Thursday, May 24, 2012

PA Marcellus News Digest 5/24/12

PA Marcellus News Digest
May 24, 2012

Articles

Pa. considers leasing university, prison land for drilling
Post-Gazette
Laura Olson
May 24
HARRISBURG -- A state House panel on Wednesday tweaked a measure that could expand gas drilling on state-owned lands, including on the campuses of the State System of Higher Education colleges.
The proposal from Republican Sen. Don White, which passed the state Senate overwhelmingly last fall, would authorize state officials to lease rights to the oil, gas and coal beneath certain state lands.
Link:
http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/marcellusshale/pa-considers-leasing-university-prison-land-for-drilling-637296/

Organization criticizes DEP over shale drilling violations
Post-Gazette
Sean D. Hamill
May 24
An environmental group is questioning whether the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection under Gov. Tom Corbett has been tough enough over the past year in its enforcement against Marcellus Shale drillers who commit violations.
Link:
http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/state/organization-criticizes-dep-over-shale-drilling-violations-637261/

Public Money Finds Back Door to Private Schools
NYTimes
Stephanie Saul
May 21
Note the fracking connections in PA, described on page 5, that include House Speaker Sam Smith
When the Georgia legislature passed a private school scholarship program in 2008, lawmakers promoted it as a way to give poor children the same education choices as the wealthy.
Link:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/22/education/scholarship-funds-meant-for-needy-benefit-private-schools.html?_r=2&pagewanted=1&emc=eta1

Fines against drillers in Pa. down 70 percent
Timothy Puko
Pitt Trib
May 23
Fines against Pennsylvania's shale gas drillers last year dropped by almost $6 million, or about 70 percent, from 2010 even though the number of violations remained about the same, according to state environmental regulators.
Department of Environmental Protection well inspectors cited 1,159 environmental violations in 2011, 59 fewer than in 2010, according to department workload reports. That's a decrease of 5 percent during a time when fines and other punitive actions dropped 37 percent, according to DEP.
Link:
http://triblive.com/home/1849613-74/fines-violations-environmental-state-according-department-percent-shale-clean-dep

Marcellus Shale Coalition touts industry's success in Pennsylvania at Capitol rally
Patriot-News
Donald Gilliland
May 21
With natural gas prices slightly more than half of what they were a year ago and drilling rigs moving out of the state to more lucrative plays, the Marcellus Shale Coalition is touting job growth for Pennsylvanians.
Link:
http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2012/05/marcellus_shale_coalition_tout.html


No comments: