*** Click HERE to download a brochure (.pdf format) for the seminar series. ***
Description: The Green Campus Initiative (GCI), the Institute for Culture and Society (ICS), the Institute for Human Rights and Social Justice, the College of Science and Technology (COST), and the College of Liberal Arts (COLA) at Bloomsburg University are sponsoring a series of lectures and documentaries from March 20th – 29th on the impacts of drilling for natural gas in the Marcellus Shale. The events will explore the social, economic and environmental impacts of natural gas extraction. Individual events will include:
- An overview of the natural gas extraction and the process of hydrofracking,
- A discussion of natural gas drilling and the disposal of frackwater in Ohio,
- A screening of the documentary "Crude,"
- A discussion of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection’s role in the regulation of natural gas drilling and the disposal of frackwater,
- A screening of the documentary “Gasland,”
- A discussion of impacts of Marcellus natural gas development on housing in Pennsylvania,
- A discussion of the social impacts of population influx associated with tar sands mining in Alberta, Canada,
- And a Screening of the documentary “Petropolis.”
The ten day event will conclude on Thursday, March 29th with a panel discussion on natural gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale with representatives from industry, academia and government.
The overall objective of the series is to provide the university community and the public with an opportunity to learn about and discuss this controversial issue with representatives from government, academia and industry. All events are free and open to the public. For detailed information on each event, please reference the listings below.
PLEASE NOTE: The times and/or locations of events may change between now and the date of the actual event. Please check this website for the most up to date information.
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Tuesday, March 20th 2012
| Title: | Documentary Film Screening of Gasland |
| Moderator: | Dr. John Hintz |
| Time: | 7:00 PM |
| Location: | The Moose Exchange - 203 West Main Street, Bloomsburg, PA |
| Description: | The documentary Gasland will be shown, followed by a brief discussion session. The discussion will be led by Dr. John Hintz (Associate Professor, Department of Geography and Geosciences). For more information on the documentary please visit http://www.gaslandthemovie.com/ |
Wednesday, March 21st 2012
| Title: | Marcellus Natural Gas Development’s Effect on Housing in Pennsylvania |
| Speakers: | Dr. Bonita Kolb (Lycoming College) |
| Time: | 10 AM |
| Location: | Kehr Union Ballroom 1 & 2 |
| Description: | Dr. Kolb will present the results of a comprehensive study on the effects of the Marcellus Shale natural gas industry boom on housing markets across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. (Click here for the full abstract). |
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| Title: | Documentary Film Screening of Petropolis |
| Moderator: | Dr. Bruce Rockwood |
| Time: | 2 PM |
| Location: | SSC 004 |
| Description: | Dr. Bruce Rockwood (Professor, Department of Finance and Legal Studies) will lead a screening and discussion of Petropolis: Aerial Perspectives on the Alberta Tar Sands. For additional information on the documentary, please visit: http://www.petropolis-film.com/# |
| Supporting Materials | Document 1, Document 2, Document 3, Document 4, Document 5 |
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NOTE: THIS TALK WAS RECENTLY ADDED - IT IS NOT LISTED ON THE BROCHURE |
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| Title: | Boomtown or Hometown: A Conversation with Dennis Vroom and Local Officials on Managing Social Impacts of a Natural Resource Boom |
| Speaker: | Dennis Vroom (Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, Alberta, CA) |
| Time: | 2 PM |
| Location: | Centennial 201 |
| Description: | Dennis Vroom will meet with representatives of regional government agencies to discuss the social impacts of a natural resource boom. All are welcome to attend. |
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NOTE: THIS TALK WAS RECENTLY ADDED - IT IS NOT LISTED ON THE BROCHURE |
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| Title: | Observed Impacts of Marcellus Shale Natural Gas Drilling in Bradford County |
| Speaker: | George R. Frantz, AICP, ASLA |
| Time: | 3 PM |
| Location: | Kehr Union Ballroom 1 & 2 |
