DATELINE: The Mid-Hudson Valley of New York — 50 air miles from The City.

THE YEAR: 1963.

THE SCENARIO :  A transistor radio in a brown leather case on the grass by the  city pool.

The radio is tuned to the local AM radio station, which just this week decided to play rock and roll (on weekends only) to try and compete with the powerhouse WABC  in Gotham, which  dominated the dial with it’s Top 40 format.  At the controls of the Mighty Western Electric control board is a 15-year-old Al Czervic who’s spinning the discs and trying to sound like Dan Ingram, Cousin Brucie, and Wolfman Jack all rolled into one.

My  neighbor owned the 1,000 watt station and as I was a rabid music fan and electronics experimenter in Ham Radio, the neighbor offered me non-paid shot at fame.  Although I was a mere frosh in high school, we could spin the platters and yak it up to the teenage audience.

(EDITOR’S NOTE — Fame, schmame).————————————-Al in l974

Some of the songs that were hits in 1963 were are listed below. You can hear the Top Ten by clicking the popout player button. Give it a try, the audio is excellent.

We’ll be posting different years every Friday  as a feature. Next week:  1964. and I’ll continue to bore you with tales of radio in the US, on aircraft carriers, and at the Mighty Five-Ninety in Da Nang, RVN.

–Al “Spinnin’ those oldie moldy gassers from the Golden Grooveyard” Czervic

↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔

11. Can’t Get Used To Losing You, Andy Williams
12. My Boyfriend’s Back, Angels
13. Sukiyaki, Kyu Sakamoto
14. She’s A Fool, Lesley Gore
15. It’s All Right, Impressions
16. Puff (The Magic Dragon), Peter, Paul and Mary
17. Blowin’ In The Wind, Peter, Paul and Mary
18. Wipe Out, The Surfaris
19. Deep Purple, Nino Tempo and April Stevens
20. I’m Leaving It Up To You, Dale and Grace
21. I Love You Because, Al Martino
22. Wild Weekend, Rebels
23. You’re The Reason I’m Living, Bobby Darin
24. Walk Like A Man, Four Seasons
25. Mockingbird, Inez Foxx
26. I Will Follow Him, Little Peggy March
27. Pipeline, Chantays
28. Surf City, Jan and Dean
29. It’s My Party, Lesley Gore
30. Blame It On The Bossa Nova, Eydie Gorme
31. You Can’t Sit Down, Flovells
32. Heat Wave, Martha and The Vandellas
33. Denise, Randy and The Rainbows
33. Walk Right In, Rooftop Singers
35. If You Wanna Be Happy, Jimmy Soul
36. Surfer Girl, Beach Boys
37. If I Had A Hammer, Trini Lopez
38. Everybody, Tommy Roe
39. Easier Said Than Done, Essex
40. Ruby Baby, Dion
41. Maria Elena, Los Indios Tabajaras
42. Our Day Will Come, Ruby and The Romantics
43. I Can’t Stay Mad At You, Skeeter Davis
44. Hello, Stranger, Barbara Lewis
45. Be My Baby, Ronettes
45. Mean Woman Blues, Roy Orbison
47. South Street, Orlons
48. Days Of Wine And Roses, Henry Mancini
49. The Monkey Time, Major Lance
50. Candy Girl, Four Seasons
51. Still, Bill Anderson
52. Blue On Blue, Bobby Vinton
53. Cry Baby, Garnet Mimms and The Enchanters
54. Two Faces Have I, Lou Christie
55. Busted, Ray Charles
56. Da Doo Ron Ron, Crystals
57. Foolish Little Girl, Shirelles
58. Memphis, Lonnie Mack
59. In Dreams, Roy Orbison
60. More, Kal Winding
61. Fools Rush In, Rick Nelson
62. Losing You, Brenda Lee
63. Our Winter Love, Bill Pursell
64. I Wanna Be Around, Tony Bennett
65. You’ve Really Got A Hold On Me, Miracles
66. Sally Go ‘Round The Roses, Jaynetts
67. Little Red Rooster, Sam Cooke
68. Then He Kissed, w Crystals
69. (You’re The) Devil In Disguise, Elvis Presley
70. Those Lazy-hazy-crazy Days On Summer, Nat King Cole
71. Baby Workout, Jackie Wilson
72. Pride And Joy, Marvin Gaye
73. Walking The Dog, Rufus Thomas
74. From A Jack To A King, Ned Miller
75. Up On The Roof, Drifters
76. What Will My Mary Say, Johnny Mathis
77. Mama Didn’t Lie, Jan Bradley
78. The Night Has A Thousand Eyes, Bobby Vee
79. Don’t Say Nothin’ Bad About My Baby, Little Eva
80. Ring Of Fire, Johnny Cash
81. (Down At) Papa Joe’s, Dixiebelles With Cornbread and Jerry
82. Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh! (A Letter From Camp), Allan Sherman
83. Judy’s Turn To Cry, Lesley Gore
84. Just One Look, Doris Troy
85. Mickey’s Monkey, Miracles
86. Donna, The Prima Donna, Dion
87. That Sunday, That Summer, Nat King Cole
88. Another Saturday Night, Sam Cooke
89. Painted, Tainted Rose, Al Martino
90. Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport, Roll Harris
91. Go Away Little Girl, Steve Lawrence
92. Take These Chains From My Heart, Ray Charles
93. Talk To Me, Sunny and The Sunglows
94. Come And Get These Memories, Martha and The Vandellas
95. Bossa Nova Baby, Elvis Presley
96. Do The Bird, Dee Dee Sharp
97. Shut Down, Beach Boys
98. One Fine Day, Chiffons
99. Little Town Flirt, Del Shannon
100. 500 Miles Away From Home, Bobby Bare

EDITOR’S NOTES:  Hattip to Pat at BornAgainRedneck

SENIOR police officers in the West Midlands have been told to look out for a terrifying new knife capable of instantly ‘exploding’ its victims and freezing their internal organs.

