SierraActivist » Activism

Alert: Help Stop $35 Billion in Oil and Gas Industry Tax Breaks

Dennis — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 18:20:11 +0000

Before the worst environmental disaster in American history began, BP was claiming almost a quarter of a million dollars in tax deductions per day for its Deepwater Horizon oil platform in the Gulf. That’s right, at a time of soaring deficits and record unemployment, a single deepwater offshore drilling facility won $225,000 in taxpayer subsidies for one of the most profitable companies in the world.

Stop Big Oil Bailouts

Take Action!

We are joining Democracy for America and USAction/TrueMajority and calling for a repeal of dirty fuel tax breaks. Click here to join us.

BP, EXXON Mobile and other oil companies are among the most profitable in the world, yet they are given billions in tax subsidies, credits, deductions, and other loopholes.

In fact, EXXON Mobile, the single most profitable company in history, avoided paying any federal income taxes last year and even received a $46 million refund.

If not now, when? It’s time for Congress to stop the annual $35 billion taxpayer bailout to dirty energy companies.

Even while they rake in obscene profits from government contracts and sweetheart deals for mineral leases on public lands, Big Oil companies will stop at nothing to avoid paying their fair share of taxes. They already register their oil platform rigs in Panama and move their corporate headquarters to tax havens like the Cayman Islands. Enough is enough. Now is the time to mobilize massive public pressure and force Congress to end the tax loopholes for Big Oil.

Congress can put an end to these practices, but they need to hear from you. Join CREDO Action, Democracy for America and USAction/TrueMajority in calling for an end to Big Oil tax subsidies.

The BP oil spill has created an opportunity. There is a movement in the Senate of progressive senators who want cut subsidies to Big Oil and gas companies. Dirty energy lobbyists and the politicians they give money to are putting up a massive defense of these subsidies. Reformers in Congress need to know that you are fed up with the special treatment that oil and gas companies receive.

Congress can put an end to these practices but they need to hear from you. Join CREDO Action, Democracy for America and USAction/TrueMajority in calling for an end to Big Oil tax subsidies.

Thank you. Your pressure works.

Adam Quinn, Campaign Manager
CREDO Action

Alert: Stop Unregulated Gas Drilling in the Delaware River Watershed

Dennis — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 13:34:41 +0000

An unregulated drilling technique is putting the water supply for Trenton, Phillipsburg and many South Jersey towns at risk and we need your help to protect it. (Click this link to send an e-mail message and to take other actions!)

Natural gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale (PA & NY) is threatening to pollute New Jersey’s drinking water for a million and a half people and to deforest the Delaware River watershed. A new process called hydrofracking , injects chemicals into millions of gallons of clean water to drill horizontally for natural gas. The chemical mixture that remains is difficult to treat and risks seeping in to our drinking water.

Come join the NJ Sierra Club and the Delaware Riverkeeper next Wednesday (7/14/10) to rally outside of a Delaware River Basin Commission Meeting on this important issue. Until federal regulations for hydrofracking are set our organizations are asking for a complete moratorium on all natural gas projects in the Marcellus Shale.

What: Rally at Delaware River Basin Commission Public Meeting

When: 1:00 p.m., Wednesday, July 14

Where: West Trenton Volunteer Fire Company http://www.wtvfc.org/directions.htm

40 West Upper Ferry Road, Ewing, NJ 08628-2714 (609) 883-0325

Why: We need a complete and total moratorium on all natural gas projects in the Delaware River Watershed until the comprehensive study of the cumulative impact of gas projects is completed and all regulations are adopted. It’s urgent that we act to preserve the high water quality of the Delaware River.

The Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf is a daily reminder what can happen when energy companies go unregulated. Tell the DRBC we don’t want the same to happen in the Delaware River.

Let us know if you can join us at the hearing or send a letter to the commission.

Thank you for your support,

NJ Sierra Club Staff

P.S. There are carpools being organized in the Philadelphia area and a car shuttle running from the West Trenton Septa Train Station. To get more info on carpools or train pick up, contact DRN at 215-369-1188 ext. 110.

More information:

- The Delaware River Watershed supplies drinking water for 15 million people including one million New Jerseyans. Hydrofracking can, and has, contaminated drinking water supplies and streams and rivers.

- Each fracking well will destroy 15 acres of forest and need a half mile of roadway. There are currently proposals for more than 50,000 wells. This could mean the removal of 750,000 acres of woodlands and the construction of 25,000 miles of road. The runoff and pollution will cause irreparable damage to the Delaware River Watershed.

