PA Marcellus Digest 3.29.13

PA Marcellus News Digest - March 29, 2013

Governor Corbett to Tout Act 13 Benefits at Lycoming County AirportWallaby
3.26.13
HBG– Governor Tom Corbett, joined by state and local officials, today toured the Lycoming County Airport and discussed how Act 13 impact fee revenues are assisting with a $13.6 million renovation project at the airport and with two new housing projects in Williamsport.http://wallaby.telicon.com/PA/library/2013/2013032672.HTM

Wastewater disposal linked to earthquakesPost Gazette
Mark Drajem and Jim Efstathiou
3.27.13
WASHINGTON -- A 2011 Oklahoma earthquake has been tied by researchers to the disposal of wastewater from oil production, the latest study suggesting the energy boom from advances such as fracking is increasing temblors.http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/news/us/wastewater-disposal-linked-to-earthquakes-681021/
Corbett makes Secretary of Environmental Protection a part-time job, for nowThe Patriot News
3.25.13
Donald Gilliland
HBG -- When the resignation of Pennsylvania's Environmental Protection Secretary Michael Krancerwas announced last week, critics were quick to question the qualifications of his interim replacement, Chris Abruzzo.http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2013/03/part-time_dep_secretary_pennsy.html
Corbett promotes Act 13 impact feesSun Gazette
3.27.13
Matt Hutchinson
WILLIAMSPORT -- Gov. Tom Corbett made a brief stop Tuesday at the Williamsport Regional Airport to hear from local officials how Act 13 natural gas drilling impact fees are being used in Lycoming County.http://www.sungazette.com/page/content.detail/id/590812/Corbett-promotes-Act-13-impact-fees.html?nav=5011
Shale gas boom pushing pipeline growth, report showsTribLive
3.27.13
Timothy Puko
More than half of the country's newest gas transmission pipelines are in the Northeast, where more are coming online to ship Marcellus shale gas to market, federal data released this week show.http://triblive.com/business/headlines/3733713-74/billion-gas-pipeline#axzz2OjPxLiNy
Another fracking tool...Ed Rendell3.28.13
Philly.com
Will Bunch
Ed Rendell, our former Democratic governor, is a tool of the fracking industry. He wrote an op-ed in that other Daily News, the New York one, today, telling New Yorkers that they should allow fracking in their state so the industry can do all the wonderful things they've done here in Pennsylvania.http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/attytood/Another-fracking-toolEd-Rendell.html
Rendell takes heat over pro-fracking op-edInquirer Harrisburg Bureau
3.29.13
Angela Couloumbis
HARRISBURG - Two days ago, the usually loquacious Democrat had an op-ed piece published in the New York Daily News urging New York state to get over its fears and permit hydraulic fracturing - commonly known as fracking - to seek natural gas within its borders.http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20130329_Rendell_takes_heat_over_article_not_disclosing_tie_to_firm_that_invests_in_fracking.html
Rendell: 'Learn to Love Fracking'ProPublica
3.28.13
Justin Elliott
Former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell took to the New York Daily News op-ed page Wednesday with a message to local officials: stop worrying and learn to love fracking.http://www.philly.com/philly/news/politics/Rendell_Learn_to_Love_Fracking_ProPublica.html
Some Groups Miffed to Be Left Out of DCNR Meeting on Loyalsock Forest DrillingStateImpact
3.27.13
Marie Cusick
The state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) is holding an invitation-only meeting next week about one of the most controversial issues it’s dealing with involving natural gas drilling on state lands.http://stateimpact.npr.org/pennsylvania/2013/03/27/dcnr-to-hold-closed-door-meeting-on-drilling-in-loyalsock-state-forest/
Gov. Corbett touts new facility, jobs at Central Pennsylvania Institute of Science and TechnologyCentre Daily Times
3.27.13
Matt MorganPLEASANT GAP — Gov. Tom Corbett said he wants to develop jobs for the future, and Centre County is ahead of the curve.http://www.centredaily.com/2013/03/27/3554989/gov-corbett-touts-new-program.html
Union Twp. offers alternate natural gas pipeline route
The Mercury
3.27.13
Denise Larive
UNION TWP. — In order to protect environmentally-sensitive areas and township residents’ property rights, the supervisors recently offered an alternate route to Commonwealth Pipeline for a proposed natural gas line it wants to build through Chester and Berks counties.http://www.pottsmerc.com/article/20130327/NEWS01/130329406/union-twp-offers-alternate-natural-gas-pipeline-route
Pennsylvania still a top energy producerShalereporter.com
3.27.13
Rachel MorganBEAVER — Coal, natural gas, nuclear power — we’ve got it all. Pennsylvania ranks fourth in terms of coal production, eighth in natural gas production and second in electricity generation from a nuclear plant, data shows.http://www.timesonline.com/news/local_news/pennsylvania-still-a-top-energy-producer/article_fa8c4518-a45b-5c00-9d7b-8f50bbfa8c5c.html

SRBC EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR SWARTZ TO RETIRE IN NOVEMBER
Susquehanna River Basin Commission
3.29.13
Susan Oleski
HARRISBURG, Pa. – Susquehanna River Basin Commission (SRBC www.srbc.net) Chairman Dr. Robert Summers today announced that Executive Director Paul Swartz is retiring this November.http://www.srbc.net/newsroom/NewsRelease.aspx?NewsReleaseID=105

U.S. Army Corps Okay’s Controversial Pipeline ProjectStateImpact
3.28.13
Susan Phillips
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has granted permission for a controversial pipeline project to cross wetlands, rivers and streams in the Delaware River watershed. The Corps issued the permits last Friday.http://stateimpact.npr.org/pennsylvania/2013/03/28/u-s-army-corps-okays-controversial-pipeline-project/

