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Our Methane Opportunity and Our Responsibility ~ Control Natural Gas ASAP — Part 1
by Frack Check WV: Dee Fulton 25 Apr '23

25 Apr '23

# [Our Methane Opportunity and Our Responsibility ~ Control Natural Gas ASAP — Part 1](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/04/25/our-methane-opportunity-and- our-responsibility-control-natural-gas-asap-%e2%80%94-part-1/) [![](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2023/04/7AF06D55-D86F-43EF- BF56-F54FA0C513B9-300x168.jpg)](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2023/04/7AF06D55-D86F-43EF-BF56-F54FA0C513B9.jpeg) OMG! Flaring adds carbon dioxide directly to the earth’s atmosphere **Why fixing methane leaks from the oil and gas industry can be a climate game-changer – one that pays for itself** From an [Article by Jim Krane (Rice University), Yahoo! News Service](https://news.yahoo.com/why-fixing-methane-leaks-oil-132702814.html), 11/17/22 **What’s the cheapest, quickest way to reduce climate change without roiling the economy? In the United States, it may be by reducing methane emissions from the oil and gas industry.** Methane is the main component of natural gas, and it can leak anywhere along the supply chain, from the wellhead and processing plant, through pipelines and distribution lines, all the way to the burner of your home’s stove or furnace. **Once it reaches the atmosphere, methane’s super heat-trapping properties render it a major agent of warming. Over 20 years, methane causes 85 times more warming than the same amount of carbon dioxide. But methane doesn’t stay in the atmosphere for long, so stopping methane leaks today can have a fast impact on lowering global temperatures.** That’s one reason governments at the 2022 United Nations climate change conference in Egypt focused on methane as an easy win in the climate battle. So far, 150 countries, including the United States and most of the big oil producers other than Russia, have pledged to reduce methane emissions from oil and gas by at least 30%. China has not signed but has agreed to reduce emissions. If those pledges are met, the result would be equivalent to eliminating the greenhouse gas emissions from all of the world’s cars, trucks, buses and all two- and three-wheeled vehicles, according to the International Energy Agency. **There’s also another reason for the methane focus, and it makes this strategy more likely to succeed: Stopping methane leaks from the oil and gas industry can largely pay for itself and boost the amount of fuel available.** **Capturing methane can pay off** ~ Methane is produced by decaying organic material. Natural sources, such as wetlands, account for roughly 40% of today’s global methane emissions. But the majority comes from human activities, such as farms, landfills and wastewater treatment plants – and fuel production. Oil, gas and coal together make up about a third of global methane emissions. In all, methane is responsible for almost a third of the 1.2 degrees Celsius (2.2 degrees Fahrenheit) that global temperatures have risen since the industrial era. Unfortunately, methane emissions are still rising. In 2021, atmospheric levels increased to 1,908 parts per billion, the highest levels in at least 800,000 years. Last year’s increase of 18 parts per billion was the biggest on record. Among the sources, the oil and gas sector is best equipped to stop emitting because it is already configured to sell any methane it can prevent from leaking. Methane leaks and “venting” in the oil and gas sector have numerous causes. Unintentional leaks can flow from pneumatic devices, valves, compressors and storage tanks, which often are designed to vent methane when pressures build. Unlit or inefficient flares are another big source. Some companies routinely burn off excess gas that they can’t easily capture or don’t have the pipeline capacity to transport, but that still releases methane and carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. **Nearly all of these emissions can be stopped with new components or regulations that prohibit routine flaring.** **Making those repairs can pay off.** Global oil and gas operations emitted more methane in 2021 than Canada consumed that entire year, according to IEA estimates. If that gas were captured, at current U.S. prices – $4 per million British thermal unit – that wasted methane would fetch around $17 billion. The IEA determined that a one-time investment of $11 billion would eliminate roughly 75% of methane leaks worldwide, along with an even larger amount of gas that is wasted by “flaring” or burning it off at the wellhead. **The repairs and infrastructure investments would not only reduce warming, but they would also generate profits for producers and provide direly needed natural gas to markets undergoing drastic shortages due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.** **See Part 2 tomorrow.** >>> Jim Krane is a Fellow for Energy Studies, Baker Institute for Public Policy & Lecturer, Jones Graduate School of Business at Rice University in Houston, TX URL: <https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/04/25/our-methane-opportunity-and-our- responsibility-control-natural-gas-asap-%e2%80%94-part-1/>

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Pollution Incidents from Shell Cracker Plant are Recurring Problems
by Frack Check WV: Duane Nichols 24 Apr '23

