One of the most objectionable items in the new Pennsylvania budget is deep cuts to the Department of Environmental Protection – over $165 million. How can this be? Hydrofracking is ramping up at a record pace, particularly in the watersheds in the Northeast. The DEP has approved a record-breaking 2,461 new drilling permits since January 2011, and with 1,512 overall inspections in 2010, we totaled 2,754 known violations. Clearly, the need for stronger regulation and enforcement has never been greater. (more…)
Archive for the ‘Politics’ Category
Local Leaders Leach & Gerber: Getting Gas Right
July 26, 2011Marcellus Advisory Commission Files Shale Drilling Recommendations
July 25, 2011The Marcellus Shale Advisory Commission, led by Lt. Governor Jim Cawley, has filed its long awaited report complete with 96 new suggestions. Many environmental groups agree that while the recommendations are a good start, they do not go far enough. To read the full recommendations, or a shorter summary, click here.
Shale Gas Outrage – A Growing Movement
July 17, 2011Dear Friends & Neighbors,
No doubt by now you’ve heard a lot about hydraulic fracturing – or fracking – for natural gas. The issue of fresh water depletion and toxic water and air pollution just won’t go away, no matter how much our pro-gas, anti-tax governor would like it to. In fact, the EPA has recently begun studies of fracking’s impact in three Pennsylvania counties. The industry, however, is not willing to wait for science, and they are moving full steam ahead, taking advantage of Pennsylvania’s no-tax status and lax regulation. At the same time, the new state budget includes $160 million in cuts to the Department of Environmental Protection. Go figure.
If you’re not outraged yet, then consider the recent vote to approve “Forced Pooling” in which landowners can be compelled to sign drilling leases simply because their neighbors have.
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PA House Appropriations Chair Bill Adolph (R-165th) Co-Sponsors HB 1700
June 30, 2011Dear Ms. Rosenbaum:
Thank you for your email urging my opposition to Senate Bill 1100. I appreciate hearing from you on this issue. As you may know, Senate Bill 1100 is currently in the Senate for consideration. Please know that I will keep your concerns in mind if and when this bill reaches the House for consideration.
I wanted to take a moment to update you and let you know I have signed on as a co-sponsor to House Bill 1700. This legislation would establish a graduated impact fee that starts at $50,000 per well in the first two years of production and trails off to $10,000 per year after 21 years and remains in place for the life of the well. This fee structure would generate approximately $1.1 Billion over the next five years. (more…)
Delaware Riverkeepers Oppose SB 1100 – The Scarnati Bill
June 16, 2011The Delaware Riverkeepers oppose Senate Bill 1100 – the Scarnati Impact Fees Bill. They are organizing a petition against it. “We need Pennsylvania residents to speak out and urge their elected officials to vote NO on Senate Bill 1100 introduced by Senate President Joe Scarnati should it come to the House or Senate floor. We oppose SB1100 because it would trade the rights of citizens and local governments for drilling fees and taxes. A democratic society supports local decision-making. Pennsylvania’s citizens must be able to have input into the laws and practices that affect them and municipal officials must be able to represent their constituents.” SOURCE: DelawareRiverkeepers.org
To sign learn more about the DelawareRiverkeepers position and current actions Opposing Hydraulic Fracturing, click here.
“Irresponsible to Forgo a Drilling Tax” Says PA Budget & Policy Center
June 11, 2011On Thursday, June 9, 2011, Michael Wood, Research Director of the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center testified before a House Democratic Policy Committee Hearing on Marcellus Shale in Philadelphia. To read the complete text of Woods’ testimony, visit: http://www.pahouse.com/PolicyCommittee
Here, a few highlights: (more…)
Aqua Testifies Before PA Democratic Policy Committee
June 11, 2011At long last, Aqua PA has given its 3 million water-consuming customers a definitive position on Gas Drilling and its impacts on the drinking water quality in the Susquehanna and Delaware River Watersheds. Speaking on behalf of the company, Preston Luitweiler, Vice President and Chief Environmental Officer presented the testimony of Regional President, Karl Kyriss. The testimony is reprinted here in its entirety:
Testimony of Karl Kyriss, Regional President, Aqua America, Inc.
Before the Pennsylvania House Democratic Policy Committee
June 9, 2011, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
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New Rules! Environmental Contingent Makes Recommendations to Marcellus Shale Advisory Commission
June 4, 2011Environmentalists Push Stricter Regulation for Gas Drillers
SOURCE: Donald Gilliland, THE (HARRISBURG) PATRIOT-NEWS, Thursday, June 2, 2011
The four environmental groups on the governor’s Marcellus Shale Advisory Commission agree they want to see stricter regulation of wastewater from drilling, better planning, and updates to the Oil and Gas Act aimed at improving safety and collecting data. The Chesapeake Bay Foundation, The Nature Conservancy, the Pennsylvania Environmental Council and the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy submitted a total of 20 recommendations to the commission. Three of the four groups support the “timely enactment of a fair and meaningful fee or tax” on shale gas, with some of the proceeds allocated to “Growing Greener” programs.
