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.”
DEP Fines Atlas Resources for Drilling Wastewater Spill in Washington County
http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/newsroom/14287?id=13595&typeid=1
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
08/17/2010
CONTACT:
Katy Gresh, Department of Environmental Protection Southwest Regional Office
412-442-4203
DEP Fines Atlas Resources for Drilling Wastewater Spill in Washington County
PITTSBURGH — The Department of Environmental Protection has fined Atlas Resources LLC $97,350 for allowing used hydraulic fracturing fluids to overfill a wastewater pit and contaminate a high-quality watershed in Hopewell Township, Washington County.
The violations were discovered on Dec. 5 and 6, 2009, at the Cowden 17 gas well on Old Trail Road off Route 844. Once the unknown quantity of fluid overflowed the impoundment’s banks, it ran over the ground and into a tributary of Dunkle Run.
“It is unacceptable for drilling companies in Pennsylvania to threaten public safety or harm the environment through careless acts, such as this,” DEP Southwest Regional Director George Jugovic Jr. said. “The Marcellus Shale offers significant economic opportunities for Pennsylvania, but these companies must adopt operating standards that prevent these sorts of accidents and they must make protecting our water resources a top priority.”
This spill violated Pennsylvania’s Oil and Gas Act and Solid Waste Management Act, as well as the state’s Clean Streams Law. Atlas corrected the problem once it was discovered, but failed to report it to DEP.
Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is a process during which liquid is pumped under high pressure down a well and into a rock formation. This causes the formation to crack open and form passages through which natural gas can flow into the borehole.
Properly cased and cemented wells prevent the fluid from entering ground water supplies. Diluted frack fluids are classified as residual waste under Pennsylvania’s Solid Waste Management Act and industrial waste under the state Clean Streams Law.
For more information, visit www.depweb.state.pa.us or call 412-442-4000.
EPA Launches Web Forum on How to Best Protect America’s Drinking Water
http://water.epa.gov/lawsregs/rulesregs/sdwa/dwstrategy/index.cfm
EPA Launches Web Forum on How to Best Protect America’s Drinking Water
Washington (Aug. 17) — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is launching a web-based discussion forum to gather public input on how the agency can improve protection of drinking water.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is launching a web-based discussion forum to gather public input on how the agency can improve protection of drinking water. The information will be used in implementing EPA’s new drinking water strategy announced by Administrator Lisa P. Jackson in March.
“We look forward to reviewing the ideas and feedback from the public,” said Peter S. Silva, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Water. “This online discussion is for anyone who wants to share their input on protecting drinking water and improving public health.”
EPA seeks input from water professionals, advocates, and anyone interested in drinking water quality issues about best solutions for issues facing our nation’s drinking water—planning, developing scientific tools, controlling water pollution and use of resources.
The discussion forum will feature a series of topics based on the four segments of the drinking water strategy: addressing contaminants as groups rather than one at a time, fostering development of new technologies, using the existing authority of several statues to protect drinking water, and partnering with states to share more complete data.
The forum will be open for discussion for about a month, with each topic area being discussed separately. Addressing contaminants as groups will also be discussed separately at a web-based meeting at the end of July.
To join the discussion: http://blog.epa.gov/dwstrat
More information on the new Drinking Water Strategy: http://www.epa.gov/safewater/sdwa/dwstrategy.html
Marcellus Shale drilling violations
http://www.tnonline.com/node/125724
Marcellus Shale drilling violations
Reported on Wednesday, August 18, 2010
By MICHAEL NEWTON TN Correspondent tneditor@tnonline.com
A report published by the Pennsylvania Land Trust Association has identified a total of 1,435 violations of state oil and gas laws by Marcellus Shale drillers operating in the state. Records of the violations were obtained from the Department of Environmental Protection through a Right To Know Request.
The violations occurred over a two-and-a-half year period, from January 2008 through June 25. Of these, 483 were administrative and safety violations, which most likely did not have a negative environmental impact. In the words of the report, that leaves “952 violations as having or likely to have an impact on the environment.”
The report identifies violators according to two categories, those companies with the most violations in general and those with the most violations per well driller. Only violations seen as having an environmental impact were counted for the lists.
The top three companies with the most violations in general were East Resources Inc. which operates 140 wells and had a total of 138 violations, Chesapeake Appalachia LLC, operating 153 wells with 118 violations, and Chief Oil & Gas LLC with 45 wells and 109 violations.
The top three companies with most violations per well were JW Operating CO with an average of 11 violations per well, Citrus Energy Corp with seven, and Penn Virginia Oil & Gas Corp with four.
The violations were grouped into categories: Improper Erosion & Sediment Plans Developed/Implemented (277), Improper Construction of Waste Water Impoundments (268), Discharge of Industrial Waste (154), Violations of PA Clean Stream Law (100), Faulty Pollution Prevention Practices (65), Permitting Violations (38), Improper Restoration of Extraction Site (17), Blowout Prevention (16) Improper Well-Casing Construction (10), and Improper Waste Management (7).