DCNR chief defends drilling royalties funding shiftTimes Tribune
3.28.13
Robert SwiftHARRISBURG - The state's top conservation official said Wednesday he has no problem with relying more on royalties from oil and gas drilling to support operations of the state's parks and forests.
http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/dcnr-chief-defends-drilling-royalties-funding-shift-1.1464682
Krancer's exit opportunityTimes Tribune
3.28.13Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Michael Krancer's decision to return to representing the gas industry in the private, rather than public sector, offers an opportunity for Gov. Tom Corbett to return the agency to its true purpose.
http://thetimes-tribune.com/opinion/krancer-s-exit-opportunity-1.1464503
More Calls for Senator Yaw to Avoid Conflicts of InterestWNEP
3.27.13
Jim Hamill
HARRISBURG — Some Capitol watchdog groups are calling for certain lawmakers to recuse themselves when it comes to drafting bills that regulate natural gas drilling in Pennsylvania.
http://wnep.com/2013/03/27/96777/
Cause of Wyoming County Well Spill Still UnknownStateImpact
3.29.13
Marie Cusick
More than two weeks after a natural gas well began spewing fracking wastewater in Wyoming County, some residents who were evacuated from their homes are still using bottled water.
http://stateimpact.npr.org/pennsylvania/2013/03/29/cause-of-wyoming-county-well-spill-still-unknown/
Fracking Debate Hits Close to Home for Smith FellowSociety for Conservation Biology
Concerned about the impacts of fracking on biological diversity, five Smtih Fellows wrote to the U.S. Department of the Interior, the Department of Energy, and the Environmental Protection Agency to suggest research priorities on the potential environmental risks and scientific uncertainties associated with the natural gas extraction technique known as fracking.
http://www.conbio.org/publications/scb-news-blog/fracking-debate-hits-close-to-home-for-smith-fellow

The next justice: Corbett should name a non-partisan to the court (not Krancer)
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
3.29.13Now that Joan Orie Melvin has done the right thing and submitted her resignation from the state Supreme Court, Gov. Tom Corbett must not waste an opportunity to improve the state's highest court by selecting the right replacement.
http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/opinion/editorials/the-next-justice-corbett-should-name-a-non-partisan-to-the-court-681282/

Natural gas is an energy favorite behind renewables – pollE&E
3.28.13
Pamela King

Nearly two-thirds of Americans want U.S. officials to put more emphasis on producing natural gas from domestic shale plays, according to a new Gallup poll.
Though solar power and wind were the top choices -- with 76 percent and 71 percent support, respectively -- 65 percent of participants in the March 7-10 survey favored ramping up production of natural gas.
"Americans overall and across political and socioeconomic groups generally are most likely to call for more emphasis on solar and wind power, but these potential future sources of energy have a long way to go in terms of technology and affordability before they can significantly affect overall U.S. domestic energy production," the Gallup poll says. "On the other hand, Americans are sharply divided politically over achieving greater domestic energy production using more traditional energy sources such as oil, coal and nuclear power."
The three latter fuels saw low support from survey participants, with 46 percent saying they favored more emphasis on oil production, 37 percent on nuclear power and 31 percent on coal.
"This leaves natural gas," the poll says.
Seventy-eight percent of Republicans said they favored natural gas, the highest rating the party gave to any of the six fuels listed in the survey. Sixty-two percent of independents and 59 percent of Democrats said they supported more focus on natural gas development.
Natural gas is now readily accessible, due to innovations in horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing -- technologies that are being put to use in gas-rich plays like the Marcellus Shale in Pennsylvania.
But those technologies, which send chemical-laced fluid deep into the earth to draw out oil and gas, may also be the reason why natural gas has failed to edge out solar and wind in terms of popularity. Critics of the gas industry have cited water and air pollution as two concerns they have with the process known as fracking.
"[Q]uestions remain about the safety of 'fracking technology' -- meaning public support may not be enough to increase the U.S. emphasis on this energy source," the Gallup researchers wrote.
The survey results are based on telephone interviews with 1,022 adults. Gallup reported a 4-point margin of error.

Secretary Krancer’s Response to Water Testing Questions Offers No Answers and is Politically Charged

 

For Immediate Release

 

March 18, 2013

 

Contacts:

Thomas Au, Sierra Club Pennsylvania Chapter, 717-234-7445

Iris Marie Bloom, Protecting Our Waters, 215-840-6489

Tracy Carluccio, Delaware Riverkeeper Network, 215-692-2329

Karen Feridun, Berks Gas Truth, 610-678-7726

Steve Hvozdovich, Clean Water Action, 412-765-3053 x 210

Erika Staaf, PennEnvironment, 412-521-0943

Nadia Steinzor, Earthworks, 202-887-1872 x 109

 

Secretary Krancer's Response to Water Testing Questions Offers No Answers and is Politically Charged

Harrisburg, PA – Members of environmental and citizen groups sent several thousand emails to Governor Tom Corbett and Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Michael Krancer seeking information regarding how the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) investigates cases of water contamination from fracking.  Late last week DEP Secretary Krancer began responding to these emails without providing any new information that was specifically requested.

 

Pennsylvania residents have been asking for protocols for testing contaminants in residential water wells; the scientific basis for determining which parameters to test for (and not); how decisions are made in the field and at DEP offices in response to homeowners' concerns; and the number of cases in which only partial testing results have been provided to homeowners. As spring approaches, Pennsylvania residents still don't have answers to these questions that were first raised last fall and posed again over the winter.  The questions are in a letter to Secretary Krancer posted at http://www.earthworksaction.org/files/publications/DEPWaterTestMeetingLetter_FINAL_1-25-13_%281%29.pdf.

