House approves severance tax bill
http://citizensvoice.com/news/house-approves-severance-tax-bill-1.1036709
House approves severance tax bill
By Robert Swift
Published: September 30, 2010
HARRISBURG – The Pennsylvania House of Representatives voted Wednesday to levy a significant severance tax on natural gas production and earmark a sizeable portion of revenues for local governments and environmental programs.
The House action sets the stage for closed-door bargaining between House and Senate leaders to find a compromise tax rate during the next two weeks as the legislative session winds down.
The tax measure, approved 104-94, sets the severance tax rate at 39 cents per thousand cubic feet (mcf) of natural gas at the wellhead, a minimum floor price that would be adjusted annually if the price of natural gas increases.
House Majority Todd Eachus, D-Butler Township, said this taxing method should ensure a steady revenue flow of $300 million annually and guard against outside speculation in the natural gas market.
Senate President Pro Tempore Joseph Scarnati, R-Jefferson County, said the $0.39 per mcf rate is unacceptable and won’t generate the anticipated revenue because investment will be driven away. Senate GOP leaders want a severance tax that sets a 1.5 percent rate during a well’s first five years of production and a 5 percent rate after that.
Therein lies the main divide that is keeping House and Senate leaders from meeting a self-imposed deadline to pass a severance tax bill by Friday. But Eachus and Scarnati said they would negotiate in good faith.
The Senate left Wednesday for a recess until Oct. 12, but discussions are expected to take place anyway next week.
Eachus said the two chambers are now closer to agreement on a distribution of severance tax revenue with a 60 percent share in the House-passed bill going to local governments and the environmental stewardship fund, which funds local projects that address problems ranging from acid mine drainage to farmland and open space preservation.
Eachus and Rep. Neal Goodman, D-Mahanoy City, discussed the need for a severance tax in the context of the lack of a similar tax during the anthracite boom in Northeastern Pennsylvania and the resulting still-unresolved water quality problems in the region.
“This is a life insurance policy for Pennsylvania,” said Goodman in floor debate.
Scarnati said a number of his GOP colleagues are uneasy with the gas industry’s proposal to require the pooling together of land parcels for drilling. Many of them have heard from constituents who have property rights, he said.
rswift@timesshamrock.com
Ground Water Protection Council to Develop and Implement a State-Based System Disclosing Chemicals Used in Hydraulic Fracturing
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20100929006359/en/Ground-Water-Protection-Council-Develop-Implement-State-Based
September 29, 2010 12:07 PM Eastern Daylight Time
Ground Water Protection Council to Develop and Implement a State-Based System Disclosing Chemicals Used in Hydraulic Fracturing
GWPC Board Supports Complete Public Disclosure of Chemical Compositions Per Well
PITTSBURGH, PA.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Meeting in the heart of one of the most prolific natural gas shale plays in America, the 20-member board of directors of the Ground Water Protection Council (GWPC) unanimously passed a resolution calling for complete disclosure of chemicals used during the hydraulic fracturing process, common in the exploration of shale gas.
In the resolution, the GWPC – a national nonprofit association consisting of state ground water regulatory agencies – joined together to protect ground water by implementing a web-based system to obtain, store and publish information concerning chemicals used in the hydraulic fracturing process on a per-well basis.
“We are pleased the energy industry is voluntarily moving towards greater transparency when it comes to disclosing the chemicals used in the hydraulic fracturing process. Even though the process consists mostly of water and sand, it is in the best interest of the public to publish the chemical compositions,” commented Joseph Lee, board president from Pennsylvania. “As a board, we are fully behind complete disclosure, and we believe without question the GWPC has the resources, data and expertise to develop and implement a state-based system capable of providing an unprecedented level of accurate and verifiable information. Since the GWPC members are primarily state officials responsible for administering the underground injection control program established under the 1974 Safe Drinking Water Act, we believe no one has more knowledge of ground water protection than our members.”
In announcing the passage of the resolution, which is included as an addendum to this press release, Lee pointed to the GWPC’s Risk Based Data Management System (RBDMS) as the technology platform upon which the national chemical registry would be built. The RBDMS is already used by 25 state agencies charged with regulating and overseeing oil and gas activities. This system was developed by the GWPC under the guidance of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).
