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Opinion- Just Like Oil and Water Do Not Mix, Neither Do Natural Gas Drilling and Drinking Water
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By Rep. Karen Boback I have heard, and continue to hear the outcries of my constituents in the 117th Legislative District about the safety of natural gas drilling and its potential impact on our natural resources. These are from people who have leased and those who have not leased their land, and I share and echo their concerns.
In just over one week there has been an explosion of a blowout preventer in Clearfield County, two natural gas well explosions in other states and news of wells being planned near drinking water reservoirs in our area.
This has all happened with the backdrop of the devastating oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, which exhibits the potential dangers of drilling for fossil fuel, whether it is oil or natural gas.
We have had enough of the assurances of safety and we have seen enough incidents in the past few days! We want to see the government step in and do more to protect our resources, our environment and our health. It is clear this industry cannot govern itself and additional government regulations are needed to protect the health and safety of the citizens of this Commonwealth.
It is the government’s job to defend the people. Though the Department of Environmental Protection acted within the scope of the law when it issued permits for drilling near the Huntsville Reservoir, I believe such permits should not have been granted. Our desire for fossil fuels and energy should never surpass our need for clean drinking water.
I have spent the past several weeks working to draft legislation to protect drinking water from the potential contamination of a drilling accident, but I recognize the time it will take for such legislation to become law, and I share the desire for quick action.
Though I still intend to pursue this avenue, I believe we need a more timely response to the risk drilling poses so close to drinking water sources.
For this reason, I have worked with Pennsylvania American Water on several suggestions to protect drinking water, and I am calling on the governor to issue a directive or an executive order to provide these protections by imposing the following additional rules for issuing drilling permits:
-- Public water systems should be notified of any permit application with potential to contaminate drinking water;
-- Horizontal drilling under a reservoir or lake that is a drinking water source should be prohibited;
-- The buffer zone between drilling sites and drinking water sources should be increased, with consideration of proximity to feeder streams and tributaries; and
-- Advanced emergency planning and details on specific resources should be required as a part of the permitting process. For example, this could include, but not be limited to, evidence of the resources readily available to prevent a leak or blowout from a natural gas well.
We are continually striving to strike a balance between our energy needs and the protection of our environment. I do not want to see the natural gas industry stifled, but safety must be our number one concern.
The dangers of drilling accidents have already been realized in Pennsylvania with last week’s accident. Going forward, we must work to ensure that the people and natural resources of this great Commonwealth are put first.
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6/14/2010 |
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