"It is stunning that families impacted by fracking operations are no closer now to learning what is in their water, according to DEP's own lab tests, than they were last November," said Iris Marie Bloom, Executive Director of Protecting Our Waters. "Secretary Krancer must do his job to protect the families of Pennsylvania and answer all responsible inquiries about water testing protocol immediately."

"People need answers to the pressing questions that continue to be ignored by Secretary Krancer about the veracity of water tests of residents' wells that may have been polluted by gas development. Mr. Krancer's deep silence on the details begs the question 'What is the state doing to protect Pennsylvanians' drinking water from fracking pollution?'", said Tracy Carluccio, Deputy Director, Delaware Riverkeeper Network.

Unfortunately, Secretary Krancer's recent response offered no direct answers to the important questions and concerns outlined in the email. "It is simply not enough for Secretary Krancer to repeatedly assert that the DEP makes decisions based on science or that staff are sufficiently trained, while refusing to answer specific questions or provide supporting information," said Nadia Steinzor, Eastern Program Coordinator, Earthworks. "Events on the ground have grown urgent and many households continue to potentially be exposed to toxic substances."

Instead, Secretary Krancer chose to make general statements and tried to paint the coalition of environmental and citizens groups as the obstructionists to obtaining the answers by asserted that they are the ones who refuse to meet with the DEP. "This is simply not true," said Steve Hvozdovich Marcellus Shale Policy Associate, Clean Water Action. "The only thing we refuse to do is allow Secretary Krancer to exclude organizations and individuals from the table which he is trying to do, simply because he doesn't like their message. If we allow it to occur here, who will be the next group or individual he blackballs because of similar circumstances."

"For months, our organizations and the hundreds of thousands of residents we represent have been waiting for answers from Secretary Krancer to pressing questions about residential water quality testing and reporting," said Erika Staaf of PennEnvironment. "We're looking for a substantive dialogue on this matter, and yet all we're getting in response are vague assurances that DEP staff are doing their jobs."

"The run-around our coalition has been getting and the patent disingenuousness we are experiencing from Secretary Krancer is eerily but unsurprisingly congruent with the lack of transparency at issue in the water testing results and protocols," said Julie Edgar, Organizer, Lehigh Valley Gas Truth. "Pennsylvanians are left with a situation as murky as a glass of shalefield frackwater."

Secretary Krancer's reply email also included politically charged statements about topics irrelevant to the inquiries on policies and procedures in the original email.  He used this medium to re-raise his personal feud with Rep. Jesse White and attack him for his vote on Act 13, a message he consistently carried throughout all of his replies regardless of whether the recipient was a constituent of Rep. White's or not.

The people of Pennsylvania have been waiting patiently for answers and deserve better than the response they got. "As a public official, Secretary Krancer should respond to the concerns of residents across the Commonwealth with care and seriousness," said Karen Feridun, Founder, Berks Gas Truth.  "DEP needs to provide details on how it does its work and plans to address problems related to water quality and health going forward." The only glimmer of hope that this may occur is a statement from Secretary Krancer's email where he states that "DEP does plan on responding in writing to some written inquiries posed by the groups." But until the day actually comes where Secretary Krancer directly addresses ALL not just some of their inquiries, the residents of Pennsylvania will continue to feel let down and strung along and will work to apply additional pressure to get their answers.

 

PA Marcellus News Digest 3/18/13

PA Marcellus News Digest

March 18, 2013

Release

Secretary Krancer’s Response to Water Testing Questions Offers No Answers and is Politically Charged

For Immediate Release

March 18, 2013

Contacts:

Thomas Au, Sierra Club Pennsylvania Chapter

Iris Marie Bloom, Protecting Our Waters

Tracy Carluccio, Delaware Riverkeeper Network

Karen Feridun, Berks Gas Truth

Steve Hvozdovich, Clean Water Action

Erika Staaf, PennEnvironment

Nadia Steinzor, Earthworks

(full text below)

Harrisburg, PA – Members of environmental and citizen groups sent several thousand emails to Governor Tom Corbett and Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Michael Krancer seeking information regarding how the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) investigates cases of water contamination from fracking.  Late last week DEP Secretary Krancer began responding to these emails without providing any new information that was specifically requested.

Pennsylvania residents have been asking for protocols for testing contaminants in residential water wells; the scientific basis for determining which parameters to test for (and not); how decisions are made in the field and at DEP offices in response to homeowners’ concerns; and the number of cases in which only partial testing results have been provided to homeowners. As spring approaches, Pennsylvania residents still don’t have answers to these questions that were first raised last fall and posed again over the winter.  The questions are in a letter to Secretary Krancer posted at http://www.earthworksaction.org/files/publications/DEPWaterTestMeetingLetter_FINAL_1-25-13_%281%29.pdf.

"It is stunning that families impacted by fracking operations are no closer now to learning what is in their water, according to DEP's own lab tests, than they were last November," said Iris Marie Bloom, Executive Director of Protecting Our Waters. "Secretary Krancer must do his job to protect the families of Pennsylvania and answer all responsible inquiries about water testing protocol immediately."

"People need answers to the pressing questions that continue to be ignored by Secretary Krancer about the veracity of water tests of residents' wells that may have been polluted by gas development. Mr. Krancer's deep silence on the details begs the question 'What is the state doing to protect Pennsylvanians' drinking water from fracking pollution?'", said Tracy Carluccio, Deputy Director, Delaware Riverkeeper Network.

