Oklahoma Earthquakes due to Fracking?

The party of big energy may be getting what they deserve...

Wisconsin Congressmen throw the environment and water safety away for Big Oil in jaw dropping votes!!!

Protests over hydraulic fracking is forcing many countries all over the world to ban it the process. And in countries that allow it, certain BTEX chemicals have been banned.

But while the rest of the world listens to their concerned citizens and consider public safety, Republicans in the U.S. are throwing caution to the wind with little or no media notice. We're distracted by Scott Walker's book or the malfunctioning Healthcare.gov website.

We've got local GOP problems too!

If ever there was a time for throwing the GOP bums out of congress, now would appear to be that  moment, before it’s to late…literally.

Bar Federal Regulation on Fracking: Jaw dropping votes by Ryan, Sensenbrenner, Petri, Duffy, and Ribble could endanger the safety of drinking water in major regions of the U.S., and run counter to the concerns of other industrialized countries around the world. This is really scary stuff. Roll Call WSJ:

Hydraulic fracturing rules: Members voted, 235-187, to bar federal regulation on federal and tribal lands of the underground energy-extraction process known as hydraulic fracturing, or ‘fracking.’ A yes vote was to send the bill (HR 2728) to the Senate … Voting yes: Paul Ryan, R-1; James Sensenbrenner, R-5; Tom Petri, R-6; Sean Duffy, R-7; Reid Ribble, R-8.

Public Secrecy on Fracking Chemicals: If that wasn't bad enough, our irresponsible big oil Republican lackey’s soundly rejected the Democratic efforts to at least warn the public about which chemicals are being used around their water supplies:

‘Fracking’ chemicals disclosure: Members defeated, 188-232, a motion by Democrats to require public disclosures about hydraulic-fracturing operations on federal and non-federal lands, including the identity of chemicals used in the ‘fracking’ process. A yes vote backed the motion … Voting no: Ryan, Sensenbrenner, Petri, Duffy, Ribble.

Natural Gas Pipeline Permits Given if process is too long: And while they were at it, Wisconsin representatives decided to put everyone in danger around the proposed new and potentially dangerous natural gas pipelines, by giving permits anyway, if the government takes too much time. We've seen similar legislation in Wisconsin:

Expedited pipeline permits: The House on Thursday passed, 252-165, a bill to set statutory deadlines for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and other agencies to act on applications for building natural gas pipelines. A yes vote was to pass HR 1900 over arguments it could cause unsafe construction and environmental harm. Voting yes: Ryan, Sensenbrenner, Petri, Duffy, Ribble.

Democratic motion to give local communities a voice: If that weren't bad enough, our congressmen beat back local objections in the pipeline approval process. Who’s the big government party?

Pipeline safety, siting: The House on Thursday defeated, 180-233, a bid by Democrats to delay HR 1900 until federal regulators have certified it would not result in the building of unsafe pipelines or deny communities a voice in the siting of new pipelines within their boundaries. A yes vote was to adopt the Democratic motion. Voting no: Ryan, Sensenbrenner, Petri, Duffy, Ribble. 

Sarah Palin questions Pope's Agenda! Pope against Fracking too.

Remember when Rep. Paul Ryan questioned the judgement of the Roman Catholic Bishops and Nuns? Well, Sarah Palin is now questioning the religious judgement of Pope Francis. Politics Nation:

"I'm kinda trying to follow what his agenda is...he's had some statements that sound kind of liberal..."

Here's a compilation of cuts showing how "liberal" the Pope is acting, through his compassion and inclusive agenda:



That's not all either:

Progressive: Sarah Palin and the tea party might be agog over Pope Francis’s allegedly liberal bent, but if this week’s news is any indication, they haven’t seen anything yet.

The popular new Catholic pope was pictured this week posing with two Argentinian environmental activists and holding up a t-shirt with an anti-fracking slogan on it. Pope Francis reportedly told the men that he is preparing an encyclical, or statement regarding Catholic doctrine, about “nature, humans and environmental pollution.” He also posed for a second photo with a t-shirt featuring the Spanish-language slogan, “El Agua Vale mas que el Oro,” which means, “Water is worth more than gold.”

Keystone XL Pipeline banks on Export Profit over Landowners, Natural Gas Next to Export.

Did you know Midwest gas prices at the pump will go up when we divert crude away in the Keystone XL Pipeline? It's true.

Did you also know that much of that oil is going to be exported, and not used to keep prices low in the U.S.?  Who's being played for a sucker taking up their cause to build the pipeline, a distraction, so they can export oil around the world and make big bucks? If you're a conservative, you're also the sucker. The talk show hosts love this topic because it fires up the family values Dominionists who want to use the earth until its used up. But I digress. 