“We know some energy companies have already voluntarily started to make their chemical compositions available on their websites,” Lee said. “Again, while we laud this effort, individual company reporting is not the most desirable long-term solution. We need a centralized, global site where regulators, companies and – most importantly – the public can come for reliable and current information on individual wells. And, while reporting would be voluntary, we have every reason to believe the majority of energy companies will respond favorably and actively participate in the program.”
Lee also noted that the GWPC has been working with the DOE to refine the idea of a state-based chemical disclosure system built on the RBDMS. “We are pleased with the positive reception at the DOE to this idea, and we are looking forward to working with our DOE colleagues on this project,” Lee said.
GWPC officials said they have already started to build the beta test site and expect to roll out the live site in the next six weeks.
RESOLUTION 10-1
REGARDING THE AVAILABILITY OF INFORMATION ABOUT THE CHEMICAL CONSTITUENTS USED IN THE PRACTICE OF HYDRAULIC FRACTURING
WHEREAS, the practice of hydraulic fracturing typically involves the use of an engineered fluid system that contains chemical additives; and
WHEREAS, it is in the best interest of the public that information concerning the individual chemical constituents used in hydraulic fracturing be made available through the states; and
WHEREAS, the experience and capability exists within the Ground Water Protection Council and its member states to develop electronic systems to gather, store and disseminate information about the chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing;
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT, the GWPC, in concert with other state representative organizations, intends to develop and implement a system to enhance access to state and other pertinent information concerning chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing.
Passed by the Board
Contacts for the Ground Water Protection Council
Brent Gooden, 405-715-3232
Cabot and DEP clash over Dimock water contamination
http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/cabot-and-dep-clash-over-dimock-water-contamination-1.1035426
Cabot and DEP clash over Dimock water contamination
by laura legere (staff writer)
Published: September 29, 2010
A clash between the state’s environmental regulators and gas driller Cabot Oil and Gas Corp. over the cause and solution for contaminated water wells in Dimock Twp. escalated on Tuesday, with the Cabot CEO accusing the Department of Environmental Protection of waging “a public war against us.”
The late- day salvo – in the form of a press release and 29-page letter from Cabot CEO Dan O. Dinges to DEP Secretary John Hanger – came hours after Mr. Hanger described as “very unfortunate and false” an advertisement by Cabot published Tuesday morning in area newspapers that criticized his department and its plan for replacing the contaminated private water supplies in Dimock.
Mr. Hanger could not be reached on Tuesday night to respond to Cabot’s letter.
In the advertisement published in The Times-Tribune and the Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin, Cabot challenged a state plan to compel the natural gas driller to replace the contaminated wells with an estimated 7-mile-long, $10.5 million public water line from Montrose, calling the proposal “unreasonable, unprecedented and … unfair.”
An official announcement of the water replacement plan will be made by Mr. Hanger on Thursday along Carter Road in Dimock, where the department found that Cabot contaminated 14 water wells with methane during its Marcellus Shale drilling operations.
Mr. Hanger said Tuesday he would not detail the plan, which he will explain on Thursday, but he said he was “disappointed” in Cabot’s statements in the ad.
“Cabot would do better spending its money on fixing the problems it caused than buying ads,” he said. “Frankly, the families in Dimock and the people of Pennsylvania deserve much better.”
Mr. Hanger found “particularly false” Cabot’s statement that the department has a “concerning” tendency “to communicate through the media instead of with the Company.”
The secretary said he and his senior team have had weekly calls with Mr. Dinges and other company leaders about the water replacement issue since April. When Mr. Dinges was on vacation and unreachable by satellite phone during a crucial period in the discussions, Mr. Hanger and his advisers communicated with a Cabot team “fully about all these matters” in his absence, Mr. Hanger said.
DEP suspended portions of Cabot’s extensive Marcellus Shale operations in Susquehanna County in April after it found that 14 of the company’s gas wells in Dimock were improperly constructed or overpressured and were causing methane to seep into water wells.
