Meet America's Most Endangered River, Thanks to the Natural Gas Drilling Industry

[marmar]

AlterNet / By Nora Eisenberg

Meet America's Most Endangered River, Thanks to the Natural Gas Drilling Industry
Off-shore oil drilling is not the only risky business in the industry. Natural gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale is raising alarm.

June 4, 2010 |


Editor's Note: At publication of this story, news just broke of a ruptured natural gas well in Pennsylvania that has resulted in a spill.


Massive natural gas drilling under way in Pennsylvania and imminent in New York makes the Upper Delaware the most endangered river in America, according to American Rivers, a major environmental organization, whose yearly report, America's 10 Most Endangered Rivers, focuses national attention on rivers that need immediate safeguarding for "the benefit of people, wildlife and nature." On June 2nd, in a commemorative ceremony in Narrowsburg, NY, overlooking the majestic river, local citizens and leaders from government and advocacy groups gathered to hear the announcement, vowing to take action to protect the pristine river which provides drinking water for some 17 million people in New York and Pennsylvania.

Speakers, who included NY Congressman Maurice Hinchey, National Park Service superintendent Sean McGuinness, Ramsay Adams of Catskill Mountainkeeper, Bruce Ferguson of Catskill Citizens for Safe Energy, and Marcia Nehemiah of Damascus Citizens for Sustainability, stressed the need to protect the river and its basin from the unregulated gas drilling which has which wreaked havoc on water, air, health, economies, and quality of life across 32 states, and unregulated oil drilling which devastated the Gulf of Mexico waters and coast for years to come: "We've seen what happens when energy companies are granted unfettered access to our precious natural resources without proper oversight," Hinchey said. "In the wake of one of the largest environmental disasters in our nation's history, as millions of gallons of oil spew into the Gulf of Mexico, the need for action to protect the Delaware River could not be more clear."

The Historic River Under Attack

The 2010 America's Most Endangered Rivers (MER) paints a picture of the dramatic river: "The Upper Delaware...winds through deep forests and farmland, past towering cliffs and historic towns." The river's 73 most northern miles, designated by Congress in 1978 as as one of the original National Wild and Scenic Rivers and a unit of the National Park System, provides sightseeing, boating, camping, hunting, fishing, hiking, and bird watching to millions each year and a home to thousands of rare and endangered species. .........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.alternet.org/environment/147102/meet_america%27s_most_endangered_river%2C_thanks_to_the_natural_gas_drilling_industry/

[maryf]

1. Hydrofracking is critically dangerous...

thanks for this, K&R

[wurstie]

2. Clean, green "natural" gas (= ultralight crude oil)

:sarcasm:

[Altoid_Cyclist]

3. Link to WTAE story on the leak.

http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/news/23793198/detail.html

Please note also the link in my signature line and another link that details what is being done in this region.

Cheney and Halliburton are responsible for this so it shouldn't be a shock that this region's environment is being destroyed as surely as the Gulf region is being destroyed.


'Tricky Dicky' the 2nd?
Frac fluids were exempted from the Safe Drinking Water Act in 2005 while former Halliburton CEO Dick Cheney was Vice President of the US.


http://gasdrillingawarenesscoalition.wordpress.com/2010/05/13/contributions-from-drilling-companies-to-campaigns/

Excerpt from link above:

The state legislature is bought and sold by oil and gas companies interested in Pennsylvania’s Marcellus Shale gas deposits.

At least, that is the accusation made today by several government reform organizations and a local state representative.

Joined by the League of Women Voters, Penn Future and State Rep. David Levdansky, Common Cause accused the oil and gas industry of trying to buy the state legislature through campaign contributions and multi- million dollar lobbying campaigns.

The accusers said the goal is to prevent tough regulations of Marcellus Shale natural gas drilling and a severance tax on its extraction of natural gas.

It’s all about the money, say critics of Pennsylvania’s law that allows unlimited campaign donations to candidates and incumbents.

[ensho]

4. another horror to live or die with

the list of horrors is growing daily

the various tipping points have already tipped

the clock has stopped ticking

we are in survival mode

Stamina is in short supply

[NNadir]

5. You mean gas doesn't "ROCK!?!?!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=115x246887">Shale Gas Will Rock the World