Gas Rush Stories: Life Above the Marcellus Shale

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Animals, Cancerous, Carcinogenic, citizens, Deadly, Drilling, Drinking Water, environment, environmental catastrophe, environmental disaster, Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, fracking, Gas Rush Stories, greed, Horizontal Fracking, human rights violations, Humans, Hydraulic Fracking, hydraulic fracturing, Hydraulic Fracturing or Fracking, Lethal, Marcellus Formation, Marcellus Shale, Mining, natural gas, PA DEP, Pennsylvania, poisonous, shale gas, shale gas formations, Toxic Chemicals, Toxic Compounds, U.S, United States, Well Water Contamination

The shale gas drilling boom has changed the lives of many Pennsylvanians. Two-thirds of Pennsylvania sits on top of Marcellus Shale, one of the world’s largest shale gas deposits. While some other states and countries are taking their time to figure out how to proceed with shale gas drilling, Pennsylvania has welcomed the gas industry and allowed it to move ahead at a rapid speed.
By featuring stories from Pennsylvania residents, including a cattle farmer who lost stock due to gas drilling, grain farmer who leased her land for drilling six years ago, company that is recycling frack wastewater and cancer-survivor-fractivist who helps people who have been negatively impacted by drilling, this documentary goes beyond the polarized fracking debate and humanizes the issue.
An independent filmmaker and journalist, Kirsi Jansa has been witnessing the many impacts of the shale gas drilling boom in Pennsylvania since early 2011. This 16-minute documentary, Life above Marcellus Shale 2011-2012, provides multiple perspectives of shale gas drilling. It is based on the first ten episodes of her short documentary series, Gas Rush Stories.

 

Nearly Half Of Fracking Happens In Drought-Stricken Areas!

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aquifer, Cancerous, Carcinogenic, Deadly, Drinking Water, drought, Energy, fracking, Fresh water, Groundwater Contamination, Horizontal Fracking, Hydraulic Fracking, hydraulic fracturing, Hydraulic Fracturing or Fracking, natural gas, oil, shale gas formations, Toxic Chemicals, U.S, United States, water pollution, water supply, Water Well Contamination, Well Water Contamination

Fracking for oil and gas is a thirsty business.

Hydraulic fracturing uses large amounts of pressurized water — mixed with sand and chemicals — to crack subterranean rocks and release oil or natural gas. Up to 10 million gallons of water can go into a single well.

And according to a new study, it’s happening in many places where water supplies are already stretched perilously thin.

The study, released today by the nonprofit group Ceres, examined 25,450 fracked wells across the United States and found that 47 percent lie in areas that face high or extremely high “water stress.” In those areas, at least 80 percent of the available fresh water is already being used in homes, farms or businesses.

The numbers have big implications.

Read more here:  http://blog.sfgate.com/energy/2013/05/02/nearly-half-of-fracking-happens-in-places-short-on-water/?goback=%2Egde_1846553_member_237628228

Welcome to Sand Fracking Country & Glacier Sands LLC!

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breaking, Brian Iverson, cancer, cancer-causing, Cancerous, carcinogen, Carcinogenic, Clean Air Act, Clean Energy Act, Clean Water Act, criminal, Crystalline Silica, environmental, environmental disaster, Frack Sand, fracking, fraud, fraudulent, Glacier Sands LLC, greed, greedy, Horizontal Fracking, Hydraulic Fracking, hydraulic fracturing, Ike Thomas, known carcinogens, law, Minnesota, Mississippi River, money, Monopolies, monopoly, poison, poisonous, power, power-hungry, Ryan Thomas, Sand, Sand Fracking, Seven Sands LLC, Silica, Silica or Sand Fracking, Silicosis, Snake, snakes, Texas, Toxic, Toxic Chemicals, violations, Wisconsin

Is that not a pretty picture?  It is what happens to our land when we rely on finite sources of dirty fossil fuel energy.  Say goodbye to the trees, the animals, and a clean environment!  The picture is not of a Hydraulic Fracturing or Fracking site.  It is a picture of the lesser known Sand Fracking that goes on to supply the needed Silica sand for the extremely toxic Hydraulic Fracking process of which there are now 65,000 wells and counting throughout the U.S.

The premium sand that is ideal for Hydraulic Fracturing or Horizontal Fracturing has been found by businessmen, mainly from Texas, and the high quality sand is in Wisconsin and Minnesota!  A little-known company called Glacier Sands LLC a.k.a. Seven Sands LLC is responsible for this “gold rush” in the Sand Fracking industry. Their webpage looks innocent, but looks can be deceiving!

