Monday, October 29, 2012

PA Marcellus News Digest 10/29/12

PA Marcellus News Digest
October 29, 2012

Release

White: State caught red-handed illegally withholding impact fees
Court sides with local townships and tells PUC to ‘cease and desist’ from reviewing ordinances
Oct 26
Commonwealth Court today ordered that the state Public Utility Commission had no authority to review local gas drilling ordinances and subsequently withhold Marcellus Shale drilling impact fee payments in four townships challenging the state’s drilling law, announced state Rep. Jesse White, D-Allegheny/Beaver/Washington, who fought the agency's decision.

Articles

Environmentalists' report finds health effects from Marcellus drilling
Central Penn Business Journal
Tim Stuhldreher
Oct 23
The Marcellus Shale Coalition is disputing a report released last week that says natural-gas drilling in Pennsylvania's Marcellus Shale regions is harming the health of people nearby.

State's Marcellus Shale drilling fee miscalculated
Post-Gazette
Laura Olson
Oct 27
Implementation of the state's new Marcellus Shale gas drilling law has hit more obstacles, with officials saying they miscalculated how much some towns will receive in new fees and a state judge ordering a halt to ongoing ordinance reviews.

DEP plans hearing on natural gas turbine at German Twp. compressor station
Herald Standard
Oct 26
The state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) will host an open house and public hearing on a permit application from Laurel Mountain Midstream LLC for the construction and operation of a natural gas-burning turbine, emergency generator and other new equipment at its Shamrock Compressor Station in German Township on Tuesday.

Water contamination complaints filed due to drilling
Times Online
Rachel Morgan
Oct 25
Over the past two years, there were 11 complaints filed in Beaver County with the state Department of Environmental Protection by residents who claimed their water was contaminated because of oil and gas activity, DEP officials said.

Superstar of natural gas: With the Marcellus Shale, Pa. is becoming a responsible energy capital
Post-Gazette
Michael Krancer and Patrick Henderson
Oct 29
Recent reports from Standard & Poor's and ITG Investment Research show the amount of recoverable gas in the Marcellus Shale play may be much greater than any previous government estimate. This is good news. Real American energy security and a real force in American job growth are available to us right now -- if we continue to make the right decisions to obtain and use what we have right here.

Use Marcellus Shale wisely to alleviate Pennsylvania pension crisis
Patriot-News
Heather Long
Oct 28
What’s on voters’ minds? The Patriot-News asks every candidate we interview what they are hearing as they travel the state. Those running for Congress say what you would expect: The economy and jobs are at the top of people’s concern list.

Pennsylvania miscalculated shale gas impact money for local governments
Pitt Trib
Tom Fontaine  and Mike Wereschagin
Oct 26
The state Public Utility Commission said on Friday that it miscalculated how much drilling-impact fee money it will dole out to local governments by up to $1 million.

Oil, gas industry urged to be more transparent
Post-Gazette
Don Hopey
Oct 25
The rapidly expanding oil and gas industry is not required to report toxic chemical releases related to drilling and hydraulic fracturing to federal regulators like many other industries, but 17 environmental groups say it should.

Pa. utility agency scolded by judge, admits error
Patriot-News
AP
Oct 26
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission was ordered Friday by a state judge to stop reviewing or challenging municipal ordinances that affect natural gas drilling, the same day the agency admitted to miscalculating how much money some municipalities will receive from the booming drilling industry.

Friday, October 26, 2012

PA Marcellus News Digest 10/26/12


PA Marcellus News Digest
October 26, 2012

Release

DEP to Hold Public Meeting, Hearing for Fayette Energy Facility Air Permit
DEP Newsroom
Oct 26
PITTSBURGH -- The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection will hold a public meeting and hearing on Thursday, Nov. 8, to answer questions and accept comments regarding an air quality operating permit for the Fayette Energy Facility in German Township, Fayette County.
Link:
http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/news_releases/14288

Articles

Court Bars Public Utility Commission From Reviewing Drilling Ordinances
NPR State Impact
Scott Detrow
Oct 26
Link:
http://stateimpact.npr.org/pennsylvania/2012/10/26/court-bars-public-utility-commission-from-reviewing-drilling-ordinances/

Pennsylvania recalculating distributions from Marcellus Shale fee
Post-Gazette
Laura Olson
Oct 26
HARRISBURG -- State officials said this morning that they miscalculated the amount that some towns will receive from the new Marcellus Shale drilling impact fee, and that they are working to fix the error.
Link:
http://old.post-gazette.com/pg/12300/1272112-454.stm

Marcellus Shale business merger activity slows
Bloomberg Businessweek
Kevin Begos, AP
Oct 25
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The wheeling and dealing over the natural gas-rich Marcellus Shale has hit the pause button.
Marcellus mergers and acquisition activity fell to zero in the third quarter of 2012, after major energy companies spent tens of billions of dollars over the last three years, according to a quarterly report Thursday of the financial firm PricewaterhouseCoopers. In the previous quarter, the deals totaled $1.6 billion.
Link:
http://www.businessweek.com/ap/2012-10-25/marcellus-shale-business-merger-activity-slows

Philadelphia City Councilman Wants to Use Marcellus Shale Gas to Revive PGW
NPR State Impact
Susan Phillips
Oct 26
Link:
http://stateimpact.npr.org/pennsylvania/2012/10/26/philadelphia-city-councilman-wants-to-use-marcellus-shale-gas-to-revive-pgw/