Unfortunately, Secretary Krancer’s recent response offered no direct answers to the important questions and concerns outlined in the email. "It is simply not enough for Secretary Krancer to repeatedly assert that the DEP makes decisions based on science or that staff are sufficiently trained, while refusing to answer specific questions or provide supporting information," said Nadia Steinzor, Eastern Program Coordinator, Earthworks. "Events on the ground have grown urgent and many households continue to potentially be exposed to toxic substances."

Instead, Secretary Krancer chose to make general statements and tried to paint the coalition of environmental and citizens groups as the obstructionists to obtaining the answers by asserted that they are the ones who refuse to meet with the DEP. “This is simply not true,” said Steve Hvozdovich Marcellus Shale Policy Associate, Clean Water Action. “The only thing we refuse to do is allow Secretary Krancer to exclude organizations and individuals from the table which he is trying to do, simply because he doesn’t like their message. If we allow it to occur here, who will be the next group or individual he blackballs because of similar circumstances.”

“For months, our organizations and the hundreds of thousands of residents we represent have been waiting for answers from Secretary Krancer to pressing questions about residential water quality testing and reporting,” said Erika Staaf of PennEnvironment. “We’re looking for a substantive dialogue on this matter, and yet all we’re getting in response are vague assurances that DEP staff are doing their jobs.”

“The run-around our coalition has been getting and the patent disingenuousness we are experiencing from Secretary Krancer is eerily but unsurprisingly congruent with the lack of transparency at issue in the water testing results and protocols,” said Julie Edgar, Organizer, Lehigh Valley Gas Truth. “Pennsylvanians are left with a situation as murky as a glass of shalefield frackwater.”

Secretary Krancer’s reply email also included politically charged statements about topics irrelevant to the inquiries on policies and procedures in the original email.  He used this medium to re-raise his personal feud with Rep. Jesse White and attack him for his vote on Act 13, a message he consistently carried throughout all of his replies regardless of whether the recipient was a constituent of Rep. White’s or not.

The people of Pennsylvania have been waiting patiently for answers and deserve better than the response they got. “As a public official, Secretary Krancer should respond to the concerns of residents across the Commonwealth with care and seriousness,” said Karen Feridun, Founder, Berks Gas Truth.  “DEP needs to provide details on how it does its work and plans to address problems related to water quality and health going forward.” The only glimmer of hope that this may occur is a statement from Secretary Krancer’s email where he states that “DEP does plan on responding in writing to some written inquiries posed by the groups.” But until the day actually comes where Secretary Krancer directly addresses ALL not just some of their inquiries, the residents of Pennsylvania will continue to feel let down and strung along and will work to apply additional pressure to get their answers.

####

Articles

We are still waiting for DEP to answer our questions

Post-Gazette

Steve Hvozdovich, Clean Water Action

Letter to the Editor

March 18

The Department of Environmental Protection's March 4 letter ("DEP's Staff Is Professional and Thorough") avoids the real issue at hand: How can the agency improve its policies to better protect water quality and health?

Link: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/opinion/letters/we-are-still-waiting-for-dep-to-answer-our-questions-679748/

Easton area to feel small ripple from Marcellus shale boom

Increased natural gas demand prompt Forks compressor station upgrade.

Morning Call

Scott Kraus and JD Malone

March 14

Forks Township will soon feel a small ripple from Pennsylvania's Marcellus Shale boom.

To keep up with growing demand for natural gas, Columbia Gas Transmission has applied to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to add roughly 16 miles of new pipeline in southeastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey that will require an significant upgrade to the company's compressor station on Klein Road.

Link: http://www.mcall.com/news/local/easton/mc-pa-marcellus-shale-easton-20130314,0,2051273.story

Professor tries to clear up murkiness on fracking fluids

Times Online

Rachel Morgan

March 14

PITTSBURGH -- An area professor and his research team aim to clear up the murkiness that surrounds the chemical components of fracking fluid with their newest research project.

Link: http://www.timesonline.com/news/local_news/professor-tries-to-clear-up-murkiness-on-fracking-fluids/article_60ed582b-cec5-507c-9e7a-5344f6cdb165.html

Range records request denied

Observer-Reporter

Linda Metz

March 14

The Pennsylvania Office of Open Records has denied a request by Range Resources to force Cecil Township to turn over records that the gas-drilling company alleges would prove township supervisors violated the state’s Sunshine Act.

Link: http://www.observer-reporter.com/article/20130314/NEWS01/130319637#.UUddeByk2Vd

Casey questions what led to fracking wastewater communication breakdown

Times Online

Rachel Morgan

March 14

A federal legislator has joined in asking what led to a communication breakdown that kept Pennsylvania state agencies from being notified of a fracking wastewater dump upstream in Youngstown, Ohio, on Jan. 31.

Link: http://www.timesonline.com/news/local_news/casey-questions-what-led-to-fracking-wastewater-communication-breakdown/article_33ade42b-b088-5585-80c4-8da3d45c75aa.html

Shale coalition chief touts potential, prosperity

Philly Trib

Larry miller

March 14

But the development and drilling of natural gas, a process called “fraking” met with harsh criticism and protests from environment activists. There was also opposition from different members of the Pennsylvania State Senate and House of Representatives believed that Governor Tom Corbett refused to tax the maximum dollars – called “impact fees” from drilling companies.

