Entries by FracTracker Alliance

FracTracker Touring a Bit of Europe

By Samantha Malone, MPH, CPH – Manager of Science and Communications, FracTracker Alliance I stare into my computer during an early morning Skype call with my hosts in Germany. As my cat stubbornly tries to join the conversation, we intently discuss international energy policies, travel plans, and audience demographics. This awkward setup is all in […]

FracTracker Expands Westward

By Brook Lenker, Executive Director, FracTracker Alliance The FracTracker Alliance is coming to California. The generous support of the Palo Alto-based 11th Hour Project, a working program of the Schmidt Family Foundation, has enabled us to hire Kyle Ferrar, MPH to be our first program coordinator in the state. Kyle – an accomplished researcher who […]

Upcoming Trainings for Mapping Shale Gas Drilling via FracTracker.org

Last updated: October 1, 2013 Mountain Watershed Association (MWA) and the FracTracker Alliance are offering free, hands-on training sessions for citizens who would like to utilize the new mapping capacities available through www.FracTracker.org, a web-based tool for tracking and visualizing data related to shale gas extraction operations. Unconventional natural gas extraction has increased in this region […]

PA Gas-Related Legislation

From PennEnvironment comes a great resource for those who are trying to keep up with the ever-changing political environment in Pennsylvania: a list of PA gas legislation related to unconventional natural gas extraction. Many thanks to Kristen Tobin, Erika Staaf, and colleagues for making this information easily accessible to the public. The listed will be updated […]

Winter Summary of the Trail Logbook Project

As the forests beckon us to return to their paths now that winter has subsided (hopefully), let’s take a look at the reports we received over the winter for our Trail Logbook Project. Impacts Summary Reports came from several counties, but the majority of complaints focused on the impacts of drilling in Loyalsock State Forest. […]

Launch of National Mapping Project Designed to Show Possible Impacts of Oil and Gas Drilling on Well Water

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE US Map of Suspected Well Water Impacts Contacts: Brook Lenker, Executive Director, FracTracker Alliance, (717) 303-0403; and Samantha Malone, Manager of Science and Communications, FracTracker Alliance, (412) 802-0273 May 1, 2013 – The US Map of Suspected Well Water Impacts is a project that will attempt to piece together recent complaints of […]

Update from US EPA on Hydraulic Fracturing Study

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Science Advisory Board (SAB) released Federal Register Notices announcing a public meeting and a teleconference where the Hydraulic Fracturing Research Advisory Panel will provide feedback on the Study of the Potential Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing on Drinking Water Resources: Progress Report. The public will also have the opportunity to provide comments for the Panel’s consideration. Information on how to view […]

Summary of EPA Roundtables Available

From the US Environmental Protection Agency: EPA recently posted a summary of the five technical roundtables held in November 2012 to help inform EPA’s Hydraulic Fracturing Study. Each roundtable focused on a different stage of the hydraulic fracturing water cycle: Water acquisition Chemical mixing Well injection Flowback and produced water Wastewater treatment and waste disposal Technical roundtables […]

A Rare Resource in WV Host Farms

By Samantha Malone, MPH, CPH – Manager of Science and Communications While I am a full-time staff member of FracTracker Alliance, like many other people I wear several hats. One of these is as an academic researcher and doctorate student in environmental health at Pitt. My academic research focuses on unconventional natural gas extraction and […]

A Tale of Two “Gas Rush Stories”

Many people may have seen or are familiar with Gas Rush Stories, a series of short documentaries about natural gas drilling in Pennsylvania. According to the website, these stories are important to tell because “whether we live near a drilling site or downstream, whether we receive royalties or paychecks from a gas company, we are […]