I accept Senator Cornyn's CHALLENGE to Enter Into Intelligent Discourse on Subject of FRACKING

Apparently I caught the attention of rabid right wing Texas Senator @JohnCornyn on twitter (his profile) He replied that he "LOVES AN INTELLIGENT conversation in regards to a remark I made to someone else about him (see his TWEET BELOW)...

Love an intellegent conversation RT @FracktoidNews: @bacco1 I would tell Senator John Cornyn (R) TX to kiss my hillbilly white arse. I got his SMART SCIENCE RIGHT HERE. #GASLAND

Now I am sure our ESTEEMED (use that term LOOSELY...emphasis added)Senator John Cornyn was being flippant, but I was raised to TAKE A MAN AT HIS WORD.  Going to assume here that Senator John Cornyn was/is sincere in stating he "loves an intelligent" conversation, specifically on the subject of Hydraulic Fracturing as relates to Natural Gas...he is for it, myself and others are against it, and his past behaviors would lead me to believe he has a VERY CLOSED MIND on the subject, but I am more than willing to be proved wrong on that assumption. 

So, Senator Cornyn, you have CHALLENGED ME to enter into intelligent discourse with you, and I hereby accept on the behalf of myself and all those who feel Hydraulic Fracturing as it is currently being carried out presents a grave peril to human health and our environment.  As I am sure you are aware, blog posts have a comment section...we can use that too debate and/or discuss this issue, the National Security ramifications of not going after Natural Gas plays here in America, the truth or lies of the industry (and our government's) claim that our Natural Gas deposits can help get us off of addiction to oil, as well as the health and environmental risks that are involved in the exploitation of this energy source, and wither or not it is fair to ask our rural communities to PAY THAT PRICE.  

The comments section on this post is hereby OPEN TO YOU SIR...lets, as you say, enjoy some intelligent conversation.  Or is our esteemed Senator from Texas a CHICKEN?

Natural Gas Flowback-A MUST READ REPORT for All Anti Fracking FOLKS

As an Activist, one of the reasons why I love Twitter, is it levels the playing field a bit, allows people in a common cause from different parts of the country to share important news, provide links to articles and/or reports we all in a given movement should read.  Today is one of those moments when Twitter provided such an opportunity.  From Dallas paper, would encourage you all to read the article:

New Study From Gas Drilling Activists Gathers Decade of Industrial Woes in the Barnett Shale

This is a very well written article about a study/report put together by Texas Oil & Gas Accountability Project on the various problems and health issues caused by the natural gas industry in extracting gas from the Barnett Shale Play.  I would strongly encourage every activist with a blog or a website to link to the report:

Natural Gas FLOWBACK...this is a MUST READ REPORT for all those opposed to FRACKING...you need to sign into Facebook to download the PDF.

Guest Article...Call To Ban Natural Gas Drilling Heard Around The World, But Not Heeded

Call To Ban Natural Gas Drilling Heard Around The World, But Not Heeded

By Theodora Filis

Environmental and health concerns have people around the world calling for a ban on natural gas drilling. Global warming effects of methane in natural gas are many times greater than the global warming effects of carbon dioxide. Subsidies granted to gas drilling promote the use of fossil fuels and undermine the development of conservation, efficiency, and renewable energy sources.

From the Permian Basin (western Texas and the southeastern part of New Mexico) to the Paris Basin, from Pennsylvania to Poland it is clear that in the next 20 years the global natural gas industry will not only be far bigger and more valuable than it is in 2011, but it will also be much more diversified.

Communities around the world will be faced with costs for baseline-testing of water pollutants, emergency response, health department monitoring of complaints, property tax assessment changes, building and repairing roads, and waste water treatment facilities.

Samples of flowback fluids in Pennsylvania and West Virginia have shown concentrations of cancer-causing chemicals that weren’t included in the list of Department of Environmental Conservation’s (DEC) hydraulic fracturing chemicals, and that in some instances the concentration of a single one of these carcinogenic chemicals exceeded 0.5% of the fluid – which is the purported total concentration of all chemicals in fracking fluid.

Studies reveal that components of natural gas affected the reproductive health of women working in gas processing plants in Russia.

The US National Energy Policy (NEP) adopted by President George W. Bush on May 17, 2001, led by former Halliburton CEO Vice President Dick Cheney, warned that the US was becoming ever more dependent on imported energy, thereby endangering national security. It called for increased reliance on domestic energy sources, especially oil and natural gas.

“A primary goal of the National Energy Policy is to add supply from diverse sources,” the document declared. “This means domestic oil, gas, and coal.”

Despite the obvious hazards and dangers, as well as inadequate safety practices, the Obama Administration backed corporate strategies strongly favoring the exploitation of oil and gas reservoirs in the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico and other environmentally sensitive areas.

Nicolas Sarkozy, The Prime Minister of France, ordered a national ban on shale oil and gas drilling until June -- when two separate government reports will be released.

The government of Quebec halted all shale gas drilling until it can conduct its own in-depth analysis.

The Polish government, on the other hand, is ignoring the environmental impacts of gas drilling. Shale gas is now an issue of national foreign policy adopted by foreign minister Radoslaw Sikorski.

In the UK, Cuadrilla Resources has completed a test well in the Bowland Shale formation between Pendle Hill and Blackpool, in Lancashire. The company is backed by Riverstone Holdings, a private equity firm that former BP executive, Lord Browne, is a partner and managing director.

Companies are leasing land across Europe for gas exploration. Engineers and geologists from Italy and Norway have been to Texas, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania to learn how to extract gas from shale, and oil executives are now in Asia and North Africa mapping out gas fields.

The global call from citizens to preserve what is left of our clean water and clean air is being drowned out by the drilling for natural gas.

 

Posted by Theodora Filis Visit her Blog

Severely INJURED Workers Suing Chesapeake Energy

Seems two workers injured in a serious fire on February 23rd are suing  Chesapeake Energy...what is interesting, is the facts that come out when you start looking for different versions of the news.  In the short story below, it's OK...lawsuit for injuries, basic negligence case right?  But then look at the second article from a different news source, and you see much more SERIOUS CHARGES are being claimed that should alarm all environmentalists, as well as all those who are supposed to regulate the industry...specifically, a charge of EVIDENCE TAMPERING has been brought again Chesapeake Energy.

Article Version One

AVELLA, Pa. — Two workers injured in a fiery explosion during testing at a natural gas-drilling site in southwestern western Pennsylvania are suing the drilling firm and two subcontractors.

The Observer-Reporter in Washington, Pa. says 50-year-old Richard Lancaster, of Sardis, Ohio, and 36-year-old Frank Lancaster, of New Martinsville, W.Va. filed the suit in the Circuit Court of Kanawha County, W.Va.

The men were working for a trucking firm that is not being sued, and are blaming Chesapeake Appalachia for the fire at the well near Avella, about 25 miles west of Pittsburgh.

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has said the driller failed to properly manage flammable byproducts before the Feb. 23 fire in which five 500-barrel storage tanks of the liquid condensate ignited, but has yet to say if fines are warranted.

A Chesapeake spokeswoman declined comment. Article Source

More Than Just an Eye Sore...LAND RAPER

Article Version Two...more serious charges highlighted in RED.

Injured workers sue driller
By Scott Beveridge, Staff writer
Observer-Reporter
April 28, 2011

AVELLA, PA -- Two workmen who were severely injured in a massive Feb. 23 fire at a Marcellus Shale natural gas well site near Avella have sued the drilling company, claiming it was negligent in allowing flammable vapors to ignite at the site.  As we said, basic claim of being negligent...but READ ON.