24 Apr '23

# [Pollution Incidents from Shell Cracker Plant are Recurring Problems](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/04/24/pollution-incidents-from- shell-cracker-plant-are-recurring-problems/) [![](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2023/04/A755C990-9BD3-4296-9FD7-250806D916B1-300x157.jpg)](… content/uploads/2023/04/A755C990-9BD3-4296-9FD7-250806D916B1.jpeg) The Ohio River valley in Pennsylvania continues its challenging ways (Click image to expand) **Pennsylvania investigating Odor Events at Shell ethane cracker & cited for 3 separate violations** From an [Article by Reid Frazier, State Impact Penn.](https://stateimpact.npr.org/pennsylvania/2023/04/14/state- investigating-odor-event-at-shell-ethane-cracker/), April 14, 2023 The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection is investigating a release of odors from Shell’s Beaver County ethane cracker this week. Shell reported on Wednesday the odor came from its wastewater treatment facility, and said the smell could be detected outside of the facility’s boundaries. “Depending on wind direction, the odor was detected in certain areas offsite as well. We are working to resolve this matter as quickly as possible,” the company said. **Under the facility’s state air permit, the plant is not allowed to release “malodorous air contaminants” outside of the company’s property line.** Curtis Thomas, a spokesman for the company, said this happened after the company drained a tank for scheduled maintenance during a plant shutdown. As a result, he said, “a watery oil mix” entered the facility’s wastewater treatment plant, causing the release of odor. The company added water to the oily mix “with the goal of minimizing the odor,” Thomas said. The area nearby was closed off, he said, “and normal work that would have been done in the area was paused.” Contrary to statements on social media, there was no plant-wide evacuation, and no release of the carcinogen benzene, Thomas said, in an email. **Smells “like burning gas and maple syrup”** ~ Lexy Stawick of the nearby town of Beaver said her 7-year-old daughter first smelled the odor when she went outside before school on Wednesday morning. “She just went out in the backyard to get her shoes and she came in and told me it smells really bad outside,” Stawick said. “And she asked me to come outside to smell it, and it smelled like someone had come into our backyard and just like, doused it in gasoline. It reeked of gas.” Rosemary Rush, of Brighton, said her 8-year-old son first alerted her to the smell when she rolled the windows down while driving him to school in Beaver Wednesday morning. “He was like, ‘Mom, what is that smell? It smells so bad.’ And I didn’t really think anything of it at first, but we literally could not keep the window down,” she said. “I was like instantly nauseous, instantly had a headache.” Rush said she drove to different spots in Beaver to see if the smell, which she described as “like burning gas and maple syrup mixed together” was still present, and it was. “It was like this heavy, thick, almost like a cloud of something that I was breathing in that I could feel in my throat,” she said. **PA- DEP responds ~** DEP spokeswoman Lauren Camarda said agency personnel were at the plant Wednesday and Thursday investigating after getting numerous reports from the public and from Shell about the event. The DEP staff documented “on-and-offsite odors, which Shell reports were caused by oil entering its wastewater treatment plant,” Camarda said. Camarda said Shell had reported higher than normal readings for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) at the company’s fence line air monitors, and that local ambient air pollution readings reported higher than normal levels of particulate matter. But Camarda said these levels did not exceed federal health-based air standards. Camarda said the agency “has no evidence to date of any unpermitted materials being discharged to a waterway” from the plant. **Problems at the plant not new ~** The event follows a rocky few months of operations at the plant, which began in November, and includes a state notice of violation in December for high levels of flaring during startup operations. Three other recent violations in April were for visible emissions from flaring in February; exceeding its 12-month limit of nitrogen oxide emissions in January; and exceeding its 12-month emissions limits of both nitrogen oxide and carbon monoxide emissions in February. In March, a compressor failure led to another bright flaring event at the plant. Stawick said she is worried about the overall impact of the plant’s emissions on her children, 5 and 7. “It seems like Shell is having an issue almost monthly. So I worry about what that’s doing to our air, what our kids are being exposed to,” she said. The plant, which makes plastic out of ethane, a component of natural gas abundant in the Utica and Marcellus shale, opened in November and received a $1.65 billion Pennsylvania tax credit, the largest in state history. URL: <https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/04/24/pollution-incidents-from-shell- cracker-plant-are-recurring-problems/>

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Air Pollution Fines from Natural Gas Processing @ $9 Million Dollars
by Frack Check WV: S. Tom Bond 23 Apr '23

23 Apr '23

# [Air Pollution Fines from Natural Gas Processing @ $9 Million Dollars](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/04/23/air-pollution-fines-from- natural-gas-processing-9-million-dollars/) [![](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2023/04/4E46125A-2321-41CA- BAE8-ACC1B21E46F21-231x300.jpg)](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2023/04/4E46125A-2321-41CA-BAE8-ACC1B21E46F21.jpeg) (Click to expand image) ~ Meet the Author ~ Michael Barrick to present book entitled ‘Fractured Sanctuary’ **Regional natural gas companies agree to more than $9 million in air quality fines** . . From an [Article by Logan Smith, Newsbreak, CBS Denver](https://www.newsbreak.com/news/3001608774822-regional-natural-gas- companies-agree-to-more-than-9-million-in-air-quality-fines), April 22, 2023 . . **Environmental Protection Agency announced Thursday settlements with three natural gas processing companies for their alleged violations of the federal Clean Air Act.** **The settlements total $9.25 million that will be shared among the federal agency, six states (Alabama, Colorado, Louisiana, North Dakota, West Virginia, and Wyoming), and the Southern Ute Indian Tribe. This includes $346,500 for Williams Companies facilities in Marshall County, WV.** **The agreements also require improvements to be made by the companies at 25 gas processing plants and 91 compressor stations across 12 states and two Tribal communities.** The settlement with one company is notable for its plants' proximity to the Denver metro area. WES DJ Gathering LLC, formerly known as Kerr McGee Gathering, LLC, operates three adjacent processing plants comprising the Fort Lupton Complex located 35 northeast of Denver. To resolve the allegations of state and federal clean air requirements at those facilities, WES DJ Gathering is paying the state and the EPA $1.75 million each. "The area where the Fort Lupton Complex is located does not meet EPA's 8-hour National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) for ground-level ozone and is designated as 'severe' nonattainment," the EPA stated in its press release. Ground-level ozone has adverse affects on human health, according to the EPA. Methane, one of the primary components of natural gas, "substantially" contributes to greenhouse gases and climate change, the agency claims. The EPA and the Colorado Department Public Health and Environment filed a complaint about the Fort Lupton Complex violations on July 1, 2020. As part of the settlement, WES DJ Gathering agreed to replace older equipment with low- emission valves and connectors; repair leaking equipment; implement a leak detection and repair quality control program; use newer gas imaging technology to improve monitoring and detection of leaks; and improve equipment at a nearby Frederick Compressor Station, including the removal or replacement of two pre-1981 engines. "When fully implemented," the EPA's press release claimed, "the settlement will reduce ozone-producing air pollution in northern Colorado by an estimated 162 tons per year and greenhouse gases by 17,433 tons per year of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e), including methane." A second settlement agreement was made with Williams and Harvest Four Corners (The Williams Companies, Inc.), the EPA announced Thursday. Williams is required to pay $3.75 million civil penalty due to alleged failures to control volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions from natural gas processing plants. The penalty will be divided between the EPA ($2,227,500), the Southern Ute Indian Tribe in southwestern Colorado ($307,500) and the states of Colorado ($298,875) and Wyoming ($142,500). Williams is also required to strengthen its leak detection and repair (LDAR) practices at 15 natural gas processing plants, including those near Parachute, Rifle and Ignacio, Colorado, and Wamsutter and Opal, Wyoming. Williams must also perform leak monitoring and repair at 80 natural gas compressor stations across the U.S., including 10 throughout Wyoming. A third settlement agreement was announced with MPLX LP addressing noncompliance and strengthening air pollution controls at seven natural gas processing plants and three compressor stations in North Dakota, Wyoming, and the Uintah and Ouray Reservation in Utah. **The consent decrees for the WES DJ, Williams, and MPLX settlements are available at U.S. Department of Justice websites. The public has 30 days to comment.** Congress passed the Clean Air Act in 1970. Major revisions were made to it in 1977 and 1990. #######+++++++#######+++++++######## **See Also:** [Book ‘Fractured Sanctuary,’ about the Grassroots Response to the Fracking Industry](https://appalachianchronicle.com/2023/02/28/book- fractured-sanctuary-a-chronicle-of-the-destructive-fracking-industry-in- appalachia-now-available/), **Now Available** – [The Appalachian Chronicle](https://appalachianchronicle.com/2023/02/28/book-fractured- sanctuary-a-chronicle-of-the-destructive-fracking-industry-in-appalachia-now- available/) URL: <https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/04/23/air-pollution-fines-from- natural-gas-processing-9-million-dollars/>