Commonwealth Court to PUC: 'Cease and Desist'—Release the Impact Fee Money
Canon-McMillan Patch
Amanda Gillooly
Oct 26
The state Commonwealth Court today ordered that the state Public Utility Commission had no authority to review local gas drilling ordinances and subsequently withhold Marcellus Shale drilling impact fee payments in four townships challenging the state’s drilling law, announced state Rep. Jesse White.
Link:
http://canon-mcmillan.patch.com/articles/commonwealth-court-to-puc-cease-and-desist-release-the-impact-fee-money

Thursday, October 25, 2012

PA Marcellus News Digest 10/25/12

PA Marcellus News Digest
October 25, 2012

Release

DEP to Hold Open House, Public Hearing about New Equipment Installation at Fayette County Compressor Station
DEP Newsroom
Oct 25
PITTSBURGH -- The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection will host an open house and public hearing on Tuesday, Oct. 30, about a permit application from Laurel Mountain Midstream LLC for the construction and operation of new equipment at its Shamrock Compressor Station in German Township, Fayette County.
Link:
http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/newsroom/14287?id=19721&typeid=1

Articles

Fracked up: Seismic tests continue in New Beaver
Times Online
Eric Poole
Oct 24
NEW BEAVER — The Marcellus shale boom is heading into full swing throughout Lawrence County, with a tangible presence not just on remote farms in the area, but along some of the county’s most well-traveled roads.
Link:
http://www.timesonline.com/news/local_news/fracked-up-seismic-tests-continue-in-new-beaver/article_f40b3dab-fbf0-5922-9c2c-a97c23d966b1.html

‘Missing’ gas money still being researched
Sun-Gazette
Matt Hutchinson
Oct 24
Lycoming County Department of Planning and Community Development Deputy Director William Kelly said Tuesday after the county commissioners' work session that his office is working with city officials to determine why a nearly $278,000 shortfall from natural gas impact fees has not been recorded for Williamsport.
Link:
http://www.sungazette.com/page/content.detail/id/584895/-Missing--gas-money-still-being-researched.html?nav=5011

Pampers Plant a Model of Sustainability
NPR State Impact
Susan Phillips
Oct 25
Link:
http://stateimpact.npr.org/pennsylvania/2012/10/25/pampers-plant-a-model-of-sustainability/

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

PA Marcellus News Digest 10/24/12

PA Marcellus News Digest
October 24, 2012

Articles

Gas glut may be good for cracker plant
Times Online
Rachel Morgan
Oct 23
The reasons for Shell to move into Beaver County keep piling up.
Link:
http://www.timesonline.com/news/local_news/gas-glut-may-be-good-for-cracker-plant/article_7e82d36e-a55f-5992-95b6-af9784f1ca86.html

Senate bill would ease use of mine water in drilling
Observer-Reporter
Christie Campbell
Oct 24
A bill that provides liability protection for natural gas drilling companies using abandoned mine water for hydraulic fracturing has passed the state Senate.
Link:
http://www.observer-reporter.com/or/story11/10-24-2012-Drilling-water

14 eco groups ask Pa. to change drill/water policy
CDT
Kevin Begos, AP
Oct 23
PITTSBURGH — Fourteen environmental groups have asked Republican Gov. Tom Corbett to reverse a recent change in how official notifications of possible water pollution related to Marcellus Shale natural gas drilling are handled. But state officials say the public still gets the information it needs.
Link:
http://www.centredaily.com/2012/10/23/3379211/14-environmental-groups-ask-pa.html

Withdrawn challenge clears way for Mount Pleasant to get share of natural gas fee
Post-Gazette
Laura Olson
Oct 24
HARRISBURG -- Officials in Washington County's Mount Pleasant will soon be receiving the sixth-largest check from drilling impact fees of any Pennsylvania municipality, after a challenge to their local ordinance was withdrawn.
Link:
http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/washington/challenge-withdrawn-clearing-way-for-mount-pleasant-to-get-share-of-natural-gas-fee-658879/

Hardcore Fractivists Prepare to Raise the Stakes
NPR State Impact
Susan Phillips
Oct 24
Link:
http://stateimpact.npr.org/pennsylvania/2012/10/24/hardcore-fractivists-prepare-to-raise-the-stakes/

Environmental groups press DEP to rescind policy on reporting contamination
Timothy Puko
Pitt Trib
Oct 23
Pennsylvania is risking the health and welfare of its residents by requiring extra administrative oversight before giving water contamination notices to citizens, 14 groups wrote in a letter to Gov. Tom Corbett they released on Tuesday.
Link:
http://triblive.com/news/2825939-74/letter-officials-groups-contamination-dep-agency-based-management-notices-policy#axzz2ADBjcI2l

Dimock families' appeal of state methane fix ends
Times-Tribune
Laura Legere
Oct 24
A legal challenge to the state's remedies for Dimock Twp.'s methane-tainted water supplies ended late last week after an attorney for the protesting families withdrew their appeals.
Link:
http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/dimock-families-appeal-of-state-methane-fix-ends-1.1392905

Reader says parks head fired despite excellence
Times Leader
Ed Lawrence
Opinion
Oct 23
Nothing succeeds like success, but not, apparently, in the Gov. Tom Corbett administration, where the color code of choice for the current reign of terror is the pink slip. Take your job seriously, as the head of our state park system John Norbeck did, and you lose it.
Link:
http://timesleader.com/detail.html?sub_id=220275

Sierra Club testimony on the forced resignation of John Norbeck, Director of PA State Parks


TESTIMONY OF JEFF SCHMIDT, DIRECTOR, SIERRA CLUB PENNSYLVANIA CHAPTER


Contact:
Jeff Schmidt
717-232-0101

OCTOBER 24, 2012  HEARING ON STATE PARKS MANAGEMENT ISSUES BEFORE THE HOUSE DEMOCRATIC POLICY COMMITTEE


I would like to thank the members of the House Democratic Policy Committee for scheduling today's hearing.  As you know, the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee has formal oversight jurisdiction over the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.  However the Majority Chairman has failed to respond to requests by Committee members and the public to investigate the actions of DCNR in light of the forced resignation of the Director of State Parks, and the major policy changes that are occurring in DCNR with no public knowledge or input.


