Email correspondence between William M. Foster, Auburn, NY and Fracking Resource Guide. The letter published in the Auburn Citizen on April 1, 2011 follows at the end of this post.
Source: Auburn Citizen (2011) Read More
The lawyer leading a $33-million lawsuit against Encana, the Alberta government and the province’s energy regulator says the case speaks to broader environmental concerns across North America about fracking.
Source: Calgary Herald (2011) Read More
…Slottje warned municipal officials to avoid getting trapped into thinking they have to provide road use agreements….The biggest problem Slottje sees facing municipalities is the increased erosion of enforcement of environmental regulations. “So we’re swinging back to protecting the environment through property rights and home rule,” she said.
Source: Tompkins Weekly (2011) Read More
…the relatively new drilling method — known as high-volume horizontal hydraulic fracturing, or hydrofracking — carries significant environmental risks.
Source: The New York Times (2011) Read More
“Our quality of life has an unquenchable thirst for energy. Offshore drilling and production helps to satisfy this thirst.” — Richard Haut. Extracting energy requires trade-offs. “We want clean air, but we also like the convenience of electricity,” said Richard Haut during a lunch-hour seminar last Tuesday. Haut, founder and senior research scientist at Houston Advanced Research Center (HARC), visited Cornell to promote what he calls “environ – mentally friendly drilling systems.”
Source: The Tompkins County Weekly (2011) Read More
Pennsylvania’s natural gas drillers are still flushing vast quantities of contaminated wastewater into rivers that supply drinking water, despite major progress by the industry over the past year in curtailing the practice.
Source: The Mercury | PottsMerc.com (2011) Read More
The bromides themselves are not a public health risk – they account for a tiny part of the salty dissolved solids that create an unpleasant taste in water at elevated levels. …But bromides react with the chlorine disinfectants used by drinking water to form brominated trihalomethanes (THMs), a volatile organic compound.
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer (2011) Read More
The Environmental Protection Agency (archived) on Wednesday (2011-03-16) proposed the first national standard (archived) for emissions of mercury and other pollutants from coal (archived) -burning power plants, a rule that could lead to the early closing of a number of older plants and one that is certain to be challenged by the some utilities and Republicans in Congress.
Source: The New York Times (2011) Read More
“Underfoot, Out of Reach: A series on the conflicts over Southwest Virginia’s natural gas wealth.”
Source: TriCities.com (2009) Read More
Listening to climate change doubters, and not dismissing them, might avert a “logic schism” similar to the political stalemate on abortion, according to a new paper involving research on skeptics.
Source: The New York Times | Climatewire (2011) Read More
The Independent Petroleum Association of America challenged the nomination of two prominent fracking critics—Theo Colborn and Robert Howarth—to an EPA review panel studying hydraulic fracturing. Industry leaders accused them of bias, citing Colborn’s work on health impacts and Howarth’s draft report suggesting shale gas emissions may rival coal. The dispute highlighted tensions between environmental scientists and industry advocates as the EPA began evaluating the risks of hydraulic fracturing and its implications for climate and public health.
Source: New York Times: Greenwire (2010) Read More
To protests from business and praise from unions, environmentalists and consumer groups, one agency after another has ratcheted up the price of life, justifying tougher — and more costly — standards…
Source: The New York Times (2011) Read More
A vast Appalachian watershed — a reserve supplying drinking water across multiple states — faced encroaching gas development. Conservationists warned that drilling in or near protected lands could ripple far beyond lease boundaries. Industry backers emphasized economic revival in struggling regions. The scale was enormous: aquifers, forests, pipelines threading through one of the East’s largest intact landscapes.
Source: cleveland.com (2010) Read More
As millions of gallons of fracking “flowback” return to the surface in West Virginia, operators have increasingly shipped the heavy brine to Ohio for underground injection. According to state officials, disposal options remain limited, with only two permitted Class II wells handling waste locally. The logistical strain underscores a growing dilemma: while drilling accelerates across the Marcellus Shale, wastewater disposal infrastructure lags behind, raising questions about long-term environmental safeguards.