The company has paid more than $360,000 in fines and was ordered to fix the affected water supplies, but at least 11 of the 14 families refused Cabot’s proposed solution – methane elimination systems to be installed in each of the homes – saying the systems are inadequate to address the problems.
DEP is also conducting comprehensive testing of the well water in 34 homes in the Dimock area for a wide range of contaminants, including benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene and glycol, after a private testing firm hired by residents detected many of those chemicals in their water, including some at levels above federal drinking water standards.
In its ad on Tuesday, Cabot said it does not believe it caused the contamination and “intends to fight these allegations through its scientific findings.”
It also criticized the logic of DEP’s water replacement plan.
“No private business model would support such an investment (in excess of $10 million) for so few users,” Mr. Dinges wrote in the ad. He said the water line is being planned without any study of the economic viability of the project, its physical impact on the route and how long it will take to install.
In the press release and letter distributed late in the day, Mr. Dinges went further with his criticisms, calling the department’s behavior toward Cabot “arbitrary and unreasonable” and saying that the department has ignored evidence “proving (Cabot) is not responsible for methane gas migration into local water wells … preferring instead to base unprecedented and costly mandates on biased and unscientific opinions and accounts.”
In support of its position, the company said it drilled a new water well for a resident who lives in the 9-square-mile area identified by the department as affected by the methane contamination and did not detect any gas in that water, Cabot spokesman George Stark said.
In its press release, the company also cites local emergency response officials who said they found no evidence that an explosion blasted a concrete slab off a resident’s water well on Jan. 1, 2009 – the incident that first spurred the department’s investigation into methane migration.
Asked what else might have broken and tossed aside the slab, Mr. Stark said, “We don’t have a theory as to how or why. What we do have is, when you have an explosion, there are certain tell-tale signs. And we didn’t see any of those.”
The attorney for Dimock families who have sued Cabot for damaging their water, property and health could not be reached Tuesday evening after Cabot released its letter.
In a statement released earlier in the day, attorney Leslie Lewis said she applauded the “courage and decisiveness” shown by the governor and Mr. Hanger on the water replacement issue and called the state’s plan to provide centrally sourced water to the residents “a considered and necessary one.”
She also criticized Cabot’s advertisement Tuesday, calling it “just another example of Cabot’s cynical attempts to divide the community, pitting neighbor against neighbor on the gas development issue.”
“The issue is whether Cabot has contaminated residents’ well water by their operations,” she said. “The unequivocal finding of the DEP and PA government is ‘yes’.”
Contact the writer: llegere@timesshamrock.com
Autumn events at Lehigh Gap Nature Center
Dear LGNC Members and Friends,
This is a reminder of two Autumn events here at Lehigh Gap Nature Center.
1) Oct. 9 — Bird Walk (8:00 a.m.). This will be a special field trip to Bake Oven Knob to observe the hawk migration. It is peak season for Sharp-shinned Hawks and all three falcon species, and every species that passes the lookout is possible on this date. Meet at the Osprey House at 8:00 a.m. to travel to Bake Oven Knob. The field trip will last until about noon, but you are welcome to leave early or stay late if you drive to the Bake Oven Knob parking lot. The hike to the lookout is about half a mile over very rocky terrain. Hiking stick or ski pole is advised if you are not steady on the rocks.
Bring snacks, water, and lots of warm clothing. It often feels 10-20 degrees colder on the lookout than in the valleys below. Please note that there are no snack or restroom facilities at Bake Oven Knob.
2) Oct. 16 — Autumn Refuge Hike (1:00 p.m.). Join us at this most beautiful time of year for a 6 mile hike through the grassland restoration area and out to the Chestnut Oak Trail. Some short steep uphill grades, some rocky trail, and 6 miles long.
In addition, see the announcement below about a free lecture at Moravian College.
