Meters required for all wells

http://www.tnonline.com/node/128288

Meters required for all wells in Nesquehoning, PA

Reported on Thursday, August 26, 2010
By CAROL ZICKLER TN Correspondent tneditor@tnonline.com

“Tom Merman asked David Hawk, who serves as the borough’s Water Authority chairman, about putting meters on all of the wells in town that don’t have meters on them. Hawk answered that it is up to council as to whether they want to enforce the ordinance. There is an ordinance that all wells have meters attached. Later in the meeting it was discussed that each homeowner who does not have a meter must get one and have it installed. They will have 30 days from time of accepting the meter to have it installed.”

Planner, teacher Susan Gallagher to receive Environmental Partnership Award

http://www.tnonline.com/node/127949

Planner, teacher Susan Gallagher to receive Environmental Partnership Award
Reported on Wednesday, August 25, 2010

AL ZAGOFSKY/SPECIAL TO THE TIMES NEWS Susan Gallagher, chief naturalist at the Carbon County Environmental Education Center, with Keiser, her 8-year-old Australian cattle dog.

By AL ZAGOFSKY TN Correspondent azagofsk@ptd.net
Susan Gallagher, chief naturalist at the Carbon County Environmental Education Center, is being honored for her work as the planner, teacher and coordinator of environmental educational activities at the center.

The Environmental Partnership Award will be presented by the Northeast Pennsylvania Environmental Partners on Thursday, Oct. 14, at the Woodlands Inn & Resort in Wilkes-Barre.

Seven recipients of the Environmental Partnership Award and the Thomas P. Shelburne Environmental Leadership Award Recipient will be honored. Along with that being presented to Gallagher, awards will be presented to: Field Habitat Partnership at Nescopeck State Park, Keystone Active Zone Passport Program, Natural Resource Conservation service coordinator Ryan Koch, Clear Run Elementary Center technology instructor Don Miller, Schuylkill County Sportsman Association and Keystone College biology professor Jerry M. Skinner.

The Thomas P. Shelburne Environmental Leadership Award will be presented this year to Tim Herd of Monroe County for his dedication to providing environmental education and promoting community collaboration over the last 30 years. Joanne Denworth, a land use and environmental lawyer in Gov. Ed Rendell’s Office of Policy, will deliver the keynote address.

Gallagher has been with the CCEEC since 1988 and became the chief naturalist in 1998. She combines her environmental education and wildlife rehabilitation skills to provide CCEEC visitors with a unique perspective of the results of human interaction with our natural environment and wildlife.

She is a licensed wildlife rehabilitator, a volunteer for the Carbon County Ground Water Guardians, a member of the WNEP-TV’s “Pennsylvania Outdoor Life” field staff, and holds a seat on the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s Wildlife Rehabilitation Council. Throughout her career she has demonstrated a deep concern for the environment and has devoted her life to environmental education and wildlife. Read more

Penn State launches new education, research center on Marcellus Shale

http://live.psu.edu/story/47867/nw69

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

University Park, Pa.— Penn State announced today (Aug. 18) the formation of an education and research initiative on the Marcellus Shale to work with state agencies, elected officials, communities, landowners, industry and environmental groups to protect the Commonwealth’s water resources, forests and transportation infrastructure while advocating for a science-based and responsible approach to handling the state’s natural gas deposits.

“With the Marcellus Center for Outreach and Research we are bringing together the University’s considerable expertise in a number of areas to provide fact-based information on the Marcellus Shale, one of the largest gas fields in the world,” said Penn State President Graham Spanier. “It has become apparent that much more research and education is needed on the Marcellus.”

Reports on the development of the natural gas deposits of the Marcellus Shale predict a boost to both Pennsylvania’s economy and the energy reserves of the state and nation. At the same time, there are potential environmental and social impacts that must be researched and considered, Spanier said.

“Penn State has the capabilities and resources to examine all sides of this complex issue—and to do that well,” he said.

Leadership of Penn State’s Marcellus Center for Outreach and Research (MCOR) < http://www.marcellus.psu.edu/ > reflects the need for energy research and public outreach with Michael A. Arthur, professor of geosciences in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, and Thomas B. Murphy, extension educator, Penn State Cooperative Extension, serving as co-directors.

In establishing the Marcellus Center, the University aims to coordinate ongoing outreach and research initiatives as well as develop additional resources for stakeholders on Marcellus geology, legal issues, environmentally appropriate technologies, and impacts on infrastructure such as roadways and bridges.

Because water availability and protection are key issues, MCOR has hired a hydrogeologist to lead these related outreach and research efforts. This position will complement ongoing research into water supply and quality issues funded by state and federal agencies.