Source: The State Journal (2010) Read More
As drilling surged across Pennsylvania, economic optimism collided with mounting reports of spills, wastewater mismanagement, and regulatory strain. What was marketed as a clean-energy bridge began to reveal industrial consequences, leaving communities to reckon with the environmental costs of rapid extraction.
Source: The New York Times (2009) Read More
BP’s record of spills and safety failures, including high-profile disasters, shadowed broader energy debates. As shale expansion accelerated, past corporate missteps served as reminders that operational assurances and compliance histories do not always align. Reputation travels with infrastructure.
Source: The New York Times (2010) Read More
As major investors and multinational firms entered the Marcellus Shale, lease prices and speculative capital surged. The influx of “big money” transformed local drilling into a high-stakes financial arena, where acreage valuation became as strategic as production rates.
Source: The New York Times | Climatewire (2010) Read More
Senator Lindsey Graham withdrew support from a major Senate climate bill, fracturing a fragile bipartisan coalition. The setback stalled momentum for comprehensive climate legislation. Energy policy once again splintered along party lines, leaving regulatory authority to agencies and states.
Source: The New York Times (2010) Read More
The public should have access to the inner workings of Luzerne County home rule subcommittees, say three experts on the state’s open meeting law.
Source: The Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre & Scranton PA (2011) Read More
West Virginians who live near streams polluted by coal mining are more likely to die of cancer, according to a first-of-its kind study published by researchers at West Virginia University and Virginia Tech.
Source: The Charleston Gazette | Coal Tattoo (2010) Read More
In Hughesville, Pennsylvania, Raymond Gregoire initially ignored the offer to lease drilling rights on his land. Weeks later, he signed for $62,000 and organized 75 neighbors into a $3 million collective agreement. As the Marcellus land rush accelerated, stories like Gregoire’s captured both opportunity and unease—farmers weighing short-term financial windfalls against the permanent industrial transformation of rural landscapes.
Source: The New York Times (2008) Read More
New York State halted proposed drilling in the Catskill Park, protecting a region that feeds New York City’s drinking water system. Energy companies argued modern techniques could operate safely. State officials weighed the risk to a supply serving millions. The decision underscored a high-stakes reality: when gas sits beneath a watershed of national importance, economics collides with precaution.
Source: The New York Times (2010) Read More
Court rulings narrowed the reach of the Clean Water Act, limiting federal oversight of certain streams and wetlands. Environmental advocates warned that smaller waterways — often feeding larger rivers — could slip beyond regulation. For drilling operations and wastewater disposal sites, the implications were immediate. A legal technicality in Washington could determine what protections applied at the edge of a rural creek.
Source: The New York Times (2010) Read More
In the wake of the BP Gulf oil disaster, U.S. Sen. Robert Casey of Pennsylvania and U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette of Colorado warned in the Philadelphia Inquirer that hydraulic fracturing posed a parallel onshore risk, urging federal disclosure of fracking chemicals under the Safe Drinking Water Act. Challenging exemptions advanced during Vice President Dick Cheney’s 2005 energy legislation, Casey and DeGette argued that energy companies should disclose the ingredients in fracking fluids—diesel fuel, benzene, methanol, and formaldehyde among them—while preserving proprietary formulas, countering industry claims that state regulation alone was sufficient.
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer (2010) Read More
Google and a New York financial firm agreed to invest in a proposed $5 billion transmission backbone designed to connect future offshore wind farms along the Atlantic Seaboard. The 350-mile underwater cable, stretching from northern New Jersey to Norfolk, Virginia, could remove key obstacles to large-scale wind development and reshape the region’s electrical grid. Supporters argue the project would accelerate clean energy expansion while making offshore turbines economically viable and less visually intrusive.
Source: The New York Times (2010) Read More
Peter Meinig, chairman of the Cornell University Board of Trustees and a former associate of a major natural gas company, was urged to recuse himself from any university decisions involving shale gas leasing. Critics argued that Cornell’s credibility — particularly in environmental research and public policy — could be undermined if leadership with industry ties influenced drilling-related land use decisions. The debate spotlighted governance, transparency, and conflicts of interest as Marcellus pressure mounted.
