Berks Gas Truth

Saying NO to Gas Drilling in Pennsylvania

Welcome to Berks Gas Truth

Climate March meme

Get on the Berks Gas Truth bus to the largest climate march in history!

UPDATE: All free seats have been reserved. If you were hoping to request a free seat, please email Karen at berksgastruth@gmail.com. We’ll let you know if there’s anything we can do to honor your request.

Pick up the bus in Trexlertown, the Route 33 Park & Ride, or the Phillipsburg Mall! Specific details on departure time and pick up locations here and in NYC for the return trip are coming, so please check back and, if you’ve already ordered your seats, look for an email from us closer to the event.

Use our order form below to purchase tickets online. If you’d like to donate seats, you can use the option below or donate them via PayPal using the Donate button on the right side of the page and indicate in the note section that you’re donating toward the PCM bus.

Thanks to donations, we’re already able to provide some free seats that are available on a first come, first serve basis. We’ll confirm the availability of free seats in a follow-up email to anyone who orders a free seat below. We’ll fulfill as many requests for free seats as possible.

You can also mail your checks made out to Berks Gas Truth to:

Berks Gas Truth

c/o Karen Feridun

260 East Main Street

Kutztown, PA 19530

We must have your checks by September 14th to guarantee you a spot.

If you have questions, please email Karen Feridun at berksgastruth@gmail.com.

 

 


Get on the bus!

July13-3

7/3/2014 UPDATE KING OF PRUSSIA STOP ADDED! Our Douglassville bus will leave at 8 a.m. so we can add a stop in King of Prussia. The bus departs from the King of Prussia Park and Ride at 8:45. All seats $20 round trip.

Download (PDF, 111KB)

Download (PDF, 53KB)

Download (PDF, 53KB)

7/1/2014 UPDATE NEW PRICING FOR OUR BUS TICKETS TO D.C.! Thanks to help from supporters, we can now offer tickets for only $20 per person!!

Berks Gas Truth has reserved a bus to take riders from Klein Transportation in Douglassville to the Cove Point rally in D.C. and back on July 13. We’re still working out the details, but expect that the bus will depart at 8:00 or 8:30 a.m. and return around 6:00 or 6:30 p.m.

The per person ticket price is $30, but we’re asking anyone who can to kick in an extra $5 to help pay for people who can’t afford to pay $30. If you need a reduced fare or free seat, please let us know and we’ll do our best to accommodate you. Send an email to berksgastruth@gmail.com.







Buy your ticket, donate a ticket, or help pay for another rider











Thousands Call on Chevron to Apologize for Pizza Coupons
February 24, 2014 For Immediate Release

Contact:
Kathryn Hilton, Mountain Watershed Association, 803-646-8243
Karen Feridun, Berks Gas Truth, 610-678-7726

Thousands Call on Chevron to Apologize for Pizza Coupons
Pizza doesn’t mean never having to say you’re sorry.

