I just got home from the meeting in Fort Worth about the toxic drilling emissions. Due to a massive traffic jam, I missed most of the meat of the meeting, Deborah Rogers’ presentation. Someone please send me a copy of her presentation so I can turn it into a pdf and post it for everyone to read. Here’s a little about Deborah:
Deborah Rogers, owner of Deborah’s Farmstead, a dairy just west of Fort Worth, which she started on land that she and her husband bought from her Grandfather, turning it back into a working farm. Deborah has a herd of 85 dairy goats and makes artisanal cheeses, which have won several national awards and much acclaim. She currently serves on the Advisory Council for the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. She has become involved in a campaign to promote greater awareness of the environmental impact of a producing well near her farm
I just got in on the tail end and here are a few notes to summarize what i heard:
- The drillers over estimate production by 3 times what can be extracted
because the reserve price drives stock prices. - Historical production data – financial data is based on production that is not there or not recoverable.
- Recently, Aubrey McClendon said Chesapeake has only drilled 15% of the wells they plan to drill. That means another 60,000 to 70,000 wells will be drilled.
- The drilling treadmill = The drillers have to drill more wells to maintain the production levels and they have to drill more to support their debt.
- The technology exists to reduce air emissions by 99%
- Every $1.00 spent on reducing air emissions gains $9.00 in recovered product.
The next speaker was Dr. Michael Honeycutt, Toxicology Division Director, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Austin
The Toxicology Division helps focus TCEQ resources on areas with the greatest potential risks by:
- asessing risks to human health from exposure to environmental pollutants and
- reviewing models, data, assessments, permits, and cleanup plans for possible risks to human health, and estimating their effects on overall air and water quality.
Here’s a summary of his presentation:
Dr. Honeycutt, by his own admission, knows not one single thing about drilling for natural gas but he can sure tap dance. More study required for…oh, about 20 years. The crowd was clearly unimpressed and hostile.
NOTE: TCEQ is trying to make it all about benzene and completely dismisses the neurotoxins which Dr. Theo Colborn says are the main concern. Ironic that Megan Collins from DISH, TX was sitting in the audience listening. I asked Dr. Honeycutt about the neurotoxins and pointed out that TECQ didn’t even test for the full range of toxins. They did not test for the sulfides even though one DISH resident has tested positive for Carbon Disulfide. (Most DISH residents can’t afford the testing.) He said that they couldn’t test for everything at once. (Huh?) I reminded him that Alisa Rich with Wolfe Environmental can test for everything, as she did at DISH, TX and at Deborah Rogers’. Maybe the TCEQ should hire Alisa.
Honeycutt interview on WFAA
The last speaker was Dr. David Sterling, Professor and Chair, Department of Environmental and
Occupational Health, School of Public Health at the University of North Texas Health Science Center in Fort Worth.
He received his PhD in 1986 from the University of Texas School of Public Health in Houston, TX, and is a certified industrial hygienist with training in toxicology and
epidemiology, and expertise in exposure evaluation and risk assessment methodologies. Previously he was the Director of the Division of Environmental and Occupational Health at Saint Louis University School of Public Health and Co-Director for the Midwest OSHA Educational Center. Dr. Sterling has been involved with environmental and occupational based research, teaching and service activities for over 30 years. Areas of recent research include: exposure and health risk to lead and other related chemicals from mining, mine processing actives, smelters, and paint; methods for reduction of asthma morbidity and mortality in
school aged children; air pollution impact on emergency department visits for children with asthma and other respiratory disease, and cardiopulmonary illness on older people; manganese exposure to workers and risk of parkinsonism; and asbestos exposure and disease risk.
Dr. Sterling didn’t have a presentation and he only spoke briefly. Here’s a summary:
- We need more study.
- We need more study to see IF we need emission controls.
- We need more study.
Okay so…
About Sharon Wilson
Sharon Wilson is considered a leading citizen expert on the impacts of shale oil and gas extraction. She is the go-to person whether it’s top EPA officials from D.C., national and international news networks, or residents facing the shock of eminent domain and the devastating environmental effects of natural gas development in their backyards.
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It would be interesting to see if either of these doctor experts have rec'd large monetary gifts as of late…or better yet…where do they live? Probably not next door to a well, huh?
Over estimated reserves? The SEC could have a field day with that.
Tap dancing by Dr. Honeycutt will not fix benzene's toxicity. Cancer & leukemia are waiting in the wings for those around benzene.
I wonder if the goats & other livestock affected by drilling are like the canary in the coal mine. Think about it.
It's not just benzene! Don't buy that line they are trying to sell! The neurotoxins are worse than the benzene and TECQ didn't even test for everything. He told me that they can't test for everything so I said, "Well Elisa and Wolf can so maybe you should hire her." He didn't have any response for that.
I was disappointed not only in the turn out at last night's meeting, but also the substance. I learned nothing new. If I didn't know any better, I would think these 'panelists' (with the exception of Rogers) were running for office. Non-committal in their answers, and well-versed in "We need to look into that more".
How many people are going to die, become stricken with life-threatening diseases and disorders, how many children have to be sacrificed before actual action is taken?
If we wait until that money grabbing ass from Chesapeake has his way, we won't be able to turn around without running into a gas tank or drilling rig.
I wish we hadn't missed Roger's presentation. What we saw was hard-hitting no BS. I'm going to try to get a copy of her presentation to post online.
This is what I said would happen at this meeting. This is typical of the presentations that FWLNA has been producing over the past year and a half.
God bless Deb Rogers for recognizing what is going on in the Barnett Shale and standing up.
Were there many industry shills in the audience? Were written questions collected and presented to the panel by the moderator? Were they softball questions?
That is what happened in all the previous FWLNA presentations.
Tim, we all wonder the same thing. Maybe it's time for some peaceful resistance. How many tree huggers does it take, chained to a rig to bring in the national media? It's apparent we've need a substantial catalyst; got to get the attention of someone else for transformation to occur.
Where are the pastors and other religious leaders who have responsiblities for the spiritual (and physical/psychological since they're all connected)nourishment, health, and growth of their members? They have a duty to take a position and speak up @ this crisis in their communities. For Christians, we're supposed to "salt and light" in the world. It sure is getting dark and tastiing very bland out here where your "flock" live. Additionally, where are the family physicians and health care professionals, whose duties focus on the health and well-being (physical and emotional) of their patients, many of whom are their neighbors and fellow citizens. Maybe, they're too busy working on getting certified in specialties like oncology and endocrinology—apparently areas with growth potential, business-financial wise that is. In the event of a catastrophe, guess who will "pick up all the pieces"? Not the gassers–they'll be way to busy getting "lawyered up" (another growth industry—thanks to the Barnett Shale and the invaders who came in the Texas-sized Trojan Horse that was pulled right into the town squares/communities by willing leaders and officials.)
I'll be posting a shocking response from one of Fort Worth's spiritual leaders. I thought I would save it for Sunday. It's heartbreaking.
If you want more study and low numbers from air measurements, then the WCEQ is your organization to do the appointed chore! 100% success ratio. Need I say more?
Now, Dr. Honeycutt wants voluntary benzene cuts, wwile more study is needed:
http://www.star-telegram.com/local/story/1782464.html