Source: Cornell Sun (2010) Read More
John Cole has been The Times-Tribune’s editorial cartoonist since April 2005. He draws five to seven full-color cartoons weekly.
Source: The Times-Tribune (2010) Read More
Concerned Chippewa Citizens (CCC), founded by Pat Popple, provides information and advocacy resources related to frac sand mining and processing facilities in Wisconsin and beyond. Through publications, community organizing, and public speaking, the group addresses environmental and health concerns linked to sand extraction. The organization also monitors proposed expansion projects, including oil sands development initiatives in the United States.
Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (2010) Read More
Let us see if we have this right: The tap water is bubbling in Parker County, carbonated with enough natural gas to make it as flammable as a French Quarter cocktail and as explosive as a hand grenade, and the Texas Railroad Commission — consulting its Advent calendar, no doubt — has scheduled a hearing on the matter for Jan. 10.
Source: Denton Record Chronicle (2010) Read More
In 2005, Congress amended the Safe Drinking Water Act, carving out a controversial exemption for hydraulic fracturing. The move—later dubbed the “Halliburton loophole”—removed federal oversight of underground injection practices central to the shale boom. Supporters framed it as regulatory clarity for domestic energy development; critics saw it as a quiet rollback of environmental protection with national consequences.
Source: Los Angeles Times (2004) Read More
A leading congressional critic of shale drilling is scolding the Obama administration for failing to try to slow drilling in the Northeast’s Marcellus Shale.
Source: The New York Times | Greenwire (2010) Read More
“The state Land Board, undeterred by anti-mining protesters who disrupted the board’s Helena meeting for 45 minutes until they were arrested, voted 3-2 Thursday to approve leasing 570 million tons of state-owned coal for development of a mine in southeastern Montana’s Otter Creek Valley.
Source: Billings Gazette (2010) Read More
In a Texas Observer investigation into oilfield waste injection wells, high school art teacher Cecile Carson challenged the Railroad Commission of Texas after commissioners swiftly denied her protest against a proposed injection well near her Wise County property. The case highlights weak enforcement penalties—often capped at a few thousand dollars—and raises broader concerns about regulatory oversight of oil and gas waste disposal in Texas communities.
Source: The Texas Observer (2006) Read More
A Pennsylvania lawsuit alleged that nearby drilling operations contaminated private water wells, igniting a battle over causation and responsibility. Plaintiffs pointed to methane and chemical signatures. Companies disputed the link. As expert witnesses parsed geology, the case underscored a persistent question: when water changes, who proves why?
Source: Reuters (2009) Read More
People who visited eastern Utah’s vast open spaces last winter might have thought they were doing their lungs a big favor by taking a deep breath of fresh, country air. But it turns out, they would have been better off going to Los Angeles or most other major cities.
Source: The Salt Lake Tribune (2010) Read More
A Hungarian soldier, wearing protective gear, cleans a house flooded by toxic mud in Devecser, Hungary, Thursday, Oct. 7, 2010. (AP Photo/Bela Szandelszky)
Source: The New York Times (2010) Read More
A critical examination of Josh Fox’s documentary Gasland, exploring fracking’s environmental and health impacts through vivid imagery and testimony from scientists and affected residents. The review weighs Fox’s emotional force against questions of investigative rigor, situating the film within the broader debate over regulation and watershed protection. Josh Fox’s documentary exposes hydraulic fracturing as a process that injects chemical-laced water deep underground, resulting in contamination so severe that tap water can ignite. Through personal stories and scientific testimony, the film frames fracking as an urgent public health and environmental crisis.
Source: The New York Times (2010) Read More
In a June 20, 2010 investigation for the Republican Herald, journalist Laura Legere reported that many of the most serious hazards from Marcellus Shale drilling occur above ground, including chemical storage, wastewater transport, and surface spills. Department of Environmental Protection records obtained through Pennsylvania’s Right-to-Know Law revealed hundreds of violations involving at least 92 drilling companies, prompting DEP Secretary John Hanger to attribute repeated spills and methane leaks—particularly involving Cabot Oil & Gas—to poor management and inadequate oversight.
