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Received January 17th from Kevin McCabe via Steve Herz:

I want to get the word out to all the coalition and pro drilling people who are sending me e-mails that I am getting them and reading them. However, I am getting hundreds of e-mails and it is impossible to answer them all. If you could get that word around that would be helpful. I don't want to discourage them from writing, but I don't want them to think I am ignoring them either.

Thanks
Kevin

January 14, 2009

We received this today via email.  Participation in this effort is extremely important.

Good Afternoon-

         A couple of weeks ago, I asked you to send our County Executive a note letting her know that you support her reasonable pro-natural gas drilling stance.  The response was overwhelming and has made her understand that she has support.  Thank-you.

        Now, I am again asking you to send an email, this time to Kevin McCabe letting him know that you support safe gas drilling.  Kevin is the representative for Governor Patterson for this area.  Kevin has requested that you drop him an email at Kevin.McCabe@chamber.state.ny.us    He has been receiving many emails from those opposed to gas drilling & it’s time we became pro-active.  I believe that Kevin will take all responsible emails to the Governor.  Please be certain to make a logical statement as to why you are urging him to do whatever is possible to have DEC complete their SGEIS study as quickly as possible & then begin permitting for Marcellus drilling immediately.  He will not accept any anonymous emails, so let him know who is sending it.

           You may feel free to pass this email along (in fact, I urge you to do so) to any reasonable, pro-drilling advocate & to ask any coalitions to place this request on their website, and for those of you who are involved in an organization-please spread the word.  It’s important that our Governor understand the need for this opportunity to proceed.

        

          Thank-you.

           Steve Herz

January 11, 2009

In early November 2009 Toxic Targeting, Inc. President Walter Hang released a report claiming there were 270 incidents of gas & oil spills in NYS over the past 30 years. Here is a letter from Commissioner Grannis to Assemblyman Parment in response to the report.

Letter from Grannis to Parment

On December 21st the Joint Landowner's Coalition (JLC) composed a letter to Commissioner Grannis as part of the public comment period for the dSGEIS.  This letter was signed by all members of the JLC and represented 16, 240 households. 

Letter to Grannis from JLC

December 21, 2009

Subject: EID: Lies, Damned Lies, and Walter Hang's Statistics

 

Friday, December 18, 2009

 Contact:  Jeff Eshelman • 202-857-4774 • jeff@energyindepth.org

               Chris Tucker • 202-346-8825 • chris@energyindepth.org 

 * * *

Lies, Damned Lies, and Walter Hang’s Statistics

 Ithaca activist scores lots of coverage over claim of “270 oil and gas spills in New York” – but what do the data ACTUALLY say?

 Walter Hang knows his way around a government database. And it’s a good thing he does. As president of the Ithaca, N.Y.-based Toxics Targeting, Inc., Mr. Hang’s entire business depends on being able to access and track all sorts of state, local and federal environmental data, and then distill that information into accurate, up-to-date reports for his customers. So when Mr. Hang released a report last month listing “270 oil and gas spills” in New York over the past 30 years, data he derived from government sources, the public took notice. And the media did too.

 A lot of notice. A quick internet search for “Walter Hang” and “270” returns more than 1,000 individual media and blog mentions, including prominent pieces in several area newspapers, plenty of extended radio spots, and on local television from far Upstate to the Southern Tier.

 And to his credit, Mr. Hang gives a great interview. His argument, always impassioned, goes something like this: “DEC’s own data,” found right here in my report, prove that oil and gas exploration is unsafe; DEC has severe “regulatory shortcomings” and cannot be trusted to oversee shale gas exploration; and finally, the draft DEC regulatory document governing the Marcellus is “inadequate.” It cannot be fixed. It cannot be amended. It can only be destroyed. My report – have I mentioned that? – well, it proves it.

 In reality, it’s not much of a “report” at all. Found here on Mr. Hang’s website, it appears simply to be a compilation of incident sheets downloaded directly from DEC’s spill database (available for public search here) and marked up furiously with a highlighter. But what do the numbers actually say? Well, Energy In Depth took a look at the data -- for real this time. And what we found might just knock you off your chair.

 First, let’s have Mr. Hang set the baseline for us:

 

 

270 oil and natural gas spills – a claim, remember, that Mr. Hang makes in support of his larger argument that DEC cannot do, and indeed has not done, an “adequate” job of regulating the exploration and production of oil and natural gas in the state of New York.

 

Now let’s compare that assertion with the actual facts:

 

 

Catch all that? The process of exploring for, and eventually producing, oil and natural gas in New York over the past three decades is responsible for one-forty-thousandth of one percent (!) of the total spillage recorded over that time. Still too high? Let’s take a look at the numbers just for natural gas:

 

 

It’s important to keep in mind here that New York is not Rhode Island. New Yorkers have been producing natural gas in their state longer than anyone; indeed, the world’s first commercial gas well was developed in Fredonia nearly 190 years ago. Today, the state supports more than 14,000 individual natural gas wells. And over the past 30 years, those wells have delivered more than 800 billion cubic feet of natural gas to consumers in New York and elsewhere.

 

We’ll say it again: More than 800 billion cubic feet of natural gas in 30 years. And in that time – 45 spills.

 

From where do the remaining 354,000 spills originate? Let’s run through the list:

 

 

No one should doubt Mr. Hang’s sincerity and passion, and certainly no one can discount his ability to organize a crowd. Indeed, according to reports, Mr. Hang has secured more than 6,000 signatures from folks who apparently believe, like he does, that natural gas exploration is responsible for hundreds of catastrophic spills over the past 30 years, and is bound to account for many, many more in the future. His report “proves” it.

 But as our analysis indicates, one that is easily corroborated by simply taking the time to look through the sheets, Mr. Hang’s well-publicized efforts to target and eliminate sources of oil and gas spillage in New York would be more appropriately directed at several other places: starting with his local gas station, and extending all the way through to his office space. Now that’s a report we’ll be anxious to read.

 In the meantime, we’ve got jobs to create, revenue to generate, and a public comment period to show up for – one that closes in 13 days. Click here to make your views known to DEC. And here to keep up on what’s going down.

Additional resources available at Energy In Depth:

• Send a Letter to DEC: Through the Energy In Depth portal, or (and?) via our friends from IOGA NY.

 

• Study: Potential Economic and Fiscal Impacts from Natural Gas Production in Broome County, NY

 

• Issue Alert: Gangs of New York

 

• Issue Alert: Sign of the Times

 

• Fact Sheet: HF Opponents Say the Darndest Things

 

• GWPC Study: State Oil and Natural Gas Regulations Designed to Protect Water Resources

 

• Graphic: What’s In Frac Fluids?

 

• EPA Study: Study to Evaluate the Impacts to USDWs by Hydraulic Fracturing of Coalbed Methane Reservoirs

 

• Browner Memo: Letter of Support for Hydraulic Fracturing from Carol Browner, Fmr. EPA Administrator

 

 

http://energyindepth.org

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December 15, 2009
There are many opportunities out there now to show your support of a forward movement of responsible gas drilling.  Almost everyday different groups and elected officials are making their positions heard in the news.  Many of these voices are against drilling.  Many of these groups have been active for years and have the time, staff and finances to lobby against gas drilling.  Those of us for drilling need to work even harder to let those in decision making rolls know that there is also support for drilling.  Please visit our One Voice page to learn how you can help.

December 18, 2009
We have uploaded some photos of wells in downtown Ft. Worth.  Check them out now.