Newsletter - November 2017 - Full Edition
MOB Raises the Alarm in Butler
During the first week of October, you may have seen a strange image around Butler Township and the City of Butler. During the evening from October 2 to 6, Marcellus Outreach Butler conducted a creative campaign with the use of the “bat signal.” Just like the Caped Crusader, we sought to bring awareness of a grave injustice playing out in Butler County: fracking in residential areas. With the resurgent threat of the Krendale well pad in Butler Township, as well as other residential well pads already extant in the county, MOB thought it was time to take it to the streets. An image of a crossed-out fracking rig with the words “Not My Neighborhood” below it was projected all over town.
First up was the Butler Township Municipal Building, calling out the regime that rubber-stamped the Krendale well pad and the zoning ordinance that permitted it. The next night, it was a white barn on Route 68, just west of the Krendale Golf Course, warning those that travel in the area. Also providing a canvas for the “bat signal” were:
All of this was building up to our big action to warn the public about the Krendale well pad. On October 7, MOB and Section 27 Alliance partnered to physically demonstrate the one-mile evacuation zone around the proposed well pad. Teams of two people, one holding a sign that read “Danger! Gas Well Evacuation Zone” and the other holding a sign indicating the distance to and direction of the Krendale well pad from that point, dispersed to seven points around Butler Township. Standing on the corner of New Castle and Duffy roads in front of the VA Hospital (until told to leave by VA police); the intersection of Route 422, Route 356, and Moraine Pointe Plaza; along Route 68 in front of Northwest Elementary School; the corner of Route 68 and Whitestown Road; the corner of Meridian and Whitestown roads; the corner of Benbrook Road and Greenwood Drive; and the corner of Whitestown and South Duffy roads, in front of the township building itself, the frightening evacuation zone was demonstrated with stark reality.
Hopefully, these actions will reawaken the populace of Butler Township to the massive threat they are facing. It is likely that few, even near the Krendale pad, truly realize what danger they are in, not only from the risk of fire or explosion, but from the constant deluge of toxic air pollutants at all stages of the drilling process. Butler Township and the DEP have already failed the people of Butler Township. It is now up to MOB and Section 27 Alliance to try and set things right. If you would like to help Section 27 Alliance in its legal fight, please visit their website to find out how to donate to their legal fund, find more information on the Krendale pad, and sign up to receive email updates. This fight is only just beginning, and look for more actions in the future.
First up was the Butler Township Municipal Building, calling out the regime that rubber-stamped the Krendale well pad and the zoning ordinance that permitted it. The next night, it was a white barn on Route 68, just west of the Krendale Golf Course, warning those that travel in the area. Also providing a canvas for the “bat signal” were:
- the Courthouse
- the County Government Center behind the courthouse
- the front of the Butler Eagle building
- the side of the old Penn Theater downtown
- the Pullman building on Hansen Avenue
- the side of Fudoli’s Music at the corner of South Main and West Cunningham streets
- a hillside next to Point Plaza on New Castle Road,
All of this was building up to our big action to warn the public about the Krendale well pad. On October 7, MOB and Section 27 Alliance partnered to physically demonstrate the one-mile evacuation zone around the proposed well pad. Teams of two people, one holding a sign that read “Danger! Gas Well Evacuation Zone” and the other holding a sign indicating the distance to and direction of the Krendale well pad from that point, dispersed to seven points around Butler Township. Standing on the corner of New Castle and Duffy roads in front of the VA Hospital (until told to leave by VA police); the intersection of Route 422, Route 356, and Moraine Pointe Plaza; along Route 68 in front of Northwest Elementary School; the corner of Route 68 and Whitestown Road; the corner of Meridian and Whitestown roads; the corner of Benbrook Road and Greenwood Drive; and the corner of Whitestown and South Duffy roads, in front of the township building itself, the frightening evacuation zone was demonstrated with stark reality.
Hopefully, these actions will reawaken the populace of Butler Township to the massive threat they are facing. It is likely that few, even near the Krendale pad, truly realize what danger they are in, not only from the risk of fire or explosion, but from the constant deluge of toxic air pollutants at all stages of the drilling process. Butler Township and the DEP have already failed the people of Butler Township. It is now up to MOB and Section 27 Alliance to try and set things right. If you would like to help Section 27 Alliance in its legal fight, please visit their website to find out how to donate to their legal fund, find more information on the Krendale pad, and sign up to receive email updates. This fight is only just beginning, and look for more actions in the future.