Attorneys for victims Frank Lancaster and Richard Lancaster also claim the driller, Chesapeake Appalachia, removed critical evidence after the fire at the Joseph Powers well site, West Virginia court records indicate. The lawsuit further claims the fire was a result of "lax government regulation" in Pennsylvania over the Marcellus Shale industry. The problems with oversight have "created an environment where drillers believe they can disregard commonly accepted industry standards and risk the health and safety of workers and local communities without accountability," the lawsuit states.  Article Source

Removal of EVIDENCE!...wonder if they also removed evidence of wrong doing at the well pad blowout last week? Even more DAMNING...a charge LEVELED RIGHT AT GOVERNOR CORBETT who is trying to tie the hands of his DEP inspectors behind their backs.

Some Event Reminders, and Mini Grant Opportunity.

The sun is shining outside as evening makes its way into our lives, the week is waning, and wanted to bring a couple of reminders and a opportunity to the attention of our residents and business owners.

Events:

1. Saturday, we will have our first community clean up/maintenance day here in Mountaindale from 2-5 PM (April 30th)

2. Don't forget starting this coming Tuesday May 1st Aerobic Cadio Belly Dancing is coming to town from 6:30-7:45 PM on a weekly basis.

Small Business/Entity Mini Grants From Sullivan Renaissance

Sometimes, something sticks in your head...one of those things sees us here in Mountaindale reaching out to our various business owners in the hopes of seeing all of us as a community kicking it up a notch with the help of Sullivan Renaissance. Our committee, the Mountaindale Community Development Project has sent out the following email on the Sullivan Renaissance Mini Grants Program.

Dear Mountaindale Business Neighbors,

For the moment anyway, the rain has stopped & the sun is shining, the grass is green & verdant and I can see brilliant yellow daffodils from my office windows. This makes me think about how beautiful our Main Streets will look in a few weeks when we put the flower planters out. However, what if we were to work together to kick things up a notch? Sherwood pointed out to me that Sullivan Renaissance is offering $200 Mini Grants that can be used for a business' storefront beautification. I am attaching a copy of the description & application to see if we might work in a coordinated effort to garner a few of these so that we have a very dynamic display this year. For example, what if some of the funding went toward lush hanging baskets in front of all the businesses that could be started from seeds in the greenhouse? Plz let me know if you would consider this initiative for us to work on cooperatively & then Sherwood & I will help us to submit for a few grants and we'll see what kind of an impact we might make w/ a collaborative effort over the next several months.

BTW, we are starting our maintenance work this Saturday from 2 - 5 PM & would love to see you as volunteers either behind the school or at one of our other community flower beds. Tea & homemade cookies will be served as light refreshments.

Thank you all!
Barb

A Fracktoid FACTOID on Corbett's Pennsylvania

As citizens listen to Governor Tom Corbett digging in his heels, refusing to TAX the (un)Natural Gas being extracted from the state, as companies like Chesapeake Energy claim to be paying MILLIONS into the state treasury, consider this HARD FACT...Of the 783 companies to file corporate net income tax returns in 2008, 85% paid nothing in taxes.  Wonder why states like Pennsylvania have budget deficits, wonder why states like Pennsylvania are CUTTING BACK ON SOCIAL SERVICES LIKE EDUCATION?  There is your ANSWER.

Why Tom Corvett's Marcellus Shale Advisory Commission's IS A SHAME

As pointed out in the previous article, protesters yesterday successfully interupted the proceedings of the Pennsylvania Marcellus Shale Advisory Commission's second meeting, and they should be applauded.  More importantly though...do they have a point in their protests, is the governor's Commission a SHAME, stacked in favor if a dishonest, corrupt (un)Natural Gas Industry?  In a word, "Yes".  Consider if you will some very disturbing facts.

1. EIGHT companies that have liberal representation on the Marcellus Shale Advisory Commission were cited with VIOLATIONS last year...including the notorious KING DADDY ENVIRONMENTAL RAPIST, Chesapeake Energy who has had TWO well head failures in the past few months, three in the past ten with the latest being the Bradford County well failure which dumped tens of thousands of gallons of lethal fracking chemicals out onto farmland, and into streams.

2.   One of these companies with commission representation LEAD THE STATE IN VIOLATIONS, and will let you guess WHO IT WAS.

3.  SURPRISE SURPRISE, every one of these companies WERE HEAVY CONTRIBUTORS to Tom Corbett's campaign for governor.

Now if you listen to these industry insiders, the proverbial FOXES guarding the henhouse, they will claim their
presence on the Commission adds extremely valuable expertise, knowledge and talent to the panel. Knowledge of what?  How to skirt and/or break the laws meant to protect human health and the environment?  How to see that the rules meant to regulate themselves are written in a way that FAVORS THEMSELVES?  How to see that the recommendations, and resulting rules are written in a way that they can just write out a check as a cost of doing business every time they destroy a water supply, or despoil the land?

The citizens of Pennsylvania should already be circulating a Recall Petition to rid themselves of Tom Corbett who may well be the most dishonest politician to hold public office.

Protesters Interupt Commission Meeting in Harriburg

Anti Frack Protesters yesterday interrupted the Marcellus Shale Advisory Commission's second meeting, speaking TRUTH against a commission stacked in favorite of the (un)Natural Gas industry, most of the seats filled with industry insiders, and chaired by what can only be described as a industry whore and slut in Lt. Gov. Jim Cawley who along with Governor Corbett have an affinity for sucking on the teat of (Un)Natural Gas Industry money changers as the industry lines their pockets with Fracked Gold. 

Fracking Well Pad Daily Occurance?

When one protester (Mr. Stilp)suggested that the Commission be disbanded, a new one with more CITIZEN STAKEHOLDER representation created, Lt. Governor Jim (slick lips) Cawley reportedly SNORTED, "the makeup of the commission is nowhere near as important as the information that is collected." He went on to spew forth some Paul Bunyan sized tall tale about how any one could get him information they wanted the commission to review, and he would see it was put into the right hands...YEAH RIGHT.

Nathan Sooy of Clean Water Action (one of the organizations who spear headed the protest) said Lt. Governor Cawley's assurances were not enough...and they are not.  Any anal retentive chimp tripping on LSD could look at the Commission's make up and see where the ship is being steered.  It is the tail wagging the dog, the (un)Natural Gas industry getting to create/write the guidelines that they will be willing to abide by as they rape the environment, disrupt communities, and poison water.  Voluntary compliance is a farce, and putting together a Marcellus Shale Commission wherein the industry holds the MAJORITY VOTE is worthy of the Justice Department stepping in with a RICO investigation of the Governor, Lt. Governor and various members of the commission now seated.

READ MORE

Sullivan Renaissance Press Release...WOW FACTOR Workshop

THE REAL DIRT ON SMART GARDENING
Working Smarter to Create Gardens with the "WOW FACTOR"

[FERNDALE] – Want more color and variety in your garden, but not sure what to plant where? Horticulturalist Vivian Multari-Ginsberg will discuss plant choices and flower combinations to help achieve beautiful, sustainable gardens with the “wow factor.”

Want to work smarter this year? Gardening expert Mary Lewis will demonstrate cool tools and explain time tested tricks to make gardening time more fun.

Sullivan Renaissance is holding its spring gardening seminar entitled “The Real Dirt on Smart Gardening” on Wednesday, May 4 at 7:00 p.m. at the CVI Center in Ferndale.

Bring your enthusiasm and questions! There will be time to answer specific questions.

Pre-registration is requested. Refreshments will be provided. For more information or to register, contact Sullivan Renaissance at http://www.sullivanrenaissance.org/ or 845-295-2445.

Sullivan Renaissance is a beautification and community development program principally funded by the Gerry Foundation. Sponsors include Bold Gold Media Group/Thunder 102, Sullivan County Democrat, The River Reporter and WSUL/WVOS.

Some Don't MISS Events/Classes Weekend of April 29th at My Radiant Yoga With Janet

Janet at "My Radiant Yoga" has some really great things on the calendar this upcoming weekend as we say goodbye to April and its shower, and welcome May. In addition to being a fabulous Yoga instructor, she also happens to be VERY KNOWLEDGEABLE about organic gardening, and will be hosting a great workshop on the timely topic of "Fool Proof Composing" as we all prepare to put our hands in the ground, feel the rich dirt as we start our own plantings, begin preparing our own gardens. Make sure to RSVP for this one as it is a great way to start off the Spring Gardening Season.

