Marcellus Shale Newswire 05/20/2011
Vol. 2, Issue 10
A Collection of Marcellus Shale and Gas Drilling Articles from Pennsylvania and Beyond
PennEnvironment
The Philadelphia Inquirer
PA. fines Chesapeake Energy Corp. $1.1 million for drilling violation
By Andrew Maykuth
May 18, 2011
Chesapeake Energy was fined 1 million dollars on Tuesday May 17 for contaminating 16 residences in Bradford Country and for causing a fire in Washington County. This is the largest penalty filed in the state against gas drilling company. David Masur, the director of PennEnvironment, questioned the impact of the 1 million dollar settlement, “This is mostly a slap on the wrist,” Masur said.
The Philadelphia Inquirer
Drilling puts Susquehanna atop group’s at-risk rivers list
By Laura Olson
May 17, 2011
The Susquehanna was placed on the most endangered rivers list as it runs through the northern tier of the gas drilling area. The Monongahela and Delaware are also still on the list and continue to face threats from gas drilling. These proposals recommend distances from buildings to drill sites, testing of well water pollution, and announcing publicly where drilling will take place.
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Clamor increasing to regulate Marcellus shale gas drilling
By Timothy Puko
May 16, 2011
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/s_737234.html
In the past five months, there have been 68 bills filed in Harrisburg pertaining to gas drilling and Marcellus Shale. The inaction of the government is about to change as numerous groups such as the Sierra Club, PennEnvironment, and Chesapeake Bay Foundation have all released reports and policy recommendations for gas drilling.
The New York Times
Frack Study’s Safety Findings Exaggerated, Bush EPA Official Says
By Mike Soraghan
May 20, 2011
http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2011/05/20/20greenwire–frack–studys–safety–findings–exaggerated–bush-65374.html
In 2004, the Bush administration ran a study on the safety of fracking and according to an EPA official, the results on safety have been exaggerated. It found that gas drilling at little effect on the drinking water while the former head of the EPA now says that the study was not intended to be used in that manner. A lot has changed since 2004 and so the former head says it is necessary to re-evaluate the effects of fracking on drinking water.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Forced Pooling: When Landowners Can’t Say No to Drilling
By Marie C. Baca
May 19, 2011
http://shale.sites.post-gazette.com/index.php/news/environment
Forced pooling has become an issue in Pennsylvania as it infringes upon peoples property and lanowners rights. Currently, laws allowing companies to “force pool” vary from state to state but horizontal wells are used anyways to extract the minerals. This means that people’s wells and land are at risk for contamination without them actually giving consent for drilling on their land.
The Daily Times – Delaware County, PA
Politicians: Marcellus shale gas tax will eventually happen
By Jeff Wolfe
May 17, 2011
http://delcotimes.com/articles/2011/05/17/news/doc4dd1e65a09eb7066043972…
In February, Representative Greg Vitali introduced House Bill 33 which would tax gas drilling companies 5 percent. Other supporters of the bill believe that it will be passed but the house has been putting it off and so it is uncertain when the bill will actually be passed. The hope is that it can be included in the June 30 budget.
Erie Times News
Vitali: No more forest leasing for Marcellus Shale drilling
By Greg Vitali
May 18, 2011
http://www.goerie.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=20113051899944
Governor Tom Corbett is looking into leasing more state forest land for gas drilling to raise revenue. Currently, 725,000 acres of state forest land is available gas drilling and if Corbett continues to lease, fragile ecosystems and habitats for endangered species would be destroyed. The best solution for this problem would to install House Bill 33, a gas drilling tax. 70 percent of voters are in support of the tax and 65 percent are against leasing more state forest land.
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