Fwd: Big win for Westmoreland water!
JBL
From: Bob Donnan <donnanl...@yahoo.com>
Date: Wed, Feb 28, 2024, 8:53 AM
Subject: Big win for Westmoreland water!
To:
Kudos to the Lisa Johnson legal team and 3 Rivers Waterkeeper!
PA DEP Withdraws Permit Application for CNXM Slickville Trunkline Project
"On February 26, 2024, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) withdrew a permit application for the CNX Midstream (CNXM) Slickville Trunkline Project. The proposed CNXM Slickville Trunkline Project included two natural gas lines that would transport hazardous and radioactive oil and gas waste."
Read more along with the comments (PDF) here:
+++
Recent stories at The Energy Age:
Energy News – Solar, Fossil Fuels, Pollution, Storage
Opportunities to Comment on PA Oil & Gas Facilities
Pennsylvania Senator Comitta Gives Voice to Reason
+++
Upcoming stories:
> Abandoning more wells without plugging them in Pennsylvania
> GREG VITALI INTERVIEW: PA House Environmental Resource and Energy Committee
> OHIO: Frac Our Parks & Wildlife Areas
> Important Air Quality Standard Change - EPA
+++
Fracking NOW!
Someone just emailed with updates
on the fracking going on in Cecil Township, Pa. Those who are on FaceBook can
follow up-the-minute posts, while below is a sampling. Apparently, a large
group of township residents plan to air their grievances at the township
meeting on Monday March 4th.
We first became aware of this
well pad when our neighboring township received an Act 14 notice. At that time,
I mapped out the well laterals using Google Earth, and found that at least one
extended 3.8 miles, reaching all the way into the Southpointe Business Park in
Canonsburg.
While we’ve seen both Range and
EQT use electric-powered hydraulic fracturing arrays (the electric frac pumps
are powered by a fossil gas powered electricity generating turbine onsite) the
ongoing fracking at this Augustine well site is using diesel powered frac
pumps.
Diesel powered frac arrays
typically consist of about seventeen 2,500 horsepower frac pumps, that run full
blast 24-7, and use “hot fueling” to refuel the pumps without shutting them
down. This technique has led to fires in the past, as you might imagine, since
safety warnings, even on small engines like your lawnmower, warn against
refueling a hot engine, let alone one that is running!
I’ll let Michelle tell the rest
of the story via her blog below. She’s one of the residents in a new housing
plan that ended up with this Augustine well pad between the Maronda plan and
Bedner’s Garden Center, off Route 50, just WSW of Bridgeville, Pa…
>>>
2-27-2024 post:
We know now that a lot of residents are complaining about noise, vibrations and truck traffic from the Augustine and Bernard Shultz well pads. Something that is not mentioned nearly enough is air quality.
Based on condition put forth by
on the Bernard pad, Range is forced to conduct air monitoring. They are not
required to at the Augustine Pad. I am attached two screen shots, one of the
air quality monitors at my home 500’ from the Augustine pad showing the air
quality in warning ranges, and one from the Bernard Schultz site showing
“concerning” levels. Since we don’t have any actual air monitoring this pad we
use our own. These monitors don’t measure exactly what is in the air – but
rather the overall quality. You can see the high levels at my house compared to
neighboring air monitors. Its pretty easy to see how poor the air quality is
next to a well pad compared to busy Mt Lebanon.
The screen shot from Bernard
Schultz is measuring what is actually in the air. I had evaluated by a friend
that understands these readings. Their explanation was that these reading are
“concerning.”
Now Range Resources has
published an air study that they performed during the first phase of drilling
at the Augustine well site between 7/2019 and 12/2021. Their overall findings
were “The Augustine well site did not contribute to elevated increases in potential
health concern for either PM2.5 or VOCs”
Fast forward to today. Range is
no longer conducting an air quality study at the Augustine well pad. And we
know why. During the 2019-2021 study Range was using electric generators. Range
has admitted to us during conversations that they are now using diesel
generators at both sites. Not only do diesel generators cause (shocker) much
more noise than electric generators but they also are a primary contributor to
poor air quality. Range Resources excuse was that their hands are tied. There
is a patent lawsuit pending on electric generators…(not an exact quote just my
summation).