Smithfield, PA – When one of its gas wells exploded in Dunkard Township, Greene County, Pennsylvania, killing one worker, injuring another, and sparking a fire that burned for days, Chevron responded by issuing pizza coupons to area residents. Today, thousands outraged by the insulting gesture let Chevron’s CEO and staff know that pizza does not mean never having to say you’re sorry.
Impacted residents, concerned citizens and grassroots organizations delivered petition signatures to Chevron’s Smithfield, PA office in a pizza box with a two-liter coke. Hundreds of others called, and emailed Chevron’s CEO James Watson to place pizza orders. Many pizza orders were posted to Chevron’s social media pages.
Karen Feridun, founder of the grassroots anti-fracking organization Berks Gas Truth, started organizing a call-in day on social media that quickly grew to include a petition drive and a delivery of the signatures gathered to Chevron’s Smithfield, PA office. Chevron’s ‘let them eat pizza’ attitude toward the people most directly and profoundly impacted by the explosion speaks volumes about how people in our communities are regarded by the industry as a whole. People are fed up.
“I’ve never seen a response like this. People jumped at the chance to show Chevron their disgust at its wholly inadequate and inappropriate response,” said Feridun.
“Small gestures like pizza and pop do not change the destruction Chevron has left behind in Bobtown. If they want to help this community, how about taking meaningful steps like eliminating dangerous pollution or destructive truck traffic?” stated Veronica Coptis, local resident and Center for Coalfield Justice Community Organizer.
Environmental Action and MoveOn.org aided in gathering signatures on Feridun’s petition. Food & Water Watch also gathered signatures from its membership.
The idea to deliver the petition signatures to Chevron’s Smithfield, PA office came from Jesse Bacon, Environmental Action’s Pennsylvania field organizer. “If Chevron is really so insensitive as to think pizza can make everything better, even the death of one of their own employees and a threat to an entire town, we needed a special delivery to get their attention. Our members were proud to stand on the side of Karen, Kathryn, and the planet against Chevron, currently the world’s worst polluter according to the Climate Accountability Institute.
Kathryn Hilton, Community Organizer for the Mountain Watershed Association, organized the petition delivery with partners the Center for Coalfield Justice, the Harry Enstrom Chapter of the Izaak Walton League of America, Fayette Marcellus Watch, Marcellus Protest, and the Marcellus Citizens’ Group of Westmoreland County.
Hilton commented, “We are very concerned about exploitation of communities by Chevron and other drilling companies. Chevron has publically stated the company is committed to doing it [unconventional operations] right, but the pizza coupon comes across as very insincere and dismissive of the serious impacts those living near shale gas wells face daily. Residents impacted by the explosion in Greene County, and indeed those impacted by shale gas development across the region, deserve to be properly compensated. Chevron’s response to this tragedy was completely and wholly inappropriate. Shame, shame.”
Ken Duffala, a representative of the Harry zen storm Chapter of the Izaak Walton League of America in Greene County, made the following statement regarding Chevron’s actions: “With the recent tragedy in Bobtown and Chevron’s pizza and soft drink offer to the public, a lot of residents feel the offer was hollow. The issue missed is that clean air and clean water need to be a top concern. I would highly recommend that the family of the worker who was killed be the highest concern, and that well safety be strictly enforced so no others lose their lives.”
“For years we’ve witnessed the blatant disregard for public wellbeing that oil and gas corporations have shown to Pennsylvania communities, through their inherently dangerous and polluting fracking operations,” said Emily Wurth, water program director at Food & Water Watch. “But the callous tone-deafness of Chevron’s pizza campaign in Dunkard Township took even us by surprise. Chevron’s absurd response to community hardship speaks volumes.”
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Download (PDF, 781KB)

 

 

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Learn about SB 411 and what YOU can do!


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URGENT ACTION!! CONTACT YOUR SENATORS TODAY!!

Tom Corbett’s nominee to head the DEP told the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee that he doesn’t believe in climate change!

 

“Abruzzo told the committee he does believe climate change is occurring and that it seems to be at least partially attributable to human factors, but he does not view it as harmful and sees no reason for Pennsylvania to adopt new policies to address it.”

State Impact, December 4, 2013

Read the story for all the mind-blowing details.

 

But that’s not the craziest part! After Abruzzo’s admission, the committee voted 10 – 1 to APPROVE his nomination! Daylin Leach was the ONLY member of the committee to vote NO!

Next week, the nomination is up for a full Senate vote. It could take place today, so we need your help NOW!

 

People continue to sign our petition. We’re well over 4,600 now! Keep signing and sharing! http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/pa-senate-dont-put-a-1

NOW LET’S FLOOD THE SENATE WITH CALLS, EMAILS, AND TWEETS!!

TWITTER USERS, search #backwardonclimate to find tweets you can RT or write your own! They all contain @PASENATE, but you can change it to or add your senator’s address.

CALLING OR EMAILING INSTEAD? Please let us know that you’ve contacted your senator! The press release we send out later today will be better with strong numbers to report! Here’s a link to a directory where you can find numbers for Harrisburg and district offices: http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/home/member_information/mbrList.cfm?body=S&sort=alpha

THANK YOU ALL FOR SPEAKING OUT AND SPREADING THE WORD ABOUT THIS UNACCEPTABLE NOMINATION!!

 

Here’s a list of all the Twitter accounts for the Senate and the Senators. You’ll also find their email addresses in case you or they don’t use Twitter. If you’d prefer to call your senator, you can find number for their Harrisburg and district offices here.

Download (PDF, 207KB)


Local Stand Final

Starting in August, Take a localStand to Help Your Fellow Pennsylvanians!

Our localStand campaign kicked off at FRACKAPALOOZA TWO on July 28th! We raised at least $375 to purchase water for Pennsylvanians whose wells have been contaminated by fracking.

WE NEED YOUR HELP!

Read all about the campaign and how YOU can get involved!

If you’re in the Berks County area, we’re holding bake sales on August 10th from 8 – 4 (or until all the goodies are gone!) at Renninger’s in Kutztown (next to the French Fry stand) and at the Mt. Penn Block Party on September 14th  from noon to 5 at North 25th Street from Cumberland Avenue to Endlich Avenue. We’ll also have a collection jar at Betty’s on Main Street in Kutztown. If you’d like to volunteer for either of the bake sales or supply baked goods, contact us at berksgastruth@gmail.com. If you’d like to organize your own fundraising event to help, let us know that too! And please stop by to get some delicious baked goods for a good cause!