| Description: | One of the major impacts of Marcellus Shale natural gas drilling in northern Pennsylvania has been on the region’s agricultural land resources. Bradford County has one of the largest agricultural economies in Pennsylvania, and much of the drilling is occurring on productive farmlands in the county. (Click here for the full abstract). |
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| Title: | Boomtown or Home town? What Marcellus Shale Communities Can Learn from the Oil Sands |
| Speakers: | Dennis Vroom (Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, Alberta, CA) |
| Time: | 7 PM |
| Location: | Kehr Union Ballroom 1 & 2 |
| Description: | This talk will focus on the impacts of population influx associated with mining of tar sands in Alberta, Canada. Michael Evans is the Director of the Stakeholder Relations Department in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, Alberta, Canada. Dennis Vroom is the Industry Relations Manager in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo. (Click here for the full abstract.) |
Thursday, March 22nd 2012
| Title: | Who Are Those Guys? A Qualitative Analysis of Transient Gas Workers in the Marcellus Shale Region |
| Speaker: | Matthew Filteau (PhD Candidate - Pennsylvania State University) |
| Time: | 3 PM |
| Location: | Multipurpose A and B |
| Description: | Pennsylvania’s Marcellus region is experiencing rapid natural gas development by international oil and gas companies who contract a predominantly male, migratory workforce. The scale and pace of this development is altering the social, economic, and environmental conditions in Pennsylvania’s Marcellus communities. Most research on energy booms uses a ‘social disruption’ lens to examine the impacts on residents; however, we know very little about the mostly transient energy workers who are blamed for community disruption in boomtowns. (Click here for the full abstract) |
Tuesday, March 27th 2012
| Title: | Documentary Film Screening of Crude |
| Moderator: | Dr. Safa Saracoglu and Dr. Babak Mohassel |
| Time: | 7 PM |
| Location: | Student Service Center - 004 |
| Description: | Following the screening of the documentary Crude, this session will explore the relationship between our energy dependency (consumption) and its impact on human rights on an international scale. Often we are too quick to celebrate our legal victories for environment and human rights here without elaborating thoroughly how companies that lost those battles engage in more bitter struggles in other places, jeopardizing the human rights in other countries. This documentary focuses on that and raises a relevant question: what happens when our companies neglect the basic rights of individuals in other countries? Establishing a legal framework of drilling practices in this country that is “just” for all stakeholders is only part of a global picture which is shaped by our endless demand for energy. (Click here for additional information) |
Wednesday, March 28th 2012
| Title: | Shale Energy's Challenges and Opportunities |
| Speaker: | Dr. Jeffrey J. Daniels (Ohio State University) |
| Time: | 7 PM |
| Location: | Student Service Center - 004 |
| Description: | This informational session will provide participants with a broad overview of evironmental, economic and technical challenges that we face regarding natural gas extraction in the Marcellus Shale. (Click here for the full abstract). |
Thursday, March 29th 2012
| Title: | The Role of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) in the Marcellus Shale: A Regulatory, Technical and Operational Perspective |
| Speakers: | Gene Pine and Seth Pelepko |
| Time: | 1 PM |
| Location: | Hartline Science Center - B36 |
| Moderator: | Dr. Jennifer Whisner |
| Description: | This seminar will provide an overview of the DEPs role in regulating drilling in the Marcellus Shale. The talk will be oriented towards majors in the Department of Geography and Geosciences. (Click here for the full abstract) |
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| Title: | Projections for Pennsylvania: How will Gas Drilling Affect Our State? |
| Speakers: | Dr. Anthony R. Ingraffea (Dwight C. Baum Professor of Engineering, Cornell University) Tom Shepstone (Energy In Depth - Northeast Marcellus Initiative) Gene Pine P.G. / Seth Pelepko P.G. (PA DEP: Well Plugging and Subsurface Activities Division) |
| Location: | McCormick 2303 |
| Time: | 7 PM |
| Moderator: | Dr. Brett T. McLaurin |
| Description: | This discussion will provide an opportunity for representatives industry, academia and government to discuss the impacts of natural gas drilling in the region. The session will consist of a series of short statements by the panelists, followed by a question and answer period that will be open to the public. |
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