The groups were unanimous in their support of tighter regulation of highly polluted wastewater from drilling. They say the recent Department of Environmental Protection request that companies not take wastewater to treatment plants where it is released into rivers “should become a legally enforceable requirement.” (more…)
New Rules! PA’s Top Docs Weigh In
June 3, 2011PA Department of Health Makes Recommendations to Marcellus Shale Advisory Committee
As the July 22nd deadline approaches, several statewide constituencies are weighing in with their recommendations for the regulation of industrial shale gas drilling development in Pennsylvania and amending the state’s Oil & Gas Act (1984). Some of our best minds have been noodling the limited data available, striving to solve the perplexing dilemma of how to Do Gas Right. Perhaps Senator Bob Casey expresses the importance of this best when he says, “We have to.” As early as this summer, the public could see new legislation emerging from Harrisburg on this particularly hot hot-button issue. Last week, the PA Department of Health presented the Governor’s Marcellus Shale Advisory Commission with their recommendations. The most important one: a requirement that the Department of Health routinely evaluate and assess environmental data to determine if there are any health impacts from drilling operations. (more…)
Marcellus Advisory Commission Daytrips Through Gasland
June 3, 2011Lt. Governor Jim Cawley, Chairman of the Marcellus Shale Advisory Commission, took members on a tour of Lycoming County recently. They visited several Anadarko drilling sites, spoke with residents who have gas wells on their properties, and met a plastic liners manufacturer who, like so many business owners is seeing his gas-drilling related sales and services explode. The Commission is comprised of “key stakeholders” including experts from the environmental community, natural gas industry, local government representatives and state government officials. The trip was arranged by the Lycoming County Chamber of Commerce. (more…)
PA Gas Drillers Voluntary No-Dumping Deadline Today
May 19, 2011Today is the day that DEP Secretary Krancer has asked Industrial Gas Drillers in Pennsylvania to “stop sending toxic wastewater to 15 treatment plants unequipped to purify it.” The drillers have agreed to comply. To mark the occasion, The Philadelphia Inquirer ran the following editorial, “Save our water” supporting PA State Senator (R) Joe Scarnati’s proposed Gas Drilling Impact Fee. The effectiveness of a such a fee, however, is heavily disputed. And the beat goes on… (more…)
EPA Wants Accounting of Frack Wastewater In PA by May 25
May 12, 2011EPA Seeks More Information from Natural Gas Drilling Operations to Ensure Safety of Wastewater Disposal
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: David Sternberg, Sternberg.david@epa.gov
PHILADELPHIA (May 12, 2011) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today directed six natural gas drillers to disclose how and where the companies dispose of or recycle drilling process water in the region. EPA continues to work with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP) to ensure that natural gas production takes place safely and responsibly. These actions are among the ongoing steps EPA is taking to ensure drilling operations are protective of public health and the environment. Natural gas is a key part of our nation’s energy future and EPA will continue to work with federal, state and local partners to ensure that public health and the environment are protected.
Roll Call: Which PA Politicians Accept Funds from the Gas Industry?
May 11, 2011MarcellusMoney.org is a Gas Industry watchdog group formed by Conservation Voters of Pennsylvania and Common Cause/Pennsylvania. In May 2011, they jointly released the report “Deep Drilling, Deep Pockets” which found that over the past decade, Pennsylvania lawmakers of both political parties have received more than $7 million from Gas Industry. Contributions from gas interests to Pennsylvania lawmakers have more than doubled since the 2006 Gubernatorial Election Cycle. Current Pennsylvania Lawmakers have received about $3.4 million in campaign contributions from the Oil & Gas Industry.
When asked to put in place a temporary moratorium on drilling in public lands until a full study of the impact could be made, those who voted “no” had accepted an average of three times as much cash from gas interests than those who supported that reasonable measure. [SOURCE: marcellusmoney.org] (more…)
Governor Corbett “Proposes” Fracking To Cover State University Funding Shortfalls
May 10, 2011Governor Tom Corbett’s 2012 budget includes steep cuts to education and a 50 percent reduction in aid to colleges and universities. Corbett suggests our state schools alleviate their fiscal shortfalls by fracking for gas on their campuses. Mansfield University, Lock Haven University, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and California University of Pennsylvania all sit atop the gas-producing Marcellus Shale. Two others, Clarion University and Slippery Rock are “within range.”
