High Performance, Passive and Zero Net-Energy Homes Wayne County Pennsylvania
igh Performance, Passive and Zero Net-Energy Homes
Tuesday July 15th at 7:00pm at the Park Street Complex, located near Wayne Memorial Hospital, off Rt 6, at 648 Park Street.
Everyone wants to save money and energy, especially if you’re thinking of building a new house or for any major renovation. A public presentation on Tuesday, July 15th will address how to design, model and construct high performance, super-insulated homes, even to point of having the building be zero net-energy, i.e. where all the annual energy it uses is less than the energy generated. All are welcome to attend this free forum at the Park Street Complex in Honesdale at 7:00pm to 9:00pm. The forum is sponsored by your local non-profit group SEEDS (Sustainable Energy Education & Development Support) of Northeastern PA.
Rob Lewis and Jack Barnett will lead the discussion, which will include super-insulated walls designs for air tight envelopes, passive gains for lighting, heating and cooling, household systems and appliances for energy conservation and modeling the whole building’s energy usage to properly size an energy generation system, such as solar photovoltaic.
Rob Lewis lives in Shavertown, PA and is a principal with Bakker & Lewis Architects. Jack Barnett is a SEEDS board member, interim board president of the newly formed Clean Energy Cooperative Inc. for Wayne and Pike counties, and owner of a ‘nearly’ zero net-energy solar home near Hawley, PA. Rob has been personally and professionally interested in high performance buildings since 1980. He and his partner, Margaret Bakker, designed Jack’s house, which was completed in 2008.
“We want to keep people informed about the latest developments in home building methods for maximum energy efficiency,” says SEEDS Executive Director, Jocelyn Cramer. “This forum will be highly useful to those in the building trades, and anyone interested in renovations to their present home or considering new construction.”
SEEDS, is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting sustainable energy and living in Northeast Pa. For a full list of its forums and other programs, visit www.seedsgroup.net, or contact their office on 570-245-1256, or upstairs at the Cooperage, 1030 Main Street, Honesdale.
Featured Courses
Energy Audit
Alternative / Renewable Energy Systems
Sustainability / Green Design
Volunteer
We seek new people at all skill levels for a variety of programs. One thing that everyone can do is attend meetings to share ideas on improving the Keystone Clean Water Team (CCGG Program), enabling us to better understand and address the concerns of well owners. We look for people that can forward solid articles, help coordinate local education efforts, and more. Become part of the Keystone Clean Water Team!.
Everything we do began with an idea.
We realize your time is precious and the world is hectic. CCGG’s volunteers do only what they’re comfortable with. It can be a little or a lot. Get YOUR WATER Tested – Discounted Screening Tests ! Get educated on Drinking Water Quality in Pennsylvania.
For more information, please go to CCGG’s About Page or contact us.
Keystone Clean Water Team /Carbon County Groundwater Guardians is a 501(c)(3) IRS approved nonprofit, volunteer organization and your donation is tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. The IRS Officially Approved Name change to the Keystone Clean Water Team by the IRS. Unsolicited donations are appreciated (Helps us complete our mission).
Help the Organization and Get Your Water Tested or Order the Private Well Owner Guide (proceeds benefit This Organization).
New Courses Hydraulic Fracturing, Natural Gas Development, Shale Gas and Environmental Concerns
New Courses related to natural gas development, fracturing, oil production and much more.
Crude Oil Origins – In this course we will discuss the formation of oil and review the theories of its origin. You will get comprehensive information about oil reservoirs including their structure, oil accumulation, as well as distribution, migration and transformation of reservoir fluids. We will cover classification and evaluation of reservoirs and estimation of fuel reserves. We will also review fuel reserves focusing on quality, quantity, patterns, and benefits. Drilling Techniques.
Shale Gas Development – The course provides an overview of modern shale gas development, as well as a summary of federal, state, and local regulations applicable to the natural gas production industry, and describes environmental considerations related to shale gas development. It describes the importance of shale gas in meeting the future energy needs of the United States including its role in alternative energy strategies and reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The course is intended to serve as a technical summary document, including geologic information on the shale gas basins in the U.S. and the methods of shale gas development. By providing an overview of the regulatory framework and the environmental considerations associated with shale gas development, it will also help facilitate the minimization and mitigation of adverse environmental impacts. By so doing, the course can serve as an instrument to facilitate informed public discussions.
