Public Herald founders Joshua Pribanic and Melissa Troutman with a TESLA Model S. The two embark on a national tour of their documentary “Triple Divide” about fracking on June 21st. With TESLA’s Supercharger network they’ll cross the country using zero gasoline. photo: Tod J Xelowski © Public Herald
Investigative News Team Screening ‘Triple Divide’ Across U.S.
What do fracking and the car of the future have in common?
This summer, communities across the Unites States will have the opportunity to witness investigative documentary Triple Divide about fracking in the Marcellus Shale, a feature debut of journalists Joshua Pribanic and Melissa Troutman of Public Herald.
The team will tour the U.S. in a Tesla Motors Model S, a long-range, all-electric sedan, and test the company’s nationwide Supercharger system where the electric cars can be quickly recharged for free. The directors aim to cross the U.S. using zero gasoline and emitting zero greenhouse gas pollution.
“Triple Divide is about how water and energy connect us all,” said Troutman. An investigation of impacts from fracking in Pennsylvania, Triple Divide has been called “a bombshell” and “best documentary on fracking” touring from June thru November thanks to a grant from Investigative News Network and Knight Foundation.
According to Pribanic and Troutman, who also co-founded the investigative news nonprofit Public Herald, Triple Divide reveals how one state’s ‘world-class regulations’ fail to protect people, communities, and the environment.
“The public isn’t seeing the full scale of impacts from fracking either because regulators are mismanaging the data or decisions are made based on politics instead of science,” says Pribanic. “The impacts we encountered in Triple Divide are systemic and growing, but we can learn from these experiences so that the stories of those interviewed are not in vain.”
“Pennsylvania has some of the best environmental laws in the country, but they aren’t being enforced,” says Troutman. “And major problems like the ‘Pressure Bulb’ effect from fracking, which we cover in Triple Divide, aren’t a part of state or federal regulations at all.”
Academy Award-nominated actor Mark Ruffalo co-narrates the documentary and added his voice to the project after seeing the film just weeks before its release. Ruffalo’s nonprofit, Water Defense, also investigates water testing and protection measures, and he is a co-founder of The Solutions Project.
Public Herald founder Melissa Troutman with a Tesla Model S before she embarks on a national tour of her documentary “Triple Divide” on fracking. photo: jbpribanic
Public Herald also seeks solutions to increase its sustainability, which is why the team chose Tesla Motors for its transportation. “Imagine crossing the country without using a single drop of gasoline,” said Troutman. “We chose Tesla because we want to test their technology, which is leaps and bounds ahead of other auto makers. We’ll share our reviews online, and those who attend screenings will get to check out the car in person.”
“We are thrilled Tesla recently open sourced its technology. It’s a philosophy Public Herald shares,” said Pribanic. With new solution projects like the #fileroom, Public Herald journalists are working with communities on the tour to build a website database of oil and gas files that’s entirely open sourced. “The #fileroom belongs to everyone and creates access to information that greatly benefits and can protect the public.”
Triple Divide’s namesake, the triple continental divide in Pennsylvania, is one of four highly unique watersheds in North America. It’s where three major rivers begin and flow to separate ends of the continent, providing drinking water for millions of people and hundreds of communities downstream.
The filmmakers will have screenings in West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, Texas, New Mexico, Utah, California, Colorado, Montana, and Michigan with stops in between. For a detailed list of screening times and locations, visit http://tripledividefilm.org/screenings. For video clips see TripleDivideFilm.org. Also follow @PublicHerald and #TripleDivide.
TRAILER, STILLS, AND REVIEWS
Trailer: http://vimeo.com/ondemand/tripledivide/63571188
Reviews: http://tripledividefilm.org/about/reviews/
Photographs and stills from the film: http://flic.kr/s/aHsjE3Tb8F
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[…] To read the entire article at Public Herald click HERE: […]
[…] One kid, who stayed back with me to buy merchandise and ask more questions, also got to see the Tesla that Josh and Melissa Troutman were driving, and he was enamoured. It was a great night, but mostly, it gave me hope to see the kids get so […]
Great idea ; and wonderful news to promote the movie, Triple Divide , and the Electric car, Tesla….a powerful promotion and spreading the wonders of a world without fossil fuels…
Uhhhh, That electric car was charged by fossil fueled power plant, Most likely coal……So it just used a different fossil fuel. robbing Peter to pay Paul…..
