Thursday, August 2, 2012

PA Marcellus News Digest 8/2/12

PA Marcellus News Digest
August 2, 2012

This will be the last Digest till late August.  Our intrepid Digest editor Lindsay will be exploring Alaska during her honeymoon, leaving the rest of swltering here in PA!  We will still forward to you stories of significant interest, but they will be fewer and not in Digest form.

Releases

What They’re Saying: American Natural Gas Drives “Economic Growth and Prosperity”
Wallaby
Marcellus Shale Coalition
Aug 1
Pittsburgh, Pa. – It’s difficult to go an entire day – or hour – without a reminder of the economic difficulties facing America, especially for the millions looking for work. This week, the Associated Press reports that “As U.S. hiring as declined, so has consumer and business confidence.” The Associated Press also recently reports that “High unemployment isn't going away” in the United States. These are historically challenging times. For its part, though, America’s natural gas producers – along with a robust supply chain – continue to make critical investments leading to expanded economic growth, private sector job creation and strengthened energy security all while protecting the environment. Here’s what they’re saying.
Link:
http://wallaby.telicon.com/PA/library/2012/2012080173.HTM

Shale Gas Industry Puts Workers at Risk in Rush to Frack
Wallaby
Aug 1
(Philadelphia) Labor leaders and health professionals, along with a broad coalition of citizen groups committed to halting shale gas development, assert that risks to workers in the shale gas industry, "from stem to stern," are being overlooked in the rush to frack. This is the first in a series of Bulletins in advance of the Shale Gas Outrage demonstration planned for Philadelphia, 12 - 2 pm on September 20th, 2012 (press conference 10 AM), outside the Convention Center where the Marcellus Shale industry conference will be underway.
Link:
http://wallaby.telicon.com/PA/library/2012/2012080165.HTM

PHFA accepting proposals for use of PHARE and Marcellus Shale funding to improve housing in areas impacted by natural gas drilling
Deadline for proposals is Nov. 2
Wallaby
Aug 1
HARRISBURG – The Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency is issuing a Request for Proposals (RFP) today 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/2012/2012080186.HTM

Articles

The Price of Fracking – Report Back from Stop the Frack Attack
Oil Change International
Karen Showalter
July 31
“I haven’t seen an issue that’s affected so many people in so many places,” Doug Shields, former member of the Pittsburgh City Council, remarked at Stop the Frack Attack rally last Saturday. And indeed, the thousands assembled on the lawn of the US Capitol Building reflected this truth. From as far as California and even Australia, Ohio and Minnesota, normal folks turned “fracktivists” descended on Washington last weekend.
Link:
http://priceofoil.org/2012/07/31/the-price-of-fracking-report-back-from-stop-the-frack-attack/

Luzerne doctor sues over bans in new fracking law
Inquirer
Sandy Bauers
Aug 2
A Luzerne County physician claims in a federal lawsuit that Pennsylvania's new oil and natural gas drilling law will force him to violate ethical rules in treating his patients.
Link:
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20120802_Luzerne_doctor_sues_over_bans_in_new_fracking_law.html

Shale drilling boosts development
Pitt Trib
Tory N. Parrish
Aug 1
Some stalled residential developments in Cecil are picking up steam, fueled in part by the Marcellus shale drilling industry’s expansion in the area, township officials said.
Link:
http://triblive.com/news/allegheny/2280835-74/southpointe-cecil-park-development-shale-area-developments-drilling-based-energy

'Irrational' gas policy: Act 13 local zoning pre-emption is a mistake
Patriot-News
Editorial
Aug 2
Sometimes, even in politics, you have to admit you’re wrong. Gov. Tom Corbett and members of the Legislature were wrong to strip local municipalities of their zoning rights in Act 13, the Marcellus Shale law. Even zoning land “residential” would not make any difference if drillers want access to the land.
Link:
http://www.pennlive.com/editorials/index.ssf/2012/08/irrational_gas_policy_act_13_l.html

Local officials confident in Marcellus Shale zoning ruling
State appeals decision striking part of Act 13
Post-Gazette
Andrea Iglar
Aug 2
Local officials are applauding a court decision that supports the right of municipalities to decide where Marcellus Shale development can occur.
Link:
http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/neighborhoods-west/local-officials-confident-in-marcellus-shale-zoning-ruling-647278/

