The Penn State Marcellus Center for Outreach and Research
The Marcellus Center for Outreach and Research (MCOR) is Penn State’s education and research initiative on unconventional gas plays. We serve state agencies, elected and appointed officials, communities, landowners, industry, environmental groups and other stakeholders. We are committed to expanding research capabilities on technical aspects of developing this resource and to providing science-based programming while protecting the Commonwealth’s water resources, forests and transportation infrastructure. MCOR is internally funded by the College of Agricultural Sciences, the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, Penn State Institutes of Energy and the Environment and Penn State Outreach.
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Clearfield County well to hold fracking wastewater
www.centredaily.com/2011/12/11/3016382/clearfield-county-well-to-hold.html
By Cliff White cwhite@centredaily.com
Posted: Dec 11, 2011
A Pennsylvania tractor-trailer unloads fracking wastewater at the Devco 1 injection well near Cambridge, Ohio, in July. (COLUMBUS DISPATCH PHOTO/KYLE ROBERTSON)
It’s an old story by now in Pennsylvania: local residents upset about a Marcellus Shale-related well proposed in their back yard.
But there’s a difference in the well planned for Brady Township, Clearfield County. Instead of taking gas out of the ground, the well is intended to store fracking wastewater deep in the folds of the earth. Neighbors are up in arms, but the debate marks a new step in the evolution of the Marcellus Shale play.
“Injection of flowback fluids or fluids from the production process has been a common procedure for a long, long time, but it’s still relatively rare in Pennsylvania,” said Tom Murphy, co-director of the Penn State Marcellus Center for Outreach and Research. < http://marcellus.psu.edu/ >
Flowback water is a briny, silty and potentially toxic cocktail created as a byproduct of the hydraulic fracturing process, when millions of gallons of water are pumped at high pressure into a gas well to create fractures in rock formations, thereby releasing trapped gas. Environmental regulations require drillers to capture and dispose of wastewater that commonly flows back out of the gas well when it is fracked.
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Dimock officials reject water delivery offer
citizensvoice.com/dimock-officials-reject-water-delivery-offer-1.1241307#axzz1frMxDI58
BY LAURA LEGERE, STAFF WRITER
Published: December 6, 2011
DIMOCK TWP. – Township supervisors unanimously declined an aid offer by the mayor of Binghamton, N.Y., on Monday night that would have allowed the city to provide a tanker of fresh water to Dimock residents with tainted wells whose replacement water deliveries were stopped last week.
The decision capped a fiery monthly board meeting dominated by supporters of the natural gas drilling company that provided replacement bulk and bottled water for years after state environmental regulators found the driller at fault for methane contamination of 18 water wells.
The drilling company, Cabot Oil and Gas Corp., stopped the deliveries on Nov. 30 with the regulators’ consent.
Citing state findings that the residents’ well water is safe to drink and a preliminary federal review that determined the water does not pose an immediate health risk, community members urged the township to stay out of the disagreement between Cabot and 11 affected families that have sued the company over the contamination.
Township solicitor Sam Lewis said signing a mutual aid agreement inviting an out-of-state municipality to provide free water to private residents raised “significant liability issues” for the township and was potentially outside of the board’s authority.
“If people want to, out of the goodness of their own heart, provide water to these 11 families, that’s fine,” he said. “The question is whether the township should be involved with that joint venture and from that standpoint the legal answer is no.”
The statement drew sustained applause in the township garage crowded with 140 residents.
The hour-long meeting, attended by a state police constable and punctuated by jeers, highlighted the division in the township, an epicenter for natural gas extraction from Pennsylvania’s Marcellus Shale. Residents seeking water deliveries insisted that their well water contains contaminants other than methane that make it a risk to them and their children, while residents who support Cabot blamed their neighbors for tarnishing Dimock’s reputation and failing to accept the gas company’s offered help.
Some Dimock residents with methane-tainted water accepted new water wells, treatment systems or other remedies provided by Cabot, which denies it caused the contamination. The affected families that received delivered water said the treatment systems do not work, do not remove contaminants other than methane and do not meet the obligation under state law for a driller to restore or replace water supplies they damage.
