The Marcellus Shale and Fracking

For the latest news and updates click here OVERVIEW The Marcellus Shale is a huge shale formation  in PA.  The shale has embedded in it large amounts of natural gas.   Fracking means drilling down deep, deep below the auifers,  then turning and going across the shale.   Millions of gallons of water, drawn from our rivers and local water sources are then mixed with chemicals and sand and forced down at extraordinarily high  pressures to spit the shale apart (the sand holds it open) and the gas is then released.         All the gas is supposed to reach the surface and be captured for use, but that is not the case. In addition, other very undesirable gases, such as methane and radioactive elements, such as radium, are  also released. Concrete casings sometimes crack and allow gas  into aquifers  Larger and larger "cracks" are being attempted with new technology,  too new to know the long term results and other potentially deadly and uncontrolable features, like the triggering of earthquakes should be causing enough alarm  for both legislators and the industry to back off and properly study & report on the consequences of what they are doing before attempting anything further.   The process affects the water supplies of locals, not just by the introduction of dangerous chemicals, but also by changing our rivers  due to the drawing of millions and millions of gallons  of water.  The possibility exists that we are fouling water  supplies and the air of major populations now and for years to come, especially  as old wells are not able to be fully sealed and as the casings degrade.    The process cannot be done , and  is not being done, safely.  The "risk benefit" analysis for those who directly benefit financially is quite different  than it is for those losing livlihoods, health, their lives  or the right to the peaceful enjoyment of their property.               To understand more fully, click the links below . Inform yourself  and then please alert others .  The powerful corporate dollars that control our elections and change our very legislation are at play here  in spades .  Oversight and regulation of this industry is so grossly inadequate  for a process with so many human and environmental consequences.    Every voice is needed to halt this runaway train and to turn towards clean renewables.                         The Latest News, Information  and Links                 Frequently asked questions ? Yes, it  IS a local issue .....              The Main Points - Why Fracking is so bad                 What You Can Do              Movies & Short Videos to Inform You & for House Parties              It's Your Constitutional Right ......              Why Not Just Tax The Fracking Companies?              Other Laws That We Need besides Fracking Regulation              Groups Working for Proper Regulation              Report an incident

LOCAL NEWS Sept 27, 2010  Phila City Council unanimously passes a resolution to oppose Act 13, which was denied recently but then immediately appealed by Governor Corbett.  Abington and all towns need to lift their voices  in order to tell the courts that we want to retain our rights to control oil and gas operations in our community and to zone as we determine  suits the health, safety and  welfare of our residents. Sept  20, 2012  Around 2,000 demonstrated  against fracking  in front of the Convention Center in Phila as the Frackers met .   Nov 2011 the Governor of Delaware had the final say as the Delawre River Basin Committee voted and fracking was continued to be denied in the Delaware Watershed - Thank you Governor  ( FYI  Pennsylvania's Governor Corbett wanted to Frack )  5-11 Toxic Spills    In 2010, there was 1,155,265 gallons of toxic spills from oil and gas drilling In Pennsylvania. That does not include the 53 million gallons of Marcellus toxic fracking fluid waste in 2010 DEP reports that is still "unaccounted for" in PA.nor other damage http://protectingourwaters.wordpress.com/2011/04/13/cbs-evening-news-april-12-2011-oil-gas-industry-spills-happen-all-the-time/  http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/05/17/us-rivers-idUSTRE74G75P20110517

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Abington Township revamped the entire Township website at the end of 2015 and broke all the links to the information. In 2017, under Richard Manfredi, someone inexperienced was assigned to redo the entire website again. The public was not asked what problems they would like to see fixed. Their new plan was not well thought out, so everything was very hard to find and there were giant paragraphs you had to slog through in order to find the pertinent one or two lines that you needed. Or if you were lucky enough to even find the meetings and agenda page, there was (and still is) a whole page of nonsense on top, so you think you're on the wrong page. Zoom limks are burrid in a giant paragraph, so people can't find them to attend the meeting. They know about these  problems - but have just decided to ignore us.... for the whole of Richard Manfredi's time here (with Tom Hecker's consent).

 Now, in 2025, we are due to get a new Manager, and there are funds put aside to, once again, upgrade the Township website. We can only hope for a fresh chance at fixing some of these things, as our Township website is the best tool we have for communication and should be an easy, user friendly site for all.

We need volunteers willing to work together to help improve the Township site that everyone has to use,  to make it functional and accessible. 

 We will be repairing our broken links in this Abington Citizens site, too, and fixing some of our many, many typo's as much as is possible. (Yes, it's quite evident that, unlike the Township, WE don't have a paid staff of 275+ or a $93 million budget).

 So...please let us know if you find broken links or typos. Send us the URL and/or and the name of the page it is on, so we can correct it.
Thanks for the help.

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