All posts by randyshannon
Tell Altmire Vote No on $33 Billion more for Afghanistan WAR. War is making us poor.
Hearings Today on Marcellus Shale Drilling
Hearings to spotlight safety issues at gas wells
Monday, July 26, 2010
By Don Hopey, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
As multiple investigations continue into the fatal explosion and fire that killed two workers on a shallow oil and gas well in Indiana Township last week, state and federal regulators are also considering new, stricter regulations for burgeoning Marcellus Shale deep gas drilling operations.
Two hearings are planned today, one to review emergency response procedures and another on proposed state regulations.
The state Department of Environmental Protection, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Allegheny County fire marshal and Huntley & Huntley Inc., the Monroeville company that employed the workers, are investigating the cause of the Friday morning blast and blaze at the 2-year-old well in a wooded area off Rich Hill Road.
“It’s a tragic accident, but we have to know why it happened,” said Helen Humphreys, a DEP spokeswoman. “With these different entities looking at it from different directions, perhaps such a situation can be prevented or avoided in the future.”
The powerful explosion, which occurred as subcontractor workers were performing routine maintenance, blew a 12-by-8-foot storage tank about 70 yards from the site of the well.
Sign Petition to Save Shirley Sherrod’s Job
Dear friends,
The Obama administration just caved in to the right-wing smear machine, firing a Black USDA official after she was smeared by far-right blogger Andrew Breitbart and his friends at Fox News Channel.
Shirley Sherrod’s dismissal was based on a selectively edited video that made it appear she was confessing to discriminating against a white farming couple. In reality she was telling the story of how working with that family to save their farm helped her to lose her racial preconceptions.
It took less than 24 hours for the lies to be debunked. But by that time, it was too late — Sherrod was forced to quit. And even now that the truth is known, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack is refusing to reinstate her. Worse, Vilsack has President Obama’s support. This kind of political cowardice is beyond shameful.
That’s why I’ve joined the people at ColorOfChange.org in calling on the White House to immediately give Shirley Sherrod her job back, and to stop bowing to the will of right-wing propaganda artists. Will you join me? Click this link to sign an online petition for Shirley.
http://www.colorofchange.org/shirley/?id=2129-1245241
Continue reading Sign Petition to Save Shirley Sherrod’s Job
EPA Fracking Hearing in Canonsburg July 22nd – public invited to show your concern
Marcellus News All Events
YOUR Presence Needed at EPA Fracking Study Hearing, July 22
| July 22, 2010 | ||
| 6:00 pm | to | 10:00 pm |
The U.S. EPA wants to hear from the public about a proposed study of the environmental effects of hydraulic fracturing (also known as “hydrofracking”).
Curb-side sign in Ithaca, NY.
Photo: P. Wray
Take Action Now – Let EPA know about YOUR experiences with contaminated water and the need to protect your drinking water. A coalition of environmental groups will hold a joint press conference before the meeting.
6:00 pm to 10:00 pm, Thursday, July 22
Hilton Garden Inn, Pittsburgh/Southpointe
1000 Corporate Drive
Canonsburg, PA 15317
You do not need to speak publicly at this meeting, BUT YOUR PRESENCE WILL SEND A STRONG MESSAGE to regulators that the public cares about what EPA does to regulate this new Marcellus gas industry. Large crowds have participated in similar meetings in Texas and Colorado, so ATTENDEES and SPEAKERS should register HERE
Hydrofracking is used to release natural gas trapped deep underground. Currently unregulated, the EPA is just beginning to examine hydrofracking’s potential impact on drinking water, human health and the environment. Much of the environmental impacts of hydraulic fracturing are unknown.
The purpose of this Scoping Meeting is for EPA to:
- promote discussion of the public engagement process,
- determine the scope of the study,
- establish perspectives on risks,
- gain public data that may inform the study,
- and identify the data gaps.
USW Explores Merger with the Miners Union of Mexico: a new level of solidarity against global capital
UNITED STEEL WORKERS AND MINEROS EXPLORE MERGER
by Dan La Botz
MEXICAN LABOR NEWS AND ANALYSIS
July 2010, Vol. 15, No. 5
The merger would create an international union of one million metal workers and miners.
The United Steelworkers (USW), which represents 850,000 workers in Canada, the Caribbean, and the United States, and the National Union of Miners and Metal Workers (SNTMMSRM), known as the Mineros, which represents 180,000 workers in Mexico, have announced plans to explore uniting into one international union. The agreement to begin exploration of a merger was signed on June 21.
This new step in the creation of a global union — as opposed to a global federation of unions — represents a significant new development for labor in the Americas with implications for workers around the world. Building on the 2008 trans-Atlantic relationship between Unite in the United Kingdom and the USW, now the USW and the Mineros are working to build a worldwide labor union with the power to confront the concentrated capital of the mining and metal working industries.
July 18, 2010 Nelson Mandela’s 92nd Birthday
Demonstration in Pittsburgh for Extension of Unemployment Benefits
Congress gives Wall Street Banks “Get Out of Jail Free” card
“The six largest banks will still enjoy the enormous implicit subsidy that results from the expectation that the federal government will bail them out in the event of a crisis.”
Statement on Wall Street Reform Bill |
| Dean Baker: “Reform Bill Will Improve Regulation in the Financial Sector”For Immediate Release: July 15, 2010 Contact: Alan Barber, (202) 293-5380 x115 Washington, D.C.– Dean Baker, co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research, issued the following statement on the passage of the financial reform bill by Congress:”The final bill passed by the Senate today and already approved by the House of Representatives will improve regulation in the financial sector. However, given the severity of the economic crisis caused by past regulatory failures, the public had the right to expect much more extensive reform.” On the positive side, the creation of a strong independent Consumer Financial Protection Bureau stands out as an important accomplishment. Such an agency would have prevented some of the worst lending practices that contributed to the housing bubble. It will be important that President Obama choose a strong and effective person, such as Elizabeth Warren, as the first head of the Bureau to establish its independence.” Continue reading Congress gives Wall Street Banks “Get Out of Jail Free” card |
GOP: No more help for jobless, but rich must keep tax cuts
WASHINGTON — Republicans almost unanimously oppose spending $33.9 billion for extended unemployment benefits for some 2.5 million people who’ve lost them, because they say it would increase federal budget deficits.
At the same time, they’re pushing a permanent extension of Bush administration tax cuts, especially for the wealthy, which could increase federal budget deficits by trillions of dollars over the next 10 years.
How do they justify this?
“Tax policy is dynamic. If you have the right kind of tax reform, it helps generate a more dynamic economy,” said Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, a member of the Senate Finance Committee, which writes tax law. While that may be true, even the Bush Treasury Department concluded that its tax cuts increase budget deficits.
Continue reading GOP: No more help for jobless, but rich must keep tax cuts
Beaver County Blue: Voice of the 17th CD of Progressive Democrats of America 