Knoch Schools Face the Frack Attack
On July 21, the DEP issued two well permits for Penn Energy’s W71 well pad on Dinnerbell Road, just west of the Knoch schools complex. The well pad is approximately 1,975 feet from the high/middle schools; 2,800 feet from the intermediate elementary school; and 2,900 feet from the primary school. Penn Energy has applied for five well permits total, which they will likely receive. Once again, the irresponsibility of both the gas industry and the state regulatory agency ostensibly charged with protecting public health and safety has put more children and teens at risk.
The Knoch school complex joins a tragically long list of public and private elementary and high schools all over Butler County with a well pad within 1 mile, the most infamous being Summit Township Elementary, with a well pad a mere 700 feet from the building. Numerous peer-reviewed scientific studies have documented the increased health risks faced by children and adolescents in close proximity to fracked gas wells, largely due to airborne pollutants. But neither the DEP nor the gas companies seem to care. The “Don’t Expect Protection” department merely rubber stamped another well pad that was completely “in compliance” with woefully inadequate state and local laws.
But in Saxonburg, it isn’t just the Knoch schools at risk. The entire town is encompassed in three overlapping evacuation zones for three separate well pads around the outside of town, all operated by Penn Energy. Everyone in Saxonburg is in danger at any given moment, whether from a fire or explosion, air pollutants, water contamination, or dangerous truck traffic. Saxonburg has become one of many frontline communities facing the fracking invasion head on. MOB is planning an event in the Saxonburg area to highlight the danger to the Knoch schools from the new well pad. Stay tuned for more information.
The Knoch school complex joins a tragically long list of public and private elementary and high schools all over Butler County with a well pad within 1 mile, the most infamous being Summit Township Elementary, with a well pad a mere 700 feet from the building. Numerous peer-reviewed scientific studies have documented the increased health risks faced by children and adolescents in close proximity to fracked gas wells, largely due to airborne pollutants. But neither the DEP nor the gas companies seem to care. The “Don’t Expect Protection” department merely rubber stamped another well pad that was completely “in compliance” with woefully inadequate state and local laws.
But in Saxonburg, it isn’t just the Knoch schools at risk. The entire town is encompassed in three overlapping evacuation zones for three separate well pads around the outside of town, all operated by Penn Energy. Everyone in Saxonburg is in danger at any given moment, whether from a fire or explosion, air pollutants, water contamination, or dangerous truck traffic. Saxonburg has become one of many frontline communities facing the fracking invasion head on. MOB is planning an event in the Saxonburg area to highlight the danger to the Knoch schools from the new well pad. Stay tuned for more information.
Around the County
FRANKLIN TWP—XTO has completed drilling on the Cratty well pad on Election House Road and is now entering the fracking stage. This well pad was the subject of a three-year challenge by Save Lake Arthur Watershed and the Delaware Riverkeeper Network because of the pad’s location within the Shannon Run watershed, a stream that drains directly into Lake Arthur, the centerpiece of Moraine State Park. The well pad itself is a little over a mile from the park’s boundary. SLAW succeeded in stopping XTO from constructing the site twice in the past, in 2015 and 2016, forcing the DEP to revoke a previous permit due to insufficiencies in erosion and runoff plans. However, XTO’s amended plans addressed all of SLAW’s and DRN’s complaints, leaving them no grounds to continue challenging the technical merits of the permit. The legal challenge had to be dropped due to a lack of funding to appeal the process further based on zoning issues, the only remaining avenue. The initial one well on the pad was supplemented in October by the DEP’s approval of two additional wells on the same pad.
BUTLER TWP—Drilling began on November 13 on XTO’s deceptively-named AK Steel A well pad on Schaffner Road, according to SkyTruth Alerts. This pad is actually located on single-family residential-zoned private property, with two other properties between that one and AK Steel property. This pad was the impetus for the formation of Section 27 Alliance, a Butler Township group dedicated to stopping residential fracking in the township, in 2014. This is the fourth “AK Steel” well pad, with the other three on AK Steel property: two south of Sawmill Run Road, and one on McCalmont Road between Route 8 and the bridge. The first two were drilled in 2012, and the McCalmont Road pad was drilled earlier this year. All three are in a manufacturing zoning district.
JACKSON TWP—Drilling has begun on the PER B34 well pad on the Rapp property on Zehner School Road. The laterals of this well will drill under the Cranberry Highlands Golf Course as well the Cranberry Heights and Links at Cranberry housing developments.