This Coming WEEKEND'S HIGHLIGHTS

Friday, April 29

Relax and Recharge with Restorative Yoga
5:30-7 pm

Great for many in reducing the occurance of migraines, lowering blood pressure, and releasing
tension in neck, shoulders, and lower back...A treat on the radiant-heat floors.

Saturday, April 30 Tone and Strengthen
8:45-10 am
Free for Newcomers!

Composting Made Easy-A must attend workshop for ALL GARDENERS!
10-10:45 am

Learn Full-proof Composting in the yoga-studio garden $5 donation benefits Community Gardening Projects.

Manure for your garden and non-resin wood chips...to start your compost pile...will be available to take home (by donation to benefit neighborhood gardening projects)Bring buckets or bags.

For non-composters:

Your non-fatty vegetarian kitchenscraps welcome in our yoga-studio garden pile.

Community Cleanup in Mountaindale
2-5 pm

Help Create Beauty where it's Really Needed: Weed, Prune, Divide Plants, and Mulch Together
in Our Community Effort in Back of the Former High School Learn Gardening tips from My Secret Gardener (that's me!)

Enjoy a special, radically relaxing floor-yoga class after
FREE to all Volunteers!

Sunday, May 1

Celebrate May Day in Mountaindale!
8:30-10 am

Yoga for Gardeners Create strength AND ease in hips and lower back with Anusara Principles of Alignment Intermediate Level.

Plant and Seed Exchange
10:15-11 am

Bring seeds and/or clumps of perennials and herbs to share. Take home what you can use.

Yoga Therapeutics for Gardeners
11:15-12:30

(Create ease in the hips and lower back with Anusara Yoga Universal Principles of Alignement)
ALL LEVELS WELCOME

Rainy Monday Mountaindale Announcement of Clean Up/Maintenance Days

Greetings to everyone on this rainy day Monday in April. Trust everyone enjoyed their holiday(s) during this past week? Wanted to bring some important announcements and important dates to your attention.

First Up-Mountaindale Maintenance Day
Saturday April 30, 2011
2-5 PM...meet up in front of 60 Main Street.

The purpose of this event is two fold in purpose, and gives volunteers OF ALL AGES a chance to lend their hands to the task of keeping Mountaindale the beautiful little hamlet that it is. As said, the purpose of this Mountaindale Work Day is two fold.

1. We will be picking up the town (litter, branches and the like) and doing some spring maintenance work on past projects. Raking, turning the soil, trimming off die back on some of our perennials as they get ready to start their spring growth.

2. Sharing plans for this years Renaissance Project, and doing some Pre-Project clean up in the area (Entry to Rails to Trails Corridor) where this years project is to be installed.

We hope you can plan to attend this Work Day, and if you or your organization would like to schedule a Volunteer Day here in Mountaindale, please contact Barb at (845)434-4747 or Sherwood (Committee Chair of this year's Renaissance Project) at (845)693-4513.

We also would like to remind everyone that the "Fallsburg 2011 Spring Clean Up" weekend is scheduled for May 20-22, 2011. This is a PERFECT TIME to clean up those hard to get rid of items, and see that they are disposed of properly so we keep our pristine community looking beautiful.

Residents of Fallsburg
2011 Spring Clean Up

Dates: May 20th-22 Hours 9:00AM-5:00PM

Will be held ONLY at the
*South Fallsburg Sewer Plant

1 Pickup Truck Load PER HOUSEHOLD

All material must be separated.
PIPE MUST BE CUT INTO FOUR FOOT SECTIONS
DRUMS AND TANKS MUST BE EMPTY AND CUT OPEN
OR CRUSHED...PAINT CANS MUST BE EMPTY
NO BRUSH, YARD WASTE, OR BAGS OF LEAVES
NO STUMPS OR ROCKS, NO HOUSEHOLD GARBAGE

ONLY *2* TIRES OFF RIMS PER HOUSEHOLD

NO COMPUTERS, MONITORS, LAPTOPS OR TV'S
NO FLUORESCENT BULBS

PROOF OF RESIDENCY REQUIRED!!!!!

Old Fracking News WORTH A SECOND LOOK...Pay ATTENTION New York...Natural Gas Industry ADMITS TO RUINING DRINKING WATER in Pittsburgh...PARTLY

KDKA-photocredit

A little late to close the barn door AFTER THE COW is gone...it will be a bit late to Save New York's Safe Pure Drinking Water has been forever TAINTED with deadly chemicals...now we all watch the Natural Gas Industry commercials here in New York (Sullivan County)...listen to HOW SAFE FRACKING IS, how they will NOT HARM OUR WATER.  Well. the Marcellus Shale Drilling Industry has admitted responsibility for CONTAMINATING PITTSBURGH's CLEAN DRINKING WATER...well, admitting partial fault, which for them is HUGE.

Do you really want to believe the (un)Natural Gas Industry's FALSE ASSURANCES, or do we here in New York want to say Thanks, but not thanks to FRACKING in the Marcellus Shale...the answer should be obvious to all those that have not had a frontal lobotomy.

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – Officials with the Marcellus Shale drilling industry made a shocking admission Tuesday morning.

The president of the Marcellus Shale Coalition, which represents natural gas companies, said the group now believes the natural gas exploration industry is partly responsible for rising levels of contaminants found in area drinking water.

The group came to the conclusion after reviewing research from Carnegie Mellon University and the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority.

One of the major factors that led to the conclusion was the discovery of bromide in the water. It’s a salt that is also found in drilling wastewater.

Now, the DEP is calling on Marcellus Shale drillers to stop taking wastewater to 15 treatment plants in the state.

Watch The KDKA-TV News At 5 p.m. For Andy Sheehan’s Full Report

RELATED STORIES
Mount Pleasant Township Making Life Difficult On Range Resources
Pennsylvania’s Marcellus Shale Plan Under Scrutiny
Pitt Researchers Test Waste Water From Marcellus Shale Drilling
More Marcellus Shale News

Fracking Video...Easy To Understand...Please Watch

From the folks over at Fracked Again, a MUST WATCH video presentation on the EVILS of Fracking...it is like watching the old drivein movie cartoons at intermission encouraging us to go buy refreshments.  I urge you to both watch it, and to share it with your friends, neighbors and countrymen.  Meanwhile, you can read Chesapeake Energy's PROPAGANDA FACT SHEET here.

The (un)Natural Gas Lie...Ours Is a SAFE Industry, Our Gas Clean, and Green

If you listen to the Natural Gas Industry propaganda, watch their carefully orchestrated commercials in the communities being TARGETS for FRACKING, they will have you believe theirs is a safe industry, their product both CLEAN and GREEN.  I did a cursory Google Search, by no means comprehensive in nature, but rather to show our readers just how easy it is to find example after example of just how UNSAFE Natural Gas wells are.

1. 
   

    Explosion, Fire At Marcellus Shale Gas Well Site Under ...

   
   

   Feb 23, 2011 ... Marcellus Shale Natural Gas Well Fire Injures 3 In Washington County ... Resident Says Natural Gas Well Fire 'Sounded Like A Bomb Went Off' ...
   www.wtae.com › Pittsburgh News - Cached
   ►
2. 
   

   Bluedaze: DRILLING REFORM FOR TEXAS: Natural gas well fire may ...

   
   

   Apr 7, 2011 ... Natural gas well fire may burn for 16 days or longer ... AUSTIN – Authorities now say a natural gas drilling rig fire that started April 1 ...
   txsharon.blogspot.com/.../natural-gas-well-fire-may-burn-for-16.html - Cached 

   Gas Well Fire Takes Ten 18-Wheelers | Firegeezer
3. 
   