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West Virginia Ranks #8 in Drilling & Fracking Nationwide
by Frack Check WV: admin 22 Apr '23

22 Apr '23

# [West Virginia Ranks #8 in Drilling & Fracking Nationwide](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/04/22/west-virginia-ranks-8-i… drilling-fracking-nationwide/) [![](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2023/04/BAFC6764-CF61-4D9E-91C6-38AB86E2DD21-231x300.jpg)](… content/uploads/2023/04/BAFC6764-CF61-4D9E-91C6-38AB86E2DD21.jpeg) (Click to enlarge) Open meeting on West Virginia community struggles with drilling & fracking **How prevalent is fracking in West Virginia?** [Update from the Stacker Service, Apr 10, 2022](https://www.wowktv.com/news/west-virginia/how-prevalent-is-fracking-i… west-virginia/) **Hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” is a means of gas extraction that requires blasting large volumes of water, sand and chemicals into subterranean rock to drive out and capture natural gas. The first fracking occurred in the U.S. in the 1860s, followed almost a century later by what we recognize today as modern fracking.** Natural gas is significantly more productive than other fossil fuels, with a 92% efficiency rate between wellhead to home compared to 32% for coal. But opponents of fracking cite numerous environmental and health threats, from poisoned groundwater and the destruction of habitats to heightened ground- level ozone that can increase the risk of asthma and other respiratory issues. Stacker analyzed data from FracFocus, a national hydraulic fracturing chemical registry, to rank states with the most fracking wells. States are ranked by 2020 data, the most recent complete year available. Additional data on natural gas withdrawals from the Energy Information Administration is also provided, however, data on gas production exclusively from fracking is not available. On average, a fracking well can produce for 20 to 30 years, with some wells producing for far longer. During a fracked well’s lifetime, output often drops in the first few years from more than 1,000 barrels a day to 100 barrels. That dropoff means new wells have to be dug regularly to maintain supply. This constant demand can lead to boom towns left with rampant unemployment, wells running dry, and potential health and environmental hazards. Water contamination and air pollution, and even heart attacks and reduced fertility, have all been linked to fracking, studies have shown. **Between 2000 and 2015, the number of hydraulically fractured wells in the United States leaped from 23,000 to 300,000, according to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. These fracking wells represented about 67% of natural gas production and 51% of crude oil production across the nation.** **#10. Wyoming** – Number of wells, 2020: 4,701 – Number of wells, Jan.- Aug. 2021: 1,655 – Change in natural gas gross withdrawals, 2000-2020 (from both fracking and other extraction methods): 3.6% Two of Wyoming’s biggest regions for fracking are the gas sand reservoirs in the Greater Green River and Powder River basins. Since 2010, the state has required disclosure of fracking chemicals by companies. Statewide polling data from the Petroleum Association of Wyoming in 2020 found a full 86% of Wyoming voters approve of oil and natural gas production there. Wyoming’s gas boom has provided plenty of power—over 2 million cubic feet of natural gas by 2013—but at the cost of its air quality. The state’s smog in 2011 was rated worse than Los Angeles. **#9. Ohio** – Number of wells, 2020: 6,741 – Number of wells, Jan.- Aug. 2021: 2,245 – Change in natural gas gross withdrawals, 2000-2020 (from both fracking and other extraction methods): 2,190.9% Natural gas was extracted via fracking from more than 80,000 oil and gas wells in Ohio between the years 1952 and 2014, with natural gas production there ballooning more than 2,200% between 2012 and 2019. Much of the fracking in Ohio occurs along the central-eastern portion of the state over the Marcellus Shale and Point Pleasant-Utica Shale regions. A report released in February 2021 found that investments into the Ohio River valley to support the oil and gas industry instead resulted in 22 counties throughout Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia experiencing documented job losses. Seven of those counties are located in Ohio; they collectively saw a net job loss in excess of 8% and a more than 3% drop in population. **#8. West Virginia** – Number of wells, 2020: 6,741 – Number of wells, Jan.- Aug. 2021: 3,098 – Change in natural gas gross withdrawals, 2000-2020 (from both fracking and other extraction methods): 882.3% As coal mining loses steam in West Virginia, fracking has spread throughout the state. The natural gas boom began in 2011, with the state experiencing a 50% increase in extraction every year since. The Energy Information Administration reported that in the first half of 2021, 34% of dry natural gas production in the United States came from the Marcellus and Utica shale formations in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. When mining operations were done with steam or even horses, the use of “split estates”—when landowners agree to relinquish their rights to the minerals below ground while maintaining ownership of everything at ground level—was widespread. As technology advanced, these old contracts have come to light as energy companies constructed wells and infrastructure for fracking sites in the otherwise remote countryside and towns. #7. Louisiana – Number of wells, 2020: 8,515 – Number of wells, Jan.