Plentiful oil, natural gas can be extracted safely

In a guest column on NKY.com Dr. Robert W. Chas, Chair and Professor in the Department of Petroleum Engineering & Geology at Marietta College in Marietta, Ohio writes - “During the national debate on the utilization of hydraulic fracturing to produce natural gas and/or oil from shale formations, at least five fallacies seem to have been purveyed to the public as truths. What is disturbing is that, at a time when America can’t afford to foreclose on more than a hundred years’ worth of inexpensive, environmentally attractive energy, untruths could become an excuse for obstructionist foot-dragging on shale drilling. To that end, I offer the following five myths and the realities with regard to “fracking.”

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The surge in domestic natural gas production can lower energy costs, reduce pollution and drive investment in the industries that supply equipment the natural gas sector and those that use natural gas as an input to production, like the chemical industry. … The discovery of new natural gas reserves, such as the Marcellus Shale, has led to rapidly growing domestic production and relatively low domestic prices for households and downstream industrial users. Appropriate care must to be taken to ensure that America’s natural resources are extracted in a safe and environmentally responsible manner with the safeguards in place to protect public health and safety. Provided these precautions are taken, the potential benefits to theU.S. economy are substantial. (WhiteHouse.gov, 1/12)

“Obama Discovers Natural Gas”

Last week the White House issued its latest report on jobs and it includes a section on “America’s Natural Resource Boom.” The report avers that a few years ago there were widespread “fears of a looming natural gas shortage,” but that“the discovery of new natural gas reserves, such as the Marcellus Shale, and the development of hydraulic fracturing techniques to extract natural gas from these reserves has led to rapidly growing domestic production and relatively low domestic prices for households and downstream industrial users.” … To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time the White House has favorably mentioned the Marcellus Shale, the natural gas reservoir below Pennsylvania, West Virginia and other Northeastern states. … It’s certainly smart politics for Mr. Obama to distance himself from the anti-fossil fuels obsessives, and no doubt his political advisers are hoping it helps this fall in the likes of Ohio and Pennsylvania. (Wall Street Journal, Editorial, 1/17/12)

An article by Steve Reilly of Gannett News chronicles the ongoing debate between two groups of Cornell scientists over the environmental impact of methane released by shale gas drilling. Reilly writes:

“…Howarth and his co-authors wrote, the greenhouse gas footprint of shale gas is ‘perhaps more than twice as great as coal’ when you compare the two energy sources over a 20-year time frame and ‘comparable’ to coal over a 100-year time frame.

But a rival group of Cornell scientists, led by professor Larry Cathles, sought to rebuke the original study with a commentary published in this month’s issue of the academic journal Climatic Change. Cathles and his co-authors claimed that the greenhouse gas impact of shale gas is ‘half, and perhaps a third, that of coal.’

Now, that response is getting a response of its own.”

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Federal Specialty Crop Funds Support Regional Efforts in Promoting “Buy Local”

New York State Agriculture Commissioner Darrel J. Aubertine today announced the availability of $200,000 in funds to support new and existing regional “buy local” food and agricultural campaigns throughout the State. This program is funded by a USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant and will be conducted in coordination with the State’s Pride of New York Program.

“There’s no doubt that consumers want to buy locally produced food,” the Commissioner said. “What we have found is that regional “buy local” campaigns further raise the profile of local products in a specific region and they often have the opportunity to provide a range of services and activities that help local producers market their products and assist consumers in identifying local products.”

The goal of the Regional “Buy Local” Campaign Development Program is to increase consumer awareness, increase recognition in the marketplace, and increase sales of locally produced foods and agricultural products in eleven defined agricultural regions.

Eligible proposals must reflect each region’s geography, agricultural production, local cultural identity and other unique attributes or specialties. They must help promote a broad-range of USDA-defined specialty crops, and they must also work synergistically with other regional “buy local” campaigns in the State, as well as the Pride of New York Program.

With $200,000 in federal Specialty Crop Block Grant funds, each region is eligible to receive $18,550, of which $2,800 is allocated to create a regional brand, and up to $2,750 for the development of a marketing/media plan. The remaining $13,000 can be used for implementing the marketing/media plan, which can include advertisements, the creation of promotional materials, website design, public outreach and more. As part of the grant award, the Department will provide professional and creative services for each region to help develop their regional brands, create individual websites and develop a multi-year marketing/media plan.

Government entities, not-for-profits, tourism boards and Industrial Development Authorities are all eligible to apply. Applications are available online at www.agriculture.ny.gov or by calling 518-457-7229. Applications are due into the Department by February 23, 2012.

Ryan Whalen reports on YNN in Jamestown - “With the public comment period closing Wednesday, opponents of hydrofracking in Western New York gathered outside the DEC office in Buffalo. They are urging state leaders to listen to what they say is the will of the people.

Rita Yelda, of consumer group Food and Water Watch asked, “Who is going to win? Is it going to be a large industry that maybe has billions to spend on campaign contributions and advertisements, or is it going to be the true voice of the people?”

…Many business leaders say they support fracking.

“Hydraulic fracturing represents high paying job in a part of the state where it has suffered severely during this economic recession,” said Heather Briccetti, president of the Business Council of NY.

