PA Marcellus News Digest 4/5/12

PA Marcellus News Digest
April 5, 2012

Articles

Looks like energy companies all wet about Pennsylvania's gas reserves
Patriot-News
Gloria McVeigh
Letter to the Editor
March 29
Not content to corrupt susceptible Pennsylvania state legislators and the governor with cash to ensure maximum profits with minimal health and environmental regulations, the natural gas industry is also creating the next Wall Street investment bubble.
Link: http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2012/03/why_arent_school_districts_dru.html

County debates Marcellus impact fee
Courier Express
April 4
CLARION - Clarion County township supervisors and residents appear guardedly in favor of approving the Act 13 Marcellus shale gas drilling impact fee that may mean a significant influx of money to government coffers.
Link: http://www.thecourierexpress.com/leadervindicatorlvlocal/955922-349/county-debates-marcellus-impact-fee.html

Explaining Pennsylvania’s Link To Ohio Earthquakes
NPR State Impact
Scott Detrow
April 4
[...] Ohio’s 177 injection wells absorbed 12 million barrels of waste last year, with about 20 percent coming from Pennsylvania. What’s in it for Ohio? The Buckeye State charges a higher per-barrel fee for out-of-state waste, and netted 1.5 million dollars from the practice last year.
Link: http://stateimpact.npr.org/pennsylvania/2012/04/04/pennsylvanias-link-to-ohio-earthquakes/

Pa. high court takes up shale gas leases dispute
Patriot-News
AP
April 4
HARRISBURG, Pa. — Pennsylvania's high court will take a case that's raising questions about whether leases to countless properties signed by the booming natural gas industry should be interpreted to include the methane locked in the vast Marcellus Shale formation.
Link: http://www.pennlive.com/newsflash/index.ssf/story/pa-high-court-takes-up-shale-gas/90a4d2e37cd142188a1a9aa24853c0dd

Municipalities get expedited hearing in suit against state shale law
Post-Gazette
April 5
The seven municipalities challenging the state's new law governing natural gas drilling activities will get their day in court next week, after the Commonwealth Court on Wednesday granted their request for an expedited hearing.
Link: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/region/municipalities-get-expedited-hearing-in-suit-against-state-shale-law-629980/

Romney Heads to Shale Country
NPR State Impact
Susan Phillips
April 5
The race is on in Pennsylvania. Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney will visit a frack water withdrawal site in Wyoming County today. Romney plans to tour Mountain Energy Services, a company formed by two brothers to serve the Marcellus Shale drilling boom in northeast Pennsylvania.
Link: https://stateimpact.npr.org/pennsylvania/2012/04/05/romney-heads-to-shale-country/

Commissioners OK impact fee
Centre Daily Times
Matt Carroll
April 4
BELLEFONTE — Centre County will accept its share of an impact fee for Marcellus Shale wells drilled within the county’s borders.
Commissioners unanimously voted Tuesday morning to enact the drilling fee, a move expected to net the county $500,000.
Link: http://www.centredaily.com/2012/04/04/3151103/commissioners-ok-impact-fee.html

State approves Keystone Landfill plan to accept more waste
Tribune-Review
Laura Legere
April 4
[...] The landfill in Dunmore and Throop applied last May to increase its maximum daily disposal capacity from 5,000 to 7,500 tons and its average daily intake from 4,750 to 7,250 tons, largely to dispose of more rock waste from Marcellus Shale natural gas drilling.
Link: http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/state-approves-keystone-landfill-plan-to-accept-more-waste-1.1294394#axzz1r4fOv864

Fired natural gas worker admits to knowingly damaging pipeline in Lycoming County
Patriot-News
John Beauge
April 4
WILLIAMSPORT — A fired natural gas worker has admitted on three occasions last June he knowingly damaged a pipeline in northern Lycoming County with an excavator.
The guilty plea entered Wednesday in U.S. Middle District Court by Henry V. Benton, 44, of Bradford, Ark., was taken under advisement by Judge John E. Jones III because it would bind him to imposing a prison sentence of between 12 and 18 months and ordering restitution of between $50,000 and $208,233.
Link: http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2012/04/fired_natural_gas_worker_admit.html

Pennsylvania's Marcellus Shale fee revenues are now in doubt
Patriot-News
Editorial
April 5
All eyes in Pennsylvania should be on Bradford County next week. What happens at the April 12 county commissioners’ meeting there will have ramifications for people statewide.
Link: http://www.pennlive.com/editorials/index.ssf/2012/04/pennsylvanias_marcellus_shale_1.html

Susquehanna County compression station up and running without state permission
Citizens Voice
Laura Legere
April 5
A damaged Susquehanna County natural gas compressor station restarted operations last week despite state regulators' request the facility remain shut down during an investigation, the Department of Environmental Protection said Wednesday.
Link: http://citizensvoice.com/news/drilling/susquehanna-county-compression-station-up-and-running-without-state-permission-1.1295296#axzz1rCZWL3Ei

Commonwealth Court: certain natural gas pipeline records not public
Pennsylvania Record
Jon Campisi
March 29
A state appellate court panel reviewing an appeal from a journalist who sought certain records from the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission has determined that records relating to the safety of natural gas pipelines are not public.
Link: http://pennrecord.com/news/commonwealth-court-certain-natural-gas-pipeline-records-not-public/

Marcellus Shale: Pennsylvania's Manna From Heaven
Commonwealth Foundation
Katrina Currie
April 4
Yesterday, the American Chemistry Council (ACC) and the Pennsylvania Chemical Industry Council hosted a forum on the benefits of natural gas for Pennsylvania's manufacturing sector.
David Taylor of the PA Manufacturers' Association commented that Marcellus Shale is the closest thing Pennsylvania will get to "manna from heaven." On top of creating tens of thousands of jobs in Marcellus Shale related industries, lowering utility bills, and generating fortunes for farmers, workers and small-business owners, shale drilling is helping to revitalize the manufacturing industry.
Link: http://www.commonwealthfoundation.org/policyblog/detail/marcellus-shale-pennsylvanias-manna-from-heaven

