Denton on the map

Two things of note happened in Denton last night.

One was the intense storms that repeatedly slammed them for hours.

The other was the screening for Gasland 2.

Even Lon Burnam braved the hail and tornadoes to make it out.

If you haven't seen Gasland, 1 or 2, you don't know what you're missing.

Seriously. You have no idea.

Putting the Cat Back in the Bag

When you cannot depend on those who are paid to protect you, you must protect yourself and your family.

A letter from former DISH Mayor, Calvin Tillman. Protector of THE PEOPLE.

YOU can't afford to miss it. Unless of course you have no skin in the game....

For those really smart people who think that everything is fine in Gasland, please let me know...I bet I could find you a great deal on a house with a compressor station in your back yard, because it is very easy to say things are fine, when you don't have any skin in the game.

Since the town of DISH released the results of the ambient air study in 2009, the oil and gas industry has worked overtime to put that cat back into the bag. They first attacked the consultant that conducted our study, and then came after me personally with numerous threats and frivolous public information requests. They also spent a tremendous amount of resources to find any angle to put a cloud of doubt around the study, although the lab results clearly showed a problem, and subsequent studies show similar results including those studies perform by the oil and gas industry themselves. This rhetoric did not stop at the industry public relations departments, but also went to the highest levels of government in the State of Texas. Our state wide elected Railroad Commissioners can be heard on public record regurgitating the same vile comments that the industry groups were spewing, all working in collusion to make this little problem go away.

Once the Town of DISH started to get attention worldwide from this air study, the industry worked even harder to cloud the truth. Through my research it is apparent that the oil and gas industry will dispute any and all actions that cost the industry money, even likely spending more money to dispute the facts than accept responsibility and correcting the problem. Although, if they would show even one ounce of responsibility, it would pay huge dividends to their public image. One example of this propaganda is the AskChesapeake (CHK) website. Before the town of DISH air study was made public, there was a section of this website that admitted to the release of many of the chemicals found in DISH, and other areas, including the carcinogen benzene. The site indicated that these chemicals were tightly regulated by numerous state and federal agencies. When the DISH study was released, it became apparent that these sites weren't quite as regulated as Chesapeake (CHK) had indicated. Therefore, shortly after the release of the DISH air study, which had Chesapeake's (CHK) name all over it, that section of their website disappeared, and was replaced with a page that basically said " a little benzene exposure is ok".

The industry also likes to deflect blame from themselves by pointing out other industries that pollute. They act as though bad behavior by others makes it alright for them to do it. I have heard that there have been idle threats aimed at municipalities from Chesapeake, stating that if air testing was accomplished at any of their facilities, they would hire a firm to test the air around some of the area's largest employers. Hmmm, didn't see that advertised on AskChesapeake.

Now when traveling to make presentations around the country, I carry a library of air studies, and numerous photos from around the country. I explain these studies and photos during my presentation, because I know by now that someone will accuse me of dramatizing these issues. The industry would much rather show a photo of a little deer running in front of a drilling rig, than an aerial view of DISH, or better yet, the satellite images that show thousands of large well pad sites. That makes it a little difficult for them to say that there will only be a few wells here and there, and the land will be returned to its original condition. Therefore, the group of paid liars, show up and video my presentation, trying to find something to take out of context and use against me. They then write some hack piece on their websites that are only read by those looking to get paid by the industry, and that makes the band of thugs applaud.

Another issue that follows the same pattern is the small community of Dimock, PA. A private water well actually exploded and yet now the claim is that everything is fine, again trying to put the cat back in the bag. Anyone who has visited the affected people in Dimock, know that everything is not fine, but rather still quite a mess. But the state agency designed to protect the people of Pennsylvania are also working in collusion with the oil and gas industry. This agency has allowed the industry to stop delivering fresh water to those whose water wells are tainted by the irresponsible activities of others. With these sort of actions, does anyone wonder why people are moving out of Gasland? When you cannot depend on those who are paid to protect you, you must protect yourself and your family. None of us are in this position because of our own doing, or because we want to be.

