"Holy Crap Batman"

UPDATE ON CHEMICAL DISCLOSURE:

The News and Observer just reported that an "NC Senate committee says full chemical disclosure not required to frack." 

Link here: http://www.newsobserver.com/2013/06/25/2988546/nc-senate-committee-says-full.html

Lets go to the way-back machine (from the June 7th blog post): "Chairman Womack indicates that we will have a "full disclosure" rule. I leave it to you, dear reader to form your own conclusions."

Hmmmmm. Perhaps its now time to introduce you to another fracking family member. Former Representative Mitch Gillespie (background info at the link), now Assistant Secretary of Environment for the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

This latest news makes the following comments clear:

Chairman Jim Womack (JW): It would be helpful to know, if one of you guys would be so kind as to go to Mitch, and say, "what do you think?" 'Cause if Mitch says...[discussion about being involved in collecting and dispersing impact fees]..."

~ JW continues~

"Yeah, well, somebody, somebody needs to carry that, get that up to vet it with Mitch. {Certainly] want to know, 'cause he's, he's already poured water on a couple of other ideas we've had."

Its scary out there...

From S820: "The Commission shall formulate recommendations that maintain a uniform system for the management of such activities, which allow for reasonable local regulations, including required setbacks, infrastructure placement, and light and noise restrictions, that do not prohibit or have the effect of prohibiting oil and gas exploration and development activities, and the use of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing for that purpose, or otherwise conflict with State law."

Today's title seems appropriate for this particular part of the blog  as it is a compilation of a couple of meetings,  and  indicative of the attitude of some North Carolina Mining and Energy Commission members towards extraneous issues, like setbacks.

During the Local Government Study Group meeting June 7 (remember the knock on wood?) Commission member Charles Holbrook was heard to say, "Oh, its scary."  Mr. Holbrook's remark came during discussion of Lee County GIS coordinator Don Kovasckitz's presentation to the full MEC earlier that morning on severed estates, setbacks, well placement and other issues facing Lee County.

Charles Holbrook (CH): "Yeah, uh I think looking at the map Don Kovasckitz presented today, if, if you're not really careful in how you do the setbacks you [could] freeze yourself out of being able to operate anywhere."

DK's presentation was indeed enlightening. These are screenshots showing some of the layers of setbacks (from a wellhead).Setbacks are in red:

This image shows the areas excluded applying New York's recommended setback between a well-head and water supply well of 2640 feet.

This image shows excluded areas using Texas' 467 foot setback of a well-head from property boundaries

This image shows excluded areas if the minimum setbacks were applied to all features, surface water, wells, roads, etc.

All that crap...

This is the statement that North Carolina Mining and Energy Commission (MEC) Chair Jim Womack used to describe historic sites and other "extraneous" stuff.. His comment came during a discussion of permitting costs at the "Funding Levels and Potential Funding Sources" study group on June 17.

Link to audio: http://portal.ncdenr.org/web/mining-and-energy-commission/06-17-2013-funding

You can find his quote near the end of "Audio 2."

Here is a transcription of the quote:

Jim Womack (JW): "...what is it? The Department, uh, what's the other one that does all the cultural stuff, Cultural Resources-looks at historic sites and all that crap, Indian burial grounds; you know all that stuff." {Serious backpedaling heard...]

The next MEC committee meetings are June 27th, and the full Commission meets the 28th. Better get the deviled eggs made, don't think an angel-food cake would work for this pot luck.