PA Marcellus News Digest 12/21/12

PA Marcellus News Digest

December 21, 2012

Note: Thank you to everyone working on drilling issues. This is our last Digest of 2012.  We wish you a happy and peaceful holiday season!

Jeff and Lindsay

Special: Attachment: Delaware Riverkeeper map of planned pipelines in the Delaware River Basin

Special: Video: The latest Marcellus Shale Reality Tour video about the Chapin PA Dehydration Station
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myzGaZfeyYI&feature=share&list=PL062539BFB8A2B2D4

Articles

Updated Corbett ethics filing shows donor trip
Post-Gazette
Laura Olson
Dec 20
Gov. Tom Corbett says there's no legal issues with flights that were provided to him at no cost by a friend and businessman who has ties to the drilling industry.
Link: http://earlyreturns.post-gazette.com/home/early-returns-posts/5120-updated-corbett-ethics-filing-shows-donor-trip?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+EarlyReturns+%28Early+Returns%29

Corbett took weekend away on bizman's dime
Inquirer
Dec 21
GOV. CORBETT and his wife accepted a Rhode Island vacation last year from a businessman even as regulators from the state Department of Environmental Conservation were looking into his firm's operation of a natural-gas waste transfer station without a permit.
Link: http://www.philly.com/philly/news/politics/20121221_Corbett_took_weekend_away_on_bizman_s_dime.html

Electronics blamed for facility shutdown
DEP alerted Wednesday to problem at gas compressor station in Wyoming County.
Times Leader
Matt Hughe
Dec 21
A failed circuit board appears to have caused an emergency shutdown of a PVR Partners natural gas compressor station in Washington Township, Wyoming County, Wednesday evening, a company spokesman said.
Link: http://www.timesleader.com/stories/Electronics-blamed-for-facility-shutdown,243359

Corbett defends trips he accepted for free
Inquirer
Amy Worden and Angela Couloumbis
Dec 21
HARRISBURG - Just months into taking office, Gov. Corbett was traveling gratis, courtesy of a major campaign donor. He flew in the donor's private plane. He rode in his helicopter. He spent a long weekend on his yacht in Newport.
Link: http://www.philly.com/philly/news/local/20121221_Corbett_defends_trips_he_accepted_for_free.html

Corbett: Watsontown businessman paid for 2 trips worth $2,300
Sun-Gazette
Marc Levy, AP
Dec 21
HARRISBURG - Gov. Tom Corbett has recently disclosed that he took trips in 2011 worth more than $2,300 that were paid for by a Pennsylvania businessman who gave generously to Corbett's campaign and serves on Corbett's privatization council.
Link: http://www.sungazette.com/page/content.detail/id/587108/Corbett--Watsontown-businessman-paid-for-2-trips-worth--2-300.html?nav=5011

Natural-gas exec paid for Corbett 2011 vacation
Inquirer
Will Bunch
Attytood
Blog
Dec 20
Gov. Tom Corbett and his wife accepted a Rhode Island vacation last year from a businessman even as regulators from the state Department of Environmental Conservation were looking into his firm's operation of a natural-gas waste transfer station without a permit.
Link: http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/attytood/Natural-gas-exec-paid-for-Corbett-2011-vacation.html

WATCHBLOG: Corbett defends free vacation to Rhode Island in 2011
PA Independent
Eric Boehm
Dec 20
HARRISBURG – They say Rhode Island is beautiful in the summer.
And Gov. Tom Corbett and First Lady Susan Corbett got to see it firsthand this summer – and for free.  According to an updated statement of financial interest filed with the State Ethics Commission, the governor and his wife spent five days in July 2011 on vacation in Rhode Island with the hotel and airfare paid for by John Moran, president of Moran Industries, a Pennsylvania based company that specializes in trucking, rail and warehousing.
Link: http://paindependent.com/2012/12/watchblog-corbett-defends-free-vacation-to-rhode-island-in-2011/

Corbett defends donor-funded vacation to Rhode Island.
Morning Call
John L. Micek
Dec 20
Gov. Tom Corbett on Thursday defended his decision to let a businessman and campaign donor with ties  to the Marcellus shale industry cover his and First Lady Susan Corbett's travel costs on a vacation to Rhode Island last year.
Link: http://blogs.mcall.com/capitol_ideas/2012/12/corbett-defends-donor-funded-vacation-to-rhode-island.html

While Touting Transparency, Corbett Declines to Explain Free Vacation
NPR State Impact
Marie Cusick
Dec 20
Link: http://stateimpact.npr.org/pennsylvania/2012/12/20/while-touting-transparency-corbett-declines-to-explain-free-vacation/

PA Marcellus News Digest 12/20/12

 PA Marcellus News Digest

December 20, 2012

Releases

PUC Provides Further Clarification on Issues Surrounding Impact Fee
Wallaby
Dec 20
HARRISBURG – The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) today further clarified various portions of its implementation of Chapter 23 of Act 13 of 2012, provides for the imposition of an unconventional gas well fee.
Link: http://wallaby.telicon.com/PA/library/2012/2012122076.HTM

