Posts Tagged ‘Marcellus Shale Coalition’

Gas drilling incident in western Pennsylvania linked to firm’s corner-cutting tactics.

From staff and wire reports

HARRISBURG – Rig workers’ inexcusable failure to use a second set of pressure-control devices while preparing to connect a natural gas well to a pipeline led to the well’s blowout in western Pennsylvania last month, a consultant’s report said Tuesday.

State regulators, who hired the consultant, quickly ordered all drilling operators to adhere to a set of safety standards designed to prevent another such incident.

“I don’t know any company that would cut corners like this on this kind of well,” said consultant John Vittitow, a Texas-based petroleum engineer.

The company, Houston-based EOG Resources Inc., has used this same tactic on other wells in Pennsylvania, Vittitow said.

“I don’t think they’ll use it again,” he added.

Meanwhile, state Environmental Protection Secretary John Hanger warned that another such incident could mean the end of EOG’s business in Pennsylvania, and insisted state regulations don’t allow EOG’s tactics.

EOG and its contractor, C.C. Forbes Co. of Texas, were given maximum fines of more than $400,000 combined and ordered to take corrective actions, but were allowed to resume all activities in Pennsylvania on Tuesday after a 40-day suspension of well-finishing work.

EOG operates nearly 300 wells in Pennsylvania.

The blowout happened late June 3 on the grounds of a hunting club in Clearfield County where EOG is drilling a number of wells.

For 16 hours, explosive gas and briny wastewater shot into the air before specialists brought it under control.

Hanger insisted Tuesday that existing regulations do not allow EOG’s tactics because they require companies to obey accepted industry safety standards.

Most companies obey those, he said, but a letter sent Tuesday would lay out in detail what is expected of them.

Gary L. Smith, EOG’s vice president and general manager in Pittsburgh stated in an e-mailed that company officials “sincerely regret that the well-control issue took place.”

Since that time, Smith said, EOG has worked with the DEP to resolve all issues, will implement the new operational procedures outlined in the letter to gas well operators and looks forward to resuming activities.

Marcellus Shale Coalition president and executive director Kathryn Klaber said the new regulations DEP put forth “have already been incorporated by many of our members as part of their regular wellsite operations.”

State Rep. Phyllis Mundy, who is leading the charge for a moratorium on gas drilling in the state, said the $400,000 in fines and 40-day suspension “seems like a pittance … for what was clearly an inexcusable lack of proper procedure to care for the environment and their workers.”

Mundy, D-Kingston, said the incident “reinforces the need to hit the pause button with a moratorium. With this kind of activity, there will always be accidents.

“But with proper laws, regulations, best practice guidelines and inspections in place, we could prevent many of them and be much better prepared to deal with them when they do occur. Those things are not in place at this time, yet we continue to issue new permits. We are simply not prepared to either prevent or react to these incidents.”

Hanger said his agency would redouble its inspection activity with more emphasis on well-finishing work.

Copyright: Times Leader

CANONSBURG, Pa. – Marcellus Shale Coalition (MSC) president and executive director Kathryn Klaber issued the following statement today after reviewing the letter sent to all Marcellus operators by the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) as a follow-up to the agency’s investigation of a mechanical wellsite incident in Clearfield County last month:

“Today’s letter from DEP puts forth a series of new regulations that have already been incorporated by many of our members as part of their regular wellsite operations. Our industry is committed to continuously enhancing and improving our operations, and leveraging the opportunities of the Marcellus in a manner that’s safe, efficient and beneficial to all Pennsylvanians.”

• MSC President Kathryn Klaber: “[W]e need an updated and modernized regulatory and legislative framework, and a fair tax strategy that keeps our state ahead of the curve in attracting the investment needed to bring these resources to the surface
  
• [Severance] tax should not be set in a “vacuum” but as part of a “comprehensive evaluation” of laws and regulations governing the industry.