Dan Kunkle
Lehigh Gap Nature Center
P.O. Box 198
Slatington, PA 18080
ph/fax 610-760-8889
http://lgnc.org
Growing drought threatening well-water levels across state
http://live.psu.edu/story/48713/nw69
Penn State Ag Sciences Newswire – 9.27.2010
Growing drought threatening well-water levels across state
Friday, September 24, 2010
University Park, Pa. — After months of very little rainfall, and with long-term weather forecasts predicting little improvement through fall and early winter, well owners across the state have begun to grow uneasy, according to a groundwater expert in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences.
All of Pennsylvania is under a drought watch, and state officials recently declared a drought warning for 24 counties. The driest counties are in the far eastern and far western parts of the state, bordering Ohio and New Jersey. There is also a very dry region in the southwest around Somerset.
“The last serious drought we had that affected groundwater and well levels across Pennsylvania was in 2002, and I have already begun hearing from some of the people who experienced water-quantity problems with their wells then,” said Bryan Swistock, water resources extension specialist in the college’s School of Forest Resources. “Well owners should be conserving their water.”
This drought started in April, which was a dry month around the state, according to Swistock. That was followed by sporadically dry May, June and July. “August and especially September were very dry throughout the state,” he said. “The drought accelerated pretty rapidly.”
Historically, the current dry conditions are not that impressive, Swistock conceded, but he’s concerned by the current trend. “This drought so far is not a record-breaker by any means, but 2010 was in the top one-third or one-fourth of the state’s drier years in the records going back into the 1800s,” he explained.
“The official NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) long-term weather forecast indicates that this drought will be persistent in Pennsylvania through the winter. It may not get worse, but the outlook shows it is not likely to improve.”
The one caveat in the dry weather forecast is the unpredictable nature of tropical moisture that could find its way to Pennsylvania and ease drought conditions.
“If remnants of one or two of the tropical storms that form in the south Atlantic this fall move northward and track over Pennsylvania, they could eliminate the drought,” Swistock said. “There is a lot of tropical moisture around — but none of it has found its way to Pennsylvania yet.”
To recharge water tables and boost well-water levels, rains must fall before the ground freezes — usually in December — because after that, precipitation is not absorbed by the ground and simply runs off, Swistock pointed out. “We are now at our traditional annual low point for streams and groundwater,” he said.
“This is a critical recharge period we are entering — it’s a dangerous time to be in a drought condition.”
What you can do
Water-conservation measures become critical during times of drought. Homeowners relying on private wells can significantly reduce water consumption by changing habits and installing water-saving devices, according to Swistock.
“In emergency situations, changes in water-use habits can provide quick reductions in water use,” he said. “Examples include flushing the toilet less often, taking shorter showers, washing only full loads of dishes or laundry, and collecting water from roof gutters for outside use.”
It is important to note that certain drought declarations also may require water-use reductions or restrictions on water use, Swistock said. For example, a “drought emergency” declaration bans the nonessential use of water, such as car washing and lawn watering. These regulations apply to everyone, including homeowners with private wells.
Swistock advised water-well owners to monitor nearby groundwater levels online. “You might be able to detect potential problems early and implement water-conservation strategies that may prevent your well from going dry,” he said.
For more information on ways to save water around the home, consult the Penn State Cooperative Extension publications, “22 Ways to Save Water in an Emergency,” “Household Water Conservation” and “Managing Your Well During a Drought.” These publications are available at http://extension.psu.edu/water online.
You can learn about groundwater levels in your area through a website provided by the U.S Geologic Survey. Although not specific to your well, information from monitoring wells will allow you to observe the general trend in groundwater levels in your area. For a list of the available monitoring wells by county, go to http://pa.water.usgs.gov/durplots/well_duration.html online.
For more information on management of wells and springs in Pennsylvania, visit http://www.sfr.cas.psu.edu/water or contact your local Cooperative Extension office.
Pennsylvania’s fracking rules need beefing up: review group
http://www.platts.com/RSSFeedDetailedNews/RSSFeed/HeadlineNews/NaturalGas/6470590/
Washington (Platts)–24Sep2010/639 pm EDT/2239 GMT
Pennsylvania’s fracking rules need beefing up: review group
Pennsylvania’s hydraulic fracturing regulatory program needs to be beefed
up, the State Review of Oil and Natural Gas Environmental Regulations
(STRONGER) said Thursday.
