Fracking

EPA Announces Public Hearing on Affordable Clean Energy Proposal

September 10, 2018 / Lee Ann Rush / 0 Comments

Listening Session to Be Held in Chicago, Ill. WASHINGTON – On October 1, 2018, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will hold a public hearing on the proposed Affordable Clean Energy proposal in Chicago, Ill. The proposal would replace the prior administration’s Power Plan (CPP), which many have criticized as overly prescriptive and burdensome, with an approach that empowers states, promotes energy independence, and facilitates economic growth and job creation. Specifically, the ACE Rule establishes emission guidelines for states to use when developing plans to limit greenhouse gas emissions at their power plants. WHAT: Public hearing on the Affordable Clean Energy (ACE) proposal WHEN: Monday, October 1, 2018 WHERE: Ralph Metcalfe Federal Building, 77 West Jackson Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois The hearing will convene at 9 am local time and conclude at 8 pm or until everyone has had a chance to speak. All persons wanting to speak are encouraged to register in advance. Registration information will be posted at https://www.epa.gov/stationary-sources-air-pollution/proposal-affordable-clean-energy-ace-rule. Oral comments and supporting information presented at the public hearing will be considered with the same weight as written statements and supporting information submitted during the public comment period. Written comments must be received by the last day of the comment period, which is Oct. 31, 2018. Comments should be identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2017-0355 and may be submitted by one of the methods listed on the ACE proposal: How to Comment web page (https://www.epa.gov/stationary-sources-air-pollution/affordable-clean-energy-rule-proposal-how-comment). Background The proposal will work to reduce GHG emissions through four main actions: ACE defines

Encore Energy, Inc. Provides Berea Oil Operations Update; First Vertical Berea Oil Top-Hole Drilling Project in Lawrence County, Kentucky

August 28, 2018 / Administrator / 0 Comments

BOWLING GREEN, KY. – In preparation for horizontal well operations, Encore Energy, Inc. is currently drilling multiple vertical top-holes to test the Upper Devonian Berea Sandstone off-set to verified, proven production. Horizontal Berea oil wells in this area have reportedly averaged in the range of ~100 – 150 BOPD over the initial 90 days of production where the well development costs are significantly lower, as compared to other plays across the US. Berea oil production from Lawrence County, Kentucky represents nearly 25% of the states total annual oil production. “We are extremely pleased with the reservoir quality and future production potential we have seen from our vertical test, and are excited about horizontal well operations, said Steve Stengell, Encore’s President CEO. Although reliable production information is not available for the Berea play, at this time, we believe that ~30000+ barrels of oil equivalent (BOE) is a validated and realistic first-year per well production target, added Stengell. Qualified SEC defined accredited investors can deduct 100% of their investment against all forms of income with years of potential income from production. For more information, please contact Joseph Hooper at (270) 842-1242, ext. 224. Assumptions, Disclaimer and Cautionary Statement: The information herein may contain forward-looking statements, and actual results may vary. Words such as “estimate”, “will,” “intend,” “continue,” “target,” “expect,” “achieve,” “strategy,” “future,” “may,” “goal,” or other comparable words or phrases or the negative of those words, and other words of similar meaning indicate forward-looking statements and important factors

Fracking Our Way into Oblivion …. Conclusion

October 4, 2014 / Lee Ann Rush / 0 Comments

This series has examined hydraulic fracturing or, as it is more commonly known, fracking, and some of the types of harm it is doing to the environment. We didn’t even touch on the threat of induced seismicity (increased earthquake activity) that seismologists have associated with the business of fracking; that will have to be a topic for another series. Specifically, we’ve focused here on the July, 2014 Halliburton fire and chemical spill in Clarington, Ohio, where a statutorily-created dearth of pertinent information regarding the nature of the chemicals involved hindered first responders and other emergency personnel in their efforts to contain the blaze and minimize the damage. We also learned that the Ohio “shield law” that allowed Halliburton to conceal the list of chemicals involved at the Clarington site until it was too late is quite a common one in fracking, where widespread exemptions to federal regulations, weak state laws and overarching industry-encouraged cluelessness on the part of local and regional officials as to what is actually taking place at these fracking sites is leading this country down a very dark path. In light of last summer’s environmental disaster, it is astonishing that Ohio happens to be one of the six states with the strongest current fracking regulations! You might also find this hard to believe, but due to widespread exemptions from federal laws won by the gas and oil industry, along with the passive approach adopted by the federal government in overseeing the industry, there is no public

Fracking Our Way into Oblivion, One Ecological Disaster at a Time – IV

October 4, 2014 / Lee Ann Rush / 0 Comments

The huge Halliburton fracking fire and fish kill in Ohio this past July was likely prolonged, and the ensuing damage greatly exacerbated, by a legally-enforced information vacuum that prevented first responders, the EPA and government officials at all levels from learning the content of the chemical spill as they struggled to contain the fire and keep residents safe. In the aftermath, attorney Nathan Johnson of the Ohio Environmental Council explained that the Ohio fracking disclosure law not only prohibits anyone other than the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) or “doctors treating a specific patient” from accessing this “trade secret” information about fracking chemicals, it also prevents ODNR and physicians-in-the-know from sharing this vital information with emergency responders or other public officials! “We sorely need changes to Ohio law to protect the public and get this essential information to officials in order to protect public health. Water authorities need secret chemical information immediately… [or else] our drinking water is at risk,” says Johnson. Of course they need the information, as do officials in other states where the energy companies have managed to ensure that their proprietary information is protected while the population in harm’s way can pretty much go to hell. However, this particular environmental debacle may be bringing to light some crucial but heretofore rarely disclosed information about fracking. For instance, did you know that fracking is exempt from many federal environmental regulations? Yes, the Energy Policy Act of 2005 contains what is known as the “Halliburton Loophole,”

Fracking Our Way into Oblivion, One Ecological Disaster at a Time – III

October 4, 2014 / Lee Ann Rush / 0 Comments

A fire and some 30 related explosions at a Halliburton fracking site in rural Clarington, Ohio this past July rained shrapnel over the neighboring area and resulted in the release of tens of thousands of gallons of toxic chemicals into a tributary of the Ohio River located less than 10 miles upstream from a public water intake on the West Virginia side of the river. It took firefighters a full week to put out the conflagration, and the chemical spill caused a massive fish kill and untold damage to the ecosystem, not to mention the strong likelihood of local drinking water contamination. Yet, as efforts to contain the blaze were ongoing, public safety officials were kept in the dark as to exactly what chemicals and toxins they were actually dealing with. Not only did this hamper their ability to function efficiently, it exposed everyone involved, including residents of the surrounding area, to a laundry list of chemical poisons including diesel fuel, hydrochloric acid, ethylene glycol and radioactive celium-137. Officials only ordered the evacuation of residents within a one-mile radius of the fire but, in hindsight, the evacuation should have been far wider. Why weren’t more people evacuated? Why did it take a whole week to control the blaze? Why didn’t local and regional officials know exactly what chemicals and toxins were involved in the disaster? The answer is, in large part, that energy companies are routinely given a pass on transparency and accountability when it comes to fracking “accidents.”

EPA Announces Public Hearing on Affordable Clean Energy Proposal

Encore Energy, Inc. Provides Berea Oil Operations Update; First Vertical Berea Oil Top-Hole Drilling Project in Lawrence County, Kentucky

Fracking Our Way into Oblivion …. Conclusion

Fracking Our Way into Oblivion, One Ecological Disaster at a Time – IV

Fracking Our Way into Oblivion, One Ecological Disaster at a Time – III

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