Speaking of deception, welcome to Glacier Sands LLC’s Leadership:  http://glaciersands.com/about-glacier-sands/leadership/

Let’s break down three key people in their leadership:  Brian Iverson, Ryan Thomas and Ike Thomas.  Brian Iverson drew the attention of Texas businessmen Ike and Ryan Thomas, and he formally set up Glacier Sands LLC a.k.a. Seven Sands LLC in 2011 using a Wisconsin address although he lived in Minnesota.  Brian Iverson has not only been accused of investment fraud related to a group of mining investors from Montana, but he also filed bankruptcy a little over two years ago to cover over $21 million of debt he accrued related to former business deals “and personal guaranties he gave as security for business loans.”  Source: http://www.tcdailyplanet.net/news/2012/07/09/frac-sand-or-farmland-wisconsin-farmers-face-showdown-rescheduled-august-9

Boy, this Brian Iverson guy sounds like bad news!  He’s shady at best, and he has hooked up with two Texas businessmen since 2011 to completely destroy (see picture above) Wisconsin and Minnesota’s pristine environment by slithering in like a snake to slowly poison innocent citizens who have lived here for generations.  What for? GREED, of course!  Brian Iverson needed help to become financially successful, because he has a dirty past of screwing people over, then filing bankruptcy for his losses!  Iverson is the epitome of selfishness!  He obviously does not care about people in general or his workers, since I am sure he is aware of the dangers of Silicosis and cancer.

Sand Fracking for Crystalline Silica is known to cause Silicosis and cancer.  Source:  OSHA:  http://www.osha.gov/OshDoc/data_General_Facts/crystalline-factsheet.pdf  The Silica sand from Sand Fracking can blow for miles if not continually watered down according to lame government standards.  At best, the Crystalline Silica produced from Sand Fracking to use in Hydraulic Fracking will only affect nearby areas to include the Mississippi River.  That is bad enough if you live in a state where Sand Fracking sites are popping up faster than they can be properly studied for health risks before approval!  Without proper studies on the harmful effects and affects of fracking, county boards like Buffalo County, WI just delay the permit for Sand Fracking until all of the ‘angry citizen’ dust has settled.  Then, they go in and vote 3-0 in favor of what nobody wants except for the dirty fossil fuel industry and big business like Glacier Sands LLC!  I wonder how many board members and other officials get paid to pass legislation for mining that is NOT wanted by a vast majority of U.S. citizens in general?  Probably more than one can possibly imagine!  Brian Iverson had help from Ike and Ryan Thomas though.  Anything coming out of the most polluted state (Texas) in the U.S. for over a decade and running cannot be good!

Ike Thomas’s Linked in profile suggests a man with deep roots in dirty energy and big business: http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=135550272&authType=name&authToken=3tMX&locale=en_US&goback=%2Enpv_135550272_*1_*1_name_3tMX_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1  He has a company called JusRyn (President since 1980) that is not only hard to find (a red flag), but when you do find Ike’s company it’s listed in the white or yellow pages!  This seems a bit fishy to me, but what do you expect from a Texas businessman?  What about Ryan Thomas?  His Linked in profile says it all including bragging about being a Frack Sand supplier!  He has similar business roots like Ike Thomas with dirty mining and dirty energy leading the way:  http://www.linkedin.com/pub/ryan-thomas/18/592/664.

Is this what our country wants?  A monkey barrel of bullies overrunning our local governments to feed their lust for money and power?  Apparently so, because I do not see anyone standing up en masse to protest fraudulent businessmen.  Businessmen who sucker farmers or anyone else with many acres of land via a greed-laden but small payout for ruining not only the farmer’s or individual’s land, but the land, water, complete infrastructure to include roads and buildings of towns and cities, and health of humans and animals!