I am here today, on behalf of the Sierra Club's more than 24,000 members in Pennsylvania.  Throughout the Commonwealth, our members spend much of their free time enjoying our beautiful state parks and forests.  Our members and their friends and families hike, paddle, fish, hunt, camp and just simply relax on these lands that are supposed to be held in trust for their use and enjoyment.  Our members benefit from the clean drinking water that flows from our public lands. However, increasingly, these traditional users of our public lands are being displaced by those who only wish to exploit our public lands for their commercial profits. 


The history of Pennsylvania's public lands management includes visionaries such as Governor Gifford Pinchot and DER Secretary Maurice "Doc" Goddard.  They knew that it was important to set aside protected lands for use by future generations.  They knew that parks and forests could protect headwaters to provide clean drinking water supplies for millions.  They understood the importance of large blocks of unfragmented land to serve as habitat for wide variety of wildlife species.   Because of their leadership, we have 2.1 million acres of state forest land and approaching 300,000 acres of state park lands.  The management philosophy they established placed conservation of our natural systems at the heart of land use decision-making.  Goddard appointed conservation professionals to manage the parks and forests.  Doc Goddard wanted to keep our parks accessible to people, and set a goal to establish a state park within 25 miles of every Pennsylvanian.  He got the support of a succession of Republican and Democratic governors to build the state park system.  Today, we are the beneficiaries of his legacy, and the bipartisan cooperation that made it possible.   


AWARD WINNING PARKS DIRECTOR ABRUPTLY TERMINATED
The conservation legacy of Pinchot and Goddard are threatened by a new breed of decision-makers.  These are people who want to exploit our state parks for short-term profit, at the expense of the environment and the public.  And they are willing to roll over anyone who gets in their way.  One of the prominent casualties in this change in management goals for our public lands is John Norbeck, who until last week, was the Director of State Parks.  Mr. Norbeck, who spent 29 years managing state parks in Maryland, came to Pennsylvania to become Director of State Parks in 2006.  Under his leadership, the 120-unit Pennsylvania State Park system won the Gold Medal for excellence in Park and Recreation Management in 2009.    On October 1, Mr. Norbeck received a termination letter that told him he had an option to resign.  John Norbeck's forced resignation was effective last Friday, October 19.   


Why was Mr. Norbeck terminated?  In the last year, there has been mounting pressure to increase the revenue from state parks.   While the Corbett administration blocked passage of a severance tax on natural gas drilling, it has cut traditional sources of funding for DEP and DCNR's environmental programs, including parks and forests.   DCNR management is under pressure to generate more revenue to fill the hole that could have been filled by a severance tax.  Mr. Norbeck is one of the conservation professionals who refused to alter park management policies to accommodate the new drive for revenues.  He paid the price.


Examples of Mr. Norbeck's efforts to hold the line on conservation principles, some of which were documented in an article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette include:


-  COMMERCIAL LOGGING of state parks was raised by Mr. Norbeck's immediate superior Deputy Secretary for Parks and Forests Ellen Ferretti.  Ms. Ferretti wanted to open Ricketts Glen State Park to commercial timber harvesting, but Mr. Norbeck disagreed, pointing out it was against DCNR policy, and that the revenue would be minimal.  Ricketts Glen includes one of the largest remaining old growth stands of forest in Pennsylvania.


-  COMMERCIAL MINING at Laurel Ridge State Park.  Amerikohl executives have been pressuring DCNR to allow them to extend a nearby mine into the state park to exploit a limestone deposit there.  Twice Amerikohl was told no, that it is against DCNR policy to mine in state parks.   Amerikohl got a third meeting with DCNR scheduled, to occur after Mr. Norbeck's termination.  At this time, we do not know the outcome of Amerikohl's most recent meeting.   As the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article pointed out, Amerikohl executives contributed more than $32,000 to Governor Corbett's political campaigns. 


-  GAS DRILLING in state parks.  Unfortunately, when land was acquired for many of our state parks, the associated mineral rights were not acquired.  Thus, mineral rights for approximately 80% of state park lands are severed, and in private hands.  DCNR had a policy to try to purchase mineral rights for DCNR lands when possible, using funding from the Oil and Gas Lease Fund.   However, the Corbett administration has diverted O & G Lease Fund money to the state's General Fund.  Administration spokepersons have said that they will be unable to prevent drilling on park lands where they don't own the mineral rights.   One of the parks in the cross-hairs of the drilling industry is Ohiopyle State Park, in southwestern PA.  Ohiopyle is an extremely popular park and a major tourist draw.  If drilling occurs there, it will be at the expense of tourism and recreation, the backbone of the regional economy. 


When John Norbeck was told he was terminated, he asked why.  He had a succession of glowing performance evaluations during his tenure through both the Rendell and Corbett administrations.  Adam Gingrich, Special Assistant and Director of Operations and Strategic Initiatives who reports directly to Secretary Richard Allan, told Norbeck that the "administration has decided to go in a different direction."    What is the different direction being charted for DCNR's public lands?  Mr. Gingrich, a Republican political operative, was installed in DCNR by the Governor's office, but has no public lands management experience.