Link: http://www.phillytrib.com/cityandregionarticles/item/8156-shale-coalition-chief-touts-potential,-prosperity.html

Matt Cartwright Introduces Bill to Close Halliburton Loophole for Fracking

Keystone Politics

March 15

Primarying Tim Holden has proven to be a very good idea. Matt Cartwright is absolutely killing it in Washington.

Link: http://www.keystonepolitics.com/2013/03/matt-cartwright-introduces-bill-to-close-halliburton-loophole-for-fracking/

UGI finds new spot for gas facility

Times Leader

March 16

When plans for a gas pipeline compressor station in West Wyoming soured for UGI Energy Services, project managers sought a new station site to supply propulsion for their Auburn Pipeline.

Link: http://timesleader.com/news/news/357247/UGI-finds-new-spot-for-gas-facility

PA Marcellus News Digest 3/15/13

PA Marcellus News Digest

March 15, 2013

 

Releases

 

Conklin introduces 3 bills to help regulate oil and gas drilling in the state

Wallaby

March 7

[...]Conklin's first bill (H.B. 880) would require well operators to provide public notice of their intent to drill in the area. Public notice would consist of an advertisement published in the local newspaper before the permit application is filed with the Department of Environmental Protection. The ad would run once a week for four consecutive weeks, and proof of publication would be required to be submitted with the permit application.

Link: http://wallaby.telicon.com/PA/library/2013/2013030770.HTM

 

Vitali bill would prevent further state forest leasing

Wallaby

March 8

HARRISBURG – State Rep. Greg Vitali today introduced legislation, H.B. 950, which would permanently ban the leasing of additional state forestland for Marcellus Shale natural gas drilling.

Link: http://wallaby.telicon.com/PA/library/2013/2013031172.HTM

 

Senators Baker, Vogel Call on PEMA to Investigate Breakdown In Information-Sharing Following Illegal Dumping Incident

Wallaby

March 11

Two state senators are calling on the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) to conduct an immediate review of a critical communications breakdown that occurred in Beaver and Lawrence Counties following the illegal dumping of thousands of gallons of fracking wastewater in Ohio.

Link: http://wallaby.telicon.com/PA/library/2013/2013031150.HTM

 

Major Green Groups Sends Joint Letter to Obama to Take a Timeout on Natural Gas Exports

Sierra Club Press Releases

March 12

WASHINGTON, DC-The Center for International Environmental Law, Clean Water Action, Earthjustice, Earthworks, Environment America, Friends of the Earth, League of Conservation Voters, Sierra Club, The Wilderness Society has sent a letter to President Obama strongly pushing for a timeout on natural gas exports until critical national economic, environmental, and trade concerns are thoroughly analyzed and carefully addressed.

Link: http://action.sierraclub.org/site/MessageViewer?em_id=291565.0&dlv_id=0

 

Articles

 

Landowners claim breach of contract

Say company reneged on lease payments

Sharon Herald

Joe Pinchot

March 7

MERCER COUNTY — Five Mercer County landowners have sued a gas-drilling firm and two companies that marketed their drilling rights to that firm, alleging their drilling contracts were illegally broken.

Link: http://sharonherald.com/local/x36438985/Landowners-claim-breach-of-contract

 

GE Transportation eyes natural gas locomotives

Times-News

Jim Martin

March 11

GE Transportation doesn't simply build diesel-electric locomotives. The company, which has its main manufacturing facility in Lawrence Park Township, invented this system of using diesel engines to generate power for electric traction motors.

Link: http://www.goerie.com/article/20130311/NEWS02/303109874/GE-Transportation-eyes-natural-gas-locomotives

 

For gas drilling near Delaware River, renewed calls for oversight

Express-Times

Douglas B. Brill

March 11

Environmentalists expecting tens of thousands of miles of new gas pipelines tapping into Pennsylvania’s rich Marcellus shale deposit are renewing calls for greater oversight from the governors of four Delaware River states.

Link: http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/breaking-news/index.ssf/2013/03/gas_drilling_delaware_river.html#incart_river

 

Cause of off-color, fetid water eludes Pa. town

CDT

Kevin Begos, AP

March 10

PITTSBURGH — What causes clear, fresh country well water to turn orange or black, or smell so bad that it's undrinkable?

Link: http://www.centredaily.com/2013/03/10/3532906/cause-of-off-color-fetid-water.html

 

In Chesco town, opposition helped stop proposed gas pipeline

Inquirer

Aubrey Whelan

March 12

Amy Shenk had never joined a protest movement, never organized neighbors, never passed around petitions or printed signs.

Link: http://articles.philly.com/2013-03-12/news/37626323_1_gas-pipelines-pipeline-projects-commonwealth-pipeline

 

Driller Offered $15 M for Access to Loyalsock State Forest

Allegheny Front

March 2

Anadarko Petroleum offered the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources $15 million for surface use to a section of the Loyalsock State Forest known as the Old Logger's Path, according to a letter obtained by the environmental group PennFuture.

Link: http://www.alleghenyfront.org/story/driller-offered-15-m-access-loyalsock-state-forest

 

Fracking health study results likely years off

Inquirer

Mary Esch, AP

March 9

ALBANY, N.Y. - A health study cited by leading environmentalist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as pivotal in helping persuade Gov. Andrew Cuomo to hold off on plans for limited gas drilling is likely years away from conclusions about whether the technology involved is safe, according to the project's leaders.

Link: http://www.philly.com/philly/news/politics/20130309_ap_frackinghealthstudyresultslikelyyearsoff.html

 

Conservation districts disappointed with state’s funding adjustments

Pitt Trib

Jennifer Reeger

March 10

Greg Phillips had hoped that the Westmoreland County Conservation District would eventually be able to use Marcellus shale impact fees to start a pilot program for gas drillers to work with landscape architects and erosion control specialists to restore farmland and forested areas.