There have been numerous university studies that have attempted to validate the industry's stories. Whether it deals with health impacts, or economic impacts, if they are funded by the industry, they always paint a rosy picture. While typically those who perform studies that are not funded by the industry, typically tell a different story, and if the story is not rosy, it is attacked. In the industries eyes only the studies they fund are valid, and not too many studies show a rosy picture if they are not industry funded. There have been numerous air studies accomplished throughout the Barnett Shale. First there was the DISH Study, that was followed up by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality testing, then the industry performed a study, and lastly the City of Fort Worth perform a study. If looking at only the lab results, all of the studies have very similar findings. There were the same chemicals detected and at levels above the Effects Screening Levels, including benzene that was detected in all of the studies. Frankly, some of the benzene levels found in the other areas were much worse than those found in DISH. However, the study in DISH indicated that there might be a problem with being exposed to benzene, while the other studies indicated that being exposed to a little benzene was ok, and when the levels were very high, they stated that they were being corrected. Although the lab results showed problem, the press release said everything was rosy. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality actually lied to the public about their test results, and had a subsequent internal ethics investigation that showed how this organization intentionally misled the public when they stated that they had not detected benzene in eight air samples, when results showed that half of the samples had elevated benzene levels. No one was ever held accountable for this intentional misleading of the public.

The Texas Department of State Health Services (TDSHS) even came to DISH to take blood and urine samples. This showed several elevated chemicals in the blood and urine of over half of the households, and most of those chemicals had been found to be produced by the compressor station; however, the TDSHS said things like household chemicals and smoking caused the elevated levels, when only four of the twenty seven people tested actually smoked. I was one of the ones who gave samples for the test, and along with 2/3 of those tested, I had toluene in my system. The TDSHS blamed this exposure on my commute, which I had not accomplished in 72 hours, and the half life for toluene is said to be 4 hours. During the meeting where they presented this information, there were several questions posed that the TDSHS could not answer, such as what the number of men vs women that were tested, were there different results in men vs women, how far did each person live from a well or compressor site, did those who lived closer to wells or compressors have higher exposure than those living further away. After it became apparent that the person responsible did not do an effective study, she admitted that this was not a scientific study, and that it should not be looked at as such (you can find the presentation on youtube). However, it has been treated and touted as the smoking gun that things are fine...nothing to see here . There have even been those in academia who have supported this study after it was admittedly flawed, while both the university professors, and the TDSHS are both paid by the State of Texas, where negative talk about the oil and gas industry is not tolerated. Consequently, the governor, who has never had a real job, made a run for President of the United States due to his support from the oil and gas industry, although that is not working out to well for him.

I do not have PhD that follows my name, nor am any kind of scientist, doctor,or lawyer. I admittedly do not understand things like climate change or global warming, but I do believe that I have a little common sense, and I have a lot of smart people that consult me. Therefore, when the benzene level goes up, so does the risk of someone getting cancer, and my children waking up to massive nosebleeds is not normal. Since moving from DISH 9 months ago my children have not suffered one nosebleed in the middle of the night. So although I am not a scientist, and can't explain why my children were getting nosebleeds, or why the noxious odors gave me a headache and a sore throat, I know I feel better now, have a lot more energy, and that moving out of Gasland was a smart move for me and my family. For those really smart people who think that everything is fine in Gasland, please let me know...I bet I could find you a great deal on a house with a compressor station in your back yard, because it is very easy to say things are fine, when you don't have any skin in the game.

Calvin Tillman
Former Mayor, DISH, TX

There goes our hero...

Mayor Tillman moving on.