State Asked to Supercede Permits for Tennessee Gas Pipeline Project Planned to Start January 2nd
Wallaby
Dec 18
Harrisburg, PA:  In a December 18, 2012 legal filing, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection’s Environmental Hearing Board was asked to issue an Order of Supersedeas that would prevent the Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company from proceeding with mobilization and tree clearing, the first steps in construction of its proposed NorthEast Upgrade Project (TGP’s NEUP).  The Delaware Riverkeeper Network and Responsible Drilling Alliance filed the petition, essentially a request for a stay of construction activity, together with their notices of appeal of three DEP permits issued for the project, in order to allow the groups enough time to pursue their legal challenge while maintaining the status quo.
Link: http://wallaby.telicon.com/PA/library/2012/2012121996.HTM

(GAS DRILLING CHAMPION) Senator Yaw Named Chairman of the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee
Wallaby
Dec 19
HARRISBURG – State Senator Gene Yaw (R-23) has been appointed to serve as Chairman of the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee for the 2013-2014 legislative session.
Link: http://wallaby.telicon.com/PA/library/2012/2012121975.HTM

Articles

Gas facility shut down in Wyoming County
Steve Mocarsky
Times Leader
Dec 20
WYOMING COUNTY – There was an emergency shutdown of a natural gas compressor station in Washington Township, Wyoming County, on Wednesday.
Link: http://www.timesleader.com/stories/Gas-facility-shut-down-in-Wyoming-County,242977?category_id=487&town_id=1&sub_type=stories

Newspapers seeking settlement disclosure to get speedy hearing
Post-Gazette
Don Hopey
Dec 19
A Washington County judge has granted the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's motion for an expedited hearing on whether to unseal an August 2011 settlement agreement between Marcellus Shale gas development companies and members of a family who claimed drilling damaged their health.
Link: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/washington/newspapers-seeking-settlement-disclosure-to-get-speedy-hearing-666983/

Some homes in shale areas to get help
Pitt Trib
Rich Cholodofsky
Dec 20
Westmoreland County will spend $125,000 next year to rehabilitate private homes in communities with Marcellus shale gas wells.
Link: http://triblive.com/news/westmoreland/3164538-74/homes-housing-county#axzz2Fak2wbTg

Pa. ranks just after Texas in shale jobs
Post-Gazette
Erich Schwartzel
Dec 20
Pennsylvania is second only to Texas in the number of workers employed by the unconventional oil and gas industry, according to a new report by IHS Global Insight.
Link: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/business/news/pa-ranks-just-after-texas-in-shale-jobs-667121/

Risky cargo: The Coast Guard has a key decision on wastewater
Post-Gazette
Dec 20
The question of whether the shale gas industry should be able to ship its wastewater on the nation's rivers and lakes is so controversial that officials might have been tempted not to touch it with a barge pole.
Link: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/opinion/editorials/risky-cargo-the-coast-guard-has-a-key-decision-on-wastewater-667037/

Electrical Issue Causes Emergency Shutdown at Wyoming County Gas Compressor Station
NPR State Impact
Marie Cusik
Dec 20
Link: http://stateimpact.npr.org/pennsylvania/2012/12/20/electrical-issue-causes-emergency-shutdown-at-wyoming-county-gas-compressor-station/

Ethics Filing Shows Corbett Took Free Vacation from Businessman with Ties to Gas Industry
NPR State Impact
Marie Cusik
Dec 20
Link: http://stateimpact.npr.org/pennsylvania/2012/12/20/ethics-filing-shows-corbett-took-free-vacation-from-businessman-with-ties-to-gas-industry/

Oil and gas sites a source of ozone pollution, say U.S. EPA petitioners
E&E News, EnergyWire
Gayathri Vaidyanathan
Dec 20
(full text below)
U.S. EPA should step up air quality monitoring for ozone near oil and gas sites to protect public health, a coalition of 30 green groups (including Sierra Club) said in a formal petition: http://blogs.edf.org/energyexchange/files/2012/12/Ozone-Monitoring-and-Oil-and-Natural-Gas-Petition-FINAL-12-19.pdf  filed with the agency yesterday.

The groups also asked the agency to issue guidelines to industry on control technologies that reduce emissions. The petition was filed by the Environmental Defense Fund, the Clean Air Task Force, the Natural Resources Defense Council and others.

Oil and gas sites are known to emit a number of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and nitrogen oxides (NOx). They are precursors to ozone, or smog. Research has shown that levels of the air pollutant in parts of rural America are comparable to levels found in cities such as Los Angeles. The sources of the pollution are oil and gas operations.

"Oil and natural gas operations emit VOCs from well completion activities, pneumatic devices and pumps, storage vessels, glycol dehydrators, compressors, and leaking equipment, seals, and valves. Several different analyses have found these emissions to be significant," the petition states.

While the fight is primarily over ozone, which EPA is required to address under the Clean Air Act, methane, which gets co-emitted with VOCs, is also of interest. The control technologies that reduce VOC emissions will also reduce methane.

"We want communities to be sure that they have transparency about ozone and air quality problems that might be related to increasing oil and natural gas development," said Peter Zalzal, staff attorney at EDF.