On May 13, 2011, Penn State University President Graham Spanier announced tentative plans to create a new Center for Natural Gas Engineering, (more…)
Marcellus Shale Coalition Dismisses Duke Study, Science
May 10, 2011According to a Duke University study to be published in the journal, Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, scientists have documented the first systematic link between methane gas from deep Marcellus and Utica shales and contamination of drinking water wells near active gas wells in northeastern Pennsylvania and New York. The study found that methane levels in private drinking water wells was 17 times higher on average in wells within 1,000 feet of a deep natural gas well, based on water sampling done at 68 wells. Methane was found in 85 percent of the wells. SOURCE: post-gazette.com (more…)
PA DEP Says Its Job Is To “Get Gas Done”
May 9, 2011“At the end of the day, my job is to make sure gas is done and gas is done right,” said Michael Krancer upon his appointment to Secretary of the PA Department of Environmental Protection.
Really? I thought the PA DEP mission was to “protect Pennsylvania’s air, land and water from pollution and to provide for the health and safety of its citizens through a cleaner environment,” and to “work as partners with individuals, organizations, governments and businesses to prevent pollution and restore our natural resources.” [SOURCE: http://www.depweb.state.pa.us]
Krancer may dismiss his critics for using “bad” science and having alternate agendas, like solar and wind, but it seems to me, an average interested citizen, that if the PA DEP was truly protecting our drinking water resources, they would wait until further “good” science is concluded before approving so many new gas drilling permits!
The PA DEP would also support the FRAC ACT because it would help them do their job more effectively. If drillers were required by law to publicly disclose fracking chemicals, the agency would have already known what chemicals were exploding from Chesapeake’s LeRoy, Bradford County well blowout on April 19. They would not have had to ask the company for it on April 22. As of May 5, 2011, neither Chesapeake nor the PA DEP has made this information available to the public.
In all fairness, according to PA Environment Digest, Krancer also said his main job in regulating Marcellus Shale drilling is to protect the water. “There will be significant changes in the way the state’s energy policy is done. In the past, the DEP Secretary was the be-all and end-all for energy policy. ‘You’re not going to see that anymore,’ Krancer said. He said he will be part of a team, working with the Governor’s Energy Executive Patrick Henderson, to address energy issues. He noted Pennsylvania needs a diversified energy portfolio– nuclear, coal, natural gas, solar and wind– for the future.'”
“I want to leave a legacy as a good enforcer,” Krancer said.
DRBC Tables Permit for Major XTO Water Withdrawal from The Upper Delaware – For Now
May 6, 2011Update: Encouragingly, the DRBC voted to table the permit until further hearings! Victory – Our Voices Really Do Add Up!! Congratulations to the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, Protecting Our Waters, PennEnvironment and all the other groups whose vigilance and hard work hard paid off. More on this important issue to follow.
XTO Energy, Inc., a gas subsidiary of ExxonMobile Corp., would like to pull 250,000 gallons of water PER DAY from the ecologically sensitive cold water flows of the Upper Delaware River Region in Oquaga and Broome Counties, NY for hydraulic fracturing. That’s 100 million gallons A YEAR, for free. The ensuing environmental impact to nature and wildlife in this widely used recreation area would be indelibly damaged.
If the DRBC approves this permit, they will be acting in contradiction to their own mandate. (more…)
Victory or Red Herring?
May 4, 2011DEP Rolls Back Approval Process for Shale Violations
Tuesday, May 03, 2011
SOURCE: Don Hopey, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The state Department of Environmental Protection has completely rolled back a controversial, 5-week-old procedural change that required all field enforcement actions involving Marcellus Shale gas drilling operations be pre-approved by political appointees in Harrisburg.
Read more: http://post-gazette.com/pg/11123/1143606-503-0.stm#ixzz1LQ5pXGM9
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Certainly this is good news, since we had a right to the information the PA DEP would have withheld in the first place. We pay for it with our tax dollars. But is it really a victory to have something rightfully restored when it was wrongfully taken in the first place?
Here’s a statistic worth considering: Since January 1, 2011, the PA DEP has approved a whopping 956 permits, with a large majority in the Upper Delaware Watershed Region. Makes one wonder if their primary function is regulating threats to the environment or issuing permits? They don’t really care about NOVs. They’re gonna slap wrists and fines, either way. It’s a RED HERRING. It seems like their first interest is creating a profitable disposal route for recycled (distilled) flowback, and mitigating environmental impacts or protecting the public wellfare from the drilling itself comes second.
Record Number of Letters Delivered to the DRBC
April 16, 2011Over 35,000 letters were delivered by Environmental and Citizen Action Groups who are opposed to Fracking in the Delaware River Watershed. That number greatly exceeds any Public Comment Period in the Delaware River Basin Commission’s history. I, for one, am holding my breath to see what happens next.
A Thousand Cuts
April 6, 2011Michael Krancer, the new Secretary of the PA Deptartment of Environmental Protection, is perilously close to becoming a part of the fracking pollution problem. In his new three month “Pilot” program, all pollution violations must go through his office BEFORE they can be reported and become part of official public record.
Say What?? (more…)
Keep Tap Water Safe 