There is more to be said and lots to be done.

From an Interview by Mike Ludwig, Truthout, May 28, 2021

As President Joe Biden haggles with Republicans on infrastructure, youth climate activists continue pushing for the bold vision of a Green New Deal. Sunrise Movement activist Lily Gardner says Biden should forget the GOP and listen to young people, who are fired up about the prospect of a Civilian Climate Corps that would create thousands of jobs combatting the climate crisis and building a sustainable future.

TRANSCRIPT — This is a rush transcript and has been lightly edited for clarity.

Mike Ludwig: Welcome back to Climate Front Lines. Everyone in Washington is talking about infrastructure, or at least President Joe Biden’s attempts at negotiating with Republicans over new jobs and infrastructure spending. But for young people, broad investments in the highways and the energy systems and the people that make this country tick is about so much more than political deal making ahead of the midterm elections – it’s about reducing pollution, it’s about jobs and housing, it’s about the transportation systems we will use to get around for decades to come, it’s about creating resilient communities in the face of the climate crisis. Infrastructure is about what the future could look like, and with climate crisis raising so many questions about life on Earth for the next few decades, young people are paying close attention.

So, while Biden haggles with Republicans, the Sunrise Movement network of youth climate activists is pushing for a $10 trillion investment in a Green New Deal. $10 trillion is a lot more than Biden’s original $2.3 trillion infrastructure proposal, even if you add the additional $1.8 trillion Biden would invest in education and support for families. But $10 trillion is not some pie-in-the-sky number dreamed up by millennials, it’s based on legislation backed by Green New Deal Democrats in Congress.

A Green New Deal idea I find really interesting is the Civilian Climate Corps, basically a government jobs program what would put people to work improving communities and building next generation of clean infrastructure. As we will learn in a moment, young climate activists are walking hundreds of miles across the country to raise awareness around this idea. Biden has called for a Civilian Climate Corps too, but he has yet to secure funding. I wanted to know what young activists are doing about that, so I spoke with Lily Gardner, a national spokesperson for the Sunrise Movement.

As President Biden haggles with Republicans on infrastructure, youth climate activists continue pushing for the bold vision of a Green New Deal. Sunrise Movement activist Lily Gardner says Biden should forget the GOP and listen to young people, who are fired up about the prospect of a Civilian Climate Corps that would create thousands of jobs combatting the climate crisis and building a sustainable future.

TRANSCRIPT — This is a rush transcript and has been lightly edited for clarity.

Mike Ludwig: Welcome back to Climate Front Lines. Everyone in Washington is talking about infrastructure, or at least President Joe Biden’s attempts at negotiating with Republicans over new jobs and infrastructure spending. But for young people, broad investments in the highways and the energy systems and the people that make this country tick is about so much more than political deal making ahead of the midterm elections – it’s about reducing pollution, it’s about jobs and housing, it’s about the transportation systems we will use to get around for decades to come, it’s about creating resilient communities in the face of the climate crisis. Infrastructure is about what the future could look like, and with climate crisis raising so many questions about life on Earth for the next few decades, young people are paying close attention.

So, while Biden haggles with Republicans, the Sunrise Movement network of youth climate activists is pushing for a $10 trillion investment in a Green New Deal. $10 trillion is a lot more than Biden’s original $2.3 trillion infrastructure proposal, even if you add the additional $1.8 trillion Biden would invest in education and support for families. But $10 trillion is not some pie-in-the-sky number dreamed up by millennials, it’s based on legislation backed by Green New Deal Democrats in Congress.

A Green New Deal idea I find really interesting is the Civilian Climate Corps, basically a government jobs program what would put people to work improving communities and building next generation of clean infrastructure. As we will learn in a moment, young climate activists are walking hundreds of miles across the country to raise awareness around this idea. Biden has called for a Civilian Climate Corps too, but he has yet to secure funding. I wanted to know what young activists are doing about that, so I spoke with Lily Gardner, a national spokesperson for the Sunrise Movement.

Lily Gardner: So I think there are a number of components of that question. The first is that when we look at 10 trillion in the context of other crises that we faced throughout American history, even right, we know that at the peak of the war effort in World War II, America spent 40 percent of our GDP in one year, which is equivalent to $8.5 trillion right now in one year alone.

Right. So. What we are asking for is $10 trillion, at least 1 trillion over the next decade. And that looks really small in comparison to the ways in which we’ve mobilized throughout history. When we knew it was necessary. And now the question is why 10 trillion and quite frankly, it’s because we’re seeing a lot of room to grow in areas like housing research and development, and maybe most importantly, the Civilian Climate Corps, when we look at Biden’s current plan. So, it’s small in a historical comparison and also necessary in the sense of actually tackling the climate crisis.

Mike Ludwig: Can you tell us a little bit about the vision for a Civilian Climate Corp and why it matters to young people?

Lily Gardner: Absolutely. So I think right now has everybody, um, including yourself, knows young people are facing two converging crises and a climate crisis and an economic crisis. And this is a moment that really demands bold action, especially from President Biden and the federal government, which we view as the creation of the Civilian Climate Corps. A policy is needed that would create government jobs program, very similar to what we saw as a part of the New Deal and in the wake of the Great Depression, that would put a new generation of Americans to work combating the climate crisis. And the way that they would do that is through building up sustainable infrastructure that would support making our communities stronger through good paying and union jobs.

And I think the second thing, and I think the thing that really makes Representative Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Markey’s vision of a Civilian Climate Corp distinctive is that the CCC would prioritize giving good jobs to communities who have been disproportionately harmed by the climate crisis, by systemic racism and by our broken economy.

National Press Club interview with questions & answers

From an Article by Matthew Daly, Huntington Herald Dispatch (AP), April 19, 2021

WASHINGTON — The nation’s largest coal miners union said Monday it would accept President Joe Biden’s plan to move away from coal and other fossil fuels in exchange for a “true energy transition” that includes thousands of jobs in renewable energy and spending on technology to make coal cleaner.

