Local fracking questions may not be answered until August

By: M. Dean Smith
The Bureau of Land Management plans to sell almost 43,000 acres of the Talladega National Forest as 10-year leases for natural gas drilling on June 14. Local environmental groups which protest the sale are gaining support with rallies in Heflin and Talladega to oppose unsafe methods of drilling. Residents near the potential lease sites fear negative environmental impacts similar to fracking operations in Texas and Pennsylvania.

While a resolution in Montgomery to oppose the leases failed to pass through Congress before the end of the regular session, a petition filed by the Southern Environmental Law Center says the BLM will neglect several environmental and reform standards "until new rules, regulations, and studies governing hydrofracking have been issued." The BLM has until August 13 to decide validity of the protest.

Senate Joint Resolution 107 was "dead in the House" according to congressional staffers over the phone early Monday. The resolution was introduced by Sen. Gerald Dial and passed the Senate in the 9 o'clock hour of May 16--the official last day of the 2012 Regular Session--but stalled in the House of Representatives by the end of day--and ultimately the Regular Session. Without adoption from both sides of Congress and Governor Robert Bentley, the resolution does not establish a legislative agreement of Alabama government to oppose the leases.

With a sale date looming less than a month away, the petition filed by the Southern Environmental Law Center remains the only legal document representing a growing number of local residents opposed to the federal leases. The June 14 sale of parcels within the Talladega National Forest for natural gas drilling will be held at the Bureau of Land Management office in Springfield, Va. According the the SELC petition, the BLM violates federal laws by ignoring environmental and reform acts.

Calls to the BLM were unsuccessful and only referred questions to the website blm.gov. Davida Carnahan, Public Affairs Officer for the Bureau, had not read the petition but stated that no comments would be released while it is reviewed and a decision may not be available for up to 60 days after the sale. Protested land will be identified as such before bidding at the June 14 sale, and the Bureau "will issue no lease for a protested parcel until the State Director makes a decision on the protest."

Community rallies to oppose natural gas drilling

Signs opposed to proposed drilling leases surrounded the Heflin Rec Center

HEFLIN - Around 200 people gathered Monday at the Heflin Recreation Center to learn about potential hazards involved with natural gas drilling in the Talladega National Forest. Federally proposed leases for the controversial method of drilling in the forest are scheduled for sale on June 14 and were opposed by an overwhelming majority of attendees. Also at the meeting were city, county, and state leaders concerned about negative impacts on an area which relies heavily on the conservation of natural resources. Organized by the Southern Environmental Law Center and supported by regional environmental groups against fracking, the public meeting provided educational material, featured documentary films, and provided a platform for residents to speak publicly.

According to Katie Ottenweller with the Southern Environmental Law Center, the group which formally petitioned the Bureau of Land Management on April 16 to prevent drilling leases, the SELC planned for the Monday meeting to be held just two days before the deadline for protests. “The window of protesting was so short,” Ottenweller said as she explained the scramble to organize a protest in less than two months. Janice Barrett with Wild South, a non-profit organization focused on protecting national forests in the South, described similar and successful protests in the past to protect the Bankhead National Forest from having historic Native American sites destroyed by timber leasing.

Informational material provided by local
conservation groups was available
for free to the public

Maps of local lease sites, brochures, yard signs, and petitions were provided upon entering the gymnasium by Wild South and local conservation group Friends of the Talladega National Forest. Also available was contact information for all local government representation. Those in attendance were urged to regularly petition their elected officials to prevent the drilling leases. A list of online resources also provided websites concerning individual stories of fallout caused by drilling, the economics of fracking, and news articles from across the country which describe other drilling operations.

Once the meeting began, the investigative documentary “Fracking Hell: The Untold Story” was screened for the audience and depicted a number of detrimental impacts in small Pennsylvania communities caused by natural gas drilling. The crowd sat in silence while the film showed popular clips of flammable drinking water caused by chemicals used in fracking which have seeped into water supplies. Other downsides to fracking shown in the film included increased truck traffic in quiet towns and visible scars on the once lush landscape.

Attendees of the Monday public meeting screened the
documentary "Fracking Hell: The Untold Story"

After the film, Cleburne County resident of 25 years Jake Mathews told the crowd that “this is not the kind of thing we want here.” Tammy Perry of Heflin’s Parks and Recreation Department agreed with Mr. Mathews and reminded the audience of her department’s focus on outdoor activities. About 10 people concerned with the health of the Talladega National Forest also spoke the the audience. While most in the crowd wanted to learn how to prevent drilling leases, some attendees of the meeting expressed a desire to learn more about the issue before making a decision. Only one gentleman openly welcomed any drilling, but claimed in anonymity to In the Field that he wanted to see “anything that can get me a job” come into the area before he gave this writer his phone number in hopes of finding work.

