The Pennsylvania Environmental Council Thursday testified before the House Democratic Policy Committee regulations implementing the drilling law passed last year should be expedited to provide additional environmental protection measures for the environment, according to John Walliser, vice president for Legal and Governmental Affairs.

Walliser also said the newly created Center for Sustainable Shale Development, a partnership between the drilling industry and PEC and other environmental groups, is developing environmental protection best practices which go beyond state laws and regulations.

PEC’s testimony also addressed a series of other issues: drilling water management plans, well siting setbacks, water use in well operations, use of water impoundments, monitoring of drinking water supplies, fracking chemical disclosure, onsite disposal of drill cuttings, disposal of waste fluids and the adequacy of DEP’s staffing and budget levels which have been consistently cut for a decade.

Commenting on the hearing, Rep. Greg Vitali (D-Delaware), Minority Chair of the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee said, "We gathered experts in four key areas – water, air, surface and public disclosure – to give us direction. Now we have to analyze their testimony and craft it into legislation and policy."

Other testifiers at the hearing included: John Hanger, former DEP Secretary and announced candidate for the Democratic nomination for Governor who, during the Rendell Administration, consistently cut DEP staff and budget for eight years in a row and furloughed agency staff; PennFuture Policy Director Steve Stroman; Clean Air Council attorney Jay Duffy; Pennsylvania Sierra Club Conservation Chairman Tom Au, Lafayette College Geology Professor Dru Germanoski, Kevin Heatley from Responsible Drilling Alliance, environmental attorney Lauren Williams; Jill Kriesky, associate director of the Southwestern PA Environmental Health Project; and University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health Professor Emeritus Dr. Bernie Goldstein.

Representatives of the oil and gas industry, the departments of Environmental Protection and Conservation and Natural Resources were invited to testify, but declined.

A copy of PEC’s testimony is available online.  Click Here for a copy of all testimony presented at the hearing.

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5/6/2013