Dear Editor: For the past three months I had the privilege of serving on the Citizens Marcellus Shale Commission, which hosted five hearings across Pennsylvania to give citizens a voice on Marcellus Shale gas drilling. More than 400 citizens attended and dozens testified, eager to have their voices heard. Last week, the Commission released its…
To all concerned citizens: As a Pennsylvania resident, business owner and employer of 75, I have very serious concerns about the pace of the development of Hydraulic Fracturing in Pennsylvania. As a property owner in Sullivan County, PA, I have firsthand knowledge of the Gas Industry and the high pressure tactics that the energy companies…
I am for laughter. I am for hugs. I am for playing in the dirt with my kids. I am for romantic movies. I am for songs that make me sing out loud. I am for believing that people are generally good, no matter how many times they try to prove me wrong. I am…
The Williamsport Guardian thought our readers might be interested in the following e-mail exchange on the subject of public comment on Chesapeake Oil and Gas’s application for a water withdrawal and filling station in Hillsgrove, a topic we covered in our last issue. Dear Mr. Dehoss and Ms. Ballaron, Please include what I…
Cliff Rieders, author of “Yiddish for Politicians,” listed his membership on the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Board at the end of the article. That got me wondering. Is there a Pennsylvania Client Safety Board? It seems only natural that if there is a need for a Patient Safety Board, there must be a need for a…
Dear Editor, I found your paper interesting but am skeptical of your motives. This is the first issue I have read, and it is clear to me what you are against. But what are you for? What would be a good way to make a living and have a vibrant local economy? Would it be…
Up until last October, my wife and I lived in the Mid-Hudson Valley in New York, a half hour from Woodstock, possibly best known for Bob Dylan and having the 1969 music concert named after it. This part of the Mid-Hudson Valley is a beautiful area with many apple orchards, corn fields, wineries, and the…
To The Editor, I’ve been watching the nastiness of the Tea Party for two years and wanted to do something to gather together people who will support a more positive and respectful kind of civic action. So when MoveOn started a new program called “The American Dream”, I hosted one of 1500 house meetings held…
It may seem strange to get a gas drilling story from Lancaster County, but the industry has changed our lives. For years my wife and I made regular trips to Lycoming County to visit family and get away from the cities. Neither of us care too much for life down here. There’s too much flat…
I had the opportunity to attend the Oil & Gas Expo held at the Hughesville Fairgrounds on May 7th, and felt it worth reporting on. I noticed right off that there is a definitive cultural aesthetic that is openly pursued by industrial fossil fuelers. The expo was a great case study of this crafted image,…
On February 4 Tom Ridge, in his new role as “strategic advisor” for the Marcellus Shale Coalition, visited Waterville, to unveil the gas industry’s “Commitment to the Community”, a promise to follow practices that will protect the people and the environment of Pennsylvania. Present at the event were representatives of Anadarko Petroleum, a company that…
E-mails leaked to Pro-Publica indicate that law enforcement action against criminal actions by corporations fracking in communities above the Marcellus Shale mustbe pre-approved by political appointees of the Governor. This, after news that the appointed head of the Department of Community and Economic Development will have monarchical authority to override agencies of the state that…
The gas drilling has only recently begun, but already we are seeing an increase in traffic congestion and accidents and an increase in crime. And no one seems to have fully thought through how to safely deal with the toxic waste coming out of these wells. If we don’t do something now, this will only…