Posts Tagged ‘Kingston Township Municipal Building’

Environmental Resources and Energy hearing Wednesday at Kingston Township building.

By Steve Mocarskysmocarsky@timesleader.com
Staff Writer

KINGSTON TWP. – Several people with concerns about natural gas drilling in Pennsylvania – and especially in the Back Mountain – are scheduled to testify Wednesday at a public hearing before a state House of Representatives committee.

State Rep. Phyllis Mundy requested and is hosting a hearing of the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee at the Kingston Township Municipal Building from 1 to 3 p.m.

Mundy, D-Kingston, said she has “grave concerns” that there are inadequate protections in place to protect the environment from drilling associated with the Marcellus Shale formation.

“I don’t think we’re going to be able to stop Marcellus Shale drilling, but we need to make sure it doesn’t leave a legacy like that of coal. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” Mundy said on Monday.

She said she believes a proposed drilling site in Lehman Township is “much too close” to the Huntsville and Ceasetown reservoirs, which provide drinking water to many of her constituents.

Committee Majority Chairman Camille “Bud” George notes in a press release that the state Department of Environmental Protection issued more than 1,300 drilling permits in 2009 and more are expected in coming years, yet no study exists on the environmental or human health impacts of gas development in Pennsylvania.

Testimony will be presented about mitigating environmental risks and House Bill 2213 – the Land and Water protection Act introduced by George, D-Clearfield County.

The bill would:

• Require state inspections of wells during each drilling phase.

• Extend to 2,500 feet the presumed liability of a well polluting a water supply; the current radius is 1,000 feet.

• Require full disclosure of chemicals used in the hydraulic fracturing of the gas.

• Update bonding requirements to cover the costs of decommissioning a well. Current regulations call for a $2,500 bond, but the cost to cap a well could range from $12,000 to $150,000 for a deep well, according to George.

Scheduled to testify are Dr. Thomas Jiunta, a local podiatric physician active in environmental causes; Dr. Gere Reisinger, a physician whose 200-acre farm in Wyoming County has been affected by drilling; Victoria Switzer, whose water at her home in Dimock, Susquehanna County, was contaminated after nearby drilling; Brady Russell, eastern Pennsylvania director, Clean Water Action; and Jeff Schmidt, senior director, Sierra Club, Pennsylvania Chapter.

Copyright: Times Leader

By Jen Marckinijmarckini@timesleader.com
Staff Writer

KINGSTON TWP. – A representative of Shaleshock Action Alliance spoke about issues of drilling into the Marcellus Shale at a public meeting on Friday.

The meeting, sponsored by the newly formed group, Luzerne County Citizens for Clean Water, featured a presentation by Andrew Byers, of Ithaca, N.Y.

Gas companies have leased thousands of acres from Benton to Dallas and plan on drilling by “hydro-fracturing,” a high-pressure pumping process that could have detrimental environmental and economic impacts, Byers said.

An estimated 2 million to 9 million gallons of water mixed with chemicals is used per well in fracking, Byers said. Sixty-five of the chemicals are classified as hazardous waste – many causing cancer or birth defects, he said.

According to Byers, products used in natural gas production in Colorado had adverse health effects, including endocrine disruptors.

“This is not waste water,” he said. “This is low-level radioactive fluid.”

Property values have shown to plummet after gas drilling, Byers said, adding that each fracking requires 550 to 2,500 tanker truck trips, which could result in road damage.

In 2005 the gas and oil industry became exempt from the Safe Drinking Water Act. They are not required to comply with federal or local laws.

“We have an industry that is unregulated on a federal level,” Byers said.

About a dozen people are active in the grassroots group that wants to protect its communities, said Audrey Simpson, a member.

A petition to say no to polluted water and unrestricted natural gas drilling in the county was distributed at the evening meeting, which was held at Kingston Township Municipal Building, Shavertown.

The petition asks state legislators to modify state laws to allow restrictions on drilling in populated areas.

State Rep. Phyllis Mundy, who attended the meeting, said she is concerned about the potential harm that could be done as a result of drilling into the Marcellus Shale.

Mundy, D-Kingston, said she and state Rep. Karen Boback, R-Harveys Lake, are working with the chairman of the Environmental Resources and Energy Committee in the House on bills that would provide protection such as buffers around waterways.

“I support a Marcellus Shale severance tax that would be dedicated toward any environmental harm or impact that is caused by the drilling,” Mundy said.

Copyright: Times Leader

KINGSTON TWP. – A public meeting to discuss Marcellus shale drilling issues will be held at 7 p.m. today at the Kingston Township Municipal Building at 180 E. Center Street in Shavertown.

The meeting is sponsored by the newly formed group, Luzerne County Citizens for Clean Water, and will feature a presentation by Andrew Byers, a member of the Shaleshock Action Alliance. The lessons learned from other regions provide a valuable starting point for identifying areas in which local leaders and citizens can anticipate and begin planning for potential changes resulting from the development and extraction of Marcellus shale gas, according to the release.

Parking is in the rear of the building and across the street next to the athletic field.

Copyright: Times Leader