   Apr 16, 2011 ... A FIRE AT A NATURAL GAS WELL NEAR SHREVEPORT, Louisiana, Friday afternoon caught a tanker truck on fire. It then spread to several others ...
   firegeezer.com/2011/04/16/gas-well-fire-takes-ten-18-wheelers/ - Cached

   
   

   Firefighters battle fire near natural gas well | 9news.com

   
   

   Dec 12, 2010 ... BYERS - Crews are still trying to contain a fire near a natural gas well that started Sunday morning in the Latigo Storage Field. ...
   www.9news.com/rss/article.aspx?storyid=169396 - Cached

   
   

   Natural-gas well fire in Auburn Township under DEP probe ...

   
   

   Jul 15, 2010 ... The state Department of Environmental Protection is investigating a fire at a natural-gas well pad in northeastern Pennsylvania.
   www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/state/s_690476.html - Cached

   
   

   Gas well fire at Procter & Gamble extinguished; no injuries ...

   
   

   Nov 2, 2010 ... A fire at a natural gas well on the Procter & Gamble plant site near Mehoopany brought several firefighters and other emergency personnel to ...
   thetimes-tribune.com/.../gas-well-fire-at-procter-gamble-extinguished-no-injuries-reported-1.1057574 - Cached - Similar

   
   

   2 killed in gas well explosion in western Pa. - US news - Life ...

   
   

   Jul 23, 2010 ... PITTSBURGH — A natural gas well where welders were believed to be working exploded Friday, killing two people and sparking a fire that ...
   www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38380210/ns/us_news-life/ - Cached - Similar

   
   

   Natural-Gas Well Fire Continues to Burn in WV

   
   

   Sep 24, 2010 ... Until Chesapeake Appalachia can figure out how to choke off the flow of natural gas, a well fire in the Northern Panhandle will continue to ...
   www.whsv.com/westvirginiaap/headlines/103722269.html - Cached

   
   

   More on the 3/19 Lebanon well fire | un-naturalgas.org weblog

   
   

   Mar 20, 2009 ... Another example of gas company drilling PR damage control. Read between the lines: Gas well explodes in nearby Lebanon Tyler Murphy, ...
   un-naturalgas.org/weblog/2009/.../more-on-the-319-lebanon-well-fire/ - Cached

   
   

   Gas well burns out of control in northeastern B.C. - British ...

   Nov 12, 2008 ... A ConocoPhillips natural gas well caught fire in northeastern B.C. on Tuesday. (
   

   ConocoPhillips Canada). A ConocoPhillips Canada gas well is ...
   www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british.../story/.../bc-chetwynd-gas-well-fire.html

Fracking...Why I Have Joined The Fight

It's Easter Saturday, I am up drinking coffee as I look out my window at a lush woodland view, can see in my mind the pristine stream and its waterfall that is just down the path about half a mile from my apartment.  I ponder what my old eyes (I am 55) have seen in five plus decades...memories take me back to my own youth when I lived in the small town of Jeffersonville, Indiana which is located just across the Ohio River from Louisville, Kentucky. 

As a very young child I fell in love with nature, water, the proverbial Great Outdoors.  Imagine a young boy walking along the rivers edge looking for frogs, fishing with a string tied to a stick, the thought of needing a hook never crossing his mind.  Imagine if you will that same young boy looking down and across the river and seeing the Belle of Louisville paddle-wheeler coming into view, steam billowing from her stacks, the American Flag fluttering in the wind, calliope Music giving the moment a very festive feel.

That was me, the life I lived.  Other days found me out by the railroad tracks, putting pennies on the rail for the train to roll over, flattening them into medallions that my Dad would later drill a whole through so I could wear them on a piece of leather cord.  Times were different, the engineers waving too us as the Locomotive slowly chugged past heading for the factory just down the way where they would load up potato-chips that were destined to far off places.  Just across the tracks and through a small strip of trees was a field, the farmers cows content as they grazed upon fresh meadow grass, some lounging under a old willow tree that sat perched next to the stream from which they drank.

One summer we went to Mammoth Cave State Park, but along the way, my father insisted on taking us through COAL COUNTRY, down into some of the crooks and hollers where everything has a black dusty downtrodden feel to it.  He stopped along babbling brooks that just did not seem quite right, a dirty film upon the surface, the leaves on the trees withered and sparse.  He would be angry...not at us, at the damage being done to the earth, and the people...poverty was everywhere.  Another summer we traveled to West Virginia, and there way back some 40 plus years ago, he drove us through tens of thousands of acres of strip mined lands, the landscape taking on a eerie inhuman feel, almost nothing there but destruction.

Later on, a young man I found myself out in Utah where I saw up close and personal the ravages of Uranium Mining, the BOOM TIMES GONE, communities and lands left scarred pocked and UGLY.  I traveled through and lived in Ohio...again, tens of thousands of acres of strip mined land, some of it restored but NOT LOOKING RIGHT, and down outside of Portsmouth Ohio the unseen dirty underbelly of the Nuclear Industry reared its ugly head as I drove around the Gaseous Diffusion Plant with all of its rusting, earth contaminating barrels of Depleted Uranium sitting there behind a even rustier 12 all chain-link fence.  The government found a way to deal with that waste...they reclassified it as potential future use resources when it was learned it could be used to make armor piercing ammunition's.

Living outside of Cambridge Ohio, I uncovered a specialty steel alloy company that processed South African Ores...the naturally occurring radioactivity in these ores would re-concentrate into the slag that was being skimmed off during the process.  That slag was then dumped into a wetlands that drained into our community's drinking water supply, given away as road and construction fill, over 200 of our county's 1200 homes contaminated, in need of remediation...you can read about this by doing a search for Shieldalloy...you will find they did this at a site in Byesville Ohio, as well as another in New Jersey.

Until recently, lived in Peekskill, could look out my window and see the looming danger that was/is Indian Point perched there upon the Hudson River.  Studied that site, am familiar with the 300,000 plus gallon plume that IP 3 floats on top of, a radioactive concoction of the worst kind. I know that the Fuel transfer canal that goes from IP2 into the overly crowded spent fuel pool is leaking, though Entergy will deny it.  I could spend hours discussing Indian Point and why it should be closed down....could also tell you about DOE, NERAC and why it was decided to re-license EVERY REACTOR IN AMERICA in the name of National Security.  I could point to the 30 plus nuclear reactors now leaking tritium, and would suggest to you that the NRC is telling us not to worrying about that for very selfish reasons...Did you know that tritium is needed to recharge our NUCLEAR ARSENAL, and where do you think that tritium comes from?

Now, I find myself living atop of the Marcellus Shale formation, seeing the few Anti-Fracking signs popping up here and there, and I see the clouds darkening.  I know what is coming, and I know the lies.  I watch my TV, and see slick commercials promising the citizens CLEAN AIR, GREEN FUEL, and prosperity for one and all...and I know it is all a lie.  I watched Exxon-Mobil run a PRO-FRACKING commercial on Earth Day yesterday...watched the day before as the entire National Media simply choose to ignore the Chesapeake Energy well blow out that was unfolding on the one year anniversary of BP's accident that did critical harm to the Gulf...never mind the fact it was Chesapeake Energy's SECOND BLOW OUT IN AS MANY MONTHS IN Pennsylvania.

Do I think we can win this fight?  Probably not, we are simply out gunned and out financed at every step of the way, and desperate people want to believe in dreams.  Couple that with a national energy policy that holds communities like our own in little regard, a pentagon convinced that the Natural Gas fracking promises is far more important than any land or waters that might be destroyed, and I can only hope we can preserve small pieces of land, communities here and there as we preserve a patchwork quilt of the beauty that once was...it is not much, it is not what I would wish for, but it is something I feel is worth the fight.  Hopefully more of you will as well, and over time, I pray that all of our small splintered local groups can join into one LARGE NATIONAL Anti FRACKING group, as that is OUR ONLY HOPE.