ADAMS TWP—The township supervisors are considering amending the zoning ordinance to include language governing compressor stations and processing plants. A public hearing on the proposed ordinance will be held on November 29 at 6:30 PM at the township municipal building. Read the proposed ordinance here.
BUTLER CITY—A “West PA Natural Gas Job Fair” was held on November 17 at the American Legion Post 117 on South Main Street in downtown Butler. Here’s hoping some “good Pennsylvania jobs” are created at this fine gathering, and Butler County will start down the road to “economic revitalization.”
SUMMIT TWP—The DEP approved a new XTO well pad in Herman on November 8. The Prager well pad will have one well on it for the time being.
OAKLAND TWP—An additional well was permitted on Rex's Frye well pad on Beulah Road, just east of Kelly Road, on November 3. This well pad is uphill from, and about a half-mile away from, the Oneida Valley Reservoir.
CLEARFIELD TWP—The DEP permitted four wells on the PER W15 well pad on Cornetti Road, just south of Long Run Road, on November 9.
FRANKLIN TWP—XTO has completed drilling on the Cratty well pad on Election House Road and is now entering the fracking stage. This well pad was the subject of a three-year challenge by Save Lake Arthur Watershed and the Delaware Riverkeeper Network because of the pad’s location within the Shannon Run watershed, a stream that drains directly into Lake Arthur, the centerpiece of Moraine State Park. The well pad itself is a little over a mile from the park’s boundary. SLAW succeeded in stopping XTO from constructing the site twice in the past, in 2015 and 2016, forcing the DEP to revoke a previous permit due to insufficiencies in erosion and runoff plans. However, XTO’s amended plans addressed all of SLAW’s and DRN’s complaints, leaving them no grounds to continue challenging the technical merits of the permit. The legal challenge had to be dropped due to a lack of funding to appeal the process further based on zoning issues, the only remaining avenue. The initial one well on the pad was supplemented in October by the DEP’s approval of two additional wells on the same pad.
BUTLER TWP—Drilling began on November 13 on XTO’s deceptively-named AK Steel A well pad on Schaffner Road, according to SkyTruth Alerts. This pad is actually located on single-family residential-zoned private property, with two other properties between that one and AK Steel property. This pad was the impetus for the formation of Section 27 Alliance, a Butler Township group dedicated to stopping residential fracking in the township, in 2014. This is the fourth “AK Steel” well pad, with the other three on AK Steel property: two south of Sawmill Run Road, and one on McCalmont Road between Route 8 and the bridge. The first two were drilled in 2012, and the McCalmont Road pad was drilled earlier this year. All three are in a manufacturing zoning district.
JACKSON TWP—Drilling has begun on the PER B34 well pad on the Rapp property on Zehner School Road. The laterals of this well will drill under the Cranberry Highlands Golf Course as well the Cranberry Heights and Links at Cranberry housing developments.
ADAMS TWP—The township supervisors are considering amending the zoning ordinance to include language governing compressor stations and processing plants. A public hearing on the proposed ordinance will be held on November 29 at 6:30 PM at the township municipal building. Read the proposed ordinance here.
BUTLER CITY—A “West PA Natural Gas Job Fair” was held on November 17 at the American Legion Post 117 on South Main Street in downtown Butler. Here’s hoping some “good Pennsylvania jobs” are created at this fine gathering, and Butler County will start down the road to “economic revitalization.”
SUMMIT TWP—The DEP approved a new XTO well pad in Herman on November 8. The Prager well pad will have one well on it for the time being.
OAKLAND TWP—An additional well was permitted on Rex's Frye well pad on Beulah Road, just east of Kelly Road, on November 3. This well pad is uphill from, and about a half-mile away from, the Oneida Valley Reservoir.
CLEARFIELD TWP—The DEP permitted four wells on the PER W15 well pad on Cornetti Road, just south of Long Run Road, on November 9.
Across Penn's Woods
CANONSBURG—On November 20, representatives of front line communities blockaded the entrance to the Southpointe office complex, which is home to the likes of Range Resources, Consol Energy, EdgeMarc, MarkWest, Rice Energy, Halliburton, Baker Hughes, and more. The demonstration, organized by the People vs. Oil and Gas Infrastructure Summit, took place during the morning rush. Five people were arrested, including two organizers with Three Rivers Rising Tide who suspended themselves from tripods erected in the street. Read more here.
