He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not

For I Will Consider Fracking

FOR I WILL CONSIDER FRACKING

For I will consider that fracking might well contribute more to global warming than coal production
http://www.wvgazette.com/News/201104111235
http://www.sustainablefuture.cornell.edu/news/attachments/Howarth-EtAl-2011.pdf
http://www.treehugger.com/environmental-policy/what-wastes-enough-energy-power-25-million-cars-and-can-be-seen-space.html
https://sites.google.com/site/gasisnotcleanenergy/

For I will consider that politicians and T Boon Pickens say fracking is the key to energy independence
http://www.pickensplan.com/

For I will consider that T Boon Pickens owns more water than anyone else in the country
http://www.naturalnews.com/035603_water_monopoly_privatization.html

For I will consider that T Boon Pickens calls water blue gold
http://www.businessweek.com/stories/2008-06-11/there-will-be-water


For I will consider that only 2.5 percent of the water on earth is drinkable
http://www.sophisticatededge.com/how-much-of-the-earths-water-is-drinkable.html

For I will consider that our aquifers are being drained by the growing population
http://blogs.ei.columbia.edu/2012/08/16/preparing-for-a-future-of-perpetual-drought/

For I will consider that the EPA is still “studying” the impact of fracking on our water resources
http://www2.epa.gov/hfstudy


For I will consider that even in a best case scenario, an individual well releases some 200 square meters of contaminated fluids
http://nationalinterest.org/commentary/how-shale-energy-reshapes-american-security-8423?page=2

For I will consider that, thanks to the Halliburton loophole, fracking is excluded from the EPA's Clean Water Act
http://nationalinterest.org/commentary/how-shale-energy-reshapes-american-security-8423?page=2

For I will consider that the EPA is not protecting our water
http://www.timesleader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?avis=TL&date=20130107&category=news&lopenr=301079923&Ref=AR

For I will consider that the industry continues to thwart all attempts to clean up its act
http://ecowatch.com/2013/interior-department-bows-to-pressure-oil-gas-industry-weakens-fracking-rules/

For I will consider that the oil and gas industry have designs on fracking parks, lakes and river basins  that provide water to millions, including the  White River National Forest, the Delaware River basin, the Wayne National Forest, the George Washington National Forest, the Otera Mesa

http://ecowatch.com/2013/interior-department-bows-to-pressure-oil-gas-industry-weakens-fracking-rules/

For I will consider that between 70 and 140 billion gallons of water were used to frack 35,000 wells in the US in 2010
http://yosemite.epa.gov/sab/sabproduct.nsf/0/D3483AB445AE61418525775900603E79/$File/Draft+Plan+to+Study+the+Potential+Impacts+of+Hydraulic+Fracturing+on+Drinking+Water+Resources-February+2011.pdf
http://www.earthworksaction.org/issues/detail/hydraulic_fracturing_101#.UXazfRx3IsU

For I will consider that 70-140 billion gallons is the annual water consumption of 40 to 80 cities, with the population of 50,000 people
http://www.earthworksaction.org/issues/detail/hydraulic_fracturing_101#.UXazfRx3IsU


For I will consider that the EPA admits that chemicals used in fracking have been found in drinking water near wells
http://www.npr.org/2011/12/08/143386908/epa-connects-fracking-with-water-contamination
http://www.activistpost.com/2011/12/epa-admits-fracking-causing-groundwater.html


For I will consider that the cement well casings at fracking sites often crack and leak
http://thetyee.ca/News/2013/01/09/Leaky-Fracked-Wells/
http://slowdownfracking.wordpress.com/2011/11/28/cement-casing-the-weak-link-of-fracking/


For I will consider that unethical businesses dump the frack fluid into our water systems http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2013/02/youngstown_gas_driller_indicte.html
http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2012/mar/08/why-not-frack/?pagination=false


For I will consider that frack fluid has been dumped into municipal sewage plants and has leached into rivers
http://grist.org/basics/fracking-faq-the-science-and-technology-behind-the-natural-gas-boom/

For I will consider that 55% of our rivers and streams are already polluted:
http://www.ewg.org/agmag/2013/04/epa-study-points-ag-pervasive-river-pollution


For I will consider that fracking contaminates our air as well as our water
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-12-03/hazardous-air-pollutants-detected-near-fracking-sites.html
http://ecowatch.com/2012/texas-air-pollution/

For I will consider that fracking contaminates our soil as well as our air and water
http://www.catskillmountainkeeper.org/our-programs/fracking/whats-wrong-with-fracking-2/farming-and-fracking/


For I will consider that the sand used in fracking is both an environmental and health issue
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/16/fracking-sand-health-hazard-_n_2146992.html
http://www.pca.state.mn.us/index.php/air/air-quality-and-pollutants/air-pollutants/frac-sand-mining.html