Chesapeake Malfeasance CREATES EMERGENCY as 1,000's of GALLONS of Chemically Contaminated Fracking Fluids Ruin Farm Land, POISON LOCAL CREEKS! HAPPENING NOW

 

Chesapeake Energy, who sure seems to have a LOT OF ENVIRONMENTAL VIOLATIONS seems to have a major catastrophic emergency on its hands in Bradford County, PA.  The company who insists that FRACKING has never damaged ground water can NEVER AGAIN SAY THOSE WORDS, nor can the industry.

A Fracking Well GONE WILD over night has literally poured TENS OF THOUSANDS of gallons of highly dangerous, poisonous fracking fluids onto the farm land in this once picturesque area, the volume of the chemicals so large that it has FLOODED INTO THE NEARBY CREEKS AND STREAMS, with the damage to Ground Water sure to be immense.  The deadly chemical mix is so lethal to both animals and humans that nearby residents HAVE BEEN EVACUATED.

A Chesapeake Energy spokesperson said, "thousands of gallons of fluid leaked over farm land and into a creek from a natural gas well in Bradford County."  The timing could not be worse, as President Obama just yesterday had said, "If we are going to do this, it has to be done in a way that does not POISON PEOPLE."  TOO LATE!

First responders, and other qualified personnel in a all hands on deck NATIONAL EMERGENCY are desperately trying to contain the spill of these deadly chemicals as the FRACKING FLUIDS continue to flow unabated from the WELL PAD.

The blowout occurred on the Morse family farm in LeRoy Township outside Canton, a farming community who probably jumped at the money when the landman showed up, lease in hand with his slick sales pitch...that easy money for Randy Morse who ran cattle on his land is NOT SO EASY NOW, as he and his family will NEVER AGAIN be able to drink from the brook on his land that Chesapeake Energy has forever poisoned.

Chesapeake Energy official Brian Grove trying to put lipstick on a pig said "A piece of equipment on the well failed.  Now a major response is underway to stop the leak of frack fluid and get control of the well. We've been able to limit the flow. We're still doing additional work to regain full control,"   NOTICE HERE FOLKS, that the well is STILL GUSHING dangerous deadly chemical laden toxic FRACKING FLUIDS into the environment, threatening both SAFE DRINKING WATER AND HUMAN HEALTH!

Mr. Grove went on to say, "There is no telling yet how much of that extremely salty water mixed with chemicals and sand has impacted the nearby Towanda Creek, but no gas has escaped into the air."  Can't you almost hear him saying under his breath, "Yet".

Neighbor Ted Tomlinson said "The biggest thing is the footprint on the environment. Well obviously this is a big footprint."   Thanks to one neighbors GREED, a entire community is NOW SUFFERING, PAYING THE ULTIMATE PRICE FOR (un)Natural Gas FRACKING...for those not liking the tone of this article, too bad.  We have tried to WARN YOU, and now people like TEd Tomlinson are worried that their SAFE CLEAN DRINKING WATER that is just a few football fields away from this poorly managed and installed Chesapeake Energy Drilling Well has FOREVER BEEN RUINED.  It is noted here, that the IMMEDIATE HEALTH RISK IS SO SEVERE that Ted Tomlinson was forced to evacuate he and his family from their home

NEW VIDEO

 

WANT A GREAT GIFT FOR MOTHER’S DAY?

Get tickets to the Sullivan County Garden Tour held on July 23

SULLIVAN COUNTY – Tickets for the Third Annual Sullivan County Garden Tour are now on sale – in time to be purchased as Mother’s Day gifts. The tour will open several exclusive and private gardens for public viewing on Saturday, July 23.

Limited numbers of tickets are available on a first come, first served basis. Cost is $25 per person. The tour is sponsored by SullivanArc and Sullivan Renaissance and the proceeds go to the SullivanArc Horticulture program.

Tickets can be purchased online at Sullivan Arc Sullivan County Garden Tour or by calling 845-796-1350 x 1050.

The approximately eight beautiful private gardens will be open for visits between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. on July 23. A reception for ticket holders and garden owners follows the tour.

The self-guided garden tour map [with addresses and directions to each of the gardens] will be available on the day of the event between 9:00 and 11:00 a.m. at several garden center and nursery locations. Individuals may follow the route or select their own – visiting as many or as few gardens as they prefer and time allows.

Photos of previous tours are available here.

SullivanArc is a not-for-profit agency dedicated to providing support and services to over 800 individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities and to their families.

Sullivan Renaissance is a beautification and community development program principally funded by the Gerry Foundation.

Don't Miss FOODSTOCK 2011-May 7- Villa Roma Resort in Callicoon, NY

A wonderful resource for getting word out about your events is WJFF, whose has a core mission, helping other community organizations...year round, they put out PSA's (Public Service Announcement) for all the wonderful events in our area. Now, we have the chance to return the favor by sharing a PSA for their BIGGEST FUND RAISER OF THE YEAR, a event that helps to keep them ON THE AIR!

FOODSTOCK, is coming up on Saturday, May 7th, from 11AM to 4PM in the Tennis Building of the Villa Roma Resort in Callicoon, NY. FOODSTOCK is crucial to keeping WJFF on the air for you.

Villa Roma Resort (Directions)
356 Villa Roma Road
Callicoon, NY 12723
(877) 256-7505

FOODSTOCK will feature over fifty different farmers, producers, restaurants and wineries from all across the region and both sides of the river, each offering a taste of their very best. There will be fresh produce, baked goods of all kinds, homemade jams and preserves, meats and smoked meats and fish, maple products, amazing desserts, sausages, sauces and pestos, fudge and cheeses, and a great array of locally-produced wines. It’s going to be a food lover’s paradise!

Tickets are only $20 with wine and $15 without. They can be reserved by calling WJFF at 845-482-4141.

Foodstock Fine Food and Wine Festical
Vendors List

Apple Pond Farm
Aroma Thyme Bistro
Bake You Happy
Bashakill Vineyards
Beechwood House Sauces
Brandenburger Pastry Bakery
Café Devine

Calkins Creamery
Catskill Harvest Market

Catskill Provisions

Catsmo Artisan Smokehouse
Dutch Desserts
Early Bird Cookery
Eminence Road Farm Winery
Flour Power Bakery
Formaggio Italian Cheese Specialties
Hahn Brothers Farm
Halloran Farm
Hilly Acres Farm

Hotel Fauchere
Inn at Starlight Lake
Jam Thyme
Java Love Roasters

Jill's Kitchen
The Lazy Beagle

Little Miss Muffins Cakes
Main Street Café

Main Street Farm
Narrowsburg Roasters
Neversink Farm
Pampered Chef & More
Pazdar Winery
Pepacton Natural Foods

Pie Corps

Pika's Farm Table
Rolling Hills Farm
Samba Restaurant
Sara’s Gourmet
Sherman Hill Farmstead
Silver Heights Farm
Slickepott Fudge Sauce
Snowdance Farm
Sonoma Falls Cider Mill

Stolor Organics

Sugar Blossom Flowers

Summers End Orchard
Tonjes Dairy Farm

Udder Ideas Fudge
Willow Harvest Organics

Willow Wisp Farm

Woodridge Soup Emporium

Help Roscoe New York Become the ULTIMATE Fishing Town and Recieve $25,000!

Can Roscoe, NY Win National Contest and Receive $25,000? With the help and support of our Greater Sullivan County community, YES THEY CAN! Doing our own small part here in Mountaindale, we are sharing their Press Release that outlines what you can do to help them out in this magnificent quest. Here in Sullivan County, there is a tremendous amount of neighbor helping neighbor, and this fits right in.

www.wfnfishingtown.com

Help us make the finals and WIN!!!

VOTE EARLY AND OFTEN!!!

You can vote 4 times PER DAY for EACH of your email addresses

HELP ROSCOE WIN!!!

Press Release...please feel free to share this, pass it along to your friends, post it on your own websites, or print up copies to put in your stores and shops.

