Landscaping, gardening and the environment
Bob shares his thoughts on landscaping and environmental topics.
Citizens and environmental groups call on Pennsylvania Gov. Wolf to revoke this permit Injection wells are used by the drilling and fracking industry to dispose of toxic flowback and produced water from oil and gas wells. Huge volumes of this toxic liquid waste return to the surface from Marcellus shale wells, requiring disposal. Radium 226…
Near perfect season ends with big bowlful of ‘Dog Pound karma‘ Looking back with true 2020 hindsight, it’s a wonder the Steelers had any football season at all. Training camp at Saint Vincent college – Cancelled. Home games at Heinz Field – Empty seats. Covid-19 had claimed over 370,000 lives in the U.S. by the…
The executive order issued June 26, 2020 applies to the Capitol Building in Washington DC THE PEOPLE’S HOUSE EXCERPTS: Sec. 2. Policy. (a) It is the policy of the United States to prosecute to the fullest extent permitted under Federal law, and as appropriate, any person or any entity that destroys, damages, vandalizes, or desecrates a monument, memorial,…
The investment tax credit (ITC) for residential solar installations has been extended 2 years! COVID-19 Stimulus Bill Includes Key Renewable Energy Tax Credits Dec. 28, 2020 -The US stimulus bill passed into law yesterday includes several key extensions and additions to the tax credits available for renewable energy. The bill had been agreed to by…
Hall of Fame NFL Coach Jimmy Johnson once said: “Success happens when opportunity meets preparation” In the case of YouTuber Jimmy Donaldson, aka MrBeast, that formula has brought amazing success as told in this story. As I enter my 14th year as a YouTuber, the story about Jimmy held great interest for me. After posting…
The Pennsylvania Game Commission is selling bundles of trees and shrubs for a very reasonable price! 2021 Tree Seedlings Index“The Tree Seedlings Index for 2021 has the most variety of tree and shrub species offered by the Game Commission’s Howard Nursery: 9 evergreens, 8 different shrubs and 22 tree species. Tree Seedling Index is now…
Texas tried to disenfranchise voters from four states, including my vote from Pennsylvania. Joe Biden was our state’s victor by over 81,000 votes! “Pennsylvania had a fair and secure election,” Gov. Tom Wolf said in a statement. “It’s on all of us to stand up against these attacks on our democracy.” Fortunately, we also had…
School children are ‘Danger Close’ in Burgettstown, Pa. (Republished blog from November 5, 2019) It’s jaw-dropping to see how much infrastructure has been built by the natural gas industry over the past 15 years, all since the first Marcellus Shale well was fracked in Washington County Pa. in 2004. Far beyond the gas well pads…
EarthWorks just released a new report summarizing the massive volumes of waste generated by fracking in Pennsylvania. (Republished blog from September 12, 2019) The report focuses on 8 years – 2011 through 2018. Unconventional Marcellus shale gas drilling (using high volume, slick water, hydraulic fracturing) has actually been reeking havoc on one-third of Pennsylvania nearly…
Baseline Water Testing is Critical to Proving Contamination from Fracking (Republished blog from December 29, 2019) The news out of Wyoming last Monday didn’t surprise anyone, at least not those of us who have closely followed water contamination cases near fracking. We’ve seen too many investigations, and court cases, come and go. Mostly go. Corporations…
Bob’s tips and tricks to make snow removal easier!