Here's one land owners comment from the video below:

Jerry Heithoff, Elgin, NE:"If I could say, ok, go ahead and put this pipeline through. But oh by the way, could you keep 75 or 80 percent of that refined product in the United States? That would be no...because they want to export it."

Or how about this landowner:

Bruce Boettcher, Nebraska Sandhills Rancher: “What the hell is the matter here? We are being asked to accept a pipeline and jeopardize our environment for a measly 35 permanent jobs. The generations that live here and work this land have created more economic growth and more jobs than this pipeline ever will.”

See this Market to Market report that gives both sides:

Now our energy companies want to export natural gas!! Instead of having plentiful supplies here, U.S. producers want to make more money selling natural gas overseas, which just might raise prices in the U.S. by depleting our supply. We're already playing fast and lose with our groundwater supplies, fracking for natural gas, now we'll have to expand fracking for foreign markets too. It seems they always want more:

jsonline: A domestic natural gas boom already has lowered U.S. energy prices while stoking fears of environmental disaster. Now U.S. producers are poised to ship vast quantities of gas overseas as energy companies seek permits for proposed export projects that could set off a renewed frenzy of fracking.

Yet as the industry looks to profit from foreign markets, there is the specter of higher prices at home and increased manufacturing costs for products from plastics to fertilizers. Companies such as Exxon Mobil and Sempra Energy are seeking federal permits for more than 20 export projects ... the resulting export boom could lead to further increases in hydraulic fracturing ... raising widespread concerns about alleged groundwater contamination and even earthquakes.

The drilling boom has helped boost U.S. natural gas production by one-third since 2005 ... In recent months, however, production has begun to level off as the glut of natural gas keeps U.S. prices down. In response, producers have begun pushing to export the fuel to Europe and Asia, where prices are far higher. Exports may rise 40%.

Walker asks for expanded Frac Monitoring over cancer concerns, but Rep. Scott Suder wary of creating government jobs.

If you’re living anywhere near a frac sand mining operation, then you’re probably concerned about your chances of getting cancer.

In an odd moment of sanity, Gov. Scott Walker has decided those concerns are justified.

WPR: Governor Scott Walker is asking the legislature for money to help monitor air quality at frac sand mining operations. The DNR says there are four technicians in the west central region and compliance checks at sand mines are rare.

But wouldn't you know it, there are science deniers/corporate whores who think such concerns are ridiculous (side note: Republicans don’t feel the same about the unproven negative effects of inaudible wind farm noise levels. That’s enough to stop the whole industry.)

But some of his Republican colleagues are skeptical of the request. One of the main concerns about frac sand mining is blowing silica dust, which is a known carcinogen. But Republican state Representative Scott Suder says he's skeptical when any agency asks for additional staff. "It has not been shown to me by the DNR, and I have asked them, why they need those additional two positions when they do have individuals in the agency that perform that testing. If the need is there, if there is an actual health concern or if they are overburdened and they don't have enough, then I can stomach it.”

Since sanity left the party a long time ago, good luck with that request Scotty.

Big Oil will not thank Government for Fracking, and now wants to take all the credit.

If Mitt Romney and the Republicans had their way, alternative energy subsidies would disappear completely. Let the free market decide. But in reality, what should happen is just the opposite, which is typical when we're talking about Republicans.

While the American public would be happy to cut subsidies to big oil, “opposite day” Republicans want to keep giving taxpayer dollars to big oil. Solar and wind...forget it.

They're quick to point to examples like Solyndra, who couldn’t compete with cheap Chinese labor. But China subsidizes solar, and helped drive down prices, killing the American company. But what happened is normal when it comes to developing new alternative energies. The story below shows how big oil is now trying to take credit for developing fracking, even though they would have given up decades earlier if it wasn’t for government subsidies and tax credits:  

AP: It sounds like a free-market success story: a natural gas boom created by drilling company innovation, delivering a vast new source of cheap energy without the government subsidies that solar and wind power demand. "The free market has worked its magic," the Barnett Shale Energy Education Council, an industry group, claimed over the summer. The boom happened "away from the greedy grasp of Washington," the American Enterprise Institute, a think tank, wrote in an essay this year. If bureaucrats "had known this was going on," the essay went on, "surely Washington would have done something to slow it down, tax it more, or stop it altogether."

But the pioneers of fracking tell a different story:

But those who helped pioneer the technique known as hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, recall a different path. Over three decades, from the shale fields of Texas and Wyoming to the Marcellus in the Northeast, the federal government contributed more than $100 million in research to develop fracking, and billions more in tax breaks.

Now, those industry pioneers say their own effort shows that the government should back research into future sources of energy — for decades, if need be — to promote breakthroughs. For all its success now, many people in the oil and gas industry itself once thought shale gas was a waste of time.

