Author Archives: davidjkatz

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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.

A newly released study on national attitudes toward fracking received a lot of coverage in the press, but newspapers don’t have the space or staff to go very deep into analysis. They reported only the top line information on the … Continue reading →

Posted on January 8, 2014 by davidjkatz | 5 Comments

I try to provide as much analysis as I can on this blog, but from time to time I repost letters, comments, and blog entries that I think are worthwhile. The following is an open letter to the Illinois Department … Continue reading →

Posted on January 7, 2014 by davidjkatz | Leave a comment

Video: Preserve the Beartooth Front

Posted on January 5, 2014 by davidjkatz

This video really struck a chord with me. It was created by a young woman named Starr Brainard, who grew up in St. Paul and is now a student at American University. Her family has vacationed in the Beartooth area … Continue reading →

Posted in Community Organization, Politics and History | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Fracking is Bad for Babies

Posted on January 5, 2014 by davidjkatz

As I wander around the Internet finding out what I can about oil and gas drilling, I run into an increasing amount of academic research that links fracking to a variety of health and environmental issues. As an example, a … Continue reading →

Posted in Fracking Information | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Video: Chaos in North Dakota

Posted on January 3, 2014 by davidjkatz

Who’s minding the store? It’s clear that nobody is looking after the public interest. We hear it over and over again from public officials in North Dakota and eastern Montana, “This is the price you have to pay for energy … Continue reading →

Posted in Bakken, Community Organization, Politics and History | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

This post considers actions taken by Gallatin County a decade ago to stop coalbed methane drilling, and looks at whether that strategy might be adopted in Carbon County today as a way to keep the Environmental Corporation of America (ECA) … Continue reading →

Posted on December 31, 2013 by davidjkatz | 3 Comments

Don’t Bakken the Beartooths

Posted on December 30, 2013 by davidjkatz

Fans of Breaking Bad no doubt appreciated the irony when Walter White of Lockwood was recently sentenced to 12 years for his part in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamines in the Bakken oil fields. But his conviction was not part … Continue reading →

Posted in Bakken | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

Wyoming natural gas bust leaves landowners and taxpayers holding the bag

Posted on December 27, 2013 by davidjkatz

What goes up must come down. The boom and bust economy that goes with oil and gas drilling can leave state and local governments and local landowners with big problems when boom times dry up. The New York Times reports … Continue reading →

Posted in Community Organization, Politics and History, Fracking Information | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Energy Corporation of America Activity in Carbon County

Posted on December 23, 2013 by davidjkatz

On October 24, 2013 Energy Corporation of America (ECA) opened an office in Billings in conjunction with an announcement of plans to expand development of oil and gas leases along the Beartooth and Bighorn mountains. ECA CEO John Mork said … Continue reading →

Posted in Fracking Information | 6 Comments

The Montana Chamber of Commerce is busy promoting their new “scientific” survey of Montana residents. The survey, conducted in October, shows that 59% of Montanans approve of fracking. It’s important to keep in mind that the Chamber is a political … Continue reading →

Posted on December 22, 2013 by davidjkatz | 3 Comments