Link: http://triblive.com/news/westmoreland/3384353-74/impact-conservation-districts#axzz2NEU0XxT6

 

NY Assembly Passes Two Year Fracking Moratorium, Senate Expected to Follow

Eco Watch

De Smog Blog

Steve Horn

March 7

In a roll call vote of 95-40, the New York State Assembly has passed a two-year moratorium on hydraulic fracturing or fracking, the toxic horizontal drilling process through which oil and gas is procured that’s found within shale rock basins across the country and the world.

Link: http://ecowatch.com/2013/ny-fracking-moratorium/

 

Sunoco hears Westmoreland County residents’ concerns, agrees to reroute pipeline

Pitt Trib

Timothy Puko

March 9

After months of complaints from North Huntingdon home­owners, a Philadelphia pipeline company agreed to move a proposed hazardous gas pipeline's path away from Westmoreland County's populous western suburbs.

Link: http://triblive.com/news/allegheny/3624387-74/pipeline-gas-move#axzz2NEU0XxT6

 

PA-based company cited for spill into WV creek

WITF

AP

March 8

(Moundsville, WV) -- West Virginia regulators have ordered Pennsylvania-based Noble Energy to regain control of an impoundment that overflowed into a tributary of Wheeling Creek last month.

Link: http://www.witf.org/news/2013/03/pa-based-company-cited-for-spill-into-wv-creek.php

 

Penn State's new natural gas center to keep Pa. at forefront of industry

Penn State News

Kelly Henry

March 6

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Bringing together one of the largest contingents of natural gas experts in the United States, Penn State has established an Institute for Natural Gas Research (INGaR), which is expected to provide much-needed study into this important form of energy.

Link: http://news.psu.edu/story/267496/2013/03/06/impact/penn-states-new-natural-gas-center-keep-pa-forefront-industry

 

'Fracking' brings prosperity, problems to Pennsylvania

Shale gas drilling boom yields jobs, but some wells are contaminated

Baltimore Sun

Timothy B. Wheeler

March 9

Times are good these days at the Linde Corp., where despite a sluggish economy nationally, the company is on a hiring binge.

Link: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/bs-md-fracking-20130309,0,3590830,full.story

 

Venture proposes 'Bluegrass Pipeline' to the Gulf Coast

Post-Gazette

Erich Schwartzel

March 8

More natural gas liquids extracted from underneath Pennsylvania will start flowing to petrochemical facilities and export markets near the Gulf Coast through a new pipeline project announced Thursday.

Link: http://pipeline.post-gazette.com/news/archives/25088-venture-proposes-bluegrass-pipeline-to-the-gulf-coast

 

Face climate facts

Post-Gazette

Barb Grover, Chair, Allegheny Group of the Sierra Club

March 9

Here's a bit of good news/bad news on climate change. To the good, the commonwealth's secretary of environmental protection, Michael Krancer, said recently that carbon emissions and human activity contribute to global warming. To the bad, he said scientists had no unanimity as to how much or how fast the planet is warming, or how much of a role humans play in it.

Link: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/opinion/letters/face-climate-facts-678565/

 

Fast, yet comfortable: The Life of a drilling project manager

Times Online

Amanda King

March 8

PITTSBURGH — Greg Hess sits on a stool at a restaurant sipping on a glass of vodka and club soda. It’s a chilly, Thursday afternoon in downtown Pittsburgh.

Link: http://www.timesonline.com/news/state/fast-yet-comfortable-the-life-of-a-drilling-project-manager/article_286d07d2-7721-5159-84fa-9a4f594dda18.html

 

Corbett's 'freebies' call for legislative ban on gifts, free travel

Express-Times

Editorial

March 8

Unlike their counterparts in many other states, Pennsylvania legislators and governors have managed to avoid enacting these common-sense rules for themselves:

Don’t accept any gifts of value.

Unless you’re on official business, pay your own way.

Link: http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2013/03/editorial_corbetts_freebies_ca.html#incart_river

 

Allegheny County health board seeks 24-hour drilling notice

WITF

AP

March 7

(Pittsburgh) -- The Allegheny County Board of Health wants natural gas companies to provide 24-hour advance notice before drilling starts.

Link: http://www.witf.org/news/2013/03/allegheny-county-health-board-seeks-24-hour-drilling-notice.php

 

Pennsylvania ethics uproar is over peanuts

Morning Call

Paul Carpenter

March 7

[...]A governor who has accepted $1.8 million in "campaign contributions" from gas-drilling interests, in return for letting them ravage the environment and escape customary taxes, should not have to face a fuss over $11,000.

Link: http://www.mcall.com/news/local/carpenter/mc-pc-pennsylvania-ethics-uproar-over-peanuts-20130307,0,5841435.column

 

The governor's gifts

Intelligencer Journal

Editorial

March 7

Lancaster District Judge Kelly Ballentine will find out later this month whether the state Judicial Conduct Board will force her to vacate her post for fixing three of her own parking tickets.

Link: http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/822895_The-governor-s-gifts.html

 

Beaver water woes tied to Ohio drilling

Pitt Trib

Timothy Puko

March 1

A Beaver County drinking water supplier says liquid drilling wastes dumped illegally in Ohio are linked to water problems in his county, where local and state officials claim Ohio investigators failed to tell them about pollution headed their way.

