I'm not quite sure what Express Energy has been up to lately, but for the past several weeks I have had a lot of traffic searching for information on Express Energy. At one time, Express Energy was siphoning water from the Trinity River, without permits and when my good buddy, Durango, tried to take a few photos...they got really nasty.
So, let me ask...are you searching for information about Express Energy, because they're up to no good again? OR are you from Express Energy checking out your google rating?
I'll make it easy, I did a quick search on my blog and put all the information that I have about Express Energy right here.
Gathering Line - a special pipeline that transports gas from the field to the main pipeline.
The Gathering Line is a round-up of oil & gas drilling news brought to you by National Alliance for Drilling Reform (NA4DR), a broad alliance of grassroots activists from states across the nation that are affected with drilling development.
Flower Mound Town Council will vote Thursday night on changing the zoning and ordinance to allow a Waste Water Centralized Collection Facility. What is a CCF and what will it mean to Flower Mound and their neighboring communities? Read about it at stopthedrilling
I got the most impressive look at Oil & Gas Safety man, Kevin Forbes. He's been in the business for a very long time, and has had lots of training. Here's a short list of his expertise:
Pipelines - On and Offshore
Drilling Rigs - On and Offshore
Production Platforms
FPSO's
Diving Vessels
Pipe Laying Vessel's
Construction and Upgrade works
Ship Yard
New Build Gas Plant
Onshore support overseeing high profile projects
Shut Downs
Civils Works
And here are the companies that he's worked for:
BP - Subsea pipeline project
SHELL - 2 separate occasions - New gas plant & Desert drilling operations
EXXON MOBIL - Offshore production platform
BLUEWATER - 2 separate occasions on FPSO's
WOODGROUP - 2 separate occasions - project Support then new build FPSO
KCA - 2 separate occasions - Drilling rig upgrade / shutdown work
SBM - Office Position
TOTAL - 2 separate occasions covering desert drilling operations
ALLSEAS - 2 Separate occasions Solitaire & Lorelay Pipelay Vessels
Quite an impressive resume, huh? I was thinking that Aruba should hire Kevin. They really need a professional to help them fix this sound problem of theirs.
Gathering Line - a special pipeline that transports gas from the field to the main pipeline.
The Gathering Line is a round-up of oil & gas drilling news brought to you by National Alliance for Drilling Reform (NA4DR), a broad alliance of grassroots activists from states across the nation that are affected with drilling development.
Amy Goodman interviews Walter Hang of Toxics Targeting, an Ithaca, NY-based environmental database firm which released a report last week, uncovering 270 documented hazardous chemical spills which occurred over the past thirty years. PA's own Department of Environmental Conservation's database contained records of fires, explosions, wastewater spills, well contamination, and ecological damage related to gas drilling. Take a moment to watch the interview Amy Goodman Interviews Walter Hang of Toxics Targeting Mr. Hang is calling on NY Governor David Paterson to withdraw the Draft Supplemental Geologic Environmental Impact Statement, citing woefully inadequate reporting which will not come close to protecting the environment, water, and public health. This is a must-see interview! Visit Gas Wells Are Not Our Friends to find out more from Peacegirl!
Gas drilling is destroying Pennsylvania's wilderness. The Pennsylvania Wilds include more than 2,000,000 acres of publicly owned virgin forest, clear mountain streams and abundant wildlife. Read about how these public lands are being violated and watch href="http://splashdownpa.blogspot.com"Splashdown for public action you can take soon to defend the Allegheny National Forest, part of the Pennsylvania Wilds.
Annie had her friend Katie B. spend the night and they did all sorts of things. After jumping on the trampoline and riding their bikes, they disassembled an old bicycle to use the wheels for some type of moving contraption. In the evening, when it became too dark to venture outside, the girls made an inside fort using blankets, pillows, chairs and books. When they finally passed out from exhaustion which happened to be around 11:30, I turned off the lights and headed to bed myself.
In the morning the girls enjoyed a breakfast of buckwheat pancakes and turkey bacon. They dressed and proceeded outside for some more Fall fun. They raked the leaves in the front yard and played around jumping and throwing the leaves up into the air and at each other.
