Are you concerned about privacy when disposing of confidential papers? Consumer fraud and identity theft are a major concern when it comes to financial security. To raise awareness and to promote prevention, I will be hosting a free shredding event to give individuals the opportunity to have unneeded confidential documents destroyed free of charge. The shredding event will be held Saturday, October 26 from 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM at the South Fayette Township Building at 515 Millers Run Road in Morgan, PA.
Last week the Marcellus Shale Coalition and Senator Tim Solobay held a meeting in Smith Township. Although the meeting was supposedly for elected officials, there were lots of questions raised when people were thrown out for simply showing up. One of the people asked to leave was a reporter from the Washington Observer-Reporter, who was later allowed back in, after somebody presumably realized how bad keeping her out would look to the public. Another group denied entry was a small group of Pennsylvania residents who have suffered serious injuries sustained while working in the gas industry but cannot get the medical information they need because of the “Gag Order” on doctors in Act 13.
Despite claims apparently made at the meeting, I was absolutely not invited to the event. The decision not to invite me was clearly by design, which is hardly surprising considering who hosted the event. What ever happened to working together? I give lots of credit to those who stood up and asked why only certain elected officials were invited to participate, and why others who aren’t elected officials at all were invited. Sounds more like closed-door politics than good-government policy to me.
And why is the gas industry so hell-bent on holding all of these secret meetings behind closed doors? Setting aside very legitimate concerns about the Sunshine Law, if there’s nothing to hide, then why are the public and the press being shut out?
Moving to federal issues, I wonder if the media could help end the federal government shutdown by refusing to interview or quote any member of Congress until it's over. You can't have a messaging war if no one conveys the message.
Speaking of the media, the story about Range Resources not being able to identify the chemicals they use in their fracking process continues to gain steam across the country, with articles in the Huffington Post, StateImpactPA.com (which is run by NPR) and the Beaver County Times. I honestly don’t know why a story with such major local implications didn’t run in more local news sources.
According to the Associated Press, natural gas home heating costs are expected to increase approximately 13% this winter. Many people have asked me how that’s possible with all of the drilling activity all around us, and there’s a pretty simple answer. You know those pipelines being installed everywhere? They’re being built to export natural gas out of the country to drive up the cost, and with the federal government beginning to approve exports, you’ll be seeing that reality in your heating bill this winter.
If you’re an animal lover, be sure to stop by “Barktoberfest 2013” on Saturday, October 19 from 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM at Angel Ridge Animal Shelter located at 390 Old Hickory Ridge Road, Washington PA 15301. There will be activities all day long, with a pet parade and costume contest at 2:00 PM. For more information call 412-651-6843. My wife and I will be there with our dogs and hope to see you there!
The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?