Are you suggesting these vehicles cannot be fueled without fossil fuels? I’m sure people are pointing to the fact that a vehicle like this can be entirely powered without fossil fuels, as in the case of some solar Tesla Supercharge stations, and that these vehicles will likely be using an array of battery sources as technologies for recharging advance over the next decade. http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2014/06/11/elon-musk-talks-teslas-supercharger-future
I did not say it cant, or some day won’t. I am saying it wasn’t! And to say how enviro friendly it is, when your just switching crude, for Coal, what goos are you really doing? It’s Just a catchy headline, and use a movie promotion. By the way, If Frac’n is so bad and “everyone knows it” why do you have to large promotioal tours to get the movie out, and to get people to watch it? Why do you follow the samr model as Hollywood fiction?
Sourcing energy use is the right thing to do, FrackDaddy. All of us should know the source of our energy, whether crude, coal, solar, geothermal, or fracked gas.
But as far as we can tell, not “everyone knows it” when it comes to energy or its impacts, which is why we continue to report on it. Being aware is the first step toward finding a solution.
We chose to tour Triple Divide in order to have direct contact with communities affected by this issue. It’s the discussions before and after each screening that are most valuable, and we have the thanks of over 400 Lifetime Members of Public Herald for taking the time to visit. (See ‘Members’ tab.)
One of the reasons we chose Tesla is because they source their electricity: http://www.teslamotors.com/goelectric#electricity. Another is because no one else is doing what they’re doing, and their work has big implications, especially since they’ve open sourced their technology.
There’s no silver bullet to our energy issues, and we will be sourcing the electricity consumed during the tour. We need to test alternatives in addition to investigating impacts.
“Triple Divide” is an investigation of cradle-to-grave impacts from unconventional shale gas extraction, based on evidence obtained from state files and field interviews over 18 months. Our investigations are ongoing and you can read them all on this website. You can see the film at http://TripleDivideFilm.org.
When it comes to total energy input, driving electric uses significantly less energy than gasoline when you add up the energy required to extract, refine, transport, and burn gas as opposed to “burning” kilowatts. According to Tesla, their car is three times more efficient than a combustion engine.
Technology that decreases our energy consumption and can be generated using renewables, now and in the future, makes it easier for Public Herald to reach our goals for sustainability. Any way we slice it, it just makes more sense.
Melissa, I can’t disagree, that more people should know about where there energy comes from and how we get, That said people should also know what it takes to make renewable energy as well, As it may be cleaner in its final stages, there are real enviro concerns with there production and manufacture. Telsa can “Source” the energy they prefer, but the reality is there is not separate infrastructure for “green” Vs. “traditional” Sources, they are all piled into one system, and sent down the lines. That being said, If you follow my comments (which i am sure you don’t, and honestly why would you) i don’t have an issue with solar, or electric cars, i think they are a great supplement to allow our domestic energy, to last us longer, or use it to reduce our enormous trade deficit. But to think we could go 100% these forms of power is also a very far fetched idea. If we all switched to tesla’s or any other electric car, that would require the US to produce almost twice the electricity it needs now. That’s a big number!
I have seen your movie at a screening in NY, not far from my home in Susquehanna County PA! I do live with the process day to day and have for quite some time, I have spent countless hours,day, weeks, months doing my own independent research, I was close enough to be able to and talk to people in the Dimiock/Franklin forks and be home for lunch, After all it is MY land they are using, and i owe it to myself, to make sure i understand whats going on. I did see several parts of your film that from my own experiences were less than factual, And more opinion than anything. Would care to disclose who funded this project, and this site for that matter? To think that and article About Melissa, promoting Melissa’s movie, written by Melissa, and posted to Melissa’s website, is anything more than movie promotion, probably fell for the opinion to fact production you have created.