Also in attendance was Senator Gerald Dial who expressed by phone on Tuesday a desire to protect the “great natural resource” in his home district. Dial has been a lifelong resident of Clay County and understands the importance of the Talladega National Forest to people in the area. The senator and his colleagues plan to introduce a resolution to the Alabama Legislature on Wednesday which will publicly oppose any leasing of the federally-owned land. If approved, the resolution will be forwarded to Governor Robert Bentley for his signature. When asked about the economic impact of potential drilling, Senator Dial admitted it would provide a boost in employment and other factors but said “we don’t need jobs that deteriorate our lands.”

Residents request stop sign at dangerous intersection

Despite new speed limit signs, drivers on County Road 18 still feel intersection with Evans Bridge Road is too dangerous.

By M. Dean Smith

The street sign for County Road 18 sits hidden from
traffic traveling northbound on Evans Bridge Road

HEFLIN - Residents in the southeastern edge of the city want a 3-way stop on Evans Bridge Road at the intersection of two separate portions of County Road 18. A motorist who frequents the intersection petitioned the city council on Tuesday to place a new stop sign in addition to the recently installed speed limit signs aimed at traffic entering Heflin. “I have been almost hit four different times in that corner,” said Diana Childs at the May 8 city council work session. “You can’t see until you get totally out into the road.“ Childs lives off of County Road 18 a few miles east of the intersection and said motorists on Evans Bridge Road continue to speed over the hill coming into Heflin which makes it a hazardous location. Officials with Heflin Police Department and Cleburne County Sheriff's Office were unaware of any traffic accidents in the past year that can be directly linked to the layout of the intersection. Residents in the area of the intersection agree with Childs that the current two-way stop is dangerous. For three years, Connie Smith has lived with the intersection in her front yard and attests vehicles speed from all four directions. “When pulling out of my driveway and you’re going straight across, you had better gun it,” she said as she motioned across her yard towards the western side of the intersection. Smith was not aware of any recent accidents at the intersection but mentioned two further south where Evans Bridge Road turns into County Road 84 near the Heflin city limits. She and neighbors believe the speeders are teenagers who travel to and from the Cleburne County Vocational School and agree a 3-way stop might help address some safety concerns.

Existing stop signs provide a two-way stop for traffic
traveling east and west on County Road 18

Diana Childs also told the council about successful requests to install speed limit signs near the intersection, which were erected last week by the county and established the speed limit at 35 m.p.h., but mentioned confusion in determining if a stop sign would be “a city matter or a county matter.” City engineer Shannon Robbins confirmed to In the Field by phone that, according to maps approved in 2005 by county commissioners and the city council, the intersection is within the city limits. Heflin Mayor Anna Berry assured Childs that she and the council would discuss the matter and Heflin Police Chief Robert Pittman agreed to investigate the intersection the following day.

Occupying a Revolution

Just after noon on May Day 2012, the car was parked and I nervously began my two-block hike to the corner of 20th Street and 5th Avenue North in urban Alabama. While financial district staples like Regions, Wells Fargo, and Compass banks dominate Birmingham's skyline with towering monoliths of glass and stones, something else takes the focal point at street level. Naturally blending into the well-manicured downtown neighborhood, four blue tarp-covered campsites sit neatly gathered beneath an American flag displayed near a lamp post.

People's Corner played host to a crowd of activists on May 1, 2012, or May Day, in support of workers rights worldwide. The Wells Fargo Bank building can be seen in the background

People's Corner, as it's known by locals, was established in November of 2011 and since then has been permanently occupied by a die-hard group of local activists. This particular stretch of sidewalk has played host to a number of different forms of civil disobedience during the past six months—most notably actions taken by the group Occupy Birmingham—but not the chaotic events popularly seen from occupations in Oakland or New York City. Men and women dressed to professionally impress shuffled on the sidewalks into and out of the skyscrapers, but on this particular day somehow looked out of place among supporters of labor rights in casual and bohemian attire. On all four corners of the busy downtown intersection stood these protesters with signs, flyers, and generally friendly dispositions to supporters and skeptics alike.

I was snapping pictures of signs which hung from the campsites when a man in a suit caught my attention. Held high over his head was a highly visible green sign with a quote from Abraham Lincoln:

“Labor is the superior of capital and deserves much the higher consideration.”

An activist holds a sign while pedestrians navigate Birmingham's Financial District

An older and balding gentleman in a yellow polo shirt tucked into his freshly pressed slacks stopped for a moment after crossing the street to read this sign. His facial expression went from curious to uncomfortable while his eyes visibly skimmed the human billboard. For a moment he looked at the man in the suit before turning to me for another slight pause. Suddenly in a single motion the passerby said “excuse me,” lowered his glance toward the sidewalk, and hurriedly slid between the billboard and me. The man in the suit lowered the sign and revealed to me a grin on his face. He mentioned how often he gets the strangest looks from pedestrians and associated these silent communications to his apparel of choice.