However, while discussing this
with friends in the industry we were told it was basically an excuse. ELECTRIC
generators are the industry standard, not diesel. Looking deeper, new
regulations by the EPA and DEP are set to go into effect over the next years.
Could all of this be a result of them trying to get everything in under the
wire before they are forced to comply?
Even though Range Resources
continues to claim to be a “good neighbor” they admit even in their own 2023
Annual Report that changes to the EPA and DEP could “adversely impact” their
bottom line.
“These laws and any implementing
regulations may require us to obtain pre-approval for the construction or
modification of certain projects or facilities expected to produce air
emissions, impose stringent air permit requirements, or use specific equipment
or technologies to control emissions. We may be required to incur certain
capital expenditures in the next few years for air pollution control equipment
in connection with maintaining or obtaining operating permits and approvals for
emissions of pollutants.”
And concluding that “Compliance
with these or any similar subsequently enacted regulatory initiatives could
directly impact us by requiring installation of new emission controls on some
of our equipment, resulting in the need for additional permitting and
introducing potential permitting delays and increasing our capital expenditures
and operating costs, which could adversely impact our business.”
Range Resources is NOT concerned
about your Health, Safety and Welfare.
PLEASE attend meeting on March 4th to express your concerns and help us get the ordinances changed!
The third picture is of the
Augustine site yesterday emitting something into the air…wish we knew what it
was.
-Michelle Stonemark
>>>
For many reasons - I have held back from posting about what’s happening to us living close to the Augustine pad. Mostly because I incorrectly assumed that Range would help this time. Which they did not. Since drilling re-started on the Augustine well pad my family and I have suffered so many sleepless night. It’s not always noise- sometimes it’s flaring, sometimes it’s what feels like a vibration in our homes and in our chests- which I’ve been told is from low frequency noises that are not stopped by “sound walls” or even concrete.
We’ve also had nights of pure
fear where several residents reported smelling gas in Cecil, Range is flaring
on the pad and I was wondering if I needed to evacuate my children. Ask Range.
They got my petrified phone call.
When I complain, I’m called a
liar. That I’m exaggerating and I’m told it’s not that bad and it’s only
temporary. I’m told that I am bitter because I don’t have mineral rights.
This is what we went through during 2020 when like everyone else we were trapped in our homes from Covid with no where to go and Range was allowed to keep drilling. It affected our sleep, caused massive headaches. My kids grades suffered as well as other health issues that are too personal to discuss here.
The township is doing what they
can this time. Supervisors Casciola, Fisher and Egizio are doing what’s in the
limited power.
Lately I’ve seen posts on other sites, people complaining about constant heavy truck traffic, loud noises and the sound of an airplane landing on their homes. That’s because there are now two large pads in production. Bernard Schultz and Augustine with a third one to begin later this year. It’s comforting to know that more people are coming forward. There have been 911 calls out of concern for safety.
Ranges solution for us was two
fold. 1 they offered us $500 for our inconvenience. And 2 they offered to put
my family of five in a hotel when it’s bad. The problem with that is once I
accept the 500 (which is frankly an insult) we sign away our rights. The
problem with the hotel? They work almost primarily at night. So by the time it
gets bad I’m asleep and the noise and flaring and shaking begin. Plus a family
of 5 in a hotel? How is that making my situation easier or better?
Last night was the last straw
for me. They flared ALL night as seen on several videos I will post in
comments. You can hear the clicking (like a gas stove) and then it flares and
makes a loud BOOM! Which you can hear in the video. Every boom shook my house
to such an extent we were all awake and scared.
I can not stress enough how it
feels to be frightened in your own home. It’s supposed to be the place where my
family feels the safest. And it no longer is. We don’t know when they’re going
to drill, or flare, or anything.
Please know the following: My
family has never EVER accepted money from Range. But more importantly I’m not
against this type of activity in the right areas. I’ve said this from the day I
began this long fight with the township. It has NO BUSINESS in residential
areas.
There is a hearing at 6pm on
April 3rd to discuss the changes we want to see. I URGE you to contact the
township with your concerns in writing prior to that hearing.
Please feel free to DM me or this page if you have questions for me. I’m an open book.
-Michelle Stonemark
###