Oil Worker Angered By Report

An oil field worker in Kinzua Heights, Allegheny National Forest expressed anger (HEAR AUDIO) about  Allegheny Defense Project (ADP)’s Forest Watch work. Last week ADP and a photojournalist revisited the Kinzua Heights site in the Allegheny National Forest that was one of the focus areas of ADP’s May 22nd Forest Watch Training. During Forest Watch monitoring ADP documented the oil and gas drilling site of Freedom Oil Ventures, LLC and submitted a report and photos to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), and PA Fish and Boat Commission (PAFBC). See Kinzua Heights: Freedom Isn’t Free. Citizens Bear Costs of Violations by Freedom Oil Ventures, LLC).

Join our Forest Watch efforts. Document and report industry violations in the Allegheny National Forest. Send reports and photos to:

John Hanger, Director
Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), Headquarters
Rachel Carson State Office Building
400 Market Street
Harrisburg, PA 17101
ra-epaskdep@state.pa.us
jhanger@state.pa.us

Shawn Garvin
Environmental Protection Agency Region 3
1650 Arch Street (3CEOO)
Philadelphia, PA 19103-2029
eyesondrilling@epa.gov
garvin.shawn@epa.gov
R3_RA@epa.gov

Robert Nestor
PA Fish And Boat Commission
Northwest Region Office
11528 State Highway 98
Meadville, PA 16335
rnestor@state.pa.us

Leanne M. Marten
USDA, Allegheny National Forest
4 Farm Colony Drive
Warren, PA  16365
lmarten@fs.fed.us

Anthony V. Scardina, Bradford Ranger District
USDA, Allegheny National Forest
29 Forest Service Drive
Bradford, PA 16701
ascardina@fs.fed.us

Robert T. Fallon, Marienville Ranger District
USDA, Allegheny National Forest
131 Smokey Lane
Marienville, PA 16239
rfallon@fs.fed.us

Kent Connaughton, Regional Forester
USDA – Forest Service
Eastern Region – R9
626 East Wisconsin Ave.
Milwaukee, WI 53202
kconnaughton@fs.fed.us

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Kinzua Heights: Freedom Isn’t Free. Citzens Bear Costs Of Violations By Freedom Oil Ventures, LLC

An Allegheny Defense Project (ADP) Forest Watch Team finds multiple, flagrant violations in a new oil and gas drilling site in Brothwell Run on the Allegheny National Forest. On May 22, 2010 the Forest Watch Team participating in our first training session investigated Kinzua Heights area of Brothwell Run, which has been hit hard by oil and gas drilling in the last few years. Residents living in the area had been hearing loud machinery noises during the day and long into the night. We traveled down FR 147, and FR 625 to discover the “Liberty” Farms of Freedom Oil Ventures, LLC of 4801 Lang NE STE 110, Albuquerque, NM 87109.

We parked at the gate and hiked from the point where citizen vehicles are not allowed—”Foot Traffic Only”—unless you work for the oil and gas industry.

The “Liberty” Farm areas of Freedom Oil Ventures, LLC have it all. There were no Erosion and Sedimentation Plans posted, and not surprisingly, no erosion and sedimentation controls. At one place in the deeply rutted road, Freedom Oil Ventures, LLC bulldozed the road fill over the edge of the roadway into the rock canyon system on Brothwell Run. These rock formations contain openings and pathways into groundwater. The acidic runoff and oil residue from the poorly constructed roadways drains into the rock formations (see photos). Drilling fines were either blown into the woods, or into an unlined brine pit (see photos). A newly drilled well was simply covered with a bucket (see photos). One of the most alarming violations was the venting of gas into the forest from valves at well jacks (see photo above and see video below)….more

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