POTTER TWP, BEAVER CO.—A public health researcher who specializes in environmental changes caused by energy extraction, including fracking, has issued a dire warning about Shell’s cracker plant currently under construction along the Ohio River. Dr. Brian Schwartz of the Geisinger Center for Health Research in Montour County (PA) said that “When we allow industry to get way out in front of public health and environmental oversight, we end up counting bodies.” MOB and other anti-fracking groups have vehemently opposed the Shell cracker plant since it was proposed, due to the air quality and climate impacts it will have on the region. It will also cause fracking in Butler County to explode, since a high volume of gas is needed to make the plant viable, meaning more well pads in our area. Read more about Dr. Schwartz’s prediction here.
LANCASTER—Opponents of the Atlantic Sunrise natural gas pipeline have gotten creative in trying to fight this monstrous pipeline. On November 3, 30 people set up a table next to the pipeline construction area and began making pancakes, which they then offered to workers building the pipeline, inviting them to a civil dialogue about the issue. The workers refused. This action follows one on October 9, when protestors parked 16 cars along a road to physically block access to the pipeline right-of-way. Read more here and here.
HERSHEY—John Dernbach, director of the Environmental Law and Sustainability Center at Widener University and speaking at the Decade of Disruption: Marcellus Shale and Regional Energy Markets conference, explained the significance of the Environmental Rights Amendment (Article 1, Section 27) of the Pennsylvania Constitution, and how that amendment has seemingly returned from the dead in recent court cases involving fracking. Read the interview with Dernbach here.
Earthworks and Moms Clean Air Force have released an updated version of their national Oil & Gas Threat Map, which highlights the dangers of oil and gas infrastructure near schools, daycares, and medical facilities. View the map here and read an article about the updated map here.
CANONSBURG—On November 20, representatives of front line communities blockaded the entrance to the Southpointe office complex, which is home to the likes of Range Resources, Consol Energy, EdgeMarc, MarkWest, Rice Energy, Halliburton, Baker Hughes, and more. The demonstration, organized by the People vs. Oil and Gas Infrastructure Summit, took place during the morning rush. Five people were arrested, including two organizers with Three Rivers Rising Tide who suspended themselves from tripods erected in the street. Read more here.
POTTER TWP, BEAVER CO.—A public health researcher who specializes in environmental changes caused by energy extraction, including fracking, has issued a dire warning about Shell’s cracker plant currently under construction along the Ohio River. Dr. Brian Schwartz of the Geisinger Center for Health Research in Montour County (PA) said that “When we allow industry to get way out in front of public health and environmental oversight, we end up counting bodies.” MOB and other anti-fracking groups have vehemently opposed the Shell cracker plant since it was proposed, due to the air quality and climate impacts it will have on the region. It will also cause fracking in Butler County to explode, since a high volume of gas is needed to make the plant viable, meaning more well pads in our area. Read more about Dr. Schwartz’s prediction here.
LANCASTER—Opponents of the Atlantic Sunrise natural gas pipeline have gotten creative in trying to fight this monstrous pipeline. On November 3, 30 people set up a table next to the pipeline construction area and began making pancakes, which they then offered to workers building the pipeline, inviting them to a civil dialogue about the issue. The workers refused. This action follows one on October 9, when protestors parked 16 cars along a road to physically block access to the pipeline right-of-way. Read more here and here.
HERSHEY—John Dernbach, director of the Environmental Law and Sustainability Center at Widener University and speaking at the Decade of Disruption: Marcellus Shale and Regional Energy Markets conference, explained the significance of the Environmental Rights Amendment (Article 1, Section 27) of the Pennsylvania Constitution, and how that amendment has seemingly returned from the dead in recent court cases involving fracking. Read the interview with Dernbach here.
Earthworks and Moms Clean Air Force have released an updated version of their national Oil & Gas Threat Map, which highlights the dangers of oil and gas infrastructure near schools, daycares, and medical facilities. View the map here and read an article about the updated map here.
Upcoming Events
Noteworthy New Books
Pathways to Our Sustainable Future: A Global Perspective from Pittsburgh
By Patricia M. DeMarco (328 pgs., University of Pittsburgh Press, $24.95)
Pittsburgh has a rich history of social consciousness in calls for justice and equity. Today, the movement for more sustainable practices is rising in Pittsburgh. Against a backdrop of Marcellus shale gas development, initiatives emerge for a sustainable and resilient response to the climate change and pollution challenges of the twenty-first century. People, institutions, communities and corporations in Pittsburgh are leading the way to a more sustainable future.
