Ninja Poodles Local

This is really unfortunate. Chesapeake has taken far too much advantage of the neighbors in the area--and that is just to start.

I would be extremely unhappy if that scene moved in next door to me. Your poor friend has a right to be upset and Chesapeake needs to start compensating people who are being affected by their actions. Pronto.

Noise shmoise, what they can't drop a few hundred bucks on some noise cancelling headphones? And those trees? It's not like they were doing anything productive, they aren't bringing big bucks to conglomerates. It's not like we need them to breathe or anything, geez.

Seriously, I'm so sorry for your friend. That's just horrible and ugly. And I cannot believe they just burned that wood. If that company put promises in writing, and is breaking them, it's high time to take them to court.

This is absolutely horrifying. I was born and raised in Arkansas (moved to Tennessee 30 years ago) and this looks like the rape and pillage Weyerhaeuser inflicted all around Garland County years ago. The land still shows scars from that time, and from the look of these photographs, it will take decades for this area to 'recover' as well, if ever. What a crude, primitive, dishonestly short-sighted way to do business. Come on, Arkansas, you're better than this.

I don't understand why they need to destroy so much area?

Nice of you to take the chickens. Did you already have a coop? I've been thinking about raising chickens myself. Haven't been around it in so long.. it would be like starting from scratch. (oh, what the heck, pun intended). And I really don't now how long a rooster would live around me...making the noise so early in the mornings.

Thanks for sharing this story. I live north of it all right now, so it's good to hear from folks about it.

Wow.
I think I would end up killing someone if that happened next door to me.

Geez. There's got to be something that can be done about the noise.
My heart goes out to your friends and her neighbors.

Several other states already have experienced the onslaught of destuctive gas drilling. One study showed that, over a 20-year period, the cost of the damage to land was greater than the earnings by landowners. Check the Oil and Gas Accountability Project webpage for tons of info, including a model contract to protect landowners on the front end. New Mexico experienced so much damage that the legislature last year enacted a landowner protectin act.

Last I knew, ADEQ had only 15 inspectors statewide for this and many other types of inspections. Ask the Governor how much is in next year's budget to greatly increase the number of inspectors, because it doesn't matter what the regulations say if there is no one to inspect. Arkansas should require an on-site inspection prior to drilling, after drilling is finished, and at random times in between. Right now they just come out if someone complains.

Oh, and if this is happening near you, make a record and take pictures BEFORE drilling starts, if possible, including: check the production and quality of your well water. When people notice water problems and finallly pay to get their water tested, the drillers just say there is no way to prove it.

Sorry to say, I am the unlucky person who's home and property is the one you are looking at that Chesepeake destroyed. The noise, the water canon's going off every hour or two, the sleep deprivation , the huge bright lights on that turn darkness into daylight, the dirt and dust and stink is misery at it's worst. Get it all in writing? Ha--- you are funny, this is big business here and you get NOTHING in writing . What you do get is a lot of head nods and yes sirs and yes ma'ams and everthing you want to hear , then you find out that they lied about everything they can, because you do not own the land they are sitting on and ruining everyone's lives for the next 4 months. Searcys mayor Belinda LaForce is running the programs on the tv obout The Shale and how this is the best thing to happen to Searcy and how much revunue it will generate and all the jobs it will bring -- yata -yata-yata. I would like to personally invite the mayor to come and spend 24 hours cooped up in my home listening and living with all the chaos and the water canons, and generators running at full speed at 3:00 in the morning and the lights that look like an space ship has landed in my back yard, and see how she fairs . Come on Mayor, come spend the afternoon with us on my back deck and have a glass of tea with us and see what your progress is doing to the little person,, I dare you!

This is a terrible example of the issues arising with eminent domain. The Colorado legislature is dealing with it here, and there have been bad examples all over the U.S. of misuse of government management of property. Your friend may want to contact her state legislator and see if she can file a complaint. While they may not have many rights because the development is going on next door, they should be able to claim disruption and lack of enjoyment of personal property due to the lack of barriers being erected.