Cecil Roberts, president of the United Mine Workers of America, said ensuring jobs for displaced miners — including 7,000 coal workers who lost their jobs last year — is crucial to any infrastructure bill taken up by Congress.

“I think we need to provide a future for those people, a future for anybody that loses their job because of a transition in this country, regardless if it’s coal, oil, gas or any other industry for that matter,’’ Roberts said in an online speech to the National Press Club.

“We talk about a ‘just transition’ all the time,’’ Roberts added. “I wish people would quit using that. There’s never been a just transition in the history of the United States.’’

Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., appearing with Roberts at the Press Club event, said measures to help coal miners in West Virginia and other rural states must be part of the $2.3 trillion infrastructure package taking shape in Congress.

“Basically what is needed … is the human infrastructure,’’ Manchin said. “You can’t leave anybody behind,’’ especially those in his hard-hit state, which has lost thousands of jobs in mining and other resource extraction industries jobs in recent years.

“I can tell you how West Virginia feels. We feel like returning Vietnam veterans,’’ Manchin said. “We’ve done every dirty job you’ve asked us to do. We never questioned it. We did it and performed well. And now all of a sudden we’re not good enough, we’re not clean enough, we’re not green enough and we’re not smart enough. You wonder why they quit voting for Democrats? That’s the reason.’’

A plan put forward by the UMWA calls for significant expansion of tax incentives for renewable energy and preference in hiring for dislocated miners; full funding for programs to plug old oil and gas wells and clean up abandoned mines; and continued incentives to develop so-called carbon capture and storage technology that traps carbon dioxide produced by burning fossil fuels and stores it underground.

The union proposal, and Manchin’s endorsement, comes as Congress is considering Biden’s $2.3 trillion infrastructure package to rebuild the nation’s roads, bridges and power grid, promote electric cars and boost clean energy such as solar and wind power. A bipartisan group of lawmakers met with Biden Monday to discuss the plan.

Republicans have slammed the infrastructure package as a Democratic “wish list” with huge tax hikes, including a proposal to raise the corporate tax rate to 28%. Manchin, a centrist and key Democratic vote, has said he prefers a 25% corporate rate.

In his remarks Monday, Manchin made it clear he wants to preserve the coal industry, despite continued declines nationwide amid steep competition from cheaper natural gas and other energy sources.

“I’m for innovation, not elimination” of coal, Manchin said, adding that even if coal was reduced to zero in the United States, thousands of greenhouse gas-producing coal mines would continue to operate in China, India and other countries. “It’s not North America climate. It’s global climate,’’ he said.

As part of the mine workers’ proposal, Manchin endorsed a Democratic bill that would invigorate labor unions, following decades of court defeats and legislative setbacks. The House passed the so-called PRO Act in March, but the measure faces a near-certain Republican blockade in a narrowly divided Senate.

The bill would reverse “right to work” laws that have crimped unions’ ability to collect dues from workers who refuse to join yet benefit from deals negotiated on their behalf. It also would block tactics employers can use to drag out organizing drives, contract negotiations and ratification of labor agreements.

Manchin said the bill would “level the playing field” for union workers, adding that he wants to work with both parties to move it through Congress.

Biden’s infrastructure proposal includes $16 billion to plug hundreds of thousands of “orphaned” oil and gas wells and clean up abandoned coal and hardrock mines that pose serious safety and environmental hazards. The White House said the plan would create thousands of jobs and remediate pollution, including greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming.

Biden’s plan also includes tax incentives for renewable energy and billions in spending to deploy carbon capture and storage, two other elements of the union proposal.

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See also: NATIONAL PRESS CLUB Virtual Newsmaker: Sen. Joe Manchin & UMWA President Cecil Roberts – YouTube, April 19, 2021

Sea level rise is real and accelerating

From an Article by Jordan Davidson, EcoWatch.com, September 11, 2019

PHOTO — Aerial view of Maldives. Low-lying atoll nations are especially threatened by climate change.

The images of the climate crisis are devastating. People around the world, especially the world’s poor, are suffering from extreme weather, droughts and wildfires. The latest example was in the wake of Hurricane Dorian, when Bahamans fleeing the wreckage that upended their lives were denied entry to the U.S.

Now a new report from a commission of 34 leaders in politics, scientists and business says that nations rich and poor must invest in adapting to the climate crisis or pay a much heavier price in years to come. Furthermore, an investment now will reap benefits that will outweigh the costs 4 to 1 in the near future, as Agence France Presse (AFP) reported.

Adapt Now: A Gobal Call for Leadership on Climate Resilience by the Global Commission on Adaptation was led by former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, World Bank chief executive Kristalina Georgieva and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates.

“Global actions to slow climate change are promising but insufficient,” the report stated. “We must invest in a massive effort to adapt to conditions that are now inevitable.”

It pinpointed several key areas to consider in adapting to the climate crisis. The analysis found that a $1.8 trillion global investment in five specific areas over the next decade could generate $7.1 trillion in total net benefits, as a United Nations press release stated.

The five key areas will produce a triple dividend — escaping future losses, generating economic gains through innovation, and delivering social and environmental benefits. The five areas of focus, as the BBC reported, are:

>>> Warning systems: For island and coastal communities, early warnings about storms, very high tides and other extreme weather can save lives.

>>> Infrastructure: Building better roads, buildings and bridges to suit the changing climate.

>>> Improving dry-land agriculture: Something as simple as helping farmers to switch to drought-resistant varieties of crops could protect livelihoods and prevent hunger.

>>> Restoring and protecting mangroves: Underwater mangrove forests protect about 18 million people from coastal flooding, but they’re being wiped out by development. Restoration projects could protect vulnerable communities from storms and boost fisheries’ productivity

>>> Water: Protecting water access – and making sure that water’s not being wasted – will be vital in a changing climate.

“We are the last generation that can change the course of climate change, and we are the first generation that then has to live with the consequences,” said former UN chief Ban Ki-moon at the report’s launch in Beijing, as AFP reported. “Delay and pay, or plan and prosper.”