Read about it in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

Dish sits near several large compressor stations that process natural gas from the Barnett Shale. Tillman said he included in the sale contract that the buyer had to watch Gasland before the deal closed. The film, nominated for an Oscar for Best Documentary, takes a critical eye on the impact of natural gas drilling and devotes about 10 minutes to the Barnett Shale, including some time on Tillman and Dish.

Tillman plans to remain involved in drilling issues partly via ShaleTest, a nonprofit organization he helped launch last year to fund air and water tests in communities affected by drilling. He also confirmed that Dish is preparing to sue some or all of the companies operating gas compressors near the town.

Mayor Tillman calls BS

on the BS in the BS concerning the industry and it's latest attack on Josh Fox and his Gasland nomination for the Academy Award. 

Go, Josh, Go!!

Read it here.

Josh Fox wants to talk...

WHO's listening?
Any real journalists out there?

Seems the industry wants to talk, to anyone but Josh.

Last week we told you about Josh Fox and Gasland being nominated for an Academy Award and the industry trying to discredit all.  How can you discredit the truth?  We all watched as Josh drove across the country interviewing people and testing water samples.  How much more real can you get? WHY would anybody make that up? There are no benefits to your water being ruined.  NONE.  Was the prestigious Academy appalled that their selection was attacked?  One can only hope.  Read Josh's Open Letter to Journalists on TXSharon. YOU can't afford to miss it.

GASLAND exposes the disaster being caused across the U.S. by the largest domestic natural gas drilling campaign history and how the contentious Halliburton-developed drilling technology called hydraulic fracturing, or fracking threatens the water supply of millions.

There are major watershed areas providing water to millions of Americans that are at risk here, including the watershed areas for New York City and Philadelphia. The catastrophe has been widely covered not only in GASLAND, but also by hundreds of news stories, films and TV segments. This is a moment of crisis that cannot be understated.

In addition to Josh's letter, below we have a copy of an email exchange between a small town Mayor, a big city Council Member, local activists and a Victim of the Shale.  The exchange brings up some interesting questions.  We thought it'd be more fun for you to guess WHO said WHAT, so we removed the names.  Have fun kids!

__________________________________________________

We invited Ed to debate Josh since he's been going out of his way to bash Gasland, taking out full page ads and talking to every reporter who'd give him 2 minutes of time. Ed declined after 'thinking about it' for 3 days. Then a  local Councilman decided to chime in. Below is some excerpts from the emails, purely for your entertainment.

__________________________________________________

I already challenged Josh twice to come down here to debate. He hasn't responded.

XXXX

__________________________________________________

Councilman XXXX,

I appreciate your message regarding a debate with Josh. We have requested Mr. Ireland debate with Josh, and he has declined. Mr. Ireland runs an industry funded organization, and frequently speaks in public regarding the Barnett Shale, and has been critical of the Oscar Nominated "Gasland". Therefore, it would be only fitting for him and Josh to have an fair and open debate about the merits of the movie. It is likely that many people would come to see the Fox/Ireland debate. However, in your case I am not sure what gives a councilman from Arlington the idea that he has some qualifications to debate with Josh or anyone else for that matter on natural gas exploration; or why anyone would want to see it. I have heard your name a few times, and do get cc'd in on hundreds of emails daily, some of which are to you, but we have never met,and therefore I know nothing about you. So naturally I am curious as to what background you would have that would make this something that people would want to see? The proposed debate with Mr. Ireland was going to be sponsored by ShaleTest.org; however, it simply would not be worth it for us to sponsor a debate with you. However, I do not speak for Josh, and am sure that he would debate with you whenever he is back in TX if he has time, that is between you and him, but you might want to careful what you wish for. The industry propaganda is nothing more than a smear campaign, and Josh has responded in depth to each of their claims. There have been several industry reps who have taken a run at debating Josh, and have looked more like paid liars, than a legitimate source of information. I would not wish to see another public official look foolish in front of his citizens, but as Shakespeare said, "The school of ignorance is the most expensive, but some will learn in no other".