If you’re outside of the Berks County area and want to get involved, please email us at the address above. We’ll add your event to the map we’ve created for the campaign and send you flyers to hand out, jar labels, press materials, and whatever else you need!


Find localSTAND events on our Google Map!

 


View Raise Funds to Buy Fellow Pennsylvanians Clean Water to Drink in a larger map.

All of the proceeds of the event will be donated to organizations and community groups around the state who are already purchasing and delivering water to Pennsylvanians in need. If yours is one of the groups doing that, please send the information on how people can donate to your effort to the address above and we’ll add you to the list so hosts and customers looking to make additional donations know where to send their contributions.

 


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Visit our new localStand page to learn more about our campaign and how you can help!


TWO OPTIONS TO JOIN THIS WEEK’S CALL!!

Join us for this week’s Post PA Dems call! Choose the time slot that works best for you!!

Wednesday, July 24th at 6 p.m. or
Thursday, July 25th at 3 p.m.

Here’s the call-in information!

Conference Dial-in Number: (218) 632-0550

Participant Access Code: 765549#

Can’t make either call, but want to be informed of future calls? Email berksgastruth@gmail.com!

Download (PDF, 191KB)

THEN JOIN US FOR AN AMERICANS AGAINST FRACKING NATIONAL CONFERENCE CALL ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT! STAY TUNED FOR THE CALL-IN INFO ON THAT!


 

WE WON!!!!!

PA DEMS VOTED IN FAVOR OF THE MORATORIUM RESOLUTION 115-81!

THANKS TO ALL OF YOU WHO HELPED MAKE IT POSSIBLE!!!

STOP

JOIN OUR PA DEMS ACTION ON JUNE 14th & 15th IN LANCASTER!! DETAILS BELOW!!

TELL PA DEMS, “STOP FRACKING NOW!”
PA STATE DEMOCRATIC COMMITTEE MEETING
Lancaster Convention Center, June 14th & 15th

Outside convention center at Penn Square – 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Inside convention center – 8 a.m. – 3 p.m.

(See schedule of Saturday meetings below)

Early sessions on Friday begin at 3 p.m. for registered Dems only.

 We’ll also be spreading the word during social hours on Friday evening.

You do not need to be a registered Dem for the social events, so stop by, have a drink and convince some state committee people to vote for the resolution!

WE’RE PLEASED TO ADD THESE ORGANIZATIONS TO OUR LIST OF CO-SPONSORS! If your organization would like to sign on, please contact karen.feridun@gastruth.org.

Clean Water Action

Food & Water Watch

Gas Drilling Awareness Coalition

Lehigh Valley Gas Truth

Peach Bottom Concerned Citizens Group

Protecting Our Waters

Shale Justice

United Sludge-Free Alliance

The Pennsylvania Democratic Party officially supports taxing and regulating fracking. Many members disagree. In fact, one member introduced resolution calling for the party to support a moratorium on fracking in February. The party leadership didn’t let the resolution out of the Rules Committee where the agenda is set for the afternoon general meeting. They questioned the “legality” of the language of the resolution even though it was written by a member who happens to be an attorney. They called the DEP’s attorneys to ask if fracking was being done safely. Guess what the DEP attorneys told them!

A slightly revised version of the resolution will be offered again at the June meeting. It comes at a time when 100,000 petition signatures calling for a moratorium have been delivered to Corbett, Senator Jim Ferlo is introducing a moratorium bill that already has more co-sponsors than his last moratorium bill had, and polling results indicate that nearly two-thirds of Pennsylvanians support a moratorium.

It’s clearly time, actually way past time, for a moratorium at minimum, so why do the PA Dems hang onto the severance tax/regulation stance that is as outmoded as fossil fuels?

It’s time for the PA Dems to stop being out of step with the majority of Pennsylvanians and out of touch with the damage fracking is doing to our communities, natural resources, health, safety and climate!

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Read the resolution by Susan Lyons of Monroe County that will be considered.

Read Ten Myths of Fracking by Susan Lyons.

Read the annotated version of the resolution with notes by Karen Feridun.

Download (PDF, 200KB)

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HELP US TELL THE PA DEMS TO STOP FRACKING NOW!
HERE ARE SOME OF THE MANY WAYS TO GET INVOLVED!!