Water paid for by an environmental group was delivered Monday to some of the residents using a City of Binghamton truck, an arrangement Binghamton Mayor Matthew T. Ryan said did not require a mutual aid agreement because it was a gift from an outside organization.
“Why not let people help?” he asked before suggesting that if the township declined the mutual aid agreement and residents got sick from drinking their water, the community could face a lawsuit.
Supervisor Matthew Neenan bristled at the suggestion.
“Why should we haul them water? They got themselves into this,” he said. “You keep your nose in Binghamton, I’ll give you that advice. We’ll worry about Dimock Township.”
Outside the meeting, Norma Fiorentino sat on a fold-out chair with moist eyes and shook her head. One of the residents with elevated methane in her water, she said her son-in-law is a supervisor who voted against the aid agreement that would have brought her water.
“It’s just hard to see neighbor against neighbor, friend against friend, family against family, she said.
Dimock supervisors to meet tonight on water delivery offer
citizensvoice.com/news/drilling/dimock-supervisors-to-meet-tonight-on-water-delivery-offer-1.1240848#axzz1frMxDI58
By Laura Legere, Staff Writer
Published: December 5, 2011
Dimock Township supervisors will consider tonight whether to accept a tanker of fresh water offered by the mayor of Binghamton, N.Y., to township residents whose water deliveries were stopped last week by the natural gas driller blamed for tainting their wells.
Scott Ely holds a glass of brown water that came from his 300-feet deep water well at his Dimock Township property in November. (Michael J. Mullen / Times-Shamrock)
The Dimock officials postponed signing a mutual aid agreement offered Friday by Binghamton Mayor Matthew T. Ryan, who wants to deliver water to 11 families at odds with Cabot Oil and Gas Corp., the company the state deemed responsible for contaminating township wells with methane.
Cabot says it is not responsible for the contamination, and federal regulators said Friday that a preliminary review of past water tests “does not indicate that the well water presents an immediate health threat.”
The families’ lawyer asked Friday for a retraction of that statement, citing water tests that show elevated metals and the presence of chemicals for which there are no drinking water standards.
Supervisor Paul Jennings said Sunday the board would not sign the mutual aid agreement or any legal document without consulting its solicitor, who was not available to review the document on Friday.
He did not know if the board will take official action on the offer tonight.
“We’re going to at least discuss it,” he said, “and I don’t know what the outcome is going to be.”
While considered more a gesture than a permanent fix for the families’ desire for fresh water, Ryan’s offer was immediately controversial among Dimock residents. Cabot supporters gathered at the township building Friday to argue against accepting the mayor’s offer. Jennings said all three supervisors were present at the township building at the time but no meeting was held.
Cabot critics called the gathering a violation of the state’s open meetings law and were outraged when a Cabot spokesman was quoted by a Binghamton television station saying the township supervisors had “no desire to request mutual aid.”
Jennings said the spokesman was not representing the township board.
“Obviously he can’t speak for us,” he said. “Nobody can until we meet to discuss it.”
The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. at the township building.
llegere@timesshamrock.com
EPA: No threat to Dimock water
citizensvoice.com/news/drilling/epa-no-threat-to-dimock-water-1.1240232#axzz1fO7zQV00
By David Falchek (Staff Writer)
Published: December 3, 2011
After a preliminary review of well water tests in the heavily-drilled area of Dimock, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency told residents their water poses “no immediate health threat.”
The email sent to residents from Trish Taylor, community involvement coordinator for EPA Region 3, notes that the review is ongoing and pledged that the agency would continue to monitor the situation.
“While we are continuing our review, to date, the data does not indicate that the well water presents an immediate health threat to users,” said the e-mail. Taylor could not be reached for comment Friday.
While the EPA has no direct jurisdiction over Dimock water quality, residents invited the agency to review state and company water quality tests.