The Metropolitan Police have told colleagues in the West Midlands to be on the lookout for the blade, which is designed to kill sharks and bears. Police are concerned that the £200 weapon which injects gas through a needle embedded in the blade could fall into the wrong hands.

The American made weapon is sold to hunters and divers and injects the frozen ball that expands to the size of a basketball at 850psi when the small handle-mounted trigger is pressed.

The manufacturer describes it as perfect for downed pilots, soldiers and security guards and boasts that it will “drop many of the world’s largest land predators” and can snap-freeze all tissue and organs in the area surrounding the blast.

A source close to West Midlands Police said: “The Met is obviously concerned about this and that is why they have circulated the information. “This knife will almost certainly kill and the Met must have intelligence that they are in circulation. I think it is only a matter of time before one of these is used because the internet makes it much easier to find and buy weapons like this.”

FROM THE MANUFACTURER’S WEBSITE:

Military and Tactical

Since World War II, the military has seen its soldiers equipment go through many radical changes and technological advances. From the M1 Garand to the M14 to the M16. Advances in weaponry and even things as simple as a pair of boots make our fighting men the best equipped soldiers in the world.

One weapon, though, has gone unchanged. The knife. Yes, there have been changes in the styles and blade configurations, but it is still just the same old sharpened piece of steel. Until now.

Today our soldiers face many new challenges and to overcome those challenges they deserve the most advanced equipment that is available to them. A simple knife is OK to have, but when it comes down to the last line of defense you want to be carrying something that will get the job done.

Introducing the WASP Injection Knife. A multi-shot gas injection weapon that is devastating to any living creature and will drop some of the largest mammals in a single stab. This easy-to-use, easy-to-reload weapon delivers up to a 24g shot of compressed gas at 800 psi. on land or underwater. It is silent when used and deadly to our enemies. No need to take a chance that the enemy can come back to attack you.

The WASP is ideally suited for:

• Special Ops Troops (Land or Sea)
• Downed Pilots Stranded In Open Water
  or Remote Forests
• Military Survival Kits
• S.W.A.T. and Special Police
• Security Guards

The WASP - Give Our Troops the Edge!

READ MORE WASPKNIFE.COM

EDITOR’S NOTES:  These handy little lifesavers are $385.00  Give one to a loved one ASAP. Al Czervic.

Winston Churchill On Islam

“How dreadful are the curses which Mohammedanism lays on its votaries! Besides the fanatical frenzy, which is as dangerous in a man as hydrophobia in a dog, there is this fearful fatalistic apathy.

The effects are apparent in many countries. Improvident habits, slovenly systems of agriculture, sluggish methods of commerce, and insecurity of property exist wherever the followers of the Prophet rule or live.

A degraded sensualism deprives this life of its grace and refinement; the next of its dignity and sanctity. The fact that in Mohammedan law every woman must belong to some man as his absolute property - either as a child, a wife, or a concubine - must delay the final extinction of slavery until the faith of Islam has ceased to be a great power among men.”

“Individual Muslims may show splendid qualities. Thousands become the brave and loyal soldiers of the Queen; all know how to die; but the influence of the religion paralyzes the social development of those who follow it.

No stronger retrograde force exists in the world. Far from being moribund, Mohammedanism is a militant and proselytizing faith. It has already spread throughout Central Africa, raising fearless warriors at every step; and were it not that Christianity is sheltered in the strong arms of science - the science against which it had vainly struggled - the civilisation of modern Europe might fall, as fell the civilisation of ancient Rome.”

(The River War, first edition, Vol. II, pages 248-50) London: Longmans, Green & Co., 1899

http://oldatlanticlighthouse.wordpress.com/2008/07/15/kristof-new-york-times-has-tape-obama-muslim-prayer-arabic/

URGENT RED ROCKET — FLASH!!

http://oldatlanticlighthouse.wordpress.com/2008/07/15/kristof-new-york-times-has-tape-obama-muslim-prayer-arabic/

EDITOR’S NOTE:  When (not if) this tape pans out, it is the end of Mr. Barry Hussein Obama’s campaign.  What’s bad is — Hillary will take his place. Al Czervic

-Comedian Andy Dick was arrested this morning by California cops on drug and sexual battery charges.

Dick, 42, was nabbed around 2 AM in a Riverside County parking lot after he allegedly groped the breasts of a 17-year-old girl and then pulled the teen’s tank top and bra down, exposing her breasts (the incident occurred outside the Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant).

 During a search of Dick, police discovered a small amount of marijuana in his pants pocket and a single Xanax pill for which he did not have a prescription. An “extremely intoxicated” Dick was booked into the Southwest Detention Center, where bail was set at $5,000.

 In May 2004, Dick was arrested on a pot possession charge while attending the Coachella music festival, also in Riverside County. LINK

EDITOR’S NOTES: Sometimes a guy’s name says it all. Sometimes the headlines just write themselves.

An inmate convicted of stabbing another inmate in the eye, blinding him, was sentenced  to 23 years in state prison, the Broome County District Attorney’s Office announced.