STRONGER is a non-profit organization that uses industry personnel to
review state oil and gas environmental regulations. The team was observed by
representatives from environmental groups, state regulators, the oil and gas
industry and the US Environmental Protection Agency, STRONGER said.
STRONGER’s review team said the state DEP should encourage more extensive
baseline groundwater quality testing by operators in areas where drilling is
imminent. The state also should consider factors that can affect the test
results, such as the absence of confining rock layers.
The review team said drillers should be required to identify to the DEP
potential conduits for fluid migration, such as active and abandoned wells, in
an area where fracking will be used.
The review team also said operators’ prevention, preparedness and
contingency plans filed with the DEP should identify the procedures that will
be used to inform emergency medical personnel about the chemical composition
of fracking fluids.
In addition to notifying the DEP at least 24 hours before drilling
starts, operators also should give the state advance notice before a well is
fracked, the review said. The DEP also “should have the opportunity to conduct
inspections at critical stages, including during hydraulic fracturing and
flowback,” it added.
The review team recommended the state require liners or secondary
containment around tanks or other facilities storing “pollutional substances.”
Also, rules requiring pit bottom “preparation and liner placement, should
be considered.” The review team recommended that secondary containment
requirements should be established for storage tanks used in fracking.
–Rodney White, rodney_white@platts.com
Similar stories appear in Gas Daily.
See more information at
http://www.platts.com/Products/gasdaily/
Shortage of rain must be taken seriously
http://www.tnonline.com/node/135919
Reported on Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Drought warning
Shortage of rain must be taken seriously
Last week, the Pa. Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) issued a drought warning for our newspaper’s entire coverage area – Carbon, Lehigh, Monroe, Northampton, and Schuylkill Counties.
The combination of lower rain than usual with the excessive summer heat has resulted in stream levels being well below normal.
One only has to see the receding shore line at Mauch Chunk Lake Park to understand how critical the water level has become.
The National Weather Service says rainfall is four inches below normal for the past 90 days in the Lehigh Valley. Carbon County has a 4.5 inch deficit for 90 days while in Monroe County, there is a 5.2 inch rainfall shortage for the three-month period.
The DEP is asking people to conserve water. One of the most common sources of waste water is a leak within your residence, such as a toilet. DEP says a leaking toilet can waste up to 200 gallons of water per day. Although many households are strapped for cash right now, fixing such a leak should be a priority since it can also reduce your monthly water bill.
DEP encourages residents to conserve water by taking showers instead of baths.
Also, keep water in the refrigerator to avoid running water from a faucet until it is cold.
Run your dishwasher only when it is full.
Water is a precious resource and we can’t ignore the fact that levels at our storage facilities are being reduced by the lack of rain. Generally, the water lines aren’t fully restored until spring when a good snow pack melts. A dry winter will make things very critical, so it’s best to start conserving now.
This is especially true if you rely on wells rather than city water.
The DEP could do more to help the situation by making its Web site more user friendly with drought advice, suggestions, and information. Very little is stated on the DEP site about the drought conditions.
After all, it is the DEP which issues drought warnings.
We agree that there is a drought. We have to think ahead, though, to assure that if the drought continues, we’ll still have enough water to meet our every day needs.
By Ron Gower
rgower@tnonline.com
Carbon County, PA Water deficit
http://www.tnonline.com/node/136939
Reported on Friday, September 24, 2010
Carbon County, PA Water deficit
Drought raises concern with local officials
By AMY MILLER amiller@tnonline.com
Carbon County has seen the effects of lower than normal rainfalls over the summer.
During the county commissioners’ meeting on Thursday, Commissioner Wayne Nothstein provided an update on the drought warning that was issued by the state Department of Environmental Protection last Thursday. A drought warning is issued when areas see a significant precipitation deficit as a result of little to no rainfall over a 90-day period. In some counties throughout Pennsylvania, deficits are as great as 5.6 inches below normal.
Nothstein said that Beltzville Lake, located near Lehighton, is down 15 feet as a result of dam releases that are needed to keep the salt water levels down in the rivers; as well as evaporation.