The EPA’s email came two days after Cabot’s state-ordered potable water deliveries stopped and the day after state Environmental Hearing Board Judge Bernard A. Labuskes Jr. denied residents an emergency hearing.
The EPA’s comments were embraced by drilling advocates and Cabot Oil & Gas officials, but met with skepticism from residents convinced that drilling activity fouled their well water.
Cabot officials interpreted the EPA’s email as confirmation of the company’s test results – most of which is done through state-certified laboratories. “The EPA’s findings are consistent with the results of thousands of water samples tested by Cabot over the last several years,” the company said in a statement.
But some residents of the area made famous by flaming faucets object to the EPA’s preliminary opinion. They say their water smells of natural gas or turpentine or is turbid and unusable.
Victoria Switzer, vocal skeptic of the gas industry, called the EPA statement “lunacy.” But she didn’t see it as a total setback, noting that the agency has yet to make a final determination. She notes the EPA did not do its own tests and she is hopeful the agency will continue to pay attention to the area.
An attorney for some residents asked Taylor to retract her statement. In a letter, Tate J. Kunke offered a list of substances found in Dimock water believed to have come from hydraulic fracturing fluid – substances rarely looked for in water testing.
“We do not feel it is wise for homeowners to potentially expose themselves to untested chemicals, even if a few that have been tested for appear to temporarily pass… standards,” Kunke wrote. “Chronic, low level exposure to fracking chemicals is too great a medical risk to assume. Our clients are not lab rats.”
dfalchek@timesshamrock.com
Researchers: Pa. gas drilling study had error
www.timesleader.com/news/Researchers__Pa__gas_drilling_study_had_error_12-02-2011.html
December 2, 2011
Far less evidence of well contamination by bromides than first suggested.
PITTSBURGH — A recently released study on natural gas drilling and contamination of water wells, contentious issues as drillers swarm to a lucrative shale formation beneath Pennsylvania, had an error, according to researchers from Penn State University.
The researchers reported that there is far less evidence of well contamination by bromides, salty mineral compounds that can combine with other elements to cause health problems, than first suggested.
The researchers are reviewing the entire study, released in October, after discovering that results from an independent water testing lab contained the error.
One water well, not seven, showed increased bromide levels after drilling, the researchers said in a statement issued last week by The Center for Rural Pennsylvania, a state-funded agency that first released the study.
One of the Penn State University researchers, Bryan Swistock, said in an email that the study didn’t go through an independent scientific peer review process because of a Center for Rural Pennsylvania policy that reports must first go to the General Assembly before outside publication.
The study is now being submitted for outside review, he said.
Patrick Creighton, a spokesman for the Marcellus Shale Coalition, a gas industry group, said in an email that the error was “small” and that the key point is still that nearly 40 percent of the wells tested failed at least one water quality standard even before natural gas drilling started, along with nearly 20 percent that showed traces of methane before drilling.
The researchers said a corrected version of the study will be issued.
A gas drilling procedure called hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, which involves blasting chemical-laced water into the ground, has been studied by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and others as drillers flock to the Marcellus Shale region primarily beneath Pennsylvania, New York, West Virginia and Ohio. Pennsylvania is the center of activity, with more than 3,000 wells drilled in the past three years and thousands more planned.
Environmentalists and other critics say fracking could poison water supplies, but the natural gas industry says it’s been used safely for decades.
Pa. DEP head lobbies for gas drilling
www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20111123%2FNEWS%2F111230310%2F-1%2FNews
By Christina Tatu
Pocono Record Writer
November 23, 2011
Natural gas drilling would provide jobs, money and, contrary to naysayers, does not harm the environment, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Michael Krancer said at East Stroudsburg University Tuesday.
Krancer’s visit was just days after the Delaware River Basin Commission postponed a vote to allowing drilling in the Delaware River watershed.
Krancer had few comments on the delayed vote, but said it was “politically motivated” and that opponents are basing their opinions on misguided ideology, instead of facts.
The commission, which has board members representing the governors of Delaware, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania and the White House, abruptly postponed the vote last week after Delaware Gov. Jack Markell said he would vote against the rules, making the outcome uncertain.