Eddie M. Robinson, 40, was sentenced today in Broome County Court by Judge Patrick H. Mathews.

A jury in March said Robinson stabbed Eddie Brabham in the eye with a pen on April 21, 2006. STORY LINK

Technorati tags: GUNS, RBKA, POLITICS, POLICE, SECOND AMENDMENT, HILLARY CLINTON, CIVIL RIGHTS

ED NOTES: Haven’t I been harping on the dangers to society that pens cause? Think of it — thousands of pens in public schools alone! Not to mention pens in cars, on the streets, carried around loaded in purses, and the fact that the pen is mightier than the sword! FerGawdSake let’s get this pen epidemic under control by passing strict pen control laws NOW!

EDITOR’S NOTES: We’re putting up three of our favorite cartoons gleaned of the course of a couple of years today just as a break from the tedium of text. Enjoy. Al Czervic

YOUR CONGRESSMAN SENDS HIS NONBINDING SUPPORT

click pic to enlarge

click the pic to enlarge

EDITOR’S NOTES:  Thanks to the wonderful software of GIMP (Photoshop is so blasé), we’ve uncovered the real  Obama birth certificate. Let the whining commence. CLICK THE PIC TO ENLARGE.  Al Czervic.

U.S. army deserter Robin Long is slated to be deported back to his army base in Fort Knox, Ky., Tuesday, which would make him the first resister to the U.S. war effort in Iraq to be sent out of Canada.

Madam Justice Anne Mactavish of the Federal Court of Canada cleared the way for the deportation late Monday, dismissing a last-ditch attempt to delay the process while the 25-year-old pursued further appeals. [...]

 Mr. Long intended to train as a tank commander. “He wanted to go to defend his country,” his lawyer said.

His perspective changed while in training at the army base at Fort Knox. After hearing that weapons of mass destruction had not been found in Iraq, Mr. Long thought the U.S. had no reason for being at war. Also, he was troubled by evidence of abuse of Iraqi detainees that came out in May of 2004.LINK

EDITOR’S NOTES:  Take a look at this disgusting shred of human debris. He’s not exactly the kind of guy you’d spend a week in a hunting camp with.  But I’ll betcha a dollar to a hole in a rubber donut he’s an Obama voter.  Alas, the Army will probably give him a bad conduct discharge instead of the 30 years at hard labor in Leavenworth that he deserves.

The east coast cows are hip, I really dig those bells they wear, and the southern cows with the way they moo, knock me out when I’m down there, but I wish they all could be California cows

A group of animal rescuers are helping a young cow through her identity crisis. Milkshake the cow spent the first two years of her life confined to a small, filthy pen before being rescued by the Grace Foundation in El Dorado Hills, California. During the two years spent in confinement, Milkshake never learned to become a cow. “She doesn’t know she’s a cow. She doesn’t know where she fits,” caretaker Beth DeCaprio explained. Milkshake got her name from a young boy who thought she looked like a milkshake before the blending.

Since arriving at the Grace Foundation Milkshake has spent most of her time inside and around people. The bovine even attends classes with children. DeCaprio said that the reason Milkshake became attached to people was because she was taken from her mother at only two weeks of age. During her two years cooped up in a small pen, Milkshake never even learned to graze.

The 1,200-pound Hereford is trying to make up for lost time of socializing by playing with a rescued puppy named Riley at the foundation. “I have been teaching Riley to ride on her back, and they both seem to like it,” DeCaprio said. LINK

Here’s a new YouTube channel from Nottingham University in the UK — here, scientist-vloggers are in the process of posting a video for each element of the periodic table. Sort of “Mythbusters” meets chemistry, with real live awesome mad scientist hair. This is one of the neatest, most clever, and most enduringly valuable things I’ve seen on YT in a while.

Periodic Table of Videos channel, and The “sodium” video, above, is a good place to start.

BOMBSHELL!

According to Israelinsider, “It is now a certainty that the “birth certificate” claimed by the Barack Obama campaign as authentic is a photoshopped fake.”

“The image, purporting to come from the Hawaii Department of Health, has been the subject of intense skepticism in the blogosphere in the past few weeks.  But now the senior spokesman of that Department has confirmed to Israel Insider what are the required features of a certified birth document—features that Obama’s purported “birth certificate” clearly lack.

“That strongly suggests that Daily Kos obtained the image from Photobucket, not the State of Hawaii, the Obama family, or the Obama campaign. Photobucket is not generally known as a credible supplier of official vital records for any of the fifty states, and the liberties that other Photoshoppers took with the certificates confirms this.

“Some of these oddities surfaced in Israel Insider’s previous article on the subject, but new comparative documentary evidence presented below, and official verification obtained by Israel Insider from a senior Hawaiian official, provides the strongest confirmation yet.

“An authentic Hawaiian birth certificate for another Hawaiian individual has since surfaced which, using the same official form as the presumptive Obama certificate, includes an embossed official seal and an authoritative signature, coming through from the back. Obama’s alleged certificate lacks those features, and the certificate number referencing the birth year has been blacked out, making it untraceable. [...]

“Until now, it has been thought that there might be some embarrassing information on the real certificate: was the candidate’s name something other than Barack Hussein Obama II, as it is claimed? Was no father listed because of the uncertainty over Obama’s paternity? Was his father’s race listed as Arab, or Muslim, rather than African? These revelations might be embarrassing, and further undermine his credibility, but he could disavow and downplay their significance. Would revealing such embarrassment outweigh the far greater risks involved in perpetuating a palpable forgery, or passing off an uncertified official document as being certified?