Do you think that Glacier Sands or any other “Fracking” business is going to pay for human health problems which show up years or decades later, or the contamination of our land and water in general?  They will be long gone by the time we catch up to the mess they have left behind!  Taxpayers, as usual, will be stuck cleaning up dirty mining’s mess due to lack of current concern or ability to do much of anything to stop the Sand Fracking nightmare that consumes Wisconsin and Minnesota!  It’s such a shame too, because if you can stop the Sand Fracking from happening then you can halt the even more dangerous Hydraulic Fracturing or Fracking that uses Crystalline Silica in large quantities.  Fracking, like Glacier Sands is doing, has already turned America’s landscape from this

To This:

By John Loeffler – Fountain City, Wisconsin

Sources:

Glacier Sands:  http://glaciersands.com/about-glacier-sands/leadership/

Twin Cities Daily Planet:  Frac Sand or Farmland: Wisconsin farmers face showdown  http://www.tcdailyplanet.net/news/2012/07/09/frac-sand-or-farmland-wisconsin-farmers-face-showdown-rescheduled-august-9

OSHA Fact Sheet:  http://www.osha.gov/OshDoc/data_General_Facts/crystalline-factsheet.pdf

Jusryn Inc.:   http://www.directorycentral.com/business/tx/granbury/jusryn-inc-2814118.html

The Sky Is Pink

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alarming rates, Associated Press, Big Oil, cement, cement barrier, cement casings, cover-up, cover-ups, current number of fracking wells, deception, evidence, fails, failure, Failures, fire, fires, fracking, fracking waste, fracking wastewater, fracking wells, gas, gas migration, Gasland, Horizontal Fracking, Hydraulic Fracking, hydraulic fracturing, Hydraulic Fracturing or Fracking, Josh Fox, lighting water on fire, Mark Ruffalo, migration, natural gas, Natural Gas Boom, New York, New York City, oil, oil industry, poison, poisoning, poisonous, Radiation Poisoning, Radioactive, scientific evidence, tap water, Toxic, Toxic Chemicals, Water Well Contamination, Water Well Pollution, well contamination, Yoko Ono

by Josh Fox

03-05-2013

Most recent figure:

*65,000 Hydraulic Fracturing Wells & Counting!*

*Mass Water Contamination*

 

The Dangers of Fracking

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abandoned wells, atmospheric haze, ban, Cancerous, Carcinogenic, Department of Health and Human Services, Doctors, Drilling, environmental disaster, facts, fracking, gas industry, grave risks, ground contamination, health impact assessment, health professionals, Horizontal Fracking, Hydraulic Fracking, improper cleanup, industrial hazards, industrial waste, irresponsible, lacking, medical experts, natural gas, oversight, permanent, Pol, pollutants, public health hazards, reckless, Sand Fracking, scientific evidence, scientists, Shale, silica sand, Toxic, unplugged wells, water pollution

New Report Confirms Fracking is Reckless

Ecowatch.org

10-15-2012

Frack Action

A new report¹ on shale resources and hydraulic fracturing from the Government Accountability Office (GAO)—an independent, nonpartisan agency that works for Congress—concludes that fracking poses serious risks to health and the environment. The report, which reviewed studies from state agencies overseeing fracking as well as scientific reports, found that the extent of the risks has not yet been fully quantified and that there are many unanswered questions and a lack of scientific data.

Major reports and studies were also released in Europe the past two months, all of which came to the conclusion that fracking poses serious risks to water, public health, and the environment, and that additional scientific study is necessary. Meanwhile, in NY hundreds² of doctors, scientists, and medical organizations have renewed calls for an independent, comprehensive health impact assessment and additional scientific research.

“The big-money gas industry is at it again,” said John Armstrong of Frack Action on behalf of New Yorkers Against Fracking, a broad coalition of New Yorkers opposed to fracking. “Rather than allow a comprehensive independent health assessment that can study the dangers fracking poses to our water and health, they just want to frack as quickly as possible and take their profits back to Texas.”

Given the conclusions from the broad NY, U.S., and world-wide scientific and medical community that fracking poses serious public health and environmental risks and needs further scientific study, the gas industry and the Joint Landowners Coalition’s rush to frack is dangerously reckless and irresponsible.

The Government Accountability Office report, which includes review of the New York Department of Conservation’s study of fracking, finds that there is insufficient data and scientific study to determine the extent of risks fracking poses to groundwater and avenues for groundwater contamination, but it does note that such contamination can take place. For example, the report states that, “Underground migration can occur as a result of improper casing and cementing of the well bore as well as the intersection of induced fractures with natural fractures, faults, or improperly plugged dry or abandoned wells. Moreover, there are concerns that induced fractures can grow over time and intersect with drinking water aquifers” (page 46).

The GAO’s concerns about improperly plugged and abandoned wells strike an unnerving note in New York especially, given that the Associated Press recently found³ that Department of Environmental Conservation records, “reveal thousands of unplugged and abandoned wells and other industrial problems that could pose a threat to groundwater, wetlands, air quality and public safety.”

