Mai, Layla, Emily

Natural gas drilling uses a process called ‘hydraulic fracturing’ or “fracking”

TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) is the most harmful byproduct.

Odorless

The wastewater is disposed of in Pennsylvania’s municipal sewage plants and in some industrial treatment plants, which then discharge it into rivers and streams.The plants aren’t equipped to remove TDS or

any of the chemicals the water may contain.

Federal guidelines specifically recommend against sending drilling wastewater to ordinary sewage plants

100 – 125 A.D – “eternal fires” : gas escape from ground and ignited by lightening in Iraq

1821 – William A. Hart drilled first natural gas well

1800s- fuel for street lamps 1890s – street lamps were converted to electricity

1885 – Robert Bunsen invented the Bunsen burner Used for cooking and warming up buildings

1950s-1960s – after WWII, created long pipelines to carry gas from fields to central cities

Created in 2005 – advocated by Dick CheneyExempts hydraulic fracturing from the Safe

Drinking Water ActCompanies using this method do not have to

disclose the chemicals they use to the publicAuthorizes the use of hazardous chemicals to

“frack”

Halliburton Loophole

Benefits some farmers – “Shaleionaires”

Twice as much natural gas in the United States than oil in Saudi Arabia

“Claimed” half the carbon emissions of coal and no mercury

America owns the energy source (energy independence)

Water supply becomes tainted by high levels of toxic chemicals

Too pricey and difficult to extractSafety/health of individuals above

ground is at risk Human Error

Drilling creates jobs, is good for economyShould have some environmental

regulationNo severance tax- bad for industryHave local inspectors make sure things

are safeGovernor Corbett has received criticism

about the amount of money he has accepted from oil and gas industries in support of his campaign (almost $1 million- his 4th largest contributor)

Onorato: we should “utilize the Marcellus shale for job and industry growth while still holding big oil and gas accountable for their actions and protecting the environment.”

Severance tax- average the tax of the other 20 states that have severance taxes for natural gas drilling (usually about 10%)

• If drillers want to get natural gas, they should not be allowed to use chemical additives or fracking; must also comply with the Clean Water Act

• Strongly enforce environmental laws• Severance tax of at least around 10%• No drilling on public land without the permission

of Pennsylvania voters• Strict regulations to make sure water is not

contaminated during drilling process• Should invest in sustainable, clean energy instead of

natural gas drilling

Anti-DrillingNatural gas drilling threatens public health

by contaminating water suppliesGas companies should have to pay for

cleaning the wastewater ($.25/gallon)Drillers should use water as efficiently as

possibleIt’s okay to drill for natural gas, as long as it

is done in a completely environmentally safe way

Pro-drillingArgue natural gas is clean-burning (better

than coal)Creates tens of thousands of jobsTake “common sense” steps to protect

environmentThe parties involved with drilling will clean up

after themselvesHelps Pennsylvania’s struggling economy

"Pennsylvania | ProPublica Drilling Tracker." ProPublica. Web. 28 Nov. 2010. <http://projects.propublica.org/gas-drilling-regulatory-staffing/states/PA>.

Pennsylvania

Gas Drilling

Statistics

http://www.lycoming.edu/news/stories/PressReleaseSept2010Marcellus1.swf?POPUP_ENABLED=true

Within the last month, Pittsburgh passed legislation against gas drilling within city limits "An ordinance to PROTECT the health, safety,

and welfare of residents/neighborhoods of Pittsburgh by banning the commercial extraction of natural gas within the city; establishing a bill of rights for Pittsburgh residents; and removing legal powers from gas extraction within the city."

Drilling for natural gas could disrupt the environment of many species native to PennsylvaniaWind power is another large threat in PA

Around 11/13: 13,000+ gallons of frack water was spilled in Lycoming County

In the past year: Rendell has tried to pass a Marcellus Shale natural gas tax that would createA 5 percent tax on sales of the extracted gas plus An additional 4.7 cents for every 1,000 cubic feet

of gas produced. As of last week, there was no decision yet made

Pro Drilling Anti Drilling

There should be natural gas drilling in Marcellus Shale

The benefits of “fracking” outweigh the negative

aspects.

