“We are like tenant farmers chopping down the fence around our house for fuel, when we should be using Nature’s inexhaustible sources of energy. I’d put my money on the sun and solar energy… I hope we don’t have to wait until oil and coal run out before we tackle that.”
THOMAS EDISON 1931
By David E. Hess | PA Environment Blog Digest The following DEP notices were published in the December 3 PA Bulletin related to oil and gas industry facilities. Many of the notices offer the opportunity for public comments. Land Recycling/Brownfield Cleanups — Chesapeake Appalachia LLC – Koromlan Property: Final Report…
Keep readingFrom a fish kill in our public park, to a torched impoundment liner and decimated creek on Labor Day, these three 2009 bloopers added to local excitement! CROSS CREEK COUNTY PARK: BUFFALO, PENNSYLVANIA: DUNKARD CREEK FISH KILL: Sometime around September 1, 2009, there was a massive fish kill along most…
Keep readingVideo of Phipps 2022 ‘Holiday Magic’ flowers and lights display in 4K. Using the settings at the bottom right of the video, choose both the highest resolution and full screen settings, for the best viewing…
Keep readingMassive flare-offs at Shell’s newly operational PENNSYLVANIA PETROCHEMICALS COMPLEX is a sure sign that things are well underway, converting shale gas ethane into little plastic nurdles. What the company calls “full production” won’t occur until some point next year, all while their air permit is finalized with the PA DEP.…
Keep readingSouthwestern PennsylvaniaIn the Spring of 2011, Chesapeake Appalachia LLC was the first oil and gas producer to drill an unconventional Marcellus Shale well in Union Township, Washington County, Pennsylvania. Yet, while large drilling sites are multiplying in Union Township, there are still no unconventional gas wells in neighboring Peters Township.…
Keep readingUkraine has used the Cop27 climate talks to make the case that Russia’s invasion is causing an environmental as well as humanitarian catastrophe, with fossil fuels a key catalyst of the country’s destruction. Oliver Milman writes in The Guardian on November 13, 2022: Svitlana Krakovska, Ukraine’s leading climate scientist, said…
Keep readingThere were stark differences between the positions taken by Governor-elect Josh Shapiro and his opponent during the gubernatorial campaign just concluded. Photo: Governor-elect Josh Shapiro and Lt. Governor-elect Austin Davis By David E. Hess | PA Environment Digest Blog During the campaign Shapiro outlined his general positions on environmental, and…
Keep readingBy David E. Hess | PA Environment Digest Blog To give the public a better understanding of the compliance record of oil and gas industrial facilities in Pennsylvania, PA Environment Digest developed this feature summarizing the more serious violations DEP reports through its Compliance Reporting Database on a weekly basis…
Keep reading‘Halt the Harm’ hosted an online summit highlighting some of the people leading the anti-fracking movement in communities across the United States. Learn about pipeline fights, public health threats, support services, and much more. Tuesday, November 15th Wednesday, November 16th Thursday, November 17th VIDEO: What would Rachel Carson say?
Keep readingWe continue to experience natural gas price increases in Pennsylvania, partly due to increased LNG exports, even though we sit above the Marcellus Shale, and reside in one of the most heavily fracked counties in Pennsylvania. Below is a chart comparing prices year-over-year, from our recent residential natural gas bill,…
Keep readingA new 55,000 solar panel farm will provide the Pittsburgh campus with nearly one-fifth of its electricity through a 20-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA). Pitt signed a 20-year agreement with Vesper to purchase all of the electricity produced on the site. Aurora Sharrard, Pitt’s executive director of sustainability, expects it…
Keep readingThe Rager Mountain Gas Storage Area leak in Cambria County is proving difficult to stop, while bringing worrisome comparisons to the Aliso Canyon and Powhatan Point incidents, where huge volumes of methane reached the atmosphere. Methane is a highly potent greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming. Left: Methane plume…
Keep readingÉnergie solaire à partir de parkings. The latest solar energy news out of France blanketed media outlets: France to require all large parking lots to be covered by solar panelsIn France, solar just got a huge boost from new legislation approved through the Senate this week that will require all parking lots…
Keep readingThe average electric vehicle produces less than half the carbon pollution of a gas-powered vehicle, so don’t get fooled by any myths to the contrary. Daisy Simmons reports in Yale Climate Connections on November 6, 2022 You may have heard the myth that electric vehicles are just as bad for…
Keep readingMr. Hess served as Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection from 2001 to 2003, Executive Deputy at DEP from 1995 to 2001, as staff to the PA Senate Environmental Committee and various positions in the former Department of Environmental Resources, working on environmental issues for over 40 years.…
Keep readingAerial photos over SW Pennsylvania and northern West Virginia of cryogenic gas plants, natural gas pipelines, propane rail hub construction, drilling and fracking. See the MarkWest gas plant and rail hub in Houston Pa, the Blue Racer Midstream gas plant along the Ohio River in West Virginia, and the Oak…