The GAO report also raises many other concerns long held by NY health professionals and scientists, such as the negative impacts that fracking will mean for air quality. The GAO report concludes that, “Construction of the well pad, access road, and other drilling facilities requires substantial truck traffic, which degrades air quality. Air quality may also be degraded as fleets of trucks travelingnewly graded or unpaved roads increase the amount of dust released into the air—which can contribute to the formation of regional haze” (page 33).

GAO goes on to raise concerns that silica sand—commonly used as a proppant in the hyrdaulic fracturing process—may pose a risk to human health. GAO notes that according to a federal researcher from the Department of Health and Human Services, particles from the sand “can lodge in the lungs and potentially cause silicosis” (page 33).

That the gas industry and the Joint Landowners Coalition would push to frack, rather than listen to the science and medical experts and wait for the necessary studies such as an independent, comprehensive health impact assessment⁴ to be undertaken, is indicative that they are comfortable putting profits before health and are unwilling to participate in a debate based on the science and facts.

On behalf of New Yorkers Against Fracking, Armstrong said, “Fracking proponents continue their reckless and irresponsible push to frack even in the face of an overwhelming body of science showing that fracking poses serious risks to health and the environment and consensus among experts and government agencies that we need more scientific study on fracking. Our water, air and health are priceless.”

The new reports from Europe include a comprehensive report⁵ from the European Commission’s Environment Directorate-General, a joint report⁶ from Germany’s Federal Environment Agency and Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, and a year-long German Hydrofracking Risk Assessment⁷ study from a panel of independent experts.

Among the conclusions⁸ from the European Commission’s Environment Directorate-General’s comprehensive report⁵ are that there is “a high risk of surface and groundwater contamination at various stages of the well-pad construction, hydraulic fracturing and gas production processes, and well abandonment, and cumulative developments could further increase this risk.” The report also points to air emissions impacts that pose “potentially significant effect on air quality including ozone levels.”

The conclusions⁸ from the joint report⁶ by Germany’s Federal Environment Agency and Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety include that fracking can lead to groundwater contamination,that experts advise against large-scale fracking and that there should be a ban in areas that provide drinking water, and that more scientific study is necessary to evaluate environmental risks.

Germany’s year-long Hydrofracking Risk Assessment⁷ by a panel of independent experts similarly found⁸ that fracking entails serious risks, that it can do substantial harm to water resources, and pointed to greater concerns about fracking in areas that supply drinking water.

Visit EcoWatch’s FRACKING page for more related news on this topic.

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¹Government Accountability Office. September, 2012. “OIL AND GAS: Information on Shale Resources, Development, and Environmental and Public Health Risks”  <http://www.gao.gov/assets/650/647791.pdf>

²Physicians Scientists & Engineers for a Healthy Environment. October 5, 2011. “Physicians Sign-On Letter to Governor Cuomo” <http://www.psehealthyenergy.org/site/view/1024>

³Associated Press. September 26, 2012. “Marcellus Shale links: NY records show history of oil, gas well problems” <http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2012/09/marcellus_shale_links_ny_recor.html>

⁴Capitol Confidential. October 4, 2012. “Doctors, Nurses Press Cuomo on Hydrofracking Health Review” <http://blog.timesunion.com/capitol/archives/159030/doctors-nurses-press-cuomo-on-hydrofracking-health-review/>

⁵October 8, 2012. “Support to the identification of potential risks for the environment and human health arising from hydrocarbons operations involvinghydraulic fracturing in Europe” <http://ec.europa.eu/environment/integration/energy/pdf/fracking%20study.pdf>

⁶Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety and the Federal Environment Agency. September, 2012. “Tight restrictions on hydraulic fracturing required” <http://www.umweltbundesamt.de/uba-info-presse-e/2012/pe12-028_tight_restrictions_on_hydraulic_fracturing_required.htm>

⁷Germany Hydrofracking Risk Assessment by a panel of independent experts. 2012. “Hydrofracking Risk Assessment” <http://dialog-erdgasundfrac.de/sites/dialog-erdgasundfrac.de/files/Ex_HydrofrackingRiskAssessment_120611.pdf>

⁸The Energy Collective. October 11, 2012. “The latest science from Europe on fracking” <http://theenergycollective.com/amymall/122906/latest-science-europe-fracking>