Environmental Concerns Hydraulic fracturing is done with surprising precision and with an eye on the environment, yet it is interesting how the public reacts to the practice in relation to other techniques used throughout the world. Valid points are made on both fronts. The major concern against fracking resides in the overall health and well-being of people close to a well site, as well as the land, water, and air that might be adversely affected. With proper examination and logic, this course was developed to provide insight and reason in a practice fueled by profit for some and by civil concern for others. We will explore the history, public and media perception, and environmental and economic impacts.
Comprehensive Course on Hydraulic Fracturing. Summary Course on Hydraulic Fracturing.
Go to http://webdesignpros.redvector.com
The online education courses are provided to help educate the community and professionals. Courses are fee based, but a portion of the fee ultimately aids in groundwater education and outreach. The portal also offers online training in renewables, biomass, and other topics.
Volunteer
We seek new people at all skill levels for a variety of programs. One thing that everyone can do is attend meetings to share ideas on improving the Keystone Clean Water Team (CCGG Program), enabling us to better understand and address the concerns of well owners. We look for people that can forward solid articles, help coordinate local education efforts, and more. Become part of the Keystone Clean Water Team!.
Everything we do began with an idea.
We realize your time is precious and the world is hectic. CCGG’s volunteers do only what they’re comfortable with. It can be a little or a lot. Get YOUR WATER Tested – Discounted Screening Tests ! Get educated on Drinking Water Quality in Pennsylvania.
For more information, please go to CCGG’s About Page or contact us.
Keystone Clean Water Team /Carbon County Groundwater Guardians is a 501(c)(3) IRS approved nonprofit, volunteer organization and your donation is tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. The IRS Officially Approved Name change to the Keystone Clean Water Team by the IRS. Unsolicited donations are appreciated (Helps us complete our mission).
Help the Organization and Get Your Water Tested or Order the Private Well Owner Guide (proceeds benefit This Organization).
Carbon Sequestration Project Illinois – Ethanol Plant?
U.S. EPA Seeks Public Comment on Proposed Permit for Carbon Sequestration Injection Well in Decatur, Illinois
Release Date: 04/16/2014
Contact Information: Peter Cassell, 312-886-6234, cassell.peter@epa.gov
CHICAGO – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is accepting public comment on a proposed permit that would allow Archer Daniels Midland to inject carbon dioxide deep underground at a facility in Decatur, Illinois. This process – known as “carbon sequestration” – is a means of storing carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change. The public comment period opens today and closes May 30, 2014; a public hearing will be held on May 21, 2014.
ADM plans to capture carbon dioxide emitted during the production of ethanol at the company’s Decatur facility and to inject the carbon dioxide deep underground in the proposed well. ADM’s goal is to capture and inject 1.1 million metric tons of carbon dioxide each year. Sequestering 1.1 million metric tons of carbon dioxide each year is the equivalent of eliminating carbon emissions from 232,000 cars.
The public hearing on the proposed permit will begin at 7 p.m. on May 21 at the Decatur Public Library, 130 North Franklin Street. Oral and written comments will be accepted at the hearing. Two question-and-answer sessions will be held at the library before the public hearing: from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Draft documents and information about the public hearing are available at the Decatur Public Library and on EPA’s website atwww.epa.gov/region5/water/uic/adm. Comments can be submitted online atwww.epa.gov/region5/water/uic/adm or mailed to Allan Batka, U.S. EPA (WU-16J), 77 W. Jackson Blvd., Chicago, IL 60604-3590. For additional information contact EPA’s toll-free line at 800-621-8431, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (weekdays).
Grant Summary
Motivation/Economics:
Total cost $208 million. DOE share $141.5 million (68%).
The project is to test the storage potential of the Mount Simon Sandstone and the integrity of the overlying sealant rocks.