- Aug. 2021: 4,771 – Change in natural gas gross withdrawals, 2000-2020 (from both fracking and other extraction methods): 114.8% Oil and gas companies have long been drawn to Louisiana for its expansive tax incentives, with fracking primarily concentrated in the Haynesville Shale region in the northwestern part of the state. Natural gas is also extracted from the Tuscaloosa Marine Shale in central Louisiana. In 2014, St. Tammany Parish voted to ban fracking; in 2015, a state judge ruled that the town could not use zoning regulations to block fracking. In March 2017, new regulations in Louisiana stipulated that fracking operators must provide a chemicals list for their fracking processes—however, like in other states, those chemicals considered to be “trade secrets” do not have to be disclosed. #6. Oklahoma – Number of wells, 2020: 15,787 – Number of wells, Jan.- Aug. 2021: 7,788 – Change in natural gas gross withdrawals, 2000-2020 (from both fracking and other extraction methods): 72.8% Oklahoma has seen a sharp rise in earthquake frequency—most of which are due to “wastewater disposal,” in which liquid waste from gas and oil production is shot deep underground. Roughly 90% of this injection in Oklahoma is to get rid of waste from oil extraction, not fracking. The oil and gas division within the Oklahoma Corporation Commission requires that fracking companies report any potential seismic effects of injecting fluids into wells. Oklahoma’s largest-known fracking-induced earthquake was a magnitude 3.6 in 2019. **#5. Pennsylvania** – Number of wells, 2020: 17,441 – Number of wells, Jan.- Aug. 2021: 7,828 – Change in natural gas gross withdrawals, 2000-2020 (from both fracking and other extraction methods): 4,759.9% A historic measure was passed in February 2021 by the Delaware River Basin Commission as all four basin states (Delaware, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania) voted to permanently ban fracking in northeastern Pennsylvania and southern New York, citing evidence of polluted surface, ground, and drinking water. The vote affected two counties in northeastern Pennsylvania that comprise part of the Marcellus Shale. #4. New Mexico – Number of wells, 2020: 20,015 – Number of wells, Jan.- Aug. 2021: 9,749 – Change in natural gas gross withdrawals, 2000-2020 (from both fracking and other extraction methods): 19.6% Oil and gas extraction has been touted as essential to the New Mexico economy, with proponents arguing that fracking has been conducted in the state for half a century without a single incident of groundwater contamination. Opponents to fracking made headway in 2021 with a bill that would put a four-year moratorium on new fracking contracts, claiming oil and gas extraction could cause irreparable damage to ecosystems and human health. #3. North Dakota – Number of wells, 2020: 20,364 – Number of wells, Jan.- Aug. 2021: 9,533 – Change in natural gas gross withdrawals, 2000-2020 (from both fracking and other extraction methods): 1,663.3% Much of North Dakota’s oil and natural gas production occurs in the western part of the state, in the Bakken and Three Forks formations. In 2012, the state surpassed Alaska and became the #2 oil-producing state in the U.S., a rise in status widely attributed to its fracking operations. Many landowners got big payouts by signing property over to natural gas extraction, but they now face a sobering reality of potential water contamination that could affect farms, livestock, and residents. #2. Colorado – Number of wells, 2020: 20,955 – Number of wells, Jan.- Aug. 2021: 14,509 – Change in natural gas gross withdrawals, 2000-2020 (from both fracking and other extraction methods): 164.5% One of the first large-scale American fracking operations began in 1973 in Colorado’s Wattenberg Gas Field. That field, located between Denver and Greeley and discovered in 1970, is the Colorado site where the most oil and gas extraction to date has occurred to date. Over the last half-century, wells have dried up and more have been dug, creating a patchwork of drill sites across rural Colorado that creeps ever closer to higher-density residential areas. Today, drillers have their sights set on populated areas north of Denver, queueing up heightened anxiety toward fracking regulations. **#1. Texas** – Number of wells, 2020: 136,342 – Number of wells, Jan.- Aug. 2021: 82,763 – Change in natural gas gross withdrawals, 2000-2020 (from both fracking and other extraction methods): 79.8% Texas is situated over parts of numerous basins (Anadarko, Palo Duro, and Permian) and shales (Barnett, Eagle Ford, and Haynesville-Bossier). At the end of the 20th century, when natural gas was giving Texas its second oil boom, Anadarko Basin provided the largest output of natural gas anywhere in the U.S. **Today, fracking is primarily done around Eagle Ford Shale. The first fracking ban in Texas was passed in 2014 in Denton, located along the northern edge of the Barnett Shale. The largest fracking-related earthquake in U.S. history took place in 2018 in Texas and was a magnitude 4.0.** URL: <https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/04/22/west-virginia-ranks-8-in- drilling-fracking-nationwide/>

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The West Virginia Hills & Valleys have Become ‘Fractured Sanctury’
by Frack Check WV: admin 21 Apr '23