Examining the experience of a single city, with all of its social and political complexities and long industrial history, allows a deeper understanding of the challenges and opportunities inherent in adapting to a changing world. Choices for more sustainable pathways for the future include transforming the energy system, restoring infertile ground, and preventing pollution through green chemistry production. Throughout the book, case studies responding to ethical challenges give specific examples of successful ways forward. Inspired by Rachel Carson’s voice of precaution in protecting the Earth, this is a book about empowerment and hope.
Patty DeMarco is a good friend and strong supporter of MOB, and has always been eager to support our activities. Her book is a truly inspiring story of how the sustainable shift is happening right now in our neighboring city to the south.
The Green Amendment: Securing Our Right to a Healthy Environment
By Maya K. van Rossum (316 pgs., Disruption Books, $16.99)
For decades, activists have relied on federal and state legislation to fight for a cleaner environment. And for decades, they’ve been fighting a losing battle. The sad truth is, our laws are designed to accommodate pollution rather than prevent it. It’s no wonder people feel powerless when it comes to preserving the quality of their water, air, public parks, and special natural spaces.
But there is a solution, argues veteran environmentalist Maya K. van Rossum: bypass the laws and turn to the ultimate authority—our state and federal constitutions.
In 2013, van Rossum and her team won a watershed legal victory that not only protected Pennsylvania communities from ruthless frackers but affirmed the constitutional right of people in the state to a clean and healthy environment. Following this victory, van Rossum inaugurated the Green Amendment movement, dedicated to empowering every American community to mobilize for constitutional change.
Now, with The Green Amendment, van Rossum lays out an inspiring new agenda for environmental advocacy, one that will finally empower people, level the playing field, and provide real hope for communities everywhere. Readers will discover:
• how legislative environmentalism has failed communities across America,
• the transformational difference environmental constitutionalism can make,
• the economic imperative of environmental constitutionalism, and
• how to take action in their communities.
We all have the right to pure water, clean air, and a healthy environment. It’s time to claim that right—for our own sake and that of future generations.
Pathways to Our Sustainable Future: A Global Perspective from Pittsburgh
By Patricia M. DeMarco (328 pgs., University of Pittsburgh Press, $24.95)
Pittsburgh has a rich history of social consciousness in calls for justice and equity. Today, the movement for more sustainable practices is rising in Pittsburgh. Against a backdrop of Marcellus shale gas development, initiatives emerge for a sustainable and resilient response to the climate change and pollution challenges of the twenty-first century. People, institutions, communities and corporations in Pittsburgh are leading the way to a more sustainable future.
Examining the experience of a single city, with all of its social and political complexities and long industrial history, allows a deeper understanding of the challenges and opportunities inherent in adapting to a changing world. Choices for more sustainable pathways for the future include transforming the energy system, restoring infertile ground, and preventing pollution through green chemistry production. Throughout the book, case studies responding to ethical challenges give specific examples of successful ways forward. Inspired by Rachel Carson’s voice of precaution in protecting the Earth, this is a book about empowerment and hope.
Patty DeMarco is a good friend and strong supporter of MOB, and has always been eager to support our activities. Her book is a truly inspiring story of how the sustainable shift is happening right now in our neighboring city to the south.
The Green Amendment: Securing Our Right to a Healthy Environment
By Maya K. van Rossum (316 pgs., Disruption Books, $16.99)
For decades, activists have relied on federal and state legislation to fight for a cleaner environment. And for decades, they’ve been fighting a losing battle. The sad truth is, our laws are designed to accommodate pollution rather than prevent it. It’s no wonder people feel powerless when it comes to preserving the quality of their water, air, public parks, and special natural spaces.
But there is a solution, argues veteran environmentalist Maya K. van Rossum: bypass the laws and turn to the ultimate authority—our state and federal constitutions.
In 2013, van Rossum and her team won a watershed legal victory that not only protected Pennsylvania communities from ruthless frackers but affirmed the constitutional right of people in the state to a clean and healthy environment. Following this victory, van Rossum inaugurated the Green Amendment movement, dedicated to empowering every American community to mobilize for constitutional change.
Now, with The Green Amendment, van Rossum lays out an inspiring new agenda for environmental advocacy, one that will finally empower people, level the playing field, and provide real hope for communities everywhere. Readers will discover:
• how legislative environmentalism has failed communities across America,
• the transformational difference environmental constitutionalism can make,
• the economic imperative of environmental constitutionalism, and
• how to take action in their communities.
We all have the right to pure water, clean air, and a healthy environment. It’s time to claim that right—for our own sake and that of future generations.