Wetzel County - Fracked Up

Taylor County Residents Suffering from Admittedly Inadequate Shale Dryer Facility

These are pictures of Triana Energy's poorly maintained, woefully inadequate dryer facility. It is approximately 700 feet from the home of Denise Binion. It is leaking noxious wet gas and whatever else has been forced out of the Marcellus shale going into this pipeline. It has been leaking this stench for over a month this time. Fortunately the deafening noise that usually accompanies such incidents is not occurring at this time.

It is located on the Morgan farm on Smith Road, Taylor Co. WV, just southeast of Corbin Branch Road, heading toward Middleville Road. The fumes carry right up the valley into our backyard, about 700 or so feet away.

Marcellus on the farm

Article by S. Tom Bond, Retired Chemistry Professor and Resident Farmer, Lewis County, WV

What Dr. Howell bargained for
looked like this.

It’s no secret that I don’t want Marcellus development on my farm.  Here is why:

In 1962, four of us, my sister, her husband,  my wife and I, bought an old farm in a remote place about 3 miles from Jane Lew.  For over 50 years, all my spare time, and every cent we made from the farm went back into improvements.  Today, my wife and I own it.  It is fenced with modern high-tensile fence, there are cattle guards in critical places where roads and fences intersect, and it is very clean.  We have the essential equipment and quality livestock,  and space for 55 to 60 head of brood cows.  After 50 years of planning and scrimping and work on our part, we hope to pass this land along to a new generation.

I have developed methods suitable to medium size hilly farms which I discuss at this website and have written a book about my life farming and changes in the community which appears here.   And I did these things while teaching Chemistry and helping raise four children.

The oil and gas was “severed” from the surface in 1934, 80 years ago, by the second predecessor-in-title, Dr. Howell. He was a physician in Buckhannon and his heirs live in Colorado.  I called three decades ago, and the granddaughter who spoke for the heirs couldn't even distinguish which of her grandfather’s farms I was talking about.  So much for any responsibility to the community.

Marcellus Moment ..... #1 in a series

A new feature of Doddridge News and Fracking West Virginia. Bringing you a steady dose of useful info about shale gas drilling & fracking concerns. Courtesy of www.wvhostfarms.org

Did you know that the oil and gas industry is exempt from SEVEN key pieces of federal environmental laws? It’s true. In order for the industry to be able to do what they do (shale gas fracking) they have to have certain exemptions from federal EPA legislation. Many of the exemptions gained by the O&G Industry were result of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, while other exemptions go back earlier than that. These exemptions allow the oil and gas industry to engage in practices that would otherwise be illegal...and ARE illegal for any other industry.

Job Creation Numbers Different from Oil and Gas Industry Claims

from a report by Public News Service - WV

A new report finds that while fracking has created
jobs and helped some drilling-intensive areas
 from the worst effects of the recession,
the actual number of jobs is far below industry claims.
 Photo courtesy of Environment Ohio

Job creation from shale drilling is not all that it's cracked up to be, according to a new six-state study. The Multi-State Shale Research Collaborative, a group of state-level research organizations tracking the impacts of shale drilling, found shale drilling has produced far fewer jobs than the industry and its backers claim. In Ohio, researcher Amanda Woodrum said, shale-related employment on the whole has been relatively minor.

The science of shale gas: The latest evidence on leaky wells by Dr. Ingraffea

The science of shale gas: The latest evidence on leaky wells, methane emissions, and implications for policy. Physicians, Scientists and Engineers for Healthy Energy, Inc. Butler Community College, Butler Pa, November 21, 2013. 

WV Lawmakers Get To Hear Both Sides Of The GreenHunter Fracking Water Recycling Plant Debate

From an article by Casey Junkins, Wheeling Intelligencer, November 20, 2013

Ben Stout took his fight against the GreenHunter Water natural gas frack water recycling plant to Charleston on Tuesday, as he testified to the West Virginia Joint Legislative Oversight Commission on State Water Resources.