X

__________________________________________________

Gosh, X. You are correct. I'm probably just not smart enough. Pardon me for even thinking I could be in the same room with ya'll.

XXXX

__________________________________________________

XXXX,
you have mentioned to me that you have spent the last three years researching this and have honestly not found drilling to be a detriment to public health. You also said you paid a professional in the business.

While I've been reading Txsharon's blog for years now, I've been digging hard and fast on my own and have saved over 375 pages of research, dialog and links that I have emailed folks on to "spread the love" (info acquired which is exactly the opposite of what you claim to have found).

So I ask you to swap data with me. I will forward you my "book" if you forward me your emails and links that have lead you to believe we all are safe being so near to drilling.

Sincerely,

XX

__________________________________________________

XX:

We have most likely read the same stuff, followed the same links, listened to the same gurus, naysayers, and prognosticaters. Our differences reside in our weltanschauung: we simply see the world differently. Therein lies the beauty of the forum/debate we are considering. Take out all the empiricism and facts and "irrefutable proof" on both sides of this argument, and you distill down to you and me, et al. THAT's what we need to get to if progress is to be made beyond stalemate.

XXXX

__________________________________________________

Mr. XXXX:

I find it difficult to believe you have read all the same stuff, followed all the same links, listened to all the same people, and have simply come to a different conclusion. If you have, then it only makes it that much more confusing to understand how you're drawing different conclusions. I also know for a fact that you have not seen all of the videos, pictures, and other documentation that I have about natural gas well development. If you have, then you would know that there are dozens upon dozens of affected families and homeowners out there, some of which have the actual documentation of ground water contamination, polluted air, and contaminated soil. Some of them I know personally, as do you, because they reside in Arlington.

You would also be aware of the fact that my property and house (no longer our home) once appraised as high as $340,000 is now officially on the county tax rolls with a value less than $78,000. This is not my opinion, but rather the result of a county tax appraisal hearing during which the 5 member board (voting 5-0) was provided with hundreds of pages, pictures, videos, aerial photos, environmental testing results from more than 3 separate labs. Not sure how you missed it, as it was front page news, and covered by the local news stations. You would also know that this is not an isolated incident, as many of the provided pieces of documentation are of and related to other properties and other operators. The provided documentation clearly shows there are many risks involved with natural gas well development. I would say, and many agree, including many in the Industry, that the closer these operations are to people and their schools, homes, churches and other places where people congregate that risks are greater with every foot. I suppose it's debatable as to what those risks are, but to say that there absolutely no risks is untrue.

You should also be well aware of the fact that the TCEQ has taken enforcement actions against this particular operator 4 times, and are now under investigation by the Attorney General.

All that said, have you ever noticed that the ONLY people who are claiming natural gas well development is safe or disputing anything in 'Gasland' are the very same people causing the damage and/or benefiting financially from this process?

I would point out to you that Ed Ireland was asked to participate in a debate with Josh Fox because Mr. Ireland has been going well out of his way trying to discredit 'Gasland', but having nothing more than Industry created propaganda to rely on. He's taken out full page ads bashing 'Gasland', and has been quite accommodating to every reporter, but only regurgitating the false and distorted 'facts' fed to him by Industry-the very same people who fully fund his 'non-profit' and pay his salary. Mr. X and I were simply looking to provide Mr. Ireland an opportunity to put his money where his mouth is, and he has declined. I would have thought Mr. Ireland would have relished the opportunity to debate Josh, if everything that Josh has done and said can be so easily disproved and having quite a lot of evidence proving his own claims. Interestingly enough, Mr. Ireland needed a few days to check with his handlers, ultimately concluding that the debate would only serve to further promote 'Gasland' and bring that much more attention to it. I would have thought the debate would have been a wonderful opportunity for Mr. Ireland to promote the Barnett Shale Energy Education Council.

