EARTHnotes: Texans Move Toward Fracking Ban

Sunday, June 01, 2014

EARTHnotes: Texans Move Toward Fracking Ban

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "Hilary Lewis, Earthworks" <action@earthworksaction.org>
Date: May 31, 2014 11:13 AM
Subject: EARTHnotes: Texans Move Toward Fracking Ban
To: <aquarianm@gmail.com>
Cc:

May 31, 2014

Court upholds ban on uranium mining near Grand Canyon

EPA takes first step toward fracking chemical disclosure

California's Monterey shale has 96% less oil than estimated

Protect wild rivers, salmon and trout from strip mining

More than 4,000 calls to EPA to reopen fracking investigations

Denton, TX petition exceeds signatures needed for fracking ban

Dear Daniel,

We're excited to announce that our friends at Denton Drilling Awareness Group submitted for certification 1,871 signatures in support of a fracking ban within Denton city limits.

To give you a sense of their accomplishment, 2,200 people voted in the last municipal election.

We've been working with the community of Denton, TX for years to protect their air, water and health.

Group President Cathy McMullen reflected on the struggle to reign in industry in her city:

"I worked with the City for years to improve fracking oversight, to no avail. It's clear this industry will do whatever it can get away with, and the City is paralyzed by the fear of the political consequences of reining it in. A fracking ban is our last and only option."

Submitting the petition is a huge step forward for Denton, but there is more work to be done.

Now that the petition has been validated, City Council must call a public hearing and within sixty days hold a vote. If approved, it becomes law. If rejected (the more likely scenario), Denton voters consider it as a ballot initiative – likely during the November general election.

You can support our work in Denton here. We'll keep you posted as the fight progresses!

Best wishes,

All of us at Earthworks

Court upholds ban on uranium mining near Grand Canyon

The United States Court of Federal Claims ruled to save the Grand Canyon from the threat of uranium mining.

The suit came about because the US Department of Interior (DOI) chose to protect over 1,000,000 acres of public lands surrounding the Grand Canyon from mining in January 2012.

Vane Minerals PLC (Vane), a Flagstaff-based mining company, has 678 claims on that land they can no longer mine.

According to the Court, US Forest Service (USFS) met with Vane back in August 2009 to discuss the Government's proposed plans to protect the lands Vane had claimed for mining. Later, in April 2010, USFS told Vane how to maintain their claims and even scheduled one of their mineral geologists for a field examination for the following month. But Vane chose to abandon their mining plan. As a result, no one in the Government had the opportunity to validate Vane's discovery. So, by January 2012 when the Government finalized the withdrawal, Vane had proved nothing.

If Vane actually had a valid discovery, then they would have maintained their claims. The withdrawal does not affect valid existing rights. Instead, they just sat on it and now the Grand Canyon is protected from more mining.

[Find out more on EARTHblog]

EPA takes first step toward fracking chemical disclosure

Earlier this month the EPA announced an Advanced Notice for a Proposed Rulemaking on fracking chemical disclosure.

This is a huge first step toward understanding the health and environmental impacts of fracking.

Currently, because of ridiculous deference to industry claims of trade secrets, fracking companies are not required to disclose what chemicals are used in fracking.

20 states have some form of disclosure on the books, but non require full chemical disclosure.

There is also a voluntary reporting website, FracFocus, however a Harvard study found major shortcomings in its reporting.

It is estimated that fracking one well uses 2-10 million gallons of water laced with unknown chemicals. More than 90% of that water remains underground.

We'll let you know when the public comment period opens and help you make your voice heard to demand full disclosure of the chemicals used in fracking

[Read the press release]

California's Monterey Shale has 96% less oil than estimated

The U.S. Energy Information Administration downgraded by 96% its estimate of recoverable oil in California's Monterey Shales. Instead of 13.7 billion barrels, now EIA says 0.6 billion.

So, what next?

Governor Brown first and foremost, must face facts: the promised economic bonanza from shale oil is not coming to California. And it never was. We have reason to believe that the 13.7 billion overestimate occurred when EIA credulously internalized into its projections an oil company's dog and pony show for investors.

The downgrade of recoverable oil in the Monterey Shale is a chance for California, and the entire country, to look at the future of energy development and production, and move away from a fossil fuel economy. Let's innovate in green energy. Let's create a more sustainable economy. Let's create sustainable, green, healthy jobs. Let's ensure a healthy environment, and set the stage for a clean future.

We ask our elected officials not to look at this as a loss, but instead as an opportunity to develop the future. Let's press the pause button on harmful fossil fuel development, and concentrate on building a better, greener future.

[Read more on EARTHblog]

Protect wild rivers, salmon and trout from strip mining

Foreign companies want to mine unique wild areas in Southwest Oregon and Northwest California.

At stake:

The purest of waters and wildest of rivers,
Native salmon, steelhead and cutthroat trout, and
A vast ancient geologic feature with one of the highest concentrations of rare plants in North America.

But the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management say they can't prevent mining unless the areas are withdrawn from the 1872 Mining Law's jurisdiction.

Senators Wyden and Merkley and Congressmen DeFazio have long supported mineral withdrawals for the fragile watersheds of Rough & Ready and Baldface Creeks (headwaters of the Wild and Scenic North Fork of the Smith River), and we've urged them to add greater Red Flat –an equally fragile area--to their roster.

That's not much time. The delegation needs to take immediate measures to introduce legislation to withdraw the area from mining, and to work with the Obama administration to immediately segregate those lands. This will protect the area from new mining claims and require a validity exam of the existing claims.

TAKE ACTION: Urge the Obama Administration and delegation to take immediate measures to withdraw this area from mining!

[Read more about what's at risk in Southwest Oregon]

More than 4,000 calls to EPA to reopen fracking investigations

On May 8 the Stop the Frack Attack Network (of which Earthworks is a part) hosted the biggest call-in day ever to the EPA asking them to re-open the fracking investigations PA, WY and TX.

As a result, the EPA received more than 4,000 calls. That's one call every 8 seconds of the work day.

Thank you so much to everyone who called in! We filled her voicemail box and left countless messages with her staff.

But there is more you can do.

Send Administrator McCarthy a follow-up note! Demand the EPA re-open the fracking investigations.

Get clean energy in your home!