Source: Republican Herald (2010) Read More
A contentious plan by Chesapeake Energy to convert an abandoned gas well in Pulteney, New York, into a deep-well wastewater disposal site near Keuka Lake is officially dead—though the company left the door open for similar facilities in the future. The proposal, which would have handled more than 180,000 gallons of Marcellus Shale fracking waste per day, drew opposition from local residents, Pulteney Town Supervisor Bill Weber, U.S. Rep. Eric Massa, and Walter Hang of Ithaca-based Toxics Targeting, who argued that grassroots resistance in the Finger Lakes influenced decisions before the EPA and the New York DEC.
Source: Ithaca Journal (2010) Read More
In the Barnett Shale, industry leaders pushed regulatory changes critics warned would gut local oversight. Supporters framed it as streamlining. Opponents saw a rollback of hard-won protections. At stake: inspection authority, environmental review, and the balance of power between drillers and the communities hosting them. The fight wasn’t just about gas — it was about who sets the rules when billions are underground.
Source: Star-Telegram (2010) Read More
As House Democrats explored new oversight of hydraulic fracturing, an industry coalition called Energy in Depth launched a campaign warning that regulation would kill jobs and harm the economy. Reported in the New York Times by Anne C. Mulkern, the effort illustrated how shale politics had become a high-stakes battle over narrative—economic growth versus environmental protection—at a moment when domestic gas production was rapidly expanding.
Source: The New York Times: Greenwire (2009) Read More
Water can meet federal standards and still carry risks. Investigations revealed that “legal” does not always mean safe, particularly where industrial activities stress aquifers. Residents confronting murky tap water and ambiguous assurances found themselves navigating a gray zone between compliance and public health.
Source: The New York Times (2009) Read More
“Hundreds of people living near a natural-gas drilling site in northwest Louisiana have been forced to evacuate their homes after gas seeped into their drinking water.
Source: The Wall St. Journal | wsj.com (2010) Read More
A federal judge has overturned water quality rules that were meant to protect southeastern Montana cropland from natural gas drilling but were assailed by Wyoming as a threat to energy production.
Source: Billings Gazette (2009) Read More
It is a strange fight, Montana ranchers say. Raising cattle here in the parched American outback of eastern Montana and Wyoming has always been a battle to find enough water.
Source: The New York Times (2006) Read More
A March 22, 2010 Philadelphia Inquirer editorial noted the Marcellus Shale Coalition’s claim that hydraulic fracturing had never contaminated groundwater, while acknowledging environmental risks and New York’s drilling moratorium. What followed was a pointed public exchange: commenters such as Jim Barth challenged industry timelines, cited EPA whistleblower Westin Wilson and ProPublica’s Abrahm Lustgarten, and questioned chemical disclosure, regulatory exemptions, and cumulative impacts on Pennsylvania watersheds.
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer (2010) Read More
The so-called “Halliburton Loophole” exempted hydraulic fracturing from key provisions of the Safe Drinking Water Act. Critics argued the exemption shielded industry from meaningful oversight, while defenders insisted state regulation sufficed. At stake: whether federal law should close the gap between energy development and environmental accountability.
Source: The New York Times (2009) Read More
Long after the headlines fade, the anxiety lingers. Families living near gas infrastructure describe ongoing health worries, property concerns, and distrust of official reassurances. The story underscores how the costs of extraction are often borne by communities far from corporate boardrooms.
Source: Chagrin Valley Times, The Solon Times, The Geauga Times Courier (2009) Read More
As drilling expanded across the Marcellus region, elected officials split along economic and environmental lines. Promises of jobs and tax revenue competed with warnings about water contamination and landscape fragmentation. The shale boom reshaped not only terrain, but political alliances.
Source: Press & Sun-Bulletin: pressconnects.com (2009) Read More
In Washington County, Pennsylvania, farmer Ron Gulla and horse farm owner Joyce Mitchell say their excitement over gas leases turned to regret after two years of heavy drilling activity near their properties. Reporting in The River Reporter, residents described methane bubbling into drinking wells and ponds. Gulla warned that landowners should obtain costly baseline water tests before drilling begins, underscoring the risks facing rural communities amid Marcellus Shale development.