Shale Coalition Wants “Fair Tax” & Modernized Rules. Marcellus Shale Coalition President Kathryn Klaber says the fiscal code language about the severance tax proposal includes a commitment by elected leaders to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of “how best to seize on the opportunities of the Marcellus in the future, and do so in a manner that benefits all Pennsylvanians.” Klaber called on state lawmakers not to look at the severance tax in a vacuum, that there is more at stake than putting a little extra money in state coffers…..”we need an updated and modernized regulatory and legislative framework, and a fair tax strategy that keeps our state ahead of the curve in attracting the investment needed to bring these resources to the surface.” (WDUQ Radio, 7/7/10)

Pennsylvania needs to stay “ahead of the curve in terms of investment”: “The Marcellus Shale is not the only shale play that is under development in the United States, said Kathryn Klaber, president and executive director the Marcellus Shale Coalition.”There is a lot of competition for dollars” to develop gas wells, she said. Pennsylvania needs to stay “ahead of the curve in terms of investment” in gas drilling, Klaber said in a conference call with reporters on Tuesday. (Towanda Daily Review, 7/7/10)

Marcellus Shale represent[s] a tremendous opportunity: “The rich natural gas deposits in the Marcellus Shale represent a tremendous opportunity in the form of new jobs and economic stimulus to mostly rural communities across the commonwealth,” said Governor Rendell. “We have a responsibility to ensure that the economic benefits are balanced with the need to protect the local environment and the residents of communities where the work is being done.” (Pocono News, 7/7/10)

Gas rush has generated a frenzy: In some corners of the energy industry, tapping the shale gas has become every bit as enticing and adventurous as exploring in the Arctic and the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico. The gas rush has generated a frenzy in the region over the past two years. In some corners of the energy industry, tapping the shale gas has become every bit as enticing and adventurous as exploring in the Arctic and the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico. (New York Times, 7/7/10)

Comprehensive Evaluation of State Natural Gas Laws Needed: Now that the legislature has agreed in principle on the tax, energy industry leaders are hoping to influence the debate on the tax and regulation in coming months. The Marcellus Shale Coalition, an industry group, said on Tuesday the tax should not be set in a “vacuum” but as part of a “comprehensive evaluation” of laws and regulations governing the industry. Klaber argued that a “fair tax strategy,” coupled with laws and regulations that recognize the industry’s recent technological gains, would allow Pennsylvania to compete for new investment in the booming industry. (Reuters, 7/7/10)

For Mom, it’s just overwhelming: On a farm north of this old timber town that stretches out along the banks of the Susquehanna River, Perry Landon’s 82-year-old mother confronts the promises and trepidation of a new era of energy wealth. “For Mom, it’s just overwhelming,” Landon says. “She grew up in the Depression. Her parents were very poor. It’s hard for her to get her mind around this amount of money, and that you would get it for doing nothing.” Gas is testing oil’s position as the most sought-after energy commodity, as the global hunt for black gold faces technological limits, environmental risk and relentless political instability in oil-rich regions. (New York Times, 7/7/10)

Marcellus producers express commitment to working with lawmakers on comprehensive tax, regulatory and legislative plan for the future

CANONSBURG, Pa. – Earlier today, Gov. Ed Rendell signed a budget plan for 2010-2011 that recognizes the critical contributions that natural gas producers are making in Pennsylvania. The new budget, the product of months of hard work by members of the General Assembly, does not include new taxes on Marcellus Shale employers – but does include a commitment by our elected leaders to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of how best to seize on the opportunities of the Marcellus in the future, and do so in a manner that benefits all Pennsylvanians.

Subsequent to the governor’s signing today, Marcellus Shale Coalition (MSC) president and executive director Kathryn Klaber issued the following statement in strong support of the plan:

“Today’s announcement represents a positive step forward. The MSC has said from the start that it was going to take more than hard work and favorable geology to leverage the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of the Marcellus into jobs, revenue and long-term energy affordability for all Pennsylvanians.

“To do this, and do it right, we need an updated and modernized regulatory and legislative framework, and a fair tax strategy that keeps our state ahead of the curve in attracting the investment needed to bring these resources to the surface. Today, Pennsylvania announced its intention to compete for these opportunities. And we are pleased to have played a role in working with the legislature to get this process started on the right path.

“MSC members will continue to be key participants in this iterative, ongoing process, working alongside the General Assembly, the Administration and stakeholders across the Commonwealth to put our state in the best possible position to seize on the extraordinary opportunities of the Marcellus. And when it comes to that objective, there’s nothing more important than having a tax, regulatory and legislative framework in place that’s collaborative in its approach, and comprehensive in its design. Today’s agreement moves us one step closer toward the realization of such a plan.”

NOTE: As reported last week in the Towanda Daily Review, Bradford County currently ranks among the top job-producing counties in the state – a surge in employment that’s directly tied to the responsible development of the Marcellus Shale in the area. All told, Bradford Co. added more than 2,000 workers to the job rolls over the past 12 months, even as more than 60 other counties in Pennsylvania experienced a loss in jobs over that time.