Phase 1: DOE awarded $66.7 million of the $84.3 million needed for the project. The DOE announced on June 2010 that Decatur was one of 3 projects to receive up to $612 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act – matched by $368 million in private funding – to demonstrate large-scale carbon capture and storage from industrial sources.
Comment
1. Investing in a corn based ethanol facility ? (I thought this was a huge water hog and barely efficient).
2. Would not it be better to make this investment in a coal application?
Courses
Underground Gas Storage
Sustainability, Green Design, and more
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Environmental Protection Agency Dramatically Lowered Methane Loss During Drilling
“PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency has dramatically lowered its estimate of how much of a potent heat-trapping gas leaks during natural gas production, in a shift with major implications for a debate that has divided environmentalists: Does the recent boom in fracking help or hurt the fight against climate change?
Oil and gas drilling companies had pushed for the change, but there have been differing scientific estimates of the amount of methane that leaks from wells, pipelines and other facilities during production and delivery. Methane is the main component of natural gas.
The new EPA data is “kind of an earthquake” in the debate over drilling, said Michael Shellenberger, the president of the Breakthrough Institute, an environmental group based in Oakland, Calif. “This is great news for anybody concerned about the climate and strong proof that existing technologies can be deployed to reduce methane leaks.”
For the whole story
For Methane Issues in Pennsylvania
For Fact Based Dimock
PADEP Proposes Antidegradation Standard for On-lot Septic Systems
PADEP Proposes antidegradation for On-lot septic systems -Sewage Facilities Planning Module Review for Onlot Sewage Systems Proposed in High Quality and Exceptional Value Watersheds – Proposed Policy – 385-2208-XXX.
POLICY: The Department will assure that cost-effective and reasonable best management practices (BMPs) for nonpoint source control are achieved to maintain and protect water quality when reviewing sewage facilities planning modules for proposed individual or community onlot sewage systems in high quality and exceptional value watersheds.
PURPOSE: The purpose of this guidance is to describe BMPs for individual and community onlot sewage systems that can achieve nonpoint source control in High Quality and Exceptional Value waters, and to provide a process to select appropriate BMPs to achieve such control.
Problem
1. Implementation – Policy says it applies to only new systems or permits, this will therefore include all existing lots not developed. The policy also suggests it should be used for all repairs.
2. Cost to Implement- Could add up to cost of installing and maintaining septic systems in PA.
3. PADEP says the problem is because of nitrate. The only problem is that nitrates are not a problem in PA and the nitrate loading from septic systems to the stream may be only 4%. The major sources fossil fuels, atmospheric deposition, agricultural runoff, urban runoff, and wastewater treatment plants.
Encouraging Others to learn More – My personal blog on the subject.
To review the proposed policy
PA DEP Presentation on the Policy
Rachel Carson State Office Building
400 Market Street
Harrisburg, PA 17105-8774
tstarosta@pa.gov
Marcellus Shale Coalition Guiding Principles Document
Pittsburgh, PA – The Marcellus Shale Coalition (MSC) published Recommended Practices (RP) for Water Pipelines, the sixth in a series of guidance documents aimed at further enhancing the safe development of natural gas across the Appalachian basin. This RP for constructing water pipelines is in line with the MSC’s Guiding Principles to “implement state-of-the-art environmental protection across our operations” and supports ongoing industry efforts to reduce its operational overall footprint.
“By continually implementing cutting-edge recycling technologies, water pipelines and other innovative water management practices, our industry is able to further reduce the volume of truck traffic and capitalize on environmental benefits inherent to safe development and use of natural gas,” said MSC chief executive officer Kathryn Klaber. “As Marcellus Shale development advances, and more operators build water pipeline networks to support their well operations, this guidance document will aid in the siting and construction process. Additionally, this RP builds upon a series of content-rich, member-driven guidance documents designed to raise the bar and advance our industry’s commitment to operational excellence and compliance.”
This Recommended Practice for Water Pipelines was drafted by industry professionals and provides guidance to the industry in the following areas:
Optimal Route Selection: Identify sensitive resources and minimize environmental impact.
Pipe Materials: Determine correct materials and utilize proper resources to construct pipelines.
