Kids Screwed By School,Drill Baby Drill

My local school district has just approved a natural gas lease with Exxon Mobil Corp. The board voted 6-2 in favor of this even though all of the parents that were aware of this stated that they were against anything to do with gas wells near our schools. This issue was kept very secret and us parents did not become aware of it till just a couple of weeks before the vote.

They have sold out our childrens health and safety! I can not believe that they would completely disregard the feelings of the residents of our school district. The report in this paper shows how underhanded they are. Heres a few bassackwards remarks they made.

The wells would be situated as far away from school buildings and students as possible, district Superintendent Dale Lumley said. Read more: Driller given go-ahead over South Butler residents' objections - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review www.pittsburghlive.com...

but then they go on to say

No well will be drilled and no pipeline will come nearer than 500 feet of a district structure or facility Read more: Driller given go-ahead over South Butler residents' objections - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review www.pittsburghlive.com...

now which is it because 500 feet is not that far!

Then theres the Well depth statement.

The first well drilled on district property must exceed 4,000 feet in depth. The depth of any wells after that would be determined by Phillips Exxon Mobil, Breth said, adding that the district does not want a shallow well. Read more: Driller given go-ahead over South Butler residents' objections - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review www.pittsburghlive.com...

So were worried about the depth of the well but only the first one after that let the company do what ever they damn well please!

The gas company will test the water well the district uses and will retest it if there's a possibility of damage. That well is used only for watering the football field. Read more: Driller given go-ahead over South Butler residents' objections - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review www.pittsburghlive.com...

It's good that these students wont be drinking this poisoned water but many of the chemicals released by the drilling into the water system can be absorbed through the skin! Not to mention the flamable water issues we've been having in Pa. since all this drilling started. Many people have had there tap water catching on fire so are we going to have a football field engulfed in flames!

They are exposing these children to so many cancer causing agents,what happened to the schools having the kids best interest at heart! My middle child has asthma how will these toxins and dust effect her!
What about if they have to do a burn off this is a huge fire and extremly loud and I'm sure would scare the bagezzus out of little children!


and thats a controlled burn what if there's an explosion 500 feet away from the school!

I have a feeling that many of us are going to be out picketing when this company shows up at our school.Hope none of you have to go through this and make sure you know if your school board is planning on making money at the expensive of your childrens health!

Link to full articale

I see. We can't drill for gas in the Utah deserts and badlands. We can't drill for Oil and Gasin the Arctic tundra. We can't even realistically drill for new oil in the Gulf. These practices are all deemed too dangerous for the toads, frogs or birds who might be within MILES of the drill sites (or in the Gulf, it's okay if you're Chinese and in Cuban waters, but not Americans on our side of the line).

However, after all that, we CAN drill 500 feet from children at SCHOOL?! Oh I love the comment about how the water from one source is 'only' used for watering the field. Isn't that special. So, now contaminating the very water coming from our ground is okay as long as it's not used for anything important?

Wow....Residents there have some work ahead of them in insuring every name connected to this is not forgotten and none of them ever hold office anywhere again.

I have several friends who's homes are less than 100 feet from gas wells and they get free gas for heat and now their generators. They state wants to tax them on the free gas but they haven't yet and it's been 20 plus years

reply to post by Wrabbit2000


I will do everything in my power to make sure the ones that voted for this will not be reelected. So much for representing the voice of the people!

Originally posted by jrkelly77
reply to post by Wrabbit2000

 

I will do everything in my power to make sure the ones that voted for this will not be reelected. So much for representing the voice of the people!

I'm glad to hear that. It could be my community next where they decide schools need the money that badly and residents 'just don't get it' or 'wouldn't understand the issues' so why bother telling us about it in advance? It sounds like you got taken pretty well in that approach there in your community.

I wonder how many other places around the nation this has already been done and word just didn't get out? The Oil company chosen here seemed quite prepared with the arguments and process....almost like they had plenty of experience dealing with locals on this before?

Originally posted by Wrabbit2000
I see. We can't drill for gas in the Utah deserts and badlands. We can't drill for Oil and Gasin the Arctic tundra. We can't even realistically drill for new oil in the Gulf. These practices are all deemed too dangerous for the toads, frogs or birds who might be within MILES of the drill sites (or in the Gulf, it's okay if you're Chinese and in Cuban waters, but not Americans on our side of the line).

However, after all that, we CAN drill 500 feet from children at SCHOOL?!.

This so much. They really don't care who they hurt with all the oil drilling do they?

OP, do you plan to take your kids out of that school and put them in another? Is that even an option for you?

reply to post by TheWorldSpins


I actually downloaded applications to enroll the kids in Pa cyber school yesterday. I've been considering it alot the last couple of years because of the decline in education and past idiotic behavior of the school board. This was the straw that broke the camels back I can no longer allow my children to attend this school and still be a good parent! Even though I am withdrawing them from school I will still be out there protesting this for the sake of our community and our children!

