12/16/24 - 110 New Stories - REAL Environmental & Conservation Leadership In PA: http://tinyurl.com/3ubmzu7a
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Rep. Mundy Bill To Track Wastewater From Marcellus Shale Drilling Operations
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Rep. Phyllis Mundy (D-Luzerne) announced plans this week to introduce legislation to create a simple, transparent tracking and reporting system for wastewater produced by Marcellus Shale natural gas wells.
"My legislation would allow the public to track wastewater produced by this quickly growing industry from cradle to grave," Rep. Mundy said. "It would help promote public confidence that natural gas well operators are following the law on the treatment and disposal of wastewater, which can contain brine and chemicals."
Rep. Mundy said her legislation would build on Act 15 of 2010, which requires Marcellus Shale well operators to semi-annually report production data from each gas well to the Department of Environmental Protection. The legislation would expand the law to cover wastewater produced by Marcellus Shale gas wells.
DEP would make the information available to the public on its website.
Rep. Mundy has introduced three other bills to help protect public safety and monitor the Marcellus Shale drilling industry--
-- House Bill 2608 would prohibit natural gas drilling companies that use fracking or horizontal drilling from drilling wells within 2,500 feet of a primary source of supply for a community water system, such as a lake or reservoir. The current restriction is only 100 feet;
-- House Bill 2609 would establish a one-year moratorium on the issuance of new natural gas drilling permits to give the General Assembly and Commonwealth more time to put appropriate protections into law and regulation; and
-- House Resolution 864 would urge Congress to pass the Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals Act. The act would repeal a provision in the federal Safe Drinking Water Act that exempts oil and gas drilling industries from restrictions on hydraulic fracturing operations located near drinking water sources, a provision known as the "Halliburton Loophole." The FRAC Act would also require oil and gas industries to disclose all hydraulic fracturing chemicals and chemical constituents currently considered proprietary rights of the company.
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8/2/2010 |
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