I have been to the Arlington City Council a few times, so I'm well aware of what your position is on natural gas well development. I have made the invitation a number of times, but will extend the same invitation to you and Mr. Ireland as well; My family and I reside at XXXXXXX. You are more than welcome to come out and see the place yourself at any time. I will be happy to show you around. I'll show you the well heads that are 300 feet outside our backdoor that have had Bradenhead pressure issues that the operator knew about but did nothing to correct until threatened with a seal order by the TRRC. I show you where there's a methane leak, not 50 away from the well heads where some unknown bright red fluid emits and the bubbles ignite. I'll show you the leaking tank battery, where more than 9,000 gallons of produced water was spilled and covered up as opposed to cleaning it up. I'll point out which of the four tanks overflowed and gushed condensate for more than 12 hours before the operator found the time to come out and fix it. I'll show you the 30 foot high flare that was incorrectly installed, that belched out fire and smoke for weeks before the operator was embarrassed into fixing it. I'll show you around the work pad, our former horse pasture that has yet to produce so much as weeds after three separate grass seedings. I'll show you the more than 700 foot long and 20 foot wide swath of land the operator tore up to install their pipeline-and not much grows there, either. Lastly, I'll take you over to the mineral right owner's place, who exempted 50 acres out of more than 300 around his own home from pipelines and drilling-but 200 feet for the rest of us. Any time that's convenient for you, please let me know.

Any publicity

is good publicity.

The industry is apparently worried Josh Fox and Gasland might win the Academy Award and more people would be aware of what really goes on during gas drilling, and what the consequences might be. 

Read about it here. 

Go, Josh, Go!

Congrats to Josh Fox & GASLAND

GASLAND the Movie has been nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Documentary Feature category.

Congratulations to Josh Fox.

The Gasland Oscar nomination did not bring any congratulations from Natural Gas industry spokespeople. Quite the contrary....

Movie Star on Terror Watch List...

Due to arranging screenings of the Gasland documentary.

WHAT??  So, if you try to educate people, you are a threat? To WHO?  What does that make those that lie and poison them?  A politician?

Well, they say any publicity is good publicity, right?  Onward and upward Josh Fox!

Read WHO it is and WHAT they had to say about it here.

BS Update

We have been so busy with streetcars, tax dollars and ethics we haven't been able to update you on the Barnett Shale Hell in awhile, so in no particular order...

What is Steve on Carter Ave up to?  Well, Channel 11 caught up with him last night.  Don't miss this story.  Good information from Lon Burnam and more BS statements from Mayor Moncrief.  Something about regulators not doing their jobs so Fort Worth will do it.  WHAT?  The profiting Mayor and council are mostly to blame for getting us in to this mess and putting our citizens at risk.

Congratulations to Josh Fox!!  Word on the street is Gasland is shortlisted for Academy Awards!!  Go, Josh, Go!

Grand Prairie has announced a gas drilling moratorium on all new permits.  THE PEOPLE are listening!

Not only are property values plummeting around gas drilling locations (that would be most all of Tarrant County) now some banks won't finance properties in those areas either. Uh oh...better save your huge royalty checks, then you can pay cash.  Read about it here.  You can also read the letter from the Bartonville Mayor to Senator Nelson on their site as well. 

If you missed the 60 Minutes gas drilling story, here is a recap.

What do THE PEOPLE say about the gas drilling meeting in Fort Worth last night?  "It was another waste of time, another industry dog and pony show.  WHO did the majority of the talking?  The industry, of course". 

It's your turn!  Make some noise!

Where will YOU be tonight?

Suggested donations are: General Admission $12, Students $7 and $50 for the After Party which includes hors d'oerves. All proceeds will benefit ShaleTest.

Getting Deep

And this time we aren't referring to the river.

If you went to see Gasland in Pennsylvania, you may have ended up on "the list".  The Homeland Security list, that is.  So now going to see a documentary makes you a threat?  To WHO?