I think that you are making a mountain out of a molehill. The video that shows the water being lit out of the faucet has nothing to do with natural gas drilling. It came from a an episode of Dateline that was about naturally occurring methane in well water. There has been a lot of disinformation thrown about the drilling of gas wells in Pennsylvania and New York. Most of it is from environmental nuts that would like to have us living in huts and riding horses. I know for a fact that several parcels of the District's property have no schools on them. They were parcels that the District took for back taxes. In my opinion it would be mismanagement by the District if they didn't investigate the possibility of using the mineral rights to generate revenue for the District, instead of raising property taxes. By the way, I live in the South Butler School District.

reply to post by JIMC5499


Did you read the quote from the Valley saying that these wells would be allowed as close as 500 feet to the buildings. Which means that if they find a gas pocket that is near the schools that they can drill there and if they didn't plan on drilling near the school then why mention that they would be checking the water well that supplys water to the football field! It's true Methane can be found in some wells but scienentific proof has found that these gas wells can significantly increase methane in water wells and cause them to have water that catches on fire or even water wells that explode!

For the first time, a scientific study has linked natural gas drilling and hydraulic fracturing with a pattern of drinking water contamination so severe that some faucets can be lit on fire.

The research was conducted by four scientists at Duke University. They found that levels of flammable methane gas in drinking water wells increased to dangerous levels when those water supplies were close to natural gas wells

While most of the wells had some methane, the water samples taken closest to the gas wells had on average 17 times the levels detected in wells further from active drilling.

“Our results show evidence for methane contamination of shallow drinking water systems in at least three areas of the region and suggest important environmental risks accompanying shale gas exploration worldwide

In Dimock, Pa., where part of the Duke study was performed, some residents’ water wells exploded or their water could be lit on fire

As far as the tap water youtube vid I put up it was just the first one to pop up theres many other on the net that you could watch. This isn't something that a bunch of "tree huggers" made up because they don't like big oil companys. I believe you are making a mole hill out of a mountain my friend.
Huffington Post Link

This is just a few of the chemicals used when drilling ethylbenzene, ethylene glycol, glutaraldehyde, isopropanol, and methanol. According to the Endocrine Disruption Exchange (TEDX), many of the chemicals on Pennsylvania's list have been linked to cancer or other health problems (respiratory, reproductive, brain and nervous system, kidneys, immune system, gastrointestinal and liver, endocrine, developmental, cardiovascular, and blood).

reply to post by jrkelly77


None of the South Butler Schools use well water, they are all connected to the municipal water system.

The hole community should move , no kids no school!! ye i know ... (wishful thinking)
I for one do believe that any gas drilling near any farm, home, or school is just one more way of getting poisoned,and that it does cause EQ's,and contaminates water.
As long as there is a need there will be a reason to do this, that argument is getting old, we are in ht 21 century.
We should have by now have new fuels new way of making fuel go further, oil gas and Natural gas should be nothing more that a thing of the past.
Big oil is the reason this is not the case.
Big oil will not be happy till nothing is left without a Rig, well, or a mess left behind. If i can make a 1972 ford ltd get 25 city 40 highway with a Rochester carb, 2 bbl 390eng, we should be able to get 60 -70 miles per gal now, (with the by gone days of carbs), EFI, computer controlled systems, we should..don't ya think???? not 40 highway if your lucky

reply to post by JIMC5499


I did not say they use well water for drinking but if you would actually read the articles and what ive written they do use well water for the football field so they are connected to the public water system for drinking but they do in fact use well water for other purposes!

Schools are all about money anymore, not education. With their budgets getting cut, they have neverending fund raisers which drive me crazy! To save money they should cut the salaries of personnel such as principals. The mean income for a school principal is $73,000+ dollars! I know a few that make close to $100,000. What exactly is it that they do that rates that type of pay?

reply to post by jrkelly77


Don't worry about over reacting. I don't think you are at all and I would do the same thing, as im sure other parents are.

There is no reason to get mad. There is no reason to picket.
No need to file lawsuits that cost money we do not have, the way to fix this is free.
All the parents have to do is remove their kids from the school, literally shut it down.

If I were to say anything to them it would be, the kids will come back, when the oil company leaves. So what if the school sits there and rots away because there are no students. These are the exact type of things the citizens CAN do to make things happen. Otherwise, these parents are allowing themselves to be pushed around.

Originally posted by Wrabbit2000
I wonder how many other places around the nation this has already been done and word just didn't get out? The Oil company chosen here seemed quite prepared with the arguments and process....almost like they had plenty of experience dealing with locals on this before?

edit on 16-9-2011 by Wrabbit2000 because: typo

I do know it's quite common in the Los Angeles, CA area.

Beverly Hills High School - Oil Wells

A cluster of 19 oil wells in a single "drilling island" on Beverly's campus, owned by Venoco Oil Company, can easily be seen by drivers heading west on Olympic Boulevard toward Century City. The oil wells have pumped much of the oil from under Beverly's campus, and many have been slant drilling into productive regions of the western part of the Beverly Hills Oil Field under many homes and apartment buildings in Beverly Hills for decades.

As of May 2006, the Beverly Hills High School wells were pumping out 400 to 500 barrels a day, earning the school approximately $300,000 a year in royalties.