Catholic Social Teaching and Energy Policy: Fracking, Tar Sands, Climate Justice

Posted by on September 21, 2013 · 3 Comments 


The McGowan Center for Ethics and Social Responsibility was established to be a visible, dynamic expression of the commitment of King’s College to offer students intellectual, moral, and spiritual preparation for satisfying and purposeful lives. That commitment has its origins in the understanding of education distinctive to the tradition of the Congregation of Holy Cross. In the words of the College’s founding president, King’s teaches students “not only how to make a living, but how to live” (Father James Connerton, C.S.C., 1946). Education is accordingly a work of both instructing minds and cultivating hearts.
2013 Feast of Saint Francis Lecture
Catholic Social Teaching and Energy Policy,” Dave Andrews, C.S.C.David Andrews, C.S.C., Senior Representative, Food and Water Watch, and former Executive Director of the National Catholic Rural Life Conference
Thursday, October 3, 7:00 pm, Burke Auditorium, McGowan School of Business
Most recent articles by the speaker:
In global fight against fracking, faith community should lead
“Given those dangers, there is good cause for caution and responsible oversight before further fracking proceeds (currently, more than 30 states permit fracking). The Catholic Rural Life Conference has pushed for an infusion of ethical analysis into the fracking debate, like what has occurred in other issues, from agriculture and labor, to energy, water and other natural resources.”
Another article
http://ncronline.org/blogs/eco-catholic/br-david-andrews-morality-fracking
Just providing notice – it is important to attend events of this nature.
Holy Cross Br. David Andrews is a senior representative at Food and Water Watch, a consumer group based in Washington. He is former director of the National Catholic Rural Life Conference. The Rural Life Council -http://www.ncrlc.com/
Article from their website – a little more balanced than Dave Andrews- – http://catholicrurallife.org/news/understanding-fracking-catholic-news-service-series/
Important Note who is the
Brothers of the Congregation of Holy Cross Valatie, New York


The Brothers of the Congregation of Holy Cross owned 450 acres of land in Valatie, New York, when Brother David Andrews arrived in 1976 to create a Retreat and Conference Center. Brother David developed a local board of directors including people from the Diocese of Albany. Contacts within the New York State Assembly Committee on Food, Farm and Nutrition Policy, especially Mabel Gil, encouraged the Brothers to develop programs on “alternative agriculture”. http://www.crystalspring.org/html/religlandsstoriessvalat.html
Overall-
1. Hope that this talk is more than just suspected impacts and what ifs about natural gas development.
2. I do not remember ever having an ethical debate about nuclear power, hydroelectric dams, use of fossil fuels, biofuels (ethanol), getting energy from countries that are unstable and have worse social justice than use, counties with zero tolerance to womens’ rights/ religious freedoms/ etc  or even renewable energy – did i miss something?
3. Renewable energy is not without is dangers and environmental impacts.
4. We must admit we are the problem not the fuel source.
5. We waste over 50% of the energy we produce.
6. Social Teaching could be a great approach to make the change we need to make as a society – but one sided augments that are NOT fact based will no help at all. We need to move forward as a Community.
6. If Business will not invest in biomass, renewable, energy efficiency etc – I would then suggest the Church become the investor.  Invest in the people to make a positive change in the community.
Training and More Education
Energy Related Topics and Training
Hydraulic Fracturing and Natural Gas Development
Energy Conservation and Energy Audit Programs/Certification


Filed under Children's Health, Environmental Fear, Environmental Health, Unconventional Gas · Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Wellness and Water 2013 WV Wesleyan College, Buckhannon,WV

Posted by on June 25, 2013 · 1 Comment 

Wellness and Water 2013

June 29 – 30, 3013 ~ WV Wesleyan College, Buckhannon,WV

 

Saturday Morning: Bringing concerned citizens and facts together

8:00 – 9:00 am ~ Registration ~ Continental Breakfast, Coffee & Tea available

9:00- 9:15 am ~ Welcome and Introductions

9:15 – 10:00 am ~ Plenary: Dr. Tom Darrah, Duke University

10:00 – 10:20 am ~ Q & A

For More Information

10:20 – 10:30 am ~ Break

10:30 – 11:30 am ~ Panelists:

  • Marc Glass, Downstream Strategies
  • Rob Goodwin, Coal River Mountain Watch
  • Yuri Gorby, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (NY)
  • Brian Oram, B.F. Environmental Consultants and the Carbon County
    Groundwater Educators

Each panelist will have 10-15 minutes for an initial presentation of their work related to monitoring impacts of MTR and gas drilling. Q & A will follow entire panel presentations, until noon.

 noon – 1pm ~ Lunch

****************************************************************************

Saturday Afternoon: To whom does all this matter?