Read the unbelievable on TXSharon.  Be sure to check out the links.

Then read about the federal lawsuit being planned by one of the movie goers on DailyMe.  Bet it won't be long before there are more.  Lots more. 

"When people's civil rights are trampled it's a federal issue," said Gene Stilp of Harrisburg, who holds a Virginia law license but does not practice as an attorney.

Gov. Ed Rendell , speaking Downtown this morning, said he does not believe activists' Constitutional rights were violated.

The statement was a reversal from what he said yesterday. Asked in Harrisburg on Tuesday whether monitoring activists was "tantamount to trampling" on their Constitutional rights, he said: "I would say so."

Rendell said he is "deeply embarrassed" by the disclosure that state Homeland Security officials included information about protesters on what was supposed to be a list of possible terrorist threats.

The list, which included information on public hearings that opponents of Marcellus gas drilling might attend, was sent to drilling companies.

Who do YOU believe?

Do you believe what you see (breathe, taste, hear...) or what the industry says?

Guess that depends on which office you hold and how bad you want to keep it.

Josh Fox answers to the industry critics who try to discredit the Gasland movie.  Seeing is believing.  If you haven't seen it yet, do so.

And read about it on TXSharon.

Down in flames...

Water in Bowie, Texas now catching fire.  DO NOT miss the video on WFAA.com. 

This family complained to the Railroad Commission TWO YEARS AGO about their water.  Remember how the industry and the agencies say there is nothing wrong with the water?  Watch the video and decide for yourself.

How important is YOUR water?  Tell the EPA tonight!

We call BS!

The morning after Josh Fox's movie Gasland aired on HBO, TCEQ claims the air is safe.  Again.  How convenient.

Do they think we believe them?  We didn't the first time, and for good reason.  What did they say caused the air issue in the first place?  Equipment problems.  WHY would new gas rigs have equipment problems?

When our air looks like the water in the gulf, maybe they'll admit they should have been more proactive in protecting THE PEOPLE instead of the industry.  Don't hold your breath...oh wait, maybe you should.

Read about it in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram here.

The state environmental commission has been under fire in recent weeks after admitting last month that it suppressed test results showing higher-than-normal levels of benzene and other toxic compounds at sites in Fort Worth.

Agency officials have repeatedly said that gas drilling doesn't contribute to Dallas-Fort Worth's pollution problem but that it didn't conduct any tests until December -- years after the drilling boom began.

TODAY!

Is the day.  Josh Fox Gasland on HBO. 

He's been making the rounds.  Check it out at FWCANDO.

YOU can't afford to miss it!

GASLAND the movie: May 12 at Fort Worth's Modern Art Museum

GASLAND the movie will be shown here in Fort Worth on May 12. Meet GASLAND's Josh Fox at the gala affair at Fort Worth's Modern Art Museum.

More GASLAND in Fort Worth details.

GASLAND in Cowtown: Save the Date!

click image to view bigger version of GASLAND movie poster.

Please excuse the language...

A friend of ours caught the PBS special on Josh Fox and Gasland. This is what they had to say with some minor editing. You'll have to excuse our friend, he just got it.

Are you familiar with hydrolic fracking?? Just watching the PBS documentary on Gasland. Scary XXXX. The process to get natural gas is undoubedtly contaminating us!! Several clips on utube. check it out. No one warning these people signing contracts. They're simply told to get a lawyer, process not regulated. This is WRONG!!! They use 500+ chemicals in the process and only get about half of what they put into the ground back out! This XXXX is showing up in the wells, rivers and streams.

Where the XXXX is the EPA???

Sunday!

Incoming from the #1 Watchdog -

GASLAND director, Josh Fox is the guest on NOW on PBS this Sunday.

I think this airs at 11 pm CST. Check local listings for exact date and time. Streaming video will be available online after broadcast.

DY

LINK:

http://www.pbs.org/now/shows/613/index.html