The University has been a key player in Marcellus development since its beginning. It was Penn State research that first called attention to the potential for tapping this vast energy reserve using horizontal drilling technology. In addition, for the past five years, Penn State extension staff has provided Marcellus-focused programming to landowners, local governments and state legislators, reaching more than 50,000 people in Pennsylvania and surrounding states. Cooperative Extension staff also has collaborated with environmental and business organizations as well as state agencies on issues from gas rights to water impacts.

Workforce development programs to train Pennsylvania residents for jobs within the natural gas industry also are being initiated by the Marcellus Shale Education and Training Center (MSETC) < http://www.msetc.org/ > a separate collaboration between Cooperative Extension and Penn College of Technology.

“This center (MCOR) enables Penn State to further our outreach efforts to counter misinformation and provide reliable knowledge to the residents of Pennsylvania and surrounding states about the opportunities and challenges of natural gas development,” Murphy said.

While the expertise of faculty across the University will be tapped through the center, faculty in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences are already engaged in research projects to investigate geologic aspects of the Marcellus Shale and to determine more efficient methods for “fracing” the formation to enhance natural gas recovery and minimize the number of wells to be drilled. Fracing is short for hydraulic fracturing, a process that fractures rock formations to extract the gas below. These projects are being funded by the Department of Energy and industry affiliate groups.

“Other key research examines impacts of increased truck traffic on Pennsylvania’s extensive dirt and gravel road network, the effects of well siting and pipeline construction on forest ecology and the spread of invasive species,” Arthur said.

Penn State researchers also are examining the economic and social consequences of rapid development of the communities with significant Marcellus Shale drilling.

Penn State has committed major resources to establish and staff the Marcellus Center (MCOR) with support from the colleges of Agricultural Sciences and Earth and Mineral Sciences, the Penn State Institutes for Energy and the Environment (PSIEE) and Penn State Outreach, Spanier said.

Additional funding from PSIEE and the Social Sciences Research Institute (SSRI) at Penn State is underwriting investigation of human/social impacts and environmental issues related to Marcellus development by teams of cross-disciplinary collaborators. The goal of these research seed grants is to develop proposals for external funding agencies.

Court ruling affirms communities’ ability to limit natural gas drilling

http://citizensvoice.com/news/court-ruling-affirms-communities-ability-to-limit-natural-gas-drilling-1.967942

Court ruling affirms communities’ ability to limit natural gas drilling

BY ELIZABETH SKRAPITS (STAFF WRITER)
Published: August 23, 2010

DALLAS TWP. – Would local officials be powerless to stop a natural gas company from drilling a natural gas well in the middle of a housing development?

Not according to a new state court ruling, which affirms the right of municipal and county officials to limit natural gas drilling to certain districts, such as agricultural, mining or manufacturing, and out of residential neighborhoods.

“Gas drilling is here to stay, and it affects the Back Mountain region very extensively.” Attorney Jeffrey Malak told members of the Back Mountain Community Partnership as he outlined the new court decision.

Thousands of acres in the Back Mountain have been leased by natural gas companies, and Encana Oil & Gas USA Inc. is drilling the second of two exploratory natural gas wells in Lake Township.

Traditionally, local officials have limited say when it comes to natural gas drilling. Technical aspects, such as what kind of materials to use and how the well is drilled, are governed by the state Oil and Gas Act. But local officials are gaining more and more say in where wells can be drilled.

Two previous cases, Huntley & Huntley v. Oakmont Borough and Range Resources v. Salem Township (Westmoreland County) set precedents allowing local officials some leeway in regulating where natural gas companies can drill.

A third, Penneco Oil Co. Inc. v. the County of Fayette, decided in Commonwealth Court on July 22, determined the state Oil & Gas Act does not trump local zoning ordinances, and that local officials can  take steps to protect the residential character of neighborhoods.

In the case, Penneco, Range Resources Appalachia LLC and the Independent Oil and Gas Association of Pennsylvania took Fayette County Office of Planning, Zoning and Community Development to court, saying they did not have to follow the county’s zoning ordinance because the state Oil and Gas Act made it invalid. The court ruled in favor of the county.

“This opens up the floodgates and says municipal zoning is not pre-empted,” Malak said.

The Penneco case allows that gas wells cannot be located within the flight path of an airport runway; that they must be at least 200 feet from a residential dwelling; and that officials can require fencing and shrubs around the well site. It also allows zoning hearing boards to impose any other provisions to protect the health, safety and welfare of residents.

Whether the Penneco case will be appealed is anybody’s guess, but it’s the law unless the state Supreme Court changes it, Malak said.