For I will consider the gag rule that doctors must follow when dealing with illnesses related to fracking
http://www.psr-la.org/stop-the-doctor-gag-rule-proposed-in-ca-fracking-regulations/
http://www.npr.org/2012/05/17/152268501/pennsylvania-doctors-worry-over-fracking-gag-rule


For I will consider that people and animals are at health risk, thanks to fracking:

http://www.orionmagazine.org/index.php/articles/article/5839/
http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/March12/FrackingAnimals.html
http://newyork.sierraclub.org/Cancerspecialistswarnoffrackingrisks.htm

For I will consider this partial list of people already sickened by fracking

http://pennsylvaniaallianceforcleanwaterandair.wordpress.com/the-list/
http://www.examiner.com/article/fracking-s-list-of-the-harmed-1-208-and-counting


For I will consider that we still don't know enough about fracking
http://grist.org/climate-energy/is-your-drinking-water-fracked-who-the-hell-knows/

For I will consider that 35,000 new wells are drilled each year in the US

http://grist.org/basics/fracking-faq-the-science-and-technology-behind-the-natural-gas-boom/

For I will consider that frackers pump up to 4 million gallons of “fluid” as far as 10,000 feet below earth at up to 4,200 gallons per minute

http://grist.org/basics/fracking-faq-the-science-and-technology-behind-the-natural-gas-boom/

For I will consider that this fracking contains water, sand, and a cocktail of chemicals linked to cancer
http://www.policymic.com/articles/6465/fracking-exposed-shocking-new-report-links-drilling-with-breast-cancer-and-women-s-violence
http://www.orionmagazine.org/index.php/articles/article/5839/


For I will consider that the frack fluid is a toxic waste that must be transported by trucks or pipes and injected into wells underground
http://www.catskillmountainkeeper.org/our-programs/fracking/whats-wrong-with-fracking-2/accidents/

For I will consider that injection wells may cause earthquakes

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/money/story/2012-03-09/fracking-gas-drilling-earthquakes/53435232/1
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-ck-daly/more-scientific-evidence-_b_3009927.html

For I will consider that spills and accidents happen
http://www.youtube.com/user/urbandisasterrecords/featured
http://wnep.com/2013/03/14/fracking-fluid-leak-in-wyoming-county/
http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_22593942/big-fracking-fluid-spill-near-windsor-is-cleaned
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/20/pennsylvania-fracking-spill-gas-blowout-2011_n_851637.html



For I will consider that frack fluid could be used in winter as road salt
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/02/06/1185027/-Pennsylvania-wants-to-use-fracking-waste-as-road-salt#

For I will consider that the gas industry is spending a lot of time and money buying good will and PR and obfuscating the real hazards of fracking
http://clearingthefogradio.org/us-climate-bomb-is-ticking-what-the-gas-industry-doesnt-want-you-to-know/

For I will consider that fracking causes uranium contamination
http://grist.org/news/frackings-uranium-pollution-to-finally-be-studied-by-pennsylvania/

For I will consider that some frack waste is too hazardous for toxic waste dumps.
http://grist.org/news/radioactive-frack-waste-quarantined-at-pa-dump-turned-away/
http://ecowatch.com/2013/ohio-landfills-radioactive-fracking-waste/



For I will consider that the fracking boom has increased the demand for ammonia, a highly explosive chemical blamed for the explosion in the Texas fertilizer plant
http://grist.org/news/americas-fracking-boom-driving-an-ammonia-boom/


For I will consider that fracking does not bring jobs to the area
http://grist.org/news/ohio-fracking-boom-has-not-brought-jobs/

For I will consider that between 30 and 70 per cent of the frack fluid does not come out of the well but remains at the drill site, underground, for years, and can still leach to the surface in a matter of years
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Fracking_and_water_pollution

For I will consider that a partial list of places where the EPA is investigating for possible soil and water contamination:

Killdeer and Dunn Co., ND
Alvord, TX
Azle, TX
Decatur, TX
Wise, TX
South Parker, Co
Weatherford, TX
Tarrant Co., TX
Bainbridge, OH
Arkana Basin, AR
Conway Co., AR
Van Buren, AR
Caddo Parish, LA
Harrison Co., TX
Bradford Co., TX
Bradford Co., PA
Clearfield Co., PA
Dimmick, PA
Gibbs Hill, PA
Hamlin Township, PA
McKean Co., PA
Indian Creek Watershed, WV
Lycoming Co., PA
Monongahela River Basin, PA
Susquehanna River Basin, PA
Tioga Co., NY
Upshur Co., WV
Wetzel Co., WV
Battlement Mesa, CO
Garfield Co., CO
Rifle, CO
Silt, CO
Clark, WV
La Plata, CO.
Huerfano, CO.
Las Animas Co, CO
Pavillion, WY
Sublette Co., WY
Hickory, PA
Hopewell Township, PA

http://blog.shaleshockmedia.org/2013/05/16/youve-been-fracked/

http://dontfrackmichigan.com/?page_id=41

http://www.damascuscitizensforsustainability.org/pa-dep-determination-letters/

http://yosemite.epa.gov/sab/sabproduct.nsf/0/D3483AB445AE61418525775900603E79/$File/Draft+Plan+to+Study+the+Potential+Impacts+of+Hydraulic+Fracturing+on+Drinking+Water+Resources-February+2011.pdf