Marcellus shale could prove boon for Delco
Daily Times
Editorial
April 4
Marcellus shale drilling is regarded by many Pennsylvanians as a raw deal for them and a sweet deal for gas companies, so it is encouraging to think there could be some benefits for Delaware County residents from the exploitation of this natural resource.
Link: http://www.delcotimes.com/articles/2012/04/04/opinion/doc4f7bbc8caa098496340119.txt

Gas work having impact on area streams
Sun Gazette
Alyssa Murphy
April 4
TROUT RUN - The latest way to measure the negative impacts to water quality from natural gas development activities show some earth disturbance impacts in Lycoming County.
Link: http://www.sungazette.com/page/content.detail/id/576619/Gas-work-having-impact-on-area-streams.html?nav=5011

County set to adopt impact fee ordinance
Sun Gazette
David Thompson
April 4
Although they believe the state gas drilling impact fee legislation is not perfect, the Lycoming County commissioners on Tuesday said they will enact an ordinance to allow the county to receive impact fee revenue.
Link: http://www.sungazette.com/page/content.detail/id/576620/County-set-to-adopt-impact-fee-ordinance.html?nav=5011

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PA Marcellus News Digest 4/4/12

PA Marcellus News Digest

April 4, 2012

Release

DEP Approves Increased Trash Intake at Lackawanna County Landfill

DEP Newsroom

April 3

[...] This permit modification is separate from a minor permit modification DEP approved in February that allows Keystone to process drill-cutting waste from Marcellus Shale natural gas well sites in Northeast Pennsylvania.

Link: http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/newsroom/14287?id=19334&typeid=1

Articles

Citizens Voice

Laura Legere

April 3

State regulators cleared Williams Partners to resume limited operations at a Susquehanna County natural gas compressor station on Monday, just four days after an explosion and fire shut down the facility and tore a hole through the building's roof.

Link: http://citizensvoice.com/news/state-oks-limited-operations-at-damaged-compressor-station-1.1294152#axzz1qzo9pYUE

Is fracking law a gag or guarantee?

Philly Burbs

Jo Ciavaglia

April 2

This month, Pennsylvania doctors who want to know the secret chemical mix used in high-volume horizontal hydraulic fracturing — better known as fracking — can find out, if they sign a confidentiality agreement promising not to share what they learn.

The confidentiality clause, part of the state’s controversial new gas drilling law, has raised suspicion among doctors, public health experts and environmentalists, who wonder how far that nondisclosure requirement extends and if it could compromise professional ethical and moral obligations.

Link: http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/local/courier_times_news/is-fracking-law-a-gag-or-guarantee/article_b82033e2-29da-5310-acee-83bce89eab6c.html

County officials differ on challenging Act 13

Citizens Voice

Michael P. Buffer

April 2

Luzerne County Council voted to support a legal challenge to overturn the new state law regulating natural gas drilling and operations, but county officials are not planning to join the lawsuit opposing Act 13.

Link: http://citizensvoice.com/news/county-officials-differ-on-challenging-act-13-1.1293712#axzz1qwCQeowB

Updated: Marcellus Well Starts Down 25%; Violations Down 30%;

John Hanger's Facts of The Day

Blog

April 2

Down, down goes the price of natural gas, hitting $1.95 for a thousand cubic feet on Friday, March 30 at the Henry Hub, as demand is swamped by supply. Those rock bottom gas prices are reducing the number of drilling rigs and gas well starts in Pennsylvania. In the first two months of 2012, well starts declined from 342 to 269 or approximately 25%, according to the folks at www.marcellusgas.org.

Link: http://www.johnhanger.blogspot.com/2012/04/marcellus-well-starts-down-25.html

PA Marcellus News Digest 4/3/12

PA Marcellus News Digest

April 3, 2012

Release

Community College Students, Local Business Leaders: Community College Workforce Training Will Get People Back to Work
Hundreds of students, presidents, trustees and stakeholders rally at the State Capitol for increased state investment
Wallaby
PR Newswire
April 3
[...] Collectively, the 14 community colleges have a list of shovel-ready projects that exceeds $100 million.  The projects range from modernizing science labs to creating new learning environments for students to be trained and educated in industries likeMarcellus Shale, advanced manufacturing, energy and healthcare.  These types of jobs are in emerging industries where businesses are looking to hire highly skilled and educated employees.
Link: http://wallaby.telicon.com/PA/library/2012/2012040385.HTM

Articles

Chem industry leaders tout Marcellus Shale
Central PA Business Journal
Tim Stuhldreher
April 3
Marcellus Shale natural gas is a "once in a generation gift" to Pennsylvania and the United States, but diverting too much of it into electricity generation would harm other potential users, the head of the American Chemistry Council said this morning.
Link: http://www.centralpennbusiness.com/article/20120403/CPBJ01/120409960/Chem-industry-leaders-tout-Marcellus-Shale

WV governor, senator tout shale gas potential at Marcellus conference
West Virginia State Journal
Taylor Kuykendall
April 2
On the first full morning of the a three day conference on the Marcellus and Utica shale gas play, West Virginia officials again publicly aligned behind the opportunity of shale gas.
Link: http://www.statejournal.com/story/17311221/wv-governor-senator-tout-shale-gas-potential

Platt Road Residents Voice Concerns Over Marcellus Truck Traffic
Gant Daily
Steven McDole
April 3
DUBOIS – Platt Road residents approached the Sandy Township Supervisors over truck traffic from the Marcellus shale industry.
Link: http://gantdaily.com/2012/04/03/platt-road-residents-voice-concerns-over-marcellus-truck-traffic/

