the governor issued an Executive Order to create an industry-dominated task force that will examine how to take local control away from communities across the state that don't want drill rigs near homes or their children's schools.

And now, satisfied with a job well done, Governor Hickenlooper jetted to Houston, Texas, to be the keynote speaker of an industry conference touting fracking.

If these antics have you thinking that Governor Hickenlooper no longer represents the people of Colorado and works full-time for the oil and gas industry, you're not off base: Governor Hickenlooper took over $75,000 from the oil and gas industry for his gubernatorial campaign.

Even so, the grassroots movement that opposes fracking in Colorado is starting to win. Up and down the Front Range -- from Colorado Springs to El Paso County, from Erie to Longmont to Boulder County -- communities are standing up to pass moratoria on fracking. Why? Because their air quality is 10 times worse than Houston, Texas, as a result of oil and gas drilling. Or because there is a fracking well being planned 350 feet from their children's elementary school. Or because their home values have plummeted due to proposed fracking in their neighborhood.

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Niagara Falls says ‘no' to fracking wastes

A Niagara Falls water treatment plant won't accept wastewater from hydraulic fracturing after all.

The Niagara Falls Water Board, a public benefit corporation that provides water and sewer services to the city, had considered accepting fracking waste. They were examining the idea because of its revenue potential. In an article last month, the Associated Press said that there are no treatment plants in New York that can handle fracking fluid.� But an official at the Niagara Falls treatment plant told the AP that the facility, which was built to handle chemical waste, could handle fracking waste by adding some equipment.

Monday night, however, the Niagara Falls city council passed a law banning fracking-related activities, including the treatment of used fracking fluid, reports the Niagara Gazette. While the water board, not the city, operates the treatment plant, the ban would still prevent the treatment of fracking wastewater.

Niagara Falls has a long history of chemical production, and it has the infrastructure to go along with it. But the city is also the site of one of the nation's most notorious toxic disasters: Love Canal. If any place is going to be sensitive to new toxic activity, it's probably going to be Niagara Falls.

In fact, city officials have said as much. Consider this quote from City Council member Glenn Choolokian in an Associated Press article about the ban: "We can't be a test case. We've been through Love Canal. We don't want another Love Canal."

http://www.rochestercitynewspaper.com/news/blog/2012/03/Niagara-Falls-says-no-to-fracking-wastes/

Md. Senate committee hears fracking fee bill

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Opponents of using new hydraulic fracturing drilling techniques in western Maryland joined state officials Tuesday in asking lawmaker to support a fee to fund a study of potential environmental impacts.

Industry officials, meanwhile, turned out in Annapolis to warn members of a Senate committee not to turn away what could be an economic boon for two western counties.

The $10-an-acre fee would apply to lands leased for hydraulic fracturing, a drilling method that extracts the gas by blasting through layers of shale rock with a combination of water and chemicals. The bill would use the fee to pay for a study commissioned by Gov. Martin O'Malley.

Sen. Brian Frosh, a bill sponsor, said the governor has asked a state panel to examine the impacts "but it can't fully do its work because it doesn't have the money."

Frosh told the Senate's Education, Health, and Environmental Affairs Committee that the bill authorizes the return of any money that isn't used.

The bill, however, also says owners can be asked to pay more if the study costs more than the fee raises.

Drew Cobbs of the Maryland Petroleum Council told the panel he was concerned the bill could hurt the state's ability to compete with surrounding states. West Virginia and Pennsylvania are already seeing a boom in the new drilling technique, but also complaints about its impact on the environment, particularly ground water.

Farmers who turned out for the hearing took both sides of the issue.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505245_162-57392381/md-senate-committee-hears-fracking-fee-bill/

Chesapeake gets OK for 3 new fracking wells in northeast Ohio

Chesapeake gets OK for 3 new fracking wells in northeast Ohio

(NYSE:CHK) has gotten permits for three new wells to explore for natural gas in Ohio’s Utica shale field, the Youngstown Vindicatorreports.

The Oklahoma City-based company’s Chesapeake Exploration LLC affiliate said the Ohio Department of Natural Resources granted the wells in Columbiana County, the paper reported, where it plans to look for resources using fracking.

Columbiana County now has 14 wells approved for fracking, the paper said.

http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/morning_call/2012/02/chesapeake-gets-ok-for-3-new-fracking.html

Commissioners call for tighter state regulations on fracking

The Athens News

With regard to baseline water testing, the resolution identifies a need for this in county water supplies prior to the initiation of fracking operations. The resolution calls for testing for organic and inorganic chemicals involved in the fracking process.

http://www.athensnews.com/ohio/article-36114-commissioners-call-for-tighter-state-regulations-on-fracking.html

FRACKING, FAIRNESS AND THE FUTURE

Excerpts:

"In New York, a memo from the New York Department of Transportation revealed that “Pavement structural damage done by the passage of a single large truck is equivalent to that done by about 9,000 automobiles.”xi Areas with heavy drilling are expecting 1.5 million heavy truck trips annually and could see an increase in peak hour trips by 36,000 trips per hour. A similar impact can be expected in Ohio. This type of traffic—on rural roads that aren’t designed for such loads— will quickly result in expensive maintenance costs In New York, a memo from the New York Department of Transportation revealed that “Pavement structural damage done by the passage of a single large truck is equivalent to that done by about 9,000 automobiles.”xi Areas with heavy drilling are expecting 1.5 million heavy truck trips annually and could see an increase in peak hour trips by 36,000 trips per hour. A similar impact can be expected in Ohio. This type of traffic—on rural roads that aren’tdesigned for such loads— will quickly result in expensive maintenance costs."

"The increased demand for housing has driven up rent in rural areas, which, in turn, has displaced many long-time residents. Areas that saw few homeless people have experienced a sudden increase in family homelessness and in families doubling or tripling up in their living quartersThe increased demand for housing has driven up rent in rural areas, which, in turn, has displaced many long-time residents. Areas that saw few homeless people have experienced a sudden increase in family homelessness and in families doubling or tripling up in their living quarters."

"In addition to being associated with possible health consequences, hydraulic fracturing is connected to multiple environmental concerns, such as increased air pollution and a probable contamination of local water supplies."

Read more at: http://innovationohio.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Fracking-Fairness-and-the-Future-Full-Report.pdf

Warren set to keep brine treatment

WARREN - The existing permit ends today for the Warren Water Pollution Control Facility to dispose of treated brine water in the Mahoning River. Until hearings are held on new regulations, however, the practice is expected to continue.

As it stands, that's a temporary reprieve for Director Tom Angelo and at least one city business associated with the practice, Patriot Water Treatment.

Patriot pretreats the wastewater trucked into the city from natural gas drilling sites to remove heavy metals, bromide and other contaminants. That brine water is then sent into Warren's sewer to the city plant before it is discharged into the Mahoning River.

Last year, Ohio EPA informed Warren it would not reauthorize this activity and that the city's discharge of brine wastewater would end with its existing permit effective today.

A draft permit in place prohibits the city from accepting, treating and discharging brine wastewater from shale gas drilling, exploration or production.

However, Angelo explained Monday that when a new permit is not yet in effect, a facility may continue to operate under the terms of the existing permit, and Warren will continue to receive treated brine water from Patriot until the issue is settled.

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