"There's no point in mincing words. Some people thought it was stupid," said Dan Steward, a geologist who began working with the Texas natural gas firm Mitchell Energy in 1981.

In 1975, the Department of Energy began funding research into fracking and horizontal drilling, but it took more than 20 years to perfect the process. Alex Crawley, a former Department of Energy employee, recalled that some early tests were spectacular — in a bad way. "There's not a lot of companies that would stay with something this long. Most companies would have given up," he said, crediting founder George Mitchell as a visionary who also got support from the government at key points.

"The government has to be involved, to some degree, with new technologies," Steward said … the fracking pioneers point out that it's impossible to predict how and when research will pay off. "It wouldn't be research if you already knew that it was going to be effective," said Crawley.

Terry Engelder, a Penn State University geologist known for his enthusiastic support for gas drilling, said the story of how shale gas went from longshot to head of the pack — and how long that took — shows that serious support for renewable energy research makes sense, too. "These renewables have a huge upside," Engelder said. "In my view, the subsidies are really very appropriate."

Uniformity, Certainty, Predictability and Job Creation, Mining Industry wants to take away your land and health!!!

Remember when mining interests and the Walker Republican authority presented us with this reason for passing their industry written legislation: “provide certainty and predictability that encourages investment and job creation.”

That’s the catchall phrase for just about all deregulation now. On the subject of mining, check out the most jaw dropping law yet passed by Pennsylvania Republicans in February that basically handed the energy industry complete control over that states local communities:

CNN: A Pennsylvania court has struck down a controversial provision of a state law that stopped municipalities from controlling where natural gas companies could drill. The ruling restores the oversight municipalities had prior to Act 13, allowing them to regulate where natural gas drilling is permitted.

Act 13 "was a complete overreach," said attorney Jordan Yaeger … The municipalities involved sit above the Marcellus Shale, one of the largest natural gas deposits in the nation. Accessing the natural gas involves "fracking." "It keeps Pennsylvania from becoming a free-for-all," he said. 

What excuses were offered up by mining interests and the energy industry? This may sound familiar for those familiar with our own problematic state mining bill: 

Natural gas industry officials and advocates of drilling in the Marcellus Shale are in favor of the law because they want uniformity in rules governing where they can drill. "The premise for the General Assembly's action earlier this year was to provide certainty and predictability that encourages investment and job creation across the commonwealth," Marcellus Shale Coalition President Kathryn Klaber said in a prepared statement. 

Russian roulette with drinking water:

Despite finding hazardous substances, specifically arsenic, barium or manganese in well water at five homes at levels that could present a health concern, the EPA determined that the levels of contaminants present would not require additional action by the agency.

For freedom loving, free market voting Americans, you can always move somewhere else. 

Wood County votes to spend my money on their road repairs, not the frac haulers.

Hey Folks, Wood County wants me, a Dane County resident, to help pay for their frac sand mining road repairs. I say, go to hell. I guess this where industry can now insist it doesn’t even have to take responsibility for the public roads to and from their mine?  You got it! Marshfield News Herald:

Wood County officials are commended for taking a positive stance on frac sand hauling. At Tuesday's County Board meeting, supervisors voted 17 to 2 to approve a resolution to ask the state for assistance to improve local roads to withstand the weight of trucks hauling frac sand.

The approach is the right one for county leaders to take, and the tone is positive. Previous … Wood County Highway Commissioner Doug Passineau has been working with frac sand haulers to get commitments to repair any damage done by hauling.

It's more a heads up to the state that counties like ours will need some help to improve roads for this new industry … Perhaps the state can help by freeing up some road funds for these projects.

No wonder industry thinks they can do anything they want, because they can. But they can't spend my money for their servitude to industry and their own bad business behavior. 

Fracking contaminates Ground Water!

Mining for fracking material may in for some trouble now that ground water has been found to be contaminated. 

TheHill: Fracking does, in fact, contaminate water, reports Ben Geman: "A preliminary Environmental Protection Agency report on apparent groundwater contamination in Wyoming from the gas drilling method called hydraulic fracturing could shake up the battle over federal regulation of the practice. EPA released a draft report Thursday with results of groundwater monitoring in a Wyoming natural gas field where drinking-well owners had complained of odor and poor taste.

The monitoring showed chemical contamination that EPA said likely stems from hydraulic fracturing — a finding that, if borne out, would undercut industry claims that there’s no evidence that the method dubbed 'fracking' is polluting groundwater ... Fracking involves high-pressure injections of water, chemicals and sand into rock formations, which open up cracks that enable trapped gas to flow. The method has created a natural gas boom in many states, but it carries with it concerns about pollution."