City Council Supports Lawsuit Against New Marcellus Shale Law
90.5 Essential Public Radio
Noah Brode
April 3
Pittsburgh City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to support seven Pennsylvania municipalities that are suing the state over Marcellus Shale drilling legislation passed earlier this year.
Link: http://www.essentialpublicradio.org/story/2012-04-03/city-council-supports-lawsuit-against-new-marcellus-shale-law-10674

Switching on the gas?
LCSWMA may replace trash transfer vehicles with natural gas models
Lancaster Online
Ad Crable
April 1
The county waste authority may become a booster in getting the owners of more local vehicles to switch their trucks from running on diesel to cheaper and cleaner domestic natural gas.
Link: http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/616941_Switching-on-the-gas-.html

Panelists square off at Allegheny shale gas forum
Meadville Tribune
Mary Spicer
April 3
MEADVILLE — The audience that filled Ford Chapel on the campus of Allegheny College almost to capacity Monday afternoon didn’t walk away with any easy answers following a panel discussion on “Pennsylvania’s Shale Gas: Economic Boon or Environmental Disaster?”
Link: http://meadvilletribune.com/local/x1437247146/Panelists-square-off-at-Allegheny-shale-gas-forum

Pittsburgh Council supports challenge of shale regulations
Post-Gazette
Joe Smydo
April 3
Pittsburgh City Council, a well-known foe of the Marcellus Shale industry, this morning sent a message of support to seven municipalities that sued the state over the new natural gas drilling law.
Link: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/marcellusshale/pittsburgh-council-supports-challenge-of-shale-regulations-629704/

Commissioners hear a variety of opinions on Marcellus fee
Clarion News
Scott K. Seeley
April 3
CLARION T he Clarion County Commissioners March 28 got the public feedback they were seeking concerning a potential impact fee on certain shale gas wells. Commissioners Wayne Brosius, Butch Campbell and Greg Faller heard more than an hour of strong opinions from people on both sides of the debate.
Link: http://www.theclarionnews.com/news/2012-04-03/Front_Page/Commissioners_hear_a_variety_of_opinions_on_Marcel.html

Keeping eyes, ears on wells
Somerset conservation director lauded
Tribune-Democrat
Editorial
April 3
We applaud the director of the Somerset County Conservation District for raising questions about the revelation that Marcellus Shale polluted water is being pumped deep into two local wells.
Link: http://tribune-democrat.com/editorials/x1451003431/Keeping-eyes-ears-on-wells

Marcellus shale means money for western Pa. land owners
Youngstown Vindicator
March 31
[...] At farms with hundreds of acres in the countryside and at homes of people who live on small parcels, landmen working for gas companies have appeared, offering lease-signing bonuses and royalty shares in gas production.
By simply owning property, people are making money. Some have become millionaires, and others are making several thousand dollars off just a few acres.
Link: http://www.vindy.com/news/2012/mar/31/marcellus-shale-means-money-for-western-/?nw

PA Marcellus News Digest 4/2/12

PA Marcellus News Digest

April 2, 2012

Articles

Environmentalists Demand Marcellus Drillers Disclose What’s in This Chili
PoliticsPA
April 1
A coalition of environmental advocates from across the state joined together yesterday to demand that Marcellus Shale gas drillers reveal the formula for their secret chili.
The enviro groups claim a number of Pennsylvania residents – and representatives from the group themselves – were exposed to the chili during a Marcellus trade show in Pittsburgh.
“Is it dill? Some kind of exotic cilantro?” asked Sierra Club Director Jeff Schmidt, licking his fingers. “I just have to know!”
Link: http://www.politicspa.com/environmentalists-demand-marcellus-drillers-disclose-whats-in-this-chili/33512/

Environmentalists, state lawmakers to host gas drilling forums
Philly Burbs
Amanda Cregan
April 2
Environmentalists and state lawmakers will host gas drilling forums this month.
Just days after the Gallows Run Watershed Association announced it will host an educational forum for the community in Nockamixon, state Sen. Bob Mensch, Sen. Chuck McIlhinney, Rep. Marguerite Quinn, and Rep. Paul Clymer announced they too will host an educational forum for the Upper Bucks community.
Link: http://www.phillyburbs.com/my_town/palisades/environmentalists-state-lawmakers-to-host-gas-drilling-forums/article_7c6afd43-8bf4-59cf-919d-0e1e4ffa346d.html

Enviro group looks beyond impact fee law
Times-Tribune
Robert Swift
April 2
HARRISBURG - As county officials face a looming April 16 deadline to levy a Marcellus Shale drilling fee on 2012 production, an environmental group is urging state officials to address a host of drilling issues that are not covered by the new state impact fee law.
Link: http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/gas-drilling/enviro-group-looks-beyond-impact-fee-law-1.1293749#axzz1quNdNYF4

Maybe lawsuit will shed light on gas drilling legislation
Philly Burbs
April 1
About the only thing that seems clear about Pennsylvania’s gas drilling law is that Republicans were for it and Democrats were against it. That, and the fact that supporters view the law as a benefit for the state and opponents believe it’s a disaster.
Link: http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/local/courier_times_news/opinion/editorials/maybe-lawsuit-will-shed-light-on-gas-drilling-legislation/article_0187835c-7d96-5f21-af15-8ad9f6d82fbd.html#user-comment-area

New study fuels hydraulic fracking debate
PRI (Public Radio International)
March 27
(audio available)
Researchers from the Colorado School of Public Health have spent three years monitoring fracking wells in the state. They recently discovered many are emitting potentially toxic substances into the air
Link: http://www.pri.org/stories/science/environment/new-study-fuels-hydraulic-fracking-debate9140.html

How many canaries must die?
Daily Item
Editorial
March 27
People who know the Susquehanna River best are worried. That alone may be reason enough for the rest of us to give pause. If not, the photos in Sunday's edition of The Daily Item will do the trick.
Link: http://dailyitem.com/0110_editorials/x1361426882/How-many-canaries-must-die