For I will consider a list of concerns and problems with fracking cited by the EPA 2011 study includes: `

Abandoned and undocumented wells,
Auto-immune diseases related to fracking chemicals
Bioaccumulation of hydraulic fracturing chemicals in the food
chain
Biodegradable/nontoxic fracking liquids
Carbon footprint of entire fracking process
Disposal of drill cuttings
Effects of aging on well integrity
Effects of fracking on existing public and private wells
Effects of truck/tanker traffic
Effects on local infrastructure (roads, water treatment plants)
Effects on tourism
Economic impacts on landowners
Land farming on fracking sludge
Light pollution
Long-term corrosive effects of brine and microbes on well pipes
Natural flooding near fracking operations
Radioactive proppants
Recovery time and persistence of fracking chemicals in
contaminated aquifers
Recycling of flowback and produced water
Removal of radium and other radionulcudes from flowback
and produced water
Restoration of drill sites
Soil contamination of drill sites
Volatile organic compounds and emissions from fracking
operations and impoundments
Wildlife habitat fragmentation
Worker occupational health

http://yosemite.epa.gov/sab/sabproduct.nsf/0/D3483AB445AE61418525775900603E79/$File/Draft+Plan+to+Study+the+Potential+Impacts+of+Hydraulic+Fracturing+on+Drinking+Water+Resources-February+2011.pdf

Frost

So much for this year's bluebells.

CavanKerry Post with Emily Lisker's Painting

http://emilyliskerpaintings.blogspot.com

I have a post on CavanKerry's blog that begins:

There’s a meme going around writer’s blogs in which writers talk about their next big thing. I have been asked a few times to post about my next big thing, and I cringe each time. How can I explain . . .

You can read it at the link below . . .
http://cavankerrypress.wordpress.com/2013/04/18/nin-andrews-poet-behind-the-poetry/

At Frenchman's Bay by Steven Reese

Flannery O'Connor-Wordsworth Comic

Okay, so these don't really go together. Wordsworth and O'Connor. But hey.

Lines Written in Early Spring


I heard a thousand blended notes,
While in grove I sate reclined,
In that sweet mood when pleasant thoughts
Bring sad thoughts to the mind.

To her fair works did nature link
The human soul that through me ran;
And much it griev'd me my heart to think
What man has made of man.

Through primrose-tufts, in that sweet bower,
The periwinkle trail'd its wreathes;
And 'tis my faith that every flower
Enjoys the air it breathes.

The birds around me hopp'd and play'd:
Their thoughts I cannot measure,
But the least motion which they made,
It seem'd a thrill of pleasure.

The budding twigs spread out their fan,
To catch the breezy air;
And I must think, do all I can,
That there was pleasure there.

If I these thoughts may not prevent,
If such be of my creed the plan,
Have I not reason to lament
What man has made of man?

--William Wordsworth

William James Comic

April Showers, April Flowers

Some days it seems as if the only light I can find is reflected . . .




I love the way the skunk cabbages emerge.









In a matter of days everything brown turns green and yellow. The bluebells are next.

Blake Comic

Who said it was going to be warm today?

Emily Dickinson, It will be Summer-eventually

It will be Summer — eventually.
Ladies — with parasols —
Sauntering Gentlemen — with Canes
And little Girls — with Dolls —

Will tint the pallid landscape —
As 'twere a bright Bouquet —
Tho' drifted deep, in Parian —
The Village lies — today —

The Lilacs — bending many a year —
Will sway with purple load —
The Bees — will not despise the tune —
Their Forefathers — have hummed —

The Wild Rose — redden in the Bog —
The Aster — on the Hill
Her everlasting fashion — set —
And Covenant Gentians — frill —

Till Summer folds her miracle —
As Women — do — their Gown —
Or Priests — adjust the Symbols —
When Sacrament — is done —

from How Quickly What's Passing Goes Past by Lowell Jaeger

Morning?

From Before and Afterlives by Chris Barzak

Ohio Weather

Okay, back to Ohio weather . . .

from American Dervish by Steven Reese

The Youngstown State University Poetry Center presents a Poetry Reading by Steve Reese and Varley O'Connor on Thursday, April 11th at 7:00 P.M. in the McDonough Museum of Art (525 Wick Avenue) in Youngstown.

Finally! A walk without the dog-sweater on!

Dickinson Comic

SPRING IS COMING!

Dickinson Comic