A ninny nanny letter from a few people pretending to be large groups of people requesting they participate in so-called "secret" meetings being held by the federal government on the potential problem of methane pollution.

1. Chesapeake
Climate
Action
Network
*
Delaware
Riverkeeper
Network
*
Lehigh
Valley
Gas
Truth
*
The
Shalom
Center
*
Nature
Abounds
*
Protecting
Our
Waters
(PA)
*
Jews
Against
Hydrofracking
Center
for
Biological
Diversity
*
Earthworks
*
Catskill
Citizens
for
Safe
Energy
*
Berks
Gas
Truth
Green
Zionist
Alliance
*
Citizen
Shale
*
Pennsylvania
Alliance
for
Clean
Water
and
Air
*
Food
and
Water
Watch
Greenpeace
USA
*
Breathe
Easy
Susquehanna
County
*
Clean
Water
for
North
Carolina
*
Green
America
Environment
America
*
Illinois
Peoples
Action
*
Denton
(TX)
Drilling
Awareness
Group
March 19th
, 2014
Secretary Ernest Moniz
Department of Energy
Washington, D.C.
Dear Secretary Moniz,
We are writing as representatives of a growing national movement representing many hundreds
of communities and organizations that have serious concerns with the virtually unregulated
industrial practice of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) for shale gas and oil.
We have come to this position because of the many negative effects that come from the drilling,
processing, transporting, storage and eventual burning of fracked gas and oil:
• Significant methane leakage, as well as the release of CO2, VOCs and NOx
• Poisoning of air, groundwater, rivers, streams, ponds, lakes and land near wells and
infrastructure, leading to serious public health effects
• Forest fragmentation, massive water consumption and other environmental destruction
• Declining property values near wells and infrastructure
• Damage to roads and air pollution from heavy truck traffic near wells
• Damage to agriculture, tourism, hunting, fishing, archaeological and historical areas and
other social and economic activities near wells and infrastructure
• Huge volumes of toxic, and sometimes radioactive wastewater from drilling activity
• Earthquakes caused by the injection of wastewater into the ground.
We are writing because we have learned that you are meeting with a select group of conservation
organizations and others this Wednesday in response to President Obama’s instructions to federal
agencies to develop a coordinated interagency methane strategy. We call upon you to make this
meeting the first of many, and that you take into account the following concerns before the U.S.
Department of Energy moves forward with any more roundtables:
• Include in all future meetings, community members who have been affected by methane
flaring, venting and leaking into the air and water near well sites, and adjacent to
compressor stations and other infrastructure systems.
• Ensure adequate representation of the scientists who have been studying the methane
leakage issue. This should include professors from Cornell University who, in 2011,

2. authored the first major, peer-reviewed study on methane leakage; researchers from the
University of Colorado, the National Oceanic Atmospheric Association and the
University of California who released key studies in 2012 and 2013 on shale gas basins in
Colorado, California and Utah; and, most recently, the work done by researchers from
Stanford, MIT and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
• Because the issue of methane emissions involves more than just natural gas production
and distribution, work to make sure that these roundtables also consider strategies to
reduce methane emissions from the production of fracked oil.
Ultimately, these roundtables must be transparent and conducted in such a way that there is
public input. A roundtable discussion with limited representation, held behind closed doors, is
not appropriate for an issue that affects so many people and our fragile climate.
Sincerely,
Chesapeake Climate Action Network
Delaware Riverkeeper Network, Tracy Carluccio, Deputy Director
Lehigh Valley Gas Truth, Julie Ann Edgar, Organizer, Bethlehem, Pa.
The Shalom Center, Rabbi Arthur Waskow
Nature Abounds
Protecting Our Waters, Philadelphia, Pa.
Jews Against Hydrofracking
Center for Biological Diversity
Earthworks
Catskill Citizens for Safe Energy, Jill Wiener, member
Berks Gas Truth, Karen Feridun, Founder
Green Zionist Alliance
Citizen Shale, Eric Robison, President
Pennsylvania Alliance for Clean Water and Air, Jenny Lisak, Co-director
Food and Water Watch, Emily Wurth, Water Program Director
Greenpeace USA, Phil Radford, Executive Director
Breathe Easy Susquehanna County Pa., Rebecca Roter, Chairperson
Clean Water for North Carolina, Asheville and Durham, Hope Taylor MSPH, Executive Director
Green America, Fran Teplitz, Policy Director
Environment America
Illinois Peoples Action
Denton (Texas) Drilling Awareness Group