Pennsylvania’s Gov. Tom Corbett is a supporter of natural gas drilling and was expected to vote in favor of the regulations.
Krancer, who was at ESU for a forum on sustainability, said Pennsylvanians are sitting on a huge natural resource, one so abundant, it would give the state a powerful edge in the energy market. Pennsylvania could sell energy to its large urban neighbors, like Boston and New York City, he said.
“If we are able to gather this resource and use it, we’ll clean the air, we’ll be more healthy and economically healthy,” he said.
Opponents say the method of extracting the gas, known as hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, endangers drinking water. The method involves pumping large amounts of water and chemicals thousands of feet underground to break up the Marcellus shale and release the natural gas.
Krancer dismissed those concerns Tuesday.
“The chemicals make up half a percent of what’s in fracking material, and many of those chemicals found in the water are food grade,” he said.
He also said it’s untrue the chemicals from fracking could end up in drinking water since they are pumped so far underground.
In Monroe County, there aren’t any private properties within the Delaware River basin that are large enough to allow for fracking, said DEP spokeswoman Colleen Connolly. However, property owners could band together if they were interested in permitting drilling on their land. There are properties in Pike County that are large enough to allow drilling, she said.
Marcellus natural-gas presentation focuses on municipal experiences
live.psu.edu/story/56458#nw69
Friday, November 18, 2011
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — A presentation detailing how municipal governments are dealing with the
The program will be offered at 12 locations across the state via video teleconference.
Marcellus Shale natural-gas boom will be offered by Penn State Extension from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Dec. 6.
“Marcellus Shale Development: The Pa. Municipal Experience to Date and Possibilities for the Future” will provide a venue for officials to share their breadth of experiences and knowledge. The registration fee for this program is $25. Preregistration is required to participate. The registration deadline is Dec. 3. To register or for more information, visit the Web at http://psu.ag/s1Nnjb or call toll-free 877-489-1398.
“By hearing about the lessons learned and actions taken by local officials, participants will be able to draw upon the experience of others when facing issues and considering decisions,” said program coordinator Neal Fogle, extension educator based in Snyder County specializing in economic and community development.
“Utilizing video teleconferencing and panels of local officials representing northcentral and southwest Pennsylvania, this program will provide insight into how select municipalities have reacted to and are planning for items such as land use, roads, budget and finance, communication needs, community cohesion and the stresses of public office.”
Program panelists include Raymond J. Stolinas Jr., Bradford County planning director; Ron Reagan, chairman, Athens Township supervisors (Bradford County); Joseph Reighard, president, Lycoming County Supervisors Association; Jim Morrison, chief administrator, municipality of Murrysville (Westmoreland County); Thomas Stull Jr., 1st vice president, Westmoreland County Supervisors Association; and Rich Ward, manager/zoning officer, Robinson Township (Washington County).
Jointly funded by Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, Pennsylvania counties, the commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the program — which has been submitted to the American Planning Association for 2.5 AICP CM credits by the Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Planning Association — will feature a question-and-answer session following the facilitated discussion.
“Marcellus Shale development in Pennsylvania has resulted in local municipalities having to make decisions and take actions on issues such as infrastructure, municipal services, regulatory controls and community planning,” Fogle said. “Municipalities throughout Pennsylvania have experienced various levels and stages of development as well as the community issues that result.
“These experiences have provided municipal officials with a unique perspective on how to more effectively address municipal and community needs and concerns related to natural-gas issues.”