Hapless band of confederate Republicans lose again The day before Thanksgiving, Col. Mastriano (R-PA-33) and his band of confederates rode into the Gettysburg Wyndham, on the coattails of Abe Lincoln, Trumpery and weak allegations, all before a lame duck dinner at the White House the same evening. Government at its worst! Maskless reinforcements from Trump’s…
Pittsburghers used to say that as a joke, when someone did something weird or out of character. But this situation with water is far beyond a joke, and something still adversely affecting people to this day. Image below: Average Blood Level of Some PFAS after Installing a Water Filtration System Yesterday, this story by Don…
“They’re asking a court to throw out the votes of 2.5 million Pennsylvanians” Pennsylvania AG Josh Shapiro (photo) November 22, 2020 blog with more updates below: The 10 o’clock news carried the story last night. Even with all the flim-flam we’ve seen around the legitimate 2020 election results, this one really hit home! How low…
Since installing our TESLA solar system and Powerwall 2, we’ve avoided 19 power outages! Most recently, our battery backup kept the power on three hours on September 30th, and fifty-five minutes on November 11th. Our past five electric bills have only been $7 to $8 each. So yes, solar works in the Pittsburgh area! Learn…
Beautiful fall weather in western Pennsylvania has been tainted by four ‘Code Orange’ air alert days in a row. 11-9-20 UPDATE: Four Five air quality alerts in a row! For the fourth day in a row, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection forecasts a Code Orange Air Quality Action Day warning for particulate matter —…
Over a decade ago, when the oil and gas industry began fracking the Marcellus shale in our corner of Pennsylvania, they would often dodge the truth by saying, “Fracking has never contaminated a single water well.” Of course the entire process of fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, contaminates not only water wells, but also ground water,…
The Pennsylvania oil and gas (O&G) industry is at it again, with help from their friends in Harrisburg. (Updated blog from January 16, 2020) Image: The label on these trucks says “RESIDUAL WASTE” but what does that mean? Pennsylvania GOP Predominately Pa. GOP legislators are trying to pass legislation allowing the O&G industry to resume…
“Government Failed You” (Updated blog from December 14, 2019) The team at Public Herald, headed by Joshua B. Pribanic, has done an extraordinary job of shining a spotlight on most of the regulatory “fracking faults” in Pennsylvania, especially ones related to the Pa. Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). While their factual, in-depth reports aren’t always…
Pennsylvania has become a dump for radioactive waste in landfills never designed to hold any toxic waste. Fossil Fuel Polluters and Friends Ramp Up New Attack on Solar Energy in Pa. In 2019, Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency issued its recommendation to exempt oil and gas waste from regulation under the Subtitle C of the Resource Conservation and Recovery…
Even with a history of accidents at wells close to the public water reservoir for 150,000 people, there are new plans to continue drilling and fracking! OVERVIEWAlthough fishing has been banned at Beaver Run Reservoir since 1952, the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County (MAWC) decided to allow Marcellus and Utica Shale gas well drilling on their property next to…
Dr. McCawley knows compressor stations, Ultra Fine Particles (UFP’s) and their adverse health effects. He’s a health expert and you probably won’t like what he had to say if you live in our tri-state area. (Updated post from November 2019) November 20, 2019 – Yesterday marked the 7th annual “Shale and Public Health” Conference spearheaded…
How close is 500 feet to drilling and fracking in Pennsylvania? This close! Hard to imagine having a nicely forested area close to your home suddenly destroyed for a huge gravel well pad for industrial activities. So what’s the rub? After all, Pennsylvania requires oil and gas wells to be 500-feet from homes without a…
Videos of the 2019 “SHALE AND PUBLIC HEALTH” conference have been posted online here for those who weren’t able to attend. (Republished blog from December 5, 2019) The annual conference was presented by the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania with funding from the Colcom Foundation and the Heinz Endowments to the League of Women…
“If these health effects are not due to fracking, what has changed, we couldn’t think of anything else.” Dr. Brian Schwartz (Republished blog from November 24, 2019) Over the course of several years, I’ve heard Dr. Schwartz speak at the Shale and Public Health conference in Pittsburgh. His research and studies have benefited greatly from…
A series of train wrecks has citizens concerned about public safety when it comes to increased rail shipments of LPG and LNG.
Earthquake strikes Washington County, Pa. near shale gas drilling for the second time in three years (Republished blog from October 30, 2019) In a county where earthquakes are non-existent to extremely rare, a minor earthquake shook residents 6-1/2 miles south of Washington, Pennsylvania in the early hours of the morning Tuesday October 15, 2019. This…
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