On the other side of the debate, GreenHunter Vice President of Operations Rick Zickefoose also spoke before the special committee of the state Legislature. He took the place of John Jack, vice president of Business Development for GreenHunter, who had been on the commission's schedule.

Cumulative air pollution, building up from the multiple gas well pads in the area, could have long-term health complications.

Mobley Gas Plant in Wetzel County

Drilling for natural gas has created an economic boon in some parts of the state, but what kind of health impact is it having on residents of the Mountain state? The Barr family moved to Mobley, West Virginia in 1970, and they have lived their ever since. But they would have never guessed three years ago they’d wind up with a natural gas rig that does 24-hour drilling so close to the property that you can hear and smell everything that happens.

Wheeling Jesuit University Professor Ben Stout to testify on GreenHunter plant at WV Capitol Tuesday, Nov. 19th

Opposing views on the controversial proposed GreenHunter frackwater recycling and barge offloading facility near Wheeling will be presented at the West Virginia Legislature on Tuesday Nov. 19^th.

Dr. Ben Stout, biology professor at Wheeling Jesuit University will testify before the Joint Legislative Oversight Commission on State Water Resources. On the agenda is “Handling and Disposing of Hydraulic Fracturing Fluids”.   John Jack, Vice President, GreenHunter Resources will testify prior to Dr. Stout. DATE Nov. 19, 2013, Tuesday TIME: 3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. LOCATION: House Government Organization Committee Room, located on the second floor of the East Wing (House of Delegates side of capitol) COMMISSION CO-CHAIRS:  Senator John Unger Delegate Mike Manypenny      Professor Stout has been a vocal opponent of the project.

Marcellus Natural Gas to Gasoline (GTL) Plant Sited Near Altoona, PA to open in two years

From an Article by Walt Frank, The Altoona Mirror

Marcellus Shale Gas  to be Converted to Hydrocarbon Liquids

Marcellus GTL LLC of Gilberton announced plans in March to build a plant that would turn natural gas into gasoline and propane, and they hoped to begin construction by the end of this year. However, construction won’t begin in Duncansville, PA, until 2014.

“That was typical project optimism. We had hoped to get all of the supporting contracts in place. It has taken longer than we envisioned. We are finalizing the contracts and getting the financing in place,” said Paul Hamilton, Marcellus GTL executive vice president, for this $200 million facility.

Antero Resources files suit against Morgantown contractor for Botched Pipeline work in Doddridge County

From a story by Linda Harris, Legal Reporter - The State Journal

Antero Resources is suing a Morgantown contractor hired to build a roughly five-mile section of gas and water lines in Doddridge County for breach of contract, saying its workers failed to complete the work as required.

The suit, filed Nov. 7 in U.S. District Court at Clarksburg, suggests Performance Pipeline LLC lacked manpower and equipment to do the job properly.

Performance Pipeline, represented by Lonnie Simmons of Di Trapano Barrett & Di Piero in Charleston, declined comment Nov. 13, pointing out the papers hadn't been officially served.

"Fracking Sites" pose a high risk of injuries from explosions!

West Virginia sits over the Marcellus Shale, a massive, ancient sediment mass that stretches under the surface of seven states. Obviously, the business of drilling for gas is inherently dangerous because of the risk of burns and other injuries from explosion and fire, but officials are also concerned about workers being exposed to dangerous chemicals.

>>> Full Story <<<

Got an opinion about Marcellus shale gas drilling affecting your community?

Share your views and your personal experiences at this upcoming event.   Researchers from U. of MD Marcellus Study Team, will be visiting Doddridge County to get intake by way of conducting focus groups comprised of area residents from Doddridge and surrounding counties. This is not a debate of the issues between the participants, but rather,  two separate focus groups conducted simultaneously, in separate rooms.  The discussions will be led by researchers who are interested in meeting with local residents and learning more about how Marcellus Shale drilling impacts local communities.

Gas Leasing Still Hot in Upper Ohio Valley

From Article By Casey Junkins, Wheeling Intelligencer

North, south, east and west, natural gas abstractors continue flooding courthouses throughout the Upper Ohio Valley in the effort to lock up land for Utica and Marcellus shale drilling.

