Natural Gas Hydraulic Fracturing Updates

[DGC]

Meshoppen Creek in this instance. Public Meeting Oct. 20. See the article:

http://www.timesleader.com/news/Company_wants_to_discharge_drilling_water_into_creek_10-17-2009.html

The North Br. Meshoppen was once Class A listed, but removed from the list in 2007.

 

[bikerfish]

wonder if any chesapeake bay conservation groups are following this, it will eventually affect them. half of pa is in the chesapeake watershed.

 

[AlwaysWading]

Let's face reality here and not go off the deep end. Go through the list of so-called Class A streams in PA and you will find many of them do not hold any native fish to begin with. The state years ago created this list and the fact is, many streams do not belong on there.

I am all for conservation, but it needs to be both ways, not just one-sided. Native fish should never be taken out of the stream, all native waters should be C&R only. But that is not the way it is, so really each time you take a native fish out of the stream, you are doing as much harm as conservationists claim those seeking new energy resources are.

 

[DGC]

I don't see how a public meeting and feedback on proposed operations is going off the deep end.

Any community or portion thereof that pulls drinking water from near these hydraulic fracturing operations has far more to be concerned about than fishing. The chemicals that might be used, which are an unknowable potential danger because of how the law is written, are the issue. Contamination and subsequent health impacts tend to become recognized long after the visible operations have ceased. It only makes sense to ask plenty of questions about the impact on your drinking water, and if the fracturing can be done without toxic chemicals, why not play it a little safer and do it that way. Seems reasonable. I would hope attendees are asking those kinds of questions and getting answers.

If a trout stream is involved (it is) and if a branch of it used to be Class A (it was) and that helps grab attention and increase involvement, no harm in that, and probably some good. The fish being better off would be a nice bonus.

Hydraulic fracturing is big and complicated. I'm struggling to figure out the long-term implications. Sometimes we spend too much time and effort on little things we understand fairly well, but which have little impact, but not enough time on things big and complicated that have a major impact, because we don't understand enough to formulate good questions. This is an age-old problem in public affairs, too often taken advantage of.

 

[salvelinusfontinalis]

Go through the list of so-called Class A streams in PA and you will find many of them do not hold any native fish to begin with. The state years ago created this list and the fact is, many streams do not belong on there.

Interesting. I have found fish in EVERY class A stream i ever fished. Can you give me one example of a Class A water that doesnot hold wild trout? I agree that many hold wild browns and not NATIVE fish, but are you then suggesting that wild brown trout are not a recreational resource?

 

[tomgamber]

I completely disagree with that statement as well, Sal. That has not been my experience. And I, and I believe you have said as well, I have fished a few places not listed at all that hold wild fish.

 

[salvelinus]

The big rush to get the gas out seems fairly obvious to me. These companies want to do this under current laws (or lack of them) before the legislature has a chance to pass laws further restricting what they can and cannot do. The bottom line is the cost to get the gas out and more regulations will mean more cost.

When I was upstate last week I overheard some locals state that there were going to be upwards of 800 wells alone in Tioga county. I don't blame these folks taking the money offered but it seems we have learned nothing from the past. I wonder what will be left after the gas companies are long gone.

 

[salvelinusfontinalis]

I was really hoping for a reply from Always. I have only seen 1 classA steam void of trout and that was Owl Creek. They drained the res. above the stream and it pretty much ruined the stream below it. I wonder if it ever came back.That is a really rare situation. In most cases......A class A steam is going to have trout.

 

[bikerfish]

I don't think whether or not a stream has native, wild or trash fish should be an issue, drilling waste should not be disposed in ANY piece of water with life in it. someone, somewhere downstream is depending on that source of water. even if it contains "trash" fish where they dump, it runs into the susq then into the chesepeake where thousands depend on fishing and crabbing as a way of life. VERY selfish not to take this into consideration. like I've said before, it's all about a very few people making money, while everyone else will suffer and have to deal with the after-effects and clean-up

 

[Berks]

With additional drilling/hydraulic fracturing, we can all expect to see more stories like this one:

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/pennsylvania-dep-fines-cabot-oil-and-gas-corp-56650-for-susquehanna-county-spills-65589387.html

The more I research this topic, the more concerned I get.

I regularly check PADEPs daily update page which lists among other things, enforcement issues not just limited to drilling.