Those are the things that children should be seeing on a fun Fall day. They shouldn't have to be having to see pollution created by Aruba Petroleum.
I was reading an article about Carlsbad, New Mexico about a new attraction that has appeared off U.S. 285. I'm familiar with U.S. 285 because that's the highway the kids and I take to visit the Caverns, The Living Desert and Roswell, New Mexico home of the Aliens. I love sight seeing and was thinking about hopping in the car this weekend and taking the kids for a little day trip. Well, imagine my surprise when I find out that the new attraction is an extremely unstable cavern caused by three decades of oil field drilling. Seems that "oil field service companies pumped fresh water into a salt layer more than 400 feet below the surface and extracted SEVERAL MILLION barrels of brine to help with drilling."
I don't know about you, but I always felt certain that if you have a cavern full of liquid and that liquid is helping it stay intact that once you remove most of the liquid, then sooner or later it will collapse. And guess what? I'm just an English teacher and I figured that one out.
Poor old New Mexico isn't unique, other communities in Texas, Kansas, Michigan, Canada and Europe have become alerted to similar underground danger when cracks appeared and the ground began to sink. Seems like I remember seeing something like that just the other day. I don't know, with all the H2S in the air, my memory isn't as good as it used to be.
Oh, and you want to know the best part? Guess who has to pay for the stabilization of the man made cavern? I bet you're thinking the oil and gas companies responsible for this mess. Well, darlin' you'd be thinking wrong. Nope, state and federal funds have to be freed up for this undertaking, while big oil and gas drives away with the town of Carlsbad in their rear view mirror, snickering above the screams and explosions, "Did I do that?"
Don Young of FWCanDo sent out an email comparing New York's attempt at baseball--winning the World Series-- to Texas' attempt at baseball--not even coming close-- and then went further to liken the attempts to how each state handles drilling. Nice one, Mr. Young!
I'm hoping like Mr. Young, that the New Yorkers are successful in keeping Shale Hell Drillers out of their watershed, because once you let them in...they're awfully hard to get rid of.Kill
Did ya hear about the oil company that said fracking fluid was safe? And did ya know that the reason for not disclosing what's in fracking fluid is because it'd be like Coke sharing it's secret formula? Yeah, Ron Heyden of Halliburton said that. What ever! What these companies will do to get out of telling the truth. It's scandalous I tell ya!
There's an urban legend about a nurse over in Durango, CO. Allegedly this employee of Weatherford International, walked into the emergency room with some fracking fluid on his boots. This ER nurse came into contact with the fluid and a few days later experienced a whole host of serious symptoms! Her skin turned yellow, she began vomiting and retaining fluids. This ER nurse had to be taken to the ER, where she found out her liver was swollen and her lungs were filling with fluid. Wow! And only ten minutes exposure to ZetaFlow...the alleged fracking fluid in question. The Weatherford employee has denied having ZetaFlow on him, but why was he at the ER? Well, because he'd been involved in a fracturing fluid spill where a 130 gallons of ZetaFlow had been released.
Since then BP has suspended it's use of ZetaFlow, stating they need to "understand this product better." You've been using it for three years and NOW you want to "understand this product better?" How quaint.
I don't pretend to know everything, or even much about a little, BUT I sure know the difference between CLEAN energy and a DANGEROUS substitute. Pickens gets praised for creating an army to fight against using foreign oil. This fight includes increased natural gas drilling in the United States. How does that translate into "NEW ENERGY"? Does this NEW ENERGY ARMY wear blinders and are they being led around by the gonads? I'm gonna put this into terms that some of my fellow Texans can understand: Your prize bull is fixin' to be castrated! Bet that sent cold shivers down your spine!
I've blogged before about how many natural gas explosions does it take to convince you that natural gas drilling, miles of pipelines, venting into the atmosphere...is not safe. Natural gas is not an alternative energy. Natural gas is not a clean energy.
I know what you're saying, "AtleastPickens has a plan." But do you really understand the full implications of the Pickens' Plan or HR 1835? Here's the letter that encourages your representative to support it:
Please support the NAT GAS Act of 2009
Complete the form below to encourage your U.S. Representative and your U.S. Senators to support the NAT GAS Act of 2009.
This legislation has almost all of the elements for natural gas that we have been pushing for in the Pickens Plan.
