Author Archives: davidjkatz

About davidjkatz

The Moses family has lived on the Stillwater River since 1974, when George and Lucile Moses retired and moved to the Beehive from the Twin Cities. They’re gone now, but their four daughters (pictured at left, on the Beehive) and their families continue to spend time there, and have grown to love the area. This blog started as an email chain to keep the family informed about the threat of increased fracking activity in the area, but the desire to inform and get involved led to the creation of this blog.

Guest post: Keystone XL supporters making misleading claims

Posted on January 9, 2015 by davidjkatz

By Paul Seamans and Darrell Garoutte The following post appeared on January 8 in The Hungry Horse News, a weekly newspaper that covers the community of Columbia Falls, Glacier National Park and the Flathead Valley. Paul Seamans is the former … Continue reading →

Posted in Fracking Information | Tagged easements, eminent domain, Keystone XL, tar sands | Leave a comment

Congratulations! You’ve just lived through the hottest year in the history of human civilization

Posted on January 7, 2015 by davidjkatz

According to the four reporting agencies that monitor earth’s temperature, 2014 was the hottest year ever recorded by thermometers, and quite likely the hottest year in the history of human civilization. As you can see if you click on the … Continue reading →

Posted in Fracking informaation, Health impacts | Tagged carbon dioxide, carbon emissions, climate change, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change | 4 Comments

Why a car’s engine has more integrity than a shale well

Posted on January 5, 2015 by davidjkatz

One of the reasons water contamination caused by oil and gas drilling is poorly understood is that well design and construction is extremely complex. Oil and gas well engineering is intricate, and the function is different from the machinery most of us … Continue reading →

Posted in Fracking informaation | Tagged Anthony Ingraffea, water contamination, wellbores | 3 Comments

Oil and gas: 10 lessons for 2015

Posted on January 1, 2015 by davidjkatz

2014 was a tumultuous year along the Beartooth Front. It began with our communities reeling from an announcement by Energy Corporation of America that the company planned to bring “a little bit of the Bakken” here, a quick drilling permit … Continue reading →

Posted in Community Organization, Fracking informaation, Health impacts | Tagged citizen initiated zoning, health impacts, infrastructure, Montana Supreme Court, personal stories, Silvertip zone, split estate, water contamination, water testing | 7 Comments

Comparing legal points of view on the Silvertip Zone; why the petitioners prevailed

Posted on December 31, 2014 by davidjkatz

I encourage you to read these documents yourself. The truth is not the sole province of lawyers. The arguments on each side could not be more clear. Read them and see for yourself why the Commissioners sided with the petitioners. Continue reading →

Posted in Community Organization | Tagged Carbon County Commissioners, Carbon County Growth Plan, citizen initiated zoning, John Grewell, Mike Dockery, Part 1 zoning, Susan Swimley | 8 Comments

Guest post: The truth about the Silvertip Zone

Posted on December 22, 2014 by davidjkatz

by Bonnie Martinell I am a produce farmer and one of the landowners who are working with the County Commissioners to establish the Silvertip Zone in Belfry. Our goal is to protect our health, safety, water, property rights and livelihoods. … Continue reading →

Posted in Community Organization | Tagged citizen initiated zoning, Silvertip zone, water testing | 9 Comments

The precautionary principle and the science behind the New York hydraulic fracturing ban

Posted on December 22, 2014 by davidjkatz

Last week’s decision by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo to ban high volume hydraulic fracturing for shale gas development has sent shock waves throughout the country. It is the first time a state government has issued a ban on fracking … Continue reading →

Posted in Fracking Information, Health impacts, Uncategorized | Tagged Alliance of Health Care Professionals, Governor Cuoma, health impacts, New York Department of Health, New York fracking ban, PSE Healthy Energy | 6 Comments

Breaking: Governor Cuomo to ban high volume fracking of shale for methane in New York

Posted on December 17, 2014 by davidjkatz

This came over the wire as a news alert a few minutes ago: The Cuomo administration announced Wednesday that it would ban hydraulic fracturing in New York State, ending years of uncertainty by concluding that the controversial method of extracting … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Fracking, New York | 2 Comments

Video from Carbon County Commissioners meeting, December 15, 2014

Posted on December 16, 2014 by davidjkatz

Here is the video from yesterday’s Carbon County Commissioners meeting. I’ll have some comments later, but here it is for those eager to see it.

Posted in Community Organization | Tagged Carbon County Commissioners, Silvertip zone, video | Leave a comment

Exciting news from Carbon County: Commissioners move forward on Silvertip Zone; ECA vacates Belfry well (for now)

Posted on December 15, 2014 by davidjkatz

At a well-attended meeting in Red Lodge this morning, the Carbon County Commissioners voted to move forward to create Silvertip Zone in Belfry. The Commissioners agreed that the zone is “in the public interest and convenience for public health, safety … Continue reading →

Posted in Community Organization | Tagged Carbon County Commissioners, citizen initiated zoning, Energy Corporation of America, Silvertip zone | 13 Comments