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1) ATTEND the Saturday meetings if you’re registered Dem! Register here!
2) PROTEST outside the Convention Center! Register here!
3) LOBBY State Committee members from your county! Call your county Democratic committee for contacts. See state committee list.
4) HELP us gather support at Friday sessions! Register here!
5) RECRUIT people to attend Friday and/or Saturday! Ask them to Register here!
6) SPONSOR the action! Email us to sponsor! Include name, title, organization.
7) SIGN the petition we’ll have in hand!

 
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS ON SATURDAY, JUNE 15th
8:00 am to 9:00 am – Constituency Caucuses

  • Labor Caucus
  • LGBT Caucus
  • Black Caucus
  • Women’s Caucus
  • Veteran’s Caucus
  • Progressive Caucus

9:00 am to 10:00 am – Standing Committees and Senior Caucus

  • Voter Outreach & Registration Committee
  • Rules and Order of Business Committee – this is the meeting where committee members vote on which resolutions be considered in the afternoon meeting.
  • Credentials Committee
  • By-Laws Committee
  • Senior Caucus

10:00 am to 10:30 am – Executive Board Meeting – this committee has final say on what is to be considered. It is a closed meeting.

10:30 am to 11:30 am – County Chairs Meeting
11:30 am to 12:30 pm – Regional Caucuses

  • South East
  • South West
  • Philadelphia
  • North Central
  • North East
  • North West
  • Allegheny
  • South Central

1:00 pm – STATE COMMITTEE MEETING – this is the meeting where the resolution will be put to a vote.

 


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TAKE ACTION THIS APRIL IN PENNSYLVANIA!

Organizations across the state are planning actions this month to call on the DEP to put the “public” back in “public agency” and to demand a moratorium on drilling in PA! Be a part of the movement to take PA back from the drillers! Here’s how you can get involved!

 

APRIL 10th – RALLY TO CHALLENGE DEP ON WATER AND FRACKING

Join Clean Water Action, Gas Truth of Central PA, the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, Mountain Watershed Association, Earthworks, Lehigh Valley Gas Truth, Sierra Club-PA Chapter, PennEnvironment, and Berks Gas Truth at DEP headquarters in Harrisburg to tell the DEP we’re tired of waiting for answers to our questions on fracking and water. The citizens of Pennsylvania deserve better than they’ve gotten from the DEP! We’ll rally outside the DEP’s main office in Harrisburg at 11:30 and then head inside with thousands of letters from people around the state calling for answers to ask why they’ve been ignored!

 

APRIL 22nd – EARTH DAY PROTEST AT REGIONAL DEP OFFICES   CALLING ON DEP TO FULFILL ITS MISSION AND STOP FRACKING

In what has become an Earth Day tradition, rallies are planned for regional DEP offices across the state and you’re invited! The Green Party of PA, Mountain Watershed Association, and more than 40 other groups are coordinating the rallies to make the following demands:

• Appoint an environmental expert without industry ties as DEP Secretary to ensure DEP’s mission is fulfilled;
• Place a moratorium on permits for gas wells, compressor stations, pipelines, water withdrawals, coal mines, and other infrastructure related to fossil fuel extraction;
• Allow no more toxic secrets and full disclosure of water tests and other studies by DEP;
• Provide justice for those harmed by the oil and gas industry; and
• Reopen the DEP Office of Energy and Technology Deployment to develop solar, wind and other renewable energy technologies.

 

APRIL 30th – HELP US DELIVER 100,000 PETITION SIGNATURES TO CORBETT DEMANDING A MORATORIUM ON DRILLING!

PennEnvironment is closing in on their target of 100,000 signatures from Pennsylvanians on a petition calling for a moratorium in PA. Many organizations and individuals have been helping PennEnvironment reach their goal. We’ll all be in the rotunda at the Capitol at 12:30 on April 30th for a rally before we head to Corbett’s office to deliver the petitions! If you haven’t signed the petition yet, click on the link above! Then, please share it with your friends! And check back for more details about the rally as they’re announced! We’d love to see you there!

 


 

“The people have a right to clean air, pure water, and to the preservation of the natural, scenic, historic and esthetic values of the environment. Pennsylvania’s public natural resources are the common property of all the people, including generations yet to come. As trustee of these resources, the Commonwealth shall conserve and maintain them for the benefit of all the people.”

Article 1 Section 27 of the Pennsylvania Constitution

 

At Issue
Natural gas drilling of shale formations threatens Pennsylvania’s natural resources, the health and well-being of its citizens, and its scenic beauty. Berks Gas Truth is a grassroots citizens’ group fighting to bring an end to unconventional natural gas drilling in Pennsylvania. On our site, you’ll find news and information on the many issues surrounding natural gas drilling, details of upcoming events, and suggestions of actions YOU can take!

 

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