Valves: Install appropriate valves to isolate segments of the line; allow for maintenance; and permit drainage.
Pipeline Restraints: Use restraints to prevent unwanted line movement.
Operational Considerations: Test pipelines to avoid leaks, consider any environmental consequences, monitor all lines and air venting during operations, and consider using locks, handles, protective covering, or drainage when necessary.
Deactivation: Upon completion the pipeline should be deactivated or removed in its entirety after all remaining water is removed.
Continued Klaber, “With water and water management serving a critical role in the well completion process, ensuring that water pipelines, both temporary and permanent, are constructed to the highest degree of integrity is critical for the development process, the environment and public safety.”
To view other Recommended Practices click HERE
MSC Guidance on Stray Gas
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The above is not my work – but provided as a link to information.
More on
Well Water Quality In Pennsylvania
Barium, Arsenic, Lithium, Methane
Common Well Water Problems – Helpguide
Case Studies
New Educational Tool on Drinking Water Quality
Website Provided for Educational Purpose.
Carbon County Groundwater Guardians is a 501(c)(3) IRS approved nonprofit, volunteer organization and your donation is tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.
Webinar to examine stray shale-gas migration into groundwater
Sampling stray gas that is bubbling up through surface water.
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Investigations into natural gas from shale development migrating into groundwater will be the focus of a free, Web-based seminar offered by Penn State Extension.
To be presented at 1 p.m. on March 21, “A Geochemical Context for Stray Gas Investigations in the Northern Appalachian Basin,” is part of a monthly series of one-hour webinars.
According to presenter Fred Baldassare, senior geoscientist with ECHELON Applied Geoscience Consulting, as shale gas exploration and development has increased over the past five years, stray gas migration in groundwater has become a hot topic. He will discuss the various sources of methane and the need to review each case individually to determine its origin.
“The occurrence of methane in aquifer systems represents a natural condition in many areas of the Appalachian Basin,” he said. “The origin can be the result of microbial and thermogenic processes that convert organic matter in the aquifer strata to methane, and to lower concentrations of ethane and heavier hydrocarbons in some areas of the basin.
“Or it can result from the progressive migration of hydrocarbon gas over geologic time from the source and/or reservoir to the aquifer.”
But in some instances, Baldassare pointed out, the stray gas that occurs in the aquifer and manifests in private water supplies can be the result of gas-well drilling.
“That happens where pressure combines with ineffective casing cement bonds to create pathways,” he said. “Alleged incidents of stray gas migration must be investigated at the site-specific level and must include isotope geochemistry to determine gas origin and diagnostic evidence to determine a mechanism of migration.”
Presented by Penn State Extension’s Marcellus Education Team, the monthly natural-gas webinars usually are offered from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. on Thursdays. Upcoming webinars will cover the following topics:
–April 24: Utica Reservoirs — Mike Arthur, Penn State professor of geosciences and co-director of the Penn State Marcellus Center for Outreach and Research.
–May 16: Shale Energy Development’s Effect on the Posting, Bonding and Maintenance of Roads in Rural Pennsylvania — Mark Gaines, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Bureau of Maintenance, Operations and Roadway Management, and Tim Ziegler, Penn State Larson Transportation Institute, Center for Dirt and Gravel Road Studies.
–June 20: Royalty Calculations for Natural Gas from Shale — Jim Ladlee, associate director, Penn State Marcellus Center for Outreach and Research.
Previous webinars, publications and information also are available on the Penn State Extension natural-gas website (http://extension.psu.edu/naturalgas), covering a variety of topics, such as Act 13; seismic testing; air pollution from gas development; water use and quality; zoning; gas-leasing considerations for landowners; gas pipelines and right-of-way issues; legal issues surrounding gas development; and the impact of Marcellus gas development on forestland.
Registration for this webinar is not necessary, and all are welcome to participate by logging in to https://meeting.psu.edu/pscems . For more information, contact Carol Loveland at 570-320-4429 or by email at cal24@psu.edu .
