There's an issue that is developing in Payette County and if it is not properly handled, will eventually spill over into surrounding counties in Idaho. It's called "fracking" or hydraulic fracturing, and it's a process for natural gas well drilling.
They have discovered some hefty sources of natural gas down in the earth in Payette County, but they want to use a process (fracking), that has caused devastation in multiple states across the United States. The oil & gas experts will tell you that they've been fracking for 50 years, and that is true, but the methods have changed drastically, and that's the problem.
Briefly, the process of fracking is this:
Hydraulic fracturing or fracking is a means of natural gas extraction employed in deep natural gas well drilling. Once a well is drilled, millions of gallons of water, sand and proprietary chemicals are injected, under high pressure, into a well. The pressure fractures the shale and props open fissures that enable natural gas to flow more freely out of the well.
Please feel free to google "what is fracking" and you'll get more information that you can imagine!
In addition to the fracking, the gas company has purchased land just outside of New Plymouth, in the area of SW 2nd Ave, between Custer & Butte. For that, they will be putting in a "compression station" to compress the unwanted stuff out of the mined gas, and send it on down to the gas pipelines. (This is not the same as the Idaho Power location, just of I84 at Exit 9.)
In Pennsylvania, New York, Oklahoma, Wyoming, Colorado and many other states, there have been serious problems from fracking and compression stations. I'm going to list a few below in bullet point format. I am only listing the issues that I have personally verified and find to be facts and not blown up hoopla:
General Problems With Fracking
- Accidental spills of fracking chemicals that permanently polluted drinking water sources
- Increased seismic activity (earthquakes)
- Methane, toulene, benzene pollution is released into the air
- On-going, continuous noise at 45 or more decibels from compression stations, 24/7
- Real estate values have dropped in some areas up to 60%
- Emissions from gas compressor stations have been shown to increase the chance of deaths from respiratory & cardiovascular disease, etc
Problems with Fracking/Compression Station in Payette County
- The unwanted product that is extracted from the gas at the compression station has to be trucked out and disposed of somewhere. At this time, no specific conditions for disposal have been disclosed by the gas company, nor mandated by the EPA, DEQ, Payette County, etc.
- It is very unlikely that any local jobs will be created by the compression station. It will be operated via computer from Colorado.
- There will be costly road maintenance and increased traffic from this. It is unclear who is paying for the road improvements and maintenance.
- Roads in rural New Plymouth will have to be widened. It is unknown if the County/State will try to 'take" private property away from landowners to complete these road upgrades
- No emergency service protocol, procedures, training has been presented or mandated for these facilities in Payette County
- There will be emissions into the air that are hazardous to our health and could effect our animals and livestock.
What am I asking you to do?
Please click on the below links to read some local and national articles on this issue. Then, please show up to the Planning & Zoning meeting in Payette next Thursday, July 14th @ 7:00 pm. You don't have to speak on the issue, but it would be great if you did. But, even just attending will show the P&Z that you are a concerned citizen and want accountability and regulations in place BEFORE the gas industry rolls in and takes over.
Please be assured. I am not against alternative energy, but natural gas is not the clean energy they tout it to be. There are other options, solar, etc, that can be utilized and even help generate more industry in our area and not be harmful to our properties, quality of life, or the planet.
Also, so you know. Most folks don't own the mineral rights to their property. So, it is very possible that you will be contacted and offered a small, one-time payment for rights to drill on your property. Please be assured, that you will receive no royalties from the gas, because you don't own the mineral rights. The State of Idaho owns most of them and will receive the money.
If, you'd like more information, I also have created a Facebook group called Protect Idaho's Natural Resources. In it, I post the latest articles pertinent to this topic locally as well as some national events. Also, please don't hesitate to contact me for more information.
Article in The River Journal posted yesterday:
http://riverjournal.com/vivvo/news/2208-idahonowopen_fracking_noell_072011.html
Artilce in Boise Weekly on 6/22 about compression station in New Plymouth:
http://www.boiseweekly.com/boise/getting-fracked/Content?oid=2326831
YouTube video that lets you hear what a compression station sounds like:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gW4zSayf9O4&feature=youtu.be
July 1, 2011 crude oil line ruptures - no emergency plans in place - hear Montana farmer's story:
http://www.democracynow.org/blog/2011/7/5/montana_farmer_says_exxon_refuses_to_admit_extent_of_damage_from_oil_spill_into_yellowstone_river
DeSmog Blog shares a ton of info on fracking:
http://www.desmogblog.com/
Center for American Progress website:
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2011/06/fracking.html
Idaho Conservation League:
http://www.idahoconservation.org/get-involved/take-action/protect-idahos-drinking-water
My article on fracking:
http://www.examiner.com/green-living-in-boise/fracking-threatens-our-future
Thank you for taking the time to read this and learn more. Please feel free to forward it to anyone else, that you know might be interested.
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