Filmmaker's Blog
“Haynesville” Documentary Chosen for Prestigious Sheffield Doc Fest
“Haynesville” (www.HaynesvilleMovie.com) to have its World Premiere and
Compete for Green Doc Award at Prestigious Sheffield Doc Fest in England
(SHREVEPORT, LA.) The news that “Haynesville” had been chosen for the prestigious Sheffield Documentary Festival (www.sheffdocfest.com) in Sheffield, England was delivered by phone.
“I was floored when I found out,” said Gregory Kallenberg, the director and co-producer of “Haynesville”. “The head programmer from the festival personally called to tell me how much he liked the film, and that Sheffield wanted it to premiere in their festival. In the film fest world, that kind of thing just doesn’t happen.”
But it did happen, and now “Haynesville”, an independent documentary about the historic Haynesville Shale natural gas discovery and its affect on three lives, is heading to Sheffield, England to show at the exclusive Library Theater. Hussain Currimbhoy, the head programmer for the festival, seems as excited about the film as Kallenberg and his team are about his festival.
“’Haynesville’ is rare example of brilliant independent filmmaking,” said Currimbhoy from the Sheffield Doc Fest headquarters. “It takes an incredible story that the mainstream has not noticed and brings it to the fore with intelligence and passion. Films like these have a long life ahead of them. Sometimes you can just tell that.”
Kallenberg and Mark Bullard, co-producer of the film with Kallenberg, will head to Sheffield in early November to promote the film prior to the festival. The World Premiere of the film is on November 5 with an encore performance on November 6.
“It’s good to get international recognition for ‘Haynesville’,” said Kallenberg. “Aside from the compelling personal stories in the film, ‘Haynesville’ has incredible potential to help drive the global energy discussion and get us focused on the energy future.”
The film is also competing for globally influential “Green Doc” award alongside potential Academy Award nominees like “The Cove” and “Earth Days.”
“Being nominated for the award is really exciting,” said Bullard. “This is the start that ‘Haynesville’ was hoping for. Sheffield and being nominated for the Green Doc Award is giving us the momentum we were hoping for. From here, we’re expecting a lot from our film.”
( read more )
Is Nuclear Power Explored in the “Haynesville” Documentary?
Recently, we had a pretty lively discussion on the prospects of nuclear energy on the Facebook fan page (Haynesville Facebook page). I was pressed on discussing how I felt about nuclear power. I also received a number of notes asking me if nuclear energy is discussed in the film (no, that can be the next film, let me know if you’re interested in looking at an investor package?).
Here are my thoughts on this: Being a child of Three Mile Island accident, the Chernobyl disaster and “China Syndrome”, I was finely tuned to not like the idea of nuclear energy. The idea of a nuclear waste accident was enough to keep me up at night and the recent arguments against Yucca Mountain (made by bloggers, residents and environmentalists) didn’t help. In recent years, and especially while making this film, I’ve changed my thinking a bit and softened to the idea.
Nuclear is a great energy source. It’s efficient, and it’s mostly clean (aside from the occasional opening of a waste spigot and radioactive water spilling into a local river*). All that said, there is still a huge hump for this country to get over. The hump is squarely rooted in time, money and public opinion. From what I understand, it takes 10-12 years to get a nuclear power plant permitted and built. Also, though I know the cost is likely to come down, the current cost of a nuclear plant is around $5 billion. Lastly, most people don’t want a nuclear power plant in their backyard (or a waste dump beneath their homes).
I know. There is a more efficient, safer nuclear power solution in new advance on how to extract and use U235. But even the most gung ho nuclear experts say we’re around 15-20 years before that technology will be ready. When you factor that in with the idea that it takes a decade to build, then you throw in the cost, I think everyone agrees that we need to start executing an energy solution right now.