< http://news.psu.edu/story/267750/2013/03/08/webinar-examine-stray-shale-gas-migration-groundwater >
Carbon County Groundwater Guardians is a 501(c)(3) IRS approved nonprofit, volunteer organization and your donation is tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. Well water testing and educational program.
Webinar to highlight best shale gas extraction conservation practices
Shale-gas development in Pennsylvania forestlands has raised concerns about whether it can be done with minimal impact to the environment.
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The best conservation practices for shale-gas extraction will be the focus of a free, Web-based seminar offered by Penn State Extension at 1 p.m. on Feb. 21.
The presentation, “Evaluating the Scientific Support of Conservation Best Management Practices for Shale Gas Extraction in the Appalachian Basin,” is part of a monthly series of one-hour webinars.
This month’s webinar focuses on research done by the Nature Conservancy. That organization’s shale-gas specialists, Scott Bearer and Tamara Gagnolet, will discuss their analysis of practices that could benefit the environment.
“Shale-gas development in Pennsylvania forestlands has raised a broad range of concerns about whether it can be done with minimal impact to the environment and still allow the forests to provide outdoor enjoyment for the public,” Bearer said.
“During the webinar, we will provide an overview of our assessment of various conservation practices related to shale-gas extraction. We also will discuss which best-management practices are most supported by the science and therefore should be considered when developing a conservation-minded shale gas lease.”
Presented by Penn State Extension’s Marcellus Education Team, most of the monthly webinars will be offered from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. on Thursdays. Upcoming planned topics and presenters include:
— March 21: Stray Gas Migration — Fred Baldassare, senior geoscientist with Echelon Applied Geoscience Consulting.
— April 24: Utica Reservoirs — Mike Arthur, Penn State professor of geosciences and co-chair of the Penn State Marcellus Center for Outreach and Research.
–May 16: Shale Energy Development’s Effect on the Posting, Bonding and Maintenance of Roads in Rural Pennsylvania — Mark Gaines, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Bureau of Maintenance, Operations and Roadway Management, and Tim Ziegler, Penn State Larson Transportation Institute, Center for Dirt and Gravel Road Studies.
–June 20: Royalty Calculations for Natural Gas from Shale — Jim Ladlee, associate director, Penn State Marcellus Center for Outreach and Research.
Previous webinars, publications and information also are available on the Penn State Extension natural-gas website (http://extension.psu.edu/naturalgas), covering a variety of topics, such as Act 13; seismic testing; air pollution from gas development; water use and quality; zoning; gas-leasing considerations for landowners; gas pipelines and right-of-way issues; legal issues surrounding gas development; and the impact of Marcellus gas development on forestland.
Registration for this webinar is not necessary, and all are welcome to participate by logging in to https://meeting.psu.edu/pscems . For more information, contact Carol Loveland at 570-320-4429 or by email at cal24@psu.edu.
EPA recommends radon testing in January
Protect your family from the second leading cause of lung cancer in the U.S.
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PHILADELPHIA (January 8, 2013) – January is national Radon Action Month and the
U. S. Environmental Protection Agency encourages everyone to test their homes for radon. January is an especially good time to test homes and schools because windows and doors are closed tightly and people spend more time indoors.
Unsafe levels of radon can lead to serious illness. The Surgeon General has warned that radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States with an estimated 21,000 deaths a year. Only smoking causes more lung cancer deaths. By making simple fixes in a home or building people can lower their health risks from radon.
Radon is a colorless, odorless, tasteless gas; so testing is the only way to know if radon is present in your home or school. Test kits are available in home improvement centers and hardware stores and costs approximately $20. The kits are simple to use with easy testing and mailing instructions.
Make the commitment to protect your family. Test for radon in air / water . Fix the problem if you find elevated radon levels. Save a life!
For more information about radon and radon testing see: http://www.epa.gov/radon/
Radon and other air/water testing kits
Website Provided for Educational Purpose.
Carbon County Groundwater Guardians is a 501(c)(3) IRS approved nonprofit, volunteer organization and your donation is tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.