The petition follows EPA's air rules released in April that targeted the initial stages of hydraulic fracturing, when significant amounts of VOCs, methane and other hydrocarbons are emitted to the atmosphere. EPA required industry to do "green completions" to control these emissions in its New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) (EnergyWire, April 19).

The NSPS were just a first step and do not address all leaks, said Zalzal.

Recent studies have suggested that the entire natural gas operation, from well to burner, is leaky (EnergyWire, Nov. 28). A study by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory suggested that the process of "liquids unloading," a method used to clean a producing well, could be an even bigger emitter of methane than well completions (EnergyWire, Nov. 29).

The petition cites a number of regions where the oil and gas industry has been a problematic emitter. Texas' Barnett Shale, for example, has historically been a nonattainment region. Compressor engines on oil and gas sites there significantly increase ozone pollution within 2 kilometers of the site, according to a study (EnergyWire, Sept. 6).

Ozone pollution has also been recorded in parks such as Rocky Mountain National Park, where the cutleaf coneflower faced damage to its foliage. It is unclear, however, whether the ozone in the parks was due to oil and gas.

The green groups would like EPA to put in place ozone monitors in all areas close to oil and gas sites. Currently, the nation's network of ozone monitors is primarily in urban areas where smog results from heavy traffic.

Kathleen Sgamma, vice president of government and public affairs at the Western Energy Alliance, dismissed the petition. She said EPA's NSPS have already addressed the leakage issue.

"It makes you wonder if they [green groups] are looking for attention as the holidays approach," she said. "What they are asking the EPA to do is what the EPA is already doing."

PA Marcellus News Digest 12/19/12

PA Marcellus News Digest

December 19, 2012

Articles

Analysis of Marcellus Flowback Finds High Levels of Ancient Brines
Science Daily
Dec 18
Brine water that flows back from gas wells in the Marcellus Shale region after hydraulic fracturing is many times more salty than seawater, with high contents of various elements, including radium and barium. The chemistry is consistent with brines formed during the Paleozoic era, a study by an undergraduate student and two professors in Penn State's Department of Geosciences found.
Link: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/12/121218203537.htm

Statoil Pays $590 Million to Expand in Marcellus Shale Area
Bloomberg
Mikael Holter
Dec 19
Statoil ASA (STL), Norway’s biggest oil and gas producer, bought 70,000 acres in the Marcellus area in the U.S. to boost oil production amid falling gas prices there.
Link: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-12-19/statoil-pays-590-million-to-boost-ownership-in-marcellus-shale.html

Better Know an Energy Play: Marcellus Shale
Daily Finance
Chris Neiger and Tyler Crowe, The Motley Fool
Dec 19
To help Foolish investors better understand the oil and gas boom in the United States, we are putting together a series of articles focusing on the major energy plays in the lower 48. We'll need to rely heavily on these areas to achieve North American energy independence. Today we're going to take a look at the Marcellus Shale.
Link: http://www.dailyfinance.com/2012/12/19/lower-48-series-marcellus-shale/

LNG Exports: The Winners and Losers
NPR State Impact
Susan Phillips
Dec 19
Link: https://stateimpact.npr.org/pennsylvania/2012/12/19/lng-exports-the-winners-and-losers/

StateImpact Pennsylvania Wins duPont-Columbia Award
NPR State Impact
Scott Detrow
Dec 19
Link: http://stateimpact.npr.org/pennsylvania/2012/12/19/stateimpact-pennsylvania-wins-dupont-columbia-award/

Commonwealth natural gas pipeline reportedly on hold, will not go through Dauphin County
Patriot-News
Donald Gilliland
Dec 18
Plans for a pipeline to deliver natural gas from the Marcellus Shale south through the midstate to markets in Washington, D.C. are on hold indefinitely, according to landowners along its proposed route who had been dealing with land men seeking leases for rights of way.
Link: http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2012/12/commonwealth_natural_gas_pipel.html#incart_river

PA Marcellus News Digest 12/18/12

PA Marcellus News Digest

December 18, 2012

Articles

Setting the Record Straight on LNG Exports, Health, and Hydraulic Fracturing  (The Empire Strikes Back)
Energy in Depth
Steve Everley
Dec 14
This week, a group called Physicians, Scientists and Engineers for Healthy Energy (PSEHE) organized a petition to urge the United States to block natural gas exports. Their reasoning?  Exports of natural gas would increase the use of hydraulic fracturing and thus, they claim, the public’s exposure to adverse health effects. We’re here to set the record straight.
Link: http://www.energyindepth.org/setting-the-record-straight-on-lng-exports-health-and-hydraulic-fracturing/

Fayette farmer defends face-off with gas crews in field
Pitt Trib
Liz Zemba
Dec 18
A Fayette County farmer who spent four days in jail for contempt of court said he was trying to protect the environment from acidic wastewater when he disobeyed a judge‘s order and confronted a crew that was laying gas pipeline on his property.
Link: http://triblive.com/news/fayette/3150309-74/bezjak-court-gas#axzz2FKVA9rAW