Towns sue Pa. over Marcellus Shale law
Patriot-News
AP
March 29
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A group including seven municipalities Thursday sued the state of Pennsylvania over its new law regulating the rapid growth of natural gas exploration, saying among other things that it unconstitutionally takes away the power to control property from towns and landowners for the benefit of the oil and gas industry.
Link: http://www.pennlive.com/newsflash/index.ssf/story/towns-sue-pa-over-marcellus-shale-law/14e873810d314ce4ae211d07c7fcf1ef

Pittsburgh suburbs part of drilling lawsuit
Tribune-Review
Timothy Puko
March 30
Municipalities can't plan for growth, can't protect their natural resources and can't set limits on where oil and gas drilling can happen because laws that the state passed in February took away those powers, according to the first challenge of the state's new oil and gas laws.
Link: http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/cityregion/s_788949.html

Explosion rocks natural gas compressor station
Times-Tribune
Laura Legere
March 30
SPRINGVILLE TWP. - An explosion at a natural gas compressor station in Susquehanna County on Thursday morning blew a hole in the roof of the complex holding the engines, shaking homes as far as a half-mile away and drawing emergency responders from nearby counties.
Link: http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/explosion-rocks-natural-gas-compressor-station-1.1292502#axzz1qunbc8Rs

Pa. Compressor Station Blast Blows Hole Through Roof
Firehouse
Times-Tribune
Laura Legere
SPRINGVILLE TWP., Pa. -- An explosion at a natural gas compressor station in Susquehanna County on Thursday morning blew a hole in the roof of the complex holding the engines, shaking homes as far as a half-mile away and drawing emergency responders from nearby counties.
Link: http://www.firehouse.com/news/10685722/pa-compressor-station-blast-blows-hole-through-roof

Explosion at Susquehanna County gas compressor station
Times Leader
AP
Michael Rubinkam
An explosion at a natural gas compressor station in Susquehanna County sent black smoke into the air Thursday, alarming residents but causing no injuries.
The state Department of Environmental Protection said there was a small natural gas leak from the Lathrop compressor station in Springville Township, Susquehanna County, about 30 miles northwest of Scranton, but that air-quality testing showed no problems in the surrounding area.
Link: http://www.timesleader.com/stories/Explosion-at-Susquehanna-County-gas-compressor-station,130704

Cabot, Williams Detail Damage To Pennsylvania Gas Compressor
Wall Street Journal
Cabot Oil & Gas Corp. (COG) and Williams Partners LP (WPZ) said they are investigating damage at a Pennsylvania natural-gas compressor after a flash fire hit the structure.
Link: http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20120329-722008.html

As More Drillers Recycle Their Fracking Fluid, A Williamsport-Area Facility Expands
NPR State Impact
Scott Detrow
March 29
[...] Recycling is becoming an increasingly popular way of dealing with hydraulic fracturing fluid waste. Pennsylvania drillers reused 6.1 million barrels of fluid from July to December. That’s a 369 percent increase over the amount of fluid recycled during the last six months of 2010.
Link: http://stateimpact.npr.org/pennsylvania/2012/03/29/williamsport-area-frack-fluid-recycling-facility-will-expand/

Secrecy in the pipeline
Times-Tribune
Editorial
March 30
In what should be an explosive decision, the state Commonwealth Court has ruled that Public Utility Commission records relative to the safety of natural gas pipelines are not public records.
Link: http://thetimes-tribune.com/opinion/secrecy-in-the-pipeline-1.1292654#axzz1quNdNYF4

Marcellus drilling watchdog group strengthens its ranks
Tribune-Review
Jewels Phraner, Ligonier Echo
March 31
A Mountain Watershed Association community organizer has added about 15 people to her army of citizen watchdogs who will monitor Marcellus shale natural gas drilling operations.
Link: http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/westmoreland/s_789188.html

Allegheny Front: Cracker's emissions could affect air quality
Post-Gazette
Amy Friedenberger
March 30
Now that Shell announced it intentions to build its ethane cracker in Pennsylvania, Allegheny Front’s Reid Frazier looked into what kind of air pollution this cracker could generate and add to the region’s already poor air quality.
Link: http://shale.sites.post-gazette.com/index.php/news/archives/24434-allegheny-front-crackers-emissions-could-affect-air-quality

Health impact studies taking hold, with challenges
Patriot-News
AP
March 31
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — While New York regulators have spent four years mulling the environmental impacts of shale gas development, the potential human health impacts have been given short shrift, according to health advocates.
Link: http://www.pennlive.com/newsflash/index.ssf/story/health-impact-studies-taking-hold-with-challenges/81cd59c87cf9403ea4392c7377dbcac8

Mike Argento: Did Pa. legislators even read the Marcellus shale bill?
York Daily Record
Mike Argento
Opinion
March 30
Our state legislatures are often called "laboratories of democracy" by those who wish to shrink the federal government so that it can drown in a bathtub and hand over to the states the power to govern the unruly masses and, generally, revert the nation back to the idyllic'50s.
The 1650s.
Link: http://www.ydr.com/opinion/ci_20290600/mike-argento-did-pa-legislators-even-read-marcellus

Pennsylvania water tainted by hydraulic fracturing
MSNBC
Photo Blog
European Pressphoto Agency (EPA) reports:The gas rush in Pennsylvania, created by the controversial drilling process known as hydraulic fracturing, or fracking—which requires injecting huge amounts of water, sand, and chemicals at high pressure thousands of feet beneath the Earth's surface to extract reserves of natural gas, has brought an economic boom to the state, generating 23,000 jobs, and billions of dollars in state and local tax revenues.
Link: http://photoblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/03/29/10920940-pennsylvania-water-tainted-by-hydraulic-fracturing

Lawsuit challenges state oil and gas zoning scheme

E&E News
Gayathri Vaidyanathan
April 2
(full text below)
Seven Pennsylvania municipalities filed a lawsuit Thursday against the state of Pennsylvania, challenging a recently passed law that creates a one-size-fits-all zoning scheme for oil and gas development.

