• 32% of the leases owned by Chesapeake Energy, the most active company in the Marcellus shale, have been sold
overseas ( and local companies with leases also will be selling the energy on the open market at market rates - not "giving" it to us )
• NYC watershed and Delaware River Basin supplies water to 15.6 MILLION PEOPLE,
that's 5% of the nation’s population, including you and I!
6.8 Million in NYC, 5.4 Million in Philadelphia.
It’s the largest unfiltered water supply in the world.
• Thanks to Dick Cheney, the 2005 Energy Policy Act exempts hydraulic drilling companies from the Safe Drinking
Water Act.
• Until sued, drilling companies were exempt from disclosing the plethora of chemicals using in the fracking
process. Haliburton still refuses to divulge their cocktail as of this writing .
• Types of chemicals we now know are in the fracking fluid include carcinogens, mutagens, endocrine disrupters,
which can do damage to human skin, eyes, sensory organs, lungs, gastrointestinal organs, liver, brain and nervous
system, kidneys and cardiovascular and blood systems.
• Contamination and lawsuits here in PA have already begun.
• Environmental impacts include air, noise, light and water pollution as well as increased traffic on what amounts to
rural roads.
• In addition to methane gas, drilling releases radioactive materials including deadly radon gas.
• PA has THE MOST LAX regulations regarding wastewater management. Frack fluid has gone directly to water
treatment plants which DO NOT TEST FOR RADIOACTIVITY. Then, they are channeled out into our creeks and rivers.
• 60% of Philadelphia drinking water comes directly from the Delaware River.
• There were over 1400 violations between 1/1/08 and 7/25/10.
• 1,000,000 – 8,000,000 gallons of water are used per well each time a well is fracked. A well can be fracked up to
18 times. That equals 8,000,000 – 144,000,000 gallons of water PER WELL!
• Each well site consumes 4-5 acres of land.
• Each well requires 800 truck runs to bring in and haul away water/frack fluid.
• About 40% of frack fluid remains in the crevice left by drilling and can seep into the soil.
• According to Business Week, 0.3% is the average tax rate a typical gas company paid in the past 5 years because
of tax breaks compared to the standard 35% corporate tax rate.
• The burden for the damage done by this process will be paid by us, with our money, and more importantly, with our
health, the health of our children and for generations to come.
Online Resources
New York Times series on Gas Fracking by Ian Urbina - an excellent, eye-opening, pull-no-punches series covering waste water clean up (joking!) and a muzzled EPA by Ian Urbina. There are terrific, comprehensive links to the actual letters and other documents Mr. Urbina used to write this series.
go to: https://transitioncheltenham.org/Government/Marcellus/MarcellusShaleFactSheet.htm
Gasland - the HBO documentary by Josh Fox
Marcellus Shale - An excellent, large site dedicated to providing photos, facts, opinions, stories and news about the Marcellus Shale gas you won’t see other places.
The Delaware Riverkeeper - An excellent site, with link to send comments to the Delaware River Basin, the group defining the gas fracking regulations. Also has talking points.
Overview of Marcellus Shale - What is the Marcellus Shale, what is found when you fracture the rock for natural gas
Articles about Neshaminy Creek Fracking Fluid Dump site. Problem started back in late 2008/2009 but reports ONLY came out in 2011!Buried Secrets - Gas Drilling's Environmental Threat - Learn more about drilling from Pro Publica - Journalism in the Public Interest
- News Inferno, Jan 6, 2011, Cabot Oil & gas Dumped Fracking Fluids in Delaware River Watershed
- The Daily Item, Jan 3, 2011, State allows dumping of tainted fracking water
- The Post-Standard from Syracuse, Jan 4, 2011, Pennsylvania allows dumping of tainted waters from hydrofracking into drinking water streams
Hannock and the Marcellus Shale - an excellent, very visual paper by Open Space Institute, showing what Hannock NY will look like by looking at neighboring Dimmock PA. Be warned that it's a large (22MB) PDF download.
Beverly's Blasts - blog posts about the issue from a Cheltenham PA resident and member of Transition Cheltenham
Media about local lawsuits
- Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Jun 13 2010, Marcellus Shale gas drilling put under microscope
- Pro Publica, Nov 20 2009, PA Residents Sue Gas Driller for Contamination, Health Concerns
THERE IS STILL TIME TO ACT! It's never to late to get involved
Contact us : info@transitioncheltenham.org
Compiled by Beverly Milestone Maisey of the Transition Cheltenham's Local Government Group