Link: http://triblive.com/state/marcellusshale/3580238-74/ohio-beaver-officials#axzz2MPhl8mSn

 

N.Y. fracking health study news draws cheers, jeers

Observer-Reporter

March Esch, AP

March 3

ALBANY, N.Y. – While opponents of fracking are pleased at a report that Gov. Andrew Cuomo will wait for a Pennsylvania health study before deciding whether to allow drilling, landowners are preparing to sue New York over lost gas-leasing opportunities and an industry group warned Sunday that a business exodus from the state will worsen.

Link: http://www.observer-reporter.com/article/20130303/NEWS080101/130309792#.UUOEWByk2Vd

 

Fracking Industry Conflicts Of Interest With Regulators? Watchdogs Concerned

HuffPost Green

Lynne Peeples

Feb 27

After facing heat from fellow residents of Red Wing, Minn., over his ties with an industry group intent on increasing frac sand mining in the state, the town's mayor, Dennis Egan, announced this week that he would step down.

Link: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/27/fracking-conflicts-of-interest-regulators_n_2776498.html

 

New York’s Fracking Decision May Hinge on Results of Geisinger Health Study

NPR State Impact

Marie cusick

March 4

Link: http://stateimpact.npr.org/pennsylvania/2013/03/04/new-yorks-fracking-decision-may-hinge-on-results-of-geisinger-health-study/

 

Beaver water woes tied to Ohio drilling

Pitt Trib

Timothy Puko

March 1

A Beaver County drinking water supplier says liquid drilling wastes dumped illegally in Ohio are linked to water problems in his county, where local and state officials claim Ohio investigators failed to tell them about pollution headed their way.

Link: http://triblive.com/state/marcellusshale/3580238-74/ohio-beaver-officials#axzz2MVSq8Xnk

 

Leveraging Marcellus shale to pay for pension reform

Patriot-News Op-Ed

Brendan Finucane

March 4

As discussed in last week's PennLive editorial, Pennsylvania faces unfunded public sector pension obligations of $41 billion. And proposals are proliferating to reform pension parameters in ways which are likely to face protracted legal challenges.

Link: http://www.pennlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2013/03/op-ed_leveraging_marcellus_shale_to_pay_for_pension_reform.html

 

Marcellus Shale Coalition releases video on methane

Times Online

March 6

The Marcellus Shale Coalition, an industry group, released a new informational video this week called "Methane: An Element of Nature."

The video touches on the science and geology associated with methane, as well as regulations and practices taken by natural gas operators in relation to methane.

Link: http://www.timesonline.com/news/local_news/marcellus-shale-coalition-releases-video-on-methane/article_a16c2231-05ac-5cc7-b3ca-e4b2722402c8.html

 

Protesters disrupt DRBC meeting over gas pipelines

Inquirer

Sandy Bauers

March 7

More than 70 shouting protesters disrupted Wednesday's meeting of the Delaware River Basin Commission, refusing to be quiet or sit during the business session.

Link: http://articles.philly.com/2013-03-07/news/37535328_1_natural-gas-pipeline-projects-gas-pipelines-pipeline-oversight

 

Pa. benefiting greatly from natural gas

Daily Local

Kathryn Z. Klaber

Opinion

March 6

Communities across the entire commonwealth, including in the Greater Philadelphia, continue to see a wave of benefits associated with Pennsylvania’s historic natural gas revolution. Manufacturing towns and refineries are being revitalized. Small- and medium-sized business are opening and expanding. Jobs are being created, energy costs are more affordable for consumers and businesses, and revenue is pouring back into local economies for critical services and infrastructure improvements. And as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently reported, the Mid-Atlantic region’s air quality, thanks to expanded natural gas availability and use, is improving markedly.

Link: http://www.delcotimes.com/articles/2013/03/06/opinion/doc5137ff93eed3d309591907.txt?viewmode=fullstory

 

Shale tests worry Forward residents

Pitt Trib

Jeremy Sellew

March 5

Nearly 60 Forward Township residents concerned with Marcellus shale drilling filled the municipal building Monday for a public meeting with officials from EQT Corp., Geokinetics, and Cougar Land Services.

Link: http://triblive.com/neighborhoods/yourmonvalley/yourmonvalleymore/3598305-74/mckay-testing-township#axzz2MqzN9bbs

 

Marcellus Shale meeting topic

Sun-Gazette

March 7

The Lycoming County Pomona Grange will hold a community meeting with Eric Cowden, land affairs director of the Marcellus Shale Coalition, at 7 p.m. Friday at Eagle Grange, Route 15 south of Williamsport.

Link: http://www.sungazette.com/page/content.detail/id/590042/Marcellus-Shale-meeting-topic.html?nav=5011

 

Not making friends, influencing people

Observer-Reporter

Opinion

March 6

There’s an old saying that you can catch more flies with sugar than with vinegar. Some of the folks in the Marcellus Shale industry in our area seem to be straying further and further from that axiom.

Link: http://www.observer-reporter.com/article/20130306/OPINION01/130309540#.UUN-YRyk2Vd

 

U.S. Federal Reserve Survey Cites Positive Economics of PA’s Gas Boom

NPR State Impact

Marie Cusick

March 7

Link: http://stateimpact.npr.org/pennsylvania/2013/03/07/u-s-federal-reserve-survey-cites-positive-economics-of-pas-gas-boom/

 

Organic Farmers Split Over Fracking

NPR State Impact

Susan Phillips

March 7

Link: http://stateimpact.npr.org/pennsylvania/2013/03/07/organic-farmers-split-over-fracking/

 

Proposed Pipeline Would Transport Marcellus Resources to Gulf Coast

NPR State Impact

Marie Cusick

March 8

Link: http://stateimpact.npr.org/pennsylvania/2013/03/08/proposed-pipeline-would-transport-marcellus-resources-to-gulf-coast/

 

All bills to ban, place moratorium on fracking dead

Cumberland Times-News

March 7

CUMBERLAND — A bill that would have placed a moratorium on drilling for natural gas via hydraulic fracturing, pending further study, has been withdrawn in the House of Delegates after late adverse action on a similar Senate bill Wednesday night.