[ROSCOE] – Roscoe, New York is vying for the title "Ultimate Fishing Town" in the United States in a contest sponsored by the World Fishing Network. The winning town will receive $25,000 for improving the town and fishing associated items, as well as having a cable TV episode produced about the town.

Already known as “Trout Town, USA” – Roscoe is considered the birthplace of the American Dry Fly Fishing. It was Theodore Gordon and his followers who developed a distinct Catskill Style fly still recognized and used today. For over a century, Roscoe has been a destination for those enjoying the outdoors. In about a two-hour drive from New York City, Roscoe is home to the junction of two trophy trout streams, The Willowemoc and the Beaverkill, in addition to many nearby lakes, ponds and reservoirs.

Voting is done via email by going to www.wfnfishingtown.com and following a simple procedure. Individuals may vote every six hours and may cast votes from separate email addresses.

Roscoe is presently in second place of Round One with voting totals increasing every few seconds. This round of the contest ends on May 3.

Elaine Fettig, President of the Roscoe-Rockland Chamber of Commerce, said the organization can help individuals cast regular votes, “You can give us permission to vote for Roscoe on your behalf, by using your e-mail address to cast votes four times daily. This will take the burden off you, while allowing Roscoe to receive the maximum number of votes.”

For information on how to participate with the Roscoe Chamber, contact Elaine Fettig at 845-439-4039 or ElaineMFettig@aol.com

Roscoe has been a participant in the Sullivan Renaissance program since it began in 2001, and has received awards for several of its yearly projects, including two $50,000 Golden Feather Grants from New York State secured by Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther.

Sullivan Renaissance is a beautification and community development program principally funded by the Gerry Foundation. For more information, call 845-295-2445.

Here’s a chance to do something positive for our beautiful county!! Hope we can count on your vote.

VOTE FOR ROSCOE, NY AS THE ULTIMATE FISHING TOWN!!!
Follow the link… WFN Ultimate Fishing Town

The Stupidity of Bought and Paid for Governments...New Brunswick Provincial Government Claims FRACKING Has Low Environmental Impact.

Opened email this morning, and a Canadian Citizen let me the following message with a LINK to this article on his government's decision to use Natural Gas as a transition fuel/energy source.

My provincial gov't claims fracking has low environmental impact and is moving against electric heat.

Suppose the first thing that surprised me, is the ignorance of the New Brunswick government...we all know that Deep Shaft Horizontal Drilling employing Slick Water Hydraulic Fracking comes with a wide array of serious environmental and health risks associated with it.   Yesterday (April 19,2011) even President Obama admitted there are some very grave concerns when it comes to FRACKING, said IF WE DO IT HERE IN AMERICA, it has to be done in a way that WILL NOT POISON PEOPLE.  So, either the elected officials have been bought off by the Natural Gas industry, or they are just plain IGNORANT OF THE FACTS.  It is guessed here, that THEY HAVE BEEN BOUGHT AND PAID FOR.

What of the most disturbing quotes from the article came from Co-Chairman Bill Thompson...it is disturbing first for its GREAT LIE that the environmental impact of Natural Gas exploitation is low.  Secondly, is the new Natural Gas SALES PITCH included in his comments, "Natural Gas is a TRANSITIONAL FUEL". It is a DEAD GIVEAWAY that the lobbyist for the (un)Natural Gas industry greased palms, paid their way into being allowed to shape Government Policy.

"Because of its competitive cost in North America today, its availability and low environmental impact, natural gas should be considered the key transition fuel as we move forward, and try to move away from our traditional fuel base."

This Pro-(un)Natural Gas bias is furthered strengthened when you hear Mr. Thompsons other ideas to create FALSE DEMAND for Natural Gas, which over time will simply drive the price up to where the industry wants it to be...it is an old trick...keep prices low/depressed while you create DEMAND, then once you have people invested in the fuel/energy source, you begin jacking up the prices.  The perfect model of this truism is OPEC.  The plan to increase demand includes (much like here in America):

• Using (un)Natural Gas to heat public buildings.
• Using (un)Natural Gas to run transit vehicles.
• Building a new natural gas pipeline to connect the region with Quebec (even though only 11,000 customers out of 750,000 currently use Natural Gas).
• Regulations to prevent the installation of electric baseboard heaters in new homes.

If you look at all this, it amounts to the Government of New Brunswick forcing citizens to financial support a industry, and a drilling technique that will negatively impact fresh water supplies, depreciate land values, and over time will shorten the lives of New Brunswick's children.  The people of New Brunswick need to wake up to the reality that their government is SELLING THEM DOWN THE RIVER.

The Weatherford Site...A Closer Look At The Fracking Monster Through A Supplier

Unfortunately, even with the VOLUNTARY site tossed up onto the internet to appease us, we still do not have a real clue as to what is being pumped down the wells when (un)Natural Gas companies and their partners trespass under our lands FRACKING (note...when citizens are forced to participate, do not have the right to refuse the Gas Companies, they are TRESPASSING) for (un)Natural Gas.  Because disclosure is A) voluntary on part of the gas industry, B) they can choose what they will and will not share with us, and C) some disclosure do not tell the whole truth, we are still in the dark.  So, what happens if we visit a Fracking Fluids supplier web site...what can we find out about the chemical make up of various Fracking Fluids being dumped into our lands?

With this thought in mind, we went searching compliments of Google, and found Weatherford  who seems quite proud of their ability to meet the (un)Natural Gas Industries Fracking Fluid needs...below is what we have found, though it still leaves the question of what exactly is being pumped into our lands shrouded in mystery.  Sure once you read through the below information, you'll feel like you are in a nightmare version of Arlo Guthrie's "Alice's Restaurant" with confusion sung in four part harmony.  I mean seriously, could a company dribble out more shit without telling us a God DAMNED THING?  Talk about vague and ambiguous!

Fracturing Chemicals

Hydraulic fracturing is the process of pumping water or oil-based fluids with a proppant at sufficient pressure to create a fracture in a hydrocarbon-bearing reservoir. The goal is to create a propped fracture or pathway that will increase the well productivity. Often the well will not produce at economic rates without such a treatment.An in-depth discussion of the process is not possible here, but the completion engineer will deal with rock mechanics, fluid dynamics, chemistry and other complex issues in an effort to design a successful treatment.

We manufacture over 1000 different chemicals in our Elmendorf, Texas and Leetsdale, Pennsylvania ISO-Certified facilities under ISO 9001:2008 registration...DID YOU READ THAT...over 1000 different chemicals...sure they can figure out a chemical to get around ANY ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATION.

Hydrocarbon-Based Fracturing Fluids

Hydrocarbon-based fracturing fluids are used to stimulate water-sensitive formations. These formations contain a high percentage of clays that may migrate or swell in the presence of water or brine. 

Hydrocarbon-based fluids do not adversely affect formation clays and are considered non-damaging in that regard.

Gelling Agents

HGA-37 - Phosphate ester based gelling agent for diesel, kerosene or crude. Used with HGA-44 or HGA-48 activators. Gelled hydrocarbons are stable to 250°F (121°C). Usual concentration range is 5 to10 gal/1,000 gal of hydrocarbon (5to10 L/m3).

HGA-70 - Concentrated phosphate ester based gelling agent for diesel, kerosene or crude oils stable over 300°F (149°C). Most active gelling agent manufactured by Weatherford and is used with HGA-48, HGA-61, HGA-S61, or HGA-65 activators. Usual concentration range is 3 to10 gal/1,000 gal of hydrocarbon (3 to 10 L/m3).

HGA-702 - Highly active phosphate ester based gelling agent for diesel fuel, kerosene, aromatic and aliphatic solvents or crude oils for temperatures up to 300°F (149°C). Low freeze point of -30°F (-34°C). Used with HGA-48, HGA-61, HGA-S61, or HGA-65 activators. Usual concentration range is 3 to 10 gal/1,000 gal of hydrocarbon (3 to 10 L/m3).