A PATTERN OF INCREASING OPAQUENESS
John Norbeck was not the first person in DCNR who was terminated by the new Corbett administration political appointees.  Kurt Leithoff, Director of DCNR's Conservation and Natural Resources Advisory Committee (CNRAC) was abruptly forced to resign in January, 2012 by Secretary Allan, with no input from CNRAC.  The CNRAC has hiring and firing authority for its staff.  CNRAC was created by Act 18 of 1995, the same legislation that created DCNR, to serve as an independent oversight committee for DCNR.  Mr. Leithoff was hired as CNRAC's first, and only Director till his termination.  Like Norbeck, Leithoff was given an option to resign, or he would be fired.   CNRAC was notified of Leithoff's forced resignation at the same time Leithoff learned of it.  DCNR arbitrarily cut CNRAC's annual budget of $200,000 by 90%, preventing CNRAC from hiring a replacement.  Leithoff's assistant Joan Dupes was moved to another DCNR position, and replaced by part-time assistant Deb Miller, who had no background in CNRAC's affairs.


Since Leithoff's forced resignation, CNRAC members have been frustrated in their attempts to get information necessary to perform their DCNR oversight functions.  A special investigative report by PA Public Radio uncovered political interference in decisions about scientific research funding for a series of studies in Pennsylvania on environmental impacts of gas drilling and also climate change.   CNRAC demanded documentation to learn why the Corbett administration interfered with the traditional grant-making process for scientific studies, and was largely ignored by DCNR.   In fact, interference in DCNR decision-making by the Governor's office was documented in the Public Radio investigation.  That interference resulted in elimination of funding for four separate scientific studies.  Why does the Corbett administration fear scientific research into the impacts of fossil fuels?  Campaign contributions from the mining and oil and gas industry?


The extreme frustration felt by CNRAC members went public in September, 2012 when long-time CNRAC appointee Paulette Viola of Slippery Rock University submitted her letter of resignation, citing DCNR's increasing lack of transparency, stating that DCNR "had thwarted Council efforts to study drilling policy on public lands."  Viola, appointed to CNRAC by House Speaker Sam Smith, served on CNRAC since its creation in 1995, during the Ridge administration.  Viola complained that DCNR has been making unilateral changes to policy, with no consultation with CNRAC.


Without its own staff, CNRAC members are also largely cut off from the public, who has frequently contacted CNRAC to express concerns about agency actions.  Attempts to forward information to Council members are thwarted by a new policy.  CNRAC's Part-time administrative assistant informed me that she is prohibited from sending Council members any information, unless approved by high-level DCNR staff.  E-mail addresses, phone numbers and mailing addresses for CNRAC members are not available through the website page DCNR has created for CNRAC.


DCNR'S GENERAL FUND BUDGET IS INCREASINGLY DEPENDENT ON NATURAL RESOURCE EXPLOITATION
Last year, Governor Corbett's FY 2100-2012 budget cut DCNR's General Fund appropriations by 30%, so that the state's General Fund provided for less than 1/5 of DCNR's entire operating budget.  More than 1/3 of DCNR's entire operating budget - $95 million - came from resource extraction- drilling for gas and cutting timber.  This year's budget 2012 - 2013 continues the relentless cuts that DCNR has faced for half a decade, cutting DCNR's General Fund by another 5%.  DCNR's general fund budget is only about 2/3 of what it was when the agency was created 17 years ago.


Worse, DCNR is still dependent on gas drilling for its operating budget - $69.5 million in gas royalties from the Oil and Gas Lease Fund is used to fund DCNR operations, which is 1.4 times the General Fund appropriation and DCNR's largest source of operating money.  $26 million of royalties is being used to keep state parks open - at significantly reduced levels of service.  State forest operations fare even worse - its General Fund appropriation is less than $5.5 million.  $45 million in gas royalties and timber sales are keeping the state forest system going.


The bottom line:  Pennsylvania's conservation agency is dependent on resource extraction for its operating budget.  Is that conservation?  Is that sustainable?  The public expects and depends on DCNR to provide them with public lands that help maintain a high quality of life, and an environment free from industrial activities and pollution and a place safe for their families to enjoy.  What are the budget implications for next fiscal year?  Could they be driving Deputy Secretary Ellen Ferretti's interest in timbering, drilling and mining on state park land?  Ms. Ferretti has no background in public lands management. 


Does the Corbett administration plan to further privatize state parks and forests, or their management?  Will we see new proposals to turn our state parks into resorts that benefit a developer with big campaign contributions?    Does the Governor plan to replace DCNR wage staff with prison inmates, as he suggested to the Wilkes-Barre Times Leader?


GAS DRILLING IN STATE PARKS:  RECENT DCNR COMMENTS CONFLICT WITH EARLIER STATEMENTS
Unfortunately, within our state park system, the Commonwealth only owns about 20% of the mineral rights.   The Marcellus Shale formation underlays 61 of our 120 state parks.  DCNR needs to make public the list of parks that  are being explored for gas.  They also need to tell us what parks have been identified by owners/lessees of mineral rights as possible candidates for exploration.  We have read that seismic testing has occurred adjacent to Ohiopyle State Park.  What is DCNR's response, and plan to manage this activity?  Previously DCNR officials have said they are powerless to prevent drilling in parks where they don't own the mineral rights. But recently DCNR Secretary Allan proclaimed in a letter to the editor defending Norbeck's termination that "We have not and are not considering drilling in state parks."    Which is it?   Secretary Allan has no background in public lands management.