The study authors worry that a dearth of bold political leadership will cause a default to the delay strategy. The report found that the money is there for investment, what is not is “political leadership that shakes people out of their collective slumber.

In the foreword to the paper, Ban, Gates and Georgieva wrote, “The climate crisis is here, now: massive wildfires ravage fragile habitats, city taps run dry, droughts scorch the land and massive floods destroy people’s homes and livelihoods. So far the response has been gravely insufficient.”

Ban Ki-moon mentioned election cycles as part of the problem, since it fosters short-term thinking that will garner votes. “I am really concerned about the lack of vision of political leaders,” he said, as the Guardian reported. “They are much more interested in getting elected and re-elected, and climate issues are not in their priorities. We are seeing this in the US with President Trump.”

SEE ALSO:
World Bank to Invest $200 Billion to Tackle Climate Change … ›

MarkWest Sherwood Gas Processing Complex on US Route 50 in Doddridge County, WV

This Article is from the Kallanish Energy News, April 5, 2018

NORTH CANTON, Ohio — After record-setting natural gas and natural gas liquids processing in 2017, MarkWest Energy Partners continues to invest heavily in the Appalachian Basin.

The midstreamer added two natural-gas processing plants in West Virginia in 2017 and plans to add six more in 2018: four in West Virginia and two in Pennsylvania, said company spokeswoman Tina Rush, at the Utica Midstream conference at Walsh University in North Canton, Ohio.

Kallanish Energy attended the one-day program, presented by ShaleDirectories.com and the Greater Canton Chamber of Commerce. MarkWest built three fractionation facilities in 2017: one each in Ohio, West Virginia and Pennsylvania. It plans to add three more in 2018: one in each of the three states, Rush told the 130 people attending the conference.

“The growth is still there,” Rush said on the increasing demand for processing and fractionation in the Appalachian Basin. Estimates are that 45% of natural gas growth in the U.S. will occur in the Northeast, she said.

The new plants in the Utica and Marcellus shales are part of MarkWest’s 2018 projects with a combined $2 billion price tag, she said.

The company set a record in the fourth quarter of 2107, gathering 2.7 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) of natural gas and processing 5.2 Bcf/d, according to Rush.

Gathering volume was up 19% and processing volume was up 14% over 2016, she said. The company also processed 389,000 barrels per day (BPD) of liquids in Q4, also a company record. That was an increase of 19% over Q4 2016.

The Marcellus and Utica shales account for 65% of the company’s gathering, 70% of its processing and 90% of its fractionation, Rush reported.

The company’s Sherwood plant in West Virginia is now the fourth-largest such facility in the U.S. By late 2018, that plant is expected to be the No. 1 processing plant in the country, and is projected to be the No. 1 plant in North America by the end of 2019, Rush said.

Appalachian Basin projects, plus additions in the Permian Basin in West Texas and New Mexico, will boost MarkWest’s natural gas processing capacity by 1.5 Bcf/d, and fractionation capacity by 100,000 BPD of liquids, she said.

Marathon Petroleum, the parent company of MarkWest, is looking at moving Appalachian Basin butane by pipeline to as many as 10 Midwest refineries, said Jason Stechschulte, commercial development manager for Marathon Pipe Line.

The company now moves condensate and natural gasoline via pipelines from the Utica Shale in eastern Ohio to refineries in western Ohio, Michigan and Illinois. Butane would be shipped in batches in that pipeline system and additional connections could be made to other pipelines moving butane, Stechschulte said.

Under pressure, butane would flow as a liquid in the pipelines, he said. The butane would be used to blend with gasoline to make winter fuels at company refineries. Such shipments are a year or two away and would require the addition of storage facilities at the refineries, he said.

Marathon is also looking at extending its liquid pipelines into southeastern Ohio to reach other processing/fractionation facilities, Stechschulte said.

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### MarkWest Sherwood Plant helps growth and development in Doddridge County ###

From an Article by Kirsten Reneau, Clarksburg Exponent-Telegraph (WV News), March 29, 2018

WEST UNION — The MarkWest Sherwood Complex continues to help the residents of Doddridge County in a variety of ways through the site’s work in oil and gas.

MarkWest is a wholly-owned subsidiary of MPLX. The Sherwood Complex first began operations in October 2012, said Jamal Kheiry, communications manager for Marathon Petroleum Corp. “MPLX’s natural gas processing complexes remove the heavier and more valuable hydrocarbon components from natural gas,” Kheiry said.

Photos: The Sherwood Processing Facility — Three more processing plants were added to the MarkWest Sherwood facility this past year.

In 2017, through a joint venture between MarkWest and Antero Midstream, the company was able to add three more gas processing plants, with the capacity of processing 200 million cubic feet of gas every day. Last year, the company invested $200 million in construction.

“The Sherwood Complex now processes natural gas in nine processing plants, with a total capacity of 1.8 billion cubic feet per day,” Kheiry said. “Sherwood also includes a 40,000 barrel per day de-ethanization unit, which separates ethane from natural gas.”

There is still more construction underway at Sherwood, with plans to build two more gas processing plants with the capacity of 200 million cubic feet per day through a joint venture with Antero Midstream. “These new units support development of Antero Resources’ extensive Marcellus Shale acreage in West Virginia,” Kheiry said.

“The new gas processing plants are expected to be complete this year. There is also the potential to develop up to six additional processing facilities at Sherwood and at a future expansion site. Separate from the joint venture with Antero, MarkWest is also building a 20,000-barrel per-day ethane fractionation plant.”

He explained that natural gas production begins with the drilling of wells into gas-bearing rock formations, and a network of pipelines (also known as gathering systems) directly connects to wellheads in the production area.

“These gathering systems transport raw, or untreated, natural gas to a central location for treating and processing. A large gathering system may involve thousands of miles of gathering lines connected to thousands of wells,” Kheiry said.