Copyright: Marcelluscoalition.org

By Laura Legere (Staff Writer)
Published: June 29, 2010

Gas tax law could OK ‘forced pooling’

Firms would drill from nearby site

The Marcellus Shale natural gas industry wants to see legislation attached to any severance tax adopted by the state that would force property owners who refuse leases to allow drillers to gather the gas beneath their land, an industry coalition leader said Monday.

Calling it the most economical and conservative land-use approach to drilling for gas, David Spigelmyer, Chesapeake Energy’s regional vice president for government relations, said in a Times-Tribune editorial board meeting that “forced pooling” is a key element of any legislation the state’s Marcellus drillers could support and is actively being discussed during budget negotiations in the capital.

Mr. Spigelmyer said he does not expect forced pooling to be adopted in the coming days as part of budget talks, but he said “an agreement” likely will emerge with the budget “to talk about (the severance tax) holistically” with other industry-supported legislation on forced pooling.

The Marcellus Shale Coalition, an organization of the state’s Marcellus drillers, “has not said, ‘Hell no’ ” to a severance tax, said Mr. Spigelmyer, the group’s vice chairman. “We’ve said there needs to be a broader discussion.”

A forced pooling statute would require landowners without gas leases to allow a company to drill under their land from a nearby leased property, and it would define the amount of royalties those holdout landowners are owed for their gas.

Eminent domain

Such a statute would help avoid an unnecessary proliferation of wells, Mr. Spigelmyer said, but critics say it is a form of eminent domain.

In May, State Rep. Camille “Bud” George, D-74, Houtzdale, Clearfield County, called it a “controversial, ugly provision” through which “an intrusive government would be depriving an individual’s property rights to benefit private companies.”

Limit zoning laws

As part of severance tax discussions, the industry also wants to limit municipal ordinances that attempt to regulate where gas drilling can occur – a development spurred by a state Supreme Court decision last year that opened the door for municipalities to have some control over where gas wells are located through zoning.

“We’re willing to work with municipalities, but we’re seeing … an extraordinary number of ordinances that are coming into play that basically zone out development completely,” Mr. Spigelmyer said. “We want to make sure we don’t have ordinances in place that basically remove your rights.”

Negotiations over a severance tax are at the center of ongoing state budget decisions, and Mr. Spigelmyer said Monday a Pennsylvania tax needs to look like those in other, competing shale-gas producing states.

Pennsylvania has benefitted from increased drilling without a severance tax, he said, but an unfair tax and recently introduced legislation to halt drilling in the state will deter development.

“I’ve already seen where companies have walked away from joint venture opportunities to invest in Pennsylvania because of the mere inference of a moratorium,” he said.

“It has the potential to, and I think it already has, limited capital investment in the commonwealth.”

Contact the writer: llegere@timesshamrock.com

View article here.

Copyright:  The Scranton Times

The economic benefits associated with the responsible and environmentally sound development of the Marcellus Shale’s abundant, clean-burning natural gas reserves are overwhelming. Tens of thousands of good-paying jobs are being created across the Commonweal of Pennsylvania, where Marcellus development has been underway for several years. Hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenues are being generated to local and state government. And Pennsylvania consumers, who continue to struggle with nearly double-digit unemployment rates, are seeing the benefits of shale gas development in the form of lower energy costs.

However, the story of the Marcellus Shale in New York State is a very different one. You see, in terms of geology, the Marcellus Shale formation is not considerably different in New York than it is in Pennsylvania. The technologies used to safely and effectively reach thesejob-creating resources are the same, too. But environmental regulators there have kept this production off-limits, denying the creation of thousands of jobs and countless other economic benefits to the region, despite the fact that the nation’s first natural gas well was completed in Fredonia, NY in 1821. At the same time, some elected state leaders are also working to implement an even more far-reaching moratorium on shale gas development.

Recognizing how critical this development is for Upstate New York’s struggling economy, and for our nation’s energy security, Marcellus Shale Coalition (MSC) president Kathryn Klaber joined a broad group of organizations this week in a letter to the State Assembly urging their support to move forward with responsible shale gas development: Here are key highlights from that letter:

We need your support for this compelling economic development opportunity, one that could benefit the State and localities significantly for years to come. We should embrace our State’s ability to bring New York-produced gas to New York customers, and by so doing create new opportunity and prosperity in our own State.