Activators / Cross-Linkers

HGA-44 - Organo-metallic complex cross-linker that rapidly releases its metal hydroxide for cross-linking HGA-37 up to 250°F (121°C). Usual concentration range is 5 to 10 gal/1,000 gal of hydrocarbon (5 to 10 L/m3).

HGA-48 - Organo-metallic complex that functions as a cross-linker for hydrocarbon-based fracturing fluids. Used with HGA-37, HGA-70, or HGA-702 depending on the type of hydrocarbon. Temperature range is over 300°F (149°C). Usual concentration range is 5 to 10 gal/1,000 gal of hydrocarbon (5 to 10 L/m3).

HGA-55SE - Organo-metallic complex blend used to create stable diesel, kerosene, or crude oil based gels over 300°F (149°C). Used with HGA-70, HGA-71, or HGA-702 to provide a delayed cross-link over 4 minutes. Usual concentration range is 5 to 10 gal/1,000 gal of hydrocarbon (5 to 10 L/m3).

HGA-61 - Organo-metallic complex used to create stable diesel, kerosene, or crude oil based gels over 300°F (149°C). Provides a delayed cross-link. Usual concentration range is 5 to 10 gal/1,000 gal of hydrocarbon (5 to 10 L/m3).

HGA-S61 - Organo-metallic complex that provides a rapid, almost immediate, cross-link for gelled hydrocarbon fluids. Provides stable, high viscosity gels over 300˚F (149˚C). Usual concentration range is 5 to 10 gal/1,000 gal of hydrocarbon (5 to 10 L/m3).

HGA-65 - Organo-metallic complex used to create stable diesel, kerosene or oil based gels over 300˚F (149˚C). Provides a rapid cross-link to allow for “on the fly” mixing. Used with HGA-70, HGA-71, or HGA-702. Usual concentration range is 3 to 10 gal/1,000 gal of hydrocarbon (3 to 10 L/m3).

Water-Based Fracturing Fluids

Water Gelling Agents
Water gelling agents viscosify fresh water and light salt brines enhancing the frac fluids proppant transport properties. These gels are easily cross-linked to greatly increase the amount of proppant they may carry. Selection of the proper gelling agent is dependent on downhole conditions and formation characteristics.

WGA-1 - Low residue hydroxypropyl guar (HPG) gelling agent that contains internal buffers to make it self-dispersing and easy to mix. Contains 1 to 3% insoluble residue and is readily cross-linked with antimony, borate, and titanium based activators. Usually used at concentrations from 20 to 50 lb/1,000 gal (2.4 to 6.0 kg/m³).

WGA-2 - Guar gum gelling agent that self-hydrates for continuous addition or “on-the-fly” mixing. pH buffers and dispersants allow easy lump-free mixing to quickly develop maximum viscosity. Can be cross-linked with borate or antimony cross-linkers. Usually used at concentrations from 20 to 50 lb/1,000 gal (2.4 to 6.0 kg/m³).

WGA-5 - Carboxymethylhydroxypropyl guar (CMHPG) that is slightly anionic and double derivatized. Contains less than 1% residue and is easily cross-linked with zirconate based activators. Usually used at concentrations from 20 to 50 lb/1,000 gal (2.4 to 6.0 kg/m³).

WGA-15 - Fast hydrating guar gelling agent that self-hydrates through internal dispersants and buffers to enable lump-free, continuous mixing. Achieves 85 to 90% viscosity within the first three minutes. Usually used at concentrations from 15 to 50 lb/1,000 gal (1.8 to 6.0 kg/m³).

WGA-21 - Low residue, water soluble, hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC) polymer that provides high viscosity and excellent friction reduction. Compatible with both nitrogen (N₂) and carbon dioxide (CO₂). Unaffected by water hardness or salt concentration. Usually used at concentrations from 20 to 50 lb/1,000 gal (2.4 to 6.0 kg/m³).

WGA-50 - Self-hydrating, hydroxypropyl guar (HPG) slurry that provides rapid viscosity development and eliminates the need for pre-mixing. The slurry concentration contains 4 lb (1.81 kg) active HPG per gal. Usual loading rate is 5.0 to 12.5 gal per 1,000 gal (5.0 to 12.5 L/m³). This equals a dry HPG loading of 20 to 50 lb/1,000 gal (2.4 to 6.0 kg/m³).

WGA-209 - Surfactant used to create a zero residue fracturing fluid with no polymeric gelling agents. Used at a loading of 9 to 10% and combines with sodium chloride at a loading of 5% by weight of water (BWOW) to reach maximum viscosity. The upper temperature limit is around 175°F (79°C).

Zeta Gel - Easily mixed, two-component (one anionic and one cationic), surfactant based gel system. Effective temperature range up to 300°F (149°C). Active solids of 1.1 to 2.0%. Salt tolerant up to 2% total chlorides. Rapid gel development, environmentally friendly, and compatible with nitrogen (N₂) and carbon dioxide (CO₂). Components include:

• WGA-300: liquid anionic surfactant, or• WGA-300P: dry blended anionic surfactant plus nonionic friction reducer• WGA-305: cationic surfactant plus boosters

Biocides

Bacteriacides are used to kill microorganisms including sulfate-reducing bacteria, slime-forming bacteria, and algae. Microorganisms and their enzymes can degrade and destroy polymeric drilling muds, completion and workover fluids, and fracturing fluids. 

Bio-Clear™ 50 - 5% active liquid brominated propionamide, DBNPA. Kills rapidly and has a very short half-life. Most effective when the pH of the system starts below 9.0. Usual used at a concentration of 0.4 gal/1,000 gal (0.4 L/m3).

Bio-Clear™ 200 - 20% active liquid brominated propionamide, DBNPA. Kills rapidly and has a very short half-life. Most effective when the pH of the system starts below 9.0. Usually used at a low concentration of 0.1 gal/1,000 gal (0.1 L/m3).

Bio-Clear™ 750 - 98% active admixture, which combines dry brominated propionamide (DBNPA) and dry brominated glutaronitrile (BBMG), that rapidly and effectively kills while also exhibiting preservation properties of microorganisms encountered in oilfield operations. Packaged in 1-lb (0.45 kg) water-soluble bags that allow for ease of handling in the field. Use 2 to 4 bags per frac tank.

Bio-Clear™ 1,000 - Concentrated powder form of DBNPA. Kills rapidly and has a very short half-life. Packaged in 1 pound (0.45 kg) water-soluble bags, making handling safer and disposal easier. Use 1 to 3 bags per frac tank.

Fluid Loss Additives/Diverting Agents

Achieving adequate fracture penetration in a permeable rock often requires a fluid-loss material to control the loss of fluid to the rock matrix perpendicular to the fracture face. Diverting agents are commonly used in well treating operations to more effectively distribute treating fluids through a formation or divert fluid from one zone of interest to another.

AA-100 - Mixture of natural gums and bridging agents, 80% of which is degradable. Designed to work in low to mid-range permeability wells of 0.001 to 10 md. Usual concentration is 25 to 50 lb/1,000 gal (3 to 6 kg/m³).

BAF-1 - Benzoic acid flakes that function as a diverting or bridging agent as well as a fluid loss additive in aqueous based fracturing fluids. Dissolves into a gas over time. Usual concentration is 1 to 2 lb/gal (120 to 240 kg/m³) during the first part of the treatment.

FL-100 - Solid powder used to control fluid loss in permeable zones. Usual concentration ranges from 20 to 50 lb/1,000 gal (2.4 to 6 kg/m3).

FL-250HT - Premium grade white starch designed to work in low permeability (0.001 to 10 md) applications up to 250°F (121°C). Non-damaging because it is degradable with time and temperature. Recommended loadings range from 25 to 50 lb/1,000 gal (3 to 6 kg/m³).

FL-300HT - Cross-linked, genetically modified white starch designed to work in low permeability (0.001 to 10 md) applications up to 300°F (149°C). Non-damaging because it is degradable with time and temperature. Recommended loadings range from 10 to 50 lb/1,000 gal (1.2 to 6.0 kg/m³).