Next comes compression, a mechanical process in which a volume of natural gas is compressed to a higher pressure. This allows the natural gas to be gathered more efficiently, as well as delivered to a higher pressure system.

“Field compression is typically used to allow a gathering system to operate at a lower pressure or provide sufficient discharge pressure to deliver natural gas into a higher pressure system,” Kheiry said. “Since wells produce at progressively lower field pressures as they deplete, field compression is needed to maintain throughput across the gathering system.” After natural gas has been processed at the Sherwood complex, the heavier and more valuable hydrocarbon components are separated out.

“Processing aids in allowing the residue gas remaining after extraction of NGLs to meet the quality specifications for long-haul pipeline transportation and commercial use,” Kheiry said. These “have been extracted as a mixed natural gas liquid (NGL) stream, (and) can be further separated into their component parts through the process of fractionation.”

Fractionation is defined as the separation of the mixture of extracted NGLs into individual components for end-use sale. This is done by controlling the temperature and pressure of the stream of mixed NGLs to use the different boiling points and vapor pressures of separate products.

One of the largest facilities in the Northeast, the MarkWest Sherwood Plant makes a significant financial impact in Doddridge County. “We are proud to be part of Doddridge County and to contribute to its economic foundation,” Kheiry said.

County Commission President Greg Robinson, said the tax impact has made a major difference. “The plant itself provides real estate taxes, but there’s also numerous pipelines that feed that plant,” Robinson said. “And those are all part of the tax.”

This, along with their employment of those in the county and the commuters who may stop to use Doddridge County gas stations, restaurants, and other amenities, all contribute back to the economy.

“It provides in many different ways,” Robinson said. “When a facility provides employment in addition to the tax base, that helps the community and helps the people — it’s how some residents earn their income.”

He added that the Sherwood Plant has been “extremely good” for the county because of their “willingness to be good neighbors.” “They’ve contributed to many different good causes. If there’s some big event going on, most of the time we can count on them to be a willing partner,” Robinson said. “We appreciate the willingness of the plant to help — to be good neighbors, and for their willingness to contribute.”

The county’s tax base has grown substantially in recent years, primarily because of the oil and gas industry, he said. “In addition, the oil and gas provides through the royalties. Many residents get a significant amount of income every year.”

Because of this increased tax revenue, they’ve been able to tackle a variety of projects that may have otherwise taken much longer. This includes construction of a new county library; taking care of a variety of infrastructure needs, such as streets and sewage projects; increasing their rainy day fund; contributing to the medical facility; and beginning the process of extending water to various parts of the county where it wasn’t previously available.

This past year, they were able to take on an exterior renovation project for the Doddridge County Courthouse, which cost around $2.5 million. “We’ve set aside money to start a new annex for the courthouse,” Robinson said. “Before we can do anything to the inside, we’ve got to move some people out, and we have no place to put them. It’s a logistical thing.”

The Board of Education has also benefited from Sherwood’s presence, Superintendent Adam Cheeseman said. “The revenue generated for our schools has been a big asset,” he said. With these funds, they’ve been able to offer development opportunities for teachers, supplement instructional activities and programs, and focus on larger one-time expenditures.

“The latest was the school entrance at the elementary school and the auxiliary gym for the high school, and we’re in the middle of a large project — a new football filed. baseball field, and athletic complex, with a new BOE complex,” Cheeseman said. “Sherwood, and oil and gas overall, have put us in a very good place.”

While these funds are exciting, “more exciting is that we’re hoping to further our partnership with MarkWest,” Cheeseman said. Already partners in education, he plans to connect the facilities with their school system, with hopes of providing opportunities ranging from internships to observation hours to trainings for students at Doddridge County High School.

Siemens Modular Micro-LNG Unit in Penna.

Siemens (German) Rolls Out Micro-LNG Unit in Marcellus Region

From an Article by Mark Smedley, Natural Gas World, January 18, 2017

PHOTO: The LNGo low pressure liquefaction solution from Dresser-Rand consists of four different modules

Siemens subsidiary Dresser-Rand said January 18 it has commissioned its first micro-LNG system.

The Ten Man facility in Pennsylvania began LNG production in mid-September last year, just four months from contract signing, and has produced 500,000 litres of LNG since start-up. The facility enables operator Frontier Natural Resources to monetise stranded natural gas at Tenaska Resources’s Mainesburg field in the Marcellus shale play of northeastern Pennsylvania.

The modular, portable ‘LNGo’ system can be installed in a short period of time. Consisting of four different modules, it can be transported on eight trucks, deployed at the gas field and has a footprint of some 508 cubic meters, roughly the size of a basketball court.

Dresser-Rand’s LNGo™ system is a modularized, re-deployable natural gas liquefaction plant capable of producing up to 30,000 gallons of LNG per day. This point-of-use production plant is a standardized product made up of packaged modules that work together to offer a decentralized, distributed approach to meet the demand for LNG fueling. The LNGo system is comprised of legacy products from Dresser-Rand and Siemens including a Dresser-Rand MOS™ reciprocating compressor, a Dresser-Rand Guascor^® generator set, and control, monitoring, and safety systems to offer a new liquefaction process that can be installed and operating within a few months.

With the increasing use of LNG as a fuel for road trucks in North America, micro-LNG represents one way to monetise stranded gas. Rival technologies such as small-scale gas-to-liquids (GTL) offered by other companies also offers a way to turn natural gas into motor fuel.

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“Fire and Ice”

Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I’ve tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To say that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.

Robert Frost, 1920

Blue Line -- Jobs in WV

Supply-side (Trickle-down) economics and regulations unfairly favor oil & gas

Commentary by S. Tom Bond, Jane Lew, Lewis County, WV

Voodoo economics is famous as the economics of Ronald Regan. He was a sports announcer and then actor by training and experience. Regan was a liberal and union leader at first but became a “conservative” later. Doubtless he could have argued any position he wished.

George H. W. Bush famously used the term “voodoo economics” in his 1980 bid for presidential nomination, implying a policy that wouldn’t work – was cut loose from reality. Subsequent experience proved Bush right.

