Will You Please Manipulate The Numbers

"It's my land and I should be able to do anything I want with it," was the response to an article that appeared in the Altoona Mirror. The article reports on the new regulation for the dissolving of solids called for by the state of Pennsylvania in the Marcellus Shale. Concerns were raised when a study of the Monongahela River yielded high concentrations of dissolved solids. "Dilution can no longer be considered an adequate treatment," DEP Secretary John Hanger wrote.

I continued to read the article and what it boils down to is this...money. According to the industry, it would cost them something like $49,000 per gallon per minute if they followed the new regulations. So, I wonder what it costs them now to just dump the waste into the water way? This article just leaves too many questions unanswered. The figure of $49,000 was provided by an industry environmental manager...can we say...an employee hired to say what we want them to say? It's like the commercials you see for cigarettes...

A State Park WIth A Terrible Disease

When you think of a state park what comes to mind? Majestic peaked pathways to the sun by way of mountains? Calming crystal lakes lapping longingly against the sun baked shore? Dancing tall grasses hissing in the wind beckoning for a romantic interlude? Fresh meadows of fragrant wild flowers waltzing to whimsical music? William Blake, a poet from the mid 1700s recounts his encounter with nature untouched:

I slept in the Earth
In the silent night,
I murmur'd my fears
And I felt delight.

To see a World in a Grain of Sand
And a Heaven in a Wild Flower,
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand
And Eternity in an hour.

I'm almost positive that when you go to a state park that you're not expecting to see this. "A veritable pincushion of drill pads, storage tanks, roads, clear cuts, holding ponds and pollution."

I had blogged about relationships previously and how sometimes things can move so quickly that you don't have time to consider the impact of all that's happening. That's what has happened in the Allegheny National Forest.

I'm not sure why current management of the forest decided to go to bed with the natural gas and oil industry, but they found out quickly that is wasn't what they expected. In fact, the entire experience was rather painful and harmful. Upon realizing their horrible mistake, the Forest
Service demanded a complete stop to all drilling activities. Well, the Foresters found out that like a STD, somethings are hard to get rid of. How did the natural gas and oil drillers respond? Of course, they do what they always do, threatened us with the economy, dangled their gags of money in front of a few people...and you know what? It works. They got some of their bedroom buddies to sign a petition to allow them to continue their unsafe practices, so they can continue to spread the disease. Who they send this petition to, you ask? President Obama. Let's just hope that President Obama has protection.