GAS DRILLING IN STATE FORESTS:  DCNR FAILS TO EXERCISE ITS AUTHORITY TO PROTECT SPECTACULAR TOURIST DESTINATION
In the 2.1 million acres Pennsylvania State Forest system, DCNR owns approximately 80% of the mineral rights for gas drilling, while approximately 20% are privately held.  Approximately 700,000 acres, or fully 1/3 of the state forests are available to the drilling industry, between what the Bureau of Forestry has leased, and what mineral rights are held privately.   As is the case in state parks, DCNR has stated that they have little ability to control the surface impacts of drilling activities, where they do not own the mineral rights.  However, in one spectacular part of the Loyalsock State Forest, which includes parts of Lycoming and Sullivan counties, DCNR has legal authority to limit surface impacts, but they refuse to acknowledge that authority.


The Old Loggers' Path is a nationally recognized hiking destination in the Pennsylvania Wilds, that DCNR says "offers stunning vistas and clear, cold, cascading streams."  The 27-mile loop trail falls within the Loyalsock State Forest, which also includes Rock Run, a designated exceptional value watershed. DCNR's literature that promotes tourism in the area says, "Few streams in Pennsylvania can match Rock Run's rich tapestry of deep, crystal-clear pools, cascading waterfalls, and massive, weathered rock formations.


While the mineral rights were severed from the land in 1933, when it was sold to the state, the deed to the land only allowed mineral rights access to the surface for 50 years.  In 1983, the surface access rights expired, and Commonwealth Court ruled in 1989 that the mineral rights owner had no surface access rights.  In 1999, the Commonwealth Court ruling was upheld by the PA Board of Claims.  The mineral rights were later sold sold to energy companies, including Anadarko Petroleum Company.


In recent months, Anadarko has been privately meeting with DCNR, and are planning to drill on up to 18,780 acres in the Loyalsock State Forest in the vicinity of the Old Loggers' Path and Rock Run.  DCNR has given Anadarko permission to lay out their development plans in the targeted area, while the public was kept in the dark.  When conservationists learned of the unique authority DCNR had to protect this special location, 6 conservation organizations sent a letter to Secretary Allan on September 7, 2012, asking him to disclose the plans for the forest, and to hold public hearings on the plan.  Our letter pointed out the authority DCNR has in this specific situation, and urged Secretary Allan to exercise that authority.  More than 6 weeks later, we have gotten no response from Secretary Allan.  Hundreds of people have rallied to support the protection of the Loyalsock State Forest and Rock Run.  Meanwhile, DCNR's press office put out a statement concerning the Loyalsock drilling issue that said, "There is no precedent for holding a public meeting on a development plan."


This is an example of the changes in public lands management philosophy that are taking place within the Corbett DCNR.  From promoting areas of the Pennsylvania Wilds as a scenic wonderland that can benefit regional tourism, to secret closed-door meetings with gas drilling companies to plan to drill those very same places, ignoring their legal authority to protect the land for the public.  If they refuse to use their authority to protect Rock Run, how long can we expect them to keep the current state forest gas leasing moratorium in place?  If they are open to allow mining at Laurel Ridge State Park by a campaign contributor to the Governor, will Ridley Creek be far behind?  If they want to start logging Ricketts Glen State Park, will Cook Forest be next?  DCNR has no legal authority to allow commercial mining and logging in our state parks.  Will that stop them?


The Corbett administration has been quietly dismantling its independent and public oversight, by firing CNRAC's Executive Director Kurt Leithoff, and refusing to provide requested information to the Advisory Committee.  DCNR stonewalls on public requests to provide information about OUR public lands.  When a DCNR conservation professional dares to disagree with the new vision to exploit our state parks for short-term gain, he is forced to resign.   DCNR employee morale is at an all-time low.  Senior management is monitoring agency staff calendars and phone calls, and reading staff e-mails.  


We urge the members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly to take action to stop the drive to exploit our public lands at the expense of future generations.  We need to halt the purge of dedicated conservation professionals. We must return the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to an agency that conserves OUR lands, rather than exploit them for short-term profits.  We need agency staff with backgrounds in conservation, not political appointees who know the price of everything, and the value of nothing.   


Thank you for your interest.

Jeff Schmidt

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Groups Urge Gov. Corbett to Reverse Policy That Delays Warning Public of Fracking Water Pollution

For Immediate Release: October 23, 2012


CONTACTS:
Deborah Goldberg, Earthjustice, 212-845-7377
Karen Feridun, Berks Gas Truth, 610-678-7726
Steve Hvozdovich, Clean Water Action, 412-765-3053 x 210
Tracy Carluccio, Delaware Riverkeeper Network, 215-692-2329
Thomas Au, Sierra Club, 717-234-7445


Groups Urge Gov. Corbett to Reverse Policy That Delays Warning Public of Fracking Water Pollution
New policy puts public at risk, adds unnecessary red-tape

Harrisburg, PA-- A coalition of regional, state, and local groups is calling on Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett to reverse a new policy that would delay warning the public of water pollution from oil and gas development. Until now, regional Department of Environmental Protection offices had issued warnings, or“notices of contamination,”directly to the public based on the analysis of water samples by DEP geologists and water quality specialists. Under the new policy, the public is not warned until after senior Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) management in Harrisburg is notified.

“When water supplies are polluted, the public should be warned immediately so affected residents can take steps to protect themselves. They should not have to wait until after the news has passed through several layers of bureaucracy and political interference,” said Deborah Goldberg, managing attorney at the environmental law organization Earthjustice.

