04/22/24 - 117 New Stories - REAL Environmental & Conservation Leadership In PA: http://tinyurl.com/9bh4zbtr
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Rep. Mundy Reintroduces Bills To Protect PA Waters From Gas Drilling
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Rep. Phyllis Mundy (D-Luzerne) has reintroduced a package of bills to ensure Pennsylvania's environment, particularly its drinking water supply, is protected from the natural gas drilling industry. "With thousands of gas wells expected to be drilled in the next decade, we have to make sure appropriate law and regulations are in place," Rep. Mundy said. "We must ensure that drillers do the job right; prevent problems to the extent possible and, when problems do occur, that they are dealt with effectively."
House Bill 233 would put a one-year moratorium on the issuance of new natural gas drilling permits in the Marcellus Shale deposit. The bill, Mundy said, would give the legislature time to enact necessary protections in law and regulations.
House Bill 230 would create a buffer around drinking water supplies. It would prohibit companies that use fracking or horizontal drilling from drilling wells underneath or within 2,500 feet of a primary source for a community water system, such as a lake or reservoir. The current restriction is only 100 feet.
"The Huntsville and Ceasetown reservoirs supply drinking water to thousands of my constituents," Rep. Mundy said. "This bill would help protect those reservoirs and drinking water supplies across the state."
House Bill 234 would create an online tracking and reporting system for Marcellus Shale waste, such as drilling mud and chemically treated water used to fracture shale to release gas. It would require drillers to report the amount of waste generated by their wells and the facilities that accepted the waste for disposal, treatment, or reuse. The information would be posted on the state Department of Environmental Protection's website. House Bill 234 builds on Act 15 of 2010, which requires Marcellus Shale well operators to report well production data on a semi-annual basis to DEP.
House Bill 232 would restrict drilling and site preparation in floodplains, improve the disposal of waste water and better control erosion and sedimentation where gas is drilled in these areas. This bill is of particular importance as it would help protect my legislative district, which by and large lies within a floodplain.
Additionally, the bill would impose a three-year moratorium on new permits to discharge drilling wastewater into surface waters. It would require DEP to evaluate alternatives for wastewater disposal and enforce those alternatives if they are environmentally sound.
Within the first six months of the moratorium, DEP would be required to establish an online tracking system to monitor the storage, transportation and disposal of oil and gas drilling wastewater.
Mundy said that the legislation would require DEP, the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, the Fish and Boat Commission, and the Game Commission to do a joint study on the cumulative impact of gas and oil drilling in Pennsylvania.
The bill also would compel DEP to require an erosion and sedimentation control permit for all earth moving done for oil and gas drilling. DEP would be required to conduct site visits before issuing erosion and sediment control permits because of the damage drilling can cause.
Permits would only be issued to applicants that develop appropriate erosion and sediment control, as well as storm water management plans that are compliant with the Clean Streams law and other environmental regulations.
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2/7/2011 |
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