“There is one possibility, however, which alone might justify the risk that Obama and his campaign seems to be taking in putting forward the uncertified document image: Obama was not in fact born in Hawaii and may not be an American citizen at all, or at least not a “natural born citizen” as the Constitution defines the requirement for the nation’s chief executive. Real original birth certificates, circa 1961, have all kinds of verifiable information that would confirm Obama’s origins, or throw them into doubt should they be lacking.

“Research has since uncovered the law, in force at the time of Obama’s birth, that were he to have been born in another country, his young American mother’s youth extended time abroad would not suffice to make him a “natural born citizen.” Even if he were naturalized later—and there is no evidence that he was—he would not be eligible to run for the office of president and—if forgery or misrepresentation were involved—he and his staffers might find themselves facing stiff federal and state charges.  READ MORE HERE

 

Click for higher resolution image.
Click for higher resolution image.

EDITOR’S NOTES:  Of course it’s a fake. What would you expect from the mob connected Rezko group?  The downside is: Hillary can use this as a reason why the DNC Convention should ditch Barry and support her.   Al “I got a valid Birth Certificate” Czervic

SEE A TOTAL OF NAT GAS INFO IN THE ARCHIVES BY CLICKING HERE –

HERE ARE THE FACTS ABOUT GAS DRILLING THAT THE GREEN WHEENIE TREE HUGGING RADICALS DON’T WANT YOU TO KNOW:

The Friendsville Group. See their site for valuable photos and other gas information.

A Broad Look At The Environmental Issues

Of Natural Gas Drilling

by Kevin Lewis of The Friendsville Group

INTRO

There is a lot of concern about the environmental issues related to drilling natural gas wells. There is a lot of confusion about those issues as well. The industry prefers to withhold information and wants you to believe that everything is just fine. On the other hand, many of the environmental groups would have you believe that each new well is the start of another Love Canal episode. I’m convinced that the truth is somewhere in the middle. But it’s hard to find a web site or news article related to gas well drilling that is complete and unbiased. I should mention though, one very good source of fact based information is the Oil & Gas Accountability Project’s, “Oil & Gas At Your Door?” (see sources at end). What I’ve tried to do in this report is separate the truth from the nonsense and put this information into perspective. The opinions expressed in this report are my own opinions and should not be considered the opinions of the streering committee or the group as a whole.

THE DEC

One of the best reasons for writing our own lease is to have some control over environmental issues. Although our NY DEC claims to be our ‘protector’, many question whether they will be able to handle any increase in gas drilling in our area. New York has only 4 site inspectors compared to Pennsylvania’s 32. You have to wonder how they’ll be able to cover the territory and be at the drill sites during critical stages. At a recent local meeting, I felt that they provided vague, incomplete answers to serious questions. When pressed further, it became apparent that they ‘regulate’ the drilling companies more through the ‘permitting process’ rather than on-site monitoring. I think that there are some real weak spots in the DEC policies which are mentioned further in this report.

RESEARCH

One of the main things that struck me while doing my research was ‘the numbers’. There aren’t a large number of publicized accidents, spills, etc.. Why is that? Normally, whenever there’s an incident involving water, soil or air pollution, the media is all over it. When visiting environmental sites to find examples of ‘gas wells gone wrong’, it’s mostly the same few incidents and locations that keep showing up. Considering the number of wells drilled all over the US in the past 10 to 20 years, you’d think that there would be many more well publicized incidents if well drilling is as hazardous as some claim.

Critics say there isn’t enough information about the effects of drilling. I say, if you want to study the effects of drilling, just look to Texas, the most-drilled state in the nation. The state of Texas alone had over 1.5 million wells drilled in the last century, yet they still have ample supplies of drinkable water and usable land. It has 266,820 active oil wells and 88,048 active gas wells … that’s a total of 354,868 active over 75,000 wells drilled in New York State in the last century. Over 100 of them are in Broome and Tioga counties. I was unable to find reports of any gas well related catastrophes here in NY or in Texas.

But, there have been problems elsewhere. Colorado, New Mexico, and Wyoming are clear examples of mismanagement and lack of monitoring by ‘the authorities’ (Bureau of Land Management, EPA, and State Agencies). But in each case, the scope of the drilling had a lot to do with the problems. The drilling in those areas has been so heavy and so concentrated that the terrain resembles an ant farm. The agencies failed to stay ahead of the situation and in some cases common sense was ignored.

If the Marcellus ever truly becomes ‘the next Barnett’ we may need to adapt. But, for the near future, we will not see the extreme level of drilling that caused all the air pollution in Wyoming. And if common sense is used, we won’t see soil pollution like New Mexico or water pollution like Colorado (reasons explained later). I believe the pace of drilling here will proceed slowly when you consider that 1) many gas companies are still focusing on the Barnett Shale in Texas 2) there are several other new and emerging gas fields in the nation 3) there are a limited number of drill rigs in the US 4) the Marcellus Shale covers a huge area, including PA and West Virginia.

ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS

I’ve separated the environmental concerns into two categories: MINOR and MAJOR:

Minor Concerns:

Noise, Lights, Dust, Truck Traffic, Road Deterioration, Loss of ‘Green Space’, Loss of Hunting Area, Habitat Fragmentation

I just don’t get excited about the above mentioned issues. There will be noise, odor, dust, dirt, and mud. Roads will be torn up by heavy truck traffic and some trees will be cut down. But all of these issues are temporary. Roads can be repaved, grass and trees grow back, and life will return to normal when the drilling is finished. I remember during my childhood, having our neighborhood torn up for new gutters, sewers, and pavement … a project that took many months. It was loud, dusty, smelly, and inconvenient, but we survived and everyone was happy with the results. Imagine if a large corporation bought a chunk of wooded land locally to build a new factory. Most would see it as a ‘great thing’ for our area in terms of the jobs and economic boost it would provide. Yet, we’d experience many of the same inconveniences. Gas leasing and production can provide jobs and a serious economic boost as well. You don’t get something for nothing.

* It’s important to note that, although a typical vertical well may take 4 to 6 weeks to complete, some of the newer horizontal drilling plans may take 2 to 3 times longer. This is due to the fact that they can drill several ‘offshoot’ wells from the same horizontal drill pad. Although this is more of a nuisance in the early going, it greatly reduces the number of roads, pits, and pads required.

Major Concerns:

Water Pollution, Soil Pollution, Air Pollution, Water Table Depletion, Catastrophic Accidents (blowouts, explosions, fires, etc.)

For many people, the biggest issue is the chemicals that are added to the frac water and drilling muds. Exactly what chemicals are used and how much is not fully known. The Energy Bill of 2005 exempts oil & gas companies from having to disclose the proprietary chemical contents of drilling & completing processes. But the most commonly sited hazardous chemicals reported to be in these fluids are: acetone, benzene, ethylbenzene, toluene, and xylene. These are all toxic and/or carcinogenic substances that have well-known and serious negative health effects.

What hasn’t been made clear is the level of risk assumed at the concentrations used. If a drilling accident or spill occurred, would the exposure level from soil, water, or air contamination be lethal, moderate, or minuscule? And how does it compare to the exposure we experience every day from products in our homes, automobile exhaust and our local factories? We need to put it in perspective. Again, the industry says this almost never happens and if it ever did, the exposure levels would be so low that it would not present a serious problem. On the other side are the environmentalists who claim that it does happen and it is a serious problem. What’s the real story?

Water Pollution - How often does it happen? Again, let’s look at Texas. The Texas Groundwater Protection Committee’s Joint Groundwater Monitoring and Contamination Report – 2004 (TGPC, 2005) lists 1,440 groundwater contamination cases (of all types) in a twenty-county study area. This 20 county area includes the Barnett Shale ‘sweet spot’ where heavy drilling has occurred. What they discovered was that the vast majority of cases did not involve oil & gas field operations but rather spills and leaks of finished petroleum products. Of these cases:

- 1,428 cases were not related to oil & gas field operation and involved contamination by gasoline, diesel, or products, mostly (1,020) related to releases from petroleum storage tank facilities.

- 12 cases were related to gas & oilfield activities.

The report did not state the scope of the contamination and the impacts each case had, but it puts it into perspective … only 12 out of 1,440 contaminations were due to gas & oilfield operations. By comparison, it doesn’t seem to be a huge problem, even in heavily drilled Texas.

Here at home, the NY State Office of the Attorney General states that, “Oil spills from leaking underground storage tanks at homes and gas stations are the largest single threat to groundwater quality in the United States today. An estimated 1.2 million tanks nationwide, many of which were installed prior to new regulations in 1988, are a concern because tanks corrode quickly when buried unprotected in the soil. Corrosion, and other factors such as improper installation, spills during product delivery, and piping failures, have already caused more than 400,000 confirmed underground storage tank leaks nationwide.” A 1998 survey by the DEC found that gasoline spills contaminated more than 800 private wells and forty-seven public water supply wells in New York State. This is something that

is happening, but no one’s talking about shutting down gas stations. An occasional well accident is something that iscould happen and people are talking about abandoning the natural gas industry.

Nonetheless, water pollution from gas and oilfield operations can happen, and it can happen in a couple of different ways:

- Well Casing/Cement Failure - After the well casing (piping) is put in the ground, the drilling company pumps cement along the outside of the casing from top to bottom. This seals off the surrounding rock layers from the gas and high pressure frac water, preventing contamination of any underground water. If the cementing of the well casing is not done properly, or if the cement does not seal off as it should (during the high-pressure frac’ing process), the frac water could flow up along the outside of the well bore and into other layers of rock which may contain well water. * The DEC doesn’t require that the cement be tested for strength as it is in bridges and buildings.

From what I’ve been able to determine, well casing or cementing failures are an extremely rare occurrence as the industry claims. I’ve only found 2 cases where gas well casing failures caused water well pollution. I saw mention of another in Madison, Ohio but apparently it was only methane that found it’s way into the water (no fluids). I could not find any further details about that one. I wouldn’t doubt that there are more, but for all the hours of searching I did, this is all I could come up with.

CASE #1 - In Grandview, Texas, (Jan 200 it is thought (but not proven) that the well casing or concrete failed during the frac’ing process of a newly drilled gas well. In this case, high sulfate concentrations, other contaminants, and traces of toluene were found in 3 water wells within a couple hundred yards of the gas well. The water wells were drilled into a shallow groundwater supply called the Woodbine aquifer. At two different times after the incident, the landowners had the water tested by independent labs which confirmed the previous results. The article did not state what the actual levels were but, in each test, the toluene was below the EPA max. acceptable level. * It should be noted in this case that the EPA had tested this aquifer several years before the drilling took place and found that 61% of the samples were above the EPA limits for sulfates with traces of other gasoline additives, insecticides, pesticides, and solvents. So it seems believable that the gas well was not responsible for all of the contamination. The original news article never mentioned this, nor have any of the environmental sites that are using this incident as an example. I’ve not been able to find any reports of the contamination spreading to any other local wells.