Ruffalo: Gas industry hiding behind deals
Post-Gazette
Don Hopey
Dec 18
Actor Mark Ruffalo, an outspoken and longtime opponent of shale gas fracking who is in southwestern Pennsylvania to work on a movie, said lawsuit settlements that prevent those involved from discussing their problems are "un-American" and infringe on the public's need to know about drilling impacts that could damage human health and the environment.
Link: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/ae/movies/ruffalo-gas-industry-hiding-behind-deals-666798/

Farmer released from jail after confronting workers over mine discharge
Post-Gazette
Don Hopey
Dec 18
UNIONTOWN, Pa. -- A still-indignant 73-year-old cattle farmer walked out of the Fayette County Jail on Monday morning after serving a four-day contempt-of-court sentence for confronting natural gas pipeline company employees who he said were pumping acidic mine water onto his pasture for a second time.
Link: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/marcellusshale/farmer-released-from-jail-after-confronting-workers-over-mine-discharge-666836/

Salamanders among species facing greatest threats from Northeast drilling -- report
E&E News, Energy Wire
Gayathri Vaidyanathan
Dec 18
Salamanders do not have lungs or gills, and breathe through their skin; thus, they are particularly vulnerable to water quality and acidity in the woodland streams of Pennsylvania and New York.
Together with salamanders, 14 other species of animals and plants in the Marcellus and Utica shales are especially at risk from shale gas development, according to a report published in the journal Environmental Practice.

Of the 15 species, four -- the Cheat Mountain salamander and West Virginia spring salamander, along with the plants shale-barrens pimpernel and northern blue monkshood -- are on federal or state endangered species lists.

In hydraulic fracturing, companies blast millions of gallons of water, chemicals and sand at shale to release trapped gas. In the process, flowback and produced water come back to the surface and need to be disposed of.

Recent studies have suggested that streams in the Marcellus Shale have become more saline due to oil and gas-related activities (EnergyWire, Nov. 7). The increased salinity can pose a threat to salamanders, which are sensitive to water quality, according to the report.

Of the many species that reside in regions that overlap with potential shale gas development, the West Virginia spring salamander is of special concern, said Erik Kiviat, executive director of the nonprofit research group Hudsonia and co-author of the study.

There are about 250 individuals of this species, which is on the federal endangered species list. The reptiles live in the General Davies Cave and depend on the water quality of a nearby stream. The species is vulnerable to extinction because it occupies such a small geographic range, Kiviat said.

The report focuses on shale gas in combination with threats from coal mining, urbanization, logging and other developments.

The effect of shale gas extraction in the Northeast on biodiversity has been relatively unstudied. Few studies that establish baselines of biodiversity exist.

In other states, such as North Dakota, where energy extraction has been happening for a few years, scientists are beginning to set up some baselines for charismatic species such as mule deer. Even so, animals often get lost amid the larger concerns over public health impacts (EnergyWire, July 9).

"Conservation scientists are very concerned about forest fragmentation because there are many animals and plants that require relatively large areas of contiguous forests," Kiviat said. "And if something happens such as clearcutting or clearing of the forest for energy development or agriculture or something else, it can fragment a forest in a way that it can make it unsuitable for some of these species."

Designing management programs to protect some of these species can be challenging, since they have not been well studied, according to the report.

And fracking may be beneficial for a few species, such as the Appalachian cottontail rabbit, which is known to colonize clearcut areas and shrub lands. Pipelines and abandoned well pads may be an ideal habitat for the animals.

But the study cautions that the benefits to a few species will be at the expense of threats to many other species.

PA Marcellus News Digest 12/17/12

PA Marcellus News Digest

December 17, 2012

Release
SRBC Met December 14: Approved 20 Projects; Adopted Low Flow Protection Policy; Released Proposed Rulemaking
SRBC Newsroom
Dec 17
HARRISBURG, Pa. – The Susquehanna River Basin Commission (SRBC; www.srbc.net) held its quarterly business meeting on December 14 in Annapolis, Md.  Among its actions, SRBC:
approved 20 water withdrawal and consumptive use applications and tabled 13 (see list below);
adopted a Low Flow Protection Policy;
Link: http://www.srbc.net/newsroom/NewsRelease.aspx?NewsReleaseID=99
Articles

DEP defends water-testing policy
Herald Standard
Steve Ferris
Dec 17
State Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) testing of private water wells is specifically designed to detect substances from gas drilling or mining, officials said.
Link: http://www.heraldstandard.com/news/local_news/dep-defends-water-testing-policy/article_ed7cd186-0f41-52db-936a-794f4f57f169.html

Shell’s Ethane Cracker Could Hinge On Act 13 Decision
NPR State Impact
Marie Cusick
Dec 17
Link: http://stateimpact.npr.org/pennsylvania/2012/12/17/shells-ethane-cracker-could-hinge-on-act-13-decision/

Like some in Berks, Chester residents mobilize for fight
All alarmed by gas driller's plan to lay 30-inch pipeline 120 miles through region
Reading Eagle
Stephania Weaver
Dec 14
Berks County residents concerned about the possibility of a natural-gas pipeline coming through their backyards have found some kindred spirits in Chester County.
Link: http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=435156