Economics is the theory of business finance, but unlike physical science, conducting controlled experiments is usually not possible. The economist must figure out causes from what happens in real life after it happens. Simple mathematical relations such as those of physical science are almost never proven, so economics has schools reminiscent of religions. Economics cut loose from reality is not rare.

For businessmen, the objective is to convince other people with money or power to let the story teller take some initiative. Such is the nature of the extractive industries, including shale drilling. In short, people judge on the basis of how good the story is, rather than going to the labor of finding out if that story is connected with reality. Some have the connection of a summer breeze to a forest – the breeze blows through with little effect. Afterwards such fine stories are seldom checked, because nothing can be done then. The practice is – if it “works,” use it. If it doesn’t, try something else.

So what about shale drilling? What is left out? Let’s begin with subsidies. These include tax breaks and giveaways, research for the energy production, certain regulations that are favorable, restrictions on exports or exemptions from restrictions on imports.

All fossil fuel industries in the U. S. are subsidized to the extent of $37.5 billion annually, according to one source. Even further subsidies have been proposed in Congress but voted down. Across the world the subsidy amounts to $775 billion to $1 trillion.

This includes the following:

>>> Expensing intangible drilling costs: Since 1913, this tax break has let oil companies write off some costs of exploring for oil and creating new wells. When it was created, drilling meant taking a gamble on what was below the earth without high-tech geological tools. But software-led advances in seismic analysis and drilling techniques have cut that risk down.

>>> Deducting percentage depletion for oil and natural gas wells: Since 1926, this has given companies  tax breaks based on the amount of products extracted from its wells.

>>> The domestic manufacturing deduction for oil and natural gas companies: In 2004, American manufacturing was being ravaged by China’s entrance on the global scene. But, the refining process  involves high-tech manufacturing, so there was never any danger that either drilling or refining was going to migrate overseas.

The expense on research and development of fracking was more than $100 million over a course of 20 years. A lot of it was done in Morgntown, WV, in the Eastern Gas Shales Project. Much of the experience of George Mitchell, who is given credit for the first successful well, is told by his geologist, Dan Steward. Details are here. (Note: The “Breakthrough.org” is a pro-industry site.)

The ultimate example of favorable regulation is the Energy Act of 2005, also known as the “Halliburton Loophole.” It was Dick Chaney’s baby, when he was able to exert undue influence on government while George Bush II was president. It exempted oil and gas from many regulations that restrict other industries although O&G are larger, with a vast number of locations dispersed over a significant part of the United States.

The O & G industry is exempt from: the Clean Water Act, the Safe drinking Water Act, the Clean Air Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, the Toxic Release Inventory under the Emergency Planning and Community,    Right-to-Know Act, and the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, otherwise known as the Superfund Act.

You just have to stand back and say ‘Wow!” to that list. Just where is the interest of the citizenry in that? Nowhere! Not now nor in the future.  The oil and gas industry has set up some big long term problems, too, given the aging oil and gas pipelines all over the country.

Furthermore, federal regulation of fracking is forbidden. The individual states can regulate fracking, but are faced with limited know-how, limited funds to operate regulatory agencies, and the influence of lobbying by national and international corporations.

Then there is the big complaint of residents in shale areas of externalized damage – damage the industry doesn’t pay for. Property devaluation – what do you think a well pad, access road and attendant pipelines does to property value? It can ruin the small property owner, and hurts the large landowner.

Also, there are road damages, courthouse expenses, extra policing and other public expense. Then there are damages to citizen health. There are 16,719 entries on the List of the Harmed published by the Pennsylvania Alliance for Clean Water and Air, as of August, this year. Some of the entries involve as many as 30 individuals. One can be sure that is a minority of those harmed, most remain quiet. You have to do a search to understand the number and variety of health problems caused.

If water sources are destroyed, there is little accountability by many companies. For example, two public drinking water systems have been impacted and at least six private water supplies allegedly contaminated due to ongoing pollution being caused by a natural gas fracking operation of JKLM Energy in Potter County, Pennsylvania.

When water buffalos are put out after fracking destroys an aquifer, they are usually abandoned when the drilling company leaves.

All those Jobs? “The development of the Marcellus Shale has led to a boom in West Virginia’s natural gas production. But aside from the increase in drilling activity and state and local tax revenue, the natural gas boom has not brought with it the jobs and economic growth that many predicted. While the state’s natural gas production has increased dramatically over the past several years, West Virginia has lagged behind the rest of the country in terms of job growth and fewer West Virginians are employed today than before the boom. Even in the counties where production has increased the most, job growth has been lackluster.”

Further economic news: “US shale producers lost more than $30 billion during the first half of 2015, as the prolonged slump in oil prices takes its toll. Bankruptcies and restructuring are on the rise as independent oil and gas companies do what they can to survive. Data company Factset reports that capital spending exceeded cash from operations by about $32 billion in the first six months of the year and is quickly approaching the deficit of $37.7 billion reported for the whole of 2014.

“Cutting the fat: A slump in oil prices is forcing the oil and gas services industry for the first time in 15 years to trim costs in a way that executives say will create a lasting change away from their usual lavish way of doing business. (9/12)

“Costly sales: Some U.S. oil producers are trying to sell parts of their lucrative saltwater disposal businesses in a sign that cheap crude is already forcing cash-starved companies to sell assets so oil can keep flowing.”

Our Government Speaks to the Nation

FACT SHEET: What Climate Change Means for America and the Economy

Press Release, Office of the Press Secretary, The White House, May 6, 2014

“…Science, accumulated and reviewed over decades, tells us that our planet is changing in ways that will have profound impacts on all of humankind…those who are already feeling the effects of climate change don’t have time to deny it—they’re busy dealing with it.” — President Barack Obama, Remarks at Georgetown University, June 25, 2013.

Today, delivering on a major commitment in the President’s Climate Action Plan, the Obama Administration is unveiling the third U.S. National Climate Assessment—the most comprehensive scientific assessment ever generated of climate change and its impacts across every region of America and major sectors of the U.S. economy.