CASE #2 - In Clark, Wyoming, (Aug 2006) a drilling rig hit an extremely high-pressured gas pocket at about 8,500 feet. The gas shot up the well with enough force that it blew out a weak spot in the side of the well casing (underground). In this episode, one water well on an adjacent property was affected and it has tested above EPA limits for toluene. As in case #1, the article did not say what the exact toluene levels were. Were they way above the limit or just slightly above? No mention was made of any follow-up testing and what the results might have been. Monitoring wells have been dug all around the affected area. Again, I have been keeping an eye out for articles and reports of the contamination spreading, but have found none.

Note: Environmentalists often site two cases in Texas (towns of Chico-2005 & DeBerry-1997) where nearby water wells were contaminated, but these were not gas wells involved. They were ‘injection wells’ (discussed later) into which the state of Texas allows all kinds of drilling wastes to be pumped at high pressure. It was determined that the operators were pumping into the wells at excessive pressures.

This is the type of accident (well casing/ cement failure), though, that would pose the biggest risk to a major aquifer. But how much of a risk? Critics warn that one well accident could condemn the drinking water for large portions of the state. How likely is this? The first accident mentioned above affected only 3 nearby water wells, with toluene levels below EPA limits. The second blowout did put toluene levels above the EPA limit but has so far only affected one nearby water well. How much effect would this type of accident truly have on a major aquifer, where the dilution rate would be considerable? With the millions of wells drilled in this country, can anyone find a case of an entire aquifer being condemned due to a gas drilling mishap? I can’t, and something of that magnitude would be hugely publicized. As I said before, this type of failure is extremely rare. Part of the reason may be that, this the last thing that the drilling company wants. If it does happen, the well is ruined and it’s a major loss for the gas company at $3 - $5 million per well.

- Pit Failure - Most drilling companies keep their contaminated waste water in open earthen pits that have a one-piece poly liner covering the bottom and sides of the pit. Accidental contamination can occur if the waste water escapes from the pits into the surrounding soil and leaches into a nearby water supply. These spills can be caused by poor pit construction (cave-ins), torn liners, and stormwater overflows. In my opinion, these pits are the weakest link in the whole drilling process.

This type of accident occurs more frequently, but again, in relation to the number of wells drilled, it’s not an everyday occurrence. There are however, several recent and well publicized incidents of contamination due to waste water pits leaking. Four of those incidents occurred in Garfield County, Colorado where the drilling companies located their pits right on the banks of a popular irrigation-source river. The pits leaked and the waste water went right into the river (duh!). Colorado has since introduced legislation that prohibits the use of open pits within a certain distance to rivers and streams. In such cases, drillers are now required to use ‘closed loop’ systems where the water is pumped directly from the well equipment into a holding tank. * The NY DEC has no such regulation and allows pits to be within 50 ft of rivers and streams (duh!). It’s been shown that ‘closed loop’ systems actually save the drilling companies money while reducing their liability. With environmental pressure building, we’ll see more of these systems in use.

One of the issues here is the thickness of the poly liners used in these pits. I’ve heard that some liners are only about 6 mil, while other states such as Michigan require 50 mil. * Unfortunately, the NY DEC has no spec for the liner thickness. There’s been a lot of attention paid to Hickory, PA, where a pit liner leak apparently contaminated a landowner’s pond. This case has been exploited by the ‘anti-drilling’ environmental groups, one of whom made several videos of the landowner and a few neighbors relating the problems they’ve experienced due to the gas wells. These videos are very one-sided, long on sentiment and short on fact but they can be seen at damascuscitizens.org.

New Mexico is another area often sited by environmental groups and, it’s true, they’ve had some serious pollution due to these waste pits. However, most of it is due to the fact that, for a long time, they never even required pit liners. Drilling companies are required to immediately report pit failures or any other episode resulting in contamination. Small pit/liner leaks may take several days to notice with small volumes released. Major pit/liner leaks are usually noticed quickly. Requiring a thicker pit liner may be an option when writing the terms for our lease.

- Ground Spills - Accidental ground spills of gasoline, diesel fuel, and other liquids can occur on a drill site just like any other industrial or construction site. Most spills of this type are small spills because human error is involved and the mistakes are quickly detected/corrected. Determining an average frequency of these incidents is very difficult, but after reviewing several monthly reports (for the state of Texas), it would seem that a typical month might record 30 well-related spills of all types. The spill materials are put into 3 categories, “crude oil, gas well fluid, and products”. Of the 30 incidents, 5 might involve gas well fluids from a tank (as opposed to a pipeline or other container). Reasons for the spills were things such as “opened wrong valve”, “internal rust or corrosion”.

- Injection Wells - In some states drilling companies are allowed to drill “disposal wells’ deep into porous rock formations. They then pump the contaminated waste water from drilling operations into these wells. The wastes are supposedly down so far that they can never make their way back up to the strata where fresh water supplies exist. * The DEC says that there are ‘a few’ injection wells in NY and that those are used for solution salt mining. A search on the DEC web site for all active wells in NY seems to indicate that this is true. It’s unclear however, how they monitor what wastes actually wind up in these wells. Injections wells are something that we don’t want in our area and, if need be, we can word our lease to prevent this from happening.