On Wednesday, officials at the lake closed the boat launches at Beltzville for the season because levels were so low.
Nothstein also said that Mauch Chunk Lake is experiencing lower than normal levels. Last week, the lake was down a total of 50 inches, but as of yesterday, the lake was showing that it was down 54 inches.
“It looks like the lake is losing a half inch a day,” he said. “I want to remind everyone, especially in the west side of Jim Thorpe, that is where the water supply comes from for Jim Thorpe.”
Nothstein added that the Lehigh River is also operating on less than half of its normal flow.
“As of Wednesday, the river was flowing at 169 cubic feet per second, which equates to 76,000 gallons per minute,” he said. “The average (normal flow of the Lehigh) over a 27-year period is 167,000 gallons a minute.”
Mark Nalesnik, Carbon County Emergency Management Agency coordinator, also noted that he was told the recreation pool at the Francis E. Walter Dam is completely used up.
He and Nothstein urge residents to try to conserve water usage when they can until the county gets a significant rainfall.
“It’s necessary to conserve water at this point,” Nalesnik said.
Four burn bans have also been put into place in municipalities throughout the county as a result of the drier than normal conditions. Those municipalities include Nesquehoning, Bowmanstown, East Penn Township and Jim Thorpe.
To conserve water, DEP suggests fixing any leaks in household plumbing, installing low-flow or aerators nozzles on shower heads and faucets, taking short showers instead of baths, replacing older washers with front loading washers, running the dishwasher and washing machine only when they are full, avoid running water excessively.
For more tips on conserving water, visit www.depweb.state.pa.us, keyword: drought.
In a related matter, Nothstein also announced that there is help for farmers that have been affected by the drought.
He read a portion of a press release from Speaker of the House Keith McCall (D-Carbon), stating that farmers in Carbon County are eligible to apply for low-interest emergency disaster assistance loans from the federal Department of Agriculture to help recover crop losses associated with the summer’s dry weather.
To apply for the loan, farmers need to contact the Carbon County Farm Service Agency in Lehighton at (610) 377-6300 or visit www.fsa.usda.gov.
Farmers have eight months from Sept. 10, to apply for the loans, the press release states.
Experts quizzed on rare blood disorder at Tamaqua forum
http://www.tnonline.com/node/136575
Experts quizzed on rare blood disorder at Tamaqua forum
Reported on Thursday, September 23, 2010
By DONALD R. SERFASS dserfass@tnonline.com
Two years after the discovery of a higher then normal incidence of a rare blood disease in the local area, there are still more questions than answers.
On Wednesday, the Tri-County Polycythemia Vera Community Advisory Committee (CAC) sponsored a public health forum at the Tamaqua Area Auditorium, 500 Penn Street.
The meeting, attended by 75 local residents, afforded the general public an opportunity to discuss health-oriented studies aimed at determining the extent of polycythemia vera (PV) and related myeloproliferative diseases (MPDs) and their possible link to environmental conditions in the area.
Dr. Vince Seaman of the U.S. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry presented an overview of ongoing research and introduced several research leaders to answer questions about specific studies and planned activities.
They included representatives from the University of Pittsburgh, Drexel University, Geisinger Health System, the Pa. Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), and the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR).
Much of the discussion centered on the JAK-2 mutation and screenings. JAK-2 is part of a signaling system in the body that helps tell bone marrow when to start and stop making blood cells. Most people with PV have an acquired mutation in their JAK-2, so the bone marrow makes too many blood cells. People are not born with the JAK-2 mutation.
Dr. Seaman told attendees that Geisinger Health System and Dr. Paul Roda will perform follow-up studies of JAK-2 screenings, conduct additional studies regarding prevalence of the JAK-2 genetic marker, and will work with the medical community regarding treatment practices.
Drexel University investigators will attempt to determine factors that may contribute to the PV cluster in the Tamaqua-Hazleton area by examining environmental and occupational histories of patients with PV and MPD-related disease and comparing them with those free of the diseases.
“They will do a case control study,” said Seaman, explaining that it will compare groups of people who are sick to those who are similar but not sick.