1 – 1:15 pm ~ Gathering time

Please be in your seats by 1:15 pm. Announcements may be made between 1 and 1:15 pm.

1:15 – 2:00 pm ~ Plenary: Leslie Fields, Sierra Club
2:00 – 2:15 pm ~ Q & A

2:15 – 3:15 pm ~ Affected Resident Panelists:
Coal mining affected:

  • Nada White, Boone and Kanawha counties, WV
  • Danny Cook, Boone County, WV
  • Lorelei Scarbro, Raleigh County, WV

Gas drilling affected:

  • Leann Kiner, Harrison County, WV
  • Donna Herd, Doddridge County, WV
  • Jeanne Moten, Washington County, PA

3:15 – 3:30 pm ~ Q & A

3:30 – 3:45 pm ~ Break and workshop set-up

3:45 – 5:15 pm ~ Workshops:

  • Rob Goodwin, Coal River Mountain Watch ~ Mapping of slurry impoundments and coal mine sites
  • Elisa Young ~ Problems of waste disposal and water extraction affecting the Ohio River
  • Brian Oram, B.F. Environmental Consultants ~ “Working as a Community – We ALL Live Downstream” on the need for proper baseline testing and the most likely types of influence or adverse impacts associated with natural gas development
  • New Visions Solar ~ Solar powered water filtration system and “homemade” solar power

5:30 pm ~ Dinner

Saturday Evening: Music & Socializing – Main Meeting Room, Student Center

7 pm – ??? ~ Featuring music by East Run (Bluegrass band)

****************************************************************************

Sunday Morning: What can we do about the problems created by extreme fossil fuel extraction in our region?

 8:00 – 9:00 am ~ Registration ~ Continental Breakfast, Coffee & Tea available

9:00 – 9:15 am ~ Welcome and Announcements

9:15 – 10:00 am ~ Plenary: Grant Smith, Civil Society Institute

10:00 – 10:15 am ~ Q & A

10:15 – 11:15 am ~ Solution Focused Panelists:

  • Pam O’Brien, New Visions Solar, Solar power and solar powered water filtration devices
  • Sam Malone, FracTracker: Exploring data, sharing perspectives, mapping impacts of the gas industry
  • Aaron Sutch, Energy Program Manager for the Mountain Institute
  • Laura Rigell, Swathmore College Divestment Campaign

Each panelist will have 10-15 minutes for an initial presentation of their work. Q & A will follow entire panel presentations, until 11:30 am.

11:30 – 11:40 am ~ Break

11:40 am – 12:30 pm ~ Roundtable Discussions (facilitated by Bill Price, Sierra Club)

12:30 – 12:45 pm ~ Wrap Up & Evaluations

12:45 – 1:45 pm ~ Lunch

For More Information

If you are in Pennsylvania, you can contribute to the Citizen Groundwater Database and help track change for FREE and if you would like to learn about our Natural Gas Related Information, please visit us at http://www.private-well-owner.org. 

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 CCGG, enabling us to better understand and address the concerns of well owners.

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.

For more information, please go to CCGG’s About Page or contact us.

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.

Filed under acid mine drainage, Arsenic, Children's Health, Coal, Coal Ash, Groundwater, marcellus shale, Methane Gas Migration, Unconventional Gas, Water, Water Testing, Well, Well water testing · Tagged with , , , , , , , , ,

Using Nitrogen and other Gases to Hydraulicly Fracture Black Shale Fields

Posted by on April 15, 2013 · 1 Comment 

“Typically, nitrogen is delivered to the well site as a refrigerated liquid that is gasified prior to injection and then is injected into the well to enhance recovery.  As the primary component of the air we breathe, the benefits of nitrogen include it being inert, environmentally friendly, non-flammable, and when gasified, exhibiting very low densities with large expansion factors. These properties make nitrogen the perfect choice for safely and efficiently tackling the toughest well needs.”

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Interesting Links

Ferus Website on Nitrogen
Superior Well Services- B.F. Environmental (Nitrogen Gas Frac Library)
Gas Frac B.F. Environmental (Nitrogen Gas Frac Library)
EPA Report on Types of Hydraulic Fracturing Fluids
Information on FracWater Chemistry and Flowback Water

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.

 Carbon County Groundwater Guardians on Facebook

Filed under Fossil Fuels, Global Warming, Greenhouse Gas, Groundwater, Homeowner, marcellus shale, Unconventional Gas, Water · Tagged with , , , , , , , , ,