The findings in this National Climate Assessment underscore the need for urgent action to combat the threats from climate change, protect American citizens and communities today, and build a sustainable future for our kids and grandkids.

Developed over four years by hundreds of the Nation’s top climate scientists and technical experts—and informed by thousands of inputs from the public and outside organizations gathered through town hall meetings, public-comment opportunities, and technical workshops across the country, the third National Climate Assessment represents the most authoritative and comprehensive knowledge base about how climate change is affecting America now, and what’s likely to come over the next century.

And, for the first time, to ensure that American citizens, communities, businesses, and decision makers have easy access to scientific information about climate change impacts that are most relevant to them, the U.S. National Climate Assessment is being released in an interactive, mobile-device-friendly, digital format on www.globalchange.gov.

Today’s announcement is a key deliverable of the Climate Action Plan launched by President Obama last June—which lays out concrete steps to cut carbon pollution, prepare America’s communities for climate-change impacts, and lead international efforts to address this global challenge. The Plan acknowledges that even as we act to reduce the greenhouse-gas pollution that is driving climate change, we must also empower the Nation’s communities, businesses, and individual citizens with the information they need to cope with the changes in climate that are already underway.

• Coasts: “More than 50% of Americans – 164 million people – live in coastal counties, with 1.2 million added each year… Humans have heavily altered the coastal environment through development, changes in land use, and overexploitation of resources. Now, the changing climate is imposing additional stresses…” “Coastal lifelines, such as water supply infrastructure and evacuation routes are increasingly vulnerable to higher sea levels and storm surges, inland flooding, and other climate-related changes.”

Climate-Change Impacts on Key Sectors of Society and the U.S. Economy

• Health: “Climate change threatens human health and well-being in many ways, including through impacts from increased extreme weather events, wildfire, decreased air quality, threats to mental health, and illnesses transmitted by food, water, and disease carriers such as mosquitoes and ticks. Some of these health impacts are already underway in the United States. Climate change will, absent other changes, amplify some of the existing health threats the Nation now faces. Certain people and communities are especially vulnerable, including children, the elderly, the sick, the poor, and some communities of color. Public health actions, especially preparedness and prevention, can do much to protect people from some of the impacts of climate change. Early action provides the largest health benefits.”

• Transportation: “The impacts from sea level rise and storm surge, extreme weather events, higher temperatures and heat waves, precipitation changes, Arctic warming, and other climatic conditions are affecting the reliability and capacity of the U.S. transportation system in many ways. Sea level rise, coupled with storm surge, will continue to increase the risk of major coastal impacts on transportation infrastructure, including both temporary and permanent flooding of airports, ports and harbors, roads, rail lines, tunnels, and bridges. Extreme weather events currently disrupt transportation networks in all areas of the country; projections indicate that such disruptions will increase. Climate change impacts will increase the total costs to the Nation’s transportation systems and their users, but these impacts can be reduced through rerouting, mode change, and a wide range of adaptive actions.”

• Energy: “Extreme weather events are affecting energy production and delivery facilities, causing supply disruptions of varying lengths and magnitudes and affecting other infrastructure that depends on energy supply. The frequency and intensity of certain types of extreme weather events are expected to change. Higher summer temperatures will increase electricity use, causing higher summer peak loads, while warmer winters will decrease energy demands for heating. Net electricity use is projected to increase. Changes in water availability, both episodic and long-lasting, will constrain different forms of energy production. In the longer term, sea level rise, extreme storm surge events, and high tides will affect coastal facilities and infrastructure on which many energy systems, markets, and consumers depend. As new investments in energy technologies occur, future energy systems will differ from today’s in uncertain ways. Depending on the character of changes in the energy mix, climate change will introduce new risks as well as new opportunities.”

• Water: “Climate change affects water demand and the ways water is used within and across regions and economic sectors. The Southwest, Great Plains, and Southeast are particularly vulnerable to changes in water supply and demand. Changes in precipitation and runoff, combined with changes in consumption and withdrawal, have reduced surface and groundwater supplies in many areas. These trends are expected to continue, increasing the likelihood of water shortages for many uses. Increasing flooding risk affects human safety and health, property, infrastructure, economies, and ecology in many basins across the United States… Increasing resilience and enhancing adaptive capacity provide opportunities to strengthen water resources management and plan for climate-change impacts.”

• Agriculture: “Climate disruptions to agriculture have been increasing and are projected to become more severe over this century. Some areas are already experiencing climate-related disruptions, particularly due to extreme weather events. While some U.S. regions and some types of agricultural production will be relatively resilient to climate change over the next 25 years or so, others will increasingly suffer from stresses due to extreme heat, drought, disease, and heavy downpours. From mid-century on, climate change is projected to have more negative impacts on crops and livestock across the country – a trend that could diminish the security of our food supply… Climate change effects on agriculture will have consequences for food security, both in the U.S. and globally, through changes in crop yields and food prices and effects on food processing, storage, transportation, and retailing. Adaptation measures can help delay and reduce some of these impacts.”

• Ecosystems: “Ecosystems and the benefits they provide to society are being affected by climate change. The capacity of ecosystems to buffer the impacts of extreme events like fires, floods, and severe storms is being overwhelmed. Climate change impacts on biodiversity are already being observed in alteration of the timing of critical biological events such as spring bud burst, and substantial range shifts of many species. In the longer term, there is an increased risk of species extinction. Events such as droughts, floods, wildfires, and pest outbreaks associated with climate change (for example, bark beetles in the West) are already disrupting ecosystems. These changes limit the capacity of ecosystems, such as forests, barrier beaches, and wetlands, to continue to play important roles in reducing the impacts of extreme events on infrastructure, human communities, and other valued resources… Whole-system management is often more effective than focusing on one species at a time, and can help reduce the harm to wildlife, natural assets, and human well-being that climate disruption might cause.”