The municipalities, together with Delaware Riverkeeper, also challenge a provision in the act that requires doctors to sign confidentiality agreements with industry to learn the identity of proprietary chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing.

The issue of local- versus state-level control over hydraulic fracturing, the technique used to extract natural gas from shale, has cropped up in other states, including New York, where two judges recently upheld municipalities' rights to regulate gas drilling within town limits.

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has previously held that municipalities can regulate the oil and gas industry under the state's Oil and Gas Act. The Pennsylvania Legislature subsequently passed Act 13 to amend the act, granting the state pre-emptive power over counties and townships to set regulations and fee structures for the oil and gas industry.

Act 13 supersedes any local zoning restrictions districts may have enacted to regulate oil and gas activity.

The plaintiffs allege that Act 13 violates the Municipalities Planning Code, granted by both federal and state laws, which allows local governments to plan land use.

The suit alleges that municipalities are required under the state constitution to protect natural resources, which they cannot do without zoning authority.

It also alleges that the act gives the oil and gas industry special rights to be exempt from local laws that other businesses have to follow.

"By crafting a single set of statewide zoning rules applicable to oil and gas drilling throughout the Commonwealth, the Pennsylvania General Assembly provided much sought-after predictability for the oil and gas development industry," states the petition.

"However, it did so at the expense of the predictability offered to Petitioners and the citizens of Pennsylvania whose health, safety and welfare, community development objectives, zoning districts and concerns regarding property values were pushed aside to elevate the interests of out-of-state oil and gas companies and the owners of hydrocarbons underlying each property, who are often not surface owners," it states.

The suit alleges the state did not take into account emissions from natural gas condensate tanks, compressor stations, flaring, impoundments and other factors when evaluating the effects of drilling at the local level.

Eric Shirk, deputy director of communications at Gov. Thomas Corbett's (R) office, said they had not yet seen the lawsuit but said that "we worked closely with local government associations, including the PA State Association of Township Supervisors, and we are confident the law will withstand judicial scrutiny."

As an example of Act 13's effects, Maya van Rossum, a plaintiff with the Delaware Riverkeeper, said that Nockamixon Township's zoning restrictions on drilling in the vicinity of Rapp Creek on the Delaware River watershed had been invalidated by Act 13.

Although a separate regional moratorium enacted by the Delaware River Basin Commission still protects the creek from drilling, an additional layer of protection by zoning at the local level had been removed by Act 13, she said. And most counties are not in the Delaware watershed and do not benefit from the DRBC moratorium, she said.

Health issues

The petition also contains a suit by physician Mehernosh Khan alleging that Act 13 impedes the ability of physicians to do their job.

A number of chemicals, some of which may be deemed by industry to be "proprietary" or a "trade secret," are used in hydraulic fracturing.

According to the act, operators are required to disclose the identity of chemicals to a physician only if there is a medical emergency. And doctors are not allowed to disclose the identity of such chemicals if that chemical is proprietary. The natural gas operator may ask the doctor to sign a confidentiality agreement to that effect.

"That is not the way the medical world works," said John Smith, attorney for the plaintiff. "They all talk to each other. In fact, just sending the medical records to another doctor, arguably you would have to redact the information about the exposure, and how are you going to send them to a specialist and get correct treatment?"

According to Pennsylvania law, physicians are required to keep complete medical records and also to report certain diseases, states the petition.

Rules to implement this part of the act will be developed by the state Environmental Quality Board, and the Pennsylvania Medical Society has requested clarifications about the act's extent.

"Will the physician be able to disclose the information to the patient, and will the physician be permitted to alert state officials if a problem is found to exist?" said Marilyn Heine, president of the society.

If the act is interpreted strictly, doctors could be stopped from sharing critical diagnostic information among each other. Almost all chemicals could be defined as proprietary by industry if they want, said Smith.

"For a doctor with many patients in the neighborhood who realizes that these levels of contaminants are causing problems, he can't even warn his patients, 'Hey, you might want to be afraid because the neighbor just came in and his kid was exposed to X, Y, Z in the same backyard that your kid was playing in,'" said Smith.

And the definition of what constitutes a medical emergency would be left up to the natural gas operator, he said.

"If you have someone who comes in every day for six months with a headache, is that an emergency? [The doctor] may not even be able to get the information in the first sense," Smith said.

PA Marcelllus News Digest 3/30/12

PA Marcellus News Digest

March 30, 2012

 

Articles

 

Small gas leak at heart of compression station explosion
Times-Tribune
Laura Legere
March 30
A small gas leak in a Susquehanna County natural gas compressor station triggered an evacuation alarm and automatic shut-down procedures minutes before a spark or other ignition source set the gas on fire, according to preliminary information gathered by state regulators.
Link: http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/small-gas-leak-at-heart-of-compression-station-explosion-1.1292975#axzz1qdIv6Zjo

 

Super PAC ties Holden to gas fracking support
Pocono Record
Bill O'Boyle
March 27
The campaign battle for the Democratic nomination in the 17th Congressional District saw its first attack ad salvo fired Monday, and it came from California.
BlueAmerica PAC issued a press release from Los Angeles "reminding" 17th District voters about U.S. Rep. Tim Holden's support for the natural gas drilling method known as fracking. Billboards in Schuylkill, Lackawanna and Northampton counties went up emblazoned with "Fracking's got a friend in Pennsylvania."
Link: http://www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120327/NEWS90/120329745/-1/NEWS

 

Drilled, longwalled landscape livable?
Observer-Reporter
Editorial
March 26
Along with death and taxes, there are two other guarantees for residents of Greene County - underground mining and gas drilling.
The reality of the latter two constants, specifically longwall mining, was the focus of a public meeting last week in Morris Township, where residents turned out to hear about Consol Energy's plans to build a new portal off Patterson Creek Road as part of the Bailey Mine expansion.
Link: http://www.observer-reporter.com/or/editorial11/03-26-2012-Drilled--Editorial