21 Apr '23

# [The West Virginia Hills & Valleys have Become ‘Fractured Sanctury’](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/04/21/the-west-virginia-hills- valleys-have-become-%e2%80%98fractured-sanctury%e2%80%99/) [![](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2023/04/3017A998-CE42-44AE-B5BC-C78E883163A9-300x135.jpg)](… content/uploads/2023/04/3017A998-CE42-44AE-B5BC-C78E883163A9.jpeg) Drilling and fracking on large Marcellus well pads continues in WV **Public lecture on grassroots activism in West Virginia** From the [Announcement by Betsy Lawson, Sierra Club](https://appalachianchronicle.com/), April 17, 2023 _Join us for this open presentation and discussion: “Fractured Sanctuary”_ **What** : Michael Barrick will discuss his new book; ‘Fractured Sanctuary’ **Where** : The public meeting room, Church of the Brethren, 464 Virginia Avenue (Wiles Hill), Morgantown. (COVID-19 masks are optional.) **When** : 3 pm, Sunday, April 23rd Our speaker Michael Barrick will describe reluctant citizen activists providing grassroots resistance against fracking, pipeline construction etc… in WV and beyond. Telling our stories helps encourage, empower and heal one another. Community preparedness and emergency management will be described to meet the threats to our communities from fracking, flooding or a major spill of hazardous chemicals, as recently happened in East Palestine, Ohio. Michael Barrick holds a postgraduate Certificate in Community Preparedness and Emergency Management from the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health. He has extensive experience in these areas. He was born in Clarksburg and is a graduate of Glenville State. The co-sponsors of this event are the WV Sierra Club, WV Interfaith Power & Light, Morgantown Church of the Brethren, Morgantown Friends (Quaker) Meeting and the local Unitarian Universalist Fellowship. Refreshments will be provided. Celebrate Earth Day by joining us. We hope to see you there, on Wiles Hill in Morgantown. >>> _Betsy Lawson, Secretary, Monongahela Group, Sierra Club_ **See also:** [The Appalachian Chronicle](https://appalachianchronicle.com/) ~ [appalachianchronicle.com](https://appalachianchronicle.com/) URL: <https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/04/21/the-west-virginia-hills-valleys- have-become-%e2%80%98fractured-sanctury%e2%80%99/>

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First Responders Challenged by Chemicals at Train Derailment(s)
by Frack Check WV: Diana Gooding 20 Apr '23

20 Apr '23

# [First Responders Challenged by Chemicals at Train Derailment(s)](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/04/20/first-responders- challenged-by-chemicals-at-train-derailments/) [![](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2023/04/10EFBD76-2B33-4D8A-BBE1-219BF4B004B81-300x168.jpg)]… content/uploads/2023/04/10EFBD76-2B33-4D8A-BBE1-219BF4B004B81.jpeg) Tank car chemicals intentionally set on fire to speed the “cleanup” process **East Palestine First Responders Faced Communications Gap With Railroad** Article by [Curtis Tate, West Virginia Public Broadcasting](https://wvpublic.org/east-palestine-first-responders-faced- communications-gap-with-railroad/), March 23, 2023 **Fire departments from Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia responded to the Feb. 3 Norfolk Southern derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. At first, they didn’t have a lot of information to work with.** **Jennifer Homendy, chairwoman of the National Transportation Safety Board, told the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee that none of the first responders on the scene had access to an app that was created by the rail industry precisely for that kind of situation.** The AskRail app was created in 2014 to help first responders amid a series of derailments and fires involving trains carrying crude oil and ethanol. Ian Jeffries, CEO of the Association of American Railroads, the industry’s principal lobbying group, said the app needs to be in more hands. “There are a lot of first responders in this country,” he said, “and having 35,000 with the app is absolutely not sufficient, not where we need to be.” U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, a member of the Commerce Committee, said the railroad also needed to improve its communication. “They were pledging safety and funds to help train, and things of this nature,” she said, “but they still have missed the ball in terms of communications.” **The NTSB is investigating the East Palestine derailment and separately probing Norfolk Southern’s safety culture. Since the Feb. 3 derailment, other crashes have occurred in Michigan, Ohio and Alabama**. Homendy said advance notification of hazardous materials moving through communities is key. “Because they need to be prepared,” she said. “They need to be adequately trained, they need the right gear, and they need to have emergency response planning done in coordination with the railroads.” Capito said a bipartisan bill to improve rail safety was likely coming in the next several months. **Meanwhile, East Palestine first responders were among the first to enroll in a hazardous materials training class in Bellevue, Ohio, paid for by Norfolk Southern. The training class is (now) available to first responders in Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. The first class began the week of March 23rd (too late).** #######+++++++#######+++++++######### **See Also:** [The Appalachian Chronicle – Fiercely Independent Reporting & Analysis](https://appalachianchronicle.com/) URL: <https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/04/20/first-responders-challenged-by- chemicals-at-train-derailments/>

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The West Virginia Hills ~ How Majestic & How Grand!
by Frack Check WV: Duane Nichols 19 Apr '23

