Posts Tagged ‘D-Delaware County’

By Steve Mocarskysmocarsky@timesleader.com
Staff Writer

As energy companies and lease holders extol the benefits and safety of natural gas drilling in the state, and environmentalists and people who live near drilling operations point to chemical spills, water pollution and noise, a congressman last week called for an effort from opposing sides in the energy debate to work together for compromise.

U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak, D-Delaware County, who is running for the U.S. Senate, came to The Peace and Justice Center in Wilkes-Barre on Wednesday to host a forum on Marcellus Shale development.

Panelists included James Shallenberger, a Pennsylvania-licensed geologist and senior project manager at consulting firm Princeton Hydro who spoke on behalf of the gas drilling industry; David T. Messersmith, an extension educator with Penn State Cooperative Extension in Wayne County who is an expert on Marcellus Shale; and Dr. Thomas Jiunta, a Lehman Township resident with a podiatry practice in Kingston who founded Luzerne County Citizens for Clean Water.

“There was a lot of passion in that room. … One side is saying one thing, one side is saying another. I want to be a person who brings people together for a principal compromise, not a compromise of principles,” Sestak said last week in a phone interview.

“I personally believe this is a great economic opportunity for our state, particularly if we are able to benefit by a proper excise tax and if we put the proper protections in place,” Sestak said.

Sestak also said a priority should be enabling community and area colleges to train people for gas industry jobs to ensure Pennsylvanians are getting jobs associated with the drilling industry, rather than leaving energy companies with no choice but to hire experienced people from out-of-state.

Sestak said he learned much about the economic benefits as well as the environmental problems associated with natural gas exploration when he visited several counties in which Marcellus Shale drilling has been ongoing while he was on the campaign trail.

He noted that former Sen. Rick Santorum and Sen. Arlen Specter voted for “the Halliburton Loophole,” which exempts the gas and oil industry from complying with the Safe Water Drinking Act. And he said he supports the “FRAC Act” – Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals Act, which would amend the Safe Drinking Water Act to include the gas and oil industry.

Steve Mocarsky, a Times leader staff writer, may be reached at 970-7311.

Copyright: Times Leader

PennEnvironment group wants to ensure water, land isn’t damaged by natural gas exploration.

CBy Rory Sweeneyrsweeney@timesleader.com
Staff Writer

According to a state environmental advocacy group, Pennsylvania needs to do more to ensure that gas drilling creating profits today won’t end up like the coal mining of yesterday that left a costly environmental legacy for the next generation.

In a recent report, PennEnvironment outlined various changes it recommends to the state’s approach to the drilling industry.

They include: strengthening clean-water laws and regulatory tools; making sensitive public lands off limits to drilling and instituting a severance tax on the extracted gas.

“I think we’ve leased out too much state forest land,” said state Rep. Greg Vitali, D-Delaware County, who attended a teleconference last week.

He added that it’s “irresponsible” to lease more until the production is taxed.

“It’s only political influence … that’s kept the Marcellus Shale from being taxed,” he said.

He hoped to get such a tax in the next state budget cycle.

At issue is how to best oversee the increased drilling in the gas-laden shale, which is about a mile underground throughout much of northern and western Pennsylvania. While the state Department of Environmental Protection has promised increased oversight, a rash of issues at various drilling sites has residents concerned that companies will strip out the gas and leave pollution in their wake.

The report lists various regulatory changes PennEnvironment believes would minimize the potential realization of those fears.

“We disagree with the idea that dilution is the solution,” said Brady Russell of the Clean Water Action organization.

He suggested that drilling companies should foot the estimated $300 bill for landowners to get baseline water testing before drilling begins because it can be difficult for landowners to find that money.

The report also calls for better right-to-know laws to force drillers to release the kinds and amounts of chemicals they use and account for the water they consume, while providing for public input that includes allowing health officials opportunities to review proposed permits.

The report also suggests rewriting the municipal code to give local officials primacy over state law for siting wells, which would overrule a recent state Supreme Court decision.

Regarding regulations, the report suggests expanding buffer zones around streams where drilling is prohibited and account for cumulative impacts of drilling when considering additional well permits.

The report calls for banning wastewater discharge to publicly owned treatment works and requiring recycling and reuse of all flow-back wastewater, while setting zero-discharge limits at treatment facilities.

While the report doesn’t address the threat of concentrating naturally radioactive refuse from the drilling process – an issue of concern in New York as the state considers regulations for drilling – Erika Staaf of PennEnvironment said the issue hasn’t come up in Pennsylvania because it doesn’t seem that anyone has tested for it yet.

Rory Sweeney, a Times Leader staff writer, may be reached at 970-7418.

Copyright: Times Leader