 

High methane in Pennsylvania water deemed safe by EPA
Fuel Fix
Bloomberg
Blog
March 30
Tests by the Environmental Protection Agency of water in Dimock, Pennsylvania, found elevated levels of methane consistent with leakage from gas drilling nearby, according to scientists who reviewed the data.
Link: http://fuelfix.com/blog/2012/03/30/high-methane-in-pennsylvania-water-deemed-safe-by-epa/

 

What They’re Saying: Natural Gas “Profoundly Beneficial to the United States”
Northcentral PA
March 30
Canonsburg, PA – Higher wages, more jobs, increased access to affordable, American energy. The countless benefits tied to the responsible development of American natural gas from the Marcellus Shale continue to cascade across the region, the country, and the world. Taken together, these efforts are Building a Stronger, More Secure America. Here’s what they’re saying about responsible, job-creating American natural gas production.
Link: http://www.northcentralpa.com/feeditem/2012-03-30_what-they%E2%80%99re-saying-natural-gas-%E2%80%9Cprofoundly-beneficial-united-states%E2%80%9D

 

 

 

PA Marcellus News Digest 3/27/2012

PA Marcellus News Digest
March 27, 2012

 

Release

 

Act 13: What's Next
PECPA (Pennsylvania Environmental Council)
March 26
The continuing work of adapting Pennsylvania laws and regulations took a significant step forward in February 2012 with the signing of Act 13. But, for as difficult as it was to reach this milestone and though the legislation falls short of our expectations in certain aspects, it is only a step on the path to comprehensive energy development and regulation.
Link: http://www.pecpa.org/release/act-13-whats-next

 

Articles

 

House approves 7.5% natural gas tax, highest in the Marcellus Shale states
Maryland Reporter
Daniel Menefee
March 26
House lawmakers Monday night passed  a 7.5% state severance tax on natural gas in a 82-51 vote, after the delegates on Saturday fended off an amendment from Del. Wendell Beitzel, R-Garrett, that would cap state and local taxes on natural gas extraction at 7.5% combined.
Link: http://marylandreporter.com/2012/03/26/house-approves-7-5-natural-gas-tax-highest-in-the-marcellus-shale-states/

 

Study: ’Fracking’ may increase air pollution health risks
Times Leader
Neela Banerjee, Los Angeles Times
March 27
Air pollution caused by hydraulic fracturing, a controversial oil and gas drilling method, may contribute to "acute and chronic health problems for those living near natural gas drilling sites," according to a new study from the Colorado School of Public Health.
Link: http://www.timesleader.com/stories/Study-Fracking-may-increase-air-pollution-health-risks-,129383

 

Shrill noises from compressors could affect plants
Post-Gazette
Amy Friedenberger
March 26
A researcher at the National Evolutionary Synthesis Center in North Carolina has linked noise pollution from by natural gas wells to effects on plants.
Link: http://shale.sites.post-gazette.com/index.php/news/archives/24419-shrill-noises-from-compressors-could-effect-plants

 

Shale execs debate on process of hydraulic fracturing
Post-Gazette
Amy Friedenberger
March 26
The Wall Street Journal spoke with Edward E Cohen, president and chief executive of Atlas Energy LP, and Aubrey K. McClendon, chairman and CEO of Chesapeake Energy Corp., about the controversy surrounding the hydraulic fracturing process and the future of natural gas in the United States.
Link: http://shale.sites.post-gazette.com/index.php/news/archives/24420-shale-execs-debate-on-process-of-hydraulic-fracturing

 

Mansfield initiates institute to educate gas-drilling workers
Star Gazette
G. Jeffrey Aaron
March 26
Mansfield University, has announced the formation of The Marcellus Institute at Mansfield University, An Academic/Shale Gas Partnership.
The Institute will work with all segments of the gas industry to help meet the educational needs of employees as well as developing academic programs to prepare the university's students for careers in the field. Lindsey Sikorski, who previously served as director of community relations at Mansfield, has been named interim director of the institute.
Link: http://www.stargazette.com/article/20120326/BUSINESS/203260346/Mansfield-initiates-institute-educate-gas-drilling-workers?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7CFRONTPAGE

 

County council to vote on gas impact fee
Citizens Voice
Michael P. Buffer
March 27
WILKES-BARRE - A vote to approve a natural gas impact fee is on tonight's agenda for Luzerne County Council.
At least four of the council's 11 members oppose the impact-fee ordinance, but Council Chairman Jim Bobeck said he expects the ordinance will pass with the six votes needed.
Link: http://citizensvoice.com/news/county-council-to-vote-on-gas-impact-fee-1.1290738#axzz1qLt8goHO

 

Peters Township joins opposition to state's shale regulations
Post-Gazette
Janice Crompton
March 27
Peters council members last night voted to join a growing consortium of municipalities and environmental groups that plan to appeal the state's new law governing Marcellus Shale gas regulations.
Link: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/washington/peters-township-joins-opposition-to-states-shale-regulations-628261/

 

Law’s co-sponsor calls report by groups affiliated with Wilkes University “opinion.”
Times Leader
Steve Mocarsky
March 27
WILKES-BARRE – A recent report by two local institutes points out strengths and weaknesses in the state’s new regulations for the natural gas industry, but a co-sponsor of the legislation dismissed the report as “an opinion piece.”
Link: http://www.timesleader.com/stories/Strengths-and-flaws-of-Act-13-assessed,129171?category_id=487&town_id=1&sub_type=stories

 

U.S. Sen. Bob Casey visits Allentown to call for greater transparency on pipeline safety information
Lehigh Valley Live
Colin McEvoy
March 26
Visiting the site of last year's massive gas explosion in Allentown, U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., announced he was pushing for Pennsylvania to improve public transparency regarding pipeline safety information.
Link: http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/allentown/index.ssf/2012/03/us_sen_bob_casey_visits_allent.html