Exporting natural gas risky business for U.S.
Pitt Trib
Andrew Conte  and Lou Kilzer
Dec 15
Sitting with about 100 landowners inside the Wysox fire hall, Carolyn Knapp listened to a gas company landman discuss the money that would come from the energy trapped in the Marcellus shale a mile beneath her husband‘s farmland in Rome, Bradford County.
Link: http://triblive.com/news/allegheny/3053611-74/gas-natural-energy#axzz2FJJtTv2Q

Amid drilling, a patois digs deep in Pennsylvania
Times-Tribune
Judith O. Etzel, The Derrick
Dec 16
OIL CITY - The oil and gas industry is ramping up all around us, thanks to the prolific and profitable new drilling destinations that bear a pretty little name like Marcellus or the industrial sounding label of Utica.
Link: http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/business/amid-drilling-a-patois-digs-deep-in-pennsylvania-1.1416893

Shale drillers want to move wastewater on barges
Post-Gazette
Emily DeMarco
Dec 16
The shale gas drilling industry wants to move its wastewater by barge on rivers and lakes across the country. But the U.S. Coast Guard, which regulates the nation's waterways, must first decide whether it's safe.
Link: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/marcellusshale/shale-drillers-want-to-move-wastewater-on-barges-666573/

Allegheny County Airport Authority will negotiate drilling with Consol
Pitt Trib
Tom Fontaine
Dec 14
The Allegheny County Airport Authority on Friday opted to negotiate a potential $250 million drilling deal with Consol Energy, which submitted what appeared to be the lower of two bids for the lucrative contract.
Link: http://triblive.com/news/adminpage/3137475-74/authority-million-gas#axzz2FJJtTv2Q

Stantec expanding in oil, gas mapping by buying Washington, Pa., firm
Pitt Trib
Sam Spatter
Dec 14
Landmark Survey and Mapping Inc., based in Washington, Pa., has been purchased by Stantec Inc., a Canadian-based design company that earlier acquired Burt Hill, an architecture firm, with offices in Pittsburgh and Butler.
Link: http://triblive.com/business/headlines/3137258-74/stantec-mapping-landmark#axzz2FJJtTv2Q

Officials: Emergency communications lacking, corrected after natural gas release
Times-Tribune
Laura Legere
Dec 15
TUNKHANNOCK - Communication failures left some emergency agencies uninformed when a Monroe Twp. natural gas dehydration station allowed more than 5 million cubic feet of gas to vent loudly into the atmosphere the morning after Thanksgiving, officials said Friday during a meeting at the Wyoming County Emergency Management Agency office.
Link: http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/gas-drilling/officials-emergency-communications-lacking-corrected-after-natural-gas-release-1.1416611

EPA backs Sierra Club on LNG export review
E&E News, EnergyWire
Hannah Northey and Jenny Mandel
Dec 13
(full text below)
The Sierra Club has won support from an important ally in its push for a federal assessment of the environmental impacts that could stem from liquefied natural gas exports: U.S. EPA.

The agency has urged the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in recent weeks to weigh the upstream implications of increased natural gas production when approving export terminals in Maryland and Oregon.

Dominion Resources Inc.'s proposal to re-engineer its LNG import terminal in Cove Point, Md., to accommodate exports "represents an opportunity for FERC and DOE to jointly and thoroughly consider the indirect and cumulative environmental impacts of exporting LNG," EPA said in a filing on the scope of the project's environmental review.

That comment, from the EPA regional office with jurisdiction over the project, is mirrored by a similar statement from the EPA regional office that oversees the proposed Jordan Cove Energy Project in Oregon.

"We believe it is appropriate to consider available information about the extent to which drilling activity might be stimulated by the construction of an LNG export facility on the West Coast, and any potential environmental effects associated with that drilling expansion," the regional office wrote.

They noted that the Energy Department's Energy Information Administration said in a January 2012 report that LNG exports would be supplied largely through new natural gas production, and that about three-quarters of that production could be expected to come from unconventional shale gas plays.

The Sierra Club has been on the front lines -- and largely alone -- in its across-the-board opposition to proposals for facilities that would ship millions of tons of natural gas abroad each year. The group has intervened with DOE on projects around the country, arguing that exports should not move forward until a federal review of shale gas production has been conducted under the National Environmental Policy Act.

That would be a significant change from how natural gas project implications are often weighed -- on an ad hoc basis at the state, county and even city level (EnergyWire, Nov. 8).

The Sierra Club has faced an uphill battle. LNG exports have picked up steam in recent weeks with a slew of FERC "pre-filings" like those submitted for the Maryland and Oregon projects, and a generally favorable DOE economic assessment that could pave the way for new export permits.

But the Sierra Club has continued the drumbeat of its warning in concert with a campaign called "Beyond Natural Gas," which highlights environmental and health risks associated with natural gas production and argues against a reliance on fossil fuel energy sources of any sort.

DOE and FERC's main argument against evaluating upstream impacts is that any increases in natural gas drilling that would stem from export shipments could not be attributed to individual terminals.

In an April decision authorizing Cheniere Energy Inc. to go forward with construction that would equip its Sabine Pass, La., LNG terminal for exports, FERC declined to go into the question of drilling impacts, saying, "An overall increase in nationwide production of shale gas may occur for a variety of reasons, but the location and subsequent production activity is unknown, and too speculative to assume" (EnergyWire, Nov. 29).