Keep readingFrom an October 1, 2021 flight, to a second flight a year later on October 21, 2022, we see further development at Shell’s Pennsylvania Petrochemicals Complex along the Ohio River north of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: VIDEO: Ethane Crackers & Associated Health Impacts MORE NEWS: Shell’s petrochemical city in Potter Township finally…
Keep readingOur March 21, 2014 flight over the Utica and Marcellus Shale revealed the rapid pace of development on a huge cryogenic gas plant in a West Virginia valley known as Majorsville (Google Map link) as well as capturing additional images of shale gas production, fracking and gas processing around the…
Keep readingThe following DEP notices were published in the November 12 PA Bulletin related to oil and gas industry facilities. Many of the notices offer the opportunity for public comments. By David E. Hess | PA Environment Digest Blog Land Recycling/Brownfield Cleanups — Lower Mount Bethel Energy Facility: DEP received Final…
Keep readingAccording to Cristina Tzintzún Ramirez, President of NextGen America, “young voters” are now breaking 3-1 for Democrats. Zachary Shahan reports further in CleanTechnica on November 9, 2022: Young people have historically been more progressive, liberal, and Democratic. The statement from Ramirez is that they have gone in that direction more…
Keep readingScotland’s AWS Energy has reported results some 20% better than predicted for its Archimedes Waveswing, a prototype wave energy generator that’s been undergoing ocean-based testing. Loz Blain reports in NEW ATLAS on November 6, 2022: The Waveswing is a cylindrical metal buoy that’s tethered to a single point on the…
Keep readingFERC is taking public comments on the draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) until 5:00pm ET on November 21, 2022 Mike Tony reports in the October 26, 2022 Charleston Gazette-Mail: Equitrans LP, subsidiary of Mountain Valley Pipeline lead developer Equitrans Midstream Corp., has proposed construction of the Ohio Valley Connector Expansion…
Keep readingOur home electric and gas utility bills arrived in late October. Total: $38.67 Image: Electric bills for 12 month period = $290.44$24.20 average per month includes EV charging It’s been over a year since we upgraded our home heating and cooling system from an old central air conditioning unit to…
Keep readingThe Straight Scoop on Shale – A project of the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania Citizen Education Fund The 10th annual Shale & Public Health Conference will take place as an online conference over two days Tuesday, November 15 & Wednesday, November 16, 2022 from noon to 4pm EST New…
Keep readingStory by Karen Mansfield of the Observer-Reporter on November 8, 2022 reports: Two South Strabane Township homes test positive for methane November 8, 2022 – South Strabane Township Department of Fire and Emergency Management and the Washington County Department of Public Safety on Sunday partnered to meter 42 homes on…
Keep readingWhile they both support fracking, John Fetterman is clear on his climate goals. Q: What measures, regulations, or acts, if any, would you support to mitigate climate change?OZ: “Candidate did not respond” Q: What measures, regulations, or acts, if any, would you support to mitigate climate change?FETTERMAN: “Climate change is…
Keep readingThe following DEP notices were published in the November 5 PA Bulletin related to oil and gas industry facilities. Many of the notices offer the opportunity for public comments. By David E. Hess | PA Environment Digest Blog | November 4, 2022 Land Recycling/Brownfield Cleanups — Coterra Energy Inc. –…
Keep readingLawsuit filed October 28, 2022 in Washington County, Pennsylvania Washington County Courthouse Latkanich v. Chevron et al PFAS: The latest toxic concern for those near fracking By Kristina Marusic | Environmental Health News | August 4, 2022 For more than a decade, Bryan Latkanich has discussed his concerns about fracking…
Keep readingFunding came partly from federal Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) Reid Frazier reports on November 4, 2022 in StateImpact Pennsylvania: EPA awards $4 million for new air monitoring in Pa. environmental justice areas The grants will pay for 11 projects around the state, totaling $4.27 million. Monitors will be set up…
Keep readingBentworth schools were closed Friday November 4, 2022 due to a fire on Johnston Road, in close proximity to Bentworth High School, at Equitrans Midstream’s H-108 natural gas transmission line, located in Bentleyville Borough, Washington County, Pennsylvania. More: News video Source “Equitrans technicians were immediately dispatched and arrived on location to…
Keep reading‘Community solar is about to explode’ in Illinois Nara Schoenberg wrote a story in the Chicago Tribune on October 31, 2022, “A way to get solar energy — no rooftop panels required — is making headway in Illinois: ‘Community solar is about to explode’ Increasingly popular in Illinois, community solar…
Keep readingPhoto by Governor Tom Wolf from Harrisburg, PA Governor Wolf Portrait, CC BY 2.0, Source In one of his final acts as Pennsylvania’s governor, Tom Wolf signed a huge, multi-billion dollar taxpayer giveaway, in large part to the oil and gas industry. Stephen Caruso of Spotlight PA reports on November…
Keep readingEnvironmental Health Project Blog (Note: Images and Bob’s comments have been inserted into the original blog found here) If you’re like most people, you want to be healthy. You want pure drinking water and clean air. You want rivers, streams, and oceans that are not polluted. You want healthy families…
Keep readingRecent News Headlines about EV’s 100% Electric Vehicles = 13% Of New Vehicle Sales Globally!Global plugin vehicle registrations were up 51% in September 2022 compared to September 2021, reaching a record 1,040,000 units. This is the first time ever the world reaches one million plugin vehicle registrations in a month. With such…
