“You’re Not Welcome Here” – This Is Transparency?
Those opposed to natural gas development continually make the argument that the natural gas industry needs to be more transparent in its operations. Indeed, they advance a rabid narrative that the industry opposes transparency at every turn. This of course, like so many of their arguments, flies in the face of actual fact. Through educational meetings, site tours, and voluntary disclosures on sites like fracfocus.org, the industry continues to be increasingly transparent in all of its activities. Yesterday, I got to witness firsthand a rare pot calling the kettle black moment when a group of anti-gas advocates met myself, the EID team and other respected community members with a door to the face, literally!
What could have caused this rude response?
Well, various groups known for being outspoken against the natural gas industry in PA, called a meeting to discuss possible ways to recover “damages” from the industry. The event was held in Montrose, Pa, and featured out-of-state lawyers who have brought countless nuisance lawsuits against other industries. For those not familiar, nuisance lawsuits are generally brought whenever there is an unreasonable interference with the health, safety, peace, or comfort of the general public. Groups like the Responsible Drilling Alliance (RDA) and the Gas Drilling Awareness Coalition (GDAC), among others, continually say that natural gas development has been a nuisance to local communities but economic prosperity, low unemployment, infrastructure improvements and community outreach says otherwise.
Getting back to the literal door in the face, my colleague Nicole Jacobs and I decided to check this meeting out and see what kind of nuisance complaints individuals had against the industry. Upon entering the meeting, we were met with unwelcoming stares by 15 or so individuals sitting in a semi-circle around the “out of state lawyer.” Immediately cries of industry representatives rang out from the attendees who then proceeded to ask us to leave.
Not realizing what we had done -other then being advocates of industry- we interjected with references to advertisements of this meeting being “open to all interested parties.”
Don’t believe me, check out the screen shot below of the RDA’s website were it clearly states multiple times the public is invited to participate. Contradicting numerous advertisements, meeting organizers informed us this meeting is only for negatively impacted individuals and literally closed a door in our faces- at a church no less.
Below is a short audio recording of what transpired also. Sorry, there is no real video because were pushed out of the door in record time; 31 seconds!
Can you believe these comments?
“This is for people who are negatively impacted by the industry – you’re positively impacted”
“You’re not welcome here”
“Just go”
All laughing and door slamming aside, the issue at hand from this meeting is that anti-gas group’s intention to use frivolous litigation to slow down, or stop, the industry will ultimately impact innocent individuals and local communities. These lawsuits, which are often based on anecdotal evidence, really represent nothing more than a glorified witch hunt by ambulance chasing attorneys looking to make a quick buck- yet another economic benefit provided by the industry.
Need a good example? How about Todd O’Malley from the firm O’Malley & Langan. Last year he represented Crystal Stroud who claimed barium poisoning resulted in her home from natural gas development in her area. She was part of O’Malley’s farcical “Faces of Fracking” effort. I wish I could make this stuff up but it’s real, very real and highly entertaining. Of course, EID Marcellus debunked this issue with a little help from the Department of Environmental Protection who determined:
High levels of barium and the other substances in Ms. Stroud’s well have been naturally present in the ground water in this area for quite some time. In fact, this conclusion mirrored the conclusions of a study published by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) in 1998, long before any Marcellus drilling in the area. (http://bit.ly/qiKl46)
This was a fact also confirmed by the United States Geologic Survey dating back to the late 1980s, long before natural gas development came to this area. Needless to say we have not seen Mr. O’Malley standing next to Mrs. Stroud in a while. We’re sure he’s looking for others to help support his cause whose cases have yet to be debunked.
Before I end, here is one final thought; Montrose, Pennsylvania is not interested in nuisance lawsuits and/or banning natural gas. Contrary to what the RDA and GDAC say, the majority of people are very happy with Marcellus development. This is evident by the six thousand people who attended Cabot’s 2nd annual picnic last year or by the one hundred people who showed against Binghamton’s Mayor Matt Ryan’s water delivers in Dimock. But I leave that for you to decided next time you find yourself there. I would stop at the Montrose Inn for dinner and see for yourself!
Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
Trackbacks & Pingbacks
Comments are closed.
I will bet I know who was there… Verra Scruggins, The Sautners, Craig Stevens, and a few NY NYRAD members, probably William Houston of Shell-Shock – Media.
Here is a thought…. how about those who have been effected with the ongoing lies of water contamination, and the litigants of PA refusing testing for the last 3 years… using those lies in a campaign to slanderize industry for the purpose of their litigation …. sue these people for there effort to keep NY from drilling. There has been real harm done in NY by these fanatics….
Why was your camera hidden?
It wasn’t.
Hahaha; I know how to be positively, not negatively, impacted by my fellow fracers and yet get INVITED to meetings such as that, and you don’t!
