First a boom, then a bust.

"Mineral extraction is inherently a boom and bust type of economy," said Ben Perkus, of Binghamton. "Once it's extracted, there's really no more boom and there's always a bust."

This is an article from last Tuesday's Press and Sun Bulletin (Binghamton) regarding an impromptu fracking debate.

Environmental health slideshow

This video was created to serve as an introduction for the big environmental health presentation -- being presented Tuesday evening.

Coming to a Field Near You?

Lately there have been various activities on the Cortland campus dealing with natural gas drilling and fracking, including a screening of Gas Land. I have been unable to attend any such talk, screening, gathering, or the like, since my night classes are always in conflict with these activities. It is immensely frustrating. However, providence may have been to blame when, just the other day, I literally stumbled across some highly relevant literature dealing with the fracking issue. An issue of The Peace Newsletter, fromSyracuse's Peace Council, published in June (only five months ago), was laying out on a table. The headline: Gas Drilling: Coming to a Field Near You? So I scooped it up and ran off to read.

I was really excited to find that several of the articles included in the publication discussed the actual chemicals used in the fracking process, information that I haven't come across much online.

Some "chemicals and compounds of concern" (from "The Hazards of Chemicals Used in Hydrofracking" by Tom Shelley):

Benzene and related hydrocarbons: These hydrocarbons are "known carcinogens," which can damage the liver, nervous system, and various organs; can damage fetuses; and may cause genetic mutations.

Formaldehyde: Carcinogen and severe skin and eye irritant.

1,4-Dioxane: Damages nervous system, liver, and kidneys.

Heavy Metals

2-Butoxyethanol: Affects nervous system, may damage liver, lungs, and kidneys, known to be an endocrine disruptor, suspected to be a carcinogen.

The gas companies claim that the concentrations of all chemicals are too low to have any affects, while critics and mathematicians claim that the concentrations are indeed high enough to affect local populations.



Another interesting tidbit (from "How NY Can Force You to Allow Gas Drilling Under Your Property" by Mike Bernhard):

Just as the title says, NY can force landowners to allow gas drilling on their property, even if they refuse to sign a lease. All that a gas company needs is 60% of the land in a given area to be signed over to their company. After they have 60% of the land under their control, they have the right to "draw up lines" that may or may not go through your own property. If so, they have the right to frack things up for you. "Integrated landowners have no power to specify environmental protections, protect their property values, prevent the storage of commercial gases or the injection of used fracking fluids under their homes, nor prevent storage-associated access to pipeline easements taken by eminent domain."

IBM's toxic plume and the devastation of Endicott, NY.

Imagine  a community that you have driven past time and time again, that you have never really thought about, but have always known existed. A community close to home. Now imagine that this community has been a site of below-ground toxic wastes for decades, and you never knew it. This is the case of Endicott, New York, a Binghamton-area community. Although I've passed through Binghamton hundreds of times, maybe more, I've only just learned that Endicott is the site of a 350-acre toxic below-ground "plume" of chemicals, that may or may not be (most likely is) affecting the health of local residents.

How tragic! The plume is the result of negligence on the part of IBM in the early parts of the 1900s (regulations regarding the disposal of chemicals were put in place in '79). It was not until 2002, however, that the plume was discovered. Are high instances of cancer in Endicott directly related to the results of the chemicals found in the plume?

Read a very powerful article here, and also watch the video. It's very important.

Broome natural gas meeting set for Thursday

October 13, 2010, 10:35 pm

• Binghamton The Forum in Binghamton will host a four-hour meeting Thursday related to the natural gas drilling debate.

The topic will be whether Broome County should lead a state-mandated environmental review if the county decides to sign a mineral rights lease deal, which it is currently considering.
Signing a lease for county land is subject to the State Environmental Quality Review Act, which is meant to determine whether a specific action would have a large impact on the environment. The county legislature is considering a resolution that would declare itself the lead agency for the SEQRA review.
If the review finds that signing a mineral rights lease deal would have an effect on the environment, the county would have to prepare a full impact statement. While the county resolution deals with the actual signing of the lease, the state is preparing a Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement that would cover the drilling process.

The meeting will consist of two sessions: 2 to 4 p.m. and 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. About 40 people pre-registered to speak at each session, and all will be limited to three minutes each. Unregistered speakers will be allowed their turn at the microphone if time permits, and preference will be given to those living in Broome County.

View the Press Connects article.

Yet additional causes for concern (Fracking Related)

I have come across yet another example of water contamination, likely caused by fracking. This article describes the contamination of ground water at the Wind River Indian Reservation in Wyoming. Contaminants found in the water include benzene, metals, naphthalene, phenols, methane, and others. (Of course, it is hard to be sure that these contaminants are indeed the result of fracking, since nobody seems to know which chemicals are associated with the process...) 
Read the article here. 


Researchers with the Academy of Natural Sciences have conducted a recent study in Pennsylvania. They claim that water sources nearby to drilling sites may be at risk of contamination, even if the drilling runs smoothly and without incident. Although more research needs to be conducted, I think that people should take this new finding seriously. If true, water sources could be being polluted without acknowledgement at this very moment, all across the nation. Read it.

Marcellus Shale Lecture @ SUNY Cortland

Scientist to discuss Marcellus Shale issues at SUNY Cortland: Monday, October 11 @ 7:30

(At which time I will not only be in class, but also taking a midterm)