Keep readingWednesday, November 2, 2022 at 7:30PM EDT Just in from BC-MAC: Have you registered yet? If not, there’s still time! REGISTER HERE Shell’s Final Air Permit: Title VHow Can We Protect Our Community? The Proof is in the Permit; join us to discuss the upcoming air permit for Shell, including how…
Keep readingEU negotiators agreed on a deal for “zero-emission road mobility by 2035″ “The days of the carbon spewing, pollution belching combustion engine are finally numbered.” Julia Poliscanova, T&E’s senior director for vehicles and e-mobility Anmar Frangoul’s CNBC report on October 28, 2022 shares these details: The plan seeks to slash…
Keep readingOn-Demand Webinar: Creating A Healthy Home And Community With Shale Gas Development In Your Neighborhood By David E. Hess | PA Environment Digest Blog | November 1, 2022 Center for Coalfield Justice, the Environmental Health Project, Physicians for Social Responsibility, FracTracker Alliance, and Mountain Watershed Association hosted a webinar on…
Keep readingAgrivoltaic farming involves strategically installing solar panels so they share land used for agriculture. Advocates for this option believe it could make a meaningful difference in both food supplies and energy infrastructure. Jane Marsh wrote a story in Renewable Energy Magazine on October 20, 2022 about Agrivoltaics. An Oregon State…
Keep readingDavid Hess published a story October 29th about microplastics being found in ALL of Pennsylvania’s BEST trout streams tested. This disturbing news revived my memories of repeated fracking spills into our county’s Special Protection watersheds, over one 4 year period. Here are both our stories. Before drilling and fracking begins…
Keep readingNovember 1st Webinar and In-Person Stakeholder Sessions By David E. Hess | PA Environment Digest Blog | October 12, 2022 On October 12, the Department of Transportation announced resources are now available to help businesses and organizations to prepare in advance of the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Notice of…
Keep readingGlobal news headlines on renewable energy Economic benefits of wind, solar in rural Appalachia could top $65 billionA recent report shows that rural communities in Appalachia could benefit the most from wind and solar development. The group looked at expected local tax revenues, land lease payments, and employee wages generated by…
Keep readingImagine collecting solar energy in space, where it has 8-times the potential of terrestrial solar, and beaming it back to Earth. Caltech’s wildly ambitious space solar project, buoyed by a massive hundred-million-dollar donation, is preparing to launch its first prototypes into orbit. These cutting-edge ultralight structures will collect, convert and…
Keep readingSean O’Leary wrote an excellent Ohio River Valley Institute blog on October 13, 2022 about the past, present and future of natural gas prices. Source: Author’s calculation based on EIA U.S. Price of Natural Gas Delivered to Residential Customers. Consumer Price Index calculation using the Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI Calculator. “Natural…
Keep readingIn north-central Ohio, Seneca County commissioners used a new 2021 law to ban renewable energy projects in unincorporated parts of the county. Now, another ban is up for a vote in neighboring Crawford County, Ohio. On October 21, 2022 Julie Grant of The Allegheny Front wrote the story, WIND ENERGY…
Keep readingBy David E. Hess | PA Environment Digest Blog Highlights of the environmental and energy notices in the October 22 PA Bulletin— — DEP/SRBC Permit Notices — Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities [PaEN] — DEP Posts Formal Notice Of Availability Of Abandoned Mine Land, Mine Drainage Grants — The Department…
Keep readingPassed in Hours with No Public Accountability or Environmental Safeguards By David E. Hess | PA Environment Blog | October 27, 2022 On October 26, the Senate Appropriations Committee reported out House Bill 1059 (Hickernell-R-Lancaster) after amending it to provide $106.6 million in annual taxpayer subsidies to manufacturing and other…
Keep readingBy Michael Taromina, The Bucknellian On October 6, 2022, Bucknell University formally dedicated its new 1.76 MW solar energy facility in Union County, Pennsylvania. The article first appeared in The Bucknellian on October 7, 2022 Bucknell University is known for many things—stellar academics, superb facilities and superior athletics, but one…
Keep readingKelly Pickerel wrote a detailed article listing all the companies “entering a solar module manufacturing renaissance” in the United States. While her October 19th story includes the full details, below is a condensed list of those companies: Kelly’s complete story in Solar Power World is here. ### IN OTHER NEWS:…
Keep readingPennsylvania’s U.S. Senate candidates clarified their views on shale gas extraction during last night’s one hour debate. During the debate, John Fetterman referenced his 2019 support for a proposed fracking site at a steel mill near his home, while also repeating his support for fracking 3-times, in under 11-seconds: “I…
Keep readingThe Center for Coalfield Justice, the Environmental Health Project, Physicians for Social Responsibility, FracTracker, and Mountain Watershed Association will host a webinar on October 25 on ‘Creating A Healthy Home And Community With Shale Gas Development In Your Neighborhood‘ from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. By David E. Hess | PA…
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