I set out to make a documentary about a huge natural gas find, and its affect on three lives. The original purpose wasn’t to stump for natural gas as a fuel source for the energy future. I found that, as I looked deeper into the energy future and saw the options, I felt that finds like the Haynesville Shale find could make a real difference in the way we produce energy. That led me to the belief that natural gas could help us have a cleaner energy future. Right now, we can start changing dirty coal plants to natural gas. Right now, we can start to twin natural gas turbines with a renewable energy infrastructure. Right now, if we like, we can even start to use natural gas for the sole purpose to bide our time as a nuclear solution is developed and implemented in a safe, efficient and clean manner.
( read more )
When Coal is blacker than Coal
I think we can all agree that coal is nasty.
From an environmental standpoint it’s awful. The mining of coal is one of the most destructive processes known to modern civilization. Coal is responsible for the physical removal of beautiful mountaintops in Appalachia and beyond. If that’s not enough to prove out its nastiness, look no further than the burning of coal. The carbon output is obscene and the other byproducts of the fuel are downright cancerous (mercury, et al). For now, I’ll leave coal ash alone.
While the environmental impact of coal is profound, the more profound and insidious affect of coal is on parade in Washington. In a recent slew of articles (New York Times, CNN and others), we are learning that the coal industry is gearing up for a nasty fight with natural gas. This fight is focused over the energy bill. With the new natural gas reserves like the Haynesville, the cleaner burning energy stock is well positioned to take us into the brighter and cleaner energy future. Apparently, Big Coal doesn’t like that.
Word on Capitol Hill is that the coal lobby has already started to stack the energy bill in its favor. Initiatives like the bogus “clean coal” technology have supposedly won favor and funding and is working hard to become the “clean” fossil energy of choice. This has included an initial pledge from the Department of Energy for $1.5 billion. This is truly sad. I understand the power of the coal lobby and its influence over our government, I only wish that we could leave politics behind and try to look at the big picture.
For the first time ever, we, as a nation, can see an cleaner energy reality. We can see the solution before our eyes: renewables working with natural gas. But even with the answer given to us, we seem to reach back into the pockets of old, dirty solutions and find ourselves back in league with the blackness of coal.
( read more )
As New York goes Green, so goes the Nation
This week, Governor David Paterson of New York released his energy plan. As expected, the plan centered around the idea of creating greener energy sources and green collar jobs.
What wasn’t expected was the main thrust of his plan: “to tap environmentally sensitive natural gas” to build a “clean energy economy”.
Governor Paterson’s plan is to explore tapping the natural gas resources in the Marcellus Shale (another huge find that almost rivals the Haynesville Shale). This is huge turnaround for the state of New York and its energy policy. As well, it’s a tremendous boost for the idea of natural gas over cheaper and dirtier coal. More importantly, this is a pragmatic approach to how we will achieve a clean energy future. With a state like New York advocating natural gas as a cleaner fuel, more states will ultimately follow in their path.
What does it mean when other states follow New York in advocating natural gas as a necessary stepping stone to a clean energy future? It means that we, as a nation, may finally be inching towards an energy future that is bereft of coal. It also means that we are starting to be realistic about a renewable energy future.
Solar and wind need time to develop and come down in cost. The only way to buy these energy sources time is to find a cleaner “bridge” fuel. With New York leading the way with natural gas as fuel source, we could finally see a light at the end of the green energy tunnel. It will be interesting to see what Governor Paterson’s plan yields, and if the public can get behind an energy source that will secure a cleaner and brighter energy future.
( read more )
How did this documentary get the name “Haynesville”?
Why is the film called “Haynesville”?
This question has been asked countless times in countless ways (“I live in Haynesville, is this a film about my hometown?” or “My last name is Haynesville, are you trying to make us famous?”).
The film is, of course, about the largest natural gas discovery in the United States. The formation where they are finding the natural gas is a shale formation called the Haynesville Shale (it’s a huge area in northwest Louisiana and East Texas, at a depth of 12,000 feet). The find found quick status on a local, national and international level. As the local and energy traders started buzzing about the discovery, it came to be known simply as “The Haynesville.” From there, I decided on the name.