More Educational Materials Private Well Owner Outreach on Radon
Gas discharge noise startles neighbors – again
citizensvoice.com/news/gas-discharge-noise-startles-neighbors-again-1.1407649
By Robert L. Baker (Staff Writer)
Published: November 24, 2012
MONROE TWP. – Elizabeth Ide said her husband, Mark, rousted her out of bed around 3 a.m. Friday, but not to go after post-Thanksgiving sales.
There was a loud noise that apparently came from a nearby gas dehydration facility, and it went on and on, she said, for more than 30 minutes.
“He tried to get us dressed and out the door, but we weren’t even sure if we were better off staying indoors,” Ide said. “There were no warnings and no one ever explained anything.”
Friday’s incident marked the second time since September that a deafening sound from the dehydration facility startled neighbors.
Kunkle Fire Chief Jack Dodson said he had tankers and an ambulance near the Chapin Dehydration Plant’s driveway entrance to Hildebrandt Road within minutes, “but our protocol is not to enter a gas site until the plant operator arrives.”
Dodson acknowledged he heard the loud noise, saying it was akin to a freight train going by or a large plane landing, and it was emanating from something being spewed in the air 50 to 100 feet.
People five miles away near Frances Slocum State Park apparently heard it and numerous residents from Dallas Township, Luzerne County, and Monroe Township, Wyoming County were alarmed, Dodson said.
The tone went out over Luzerne County 911 at 2:57 a.m. and Kunkle responded at 2:59, Dodson said. PVR Partners plant operator John Stoner was on scene 20 minutes later and the gas flow was shut down at 3:32. Kunkle emergency responders were back at the station by 4:30.
Ed Senavaitis, safety and regulatory compliance manager for PVR Partners, based in Williamsport, said a safety device at the Chapin facility operated as intended. As of early Friday afternoon, there was still an ongoing investigation as to what set it off.
Senavaitis said there was no overcompression of the line, but something malfunctioned, “and we’ll conduct an investigation until we figure it out.”
He said he had no idea about the volume of material that evaporated or dissipated into the atmosphere.
“The safety device is designed to relieve gas as needed and when our manager arrived, he closed a valve and put everything back into normal operations mode,” Senavaitis said.
Dodson said before the valve was closed, people were contacted at the Transco line, where the gas is fed, and at Chesapeake, a major supplier of gas being moved from the Baker-Hirkey Compressor Station in Washington Township – another PVR Partners facility – southward through the Chapin facility.
Dodson and Senavaitis confirmed that at no time was any individual in danger.
Still, Elizabeth Ide said she wanted answers.
“I thought there wasn’t supposed to be any noise, and here we’ve had two incidents,” she said.
Dodson said the whole incident was a wake-up call that some emergency protocols obviously still have to be worked out.
Looking at a spill prevention, control, and countermeasure plan that Chief Energy established when the Chapin plant was built, Dodson said he had two very serious questions for PVR Partners after a similar incident of a shorter duration occurred on Sept. 30.
In that incident, neither the fire company nor Wyoming County 911 was notified.
In Friday’s incident, Luzerne County 911, which notified Kunkle Fire Company, did not in turn notify 911 in Wyoming County, where the plant is actually located.
So Dodson wants to know first, why PVR Partners did not rewrite the Chapin plan after they took over Chief Gathering’s Marcellus assets earlier this year?
Secondly, he wants to know why the established protocol that seems very clear – including contact of Wyoming County EMA – as established by Chief was not followed.
He said late Friday afternoon he was getting answers, even if a little late, and he anticipated a new SPCC plan would be forthcoming this week by PVR Partners.
As soon as that arrives, Dodson said he is working out a timetable about how to better keep the public informed as to what’s going on.
While Dodson does not want to downplay the fear factor that the loud noises created in both incidents, he wants to see some mechanism in place that lets the public know if they are actually in danger.
He said the siren at the Kunkle fire hall will go off at 11 a.m. Dec. 15 as a test drill so the public can hear and know when it goes off after that date that they might be in real danger.
Ide said that given the noise of Friday’s incident, she’s not even sure they’d be able to hear the siren.
Still, Dodson wants to work something out.
“We were lucky this time, and not a few people were very nervous,” he said. “We all deserve better than that.”
bbaker@wcexaminer.com