19 Apr '23

# [The West Virginia Hills ~ How Majestic & How Grand!](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/04/19/the-west-virginia-hills-how- majestic-how-grand/) [![](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2023/04/6C4916F2-4795-4777-82C2-6AF747B3A631-232x300.jpg)](… content/uploads/2023/04/6C4916F2-4795-4777-82C2-6AF747B3A631.jpeg) Click on this image to expand it. Hillsboro, Marlinton & Green Bank are in Pocahontas County, WV **Earth Day Open Forum: A Discussion of Emergency Preparedness to be held at Hillsboro Library** From [Michael M. Barrick, The Appalachian Chronicle](https://appalachianchronicle.com/), April 18, 2023 **Howdy Folks! Greetings to West Virginians in All 55 Counties!** This is a brief reminder that the Hillsboro Library Friends are hosting an Open Forum that I will be facilitating, based in part on by book, Fractured Sanctuary: A Chronicle of Grassroots Activists Fighting Pipelines of Destruction in Appalachia. [Details follow](https://appalachianchronicle.com/). Join us if you can and please share the word! Thanks, Pocahontas County is a great place to visit. I hope to see you there or in Morgantown on Sunday @ 3 PM. MMB #######+++++++#######+++++++######## **Hillsboro is Historic in the West Virginia Hills & Mountains** Brigadier General William W. Averell and his Federal troops encountered Confederate troops led by Brigadier General John Echols at Droop Mountain on November 6, 1863. The federal army had encountered Echols while on their second attempt to the Virginia-Tennessee Railroad located at Salem, Virginian. Echols and his troops positioned themselves on the high ground of Droop Mountain, a tactical advantage to the smaller army. However, despite using artillery to block the road, the Confederate troops were overwhelmed by Averell’s men. The Battle of Droop Mountain served as the final significant Civil War battle for the newly formed West Virginia. The site of the battle was declared West Virginia’s first state park on July 4, 1928. In 1892, famous author Pearl S. Buck was born in a large white two-story house at the northern end of Hillsboro. Shortly thereafter, her family, Presbyterian missionaries, returned to China, but her West Virginia roots nevertheless had a significant impact on Pearl through her mother Carrie. The Dutch-style "city house," now on the National Register of Historic Places, has been restored into a museum, The Pearl S. Buck Birthplace. It displays an array of antiques from the 1892 period, including many family originals. Also on the National Register of Historic Places are the Richard Beard House and Locust Creek Covered Bridge. Hillsboro is also featured in the movie Patch Adams, where Dr. Patch Adams purchased land to build a medical clinic based on his philosophy of doctor- patient interaction. A medical clinic is planned but has not yet been constructed, as fund-raising is still underway. Currently, the Gesundheit Institute host people at the facility to engage in learning and volunteering. URL: <https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/04/19/the-west-virginia-hills-how- majestic-how-grand/>

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Michael Barrick will Speak on the Book titled “Fractured Sanctuary” on Sunday 4/23/23 @ 3 PM
by Frack Check WV: Duane Nichols 18 Apr '23

18 Apr '23

# [Michael Barrick will Speak on the Book titled “Fractured Sanctuary” on Sunday 4/23/23 @ 3 PM](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/04/18/michael- barrick-will-speak-on-the-book-titled-%e2%80%9cfractured- sanctuary%e2%80%9d-on-sunday-42323-3-pm/) [![](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2023/04/50C62608-2BD2-4413-9E9C-C6F70E1244AF-300x169.png)](… content/uploads/2023/04/50C62608-2BD2-4413-9E9C-C6F70E1244AF.png) Co-sponsors are the Morgantown Friends (Quaker) Meeting, the Church of the Brethren, the WV Sierra Club and the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Morgantown **PUBLIC MEETING: “Fractured Sanctuary” by Micheal Barrick, 3 PM on April 23rd** [ANNOUNCEMENT, Morgantown Dominion Post, Sunday, April 16, 2023](https://appalachianchronicle.com/2023/04/13/barrick-to-discuss-book- fractured-sanctuary-at-public-meeting-on-april-23-in-morgantown/) At 3 pm on Sunday, April 23rd our speaker will be Michael Barrick on his new book titled 'Fractured Sanctuary'. This open meeting is being held in the public meeting room of the Church of the Brethren, 464 Virginia Avenue, Wiles Hill Neighborhood, Morgantown. (COVID-19 masks are optional.) Our speaker Michael Barrick will describe reluctant, citizen activists providing grassroots resistance against fracking, pipeline construction and other activities in West Virginia and beyond. Telling our stories helps encourage, empower and heal one another, so an open exchange of experiences and ideas will take place. Also, community preparedness and emergency management will be described to meet the many threats residents face in their communities, whether it be fracking, flooding or a major spill of hazardous chemicals as recently happened in East Palestine, Ohio. Michael Barrick was born in Clarksburg and graduated from Glenville State. He holds a postgraduate Certificate in Community Preparedness and Emergency Management from the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health. He has extensive experience in these areas. The co-sponsors of this event are the WV Interfaith Power & Light, Morgantown Church of the Brethren, WV Sierra Club, Morgantown Friends (Quaker) Meeting and the local Unitarian Universalist Fellowship. **See also:** [The Appalachian Chronicle ~ appalachianchronicle.com](https://appalachianchronicle.com/2023/04/13/barri… to-discuss-book-fractured-sanctuary-at-public-meeting-on-april-23-in- morgantown/) #######+++++++#######+++++++######## **NOTE: SPECIAL SERIES** ~ [HOW CLIMATE-DRIVEN ICE LOSS THREATENS EVERYONE](https://www.npr.org/series/1168056854/beyond-the-poles-ice-melt) ~ Beyond the Poles: The far-reaching dangers of melting ice, National Public Radio, Week of April 17, 2023 URL: <https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/04/18/michael-barrick-will-speak-on- the-book-titled-%e2%80%9cfractured-sanctuary%e2%80%9d-on-sunday-42323-3-pm/>

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Chemical Pollutants from Norfolk Southern Train Wreck
by Frack Check WV: Duane Nichols 17 Apr '23