I don’t mean to make the naming sound so easy. As Mark, Chris, Hank and anyone else in my immediate circle can attest, the naming of the documentary bordered on excruciating. One day, I’ll post an entire list, but a truncated look at the list of names included: “Boom”, “The Find”, “Drill Deep”, “Squirrel Hunt”, “The Best Fried Chicken in the South”, “Why Can’t I Think of a Name?” and “I Think I Got It!”.
( read more )
A Haynesville Roughneck From 1971 Weighs In
This is a note that was sent from a gentleman named Gary LaBlue. While not part of the current Haynesville Shale discovery, he gives an honest glimpse of what it was like to work in the gas fields in 1971:
Haynesville Louisiana is where I began my oilfield career in 1971 so it is really near and dear to my heart. Worked the rigs, cemented, frac’d, and ran downhole tools for Halliburton, averaged 125 hours a week for over four years ~ beginning wage $1.35 ~ Halliburton Employment Number 50526, really good at remembering numbers. Still have all of my payroll stubs from those days because young people just don’t believe anyone worked that many hours for that little money. Heck man, we were very wealthy in those days, good health, clothes on our backs, roof over our heads and a pillow to lay our heads down on when we did get some sleep. Sometimes …. A lot of the time …. I wished that ALL of our political leaders could have walked in my shoes before being elected into their lush / evil lifestyles. Good Luck on your future endeavors.
( read more )
What does the Haynesville Shale’s 230 Trillion Feet of Gas Really Mean?
These days, people are looking at the word “Trillion” and brushing it off like it’s something you pull out of an ATM. The number has definitely lost its meaning. We have seen it while making this film. It used to be that a “Billion” was a huge number. That’s why we thought people would be absolutely flummoxed by the idea that gas find we cover in the film could total 230 trillion cubic feet. Instead, people look at the number and figure it’s only 23 times what the government is putting into the current bailout package.
The truth is, a “Trillion” is a lot. The Haynesville Shale reserves of 230 trillion cubic feet in itself can take over the entire U.S. electrical grid and run it for a significant amount of time. So what does a “trillion” mean? Chris Lyon (the editor of Haynesville) found this cool, really illustrative video on Mint.com. Check it out.
( read more )
Speculation or Regulation? Paving the way to a clean energy future.
We’ve gotten two very different reactions to our post on the Obama adminstration’s exploring of curbs on energy speculation (Read entire article). There those who believe that it is time for government to step in and regulate prices and that energy speculators should “go to Hell”, and there are those who believe that a free market should determine the price and that the government should stick it up their… well, you get the idea.
The idea of curbing energy speculation is tougher than it looks, and once again shows how complicated the energy issue can be. There is definitely an argument against speculation of energy price. It came in the form of $150 a barrel oil. For those who don’t remember, go check your scrapbook and pull out a gas receipt from around that time. There is also an argument against the government regulating the energy market. Unfortunately, their ineptitude is well-documented in most things the government regulates. So which direction is the right one?
To start we have to assume a couple of truths: 1) We need fossil energy, primarily in the form of natural gas and oil. I know. It might be hard to swallow, but we need fossil energy now and, most experts on all sides of the issue believe that will we probably need some natural gas and oil deep into the future. 2) This energy will always have an extraction price, and any business would like to exact a price that enables them to make a profit (like it or not, this is a capitalist system).
This sets up the textbook “supply and demand” system. As long as the demand is there, then the supply will be there. In energy’s case, the price implications of swings in supply are pretty huge. Fossil energies are present everywhere in our lives. Energy cools our homes, gets us to the grocery store, cooks our food, etc. The market for energy is usually fairly decent at self-correcting. This was until recently when speculation, feeding on itself like a Ponzi scheme, drove energy prices to unsustainable heights. Dizzying fuel prices were incredibly difficult for all of us. As a result, our spending came to a screeching halt, providing a catalyst for the current global economic crisis. As a result, curtailing speculators doesn’t seem like such a bad idea.