A trip to the Belmont County Recorder’s Office last week found at least 25 abstractors inside the office, with some even working upstairs on the mezzanine level. Though hectic, the activity seems orderly.

The rush continues due to the impressive amounts of oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids that companies such as Chesapeake Energy, Chevron, Gulfport Energy, Antero Resources, Magnum Hunter, Hess Corp. and others are pumping throughout the area.

Why We Hate Oil Companies

The boom in oil and gas fracking has led to jobs, billions in royalties and profits, and even some environmental gains. But some experts say arrogance, a lack of transparency and poor communication on the part of the drilling industry have helped fuel public anger over the process of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking.

“It’s a big issue for the industry. I have called for greater transparency. That is the only way to have an honest conversation with the public,” said John Hofmeister, a former Shell Oil Co. president and author of “Why We Hate Oil Companies.”

Marcellus Shale Documentary Project Coming to Wheeling Jesuit University

MarkWest to Build 5th Cryogenic Gas Processing Plant Plant in Doddridge County WV

MarkWest Energy continues its Marcellus/Utica infrastructure expansion. In an announcement yesterday, MarkWest said they will build a fifth (!) 200 million cubic feet per day cryogenic gas processing plant at its Sherwood (Doddridge County), WV facility. It is estimated that this new cryogenic processing plant, along with two others currently under construction at the Sherwood complex, will cost in the neighborhood of $200 million each to build.

Cryogenic plants separate natural gas liquids (wet gas) from methane (dry gas). Why a fifth plant at the same facility? It’s being built at the request of Antero Resources. MarkWest has signed a deal with Antero to provide them with additional wet gas processing capacity at the plant. MarkWest says the new plant will be built and online by third quarter of 2014. When it goes online, the total processing capacity at the Sherwood complex will be 1 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day–a really astonishing number and an incredible amount of polution for those downwind of the plant to contend with.

Opportunity to see Marcellus Gas Up Close on Nov. 17

Join us Sunday, November 17, for a field trip to Mobley, in Wetzel County. There we have a rare opportunity to see gas well drilling and fracking up close - at locations easily accessed by the public.

We will carpool to Mobley from Morgantown and Fairmont. Bill Hughes, veteran Marcellus watchdog, will meet us there and provide explanations and commentary on what we are seeing.

·         9:00am - Meet and depart Morgantown.

·         9:30am - Meet and depart Fairmont.

·         10:45am - Arrive in Mobley.

·         3:30pm - Leave Mobley for return to Fairmont and Morgantown.

We will visit several facilities and sites in and around Mobley. Usually drilling and fracking operations like these are inaccessible, hence the unusual opportunity for us to witness them first-hand and up close. Needless to say, you will likely want to bring your camera.

Please RSVP to Jim at jimscon@gmail.com or 304.698.9628 right away so we can gauge interest and numbers.

Ghost's of West Virginia's Past Haunt The Current Fracking Boom

The current natural gas fracking boondoggle isn't West Virginia's first bout with a potential economic boom, it's been immersed in coal money for almost a century with little to moderate trickle down effect for the average resident unless you count dangerous and low paying (compared to other states) mining jobs.

Officials in the state predict that natural gas  will turn the economy around in one of the nations poorest states. But if that is truly going to happen to everyone's benefit, pour state legislatures will need a crash history course to avoid making the same disastrous mistakes.

Read More >>>

Doddridge County Watershed Association Photographs WACO water truck withdrawing from Big Flint & Middle Island Creeks

The water that is withdrawn from our creeks is FREE for the gas companies. Companies DO NOT pay for it. These withdrawals severely affect our water tables. State regulations are sketchy. There is little or NO help for households that lose their well water. What is wrong with this picture. WATER IS LIFE for humans and apparently for the fracking process. Households are NOT using millions of gallons of water.

Hose into Flint Creek extracting the "waters of the state"
during a period when NO withdrawals
were supposed to be occurring
at Big Flint Creek & Middle Island Creek.