Tip: It helps to have a reputation (which you just revealed you’re too much of a LIGHTWEIGHT to be capable of obtaining) for keeping one’s video camera in one’s pocket AND turned OFF (like I did last night INCLUDING BEFORE the no-videoing rule that I suspected would likely be announced at the beginning of that meeting, did indeed get announced).
Hey Dick
Or maybe it should be Mr. Know It All….do you think if that lying, deceitful, spineless creep in the Yankee cap showed up with his video rig a no video ban would have been enforced…???
Bob Nolan
Lake Ariel, PA
Wait – I’m confused – are you talking about Bill Huston or Josh Fox? That description could fit both…
Groups like Responsible Drilling Alliance are far from transparent. I attended an “informational” forum a year ago (January 14, 2011) in Laporte – “The Cumulative Environmental Effects of Gas Drilling. John Trallo played moderator and presented himself as “being on the fence”. http://shaleshockmedia.org/2011/01/30/1-intro-cumulative-environmental-effects-of-gas-drilling/ He states he wanted to present the “balanced story”. However, look at a forum post (December 29, 2010) on the Google Group “Citizens Concerned about Natural Gas Drilling” http://groups.google.com/group/citizensconcernedaboutnatgasdrilling/browse_thread/thread/824109826032f9d1 – HOLY SMOKES!-Look at that list! Reads like the who’s who of anties. The phone number to call for more information? http://www.johntrallo.com/guitarlessons.htm And take notice of the second post by Virginia Cody “OMG You pulled this off!” and telling everyone they needed to show up to support their side – this was at least a couple of weeks before the forum.
As someone who attended this “informational meeting”, I can tell you it was only a pep rally and anything but balanced… That’s not transparency – that’s pushing an agenda and calling it informational.
Oh, on the ShaleShock media link from above, please notice a little after minute 4.00, the lady speaking informs people if there were “not enough” forms to go around for their petition, feel free to sign the back of it and “put multiple signatures”. There should have been more than enough to go around with one on every seat, two stacks of them on tables upon entering the door to the auditorium, and people going around shoving them in your face and questioning people when they said they would do more investigation into it and decide at a later time. Yep, that’s real transparent too – multiple signatures – it doesn’t matter who you sign for, heck why not just add a few made-up names as well.
It was the first anti-drill event I attended… the cult mentality is largely at play at these meetings. I had to leave after Dr. Engelder spoke. As I was leaving a little lady who was every bit as emotional as a “Stepford Wife” looked at me and said, “You can’t leave now, the better speaker is about to go on stage”, meaning Dr. Ingraffea.
I was there too Sherry… They got a full aduitorium becaused theypromised Joshing Fox as a guest speaker who knew well in advance he wouldn’t be there. These anti’s use a lot of tricks and lies to get a follwing. one of there best is taking pictures at pro-gas events and croping them into the anti events to make their crowd look bigger. Some are truly passionate about their beliefs but only because their being lied to by ther leadership. Look at Kim Micheals work, and Bill Houston’s filming how he cuts,crops and edits. Have you ever wondered why many pro-gas people have tried to get time on “Open 2 Everyone” O2E TV, and it’s never been done. I tried, and the lady who greeted me told me that Bill Houston ran this station and I could not get a time slot that they were all reserved for him…..
The deck has been stacked against pro-gas NYKERS from the start with our media being against the drilling below is a list of anti gas reporters or staitions:
The Binghamton Press – Jeff Platski
O2E-TV – Bill Houston Channel 4 on your cable dial.
Action News TV-12 Candice Chapman and Markham
WHWK – Radio All Anti – All Day (ran very decitful lies on air about NG extraction)
There are a few more but these are the very proud to decit the community leaders in their effort to promote themselves and slander the industry. I would hope any pro-gas supporter that reads this and agrees with me stop supporting the above mentioned.
oooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhmmmmmmmmmmm
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
May we find peace for all beings living and animals too
May Buddha lead you to enlightenment
May we screw over the landowners and get paid to do so
BH
No! You mean the paradigms of virtue and tolerance were intolerant of you!? Hmmm, I might have to rethink this scenario…could it be possible that they are being disingenuous …say it isn’t so! :-o
Maybe the people of Dimock should ban together and hire an attorney to take on their case. The case the attorney should take on would be to go after the three largest mouths in the group of litigants. I’m sure an attorney could do something about the damage that has been done to the reputation of Dimock. The property values that are now lower not because of drilling but because of the lies these people tell should be addressed too. To add to it how about the numerous times we hear “I’ve got a lawyer and I’ll sue you”!!! Maybe these 3 need to start thinking about paying that lawyer and the lawyers they already fired. One of them stated she’d be happy if she got a dollar because it would be a dollar more than she had to start. Hope they end up with nothing but a massive bill. Maybe the lawyers will all end up with a bunch of homes in the Dimock area as well.