Link: http://times-news.com/local/x986706374/All-bills-to-ban-place-moratorium-on-fracking-dead

 

Natural gas line expansion slated for Pa.

E&E News

EnergyWire

March 1

(full text below)

Interstate pipeline operator Columbia Gas Transmission Group has announced plans for a $210 million expansion to its Philadelphia network, responding to the booming gas market in Pennsylvania's Marcellus Shale.

 

The project would boost capacity on the Pennsylvania portion of an existing line from New York to Virginia, giving a 738-megawatt gas-fueled power plant under construction in Gloucester County added supply options. Columbia plans to build a 20-inch-diameter pipeline to cross Gloucester County and a 26-inch-wide line for 8.9 miles in Chester County for its East Side Expansion Project.

 

"We are responding to a demand for increasing capacity of natural gas from our customers," said Brendan Neal, community relations and stakeholder outreach manager for Columbia, which is a subsidiary of NiSource Inc.

 

The transmission company outlined a public campaign for the development in filings with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Monday. The construction is likely to irk some locals and draw the attention of environmental activists concerned about air pollution, although Columbia expects FERC approval by June 2014.

 

"Other than payments for easements, it doesn't really bring any increase in tax revenue or jobs," said James Wendergass, manager of West Vincent Township, one of the areas affected by Columbia's expansion.

 

The pipeline project reflects shifting infrastructure demands due to the gas boom gripping Pennsylvania's Marcellus Shale. The surge in production has largely been driven by improved extraction techniques such as hydraulic fracturing, which involves pumping water, sand and chemicals down well bores to reach trapped pockets of shale oil and gas.

 

"Because of the nature of where gas supply was in the past, the gas pretty much ran from the south to the north," said Neal of Columbia. "Now there's new [drilling] technology available that's made gas supply available in other areas" (Andrew Maykuth, Philadelphia Inquirer, Feb. 28). -- BS

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PENNSYLVANIA: Study reveals state officials' oil and gas industry ties

E&E News

Energy Wire

March 12

(full text below)

 

A recent report has raised concerns about the "revolving door" between government posts and oil and gas industry jobs in Pennsylvania.

 

The Public Accountability Initiative, a Buffalo, N.Y.-based nonpartisan research organization, highlighted 45 current or former Pennsylvania officials with ties to the state's energy industry in a study released two weeks ago titled "Fracking and the Revolving Door in Pennsylvania."

 

Many of the former state workers mentioned in the report have moved on to jobs in the industries they were charged with regulating, leading some activists to call for tighter ethical rules.

 

"The revolving door data in this report raises troubling questions about the incentives that may be guiding public officials' oversight of fracking in Pennsylvania, from governors to [Department of Environmental Protection] secretaries to well inspectors," Robert Galbraith, a research analyst at the Public Accountability Initiative, said in the report.

 

The list includes high-profile figures such as Gov. Tom Corbett (R), who received $1.8 million in campaign contributions from the oil and gas industry and worked as a lawyer with Waste Management Inc., a member of the shale gas lobbying firm Marcellus Shale Coalition. Pennsylvania's previous three governors also have "strong ties to the natural gas industry," the study noted.

 

Pennsylvania's DEP Secretary Michael Krancer was formerly general counsel at Exelon Corp., a utility that uses natural gas, according to the report. Krancer also once worked at Blank Rome LLP, a lobbying group that is an associate member of the Marcellus Shale Coalition.

 

Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, as it is commonly called, is an unconventional drilling technique employed by the booming Pennsylvania petroleum industry. Environmentalists have criticized the process.

 

If state officials go on to take industry jobs -- as 28 regulators and policymakers have done, according to the study -- they may be lax in their oversight.

 

"There's a concern about people in state government providing favors to industries that might hire them, in effect helping to feather the nest they land in," said Jeff Schmidt, executive director of the Sierra Club in Pennsylvania.

 

Oil and gas companies active in the state, from Royal Dutch Shell PLC to Chesapeake Energy Corp., have argued that hiring former government employees is standard business practice.

 

"Our desire is to hire the best, the brightest and the most qualified, which in some instances may include individuals who previously worked as public servants," said Matt Pitzarella, a spokesman for gas company Range Resources Corp. The Fort Worth, Texas-based company employs K. Scott Roy, once deputy chief of staff for former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell.

 

Pitzarella noted that many workers at environmentalist organizations formerly served in official capacities or go on to become government administrators.

 

Eric Shirk, a spokesman for Corbett, said it isn't surprising that "the most highly qualified and experienced" state overseers have backgrounds in or eventually take jobs in the lucrative oil and gas sector. After all, he argued, that is their area of expertise.

 

"To protect our taxpayers, Pennsylvania has strict ethics and disclosure laws to guard against undue influence in the policymaking arena," he said in a written statement.

 

Critics contend that those ethics laws don't go far enough. Under current regulations, government administrators are prohibited for one year from lobbying the departments they worked for.

 

"The DEP looks like it's run by the industry," said Silver Lake Township resident Craig Stevens at a House Democratic Policy Committee hearing in Washington, Pa., two weeks ago. "There should be a two-year moratorium on people from [the department] going to the industry" (Dan Hopey, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, March 10). -- BS

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