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.

Two videos illustrate the conflict between fracking and a rural way of life

Posted on April 7, 2014 by davidjkatz

Today we have two videos that provide sobering food for thought. The two together run 37 minutes, and watching them will provide important perspective on how oil and gas drilling transforms the lives of rural communities. The first video is one … Continue reading →

Posted in Bakken, Fracking Information, Personal stories | Tagged Bakken, Dakota Resource Council, Dearbhla Glynn, Ireland, personal stories, shale, video | Leave a comment

The deck is stacked against property owners who seek compensation for damages done by oil and gas drilling

Posted on April 4, 2014 by davidjkatz

Today is the last in a three-part series that’s looked at how increased oil and gas drilling will take away property rights in Stillwater and Carbon counties. On Wednesday we looked at the negative impact drilling has on property values, … Continue reading →

Posted in Fracking Information | Tagged bonding, crime rate, damage recovery, education, insurance, long-term impacts, Montana Board of Oil and Gas, Nationwide Insurance | 10 Comments

Mortgage lenders increasingly worried about fracking

Posted on April 3, 2014 by davidjkatz

Yesterday we looked at the clear evidence that fracking in a community causes property to lose significant value. Today we turn our attention to documenting how the mortgage industry, recognizing how drilling adds risk and reduces value, is beginning to … Continue reading →

Posted in Fracking Information | Tagged earthquakes, FHA, Fracking, Freddie Mac, mortgages, property value, Wells Fargo | 15 Comments

One myth about oil and gas drilling is that it creates riches in a community in the form of increased property values. “With all the new jobs,” the industry says, “buyers will be falling all over themselves to buy your … Continue reading →

Posted on April 2, 2014 by davidjkatz | 13 Comments

A personal story: Christine Pepper, Bradford County, Pennsylvania (with Daily Show clip)

Posted on April 1, 2014 by davidjkatz

“If they took care of the landowners and the local people you’d be so much further ahead, but they won’t. And that’s what pissed me off.” -Cory Pepper, Bradford Township, Pennsylvania Telling personal stories Today we have a slightly different … Continue reading →

Posted in Fracking Information, Personal stories | Tagged Bradford County Pennsylvania, Christine Pepper, gas migration, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, personal stories, The Daily Show, Triple Divide, water contamination, well blowout | 3 Comments

What does Australia know that Montana doesn’t?

Posted on March 31, 2014 by davidjkatz

Sometimes it’s useful to look at business practices in other countries to see clear examples of how oil and gas policies in the US disempower property owners.. In Montana and throughout most of the West, most estates are split: surface rights … Continue reading →

Posted in Community Organization, Politics and History, Fracking Information | Tagged Australia, insurace, loans, Mineral rights, Montana, oil and gas drilling, property value, split estate, surface use agreements | 2 Comments

Ravalli Republic Letter to the Editor: Reform the Board of Oil and Gas

Posted on March 30, 2014 by davidjkatz

The following Letter to the Editor appeared in the online editon of the Ravalli Republic (Hamilton, Montana) on March 30, 2014: The Red Lodge area has been described as the gateway to Yellowstone National Park, nestled in the beautiful Beartooth Mountains. … Continue reading →

Posted in Shared Letters and Posts, Uncategorized | Tagged Beartooth Front, ECA, Letter to the Editor, Montana Board of Oil and Gas, Ravalli Republic, Red Lodge | Leave a comment

The four ways hydraulic fracturing contaminates water

Posted on March 27, 2014 by davidjkatz

For over a decade, oil and gas executives and the policy makers who support them have repeated a single bold claim: there has never been a single documented case where fracking contaminated groundwater. Well, if you repeat a lie often enough … Continue reading →

Posted in Fracking Information | Tagged aquifers, Fracking, hydraulic fracturing, methane, shale gas drilling, wastewater, water contamination | 4 Comments

The impact of truck traffic associated with fracking in rural areas

Posted on March 26, 2014 by davidjkatz

One issue we’ve touched on several times is how oil and gas drilling increases the flow of traffic, and the problems this causes in rural areas. A single well can require 400-800 or more truck trips, and wells are frequently … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments

A Personal Story: Bob Deering, Pennsylvania. “Our Dream Has Become a Nightmare”

Posted on March 25, 2014 by davidjkatz

(T)he shale isn’t going anywhere, it has been there for hundreds of years. Why the rush? If technology had time to catch up, I think the drilling could be completed much more efficiently and have less environmental impact. -Bob Deering … Continue reading →

Posted in Personal stories | Tagged Bob Deering, hunting, Pennsylvania, personal stories, pipelines, traffic, tree hugger | 2 Comments