I continued to walk through People's Corner where about two dozen people fed the sound of indeterminable chatter as they conversed amongst themselves. The now hot spring air slowly began to fill with a familiar tune and behind me was a small march of four activists returning to the Corner. As they approached, the song “This Land Is Your Land” became blatantly clear. I caught myself unconsciously humming the melody while others in the crowd began to sing along. Some people in the area not associated with the group showed slight grins of approval, but most tried to ignore the spectacle as they anxiously hurried to their destinations.

A small group of activists sings on their return to People's Corner

I had started to practice my amateur journalist skills on an unsuspecting victim when a man, about my age and using the assistance of a cane, approached me with camera in tow and asked for a few words. The questions he asked were simple and pertained to my personal outlook on the larger Occupy movement and what I hoped to see emerge. My reply was a desire to see citizens more involved with their local governments and less involved with any sort of corporate media narrative that forces the American collective consciousness to focus on petty issues—especially those issues which make lewd amounts of money for political interests.

It was in the moments shortly after he thanked me for my time and moved deeper into the crowd when I took a deep breath and finally became part of the group. A drummer began to deliver a pulse and I, with direction from the crowd, rhythmically chanted messages of freedom—as naturally as well-placed change of key in a song, my thoughts drifted away from reporting an event to retelling an experience. Was I here to simply report on a convergence of apparent hippies? Investigate a six-month long encampment in Birmingham's financial district? Or was I here to find my niche as a concerned citizen with a desire to record a tiny speck of time in which I was by choice or by fate involved?

A May Day 2012 flyer calling for activists to "Occupy the Machine" by staging a general strike from work, school, shopping, and banking

I was shaken out of this introspective moment by a recognizable face hidden behind large aviator sunglasses as he asked if I wanted “to have a General Assembly” in the coming minutes. His face was familiar with the local Occupy Birmingham movement and has been at every event I have personally attended. I instinctively agreed and he pressed on through the crowd to ask the same question of whomever he met. I posted an update about the upcoming GA to Twitter and readied my cellphone's camera to broadcast a live video stream onto the internet.

The Occupy Birmingham General Assembly was facilitated by the same man in sunglasses and explained the recent progress made by Occupy Birmingham, which included the successful prevention of a foreclosure on a family's home within the city. The GA allowed activists to publicly speak without interruption, applauded the actions of long-term occupiers, and called for the formation of specifically directed working groups. This Occupy Birmingham General Assembly held the attention of most everyone on People's Corner but received less participation than seen in the assemblies held last fall in the Southside area.

One of four campsites at People's Corner in downtown Birmingham. Standing since November 2011, campsites like this once stretched halfway down the block.

By the end of the day, as the towering Regions Center cast a shadow across People's Corner, I casually sat with the remaining activists that drifted in and out of the encampment and we exchanged ideas, philosophies, and stories. The topics discussed weren't those normally found in televised coverage of the larger Occupations across the country. Instead the talks touched on little-known yet vitally important issues from Birmingham. Eminent Domain, human rights, and environmental concerns which pertain specifically to Jefferson County residents remained at the forefront of this debate. While many of these topics were rather unimportant to me as I contemplated my hour-long drive back home, I found myself most intrigued when the activists' talks were directed toward the Occupy movement as a whole.

The atmosphere was consistently positive; throughout the day passing foot and vehicle traffic, private security, and even Birmingham Police and various city workers showed approval with activists at People's Corner. While many individuals who gathered at the campsite supported “solidarity,” others appeared skeptical and at times cynical of Occupy Birmingham and the general Occupy movement. It was about this time when the day's events began to come together into a story: this May Day general strike was not a neatly packaged occupation. Activists young and old, black and white, privileged and forgotten had all left the confines of their homes to congregate and express a communal frustration with the direction our American society has taken in recent memory. Whether the frustration was directed towards banking systems, media manipulation, expression of public dissidence, or any other subject which one might have a strong opinion, we all had physically gathered in the direct center of a major metropolitan center to find a common ground.

Signs with various messages hang from campsites and benches throughout People's Corner

That common ground was the recognition of a broken system in which all Americans live. High school boys, middle-aged women, and everyone in-between flocked to an open community in the heart of the Birmingham financial machine to breathe revolution into the air. Left and Right were able to spend a day, one which has been internationally set aside for the common worker, to try and resolve common problems. Many Americans stayed home and followed their regularly scheduled programming. Some brave souls, however, had the ambition to go out and direct where the consciousness goes next. Whether we like it or not, the May Day 2012 events and the larger movement that sparked these events is not a story to be told by newspapers, blogs, or talking heads. It cannot be clearly described, promoted, nor denied when brought to you by the sponsors. Whether it is called the Occupy Movement, the American Spring, or even a New American Revolution, it is an experience which is best understood by nervously walking into it alone and finding a personally unique place in this emerging American culture.

-MDS