But a November report by Sierra Club attorney Craig Segall contradicted that position. Segall pointed to the National Energy Modeling System, a tool used by EIA analysts to forecast the interplay of domestic natural gas supply and demand, as equally well-suited to predicting how domestic production activity would respond to new demand centers, in the form of export terminals, along the U.S. coastline.

Segall said last week that the modeling system argument seems to be gaining traction. "We think we're winning that 'foreseeable' issue," he said.

Ultimately, he said, "One of two things needs to happen. The most sensible would be for FERC to acknowledge [that the review] is a two-step process" that includes a big-picture analysis that looks at how exports drive production, how much hydraulic fracturing that would entail and what alternatives exist to the projects. Both DOE and FERC could then refer to that assessment as needed in the course of their project-specific reviews. The "inefficient" alternative, he said, would be if FERC did not conduct that review, and DOE had to do a supplemental environmental analysis to meet its legal obligation to answer those questions.

Both of those scenarios reflect some optimism from Segall, however. To date, FERC has said via the Sabine Pass ruling, and DOE has agreed via an August authorization for the same project, that natural gas production is outside the scope of the export projects' environmental studies.

An unprecedented step?

For the Sierra Club, the EPA regions' comments to FERC represent the most promising support for its stance from a federal agency. But observers questioned how much it will ultimately matter.

Former FERC Commissioner Marc Spitzer said in an interview that there would be widespread energy policy changes if regulators were to accept the Sierra Club's argument and FERC were to consider the entire gas supply chain when permitting LNG export terminals.

FERC would be forced to conduct the same sweeping reviews for gas pipelines, storage facilities and other infrastructure, he said. "I don't see how you could ever build a pipeline or storage facility in the United States based on that reasoning," Spitzer said.

Spitzer noted that FERC has maintained a firm position in denying such a far-reaching review of gas production when approving LNG terminals, and it's unclear whether the agency will be swayed by the EPA letters.

The former commissioner said he saw many letters from EPA that were fairly neutral on environmental impacts while he oversaw FERC's approval of LNG import terminals. Few had taken as strong a tone as the recent EPA comment on Dominion's Cove Point project, he said.

That letter not only calls for consideration of the upstream project impacts but also asks FERC to spell them out in the form of calculating how many production wells might be required to support new gas demand, and how project implementation would drive demand for new or expanded natural gas pipeline infrastructure.

"The environmental study of the Cove Point Project should be a comprehensive and robust evaluation of potential impacts, which may require a higher level analysis, particularly in consideration of the potential for significant cumulative impacts and the level of community interest," it said.

FERC isn't obligated to follow those suggestions; according to spokeswoman Tamara Young-Allen, the agency is free to adopt the recommendations or discard them, though the ultimate plan for the environmental review must address the suggestion and why FERC did not follow it, if that is the path regulators choose.

Observers say that if FERC declines to consider upstream export impacts, officials at DOE can opt to consider the question as part of its "public interest" review of the export terminal proposals.

Segall said that in light of FERC's consistent refusal to look at upstream export impacts, he does not expect the commission to reconsider the issue, but he hopes that DOE will.

Brian O'Neill, an attorney with Van Ness Feldman who focuses on LNG issues, said FERC has an important role as the lead agency and could determine the scope of the government's environmental review of exports. DOE probably won't extend its review to gas production and hydraulic fracturing when approving LNG exports if FERC doesn't set that tone, he said.

"That's not to say the administration may say otherwise, but I don't think DOE is going to depart from the precedent that the FERC has set," O'Neill said.
###

Special: Mark Your Calendar Now for January Webinars

Just a reminder about an upcoming ASDWA webinar January 9, 2013 to help address agricultural threats:  Tutorial on the Source Water Collaborative's new Toolkit will be offered, along with examples from Maine and Iowa about working with NRCS to help reduce agricultural risks to drinking water supplies.

Also the U.S Water Alliance will conduct a series of webinars titled "Hydraulic Fracturing: Beyond Name Calling to Real Environmental Protection."  First webinar in the series will be Jan 15 2013 from 2:00pm - 3:30pm: "Knowing Your Watershed and Assessing Potential Environmental, Economic and Social Impacts."   Others are listed below.

On Wednesday, January 9, 2013, from 1:00 to 2:30 pm (eastern time), ASDWA and GWPC will hold a webinar on:
“How State Source Water Programs can Work with their USDA Partners to Protect Drinking Water Sources.”

Who should attend:  State drinking water, ground water, clean water, and agriculture programs, EPA Regions, USDA programs, and other interested stakeholders are encouraged to attend.  Please note that we have expanded the audience for the webinar, so please share this information with your agricultural colleagues whom we believe would also benefit from attending.
Why you should attend:  The webinar should be useful for all state water and USDA programs, from those who already have formed a relationship between the state source water program and their USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) office (but may be looking for new ideas), to those aiming to build a successful relationship.
The webinar agenda will include:
§  A step-by-step tutorial on how to use the Source Water Collaborative’s new toolkit - www.sourcewatercollaborative.org/swp-usda
§  Examples from two states who will share their experiences in developing a relationship and working together to protect drinking water sources
§  Maine:  Juan Hernandez (State Conservationist), Andy Tolman (Drinking Water Program), and Kira Jacobs (EPA Region 1)
§  Iowa:   Jay Mar (State Conservationist) and Becky Ohrtman (Drinking Water Program)
§  Audience questions
To register for the webinar, go to:  https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/801495793
We hope you are able to join us!