FLR-150 - Finely ground petroleum hydrocarbon resin that can be used as a diverting agent/fluid loss additive in wells up to 300°F (149°C). Contains no damaging particles to plug the well’s permeability because the resin dissolves in the produced oil. Concentrations range from 10 to 50 lb/1,000 gal (1.2 to 6.0 kg/m³).

FLR-170 - Finely ground petroleum hydrocarbon resin that can be used as a diverting agent/fluid loss additive in wells up to 340°F (171°C). Contains no damaging particles to plug the well’s permeability because the resin dissolves in the produced oil. Concentrations range from 10 to 50 lb/1,000 gal (1.2 to 6.0 kg/m³).

Clay Control Additives

Reservoir rock often contains clays with many different structures. The clays may swell, break off and migrate or both in the presence of water or acid-based fluid systems. Chemicals containing cations have been proven effective in maintaining the permeability after treatment with water-based fluids.

CC-200 - Very low molecular weight clay control polymer that effectively treats microdarcy formations without plugging the permeability. 100 times smaller than original clay stabilizers to make it more effective at preventing swelling and stabilizing fines. Usual concentration is 1 to 2 gal/1,000 gal (1 to 2 L/m3).

CC-200KF - Combination (patent pending) of a low molecular weight clay control polymer with potassium formate to provide effective clay stabilization through ionic effects. High-temperature stability, low formation damage, and high compatibility with most drilling, fracturing, and workover fluids. Concentration range is 1 to 5 gal/1,000 gal (1 to 5 L/m3).

CC-300 - Cationic copolymer that “locks” onto the clay structure to provide permanent clay control through cationic charge utilization. Compatible with anionic and non-ionic surfactants, while retaining its cationic functionality. Resistant to shear degradation. Usual concentration is 1 to 2 gal/1,000 gal
(1 to 2 L/m3).

CC-300KF - Combination (patent pending) of a low-molecular weight clay-control polymer with potassium formate that provides effective clay stabilization through ionic effects. High temperature stability, low formation damage, and high compatibility with most drilling, fracturing, and workover fluids. Concentration range is 1 to 5 gal/1,000 gal (1 to 5 L/m3).

CC-350 - Synergistic blend of quaternary chloride compounds that functions as a liquid potassium chloride (KCl) replacement for use as a temporary clay and shale control additive. Compatible with anionic stimulation fluid additives, such as friction reducers, and does not interfere with enzyme gel breakers. Usual concentration is 1 to 2 gal/1,000 gal (1 to 2 L/m³).

NCL-100 - Patented quaternary chloride compound that is a liquid potassium chloride (KCl) replacement for use as a temporary clay-control additive. Does not affect formation wetting. Usual concentration is 1 to 2 gal/1,000 gal (1 to 2 L/m³), which is equivalent to a 2% (by weight) loading of KCl.

 

Friction Reducers

Friction reducers are typically high-molecular weight polymers of acrylamide in an oil external emulsion. They can be partially hydrolyzed and reacted with other chemicals to yield anionic or cationic products. They function to reduce friction pressures in all types of fluids from acids to hydrocarbons.

ClearSlik - Cationic emulsion polymer that can reduce friction pressures of water by more than 70%. Also adds viscosity to guar and HPG systems to help reduce the required concentration of gelling agent. Usual concentration is 0.5 to 2.0 gal/1,000 gal (0.5 to 2.0 L/m3).

FRA-175 - High-molecular weight, anionic, water-soluble, acrylamide-based copolymer that provides friction pressure reduction in fresh water, KCl, or salt water based fluids. Concentration range is 2.5 to 15 lb/1,000 gal (0.3 to 1.8 kg/m³).

FRA-177 - Partially hydrated, cationic, polyacrylamide copolymer emulsion that is compatible with brines containing potassium, sodium, or calcium chloride, dilute acids, and fresh water systems. Usual concentration is 0.5 to 2.0 gal/1,000 gal (0.5 to 2.0 L/m³).

FRA-700 - Very high molecular weight, anionic polymer suspension that is used as a drag reducer on water injection and disposal wells. Especially effective for saltwater re-injection to increase rates by 20 to 25% at equivalent pressure. Usual concentration range is 15 to 70 parts per million (ppm).

FRA-800 - High molecular weight, anionic, water-soluble emulsion polymer that lowers friction pumping pressures in fresh water and brines. Usual concentration is 0.5 to 2.0 gal/1,000 gal (0.5 to 2.0 L/m³).

OFR-2 - High molecular weight, synthetic polymer that effectively reduces friction pressures up to 60% when pumping hydrocarbons such as kerosene, crude oil, and other refined fracturing oils. Usual concentration is 8 to 10 gal/1,000 gal (8 to 10 L/m³) of base fluid.

Foaming Agents/Surfactants

Foam is a gas-liquid dispersion, with gas as the internal phase and liquid as the external phase. Low pressure formations are often slow to clean up and costly well swabbing may be needed. Foamed fracturing fluids offer a solution to this problem. Foam has low fluid content, exhibits excellent fluid-loss control and flows back better as a result of the expansion of the gas phase. The base fluid can be water, acid, water-methanol mixtures, diesel, kerosene or crude oil.

Anionic

Amphoam^® - Anionic surfactant that contains an amphoteric foaming agent used to provide stable foams in water and acid at temperatures above 350°F (177°C). Enhances well cleanup because it does not plate out on the formation rock. Usual concentrations range from 5 to 10 gal/1,000 gal (5 to 10 L/m³).

CWF-311 - Blend of different, complex, alcohol ether sulfates that is effective in fresh or hard water, saturated brines, and in the presence of oil up to 350°F (177°C). Highly biodegradable. Concentrations range from 1 to 5 gal/1,000 gal (1 to 5 L/m³) as a surfactant and 5 to 15 gal/1,000 gal (5 to 15 L/m³) as a foamer.

NE-70 - Oil-soluble demulsifying surfactant containing an ammonium salt of a naphthalene sulfonate, with an ethoxylated resin in aromatic solvents. Effectively breaks oilfield emulsions in a wide variety of crude oils. Usual concentration is 0.5 to 5.0 gal/1,000 gal (0.5 to 5.0 L/m³).

TF-A1 - Patented foaming agent for low permeability shales, sandstones and coal beds. Creates stable foams at high pH, 8 to 10, and breaks at low pH, after encountering formation water. Effective for coalbed methane fracture treatments. Not compatible with clay control polymers. Usual concentration is 5 to 10 gal/1,000 gal (5 to 10 L/m³).

Cationic

CAT-Foam^® - Cationic foaming agent that is effective in fresh or hard water, saturated brines, and in the presence of oil contamination up to 300°F (149°C). Usual concentration range is 1 to 10 gal/1,000 gal (1 to 10 L/m³).

NE-50 - Cationic surfactant that functions as a non-emulsifier and foaming agent, as well as a surface tension reducer. Possesses excellent detergent properties to clean fracture and wellbore areas. Concentrations range from 1 to 3 gal/1,000 gal (1 to 3 L/m³) as a surfactant or non-emulsifier and up to 10 gal/1,000 gal (10 L/m³) as a foaming agent.

Nonionic –

NE-21 - Blend of nonionic surfactants and wetting agents specially formulated for enhanced flow back in low permeability formations. Lowers surface and interfacial tensions and leaves formation water-wet. Usual concentration is 1 to 2 gal/1,000 gal (1 to 2 L/m³).

NE-200 - Alcohol ethoxylate based nonionic surfactant for low temperature applications, up to 150°F (66°C), to reduce surface and interfacial tensions and provide foaming properties for nitrogen (N₂) foam fracture treatments. Usual concentration is 0.5 to 5 gal/1,000 gal (0.5 to 5.0 L/m³).

Read Weatherford's letter to shareholders and other documents here.