 

Inside The Shell Oil Cracker Plant Deal
CBS Pittsburgh
KDKA
March 16
PITTSBURGH— The stakes were high, so Pennsylvania like neighboring West Virginia and Ohio pulled out all stops to get it.
“The single largest industrial development in the state’s southwest in more than a generation,” Governor Tom Corbett said.
Link: http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2012/03/16/inside-the-shell-oil-cracker-plant-deal/

 

Beaver County Welcomes New Shell Oil Cracker Plant
CBS Pittsburgh
KDKA
March 15
(includes video)
BEAVER— People in Beaver County are welcoming plans for the Shell Oil refinery.
The Homestead Corporation, which currently operates a zinc plant on the site, planned to close it in 2013.
Keith Sevy, a business owner, says the news of the cracker plant is exciting.
Link: http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2012/03/15/beaver-county-welcomes-new-shell-oil-cracker-plant/

 

Progressive PAC Targets Holden
PoliticsPA
Keegan Gibson
March 27
 Last week, PoliticsPA asked whether the Netroots, the national online progressive community, would take an interest in the PA-17 congressional race. Today, we have our answer.
A national progressive political action committee is targeting Rep. Tim Holden in a billboard campaign starting today in Lackawanna, Northampton and Schuylkill counties. The banners target Holden’s support for Marcellus shale drilling.
Link: http://www.politicspa.com/progressive-pac-targets-holden/33213/

 

Court denies USFS was in contempt of its order
Times-Observer
Brian Ferry
March 27
The Allegheny National Forest is not in contempt of a 2009 federal court ruling.
However, according to the judge, it is in the U.S. Forest Service's best interest not to stretch the limits of that ruling.
Link: http://www.timesobserver.com/page/content.detail/id/556583/Court-denies-USFS-was-in-contempt-of-its-order.html?nav=5006

PA Marcellus News Digest 3/23/12

PA Marcellus News Digest

March 23, 2012

 

Release

 

DEP Issues Revised General Permit for Gas Wastewater Processing Facilities
March 21
The Department of Environmental Protection today announced it will publish in this week’s Pennsylvania Bulletin a revised general permit for the processing and beneficial use of liquid waste from oil and gas well sites.
Link: http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/newsroom/14287?id=19319&typeid=1

 

Articles

 

Marcellus Shale driller offers water to Franklin homes
Times-Tribune
Laura Legere
March 22
FRANKLIN TWP. - A natural gas drilling company installed vents on three Susquehanna County water wells on Wednesday as part of an effort to study and address high levels of methane found in the water supplies.
Link: http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/gas-drilling/marcellus-shale-driller-offers-water-to-franklin-homes-1.1289112#axzz1pySnqmfM

 

Marcellus gas may bring big $$$ to local government
Wellsboro Gazette
Sharon Corderman
March 21
As a result of the impact fee on unconventional gas wells signed into law on February 14 by Gov. Corbett, local municipalities may reap significant benefits. Namely, millions of dollars.
Counties in which unconventional gas drilling, such as Marcellus shale wells, is occurring, have until April 16, when the law takes effect, to approve an impact fee ordinance and participate in the dispersal of the fees collected by the state.
Link: http://www.tiogapublishing.com/news/free_press-courier/marcellus-gas-may-bring-big-to-local-government/article_a4bd458c-737a-11e1-bdbf-0019bb2963f4.html

 

Lawsuit planned on driller oversight
Tribune-Review
Rachel Weaver
March 22
A move among several elected community leaders seeking a court order to halt the implementation of a new oil and gas law is gaining momentum in Western Pennsylvania.
Link: http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/regional/s_787714.html

 

'Midstream' conference predicts greater reach for CNG vehicles, Utica Shale
Post-Gazette
Erich Schwartzel
March 22
Rig counts continue to rise and recent announcements signal a burgeoning regional petrochemical market, but industry experts Wednesday polished their crystal balls and said the effects of Marcellus Shale developments will trickle down to the everyday consumer in the form of cars powered by natural gas.
Link: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/business/news/midstream-conference-predicts-greater-reach-for-cng-vehicles-utica-shale-627452/

 

EPA Requests $14 Million to Continue Fracking Study
NPR State Impact
Susan Phillips
March 22
EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson speaks to the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works today about her agency’s budget request for $8.344 billion dollars. In Jackson’s prepared remarks, she touches upon fracking.
Link: http://stateimpact.npr.org/pennsylvania/2012/03/22/epa-requests-14-million-to-continue-fracking-study/

 

Council must decide whether county will accept revenue generated by natural gas drilling under Act 13.
Times Leader
Matt Hughes
March 23
WILKES-BARRE – Luzerne County has just over a month to decide whether it will accept revenue generated by natural gas drilling under Act 13, the recently passed impact fee law.
Link: http://www.timesleader.com/stories/County-told-to-take-a-stand-against-impact-fee,127554?category_id=487&town_id=1&sub_type=stories

 

Atrocious anti-fracking movie 'Gasland' could discredit environmentalists

Morning Call
Paul Carpenter
March 22
[...]Earlier, when I wrote about the coming symposium, that documentary was one of the things I mentioned prominently, along with the featured speaker, Cornell University scientist Anthony Ingraffea.
No one could listen to Ingraffea and still tolerate the hoodlums of Harrisburg who serve as flunkies for the gas drilling robber barons. I'll get back to him shortly, but if you went to see that movie because of what I said, I must apologize. I left that theater numb with disappointment.
Link: http://www.mcall.com/news/local/carpenter/mc-pc-fracking-movie-gasland-20120322,0,4778374.column

 

Our take on gas pipelines in York County
York Daily Record
Opinion
March 22
Attorneys with Stock & Leader dispensed some good advice to property owners at a public meeting last week about a proposed natural gas pipeline that would likely cut across southern York County:
Know your rights.
Understand the process.
Make sure you have legal representation before signing any easement deals with pipeline companies.
Link: http://www.ydr.com/opinion/ci_20229570/our-take-gas-pipelines-york-county

PA Sierra Club Marcellus News Digest 3/14/12

PA Marcellus News Digest March 14, 2012

 

Group that supported Corbett's giveawy to drillers shocked at Corbett's environmental budget cuts, Hanger brings NC Gov to tour drilling sites (and gets her to flip to support drilling in NC),  the Empire (Henderson) Strikes Back against public health officials, more counties cue up to pass impact fees, Dimock "thugs" pirating reservior water  (really?)  