- Water Table Disturbance - Any time a well is drilled through a water table, it’s bound to ‘stir up’ the water and sediment. This can happen with water wells or gas wells and it is not uncommon. One article I read explained that, naturally occurring hydrogen sulfide and salt tend to lie on the bottom of the aquifers, but when disturbed, they can mix with the water to deliver an unpleasant taste and odor. But the disturbance is usually minimal and clears up a short time afterward. In extreme cases, very small water wells can empty into the well shaft before the crews have a chance to set the casing and concrete. These small wells are typically very shallow and will be replenished over time by rain water or ‘bleed’ from another nearby underground pool.

Disturbing other layers of rock close to the water table can sometimes cause low levels of natural gas to find it’s way into water wells. This can happen even when drilling another water well on an adjacent property. In some cases, the problem may actually be due to a rusted or corroded casing of the water well itself. A Canadian study has shown that the fugitive methane is often neutralized (oxidized) by bacteria in the water. But with larger amounts of methane, for wells located outside of any structure, simply installing a vented well cap may provide sufficient venting prior to water entering the home.

Should any of the above conditions occur, the DEC should be notified and they will have the drilling company set up an alternate water supply. In any event, this emphasizes the importance of pre-drill water testing and having a properly worded lease to help ensure that the drilling company corrects the situation and/or pays for another suitable water well for you.

Soil Contamination - The causes of soil contamination are the same as for water contamination mentioned above. In addition, some states allow ‘land farming’. This where the small pieces of rock from the drilling operation are washed and then spread over any nearby fields. There are some concerns about this practice due to the fact that the bits of shale and other materials brought up by the drilling process may have a low level of radioactivity . These materials are known as NORM (Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials). So how bad is this stuff?

This is one thing that the DEC has tested (from NY wells) and it has been found to be extremely low level, in most cases indistinguishable from ‘background’ readings. Terry Engelder, prominent Geology Professor at Penn State, says the level of radioactivity is so low that it is comparable to that given off by the luminescent dials we find on wrist watches. Regardless, the DEC has said that on-site land farming is not allowed; that all such wastes are to be trucked to an off-site, certified waste disposal area.

Air Pollution -

- Exhaust From Machinery - The largest source of air pollution would probably be the exhaust from trucks, generators, and drill rigs, all of which are operating around the clock. Environmental sites warn of the ‘smoke belching’ diesel engines releasing benzene and other particulate matter into the air. But, how is this any more threatening to our environment than the machinery found at big construction sites or the highway repaving projects that we see every summer? And how does it compare to the countless numbers of diesel engine tractor trailers rolling on our local roads? Gas well drilling sites are just temporary whereas those big rigs are rolling through our community all day, every day.

One problem area often mentioned by environmental sites is Boulder, Wyoming, where pollution from vehicles and equipment in the gas fields — along with dust, weather and geography — have helped raise ozone levels to those of big cities in the summertime. Does this mean that any area getting gas wells will suffer the same fate? The simple answer is, no. The scope of the operations there is on a scale that we are not likely to see. These are federal lands that were opened up to an army of drillers. They did not have individual property owners to deal with and they didn’t utilize directional drilling. Rather, they put in over 1,000 vertical wells using tight 40 acre spacing at a density of 64 wells per sq. mile (see photos at ww.voiceforthewild.org/blm/Jonah_field/). For us to see that level of activity, they’d have to pull every drill rig from the Barnett Shale, ship them up here, and drill non-stop for over a year. Adding to the problem there are other unique factors. Ozone needs sunlight to form, and environmental officials believe the ozone levels in Wyoming this past winter were exacerbated by heavy snow cover, which intensified the sunlight by reflecting it off the snow. In 2007, when the area had little snow cover, there were no elevated ozone readings. Also contributing to the situation are geographical factors of the area. Rare temperature inversions occur there (cold air is trapped close to the ground) and the surrounding mountains actually help hold the pollution in the valley.

Directional drilling in our area will help reduce the overall air pollution because operators can extract the same amount of gas from one horizontal well drill pad as they can from 16 vertical well drill pads. That’s 15 fewer drill pads, roads, and pits that need to be built by excavators, bulldozers, dumptrucks, etc..

- Evaporation - Some of the toxic chemicals used may also contribute to air pollution. Benzene and some other toxicants found in frac water are highly evaporative chemicals that do not mix well with water. Being lighter than water, they can sit on the water’s surface, evaporate, and be discharged to the air. I’m not sure that this is a bad thing. Not that we want chemicals in the air, but isn’t it better to have it in the air than the water? Isn’t this exactly what ‘scrubbers’ do when they treat soil and water from spill areas? They evaporate chemicals and discharge to the air. But, what is the quantity that we’re talking about here? And if it’s so hazardous, why aren’t the drill site workers who are around it every day falling over dead? The fact is acetone, benzene, toluene, and xylene all break down in the atmosphere within days. But, let’s put it in perspective.

In 2002, Lockheed Martin reportedly released 23,766 lbs. of known and suspected toxicants into the air and water while Hadco released 12,020 lbs. Add to that the emissions from all the other factories, gas stations, and home furnaces in the area and the numbers would be huge. Or again, let’s compare it to the benzene produced by the motor vehicles we drive. Based on average benzene emissions from auto tailpipes, a Wisconsin study estimated that, on a one mile section of Interstate 90/94, motor vehicles unleashed approx. 4,260 lbs. of benzene per year. That’s just a one mile section! The bottom line is, if your driving your car in traffic, you’re sniffing benzene. It seems inconceivable to me that evaporation from a few temporary waste water pits could equal or exceed those figures.