- The EPA is currently researching a comprehensive report due in 2012. The federal government has not yet passed the Frack Act to force the drilling companies to reveal the hundreds of toxic chemicals injected into the wells and comply with the Clean Air and Water Acts and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.

- The DRBC has placed a temporary and incomplete moratorium. The current moratorium will expire before the EPA’s impact study is released and full regulations are in place. The moratorium does not include previously permitted drilling projects or related projects like Stone Energy’s application to withdraw 700,000 million gallons per day from a major tributary.

- Consequently, it is essential that the DRBC act by adopting a total moratorium on gas projects while conducting a thorough analysis of the cumulative impacts of extended gas development and then adopts comprehensive regulations to protect and preserve the Delaware River Watershed for us and future generations.

Alert: Gas Driller Wants Delaware Water – DRBC Public Hearing 2/24

Dennis — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 15:34:03 +0000

natural gas drilling, originally uploaded by arimoore.

From NY H2O- GAS DRILLING CONTAMINATES WATER NATIONWIDE. BUT WE CAN SAVE NY!

SAVE THE DELAWARE RIVER!

The Delaware River Basin Commission is at it again…
Stone Energy Corporation is trying to ‘frack’ with the protected Delaware River.

We need everyone at the Public Hearing to stand up against toxic gas drilling!

When: Wednesday, Feb. 24th 3-7pm

Where: Best Western Inn at Hunt’s Landing, 126 Routes 6 & 209, Matamoras, Pennsylvania 18336

Write in if you can offer a ride. Thank you!

Keep swimming,

Monica and Laura

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

Stone Energy Corporation Proposed Surface Water Withdrawal and Natural Gas Well Site

View Draft Dockets D-2009-013-1and D-2009-018-1

SUMMARY: Because of the high level of public interest in projects within the Delaware Basin that are associated with natural gas drilling activities, the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC or “Commission”) will hold a special public hearing on two projects sponsored by the Stone Energy Corporation (hereinafter, “Stone Energy”) to support natural gas exploration and development activities within the basin. One of the two projects entails a surface water withdrawal from the West Branch Lackawaxen River in Mount Pleasant Township, Pennsylvania (Docket No. D-2009-13-1). The other concerns an existing natural gas well drilling pad site in Clinton Township, Pennsylvania (Docket No. D-2009-18-1). Both projects are located in Wayne County, Pennsylvania, within the drainage area of a portion of the main stem Delaware River that the Commission has classified as Special Protection Waters.

DATES: The hearing will take place on Wednesday, February 24, 2010 from 3:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. Written comments will be accepted until 5:00 p.m. on March 12, 2010.

ADDRESSES: The hearing will take place at the Best Western Inn at Hunt’s Landing, 126 Routes 6 & 209, Matamoras, Pennsylvania 18336, beginning at 3:00 p.m. and ending at 7:00 p.m. Written comments may be submitted at the hearing and may also be sent as follows: via email to Paula.Schmitt@drbc.state.nj.us and otherwise to the attention of the Commission Secretary, DRBC, either by fax to (609) 883-9522; U.S. Mail to P.O. Box 7360, West Trenton, NJ 08628-0360; or delivery service to 25 State Police Drive, West Trenton, NJ 08628-0360. Regardless of the method of submission, comments should include the name, affiliation (if any) and address of the commenter and the subject line “Public Comment – Stone Energy Dockets.”

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Draft dockets. Dockets Nos. D-2009-13-1** (water withdrawal) and D-2009-18-1** (natural gas well drilling pad site) can be viewed on the Commission’s website, DRBC.net, as a link from this notice.

Hearing Procedure. In order to give everyone who wishes to testify a fair and equal opportunity to do so at the public hearing, which is expected to be heavily attended, the following procedures will be in effect:

Registration to testify. Individuals who wish to speak at the hearing will be requested to print their names on a numbered list and complete a separate DRBC commenter card. Registration to present oral testimony will begin at approximately 2:30 p.m. (30 minutes prior to the beginning of the hearing) and will continue until the hearing is closed. There will be no advance registration prior to February 24. For the convenience of those who wish to speak, more than one registration list may be used. Accordingly, speakers will be called in roughly, but not exactly, the order in which they registered.
Time allowances. In order to allow everyone who wishes to speak an opportunity to do so, individuals will be allotted no more than three minutes to present their oral testimony. Speakers will not be permitted to cede their time to others; however, after everyone who wishes to speak has had a chance to do so, the hearing officer will accept requests from those who wish to supplement their earlier remarks. Individuals who have prepared written testimony are asked to summarize their comments during the three-minute period for oral testimony and to submit their complete written comments either at the public hearing or via email, fax, U.S. Mail, delivery service, or hand delivery in accordance with the “Addresses” section above, before 5:00 p.m. on March 12.
Stenographic record. A court stenographer will be present to capture all verbal comments for the public record.
Other. The sole purpose of the hearing on February 24 is to provide members of the public with an opportunity for oral testimony on the proposed Stone Energy dockets. The Commissioners and staff will not respond to comments at the hearing, nor will they conduct any other business that day. Because a separate hearing on the Stone Energy dockets is being held on February 24, oral testimony on these dockets will not be accepted during the Commission’s regularly scheduled business meeting and public hearing on March 3, 2010. A separate notice will be published listing the hearing items and other matters to be considered during the meeting on March 3.

Project Descriptions. Detailed descriptions of the two projects are included in the draft dockets posted on the Commission’s website (DRBC.net) as links from this notice. Brief descriptions of the two projects follow:

Stone Energy Corporation D-2009-13-1. An application for approval of a surface water withdrawal project to supply up to 21.0 mg/30 days (0.70 mgd) of water from a withdrawal point located on the West Branch Lackawaxen River in Mount Pleasant Township, Wayne County, Pennsylvania within the drainage area of the section of the Delaware River classified as Special Protection Waters (SPW). The water will be used to support natural gas well stimulation activities in an existing well located in Clinton Township, Wayne County, Pennsylvania (the Matoushek #1 well), located within the drainage area of SPW, and in proposed natural gas wells targeting the Marcellus Shale geologic formation within the SPW drainage area in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Flow-back water from well stimulation activities is proposed to be exported to approved treatment facilities located outside of the Delaware River Basin.

Stone Energy Corporation D-2009-18-1. An application for approval of an existing natural gas well drilling pad site, including an existing vertically orientated natural gas well known as Matoushek #1, located in Clinton Township, Wayne County, Pennsylvania. The well is proposed to be stimulated through hydraulic fracturing from a proposed surface water source. An application for the proposed surface water withdrawal is being reviewed by the Commission under Docket No. D-2009-13-1. The proposed surface water withdrawal is located on the West Branch Lackawaxen River in Mount Pleasant Township, Wayne County, Pennsylvania. The target gas bearing geologic formation of Matoushek #1 is the Devonian-age Marcellus Shale. Flow-back water resulting from stimulation activities at the well is proposed to be exported to approved treatment facilities outside of the Delaware River Basin. The proposed drilling site is located within the drainage area of the section of the non-tidal Delaware River known as the Upper Delaware, which is designated as Special Protection Waters.

Additional public records relating to the draft Stone Energy docket may be available for review consistent with Article 8 of the Commission’s Rules of Practice and Procedure (RPP) governing public access to records and information. The RPP are also available on the Commission’s website, http://www.drbc.net.

Individuals in need of an accommodation as provided for in the Americans with Disabilities Act who wish to attend the hearing should contact the commission secretary directly at 609-883-9500 ext. 203 or through the Telecommunications Relay Services (TRS) at 711, to discuss how the Commission can accommodate your needs.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For questions about the upcoming hearing that are not answered in the section of this notice entitled “Supplementary Information”, please contact Ms. Paula Schmitt at 609-477-7224 or Ms. Katharine O’Hara at 609-477-7205.

Dated: February 9, 2010
Pamela M. Bush
Commission Secretary & Assistant General Counsel

Alert: The Delaware Water Gap and Appalachian Trail Threatened by Powerline – Speak Out!

Dennis — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 20:55:24 +0000

Delaware River, originally uploaded by joiseyshowaa.

From NJ Chapter Sierra Club:

PSE&G is proposing to expand their right-of-way through the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area and across the Appalachian Trail. They propose to add a 500Kv line to the existing 230Kv line and double the height of the existing towers to 175 feet. To build the towers they will need to carve new access roads and staging areas through the park, and MOVE THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL!

Who does PSE&G think they are?

The National Park Service (NPS) will be preparing an Environmental Impact Statement to research all of the potential environmental, historical, and recreational impacts of the project. The NPS needs to hear how people and the land will be impacted.