The coalition demanded the policy be reversed, in a letter sent via Federal Express yesterday by Earthjustice on behalf of 13 groups: Berks Gas Truth, Clean Water Action, Damascus Citizens For Sustainability, Delaware Riverkeeper Network, Gas Drilling Awareness Coalition of Luzerne County, PA, Lehigh Valley Gas Truth, Lower Susquehanna Riverkeeper, Marcellus Outreach Butler, Mountain Watershed Association, PA Forest Coalition, Protecting Our Waters, Sierra Club - Pennsylvania Chapter, and Three Rivers Waterkeeper.

The new policy seems designed specifically to accommodate the controversial oil and gas extraction process known as hydraulic fracturing or fracking – in which drillers blast millions of gallons of water mixed with secret chemicals deep into the earth to extract the gas.

“This change in procedure is unnecessary and, more than that, it’s a dangerous policy,” said Karen Feridun, Founder of Berks Gas Truth.  “Requiring approval from Harrisburg will needlessly delay providing Pennsylvanians with vital information about the safety of their water.  Considering that the chemicals used in fracking have been linked to nausea, lung irritation, skin rashes, vomiting, dizziness, and even cancer, citizens should not be forced to wait an additional minute while political decisions are made to notify the public about possible exposure to these chemicals.”

The new policy was announced in an internal departmental memorandum, without public notice or an opportunity to comment.  “With this secretive change in policy, DEP has violated fundamental democratic values of transparency and public participation,” said Thomas Au, conservation chair of the Sierra Club - Pennsylvania chapter.  “Changing processes that have serious health implications, without public input goes directly against DEP’s stated mission to ‘work as partners with individuals…… to prevent pollution and restore our natural resources.’”

The oil and gas industry in Pennsylvania already enjoys considerable leeway. A study by Clean Water Action found that in 2011 there were more than one thousand violations by gas drilling companies cited by DEP, yet 9 out of 10 of these polluters were not fined. And under the new policy, water contamination is likely to go under-reported, leading to even looser enforcement of water protections.

“The DEP geologists and water quality specialists who are uniquely qualified to make water contamination decisions cannot help but be chilled by the knowledge that their superiors will be second-guessing their scientific determinations,” said Maya van Rossum, Delaware Riverkeeper, Delaware Riverkeeper Network.  “The message is clear that the fewer notifications sent to DEP headquarters, the better.  And with fewer notifications comes the likelihood that incidents affecting water quality may not be addressed.”

Pennsylvania is in the midst of an unprecedented gas drilling rush brought on by fracking in the region’s Marcellus Shale deposit. Along with this fracking-enabled gas rush have come troubling reports of poisoned drinking water, polluted rivers, lakes and streams, mysterious animal deaths, industrial disasters and explosions. More than one million people still get their water from private sources and many public water supplies draw from rivers and streams in the Marcellus Shale region. 

“Pennsylvania is being held up nationwide as a poster child for gas development gone wrong. And this new policy certainly won’t do anything to change its reputation,” said Steve Hvozdovich, Marcellus Shale Policy Associate for Clean Water Action. “It’s high time that state leaders stop granting favors to the oil and gas industry at the expense of public health.” 

PA Marcellus News Digest 10/23/12

PA Marcellus News Digest
October 23, 2012

Release

Binghamton New York Mayor Matt Ryan, Citizens and Affected Pennsylvania Residents Call for Stop to Constitution Pipeline
Gas Industry Must Stop Bullying Rural Communities with Eminent Domain, Endangering Public Health
Wallaby
Oct 23
Binghamton, New York—Mayor Matt Ryan, NY residents who stand to be affected by the Constitution Pipeline, and Pennsylvania residents who have been negatively affected by similar pipelines, detailed objections to the Constitution Pipeline. If built, the Constitution Pipeline would go from near Binghamton to near Albany in New York.  Speakers at the press conference raised concerns of eminent domain and public health endangerment.
Link:
http://wallaby.telicon.com/PA/library/2012/2012102382.HTM

Articles

Environmental groups ask governor to rescind water policy
Post-Gazette
Don Hopey
Oct 23
Fourteen environmental groups have asked Gov. Tom Corbett to reverse a recent policy change that puts decisions about water contamination complaints related to Marcellus Shale drilling in the hands of the department's top administrators instead of water scientists.
Link:
http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/state/environmental-groups-ask-governor-to-rescind-water-policy-658786/

Meeting on wells planned in Bear Lake
Times Observer
Ben Klein
Oct 23
A public information meeting will be held on the proposed injection wells in Columbus Township at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Bear Lake Fire Hall.
Link:
http://www.timesobserver.com/page/content.detail/id/560462/Meeting-on-wells-planned-in-Bear-Lake.html?nav=5006

Latest Pennsylvania Senate Ad Highlights So-Called “War On Coal”
NPR State Impact
Scott Detrow
Oct 23
(includes video)
Link:
http://stateimpact.npr.org/pennsylvania/2012/10/23/latest-pennsylvania-senate-ad-highlights-so-called-war-on-coal/

Report: Drilling good for economy, as long as it's in your county
Times-Tribune
Elizabeth Skrapits
Oct 23
A report released Monday by a local think tank indicates Northeast Pennsylvania is seeing job creation and related benefits from natural gas drilling - but only in the counties where it's taking place.
Link:
http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/report-drilling-good-for-economy-as-long-as-it-s-in-your-county-1.1392157

Tell leaders of natural gas worries
Post-Gazette
Mary Anne Heston
Opinion
Oct 22
I read with interest Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Michael Krancer's recent statement regarding the state's Air Quality program:
"We in Pennsylvania have a lengthy and successful history of regulating the oil and gas industry, and we are ensuring that this state and this country realize the full promise of abundant, domestic, cheap, clean-burning natural gas extracted and brought to market in an environmentally sensitive manner."
Link:
http://pipeline.post-gazette.com/news/archives/24870-opinion-tell-leaders-of-natural-gas-worries