Natural gas is the cleanest fossil fuel known to man – is a solution to reducing our nation’s carbon footprint, and it will greatly improve New York’s and America’s energy independence. … And natural gas is abundant; the Marcellus Shale alone could supply natural gas to the entire United States for 20 years or more.

Based on economic projections in Pennsylvania, where the Marcellus is now being explored, Marcellus Shale development in New York will generate more than $1.4 billion in annual economic impact, based on 300 wells drilled – including more than $100 million in lease payments to landowners, $32 million in state tax revenue and tens of thousands of new jobs over time. In Broome County, a recent study that showed that 2,000 wells would annually generate more than $7.4 billion in economic activity, and nearly $400 million in wages, salaries and benefits. Also, more than $600 million in property tax income and $22 million and $20 million in state and local taxes would be generated. All of this – in just one county.

The folks in New York, especially those along the Southern Tier where Marcellus development would occur, are doing their part to educate, engage and inform the public, and key stakeholders, about the overwhelmingly positive benefits associated with shale gas production and how safe the process actually is. Last night, a group of elected officials, academics, landowners, and energy and labor representatives met in Binghamton to discuss these benefits, and to dispel the myths about the production of shale gas. The Ithaca Journal reports this today under the headline “Meeting touts benefits of tapping into Marcellus Shale”:

According to Syracuse University Earth Sciences professor Don Siegel, these concerns are more myth than reality. “This is the first environmental issue that I’ve thrown my hat into the ring on,” he said. “As a hydrogeologist, I really am almost offended by some of the opposition that’s trying to paint a picture of what groundwater resources are like that is completely wrong.”

“New investments will be made in a region where multimillion — and even multibillion — dollar investments have not been seen to this level in years,” said Broome County Executive Barbara Fiala,” and we can do all this while protecting the environment.”

“Our campus was one of the fastest-growing campuses in the United States, and virtually all of our graduates were going out into very good-paying energy industry jobs,” Drumm said. “The energy industry creates great jobs — lots of jobs — and we were heavily involved in our colleges in training for those jobs.”

Labor unions are also speaking out for responsible shale gas development in New York on behalf of their members. This from a WICZ-TV report:

Local union representatives were on hand as well, supporting the notion that jobs and money are on the coat tails of hydro-fracking.

Alex Barillo of Laborers Local 785 says he’s seen the benefits of drilling south of the border in Pennsylvania, and on the Millenium Pipeline where he says workers have seen a gross income of approximately 35 million dollars.

“That’s $35 million in gross wages that went to local workers right here so that they could have health insurance, they can have retirement, and they could pay their mortgages and so that they can do the things they do every day in their communities,” Barillo said.

We encourage you, your employees, colleagues, businesses associates, friends and family to visit Marcelluscoalition.org/get-involved, and join this fight for a more prosperous economy that leverages these resources into permanent, family-supporting jobs and stable supplies of domestic energy. Becoming a “Friend of Marcellus” will help ensure that you are informed and educated about the opportunities and critical issues surrounding this development, especially as it relates to moving forward with Marcellus development in New York.

Copyright: Marcelluscoalition.org

By Andrew M. Sederaseder@timesleader.com
Times Leader Staff Writer

Victoria Switzer watches the trucks, at least 100 of them she estimates, ramble past her Dimock Township home every day. They go back and forth from the Cabot Oil and Gas drill sites, hauling equipment, waste water and materials.

She worries what would happen if there was a spill, if the operator wasn’t properly licensed, if the truck wasn’t mechanically sound.

For years she’s been calling state officials and complaining about their speed, their actions and what she saw as violations. Last week some agencies heeded the call of Switzer and others like her and made a concerted effort to send a message to the truck operators that though they are permitted to operate, they need to do so legally.

During a three-day enforcement effort last week that focused on trucks hauling waste water from Marcellus Shale natural gas drilling operations across the state, the state police placed 250 commercial vehicles out of service.

State Police Commissioner Frank E. Pawlowski said state troopers worked in partnership with personnel from the Department of Environmental Protection, the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission and the federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration as part of Operation FracNET.

In total, 1,137 trucks were inspected from June 14-16.

“Pennsylvania has experienced significant increases in heavy truck traffic in areas where Marcellus Shale natural gas drilling operations are taking place, particularly in Bradford, Clearfield, Susquehanna, Tioga and Washington counties,” Pawlowski said. “The process of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, requires significant amounts of water to be delivered to the sites and later trucked away.”

He said the enforcement effort centered on identifying commercial vehicle safety deficiencies that could lead to crashes. Pawlowski said 131 of the 250 vehicles placed out of service were trucks hauling waste water. He said 669 traffic citations and 818 written warnings were issued as the result of waste water truck inspections. In addition, 23 of the 45 drivers placed out of service during the operation were waste water vehicle operators.

“As activities at natural gas sites continue to increase, it is important that everyone involved, including the waste transportation industry, understands Pennsylvania’s environmental and traffic safety laws and complies with them,” said DEP Secretary John Hanger.

“Cracking down, I’m thrilled to see it,” said Switzer, who is one of a dozen property owners in the Susquehanna County township that have had their well water polluted by oil drilling. “Better late than never.”

Mark Carmon, spokesman for DEP’s Northeast Regional office, said that three trucks were cited in Susquehanna County out of the 30 that were stopped. Two of the trucks were not carrying Prevention Preparedness Contingency plans, which list what chemicals are being hauled, emergency contact numbers in case of a spill and plans for cleanup. One of the trucks did not have proof of waste hauling certification, and one truck did not have its waste log book listing what it was hauling and from and to where.

Carmon said the operation provided “a good opportunity to check these trucks” and said it will be an ongoing measure.

Lt. Myra A. Taylor, a state police spokeswoman, said a decision was made to “make a concerted effort to blitz these particular areas,” in part, because of concerns raised by residents.

“I applaud the citizenry,” Taylor said. And she echoed Carmon’s comments that these inspections will not be a one-time event.

“We will be ever vigilant,” she said.

State Rep. Karen Boback, R-Harveys Lake, praised the offices involved in the operation.

“I applaud our state agencies and the state police for working together to monitor frack water hauling operations. It is vital that we continue to scrutinize every phase, aspect and offshoot of the drilling process, and I encourage law enforcement to persist in efforts to root out those operators who are not acting in accordance with Pennsylvania laws and potentially endangering the lives and health of Commonwealth residents, along with our environment,” she said.

Taylor said the truck violations found ran the gamut mechanical issues to overweight trucks. Driver citations included drivers operating without a proper license and drivers who were operating without enough rest or working too many hours in a day.

A list of what trucking companies were cited was not available by the state police or DEP.

A statement from the executive director of the Marcellus Shale Coalition, a pro-drilling organization, said steps have been taken and will continue to be taken to reduce gas-related truck traffic.

Copyright: Times Leader

MATTHEW TODD VINE Times Leader Intern

HAZLETON – Local businesses eager to get in on the Marcellus Shale gas drilling bonanza will have a chance to hear about opportunities on Tuesday.

That’s when the Northeast Pennsylvania Manufacturers and Employers Association will hold a combined Schuylkill/Luzerne CEO roundtable at the Top of the 80’s restaurant on Route 93 to talk about Marcellus Shale development with a focus on manufacturing jobs.

Darlene Robbins, president of the association, said that about 25 member companies were registered for the event by Wednesday.

“Our purpose of the event is to provide the discussion to the companies,” Robbins said, “about the services that are available with this Marcellus Shale development.”

Robbins said the businesses already registered include service providers, universities, workforce development agencies and electrical contractors.

According to the Marcellus Shale Coalition, based in Canonsburg, an industry funded study by The Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences at The Pennsylvania State University found 44,000 jobs already created in the state and projected more than 200,000 direct and indirect jobs would be added by 2020.

The potential jobs include site construction, well production, pipe manufacturing and transportation.

The Marcellus Shale is a layer of sedimentary rock about a mile underground that contains natural gas. This layer underlies much of Pennsylvania and West Virginia, and parts of New York, Ohio, Maryland, Virginia. Drilling is just getting started in Luzerne County, and companies have leased thousands of acres, mostly in the northern and western sections of the county.

Copyright: Times Leader

NJ-based Delaware River Basin Commission places unnecessary moratorium on Marcellus production, denying economic benefits, jobs to Pennsylvanians

It’s hard to imagine President Kennedy had the denial of jobs and revenue for residents of Pennsylvania in mind when he signed a bill in 1961 creating the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC). But nearly a half-century later, the DRBC of today bears little resemblance to the compact established almost five decades ago — one that was put in place to promote economic growth by providing a mechanism for equitable distribution of the Delaware’s waters.