The program will be offered at the following locations via video teleconference (contact the locations for directions):
–Beaver County: Penn State Extension, 2020 Beaver Ave., Suite 200, Monaca, 724-774-3003, http://beaver.extension.psu.edu/;
–Bradford County: Northern Tier Regional Planning and Development Commission, 312 Main Street, Towanda 888-868-8800, http:www.northerntier.org;
–Centre County: 217 Forest Resources Building, Penn State University Park campus, 814-223-9028, http://www.campusmaps.psu.edu/print/;
–Clearfield County: Penn State DuBois, College Place, DEF 202 & 204, DuBois, 800-346-7627, http://www.ds.psu.edu/Information/directions.htm?cn716;
–Lackawanna County: Penn State Worthington Scranton, Dawson 10, 120 Ridge View Drive, Dunmore, 570-963-2500, http://www.sn.psu.edu/Information/directions.htm?cn7;
–Lycoming County: Pennsylvania College of Technology, 1127 W. 4th St., Room 133, Williamsport, 570-327-4775, http://www.pct.edu/campuses/main_routes.htm;
–Potter County: Penn State Extension, 24 Maple View Lane, Suite 1, Coudersport, 814-274-8540, http://potter.extension.psu.edu;
–Somerset County: Penn State Extension, 6024 Glades Pike, Suite 101 , Somerset, 814-445-8911, Ext. 7, http://somerset.extension.psu.edu/;
–Susquehanna County: Penn State Extension, County Office Building, 81 Public Avenue, Montrose, 570-278-1158, http://susquehanna.extension.psu.edu;
–Tioga County: Penn State Extension, Courthouse Annex, 118 Main Street, Wellsboro, 570-724-9120, http://tioga.extension.psu.edu/;
–Washington County: Penn State Extension, 100 West Beau Street, Suite 601, Washington, 724-228-6881, http://washington.extension.psu.edu/;
–Westmoreland County: Penn State Extension, Donohoe Center, 214 Donohoe Road, Suite E, Greensburg, 724-837-1402, http://westmoreland.extension.psu.edu/.
For more information on Penn State Extension Marcellus Shale programs, visit Extension’s natural gas website at http://extension.psu.edu/naturalgas.
Pesticide-resistant weeds closing in on Pennsylvania
live.psu.edu/story/56464#nw69
Friday, November 18, 2011
Credit: USDA Early growth stage of water-hemp, a weed that is becoming resistant to certain herbicides.
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The challenge of weeds that have become resistant to glyphosate — the active ingredient in Round-Up herbicide — has become an evolving national threat, with new challenges emerging and spreading annually. At least three glyphosate-resistant species on the horizon for Pennsylvania require new strategies to combat them, according to a specialist in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences.
Penn State Extension weed scientist Dwight Lingenfelter said several resistant species currently are approaching Pennsylvania. These weeds were controlled routinely over the years with glyphosate-based herbicide programs, but now the effectiveness of those programs is dwindling.
“There’s a species called Palmer pigweed or Palmer amaranth, which is a huge problem — especially in cotton-growing regions,” he said. “In the past, farmers were spending only maybe $20 to $30 an acre to control pigweed; now they’re up over $90 to $100 an acre, because of its resistance to a number of herbicide modes of action.
“Currently, we don’t have any major outbreaks of it in Pennsylvania, but we’re hearing reports from Delaware and Maryland that they’re starting to find Palmer pigweed, and it’s more than likely to creep into our cropping systems, especially in the southern tier of the state.”
Lingenfelter said a second resistant species slowly invading the state, water-hemp, already is creating big problems in the Midwest and South and is resistant to numerous herbicides as well.
“We had a person bring in a sample of water-hemp this summer, so we know there are some populations in our state currently,” he said. “We’re also seeing glyphosate-resistant species of horseweed or marestail spreading throughout the state — it’s very common in the mid-Atlantic region and Midwestern states.”
While it might sound like it’s losing its effectiveness, glyphosate is still vital in “burn-down” weed-control programs, which work by killing any vegetation on a treated field.
“It’s still a very effective herbicide for a number of species in our area,” he said. “It controls a number of weeds in the burn-down period and still is a foundation or backbone for many weed-control programs. We recommend using other herbicides in combination with it to control weeds that aren’t being controlled by glyphosate alone.
“We work with farmers to explain various programs that use different techniques and management options in a situation like that,” he said. “Generally, we recommend that if you’re using glyphosate in the burn-down, you also should use something such as 2-4-D or a product like Valor XLT Sharpen prior to planting soybeans. We also encourage tank-mixing herbicides or using pre-packaged products so multiple modes of action are in the weed-control program.”