State Supreme Court should preserve municipal autonomy, uphold Act 13 ruling
Daily Local
Opinion
Oct 21
There’s an inherent trade-off to Pennsylvania’s system of municipal government: We gain proximity and easy access to local decision makers, but sometimes pay for it with fiscal and operational inefficiencies.
Link:
http://www.dailylocal.com/article/20121021/OPINION03/121019526/state-supreme-court-should-preserve-municipal-autonomy-uphold-act-13-ruling

Monday, October 22, 2012

PA Marcellus News Digest 10/22/12

PA Marcellus News Digest
October 22, 2012

Articles

A Look At Who Might Be Setting Federal Energy Policy Next Year
NPR State Impact
Scott Detrow
Oct 22

Four Townships Say They’re Still Owed Impact Fee Money
NPR State Impact
Susan Phillips
Oct 19

DCNR has no intention to permit parks drilling
Post-Gazette
Richard Allan, DCNR Secretary
Letter to the Editor
Oct 21
Your editorial attacking the Corbett administration over the resignation of John Norbeck as state parks director ("Abrupt Exit: The State Parks Are Losing a Friend and Protector," Oct. 13) was built around the faulty premise that he was forced out over a difference of opinion about whether to permit gas drilling, commercial timbering and strip mining on state park lands. These inaccuracies could have been prevented had your reporter telephoned for comment about them, but he did not.

Forum to discuss Marcellus Shale Documentary Project
Post-Gazette
Oct 21
A community forum will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday in conjunction with the "Marcellus Shale Documentary Project" exhibition at Pittsburgh Filmmakers Galleries, 477 Melwood Ave., Oakland.

Counties prepare wish lists ahead of gas impact fees
Observer-Reporter
Barbara S. Miller and Jon Stevens
Oct 21
The Washington County Public Safety Department’s 12-year-old hazardous materials truck, before being refurbished and put into service, was used to deliver beer.
It’s becoming difficult to find replacement parts, so Director Jeff Yates would like to replace it at a cost of $200,000.
That’s just one of the entries on a so-called wish list sent to the Washington County commissioners by department heads who were asked to submit their priorities for use of the county’s approximately $4 million Marcellus Shale natural gas drilling impact fee share.

Reports: Marcellus reserves larger than expected
Centre Daily Times
Kevin Begos, AP
Oct 20
PITTSBURGH — There's been plenty of debate over the Marcellus Shale natural gas field, but new research adds a twist that could impact political and environmental battles. Two independent financial firms say the Marcellus isn't just the biggest natural gas field in the country - it's the cheapest place for energy companies to drill.

Spectra protest raises radioactive issues for Marcellus Shale gas
E&E News, EnergyWire
Colin Sullivan
Oct 22
(full text)
NEW YORK -- Protesters opposed to Spectra Energy Corp. building a natural gas pipeline into Manhattan have been hammering a new theme for the past few weeks, arguing that gas fracked from the Marcellus Shale would heighten exposure to radiation and increase lung cancer rates here.

The gist of their campaign is that gas cracked out of bedrock in Appalachian states that make up the Marcellus play by the process known as hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, has more radon content than gas from other regions.

This effort to halt Spectra in its tracks has taken its cues from the Occupy Wall Street movement, naming itself Occupy the Pipeline. Among the tactics have been dozens of activists disrobing and painting themselves green and several climbing atop construction equipment on the west side of Manhattan until removed or arrested -- all of which has gained them notoriety with local media.

But in terms of content, the protests have taken on a different tone than anti-fracking uprisings elsewhere. The radon line of argument appears to be Occupy the Pipeline's unique battle cry, as the activists warn that millions of apartment dwellers in New York could be exposed to mini-bursts of radiation through stoves and heating systems.

Whether the Marcellus is more radioactive than other shale formations is not in doubt: The region does have significant deposits of uranium and thorium whose byproducts can end up mixed in with natural gas. But whether that radioactivity would actually end up flaring up from a Greenwich Village stovetop at dangerous levels is very much in question.

Their claims are based on the work of Marvin Resnikoff, a retired physicist who does consulting work for Vermont-based Radioactive Waste Management Associates. Resnikoff, whose clients include the Sierra Club and other environmental groups, recently conducted a study in which he argued that gas fracked from the nearby Marcellus could cause a massive lung cancer cluster spike in New York.

Exposure to radon, a byproduct in the decay of uranium, leads to about 21,000 deaths by lung cancer in the United States each year, making it the second leading cause of lung cancer fatality after smoking. Resnikoff says such cancers in New York City could spike from just over 1,000 annually to more than 30,000 if shale gas from Pennsylvania, New York and other nearby states is allowed into Manhattan homes.

The physicist based his conclusions not on direct calculations of radon at drilling sites but rather on approximations taken from a 1981 U.S. Geological Survey study of uranium deposits in the Marcellus and old gamma-ray well logs from companies. He came to the conclusion that radon in Marcellus gas is 70 times more intense than gas from other regions.

In an interview with EnergyWire, Resnikoff conceded that he started looking into the radon issue with money from the Sierra Club. But he insisted the group was billed only $1,000 and that much of the work has been done out of his own personal concern about the issue and what he sees as outsized industry influence, he said.

"This data is based on reasonable assumptions, on how much uranium and thorium is in the ground," he said. "I billed the Sierra Club $1,000, but you need to counterbalance that with the hundreds of thousands of dollars the industry has put into this."