17 Apr '23

# [Chemical Pollutants from Norfolk Southern Train Wreck](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/04/17/chemical-pollutants-from- norfolk-southern-train-wreck/) [![](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2023/04/B98233A8-7521-4003-AE0E-B605D98BF552.png)](https://… content/uploads/2023/04/B98233A8-7521-4003-AE0E-B605D98BF552.png) Dioxins are dangerous even in very low concentrations **[Dioxin: The deadly legacy of a toxic compound](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/mar/17/norfolk-southern- derailment-east-palestine-ohio-carcinogenic-chemical-levels)** Article contributed by Randi Pokladnik (PhD), Tappan Lake, Ohio, April 15, 2023 On February 3, a Norfolk Southern train carrying 51 cars had an [accident where 38 cars derailed](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/timeline-east-palestine- ohio-train-derailment-chemicals-evacuations/). Eleven of those that derailed were tanker cars carrying hazardous materials such as benzene residue, butyl acrylate and vinyl chloride. Five of the eleven cars carried vinyl chloride which is used to make PVC. Some estimates say 1.1 million pounds of vinyl chloride were in those five rail cars. The accident happened in the small community of East Palestine, Ohio; population around 4,000. **[Vinyl Chloride is a well-established animal and human carcinogen](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3327051/) and is associated with liver cancer as well as brain and lung malignancies. It is polymerized into polyvinyl chloride, a plastic that is used to make pipes and packaging. Globally, 16 billion pounds are produced annually.** Since the derailment, the citizens of East Palestine and the rest of the world have been getting an education on how easily one industrial accident can change your life forever. One fact is obvious, no one, including local, state and federal officials and agencies, or the employees of Norfolk Southern, was really aware or prepared for the long-term consequences of accidents involving hazardous materials. “The [National Transportation Safety Board issued its preliminary report](https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2023/02/27/rail-f27.html) on the derailment which, even in its abbreviated form, made clear that the “accident” which has devastated the town was completely preventable and that through its actions Norfolk Southern ignored warnings for nearly an hour that one of the axles was overheating and would fail.” Alan Shaw, CEO of Norfolk Southern said, “[the ‘vent and burn’ decision emerged from a unified command group led by a local fire chief](https://www.post-gazette.com/news/politics-state/2023/03/20/east- palestine-norfolk-southern-pa-senate-chemical-release/stories/202303200077).” He added that local, state and federal officials including both Ohio and Pennsylvania Governors agreed on the decision that it was better to burn the vinyl chloride than risk an explosion. **On Feb. 6, vinyl chloride was intentionally released and burned. This resulted in a massive cloud of black smoke, resembling a mushroom cloud from a nuclear detonation, to rise above the surrounding area. It could be seen for miles as it blanketed the Ohio River valley.** This decision left the residents of the area with a much larger toxic mess because the combustion of this chlorinated organic compound (PVC) creates a group of some 400 compounds called “dioxins.” The first time I heard the term “dioxin” was in college during an environmental engineering class. Our instructor explained that no one intentionally makes dioxin, it is an unintended by-product of incomplete combustion. It also has the reputation of being one of the most toxic compounds known. **The[International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies dioxin as a human carcinogen](https://www.cancer.org/healthy/cancer-causes/chemicals/agent- orange-and-cancer.html). Dioxin was a contaminant in Agent Orange, the herbicide used as a defoliant during the Vietnam War. It was also found in contaminated oil that was sprayed over the roads to suppress dust in the now uninhabited town of Times Beach, Missouri. In 1976, an explosion at a chemical facility in Seveso, Italy resulted in the release of a cloud of dioxin. At the time, humans had never been exposed to this high a concentration of dioxin.** Most of human exposure to the compound is through foods, mainly meat and dairy products, as dioxins are very fat soluble. The half-life of dioxins once they enter the body is 7 to 10 years. Because they are present throughout the environment in small quantities, they accumulate in the food chain like DDT. Dioxins are classified as persistent organic pollutants or POPs because they persist in the environment, resisting breakdown. “Dioxin buried or leached under the surface or deep in the sediment of rivers and other bodies of water can have a half-life of more than 100 years.” **In 2001, The International Forum on Chemical Safety along with the United Nations Environmental Program developed a treaty, the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs). This treaty is aimed at reducing POPs.** **Dioxins were in the first 12 listed POPs addressed by the Stockholm Convention in the category of “by-products” from incomplete combustion, especially the combustion of chlorine-containing carbon compounds. This type of combustion happens when hospitals burn wastes, when municipalities incinerate their wastes and when hazardous wastes are burned in kilns like those at the Thermal Heritage Incinerator in East Liverpool, Ohio.** When I first learned about this incinerator in 1993 (it was then the WTI Incinerator), I was shocked as to the amount and types of toxic compounds it was being allowed to accept. The facility’s permit allowed it to emit over four tons of lead a year. At the time the facility was being permitted, citizens exposures to dioxin via the food chain were ignored. It was said that the incinerator would produce the most deadliest form of dioxin, 2,3,7,8 tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (2,3,7,8 TCDD). **The Ohio River Sanitary Commission or ORSANCO, monitors dioxin levels in the Ohio River.** Their data shows that incinerators, especially WTI, are a significant source of dioxin. In 2010, the Ohio Department of Health said that East Liverpool has a “strikingly high incidence rate of cancers (especially bladder, colon and rectum, esophagus, lung and bronchus, multiple myeloma, and prostate cancer) when compared to Ohio and the U.S.” Sadly, the facility was allowed to go online even though it failed to pass its test burn. “Its efficiency rating for removing mercury from emissions was only 7 percent, as opposed to the required 99.99 percent.” The United States lawmakers and agencies continue to cater to the petrochemical industry. Although the USA has signed the Stockholm Treaty, it has never officially ratified it or placed appropriate regulations in place that would require industries in the USA to adhere to it. So, companies in this country still produce POPs. PVC has a significant impact on human health and the environment from cradle to grave. Dioxin is not only released when PVC is burned but also when it is produced. [PVC is 60 percent chlorine by weight.](https://noharm- europe.org/sites/default/files/documents-files/6807/2021-06-23-PVC-briefing- FINAL.pdf) In years past, chlorine, a very toxic gas, was made via a process that used mercury to split salt into sodium and chlorine. Newer processes used today are just as dangerous and require membranes coated with the forever PFAS compounds. In Lake Charles, [Louisiana, a jury found one of the United States’ leading PVC manufacturers liable for “wanton and reckless disregard of public safety”](https://chej.org/wp- content/uploads/PVC%20&%20Environmental%20Justice%20-%20REP%20026.pdf), as it was responsible for one of the largest chemical spills in the nation’s history. The spill contaminated the groundwater underneath the surrounding community. Consumers are exposed to PVC via food contact containers and water pipes in their homes. Leaching of organic toxic compounds (carbon tetrachloride, toluene, chloroform, styrene, o-xylene, bromoform, dibromomethane, cis-1,3-dichloropropane, and trans-1,3-dichloropropane) from PVC water pipes has been reported. Sadly, some can coatings have replaced the bisphenol-A (BPA) with another toxic coating: PVC. Even at the end of its life, PVC continues to pollute because it releases vapors like dioxin when in landfills. If PVC is incinerated, dioxin is produced. Because PVC often has additives like the heavy metal cadmium, the waste ash from incineration is also toxic. Using plastics like PVC for a fuel source in cement kilns and incinerators is never a good way to dispose of the substance because of the emissions released. The **[recent fire at a recycling facility](https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/11/us/richmond-indiana-recycling-plan… fire/index.html)** near the Indiana-Ohio border is an example of what happens when plastics are burned. The emissions are causing concerns for the residents and experts and recent tests show they contain benzene, chlorine, hydrogen cyanide, volatile organic compounds and carbon monoxide. Our dependence on so many petrochemicals places us in a precarious position. We need to embrace safer alternatives. This is especially true in health applications where patients can be exposed to high levels of toxins from plastics items like IV tubing and IV bags. Safer alternatives include ethylene vinyl acetate for IV bags, silicone or polyurethane for tubing, and PVC free nitrile gloves, which are stronger than PVC gloves. In construction, PEX or cross-linked polyethylene pipes are comparable to copper but cheaper. They can bend a bit more than PVC and will last up to 50 years. PVC coated fabric which is used for tents, tarps and protective clothing for fire-fighters can be replaced with Rivercyclon’s fabric called Rivertex which is UV resistant as well as waterproof and PVC free. **The bottom line is we, as consumers, need to demand safer products and alternatives to toxic materials. Every day we are being exposed to toxins from petrochemicals in our lives. The communities living around the toxic facilities as well as those who work in these facilities are suffering and dying from exposures that can be eliminated. Just say no to toxic petrochemicals and products made from them.** URL: <https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/04/17/chemical-pollutants-from- norfolk-southern-train-wreck/>