The mode of action is the way an herbicide affects the weed to kill it, Lingenfelter explained. “There are about 10 different major modes of action available, and you can combine those to get control of the particular species you’re going after. We highly recommend having at least two modes of action that act on that particular weed species.”
Newer herbicide products introduced in the last five years can help control resistant species in burn-down programs. But Lingenfelter pointed out that, while “new” products are being introduced on the market, the industry hasn’t produced a formulation that employs a new mode of action in more than 15 years.
“The reality is that many companies are repackaging products and giving them different trade names so it looks like we have a lot of new herbicides when in reality we do not. And if they were to discover a new mode of action in some lab today, we wouldn’t reap the benefits of it for at least 10 years, because it takes that long to get through all of the testing phases and field trials before it would hit the market.”
Lingenfelter said the diversity and rotation of crops grown in Pennsylvania gives it an advantage over states in the Midwest and South when it comes to fighting resistant weeds. Corn, cotton and soybeans are the primary field crops in the Midwest and South, and more than 90 percent of the acres are sprayed with glyphosate, so weeds are pushed to develop resistance.
“Here in Pennsylvania, we typically rotate between corn, soybeans, alfalfa, small grains and sometimes various vegetable crops, depending on the area of the state,” he said. “Because of this, we use a variety of weed-control methods. Not only does this allow for different herbicides and a rotation of herbicide modes of action, but it allows for other weed-management techniques — such as mowing forage crops or the addition of cover crops — and other cultural tactics such as variations in planting date, seeding rate or row spacing.
“We still use a lot of Round-Up-ready corn and soybeans, but glyphosate is not the primary means of control. Also, different types of weeds are common in different crops depending on life cycles and growth habit. Our diverse rotations should hold off resistance pretty well, but we’ll have to start thinking about different techniques to handle it.”
Lingenfelter said Pennsylvania growers can learn a lesson from watching the experience of their neighbors in states to the south and west. “The majority of the resistance problem in these other regions is they were relying on a single mode of action — that being glyphosate.”
For more information, contact Dwight Lingenfelter at 814-865-2242 or dxl18@psu.edu.
Federal environmental and health agencies collect data from Dimock families
citizensvoice.com/news/federal-environmental-and-health-agencies-collect-data-from-dimock-families-1.1232108#axzz1e4UZpkud
By Laura Legere (Staff Writer)
Published: November 14, 2011
Officials from federal environmental and public health agencies met with residents of Dimock Township late last week to discuss the impacts of Marcellus Shale natural gas drilling and to gather water-test results from families affected by methane migration.
Three representatives from the Environmental Protection Agency and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry visited Thursday with families around Carter Road, an area of Susquehanna County where state regulators have linked increased methane in water supplies to faulty natural gas wells.
“They wanted information; they wanted documentation,” Dimock resident Scott Ely said. “They are looking to see if there is any environmental impact that would threaten life or health.”
Efforts to reach an EPA spokeswoman were unsuccessful Friday, when government offices were closed for Veterans Day.
Natural gas drilling is largely regulated in Pennsylvania by the state Department of Environmental Protection, but the EPA is conducting a multiyear study to determine if there is a link between hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, and contaminated water supplies.
The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry is an arm of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that works to prevent harmful exposures to toxic substances.
Dimock resident Victoria Switzer said the agencies were interested in copies of water sample results from her well, including data gathered by scientists not affiliated with the state or natural gas drilling contractors.
She also outlined her concerns that the state Department of Environmental Protection weakened enforcement actions against Cabot Oil and Gas Corp., the operator that DEP deemed responsible for increased methane in water supplies. Cabot denies it impacted the water and says the elevated methane pre-existed its operations.
“The watchdog is licking the hand of the thief that is giving it a steak,” she said. “We want to get this issue to a high place.”
Efforts to reach a DEP spokeswoman were unsuccessful Friday.
llegere@timesshamrock.com