• Oceans: “Ocean waters are becoming warmer and more acidic, broadly affecting ocean circulation, chemistry, ecosystems, and marine life. More acidic waters inhibit the formation of shells, skeletons, and coral reefs. Warmer waters harm coral reefs and alter the distribution, abundance, and productivity of many marine species. The rising temperature and changing chemistry of ocean water combine with other stresses, such as overfishing and coastal and marine pollution, to alter marine-based food production and harm fishing communities… In response to observed and projected climate impacts, some existing ocean policies, practices, and management efforts are incorporating climate change impacts. These initiatives can serve as models for other efforts and ultimately enable people and communities to adapt to changing ocean conditions.” 

Climate Trends in America

• Temperature: “U.S. average temperature has increased by 1.3°F to 1.9°F since record keeping began in 1895; most of this increase has occurred since about 1970. The most recent decade was the Nation’s warmest on record. Temperatures in the United States are expected to continue to rise. Because human-induced warming is superimposed on a naturally varying climate, the temperature rise has not been, and will not be, uniform or smooth across the country or over time.”

• Extreme Weather: “There have been changes in some types of extreme weather events over the last several decades. Heat waves have become more frequent and intense, especially in the West. Cold waves have become less frequent and intense across the Nation. There have been regional trends in floods and droughts. Droughts in the Southwest and heat waves everywhere are projected to become more intense, and cold waves less intense everywhere.”

• Hurricanes: “The intensity, frequency, and duration of North Atlantic hurricanes, as well as the frequency of the strongest (Category 4 and 5) hurricanes, have all increased since the early 1980s. The relative contributions of human and natural causes to these increases are still uncertain. Hurricane-associated storm intensity and rainfall rates are projected to increase as the climate continues to warm.”

• Severe Storms: “Winter storms have increased in frequency and intensity since the 1950s, and their tracks have shifted northward over the United States. Other trends in severe storms, including the intensity and frequency of tornadoes, hail, and damaging thunderstorm winds, are uncertain and are being studied intensively.”

• Precipitation: “Average U.S. precipitation has increased since 1900, but some areas have had increases greater than the national average, and some areas have had decreases. More winter and spring precipitation is projected for the northern United States, and less for the Southwest, over this century.”

• Heavy Downpours: “Heavy downpours are increasing nationally, especially over the last three to five decades. Largest increases are in the Midwest and Northeast. Increases in the frequency and intensity of extreme precipitation events are projected for all U.S. regions.”

• Frost-free Season: “The length of the frost-free season (and the corresponding growing season) has been increasing nationally since the 1980s, with the largest increases occurring in the western United States, affecting ecosystems and agriculture. Across the United States, the growing season is projected to continue to lengthen.”

• Ice Melt: “Rising temperatures are reducing ice volume and surface extent on land, lakes, and sea. This loss of ice is expected to continue. The Arctic Ocean is expected to become essentially ice free in summer before mid-century.”

• Sea Level: “Global sea level has risen by about 8 inches since reliable record keeping began in 1880. It is projected to rise another 1 to 4 feet by 2100.”

• Ocean Acidification: “The oceans are currently absorbing about a quarter of the carbon dioxide emitted to the atmosphere annually and are becoming more acidic as a result, leading to concerns about intensifying impacts on marine ecosystems.”

Wet Gas By-Product Storage Tanks

Local Shale Industry Spending Ramping Up Rapidly

 >> Construction expenditures for the area take a huge jump from 2012

From an Article By Casey Junkins, Wheeling Intelligencer, 01/14/14

 WHEELING – Powered by extensive Marcellus and Utica shale processing and pipelining infrastructure, the Wheeling Metropolitan Statistical Area saw construction investments grow from $60.3 million in 2012 to $1.72 billion in 2013. “I see another 5-10 years of construction like this,” said Keith Hughes, business manager at Ironworkers Local No. 549 in Wheeling. “It has been tremendous for our area and we appreciate all of the work we are getting.”

Williams Energy will eventually invest a total of $4.5 billion for Utica and Marcellus shale natural gas processing infrastructure in Marshall County, while Blue Racer Midstream and MarkWest Energy continue working on similar ambitious projects throughout the Upper Ohio Valley. Simultaneously, new hotels are opening at The Highlands, in St. Clairsville and in Morristown to accommodate those individuals now working in the shale regions.

It all adds up to show that construction in the Ohio (WV), Marshall (WV) and Belmont (OH) counties – collectively known as the Wheeling Metropolitan Statistical Area – grew to $1.72 billion in 2013. According to McGraw Hill Construction, the same area saw only $60.3 million worth of construction in 2012.

McGraw Hill tracks and analyzes construction trends throughout the nation. The company’s data shows that 2013 saw $1.7 billion worth of “non-residential” construction in the MSA, up from $54.3 million in 2012. Non-residential building includes offices, hotels, retail outlets, warehouses, manufacturing, education, hospitals and government buildings and infrastructure. The remaining amounts for both years are for “residential” building – $10.8 million in 2013 and $6 million in 2012.

The numbers could be even more impressive next year, as construction does not seem to be slowing. In Marshall County, the Williams company has three sites of operation: the Fort Beeler processing plant; the Oak Grove processing plant; and the Moundsville fractionation plant. While each of these sites are in some level of operation, the company continues building at each site, with most of these efforts now focused on the Oak Grove facility.

Once all projects are up and running, they will work as a cohesive unit to separate the liquid portions of the natural gas stream from the dry portions. Williams officials believe they will be able to process at least 2.5 billion cubic feet on natural gas per day.

In April 2012, Williams paid about $2.3 billion to acquire the Fort Beeler cryogenic processing plant – which can be seen along U.S. 250 between Moundsville and Cameron – and the other Marshall County operations of Caiman Energy. Williams is now in the midst of expanding with an additional $2.2 billion expenditure.