The destruction of the forest is so unfortunate, and I'm sure there could have been a way (probably more expensive) to handle the development without as much destruction.

There may also be an attorney willing to file a complaint on a contingency basis. I'm sure the power company has some pretty deep pockets...

Blame Beebe!! He COULD have done something about this, now the horse has escaped for hundreds of folks, not to mention the UNKNOWN consequences for the ground and surface water, roads... He said on AETN several months ago, in response to a Governor's School question: "Our responsible agencies are ensuring that all of our environmental protections are being complied with."

FIRST and foremost, we don't HAVE any "environmental protections" with any teeth/accountability/consequences!! Then there was some grant money or something supposedly available to ANRC/ADEQ/Oil & Gas to hire "best practice" inspectors (at least one for each county). The KEY to this lie was it was supposedly "independent" from the Gov or Ledge control/involvement.

Never happened. My take on that - the agencies "blinked" in the face of drilling industry political pressure.

The history of these "protect the environment" agencies is one of same-old SAME OLD "bidness" rules: Patronage, nepotism, political connections, conferences world-wide and other perks. Upholding their missions? Not so much... In a word, they SUCK! This sad example is the tip of the iceberg and NO ONE in state government who should be accountable actually IS accountable. Just the cost of doing "bidness." Pathetic.

To answer Eureka's question--yes, we have in the neighborhood of 75 or so chickens (no FrankenBroilers, just "real" chickens), and a baker's dozen Narragansett turkeys. And heck yeah, you should get some chooks! You don't have to have a rooster at all; in fact, you'll get better egg production without one. There are TONS of good breeders of poultry in your area, plus you're near several hatcheries. Chickens are fun!

Our neighbors did some logging on their land a few years ago, which was bad enough. They didn't clear cut, and stopped at dusk, so it was quiet at night.

THIS, on the other hand, sounds like a nightmare! To suddenly live next to a 24/7 constant barrage of noise and light is the same as torture. You should be compensated so you can either move or put in some sound proofing.

Makes me think of the places in Texas that had the gas flares going all the time near the oil wells. Those residents ended up having to move out, it was no obnoxious.

SO obnoxious, not no obnoxious.

So much for:

"Chesapeake's operations are built around a commitment to safeguard the environment...We strive to make efficient use of resources to minimize our environmental footprint and to conserve habitat diversity and the plant and animal populations that may be affected by our operations." (From Chesapeake's website)

Since when was cutting down trees and BURNING them "efficient use of resources" and an attempt to "conserve habitat diversity". And what about the human populations affected by their operations?

Ugh! While I know we need domestic sources of energy, what about taking their responsibility to the environment AND the people seriously, too?

Right you are--the walk doesn't quite match the talk, does it?

This is just downright disgusting. I feel so badly for your friend and her family. I wish there was something I could do.

THIS is what your energy costs, people. It is NOT free, and NOT without environmental and social consequences. This post effectively communicates all of the OTHER costs associated with our dependence on oil and gas.

What can I say that hasn't been said, other than, I love you bloggers, but the fierceness you leave here does nothing, well, it does make Ninjapoodle feel like she's getting in touch with her audience, but it won't help to keep these natural gas companies in check.

You are going to have to contact the governor's office, your state reps, etc. and light a fire under their butts. I don't think the gas boom is all bad, but I think these companies could do with a little more common sense and courtesy rather than doing whatever they want and buying a wheel chair van for the senior center and calling it even Stevens.

If you don't make it an issue for your rep's reelection, etc., it won't be one, especially with whatever perks and donations these companies are making.

TBW

Update on oil shale issues: Just FYI, there was a meeting on Thurs. Sept 18 in LR of the AR Game & Fish Comm. Oversight Committee (whose job is to encourage revenue generation for the AGFC) with the oil and gas industries feeding AGFC's heads with visions of sugarplums and all sorts of benefits of drilling on our state lands.

Keep contacting your state legislators and the governor and continue to let them know that true costs of shale drilling are greater than the benefits for all of us - as both public and private citizens.

And thanks again to TBW for posting/blogging about this issue.