Source: The River Reporter - Online (2010) Read More
In the Washington Post, Lyndsey Layton reported that nearly 20 percent of the 84,000 chemicals in commercial use are shielded from public disclosure under a little-known federal provision. The Environmental Protection Agency allows companies to keep identities secret, leaving consumers and regulators in the dark. As hydraulic fracturing expands nationwide, critics warn that this chemical secrecy undermines public trust and limits meaningful oversight of substances injected underground.
Source: Washington Post (2010) Read More
Across upstate communities, the Marcellus Shale boom promised economic revival—lucrative leases for landowners and revenue for state government. Yet thousands of wells using high-volume slickwater fracturing injected millions of gallons of chemically treated water deep underground. As reports detailed substances like benzene and toluene in drilling fluids, residents grappled with a defining question: would the gas rush bring prosperity, or expose long-term environmental costs?
Source: The New York Times (2008) Read MoreThe New York Times editorial board questioned whether high-volume hydraulic fracturing had outpaced the science meant to protect drinking water. With millions of gallons injected per well and incomplete disclosure of chemicals, the piece pressed regulators to ensure that energy expansion did not compromise aquifers and public health.
Source: The New York Times (2009) Read More
Hundreds packed a public meeting to challenge a proposed wastewater treatment facility meant to handle drilling runoff. Residents worried about contaminants, truck convoys, and what might slip through filtration. Officials argued the plant would manage an unavoidable byproduct of the boom. But the turnout signaled something deeper: communities refusing to be quiet endpoints for an industry’s leftovers.
Source: Corning Leader (2010) Read More
Waste from gas wells — brine, drilling muds, chemical residues — risked washing into Ohio waterways, raising alarms about downstream impacts. As disposal sites filled and storms rolled through, environmental groups pressed for stronger oversight. State officials weighed the evidence. The leftovers of the shale boom weren’t just industrial details; they traveled with gravity and rain.
Source: Columbus Dispatch Politics (2010) Read More
As permits surged, Pennsylvania officials moved to tighten oversight of shale operations — reviewing casing standards, inspection capacity, and enforcement authority. The boom had outrun the rulebook. Lawmakers faced pressure from both drillers and residents, each warning of different risks. The state’s challenge was clear: regulate a rapidly expanding industry without halting the economic engine it had unleashed.
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer (2010) Read More
In Fort Worth, gas royalties flowed — and so did complaints. The Weekly examined how profits from the Barnett Shale boom intersected with allegations of air pollution, property damage, and regulatory gaps. For some landowners, lease checks meant windfall. For others, the costs felt closer to home. The question lingered: who bears the risk when extraction becomes neighborhood business?
Source: Fort Worth Weekly (2007) Read More
In Northeast Ohio, local activists mounted opposition to drilling proposals, arguing for stricter oversight and community control. Facing state preemption laws and industry influence, the fight was uphill — both legally and politically. Yet resistance persisted, rooted in concerns about water, waste injection, and seismic activity.
Source: The Plain Dealer (2009) Read More
A group of senators moved to block the EPA from regulating greenhouse gases, arguing climate rules exceeded the agency’s mandate. The proposal reflected a broader clash over separation of powers: should carbon limits originate in Congress or through agency interpretation of existing law?
Source: The New York Times (2010) Read More
Rex Tillerson — a former tuba player in the University of Texas Longhorn Band who once supplied the band’s bottom register — would later rise to become ExxonMobil’s CEO. In global energy markets, he built a reputation as a disciplined negotiator, forging high-level relationships including with Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Kremlin. When Exxon moved to acquire XTO Energy, doubling down on U.S. shale, the scale of the bet drew renewed congressional attention to natural gas policy and market concentration. When a supermajor commits billions, energy independence narratives and oversight frameworks shift with it. Scale reshapes politics.
Source: The New York Times : Climatewire (2010) Read More