Drilling leak leads to violation notice
Pitt Trib
Timothy Puko
Aug 1
A gas-drilling site leaked sediment above a drinking-water reservoir in Westmoreland County, leading state environmental regulators to issue a violation notice.
Link:
http://triblive.com/home/2322637-74/officials-substance-authority-bentonite-consol-drinking-state-supply-according-ashton

Gas drilling research suffers from lack of funding
Inquirer
Kevin Begos, AP
Aug 1
PITTSBURGH - Is gas drilling ruining the air, polluting water and making people sick? The evidence is sketchy and inconclusive, but a lack of serious funding is delaying efforts to resolve those pressing questions and creating a vacuum that could lead to a crush of lawsuits, some experts say.
Link:
http://www.philly.com/philly/health/20120801_ap_gasdrillingresearchsuffersfromlackoffunding.html

Taking the Marcellus Shale gas boom from rush to responsibility
Inquirer
Arthur Sterngold
Opinion
Aug 2
After four years of rapid growth, Marcellus Shale gas drilling has slowed. As The Inquirer reported last month, the number of drilling rigs in Pennsylvania has fallen 29 percent from a year ago. State data show the number of Marcellus wells drilled in July was 57 percent lower than in the same period last year.
Link:
http://www.philly.com/philly/opinion/20120802_Taking_the_Marcellus_Shale_gas_boom_from_rush_to_responsibility.html

Low Gas Prices Have Not Slowed Renewable Energy But Will They In The Future?
John Hanger's Facts of The Day
Blog
Aug 1
Since 2008, times have been exceptionally good for both natural gas and renewable energy.  Both have boomed, with natural gas setting records for production in 2011, and with renewables providing more energy than nuclear power last year.
Link:
http://johnhanger.blogspot.com/2012/08/low-gas-prices-have-not-slowed.html

Act 13 Ruled Unconstitutional: What Happens Now?
Canon-McMillan Patch
Jesse White, State Representative, 46th District
Aug 1
Last week, the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court declared portions of Act 13, the law passed earlier this year regarding natural gas drilling in the Marcellus and Utica Shale, to be unconstitutional.
The specific parts struck down dealt with the preemption, or taking away, of the rights of municipalities to use zoning ordinances to ensure safety, accountability and responsibility in oil and gas development. Our region figured prominently in the fight: Cecil, Mt. Pleasant, Robinson, South Fayette and Peters Townships were all plaintiffs, and as a legislator I filed an amicus curiae brief in support of the effort.
Link:
http://canon-mcmillan.patch.com/articles/act-13-ruled-unconstitutional-what-happens-now

Gas drilling regulation becomes more local
The Mercury
Editorial
Aug 1
The controversies surrounding natural gas extraction in Pennsylvania just got closer to home.
Issues involving local and regional regulation of drilling operations versus the desires of the natural gas industry could roost in the region’s backyards with the revelation that western Montgomery and southeastern Berks counties are home to natural gas reserves.
Link:
http://www.pottsmerc.com/article/20120801/OPINION01/120809987/gas-drilling-regulation-becomes-more-local

Group urges limit on drilling
Indiana Gazette
Sam Kusic
July 31
In light of a state court ruling that struck down part of a law establishing standard zoning rules for oil and gas wells, a local group said it intends to renew its push for an absolute ban on wells in protected zones around Indiana County parks.
Link:
http://www.indianagazette.com/a_news/article_8155c4d7-631c-5281-9b78-a49e2c2f0ae3.html

AG seeking appeal of Shipman sentencing
Observer-Reporter
Bob Niedbala
Aug 1
The state attorney general has filed a notice of appeal seeking to overturn Greene County Judge Farley Toothman’s sentencing of Robert Allan Shipman.
Link:
http://www.observer-reporter.com/or/story11/Shipman

Pa. court orders release of documents to paper
CDT
AP
July 31
HARRISBURG, PA. — A state appeals court has ordered environmental officials to turn over documents related to gas drilling requested by an eastern Pennsylvania newspaper under the Right To Know Law even if doing so would be difficult.
Link:
http://www.centredaily.com/2012/07/31/3280976/pa-court-orders-release-of-documents.html

Shell says cracker plant under evaluation
New Castle News
Debbie Wachter
Aug 1
NEW CASTLE — Shell Oil’s proposal to build its petrochemical plant in Beaver County is being evaluated, a company spokesman said Tuesday night.
Link:
http://www.ncnewsonline.com/topstories/x1962236660/Shell-says-cracker-plant-under-evaluation

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