Shale gas drillers injected diesel fuel into the ground
http://www.examiner.com/energy-in-philadelphia/shale-gas-drillers-injected-diesel-fuel-into-the-ground-1
August 18th, 2010
Shale gas drillers injected diesel fuel into the ground
Tap water catching fire due to natural gas migration from hydraulic fracking operations.
Photo: Source: Gasland
In February of this year, the House Energy and Commerce Committee revealed Halliburton and BJ Services, two oil and gas currently operating in Pennsylvania’s Marcellus Shale formation, had used diesel fuel in hydraulic fracturing operations in at least 15 states in from 2005 to 2007. The gas companies would not reveal to the committee where these injections occurred and may have broken the Safe Water Drinking Act laws.
Hydraulic drilling fracking operations inject millions of gallons of water combined with toxic chemical laden compounds to create intense high pressure to break and keep open underground shale rock formations which allows natural gas to be captured. The process is highly controversial with gas industry front groups stating the process is safe while government officials, residents in drilling areas and environmentalists are all increasingly concerned about the negative effects on drinking water supplies along with air and land damage from these other chemical pollutants which result from shale gas drilling operations.
Benzene and toulene, both toxic substances and known cancer causing agents in low concentrations are found in fracking solution compounds.
The Marcellus Shale formation covers almost two thirds of the state of Pennsylvania including more than 36% of the Delaware River Basin which supplies drinking water to millions in the greater Philadelphia area. There are more than 3700 Pennsylvania shale gas drilling permits currently issued to oil and gas companies, mostly to out of state firms. Shale gas formations are also found in Texas and Colorado along with other parts of the country.
The three oil and gas companies heavily involved in chemical fracking named in the committee’s February disclosure were Halliburton, BJ Services and Schlumberger. These companies are currently drilling in Pennsylvania and members of the gas industry front group, the Marcellus Shale Coalition. The federal committee’s disclosures that these companies injected diesel fuel into the ground as part of their fracking operations appears to directly contradict ongoing gas industry front group claims such chemical solutions are harmless to the environment and drinking water supplies. Halliburton and BJ Services had signed a federal non-dissent decree back in 2003 that would no longer inject diesel fuel into the ground during their drilling operations.
More than 25 major environmental groups have written to the federal Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. House of Representatives requesting the government determine whether these companies violated the federal Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA).
“Oil washing up on our shores is not the only threat America currently faces from the oil and gas industry,” said Lynn Senick with Northeast Pennsylvania Gas Action. “Currently, there is not a system in place to make sure that toxic diesel fuel is not polluting our drinking water sources.”
In April of this year, Kenny Watt of Houston, Texas based BJ Services, vice president of the company’s pressure injection services stated, “We have taken an extremely proactive approach in the Marcellus Shale play, with the long-term objective of becoming the largest provider of casing and tubing running services in the region,’. This was the same month, oil giant Baker Hughes of Houston, Texas acquired BJ Services.
The revelations by the federal government that these companies had used diesel fuel as part of their underground fracking solutions comes at same time the gas industry steadfastly refuses to release the details of their fracking solutions claiming they are trade secrets.
Oil and Gas Company Penneco, owned by the Jacobs family of Pittsburgh, is very strongly opposed to any increased regulation of industry operations. The company stated, “We are concerned that bureaucratic machinations have caused the EPA to hypothesize a problem and that the EPA is now seeking to justify a solution to a nonexistent problem.”
To learn more about Penneco, go to: http://www.penneco.com
To learn more about the federal Environmental Protection Agency, go to: http://www.epa.gov/
Disclaimer: The writer holds no stocks or has any financial arrangements with any of the companies named in this article.
Webinars address issues with Marcellus gas in two upcoming offerings
http://live.psu.edu/story/47887/nw69
Monday, August 16, 2010
Three county commissioners — Mark Smith of Bradford County, Pamela Tokar-Ickes of Somerset County and Paul Heimel of Potter County — will be the featured speakers during a free, Web-based seminar titled, “Local Natural Gas Task Force Initiatives,” which will air at 1 p.m. on Aug. 19. Sponsored by Penn State Cooperative Extension, the webinar will provide an overview of how county task forces are responding to the ramp-up of shale-gas exploration in their respective counties.
Information about how to register for the webinar is available at http://extension.psu.edu/naturalgas/webinars. Online participants will have the opportunity to ask the speakers questions during the session.
The “Local Natural Gas Task Force Initiatives” webinar is part of an ongoing series of workshops addressing issues related to the state’s Marcellus shale gas boom. Another one-hour webinar will be held at 1 p.m. on Sept. 16, titled “Natural Gas Experiences of Marcellus Residents: Preliminary Results from the Community Satisfaction Survey”; Presenter: Kathy Brasier, Penn State.
Previous webinars, which covered topics such as water use and quality, zoning, and gas-leasing considerations for landowners and implications for local communities, can be viewed at http://extension.psu.edu/naturalgas/webinars.
For more information, contact Joann Kowalski, extension educator in Susquehanna County, at 570-278-1158 or by e-mail at jmk20@psu.edu.