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Message for You and West Virginia and our Earth!
by Frack Check WV: Diana Gooding 16 Apr '23

16 Apr '23

# [Message for You and West Virginia and our Earth!](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/04/16/message-for-you-and-west- virginia-and-our-earth/) [![](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2023/04/A0D7115F-73E1-4C52-82BC-D99479FF5CC7-300x300.jpg)](… content/uploads/2023/04/A0D7115F-73E1-4C52-82BC-D99479FF5CC7.jpeg) The authors continue to add meaning, advice and warnings! **Words Sometimes Provide Tremendous Meaning for the Future** From the [Announcement by Mary Anne Hitt, Author & Activist, Shepherdstown](https://www.nottoolateclimate.com), April 5, 2023 It’s publication day! I have an essay in this book edited by Rebecca Solnit and Thelma Young-Lutunatabua, and the title sums up everything I’ve ever tried to say about climate change in three words – “Not Too Late.”⁣ ⁣ I practically fell out of my chair when Rebecca reached out and asked me to contribute an essay to this new climate anthology. The full title of the book is “Not Too Late: Changing the Climate Conversation from Despair to Possibility,” and Rebecca is one of my favorite writers because she’s constantly changing important conversations from despair to possibility. In her work she reminds us the future has not yet been written, and persuasively makes the case that each one of us can be its author, inspiring us with the stories of those before us who built a better world against the odds, who are doing so alongside us even today. ⁣ ⁣ My essay is a love letter from our clean energy future, imagining a day in the all-important year of 2030 when we’re looking back at the better world we’ve created, because we actually stepped up and tackled the climate crisis. I think this is possible down in my bones, with every fiber of my being, and every morning I wake up trying to live and love and work from that place. We’re the last generation of people with the power and opportunity to turn this crisis around, if we can block out the cynical voices telling us nothing can be done.⁣ ⁣ I’m astounded by the amazing company I’m in here, writers and leaders I love and admire including Leah Stokes, Adrienne Maree Brown, Mary Annaïse Heglar, Nikayla Jefferson, Jacquelyn Gill, and many more. Thank you Rebecca and Thelma for bringing this vision to life, and for including me as part of it. I think it’s just what the world needs right now.⁣ ⁣ [![](https://www.frackcheckwv.net/wp- content/uploads/2023/04/F782FD4F-1D00-44A0-905A-EECC1D299111-150x150.jpg)](… content/uploads/2023/04/F782FD4F-1D00-44A0-905A-EECC1D299111.jpeg) Mary Anne Hitt **You can pick up a copy at your local bookstore – it’s on the shelf in Shepherdstown at Four Seasons Books – or online.** More here: [www.nottoolateclimate.com](https://www.nottoolateclimate.com) #######+++++++#######+++++++######## **See Also:** [Thirty (30) Best Spring Flowers to Plant in Your Garden ~ Weary of winter? Check out these spring bloomers](https://www.countryliving.com/gardening/garden- ideas/g31102712/early-spring-flowers/). Article by Arricca Sansone & Janece Maze, Country Living, March 23, 2023 ⁣ URL: <https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2023/04/16/message-for-you-and-west- virginia-and-our-earth/>

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