The Senate Appropriations Committee is scheduled to meet October 21 to consider Senate Bill 790 (Scarnati-R-Jefferson) which sets environmental protection standards for conventional (not Shale gas) oil and gas well drilling and legalizes the road dumping of drilling wastewater from conventional wells.

Having the General Assembly adopt unique and separate standards for conventional oil and gas wells, even though conventional wells are being developing using fracking, and legalizing road dumping of brine are major priorities for the conventional industry and they have been pushing the issue hard.

The bill has been vigorously opposed by environmental groups, including the PA Environmental Council and the Environmental Defense Fund, and most Democratic members of the Senate.

 Click Here for more background on the bill.

The meeting will be held in the Rules Committee Room off the floor of the Senate, which means there is no set time for the meeting and the meeting is not webcast online.

Sen. Pat Browne (R-Lehigh) serves as Majority Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee and can be contacted at 717-787-1349 or send email to: pbrowne@pasen.gov.  Sen. Vincent Hughes (D-Philadelphia) serves as Minority Chair and can be contacted at 717-787-7112 or send email to: vincent.hughes@pasenate.com.

NewsClips:

Click Here for a week’s worth of Environment & Energy NewsClips

Republicans Moving Troublesome Bills:

Senate Environmental Committee Meets Oct. 22 On Bills That Will Slow Down DEP Permit Reviews, Make It More Complex, Costly

House Committee To Consider Bill Oct. 22 Guaranteeing Taxpayers Pay The Highest Prices For Nutrient Reductions; Another Pretend Solution

Sen. Yaw Introduces Bill To Authorize 3rd Party Review Of Chapter 102, 105 Permit Applications

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Related Articles:

Op-Ed: Why Is the General Assembly About To Hurt Us By Authorizing Road Dumping Of Oil & Gas Wastewater?

Penn State Study Recommends Only Using Nontoxic Products Or Highly Treated Drilling Wastewater To Remove Radium, Oil, Metals Before Road Spreading

Earthworks’ New Report, Interactive Map Tracks Disposal Of 380 Million Barrels Of PA Oil & Gas Drilling Wastewater, Including Road Dumping

New Study Tracks Liquid, Solid Waste From Conventional, Unconventional Oil & Gas Development In PA From Generation To Disposal

Conventional Oil & Gas Industry Has A Major Goal In 2019-- To Restore Program To Spread Waste Water From Wells On Roads

Op-Ed: The Story Behind Stopping Conventional Oil & Gas Brine Spreading On Dirt Roads

Op-Ed: Will Our Dirt Roads Again Be Used As Dumping Sites For Oil & Gas Well Wastewater

Penn State: Potential Health Impacts Of Oil and Gas Wastewater On Roads

Oil & Gas Well Brines For Dust Control On Unpaved Roads - Part I- Ineffectiveness

Penn State Study: Using Oil & Gas Well Brine As Dust Suppressant Less Than Ideal

Briefing: Good, Bad & Ugly Environment & Energy Bills In The PA House, Senate

[Posted: October 18, 2019]

10/21/2019