Williams spokeswoman Helen Humphreys said her company performed $1.64 billion worth of new construction in 2013, with plans to build $1.3 billion more this year. Hughes said the union appreciates Williams. ”We have 40 ironworkers out at Oak Grove right now,” Hughes said. “We are also doing work for MarkWest and Blue Racer. It is really a boon for us and for the whole area.”

MarkWest has invested $2.2 billion into pipelines, processing and fractionation plants in the region. MarkWest expanded its Majorsville facility in eastern Marshall County in 2013, via supply agreements with Consol Energy and Noble Energy. MarkWest also started a second de-ethanizer at the Majorsville site. Blue Racer continued building onto the Marshall County Natrium plant and its pipeline network in 2013 until a September 21, 2013 fire. (That facility has not yet resumed operation.)

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U.S. oil & gas industry to invest $890B in infrastructure to 2025

From an Article By Katherine Lymn, Forum News Service, January 9, 2014

The U.S. oil and gas industry is investing confidently in infrastructure the near future, according to a recent report on infrastructure investments. Those investments, of a projected $890 billion over the next 12 years, will pump the national economy with hundreds of thousands of jobs along with the ripple effects of a workforce with more spending money.

“It’s a time of optimism for the industry,” said James Fallon, director of downstream energy consulting at IHS Global Inc., which did the study. The investments will break down into an especially strong year this year, carrying over from a “banner year” in 2013, and will sustain at annual investments of at least $80 billion in midstream and downstream infrastructure until 2020.

The report noted developing shale formation areas will require more extensive investments in gathering and support facilities because they are not historic production regions. That issue is ever present in the minds of Bakken industry players as flaring of natural gas, which often occurs because of a lack of a pipeline hookup to transport the gas, becomes a top problem.

The study said pipelines will be the primary mover of oil and gas despite other methods increasing in popularity as of late. Investments in crude oil pipelines increased from $1.6 billion in 2010 to $6.6 billion last year.

North Dakota is seeing ripple effects across the state, such as the fertilizer plants in Jamestown and Grand Forks, and the manufacturing industry in Fargo where oilfield equipment is built. There’s also the ripple economic effect that comes from the increased workforce. “They need to eat somewhere, they need to sleep somewhere, they need places to refill their vehicles, they need leisure activities,” Fallon said.

An overall theme of the changing infrastructure is a shift in the focus of the industry toward exports away from the historical infrastructure supporting imports, a relic of the now outdated focus on getting oil from elsewhere.

Pennsylvania Marcellus Region

Commentary by S. Tom Bond,  Lewis County, WV

Republican Governor of Pennsylvania, Tom Corbett, has characterized persons criticizing shale drilling as “unreasoning opposition,” according to an article  in the Canon McMillan Patch. Coreitt, who has managed to “tic off” about everybody outside the shale drilling industry and its minions, from the American Planning Association to the public health industry for his Act 13 excesses, as well as industries producing renewable energy, environmentalists, and a large number of ordinary citizens who have to bear the decline in property values and destruction of their surroundings and health. The governor even wants universities to drill on their grounds to “help solve their financial problems.”

Shale drilling is big industry, not concentrated, but with the potential to spread over 100,000 square miles of Appalachia and hundreds of thousands more in other areas. It consumes vast quantities of refined petroleum products, tens of thousands of tons of steel and a wide assortment of industrial chemicals, which are used in vast quantities. Each square mile of shale will be touched, if the industry has its way. Parks, airports, national forests, cities and towns, rivers and lakes, homes and all other industry in the area, will have on every square mile four to six acre pads filled with 18 inches of stone, a miniature brownfield and something like military free fire zones along the pipelines and access roads.

The fact is that Gov. Corbett has a pathological aversion to evidence. His world is determined by claims of the shale drilling industry such as: We don’t destroy water. We don’t make anyone sick. Of course our balance sheet doesn’t show costs to the public – there are none. And so on. Considering the amount of money investors have put into shale drilling and the acute sensitivity of investors to adverse news, what else could the industry say? Look at what happened to Chesapeake as a result of Aubrey McClendon’s financial antics when they became public.

If the governor wanted evidence he’d send people out to talk to victims. Of course, his campaign donations from the industry stand in the way. Just as campaign donations stand in the way of fact-finding in other states.

The ground under the Shale drilling industry is shifting, though. The public health industry has a strong moral backbone. They are gearing up to go for data in spite of Act 13. There are suits all over the place. Google “shale drilling suit” and there are pages of articles on the subject. Along with the Shale industry advertisements, of course, top and bottom of the page. One of the most interesting is against OSHA by Petro-Hunt.  It is clear the industry risks it employees in many ways, just as it does residents by such things as inordinately long hours, silica dust, breathing vapors, for example.

Several newspapers now have special shale drilling sections. One of the most comprehensive is here.  Publications by opponents are increasing in number and sophistication. An organization called Host Farms exists to invite and encourage researchers interested in measuring the parameters in question. There was a worldwide protest against shale drilling Saturday, September 22.

In New York’s Finger Lakes region, Inergy Corporation plans to build a LPG storage facility in caverns formed from mining salt. The community is uniting against the plan. Businesses including Tourism,Vineyards and Wineries. Watkins Glen businesses (which are close enough to be affected by catastrophic fires), are lining up against it. Nothing so complete has been faced by the industry before.

And moratoria are being declared in many jurisdictions. The most recent is Quebec. “On her way into her first cabinet meeting Thursday morning, Natural Resources Minister Martine Ouellet told reporters she does not believe natural gas can ever be safely extracted from shale rock. She vowed to impose a complete moratorium on the industry until a new and more complete environmental assessment by the Bureau d’audiences publiques sur l’environnement (BAPE) is completed.”

So, Gov. Corbett, there are good reasons. You can’t see them because your eyes are closed. And your mind, too. If you don’t open them the world will pass you by.

>>> S. Tom Bond, is farming 500 acres in Lewis County in central West Virginia.  He has a Ph.D. in chemistry and has taught chemistry at the high school and college level.  He is active in the Guardians of the West Fork and the Monongahela Area Watersheds Compact <<<