- Flaring - Before putting a new gas well online, the operator often needs to gets rid of excess frac water from the well. They do this by igniting a stream of gas direct from the wellhead, a practice known as flaring. This can be a long, noisy process that may be repeated for several days and for hours at a time. On the other hand, flaring can be avoided altogether if the operator has equipment that can separate the large amounts of water that initially comes out of a new well. Concerns have been raised about the chemicals released from flaring because, along with the methane there are other gases, frac fluid, etc. being burned.

I have not seen any reliable reports stating what the emissions of this activity are, probably because no two flaring situations are the same. The makeup of the gas, the well pressure, and the duration will always be different. I’ve seen claims that there are as many as 200 different components given off by flaring but they never mention in what amounts. Many critics fail to recognize the difference between gas well flaring, oil well flaring, and refinery flaring. Gas well flaring is a short-term, temporary activity, not something that continues on throughout the life of the well. But, lets compare it to another industry. The asphalt manufacturing process reportedly releases millions of pounds of the exact same toxins found in oil & gas production. When you think of the miles and miles of roads in the US, there has to be way more air pollution from asphalt than gas production. If you’re opposed to gas drilling are you also advocating that we stop paving our roads, parking lots and driveways?

* The DEC states that operators are supposed to notify surrounding property owners before flaring operations begin. Operators are required to obtain flaring permits if they are going to flare for over 72 hours straight. But the only way the DEC will find out about violations is if someone issues a complaint to them.

- Water Depletion - It reportedly takes 3 to 5 million gals of water (or more) to drill and complete a well. There’s a lot of concern over where this much water will come from and what the loss of that much water will do to our ecosystem. First of all, most people do not have a good idea of what a million gallons is, so let’s clarify. It’s approximately one and a half Olympic sized swimming pools. Or, if you’re more measurement minded, it’s the volume of one 51 foot cube. It is doubtful that drilling companies will try to drill water wells onsite to furnish their water needs. Time is money in this business and, even with a good water well, it would take them 2 to 3 weeks to fill their tanks. Their preferred source will be surface water (ponds, rivers, etc.) It should be obvious that extensive dewatering of our ponds, rivers and streams is not a good idea. But when water and flow levels are normal they should be able to tolerate some limited donations. And what harm would there be if large quantities were taken from the Susquehanna River when it’s near flood stage?

Drilling companies cannot just help themselves to the water. They must apply for permits with the Susquehanna River Basin Commission (SRBC), who will determine how much water they can obtain at any one time. It’s encouraging that the SRBC already caught and shut down a couple of Pennsylvania drilling operations for taking local water without the proper permits. The Pennsylvania DEP then held a meeting with 150 oil and gas industry leaders to make sure that they knew the rules. Hopefully, they will be just as diligent in NY. * I’ve heard that the SRBC only accepts permits twice a year. This is not very accommodating to drillers and may actually invite noncompliance.

Some drilling companies have already contacted local municipalities with requests to purchase water. The amount purchased will be controlled by our local water officials, who will determine how much can be spared. It deserves mention that the drilling companies are paying a hefty price per gallon for this water and, if handled properly, the revenue from these sales will be a welcomed addition to our cash-strapped local systems. The need for water may present money making opportunities for others in our area as well.

The shortage of water is an issue that many drilling companies have already faced in some gas-rich but water-starved areas of the country. And they’ve come up with some solutions. Most drillers now recycle as much water as possible. In addition, they’ve combined efforts with the local communities to build retention ponds that are filled a little at a time when the community water supplies can afford to ‘donate’. They’ve also channeled unwanted runoff from heavy rains into the ponds, thereby reducing the need to access community water supplies. It seems to me that, if increased drilling is coming our way, it would make a lot of sense to build some of these retaining ponds. We could also have ‘water sales’ every time the Susquehanna is ready to overflow it’s banks. One way or the other, this is another area where our lease can be worded to prohibit taking water directly from our properties.

Catastrophic Accident Possibility

- Blowouts - Occasionally, a large release of gas may accidentally occur at gas well sites. This is known as a blowout and it can happen when unusually high-pressured pockets of gas are encountered during drilling. Normally, the weight of the drilling muds and mechanical devices known as ‘blowout preventers’ keep these surges in check. But, on rare occasions the pressure is so great that it overcomes all resistance and blasts out through the top (or side) of the well casing. Of concern is how quickly the methane dissipates and whether or not it contains large quantities of hydrogen sulfide (sour gas). Evacuation of surrounding homes could be required, much the same as if a gas main were to rupture somewhere. Depending on the pressure involved, blowouts may take up to several days to be brought under control. There have been a couple of very rare cases where sour gas wells were lethal to those very near the well site. It’s believed that the gas in the Marcellus Shale is of high quality (sweet gas) and does not contain large amounts of hydrogen sulfide.

- Explosions - In extreme cases, the friction caused by the rushing gas (from a blowout) can heat up the well casing to the point that the gas ignites resulting in an explosion. The resulting fire makes working conditions more difficult and it can take a couple of weeks to bring the situation under control. Again, evacuation of surrounding homes could be required especially if the threat of wildfires exists during the dry season.

Blowouts are certainly very serious situations but they rarely happen and getting gas out of shale rock like the Marcellus is not that easy. Typically, shale needs to be prodded and poked (frac’ed) in order to obtain enough pressure to make even an average producing well.

But this does bring up the question of preparedness. In heavy drilling states like Texas, they have ‘Well Control Companies’ who specialize in taking care of emergency situations related to well drilling. Do we have any compan