U.S. Water Alliance Webinars - NOTE THESE ARE CENTRAL TIME ZONE - one hour later for Eastern Time Zone

Details at http://www.uswateralliance.org/2012/12/13/webinar-hydraulic-fracturing-beyond-name-calling/?utm_source=2012.12+NewsWaves&utm_campaign=12%2F12+NewsWaves&utm_medium=email

Webinar 1: Knowing Your Watershed and Assessing Potential Environmental, Economic and Social Impacts
January 15, 2013 | 1:00 – 2:30 pm CST

Webinar 2: Transparency that Benefits All–Disclosing Fracturing Fluids and Operations
February 19, 2013 | 1:00 – 2:30 pm CST
Webinar 3: Practical Considerations for Management, Re-use, and Disposal of “Waste” Waters
March 19, 2013 | 1:00 – 2:30 pm CST
Webinar 4: Closure and Restoration: Final Considerations
April 16, 2013 | 1:00 – 2:30 pm CST

Penn State Extension WEBINAR - January 30, 2013 – A Study of Pre-Drilling Groundwater Quality in 700 Water Wells and Springs in Northcentral Pennsylvania, Jim Clark, Water Resources Educator, McKean County

Additional webinars on various water resources topics will be offered each month - usually on the last Wednesday of the month. A full schedule of webinars for the next 12 months can be found at: http://extension.psu.edu/water/webinar-series/schedule

The January, 30, 2013 webinar (noon to 1 PM) will be on A Study of Pre-Drilling Groundwater Quality in 700 Water Wells and Springs in Northcentral Pennsylvania by Jim Clark, a Water Resources Extension Educator with Penn State Extension in McKean County.

Please pass this along to anyone that might be interested in attending these webinars.

PA Marcellus News Digest 12/14/12

PA Marcellus News Digest

December 14, 2012

Release

PHFA announces 2012 PHARE and Marcellus Shale funding recipients
$7.6 million being distributed to groups in 19 counties to improve housing
Wallaby
Dec 14
HARRISBURG – The Board of Directors of the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency
on Thursday approved the recipients of funding for projects to improve the availability
and affordability of housing in the Marcellus Shale region of the state.
Link: http://wallaby.telicon.com/PA/library/2012/2012121492.PDF

Articles

Exelon will retire oil-fired Schuylkill Generating Station in Grays Ferry
Inquirer
Andrew Maykuth
Dec 14
Exelon Generation plans to retire its 58-year-old Schuylkill Generating Station in Grays Ferry at the end of the year, the latest Eisenhower-era power plant to bow out in response to a changing energy environment.
Link: http://www.philly.com/philly/business/20121214_Exelon_will_retire_oil-fired_Schuylkill_Generating_Station_in_Grays_Ferry.html

Airport authority entering new year with $15,000 surplus in its budget
Sun-Gazette
Matt Hutchinson
Dec 14
The Williamsport Regional Airport Authority will go into 2013 with a $15,000 surplus in its operating budget.
Link: http://www.sungazette.com/page/content.detail/id/586859/Airport-authority-entering-new-year-with--15-000-surplus-in-its-budget.html?nav=5011

Marcellus shale impact fee to fund Fayette County projects
Herald Standard
Patty Yauger
Dec 14
A portion of the $1.4 million Marcellus shale impact fee received by Fayette County will be used to defray the cost of an equipment purchase, hire staff and fund an existing retirement fund deficit.
Link: http://www.heraldstandard.com/news/local_news/marcellus-shale-impact-fee-to-fund-fayette-county-projects/article_26a4bd7e-2adf-5e08-b94e-cdfa0b438b06.html

Gas extraction tax needed
Times-News
Kevin Barwin
Letter to the Editor
Dec 13
[...]
We are told that the frackers have paid more than $1 billion in taxes into the state, county and local coffers over the past six years and that fracking has caused an increase in state employment. This is wonderful news! However, our state is the only state not to assess the frackers an extraction tax.
Link: http://www.goerie.com/article/20121214/OPINION02/312149996/Letters-to-the-editor%3A-National-sales-tax-would-punish-poor

Commonwealth Pipeline opponents draw a crowd in Warwick
The Mercury
Evan Brandt
Dec 14
WARWICK — More than 150 people packed into a township building meeting room Wednesday night to find out how much they don’t know about a pipeline proposed to cut through a stretch of the Hopewell Big Woods and their backyards.
Link: http://www.pottsmerc.com/article/20121214/NEWS01/121219685/commonwealth-pipeline-opponents-draw-a-crowd-in-warwick