 

Articles

 

Groups upset with conservation cuts

Philly Burbs

Gary Weckselblatt

March 14

When Gov. Tom Corbett signed the Marcellus Shale impact fee, the leader of a conservation organization called it "a good first step toward renewing the nearly bankrupt Growing Greener program."

Now, Andrew Heath, that group's executive director, is upset with the cuts to conservation funding included in Corbett's $27.1 billion budget proposal

Link: http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/local/the_intelligencer_news/groups-upset-with-conservation-cuts/article_138433e5-8c20-5701-979e-00b7a4fa0063.html

 

Scale and Energy Booms, Continued

New York Times

Paul Krugman

Blog

March 13

My posts on the North Dakota energy boom, and its lack of implications for state that actually have a significant number of people, have gotten quite a few comments. So I’ve hit on what I think is a useful comparison: North Dakota versus Pennsylvania.

Link: http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/13/scale-and-energy-booms-continued/?emc=eta1

 

Gov. Perdue takes unannounced trip to Pennsylvania to see fracking rigs

News Observer

JB Frank

March 12

Democratic Gov. Bev Perdue and top administration officials flew to Pennsylvania last week to examine drilling rigs used for shale gas extraction, a controversial practice known as fracking.

Link: http://projects.newsobserver.com/node/24086

 

Hempfield Area school land could be leased to gas driller

Tribune-Review

Richard Gazarik

March 14

The Hempfield Area School District may join a list of Westmoreland County districts that lease land to Marcellus shale gas drillers.

The district's negotiations with Chevron Appalachia involve land behind the high school and field house, according to business manager Jude Abraham.

Link: http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/westmoreland/s_786356.html

 

Gas well shuts down heating at Laurel Valley elementary

Tribune-Review

Jewels Phraner

March 14

Laurel Valley Elementary School reopened on Tuesday after work on a Marcellus shale natural gas well caused water to enter the school's gas line and made it impossible to heat the building.

Link: http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/westmoreland/s_786318.html

 

Bill encourages conversion of large fleets to natural gas

Post-Gazette

Tom Barnes

March 13

HARRISBURG -- With gasoline prices sharply rising and natural gas prices falling, the state should encourage companies to convert fleets of large trucks and vans to vehicles that run on natural gas, Rep. Stan Saylor, R-York, said today.

Link: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/marcellusshale/bill-encourages-conversion-of-large-fleets-to-natural-gas-226642/

 

Gas law protects Pennsylvanians

Post-Gazette

Patrick Henderson

March 14

Sunday's Forum piece by Bernard Goldstein and Jill Kriesky of Pitt's Graduate School of Public Health on the historic Marcellus Shale legislation signed by Gov. Tom Corbett ("Gas Law Punts on Public Health," March 11) seeks to undermine the public's confidence in the law, and it does so in a manner that betrays the fair, informed and honest discussion to which your readers are entitled.

Link: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/opinion/perspectives/gas-law-protects-pennsylvanians-248941/?p=0

 

Somerset to seek payment for Marcellus wells

Tribune-Democrat

Bernie Hornick

March 13

SOMERSET — Somerset County commissioners on Tuesday agreed to advertise their intention to impose an impact fee on Marcellus gas wells, an ordinance that could net $159,000 the first year.

Link: http://tribune-democrat.com/local/x2029125778/Somerset-to-seek-payment-for-Marcellus-wells

 

Drilling impact fee up for consideration in Fayette

Liz Zemba

Tribune-Review

March 14

Fayette County commissioners next week will consider adopting an ordinance imposing impact fees on Marcellus shale wells.

Commisssioners Angela Zimmerlink and Vincent Zapotosky on Tuesday voted to place the proposed ordinance on the agenda for the board's possible approval at its regular meeting on March 20. Commissioner Al Ambrosini did not attend yesterday's meeting.

Link: http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/regional/s_786321.html

 

Sierra Club Spurns $30 Million Gift as Fracking Turns Toxic

Bloomberg

Mark Drajem

March 14

Environmental and health groups are calling for tougher U.S. regulation of hydraulic fracturing for natural gas, turning on a one-time donor to their causes: Chesapeake Energy Corp. (CHK)

The Sierra Club, the largest U.S. group, is rethinking early support of natural-gas development after activists and scientists linked the drilling to tainted water and increased air emissions, Executive Director Michael Brune said yesterday in an interview. The group turned down $30 million from Chesapeake after he took over in 2010, he said.

Link: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-03-14/sierra-club-spurns-30-million-gift-after-fracking-turns-toxic.html

 

Fish and Boat Commission suggests charging for river water

Bob Frye

Tribune-Review

March 14

You can lead a horse to water, but can you make him pay for it?

That's something the executive director of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission figuratively is asking.

Link: http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/outdoors/s_786159.html#ixzz1p7HjllP4

 

Councilman: Dimock 'Thugs' 'Pirating' Montrose Water

WBNG

Dave Greber

March 13

(includes video)

Water flowing from a two-and-a-half foot tall spigot on a quiet street in Montrose has sparked a firestorm that's pitted residents against neighbors, the borough council against its owner and a sea change in local meeting laws.