Last Chance to Speak, Fracking in NC

Last Chance to Speak Out on Possible Fracking in NC!

Public Hearing on Draft Shale Gas Report
6:30-8:30 PM, Monday, April 2
The Barn at Fearrington Village
100 Village Way, Pittsboro. (map/directions)

arrive by 5:15PM to sign up to speak

Chatham County will host the last final hearing on DENR's draft shale gas study report next Monday. This meeting will cover a summary of the draft report and DENR will be present to accept comments. For possible talking points click here.

The deadline to submit written comments has been extended to April 2. Send your comments via email to shale_gas_comments@ncdenr.gov or mail to NCDENR, attn: Trina Ozer, 1601 MSC, Raleigh 27699

House Republicans Slowing the Rush to Frack? Only ‘til early 2014…

On Wednesday, Representatives Gillespie and Stone held a press conference to outline a proposal that would continue some studies on regulatory needs for fracking and require legislative proposals by March of 2014. While this is a big improvement over the aggressive bill we expect from Senator Rucho and Rep. Mike Hager, it would still call for regulations even before the EPA study on water impacts is final (late 2014) or national regulations are considered. Stay tuned for further detailed review by grassroots groups of the Gillespie/Stone proposal and opportunities to advocate for improvements!

Here’s the News and Observer’s coverage of the press conference: http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/03/29/1966174/delay-fracking-2-gop-lawmakers.html

Fracking in NC? Update

The DENR shale gas hearing in Chapel Hill had a large, feisty and well-informed turnout last night! Thank you for your presence, comments and solidarity against 'fracking' in North Carolina, which regional legislators got loud and clear. DENR acknowledges plenty of unknowns in the study and we'll have more to point out in written comments, due April 2. Many speakers pointed out that we haven’t seen evidence from any state that fracking can be done safely. Thanks to public pressure, a third and final hearing will take place in Chatham County next week!

EVENTS:

• March 30, 7-9:30 PM. Black Mountain, Fracking in NC? (details).
• April 2, 6:30-8:30 PM. Pittsboro (map/directions), Shale gas study hearing (details) and DEADLINE FOR WRITTEN COMMENTS! Email to shale_gas_comments@ncdenr.gov or mail to NCDENR, Attn: Trina Ozer, PO Box 1601, Raleigh, NC 27699

Second Public Comment Session on Fracking, Mar. 27

DENR is holding its second public comment session on its hydraulic fracturing report tomorrow, March 27th, at 6:30pm at East Chapel Hill High School.  More information about these meetings can be found on DENR's website here: http://portal.ncdenr.org/web/guest/public-input

 

RAFI encourages the public to provide DENR with comments on hydraulic fracturing and consumer protection at the upcoming public meetings. Although the Attorney General's office has not made the consumer protection section of the report available at this time, it is important that landowners tell DENR and the Attorney General's office of the importance of maintaining landowner property rights and supporting strong landowner protections. Anyone interested in landowner protections and hydraulic fracturing can contact RAFI-USA for further information.

NC Ranks 10th

From NC League of Conservation Voters:  A special report released on the 40th anniversary of the Clean Water Act of 1972 finds that toxic water discharges still abound, and North Carolina places tenth on the list of states by volume of discharges.

The 48-page report, titled "Wasting our Waterways 2012", was issued by the PennEnvironment Research and Policy Center. It is based on discharge information submitted to the EPA for its Toxic Release Inventory for 2010, the most recent data year available.

The report notes that 53 percent of assessed rivers and streams, and 69 percent of assessed lakes, remain unsafe for swimming or fishing or both. Our nation continues to fall far short of the 1972 Clean Water Act's goal that all American waters should be "fishable and swimmable".

Public Comment on Fracking, two meetings

Legislative Watch: Fracking Report Released, Hearings Planned

The long-anticipated state report on fracking was released late last week, and contains conclusions guaranteed to dissatisfy all perspectives. In sum, the Dept. of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) draft report concludes that 'fracking'--hydraulic fracturing to release natural gas contained in rock layers--and the horizontal drilling to conduct it can be done safely. However, it also says that additional legal and regulatory safeguards are needed first.

The report's recommendations for safety steps proceeding the authorization of fracking include the following:
--Further study of the potential impacts on groundwater in areas where exploration may take place.
--State-approved plans limiting the amounts of water that can be withdrawn during the process.
--Mandated disclosure of chemicals used in the fracking process, with public disclosure of any information not protected by 'trade secret' status.
--Development of an oil and gas waste management regulatory program.