Yablonsky keynotes Chamber lunch, cites diversity as a regional challenge
New Pittsburgh Courier
Christian Morrow
Dec 12
Hosting more than 300 people at the Omni William Penn Hotel, African American Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Doris Carson Williams thanked the guests for their work and support in partnering with the chamber to forward its mission of increasing opportunities for African-American businesses.
Link: http://newpittsburghcourieronline.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=8945:yablonsky-keynotes-chamber-lunch-cites-diversity-as-a-regional-challenge&catid=41:business&Itemid=37

Greene commissioners adopt 2013 budget
Herald-Standard
Steve Barrett
Dec 14
WAYNESBURG — Greene County commissioners voted Thursday to adopt the county’s $25.7 million budget for 2013, a spending plan that will be slightly higher than this year’s budget but will hold the line on taxes.
Link: http://www.heraldstandard.com/news/local_news/greene-commissioners-adopt-budget/article_6e22ac9d-0da8-5896-9a22-b9cff908a114.html

NEPA housing projects get impact fee revenue
Times-Tribune
Robert Swift
Dec 14
HARRISBURG - More than $2 million for projects to address housing needs in the Marcellus Shale drilling region in Northeast Pennsylvania was approved Thursday by the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency.
Link: http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/gas-drilling/nepa-housing-projects-get-impact-fee-revenue-1.1416206

Chapin plant response focus of meeting
Wyoming Co. Press Examiner
Robert L. Baker
Dec 12
A fact-finding meeting about the Chapin gas dehydration station on Rt. 309 in Monroe Township is scheduled for 10 a.m., Friday, Dec. 14, in the Wyoming County Emergency Management Agency office, 455 state Rt. 6, Tunkhannock.
Link: http://wcexaminer.com/?p=32661

Like some in Berks, Chester residents mobilize for fight
All alarmed by gas driller's plan to lay 30-inch pipeline 120 miles through region
Reading Eagle
Stephanie Weaver
Dec 14
Berks County residents concerned about the possibility of a natural-gas pipeline coming through their backyards have found some kindred spirits in Chester County.
Link: http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=435156

This well doesn't belong there, or anywhere
Courier Express
Denny Bonavita
Dec 13
Following Monday's federally-sponsored public hearing in Luthersburg, we are even more uncomfortable with the concept of using injection wells as disposal wells for gas-oil drilling liquids than we have been - and we were fairly uncomfortable even then.
With respect, we disagree with a comment made by state Rep. Matt Gabler, understandably desirous of protecting the residents of his legislative district. "There are better places for a well like this," Gabler was quoted as having said.
Link: http://www.thecourierexpress.com/courierexpress/courierexpressouropinion/986868-349/this-well-doesnt-belong-there-or-anywhere.html

NEPA housing projects get impact fee revenue
Citizens Voice
Robert Swift
Dec 14
HARRISBURG - More than $2 million for projects to address housing needs in the Marcellus Shale drilling region in Northeastern Pennsylvania was approved Thursday by the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency.
Link: http://citizensvoice.com/news/nepa-housing-projects-get-impact-fee-revenue-1.1416077

PA Marcellus News Digest 12/13/12

PA Marcellus News Digest

December 13, 2012

Articles

A Pennsylvania Pipeline Primer: Who, How, Where and What The Heck?
NPR State Impact
Susan Phillips
Dec 13
Link: http://stateimpact.npr.org/pennsylvania/2012/12/13/a-pipeline-primer-who-how-where-and-what-the-heck/

W.Va. blast heightens concerns over natural gas pipelines
West Virginia blast highlights safety risks
Post-Gazette
Don Hopey
Dec 13
A massive natural gas pipeline explosion in West Virginia this week has heightened awareness of the safety issues related to Pennsylvania's almost 60,000 miles of natural gas pipelines.
Link: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/marcellusshale/wva-blast-heightens-concerns-over-natural-gas-pipelines-666131/

Mon River water sampling project expands
Pitt Trib
Eric Slagle
Dec 5
[...]Duquesne University will monitor water quality of the lower Allegheny River and its key tributaries and the Iron Furnace Chapter of Pennsylvania Trout Unlimited will test water at sites as far north as the Allegheny National Forest. Wheeling Jesuit University will monitor the Ohio River Pittsburgh to near Parkersburg, W.Va.
Link: http://triblive.com/neighborhoods/yourmckeesport/yourmckeesportmore/3076028-87/river-allegheny-rivers-university-program-quality-quest-sampling-data-duquesne#axzz2EsN34SQd

Residents invited to Dec. 12 pipeline meeting in Warwick
The Mercury
Evan Brandt
Dec 11
WARWICK — Those concerned about a proposal to route a Marcellus Shale gas pipeline through town have been invited to a special meeting on the subject at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 12, in the Warwick Township Building on Route 23.
Link: http://www.pottsmerc.com/article/20121211/NEWS01/121209502/residents-invited-to-dec-12-pipeline-meeting-in-warwick

Natural gas pipeline issues are discussed with area landowners
Sun-Gazette
Mike Reuther
Dec 12
HUGHESVILLE - Landowners facing the prospect of natural gas pipelines on their properties were advised to know some of their legal rights.
Link: http://www.sungazette.com/page/content.detail/id/586806/Natural-gas-pipeline-issues-are-discussed-with-area-landowners.html?nav=5011