Also at the showing i attended, anyone who even thought to make a pro- gas comment was ridiculed, and shouted down. That did not seem like a “valuable” discussion when both side are not given the respect to air there points and concerns..
FD
FrackDaddy, we’d be happy to send you a copy of the film to watch again so that you can correct yourself. Public Herald is investigative news and Triple Divide examines facts that have not been disputed by anyone in industry. The Deputy Secretary of PA DEP has himself said that Triple Divide is well done.
We don’t need to read your comments, but we do. We probably shouldn’t bother to respond given your false remarks, but coffee is an amazing motivator. Speaking of coffee, like energy, its harvest and use has consequences too. So does that of milk, hair products, food and water. So does everything…
No one is suggesting there are any forms of energy that have zero impact or consequence. Your implication is unfounded.
No one has anyone ever been ridiculed at any of our screenings for their position. Maybe you’re confusing Triple Divide with another film, like Gasland or Frack Nation? Please share which screening you attended. As it stands, you’re the one without facts.
Triple Divide was created to be a platform for discussion of all sides of the issue, which is why it’s based on documented cases of water contamination, which you falsely claim does not occur in other posts you’ve made on other websites: http://ecowatch.com/2013/11/19/anti-fracking-groups-call-protect-homeowners-property-rights/
You can see a list of our funding sources by clicking ‘Members’ above. Obviously you’ve not looked into our work very closely.
The more you post the bigger our audience. Thanks for commenting!
If only we could do something about those driven by greed and stupidity! Working to get rid of the moronic legislator in the film!
Great idea ; and wonderful news to promote the movie, Triple Divide , and the Electric car, Tesla….a powerful promotion and spreading the wonders of a world without fossil fuels…
Uhhhh, That electric car was charged by fossil fueled power plant, Most likely coal……So it just used a different fossil fuel. robbing Peter to pay Paul…..
Are you suggesting these vehicles cannot be fueled without fossil fuels? I’m sure people are pointing to the fact that a vehicle like this can be entirely powered without fossil fuels, as in the case of some solar Tesla Supercharge stations, and that these vehicles will likely be using an array of battery sources as technologies for recharging advance over the next decade. http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2014/06/11/elon-musk-talks-teslas-supercharger-future
I did not say it cant, or some day won’t. I am saying it wasn’t! And to say how enviro friendly it is, when your just switching crude, for Coal, what goos are you really doing? It’s Just a catchy headline, and use a movie promotion. By the way, If Frac’n is so bad and “everyone knows it” why do you have to large promotioal tours to get the movie out, and to get people to watch it? Why do you follow the samr model as Hollywood fiction?
Sourcing energy use is the right thing to do, FrackDaddy. All of us should know the source of our energy, whether crude, coal, solar, geothermal, or fracked gas.
But as far as we can tell, not “everyone knows it” when it comes to energy or its impacts, which is why we continue to report on it. Being aware is the first step toward finding a solution.
We chose to tour Triple Divide in order to have direct contact with communities affected by this issue. It’s the discussions before and after each screening that are most valuable, and we have the thanks of over 400 Lifetime Members of Public Herald for taking the time to visit. (See ‘Members’ tab.)
One of the reasons we chose Tesla is because they source their electricity: http://www.teslamotors.com/goelectric#electricity. Another is because no one else is doing what they’re doing, and their work has big implications, especially since they’ve open sourced their technology.
There’s no silver bullet to our energy issues, and we will be sourcing the electricity consumed during the tour. We need to test alternatives in addition to investigating impacts.
“Triple Divide” is an investigation of cradle-to-grave impacts from unconventional shale gas extraction, based on evidence obtained from state files and field interviews over 18 months. Our investigations are ongoing and you can read them all on this website. You can see the film at http://TripleDivideFilm.org.
When it comes to total energy input, driving electric uses significantly less energy than gasoline when you add up the energy required to extract, refine, transport, and burn gas as opposed to “burning” kilowatts. According to Tesla, their car is three times more efficient than a combustion engine.