Today, unlike similarly structured, intergovernmental bodies – such as the Susquehanna River Basin Commission (SRBC) – the DRBC is working aggressively to shut down any and all natural gas exploration that may take place, now or in the future, in the eastern portion of the Marcellus Shale.

This week, following the decision last month to ban new shale permits in the area, the West Trenton, N.J.-based organization took additional steps to bring responsible Marcellus Shale natural gas production to a standstill by putting forth a de facto moratorium. How’d it do that? Easy: DRBC simply gave itself the authority to unilaterally freeze exploratory Marcellus production wells in the basin altogether.

Well aware of exactly what’s at stake, the Marcellus Shale Coalition (MSC) wasn’t bashful in telling the Philadelphia Inquirer what it thought of the DRBC decision:

Kathryn Klaber, executive director of the Marcellus Shale Coalition…said extending the temporary ban on new permits to include exploratory wells only added “layers of unnecessary red tape” without any environmental benefit.

“The DRBC’s decision to deny Americans the benefits of clean-burning, job-creating natural gas from the Marcellus Shale is misguided and unfortunate,” she said. New technologies, she added, are reducing the overall water usage and land disturbance.

“At the same time, this production is creating tens of thousands of jobs and delivering affordable, clean-burning energy to struggling families and small businesses. Our hope is that the DRBC will recognize this fact and act accordingly, putting commonsense solutions and policies ahead of agendas,” she said.

Safely producing clean-burning natural gas from the Marcellus Shale in Pennsylvania remainsa powerful job creation engine. In fact, according to a recently updated Penn State University economic impact study, this tightly regulated production is projected to create nearly 212,000 jobs over the next decade.

Many in Pennsylvania understand how important this opportunity is for the Commonwealth, especially in regions of the state facing high unemployment and ongoing economic struggles. And like the MSC, supporters of environmentally safe natural gas production understand how critical it is to get this right, balancing commonsense environmental safeguards with the economic opportunities before us.

Here’s what one northeastern Pennsylvania natural gas advocate told the Associated Pressabout safely developing these abundant, domestic and clean-burning resources near the Delaware River basin:

Energy companies have leased thousands of acres of land in Pennsylvania’s unspoiled northeastern tip, hoping to tap vast stores of gas in a sprawling rock formation — the Marcellus Shale — that some experts believe could become the nation’s most productive gas field.

Plenty of folks like Matoushek are eager for the gas, and the royalty checks, to start flowing — including farmers who see Marcellus money as a way to keep their struggling operations afloat.

“It’s a depressed area,” Matoushek said. “This is going to mean new jobs, real jobs, not government jobs.”

Adding new and unnecessary layers of burdensome regulations and red tape – aimed at halting job-creating Marcellus Shale natural gas production – will not help deliver more affordable supplies of homegrown energy. The DRBC’s shale gas moratorium will not help drive down our dependence on unstable regions of the world to keep our economy fueled, nor will it help create jobs at a time when they’re most needed. Quite the opposite, in fact.

Copyright: Marcelluscoalition.org

Canonsburg, Pa. – Today, the Pennsylvania Independent Regulatory Review Commission (IRRC) passed a new rule mandating an “end of pipe”, 500 milligrams per liter cap on the concentration of total dissolved solids (TDS) in the disposal of produced water from natural gas production.

Kathryn Klaber, president and executive director of the Marcellus Shale Coalition (MSC), issued this statement about the new rules, which have been sought by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP):

“There is not a single water treatment facility in Pennsylvania that could meet this unreasonable benchmark, which will not provide any additional environmental benefit.

“Our industry is working aggressively and constantly to improve our water management practices, as one of our top priorities has been and remains the protection of our rivers, lakes, streams and tributaries. In fact, MSC members are now recycling nearly 60 percent of the water from this process. Many are recycling almost 100 percent of their water, thanks to new technologies and the unwavering commitment to environmental protection.

“There is a need for commonsense regulations that encourage the production job-creating natural gas throughout the Commonwealth and aim to keep our water clean. Unfortunately, these rules will make responsible shale gas development more difficult, and the jobs and economic benefits created throughout this process less likely, without positively impacting Pennsylvania’s water quality.”

NOTE: San Pellegrino Mineral Water’s TDS concentration is nearly twice the level of what these regulations would require.

Copyright: Marcelluscoalition.org