I believe that there is a way for the government to regulate speculators, keep prices fairly stable, and help clean and renewable energy develop more quickly. The general idea would be to build in price triggers on the top and bottom of the domestic energy market (i.e. energy that is found in the US). I’m sure there are some libertarians that are about to jump my train, but I beg for a bit of patience. In order to keep the energy companies exploring for huge finds like the Haynesville Shale, the government could set a price floor for oil and gas. Now libertarians are really getting mad. Some might even throw the epithet ”corn subsidy lover” at me. To that point, keep in mind that corn is as abundant as a farmer wants to make it. Energy, on the other, hand is a finite resource.
Back to my point: When prices fall below the price set by the government, they subsidize the difference. Therefore, the gas and oil exploration companies will always know they have an incentive to look for new sources of energy. The novelty of this plan is the trigger at the top of the market. When the prices of domestically found gas and oil rise above a certain price (a level that allows the individual companies to benefit, but not high enough to be crippling to the nation), the government then places a high tax on the difference. In other words, above a certain price, the gas and oil companies have made their profit and the government essentially gets the rest. This taxed money then goes into a pool. The pool provides two purposes: 1) to pay for the subsidy on energy and, more importantly, 2) to go into a trust fund that distributes the money to clean energy and renewable energy research and to provide low interest loans to clean energy start-ups.
We’re living in an amazing time. Through this economic meltdown, we have basically pressed the “reset” button. As a result, we’re finally paying attention to energy and the way use it, as well as the way we find and produce it. I truly hope we’re smart and take advantage of this time and create a system that makes sure that energy is always available and also abundant.
Gregory Kallenberg, Director of Haynesville
( read more )
How the Haynesville Shale (Documentary) got to be so Big
When I started out the “Haynesville” project, it was a fairly small mission: Follow the lives of people in northwestern Louisiana as they experienced a major energy find called the Haynesville Shale.
The lives we were lucky enough to follow are amazing – a single mom who is a community and environmental activist, a African American reverend looking for the Haynesville Shale to fund his school and an overnight millionaire ruminating about what will happen to his land. It was once we all started to realize the scale of the Haynesville as an energy find, that we realized that this story was much bigger than the original mission.
With the Haynesville Shale firmly established as the largest natural gas find in the U.S. (and now, maybe the world), the story became as much about the energy as the people. This find could possibly change the way we look at energy. In a time where coal is totally screwing up our environment and oil is a volatile commodity that is largely out of our control, the Haynesville could help spearhead the move to cleaner, more stable sources. This is really important because we finally have a shot at replacing coal and diminishing our dependence on oil. With an abundant supply of natural gas and a good jump on a renewable energy future, the combination could win us a bright energy future.
With that in mind, we constructed a film that will show everyone what that energy future could be, while showing our audience what happens at the ground level when a find like this is exploited. We hope you walk away from “Haynesville” understanding the potential of this energy find while also understanding its human impact. And that’s how our view of the Haynesville Shale got to be so big.
-Gregory Kallenberg, Director of Haynesville
( read more )
Welcome!
Consider this post a big pineapple, the traditional Hawaiian gift of hospitality (except for the fact that you can’t eat and, in truth, it’s not a living thing).
Here, we will be updating progress on “Haynesville: A Nation’s Hunt for Energy” as well as beginning the important discussion of the energy future. We will also be performing musical numbers and comedy sketches about energy and its origins (the one where we act form layers of the earth is hilarious).
So please stick around and keep checking in. We should have the trailer up soon and some good energy items that will get you thinking.
Also, please check us out on Facebook (www.facebook.com/haynesvillemovie) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/haynesvillefilm).
-Gregory Kallenberg, Director of Haynesville
( read more )