The University of Pittsburgh team is conducting a study that will compare PV rates in the Tamaqua-Hazleton area to those in four counties in the western Pennsylvania coal region to look for similarities and differences in the two areas that might provide clues to the causes of the disease.
“They have co-gen plants there. If co-gen plants have something to do with cancer then it’ll show up there, too,” said Seaman. “The University of Pittsburgh will do a study in the area to see if the number of PV cases has increased, decreased or stayed the same, “because we can’t use Cancer Registry data for that,” explained Seaman.
More screenings, tests to come
The ATSDR has plans for additional JAK-2 screenings and also will perform air and water tests.
The agency is involved in PV data collection and a population study analysis for the JAK-2 marker on a national level “to see if there’s a continuing problem or not,” said Seaman.
The Pa. DEP is doing studies at residences and has conducted water testing, which prompted questions from Merle Wertman, Tamaqua, who’s been dealing with PV for the past seven years.
Wertman receives monthly phlebotomy treatments at St. Luke’s Miners Memorial Hospital.
“They said they took samples around the Still Creek area and didn’t find anything wrong with it,” said Wertman.
But Wertman and wife Linda cannot understand why cancer is popping up along their Washington Street neighborhood.
“We have 14 cases of cancer on our block,” said Linda.
Merle said the block has about 30 homes.
Also on hand was Emery Oakes, 57, who was diagnosed with PV when blood screenings were performed one year ago.
Because of the blood thickness associated with PV, Oakes goes to the hospital and has blood drawn every six weeks.
“They take six tubes out,” he told the TIMES NEWS. He also takes 81 mg of aspirin daily. Oakes lives in the Dutch Hill section of Tamaqua with brother Michael, 52, who tested negative for PV.
The Oakes brothers said their home was subjected to water and radon tests.
For West Penn Township resident Bill Mackey and several others, the session provided an opportunity to question the DEP about Marcellus Shale drilling.
“I want to ask them what chemicals they’re injecting into the ground for fracking. We have a cabin in Sullivan County and they’re drilling around us,” Mackey said.
The meeting was chaired by Tamaqua Mayor Chris Morrison, who urged those in attendance to spread the word about upcoming activities.
“Several of these teams will soon be conducting interviews in our area; so it is critical that we get as much information as possible.” He added: “We have a serious health threat in our area and one that may affect future generations. We need to find out why we have a cancer cluster and eliminate the cause. In the meantime we need to take good care of the patients and their families.”
Morrison credited Sen. Arlen Specter with being the impetus for the research and studies. Specter appropriated a total of $8M to investigate the blood disorder and its unusually high incidence in Carbon, Schuylkill and Luzerne counties.
Members of the volunteer CAC group vowed to continue their work in getting to the bottom of the issue.
The group has been meeting regularly and working with medical professionals, researchers, the media and the public.
“I’d like it to go faster,” said Irene Genther. “Everybody is wanting an answer.” Genther, of Nesquehoning, is a chemist with a background in education, and serves as a volunteer on the CAC board.
Like others on the board, Genther wants to find answers as quickly as possible.
What is Polcythemia vera?
http://www.tnonline.com/node/136550
What is Polcythemia vera?
Reported on Thursday, September 23, 2010
Polycythemia vera (PV) is a blood disease in which the bone marrow makes too many red blood cells, causing a thickening of the blood.
PV usually takes years to develop. Most people are diagnosed with PV later in life, most often around age 60 or older. People with PV might experience headaches, tiredness and shortness of breath. They are also at risk for getting blood clots, which can lead to heart attacks and stroke.
At this time, there is no cure for PV. But treatment can control symptoms and avoid heart problems. Some people with PV do not need treatment but should see their doctor regularly to stay as healthy as possible and to catch problems early, according to information provided by the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR).
In 2008, the Pa. Department of Health and the ATSDR confirmed more PV cases than expected in parts of Schuylkill, Carbon and Luzerne counties.
The Department of Health and ATSDR are tracking patterns of PV and working with research partners in looking for trends and risk factors. In addition, the Center for Disease Control is working to improve reporting systems for PV.