The report's recommendations are not likely to please either those whose position is 'no fracking, no way', nor those whose mantra is 'drill now, drill everywhere, for everything'.

DENR's press release with more information is available at http://portal.ncdenr.org/c/journal/view_article_content?groupId=21953&articleId=6157644, and the full draft report can be found at http://portal.ncdenr.org/web/guest/denr-study.

The two meetings to accept public comments on the draft report are scheduled for March 20 at the Wicker Center in Sanford, and March 27 at the East Chapel Hill High School auditorium in Chapel Hill. Both public meetings are scheduled to run from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.

DENR is required to make its final report to the N.C. General Assembly no later than May 1. The legislature's special Energy Policy Committee is set to meet April 21, and is likely to take up the report for discussion whether the final is ready or not.

Gulf Leak from the Air, by Amateur

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=524_1273510578

Who Are the Major Polluters?

http://www.peri.umass.edu/toxic_index/

Colbert on Mountaintop Removal

http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/261997/january-18-2010/coal-comfort---margaret-palmer

Coal Country at SCC

Moore County Sustainable Film Series

Join us for great films in 2010

Our Next film is "Coal Country"
January 14th, 6:30
Sandhills Community College
Dempsey Student Center, Clement Dining Room

Sustainable Sandhills invites everyone to join us for the screening of "Coal Country," a film by Mari-Lynn Evans and Phylis Geller. The film is FREE so bring a friend and join in the discussion.

"Coal Country" tells the dramatic struggle around the use of coal, which provides over half the electricity in America. Passions are running high in the mountains of Appalachia. Families and communities are deeply split over what is being done to their land. At issue is the latest form of strip mining called ‘mountain top removal'. Coal companies blast the tops off mountains, and run the debris into valleys and streams. Then they mine the exposed seams of coal and transport it to processing plants. Coal is mined more cheaply than ever, and America needs coal. But the air and water are filled with chemicals, and an ancient mountain range is disappearing forever. Join us for a discussion of the social impact of cheap energy in America.

Bring the family! All ages are invited and it's FREE! We look forward to seeing you there!

Burpless Sheep?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8385068.stm

Keep It Fresh

http://www.commondreams.org/print/49004
[BPA found in many canned goods, baby foods]

First Space Clown, for Water!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8300273.stm

No Impact Man, the Movie

http://www.grist.org/article/2009-08-28-meet-the-star-of-no-impact-man-no-impact-woman/

A Victory for Clean Energy

http://understory.ran.org/2009/08/11/judge-rules-dominions-wise-county-va-plant-air-permits-unlawful/

Plastics, Ocean Threat

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/scientists-uncover-new-ocean-threat-from-plastics-1774337.html

Mercury Contamination Nationwide

USGS Study Reveals Mercury Contamination in Fish Nationwide

The USGS released a study today that assesses mercury contamination in fish, bed sediment, and water from 291 streams across the nation, sampled from 1998 to 2005.

The report, along with a press release, podcast, and summary of major findings can be accessed at http://water.usgs.gov/nawqa/mercury/

Scientists detected mercury contamination in every fish sampled in every stream. About a quarter of these fish were found to contain mercury at levels exceeding the criterion for the protection of people who consume average amounts of fish, established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). More than two-thirds of the fish exceeded the EPA level of concern for fish-eating mammals.

Atmospheric mercury is the main source to most of these streams — coal-fired power plants are the largest source of mercury emissions in the United States — but 59 of the streams also were potentially affected by gold and mercury mining. Since USGS studies targeted specific sites and fish species, the findings may not be representative of mercury levels in all types of freshwater environments across the United States.

For more information, contact Barbara Scudder, bscudder@usgs.gov, (608) 821-3832 or Mark Brigham, mbrigham@usgs.gov, (763) 783-3274.

Ratings on Airline Environmental Responsilbity

http://www.greenamericatoday.org/programs/responsibleshopper/industry/airlines.cfm

Mountain-top Removal Ok-ed

http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2009/06/02-4

No Bail-Outs from Mother Nature

http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2009/05/25-4

Biking to Work

http://www.streetfilms.org/archives/nyc-bike-to-work-day-09/