The activists have also taken up the claim that because the Marcellus is so close to New York, the usual decay of radon -- which has a half-life of 3.8 days -- will not take place in time. They say gas from nearby shale deposits will arrive before radon's potency is cut in half, making it extra dangerous.

Resnikoff defended this claim, as well. He said radon-heavy gas will arrive in the Big Apple sometimes in less than a day via Spectra's extensive gathering and distribution system.

"This material moves at 10 or 11 miles an hour through pipelines," he said. "It takes much longer to travel from Louisiana and Texas than from upstate New York and Pennsylvania."

USGS counters

Partly in reaction to Resnikoff, USGS recently performed a wellhead spot test for radon at 11 Pennsylvania sites and determined that levels were in a relatively safe 37 picocuries per liter range (picocuries are a unit of radioactivity). That's a far cry from Resnikoff's estimations of levels closer to about 2,000 picocuries per liter.

While the results are preliminary, USGS released the findings to address conclusions drawn by Resnikoff. In short, the authors appeared to dismiss his work.

Resnikoff's report "relied on theoretical calculations utilizing limited data from geologic analogs," USGS researchers E.L. Rowan and T.F. Kraemer wrote. "A decision was made to release our small and preliminary dataset because ... measurements of radon in natural gas at the wellhead have not previously been published for the Appalachian Basin."

Resnikoff's response? He said USGS hasn't yet conducted a thorough enough study of the situation. He also wonders about the agency's bias, in part because the Obama administration for years has been pushing for more domestic production and is continuing to do so in the heat of a tight presidential campaign.

"They've been somewhat corrupted by industry," he said.

Research by the New York Department of Conservation appears to support USGS. The state agency, which is considering whether to lower a moratorium against hydraulic fracturing, looked at the radon question while putting together a draft plan for permits last year. The DEC said "naturally occurring radioactive materials," or NORM, were not significant, though the draft did acknowledge that the Marcellus is higher in radioactivity than other bedrock formations.

The DEC continued: "Uranium and thorium, which are naturally occurring parent materials for radium, are contained in mineral phases in the reservoir rock cuttings, but have very low solubility. The very low concentrations and poor water solubility are such that uranium and thorium pose little potential health threat."

Adding to the fire directed mostly in Resnikoff's direction were two studies commissioned by Spectra that essentially lampooned his findings. Lynn Anspaugh, a physicist, took several shots at Resnikoff in her study of his work, calling his findings "sensational and false."

"Resnikoff's improper and incorrect cancer estimate is based upon his erroneous estimate of the radon concentration in the natural gas supplied to New York State customers," she said, adding that "cancer risk, based on actual radon measurements from natural gas samples along the existing pipeline, is insignificant."

She noted a 1973 U.S. EPA study of radon that found an overall median at the wellhead of about 37 picocuries per liter.

"Even if one accepts Resnikoff's other two claims ... that New York City apartment volumes are smaller than the residential volumes assumed by the EPA, and ... that the air exchange rate is lower than assumed, the lung cancer risk is still insignificant -- approximately 1 chance in 100,000-- a risk level that is considered acceptable by the U.S. EPA," she said.

The view from EPA

Nidal Azzam, a radiation expert at EPA, was also fairly dismissive. He explained that the agency's jurisdiction on radon is limited to issuing guidelines for indoor air quality and not directly regulating the gas. To him, levels at the wellhead would never translate to comparable levels in a home far removed from drilling.

Azzam referenced the 3.8-day half life of radon, which he said would cause an eventual weakening by the time it reaches end-use. When asked about the notion that radon could have a more harmful effect because it would be piped into New York City quickly, Azzam said the idea was far-fetched.

"That's hard to digest," he said.

And how about energy workers, who would theoretically be most likely to inhale radon?

"I would say inhaling the gas would be more dangerous than inhaling the radon," Azzam said. "If you're not exposed to inhaling the gas, you're not exposed to the radon."

Told of the comments by the EPA official, Resnikoff said no agency had yet studied possible effects on small apartments in New York, as opposed to larger suburban homes. And even if he's wrong, he said his bottom-line point would be the need to conduct more studies on the ground, at the wellhead and in Pennsylvania homes to get a better picture.

"I've only wanted them to properly test it," he said. "They really should do much more thorough studies."

At Spectra, company spokeswoman Marylee Hanley sounded confident that the radiation issue would pass. She said both EPA and the Energy Department have found no public health risk from radon in natural gas.

She also noted that any gas that ends up in New York, assuming the pipeline is completed next year, would come from throughout Spectra's North American system and not just the Marcellus. And it would likely replace heating oil, which burns dirtier and contributes especially to air pollution problems in New York's low-income neighborhoods.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg "has been quoted as saying this project is going to help him achieve his PlaNYC," she said, in reference to the mayor's aggressive attempt to rid the city of heating oil.

Moreover, several national environmental groups asked to comment on radon would not. The president of Riverkeeper, Paul Gallay, last week said his group was looking into the matter, while officials at the Natural Resources Defense Council were cagey about offering a quote before attorney Eric Goldstein finally said the group doesn't have the staff to assess the question.

"We don't have a view one way or another of the latest questions that have been raised," Goldstein said. "But we hope that as part of its final environmental review, DEC will be looking closely at this (and the many other areas of concern) and respond to all the concerns."

As for his own data, Resnikoff admitted they might be imperfect because he didn't have direct access to drilling sites. But he nevertheless sees value in raising the issue.

"There are a whole bunch of factors we could not assess, like how much storage is going to take place," he said, adding that so far, he has sampled 92 New York apartments and found low levels of radon in place currently, before direct access to Marcellus gas enters the equation. He's hoping it stays that way.