Do you love the Water Gap? Did you ever want to hike the Appalachian Trail? Here is your chance to speak up and become a champion for the things you care about most.

Below is information on ways to comment, talking points, and the process.

Thanks for your support,

The Sierra Club Staff

Ways to Comment

Come to a meeting and show the NPS the face of people who care about the Water Gap.

When: February 16, 2010 from 6:00 PM – 8:30 PM

Where: Fernwood Hotel, U.S. Route 209 North, Bushkill, Pennsylvania

When: February 17, 2010 from 6:00 PM – 8:30 PM

Where: Camp Jefferson, 81 Weldon Road, Lake Hopatcong, New Jersey

When: February 18, 2010 from 6:00 PM – 8:30 PM

Where: Sheraton Parsippany Hotel, 199 Smith Road, Parsippany, New Jersey

Can’t make it to a meeting? Submit your comments directly to the National Park Service.

http://parkplanning.nps.gov/commentForm.cfm?parkID=220&projectID=25147&documentId=31664

Talking Points

The Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area was created to give people open space, protect water quality in the Delaware River, and provide recreation space. This is a National Park, not PSE&G’s corporate playground.
The New Jersey section of the Appalachian Trail is one of the most historic and scenic. For more than 100 years people have hiked this portion of the trail. Construction will impact the trail directly and will ruin the views from one of the best portions of the trail.
The Susquehanna-Roseland transmission line is only one of many transmission lines being proposed around the country to move coal power to the best paying markets. The National Park Service should consider the cumulative impact of these lines – including air quality and climate change.
Federal lands on the East Coast are rare. Congressional legislation was required to create the National Recreation Area, we should respect the few federally protected lands we have.
PSE&Gs right-of-way was created when the country was just being electrified, transmission lines are no longer cutting edge technology. Investing in renewable energy distributed around New Jersey would be a safer and cleaner alternative.
The impacts of constructing the line go beyond the right-of-way, the creation of new roads will affect a huge area in the Highlands Region.
The population of New Jersey has boomed, there aren’t that many places left for natural recreation and to see wildlife.
PSE&G cannot just purchase land somewhere else to make up for what they are ruining in the Water Gap. There is no way to mitigate.
The impacts of building this line include more water and air pollution. Mercury from the Midwestern states enters the air and settles in the surface water in the Highlands.
The views seen from the Delaware Water Gap and the Appalachian Trail are priceless. PSE&G should not be allowed to ruin the view shed for private gain. This will impact the view shed in the Highlands as well as the Upper Delaware River, which has been designated a wild and scenic river.

The Process

An Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is a study that is required for projects by federal agencies that will significantly affect the quality of the environment. It requires federal agencies to examine the alternatives that would limit environmental impact.

There are three steps for an EIS:

First the agency, in this case the National Parks Service, does scoping. They take public comment on what issues they should look into.

Second, they write a draft of the EIS. After the draft is written it becomes open to public comment.

Third, they publish their EIS with a determination of an approved alternative, which could be the project as proposed by PSE&G, an alternative proposal, or a “no build” alternative.

Sierra Club Creating New Hydrofracking Activist Team – You’re Invited!

Dennis — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 17:38:38 +0000

The Sierra Club is in the process of finalizing team charge approval for a new hydrofracking activist team. Our team’s goal is to address the environmental and health effects of hydraulic fracturing for gas. We will primarily work to research and report on these issues and help activists on the ground who are facing problems with hydrofracking. We will provide information and recommendations on hydrofracking policy internally to club leaders and are authorized to publically represent the Sierra Club on the issue of hydrofracturing technology and its effects.

I am serving as the team leader for the present, and am looking for activists with experience or interest in hydrofracking to join the hydrofracking team. We need a few good core team leaders and all the supporting team activists we can get. Every attempt will be made to have work done on an organized piecemeal basis, so I hope to have plenty of work for supporting team members and not overload the core members. I also would like to identify individuals to serve as the conduit for information with chapters and groups, particularly for areas with active or planned hydraulic fracturing activity.

Even if you are not personally interested or able to join, I would appreciate your passing this note on to others in hydrofrack areas.

Contact me directly with any questions. You can join our support team right now by going to:

http://connect.sierraclub.org/Team/Hydrofracking_Team

See the basic outline of the planned database at:

http://connect.sierraclub.org/project/Hydrofracturing_Database

Sincerely,

Jessica Helm
helm_jessica@yahoo.com

SierraActivist » Activism

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