We better prepare to lobby for some way to control the light pollution. If SLAS can't lobby under its bylaws, let's hope individual astronomers will. -- Joe ------------------------------ On Thu, Aug 1, 2013 8:47 AM MDT Don J. Colton wrote:

The lights and gas flaring in North Dakota will probably be mostly gone in 10-15 years after the wells are all drilled and hooked up - maybe much sooner based on current drilling rates. Most oil pumping facilities have no lights and gas flaring is very expensive so gas lines are usually hooked up within a year.

I would like to see some effort to mitigate the current problem sooner. The drilling rigs and gas flaring are the main source of light. Some rigs put out as much light as a small town. They could be easily retrofitted with full cutoff lighting. Typically these wells flare about 300 MCF per day which equates to a $1000 per day in lost revenue so the operator has a great incentive to get a gas line installed.

-----Original Message----- From: utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com [mailto:utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com] On Behalf Of Joe Bauman Sent: Wednesday, July 31, 2013 7:13 PM To: Utah Astronomy Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Good-Bye Dark Skies in Eastern and Southern Utah

How horrible -- it's almost as bright as Chicago! If that comes to Utah, we who need the dark night sky are doomed. Nowhere in the state will be free of light pollution. And that reminds me: I just heard on one of the public-service type radio broadcasts a doctor who was extremely concerned about air pollution -- and he advocated moving the SLC-area refineries to some remote location! Sure, let's just destroy every last pristine part of the state with refinery air pollution and refinery light pollution and big oil shale and tar sands industries. And then what would be so special about Utah that any nature lover would want to live here? -- Joe

________________________________ From: Kelly Ricks <kellyalenericks@gmail.com> To: utah-astronomy@mailman.xmission.com Sent: Wednesday, July 31, 2013 5:38 AM Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Good-Bye Dark Skies in Eastern and Southern Utah

As another example of this issue, check out what happened to North Dakota as demonstrated in a blog by Robert Krulwich:

http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2013/01/16/169511949/a-mysterious-patch-of -light-shows-up-in-the-north-dakota-dark

My grandparents live right in the middle of this in (what used to be) the little town of Tioga, and it's not only the natural darkness they've lost: the whole region is now just one big messy sprawl of man-camps and traffic-clogged country roads. There's hardly a spare hotel room within 200 miles...unless you don't mind dealing with bed bugs.

~Kelly

------------------------------

...

Message: 2 Date: Tue, 30 Jul 2013 18:37:44 -0600 From: Jay Eads <jayleads@gmail.com> To: Utah Astronomy <utah-astronomy@mailman.xmission.com> Subject: [Utah-astronomy] Good-Bye Dark Skies in Eastern and Southern         Utah Message-ID:         < CANCdW8d5aODF6M5pk+Dg9_JVK2HE2xLdL2SbxsGXUaPky9w5MA@mail.gmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

There is a good discussion over on Cloudy Nights on light pollution from fracking. Here on this map on this link:

http://www.eia.gov/oil_gas/rpd/shale_gas.pdf

The map prepared by the U.S. Energy Information Agency, delineates the extent of recoverable shale plays in the continental United States; anywhere in a shaded area will more than likely experience increase light pollution in the near future.

In this link if you look at pictures 10 and 14 you can see what a well is like at night:

http://www.uppergreen.org/interactive-map-pinedale-anticline.html

As stated by a friend from the forum:

"Elsewhere notice the fleet of Halliburton trucks serving one fracking

rig.

...

Note other structures, such as the stations to reinsert toxic water; it cannot be used for cattle. The groundwater is contaminated and some companies now provide citizens with bottled drinking water. The ozone concentrations are higher than those in L.A. There are about 7,000 wells (gas) with 3,500 more on the way.

This is only the tip of one iceberg. The Upper Green is at the top of what some call the Unita Basin, an area said (again, by some) to contain four time as much oil as Saudi Arabia--not what they have left, but what they had. As I've noted here before, all of eastern Utah is heading into The Great White Light, and that includes all our beloved red rock country with its many national parks. Anyone still want to retire to the Four Corners with their 36' dob?

In your mind's eye, extrapolate what you see in the photos to an area all the way down to northern New Mexico and you can see why some of us are so concerned. Bloomberg reports that in five to seven years we will surpass Saudi Arabia in oil production. It's called the New American Gas and Oil Revolution. It will go on for a long time, folks, and will...well, you know what it will do to visual astronomy."

Look at the images for the Jonah Field . . . image those stretching from the Uinta Basin to southern Utah . . .

http://www.uppergreen.org/interactive-map-jonah-fields.html

Here is a link to the interactive map to the Upper Green (river) in Wyoming.

http://www.uppergreen.org/interactive-map.html

In Utah this will kill visual and imaging in the areas it is going to happen.

_______________________________________________ Utah-Astronomy mailing list http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy

Send messages to the list to Utah-Astronomy@mailman.xmission.com

The Utah-Astronomy mailing list is not affiliated with any astronomy club.

To unsubscribe go to: http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Then enter your email address in the space provided and click on "Unsubscribe or edit options". _______________________________________________ Utah-Astronomy mailing list http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy

Send messages to the list to Utah-Astronomy@mailman.xmission.com

The Utah-Astronomy mailing list is not affiliated with any astronomy club.

To unsubscribe go to: http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Then enter your email address in the space provided and click on "Unsubscribe or edit options".

_______________________________________________ Utah-Astronomy mailing list http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy

Send messages to the list to Utah-Astronomy@mailman.xmission.com

The Utah-Astronomy mailing list is not affiliated with any astronomy club.

To unsubscribe go to: http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Then enter your email address in the space provided and click on "Unsubscribe or edit options".