Trainloads of crude oil from the Bakken shale in ND do pass through the Valley — and these trains travel through the center of Allentown, Bethlehem, and Easton, often right next to the Lehigh River. This raises major safety concerns and serious questions about how to protect people. The Wall Street Journal's map of rail shipments estimates 1–10 trains/wk on the Norfolk … [Read more...] about Is explosive crude oil traveling through your community?
extractive industries
Photos of recent crude oil derailments
Most trains reach their destinations safely, of course. Derailments are not common, but— but when a train carrying explosive crude or natural gas does derail and catch fire, the results can be disastrous, as the photos below show. December 2013 – Casselton, ND April 2014 – Lac-Mégantic, Quebec: November 2013 – Pickens County, Alabama: … [Read more...] about Photos of recent crude oil derailments
FYI: F**cking Pennsylvania
The headline actually refers to Fracking, which is obscene in more ways than the other F-word. Here are a few updates on the quantities of radioactive materials being released into our environment, a look at the corruption created by fracking and what could be done instead, and what you can do to reduce your fracking [& carbon] footprint. Take a few minutes to look at … [Read more...] about FYI: F**cking Pennsylvania
Greedheads & Natural Resources
What do coal, gold, & natural gas have in common? Or water, petroleum, & uranium? They are all natural resources that mining and other resource-extraction companies take from the ground and sell to others. It seems to be a common pattern for these 'extractive industries' to be ready and willing to harm people and the natural environment in their quests for profits. (I … [Read more...] about Greedheads & Natural Resources
‘Progress’, a poem by Lisa J. Parker
…on the human effects of coal mining and other resource extraction industries: Progress In a ton of black gold boring through the fatness of the Blue Ridge on the Clinchfield freight lines, three generations are trapped. The first generation talks in short bursts of emphysemic speech, trying to stand straight, coughing quietly while the second generation glorifies the … [Read more...] about ‘Progress’, a poem by Lisa J. Parker
Protecting the Interests of the People
by Karen Feridun When the residents of Lynn Township, Lehigh County discovered E.coli in their water wells, they approached their township supervisors, asking them to tell a local farmer to stop using fertilizer made from treated sewage sludge that goes by the greenwashed name biosolids. The fertilizer produced from the residue of the wastewater treatment process is a toxic … [Read more...] about Protecting the Interests of the People
Drilling & mining – worse than organized crime!
Let’s see… in 2010, 29 miners died in the Upper Big Branch mine because Massey Energy didn’t want to comply with safety regulations. BP’s Deepwater Horizon oil rig blew up, killing 35 workers and contaminating the Gulf of Mexico with over 50 million gallons of crude oil that will affect the ecosystem for years, maybe decades. Natural gas companies foul our land and ground … [Read more...] about Drilling & mining – worse than organized crime!
Precautionary Principle for Marcellus Shale
Health and Environmental Experts:Follow the Precautionary Principle on Natural Gas from the Marcellus Shale Since 2007, Pennsylvania has witnessed a dramatic increase in unconventional development of natural gas from the Marcellus shale formation using high-volume hydraulic fracturing, also called “fracking” or “fracing”. Hydraulic fracturing uses known toxins and … [Read more...] about Precautionary Principle for Marcellus Shale
Signers: Precautionary Principle for Marcellus Shale
Experts working in environmental or health field Patricia T. Bradt, PhD Environmental Science, Muhlenberg College John A. Cigliano, PhD Biology; Cedar Crest College Joseph C. Colosi, PhD Natural Science & Plant Ecology Chrysan Cronin, PhD Biology & Public Health; Muhlenberg College Dru Germanoski, PhD Geology; Lafayette College Doug Heath, PhD Geography & … [Read more...] about Signers: Precautionary Principle for Marcellus Shale
Marcellus Shale – Background
Info from Wikipedia: The Marcellus Formation is a black shale formation found throughout the Allegheny Plateau, running across the Southern Tier and Finger Lakes regions of New York, in northern and western Pennsylvania, eastern Ohio, through western Maryland, and throughout most of West Virginia extending across the state line into extreme western Virginia. The Marcellus … [Read more...] about Marcellus Shale – Background