Dallas Borough already has some of the provisions in its zoning ordinance, Malak said. In Jackson Township, where he also serves as solicitor, the supervisors will put similar provisions in the zoning ordinance when it is drafted over the next couple of months, Malak said.

Dallas Township Supervisor Chairman Phil Walter asked Malak if there was a way to protect a municipality against fly-by-night operators who will leave when something goes wrong.

The case does allow for bonds, even large ones, to be put in place to protect the health, safety and welfare of residents, Malak said.

Kingston Township Supervisor Jeffrey Box asked if local officials can require a land development plan from natural gas companies. Malak said they could, and they can require special exceptions, meaning there has to be a hearing in front of the zoning hearing board to grant permission and to impose any standard planning and zoning fees.

But, he said, there are still aspects of natural gas drilling that will have to be decided in court, such as whether there can be restrictions on hours drillers can operate and whether they can be barred from using roads at certain times.

eskrapits@citizensvoice.com, 570-821-2072

U.S. Sen. Bob Casey Says US Should Regulate Gas Drilling

http://cbs3.com/wireapnewsnj/PA.Sen.Casey.2.1868029.html

Aug 19, 2010

U.S. Sen. Bob Casey Says US Should Regulate Gas Drilling

MICHAEL RUBINKAM, Associated Press Writer

SCRANTON, Pa. (AP) ― U.S. Sen. Bob Casey said Thursday that Pennsylvania’s emerging natural gas industry has the potential to create jobs and wealth, but also carries environmental risks that must be addressed.

The Pennsylvania Democrat told a forum in Scranton that the “gas rush” taking place in the vast Marcellus Shale region of Pennsylvania “can create a great economic boost” in a state where nearly 600,000 people are unemployed. But he added: “We must not fail to protect our people, our land, our water and our future.”

Casey is sponsoring the FRAC Act, stalled legislation that calls for federal regulation of the drilling process known as hydraulic fracturing or “fracking.” Drillers inject millions of gallons of chemical-laden water deep underground to break up the shale and let natural gas escape, leaving much of the water below ground.

Because the process was exempted from federal laws by 2005 energy legislation, regulation has been left to various states.

Opponents contend fracking not only threatens the quality of groundwater but the quantity, since it requires so much water be withdrawn from area rivers.

The industry says fracking has a long track record and that it is safe, with no confirmation that the process has ever contaminated water supplies, and that other kinds of energy production use much more water.

Casey on Thursday pushed for full disclosure of all chemicals used in fracking, one of the provisions of the FRAC Act. The industry says it now does disclose those chemicals, some of which are known carcinogens, after years of claiming the chemical formulas were proprietary.

“Pennsylvanians have a right to know what is being injected into the ground at thousands of sites across the commonwealth,” he said. If fracking chemicals do not pose a threat to groundwater, drinking water or human health, he asked, “then why can’t we shine the light of full disclosure on that process?”

Industry official Kathryn Klaber, who appeared with Casey at the forum, said drillers have nothing to hide and do not object to additional types of disclosure to make the public more comfortable.

“There’s no reason not to have that data available, and clearly the public sees it as a top priority,” said Klaber, head of the Marcellus Shale Coalition.

Thursday’s forum at Marywood University examined the short- and long-term impacts of natural gas development in the Marcellus Shale, a giant gas field underlying much of New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio and West  Virginia. Some experts believe the Marcellus Shale, with as much as 500 trillion cubic feet, could become the nation’s most productive, with enough natural gas to supply the energy-hungry East Coast for 50 years.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has conducted hearings around the country this summer, seeking input as it prepares to study the environmental issues of fracking over the next two years. While Casey has been able to attach the disclosure provisions of the FRAC Act to another energy bill that the Senate could take up this fall, legislative action on the regulatory issue is unlikely this year.

Opponents of the gas drilling process complain the industry has taken environmental and safety shortcuts in their zeal to reap the vast gas stores. Drilling companies tallied more than 1,400 violations of state laws since January 2008, according to an environmental advocacy group’s recent analysis of state data.

John Hanger, secretary of Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection, expressed frustration with the industry in a newspaper interview on Thursday, vowing to stop issuing permits to frequent violators.

“The only sanction left to government and the people is to tell a company it can’t do business here any longer,” Hanger told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “We’re now to the point of really sorting through these violations and identifying companies that don’t seem yet to have gotten the message.

Hanger called out three companies in particular: Chief Oil & Gas of Dallas, Citrus Energy of Colorado and EOG Resources, the Houston-based company that had a blowout at a Clearfield County well in June.

Klaber said the industry shares Hanger’s concern and is working to reduce violations.

“We’ve go to do this right,” she said. “We need to be at a place where there are no violations, and we need to be doing that consistently to earn … trust.”