Bans on fracking in the Syracuse and New York City watersheds are recommended by the DEC , but not in Western New York. Opponents say that could mean the area gets hit the hardest, noting past mishaps like Love Canal and toxic hotspots in the Great Lakes.”

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A piece in yesterday’s New York Times (1/10/12) speaks of the divide in the environmentalist community regarding their opposition to horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing in New York State. It seems that some more enlightened environmentalists understand that drilling is inevitable and they advocate for strengthened regulations. The more radical arm of the movement won’t be satisfied until drilling is banned in the state and it appears to be causing dissention in the ranks. These energy hypocrites want to ban all fossil fuels and rely on highly subsidized renewables such as solar and wind which only supply a fraction of the energy needed to meet power demands.

The opposite is true for drilling supporters. In November, members of the business community and landowners came together to form Clean Growth Now to advocate for safe responsible development of Marcellus gas in New York. Members include the Business Council of NYS, the Joint Landowner Coalition of New York, National Federation of Independent Businesses, builders’ associations, chambers of commerce and more. Under a united front, they hope to educate leaders and the public that safe drilling will lead to job creation and economic development that is so desperately needed in upstate communities. It was recently reported that Chemung County is experiencing a significant economic uplift from drilling activities just across the southern border in Pennsylvania. Imagine the economic impact if drilling were permitted in our own state.

The environmental opposition is loud and sometimes overshadows the hardworking business owners and landowners in this state who advocate for the opportunity to develop their natural resources, grow their businesses and create jobs. Comments on the DEC’s sGEIS are due today and now begins another round of waiting during which time we can expect a flurry of opposition bills limiting/banning fracking and/or imposing unreasonable drilling restrictions essentially making drilling economically unfeasible for drillers. They may not share precisely the same goal but the splintered opposition hopes to implement a death to Marcellus drilling by a thousand cuts.

The march toward Marcellus development has been long and hard. Drilling supporters must continue to stand united. We have only one message: Allow us to safely develop New York’s natural gas resources under strong DEC regulations. We encourage DEC Commissioner Martens and Governor Cuomo to finalize the regulations as soon as possible. Environmentally safe and responsible Marcellus drilling will revitalize the upstate economy while providing cheap New York natural gas to our citizens.

Mireya Navarro of The New York Times posted a number of comments provided by both pro and anti Marcellus shale development.

As if the recent series of hearings and the invitation for written comments from the public were not enough, contingents from both sides of the fracking issue in New York State organized rallies and press conferences this week in anticipation of the close of the comment period on the state’s proposed gas drilling regulations on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, gas industry representatives and supporters of the extraction process known as horizontal hydraulic fracturing hand-delivered thousands of letters to state officials in Albany arguing for the economic benefits of horizontal hydraulic fracturing. The drilling method involves injecting chemically treated water into shale formations underground under high pressure to release natural gas.

“Capitalizing on the tremendous opportunity offered by Marcellus Shale development will help reduce our dependence on foreign oil, produce private-sector jobs and attract investment”, said Heather Briccetti, the president of the Business Council of New York State, which is part of a pro-fracking coalition that calls itself Clean Growth Now.

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Rick Karlin writes on the Times Union website - “The fight over whether New York will allow hydraulic fracturing for natural gas, or hydrofracking, came down to a Battle of the Boxes on Tuesday as both opponents and proponents of the practice scrambled to deliver boxes filled with thousands of letters, or comments, to the Department of Environmental Conservation by Wednesday’s deadline.

Once delivered, the DEC will review the comments as part of their effort to decide if New York should allow fracking, as it is commonly termed…

Here at the Capitol, gas industry insiders as well as pipe fitters and even organic farmers spoke in favor of fracking, since it would create jobs and generate money to hard-pressed farmers who could lease their lands to drillers…

Later in the day, a group of landowners, led by GOP Sen. Tom Libous, shown above, displayed letters in support of drilling say they will probably submit about 12,000.

“We’ve got the information. I think we can answer the questions,” Libous said, adding he doesn’t believe the comment period should be extended.

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Greg Clary writes on Lohud.com - “…But I suspect there are a couple things coming this year, based on developments from 2011, that will matter to me and a lot of other people.

The Tappan Zee Bridge is one, after Gov. Andrew Cuomo and President Barack Obama put it on the list of 14 major building projects that will both improve the nation’s infrastructure and create jobs.

Since this issue’s been bouncing around Albany, Washington and the Hudson Valley for more than a dozen years, it bothers some that the primary motivation now comes down to jobs.”

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According to an article in the Democrat and Chronicle:

“Eastman Business Park in Rochester and Greece has reduced power plant and other air emissions, according to a sustainability report issued this week.

The business park occupies more than 1,200 acres in Rochester and Greece and was formerly known as Kodak Park when it was devoted entirely to Eastman Kodak Co. But now, besides Kodak, some 30 other companies employing about 4,000 people are located there.

The environmental improvements reflect changes made in 2010 at the park to emphasize clean technology over chemical processing.

The park has cut power plant air emissions by 22 percent and SARA-reportable emissions by 11 percent. SARA refers to the 1987 Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act. Since 1987, according to the report, emissions of methylene chloride have plummeted by 99 percent.”

To read more click here.