Natural Gas is the best alternative to

oil/coal

What is your solution to help make natural gas drilling better?

" Marcellus Shale Coalition." Marcellus Shale Coalition. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2010. <http://marcelluscoalition.org/home/>.

"Corbett, Tom & Cawley, Jim." Follow The Money. FollowTheMoney.org, n.d. Web. 27 Nov. 2010. <www.followthemoney.org/database/StateGlance/candidate.phtml?c=123883&PHPSESSID=e1c4cb8783d51837b8b44108bfa1ad27 >.

"Green Party of Pennsylvania :: ." Green Party of Pennsylvania :: . Green Party of Pennsylvania, n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2010. <http://www.gpofpa.org/index.php?module=htmlpages&func=display&pid=17>.

"Plan to Protect Pennsylvania's Environment with Leadership for the Future | Tom Corbett for Governor of Pennsylvania." Tom Corbett for Governor of Pennsylvania. Tom Corbett for Governor, n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2010. <http://www.tomcorbettforgovernor.com/issues/environment/>.

"Marcellus Shale top issue for Onorato, Corbett in gubernatorial race | The Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, PA ." Times Leader Wilkes-Barre | The Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, PA . N.p., 28 Oct. 2010. Web. 28 Nov. 2010. <http://www.timesleader.com/news/Marcellus_Shale_top_issue_for_Onorato__Corbett_in_gubernatorial_race_10-24-2010.html>.

"EARTHWORKS - Senators, Representatives act to close Halliburton Loophole in the Safe Drinking Water Act." EARTHWORKS - Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2010. <http://www.earthworksaction.org/PR_2009HalliburtonLeg.cfm>.

Lee, Stacy. "Munhall Opposes Drilling." TribLiveNews. N.p., 21 Oct. 2010. Web. 28 Nov. 2010. <www.pittsburghlive.com/x/dailynewsmckeesport/s_705439.html>.

Murphy, Jan. "Former Gov. Tom Ridge to promote benefits of natural gas drilling in Pennsylvania | PennLive.com." Central PA Local News, Breaking News, Sports & Weather - PennLive.com. N.p., 30 July 2010. Web. 28 Nov. 2010. <http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2010/07/former_gov_tom_ridge_to_promot.html>.

"Natural Gas News | HeatingOil.com." Save On Home Heating Oil | HeatingOil.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2010. <http://www.heatingoil.com/category/blog/natural-gas-blog/>.

Sapien, Joaquin. "With Natural Gas Drilling Boom, Pennsylvania Faces Flood of Wastewater: Scientific American." Science News, Articles and Information | Scientific American. N.p., 9 Oct. 2009. Web. 28 Nov. 2010. <http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=wastewater-sediment-natural-gas-mckeesport-sewage>.

"With Natural Gas Drilling Boom, Pennsylvania Faces an Onslaught of Wastewater - ProPublica." ProPublica. N.p., 3 Nov. 2010. Web. 28 Nov. 2010. <http://www.propublica.org/article/wastewater-from-gas-drilling-boom-may-threaten-monongahela-river>.

Worden, Amy. "House passes gas drilling moratorium | Philly | 05/04/2010." philly.com: Philadelphia local news, sports, jobs, cars, homes. N.p., 4 May 2010. Web. 22 Nov. 2010. <http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/harrisburg_politics/House_passes_drilling_moratorium.html>.

Worden, Amy. "Pennsylvania legislators failing to make headway on Marcellus tax | Philadelphia Inquirer | 09/22/2010." philly.com: Philadelphia local news, sports, jobs, cars, homes. N.p., 22 Sept. 2010. Web. 20 Oct. 2010. <http://www.philly.com/inquirer/local/20100922_Pennsylvania_legislators_failing_to_make_headway_on_Marcellus_tax.html>.

"Fossil Energy: A Brief History of Natural Gas." DOE. Web. 30 Nov. 2010. <http://fossil.energy.gov/education/energylessons/gas/gas_history.html>.