Technology that decreases our energy consumption and can be generated using renewables, now and in the future, makes it easier for Public Herald to reach our goals for sustainability. Any way we slice it, it just makes more sense.
Melissa, I can’t disagree, that more people should know about where there energy comes from and how we get, That said people should also know what it takes to make renewable energy as well, As it may be cleaner in its final stages, there are real enviro concerns with there production and manufacture. Telsa can “Source” the energy they prefer, but the reality is there is not separate infrastructure for “green” Vs. “traditional” Sources, they are all piled into one system, and sent down the lines. That being said, If you follow my comments (which i am sure you don’t, and honestly why would you) i don’t have an issue with solar, or electric cars, i think they are a great supplement to allow our domestic energy, to last us longer, or use it to reduce our enormous trade deficit. But to think we could go 100% these forms of power is also a very far fetched idea. If we all switched to tesla’s or any other electric car, that would require the US to produce almost twice the electricity it needs now. That’s a big number!
I have seen your movie at a screening in NY, not far from my home in Susquehanna County PA! I do live with the process day to day and have for quite some time, I have spent countless hours,day, weeks, months doing my own independent research, I was close enough to be able to and talk to people in the Dimiock/Franklin forks and be home for lunch, After all it is MY land they are using, and i owe it to myself, to make sure i understand whats going on. I did see several parts of your film that from my own experiences were less than factual, And more opinion than anything. Would care to disclose who funded this project, and this site for that matter? To think that and article About Melissa, promoting Melissa’s movie, written by Melissa, and posted to Melissa’s website, is anything more than movie promotion, probably fell for the opinion to fact production you have created.
Also at the showing i attended, anyone who even thought to make a pro- gas comment was ridiculed, and shouted down. That did not seem like a “valuable” discussion when both side are not given the respect to air there points and concerns..
FD
FrackDaddy, we’d be happy to send you a copy of the film to watch again so that you can correct yourself.
Public Herald is investigative news and Triple Divide examines facts that have not been disputed by anyone in industry. The Deputy Secretary of PA DEP has himself said that Triple Divide is well done.
We don’t need to read your comments, but we do. We probably shouldn’t bother to respond given your false remarks, but coffee is an amazing motivator. Speaking of coffee, like energy, it’s harvest and use has consequences too. So does that of milk, hair products, food and water. So does everything…
No one is suggesting there are any forms of energy that have zero impact or consequence. Neither has anyone ever been ridiculed at any of our screenings by ourselves or anyone else. Maybe you’re confusing Triple Divide with another film, like Gasland or Frack Nation?
Please, share which screening you attended. As it stands, you’re the one with no facts. You can see a list of our funding sources by clicking ‘Members’ above.
PS – We don’t have to approve your comments either, but the more you post the bigger our audience. Thanks!
If only we could do something about those driven by greed and stupidity! Working to get rid of the moronic legislator in the film!
So freaking happy for you all! In some respects it seems like an eternity since that November evening on the farm, in others the blink of an eye. The film never fails to reduce me to tears and I have seen it 6 times! Please stop in if you get close enough, the cryogenics plant just a mile down the road, across the street from a 30+ unit trailer park is a classic example of environmental injustice. Give me a heads up and I’ll feed you and pack you a lunch. The source of energy for those bodies is equally, if not more important, than the Tesla. Besides that I would like to see you all, tesla included. You have worked so hard for all you’ve earned, CONGRATS!
So freaking happy for you all! In some respects it seems like an eternity since that November evening on the farm, in others the blink of an eye. The film never fails to reduce me to tears and I have seen it 6 times! Please stop in if you get close enough, the cryogenics plant just a mile down the road, across the street from a 30+ unit trailer park is a classic example of environmental injustice. Give me a heads up and I’ll feed you and pack you a lunch. The source of energy for those bodies is equally, if not more important, than the Tesla. Besides that I would like to see it. You have worked so hard for all you’ve earned, CONGRATS!