It extends the tax credit for natural gas used as a transportation fuel.
It provides a tax credit for 80 percent of the additional cost when purchasing a dedicated natural gas vehicle.
It extends the tax credit for the installation of natural gas refueling pumps.
It creates incentives for the major manufacturers to sell natural gas vehicles (which they already produce for overseas markets) in the United States.
Extends a tax credit for whom? For big industry...that's who. The Pickens' Plan calls for the extension of the Production Tax Credit (PTC) which is government aid to big industry. This particular tax credit is directly linked to Wind Energy, it paid for a significant portion of new wind energy systems, and yet with all this government aid, American businesses still farmed out the work to China instead of reinvesting in American jobs.
None of this is being done to benefit the citizens of America. We're being used and abused, and dealt a defeating blow. Your representatives are mistaken by supporting this bill, it's not for the good of the Nation, only for a select few.
I was scolded recently by a friend, who asked why I had to get government to force others to agree with my opinion. I don't know why I'm still smoldering over that comment. Maybe it's because the alternative is that corporations are buying government to ensure that their will be forced upon us. I'm only trying to put a monkey wrench into the machine.
Final Wildcat Football game of the season, finds us traveling to McCamey, Texas. During the pep rally, the principal made an announcement that we should all avoid the highway next to the gas plant in Imperial, Texas. Seems that the main gas line ruptured.
Daddy and I did just that, took an alternate route avoiding the gas plant. Watched the game, a close defeat, 48 to 40 and then headed back home. On the way to McCamey, daddy and I talked about the dangerous side effects of natural gas. He remembered how'd they found one of our local boys a few years back over come and passed out in his truck near a gas well.
You'd think with the main gas line rupturing at a major gas plant, I'm thinking Arco, that there'd be something on the local news. So far, I've not come across anything on the television, internet or in the Odessa American. Back in February when a gas line ruptured at a Carthage gas plant owned and operated by DCP Midstream, it caused an explosion. The plant employees and people living within a mile and half were evacuated.
We only got the information to avoid the area because we were going out to play some football, I wonder if the locals know anything about it?
The Daily Star: ``Do you support existing and proposed state and federal regulations for gas drilling, and if not, how should they be changed?''
Levine: ``Our answer is a firm `no.'
Levine continues to state that gas drilling is exempt from,"all or parts of the clean air act, clean water act, comprehensive environmental response act, compensation and liability act, CERCLA (the Superfund), resource conservation and recovery act, safe drinking water act and others." Levine then asks his own question: "What possible reason gives rise to all these exemptions, especially to an industry that has a direct and proximate conflict with our air and water?"
Very good question, Mr. Levine.
Levine recounts that the state of New York has done what the feds have done and that is to exempt gas and oil despite warnings from the DEC. Right now, New York State only employs 14 DEC inspectors which is in adequate considering the current level of vertical gas wells. How will there be enough staff to supervise and monitor these new projects?
Why are local governing bodies turning a blind eye to this? That's like the old commercial of the bull walking through the fancy glass store with all of us just hoping that he doesn't break anything. Do we really expect the oil and gas industry to self regulate? To protect our interests? The bottom line is that they're only going to protect their bottom line.
Republicans want more studies done to see if emission reducing legislation will actually reduce emissions? They're so up in arms that they're going to boycott? Why is the current administration being bullied by the minority Republicans? We can't wait any longer...the oil & gas industry is killing us.
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 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.
Who says over 40 is over the hill? I enjoy listening to great music from all decades and genres, walking hand in hand with the one I love and nurturing the two smartest funnest kids ever! Although I'm not a native of West Texas, I've been here long enough to know the drill. HOT, WINDY and DESOLATE! So, that's why you'll find me and the kids heading out to some of our favorite hangs out...these places would include mild temperatures, mild winds and lush landscapes! I stick around because one day I'm hoping the Permian Basin will be underwater once again, and then I'll have beach front property! :D
I'm not quite sure what Express Energy has been up to lately, but for the past several weeks I have had a lot of traffic searching for information on Express Energy. At one time, Express Energy was siphoning water from the Trinity River, without permits and when my good buddy, Durango, tried to take a few photos...they got really nasty.
