The Evangelical Environmental Network wrote to Senate President Pro Temporary Jake Corman (R-Centre), all members of the Senate and Gov. Wolf on July 1 urging them to “do the moral thing” and oppose the bailout and subsidies for the conventional oil and gas drilling industry included in House Bill 2644.

House Bill 2644 (Causer-R-Cameron) blocks any increase in conventional oil and gas well plugging bonds, exempting pre-1985 wells (which is most of them) from any bonding leaving taxpayers liable for $5.1 billion in cleanup costs.

The Senate Appropriations Committee is due to consider the bill TODAY, July 6 and the full Senate shortly thereafter.  Read more here.

"When did the Republican Party of Pennsylvania start believing in corporate subsidies, bailouts, and increased taxes? I ask this as HB 2644 is, without a doubt, a subsidy and bailout for Pennsylvania’s conventional drilling industry.

"When are we going to put the American taxpayer first and stop rewarding industry for not being responsible enough to clean up their own messes?

"HB 2644 is simply unfair to the citizens of our Commonwealth and adds to the tax burdens (not to mention the health care costs) we already pay in cleaning up the messes of oil/gas, coal mining, and all extractive industries.

"Our common book, the Bible, is clear on fairness, justice, and righteousness, as the Hebrew prophet Amos states, “But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!” (Amos 5:24, NIV)

"As my late mom always told me, “If you make a mess, you clean it up!”

The full text of the letter follows--

Dear President Pro Tempore Corman:

"When did the Republican Party of Pennsylvania start believing in corporate subsidies, bailouts, and increased taxes? I ask this as HB 2644 is, without a doubt, a subsidy and bailout for Pennsylvania’s conventional drilling industry.

"When are we going to put the American taxpayer first and stop rewarding industry for not being responsible enough to clean up their own messes?

"HB 2644 is simply unfair to the citizens of our Commonwealth and adds to the tax burdens (not to mention the health care costs) we already pay in cleaning up the messes of oil/gas, coal mining, and all extractive industries.

"Our common book, the Bible, is clear on fairness, justice, and righteousness, as the Hebrew prophet Amos states, “But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!” (Amos 5:24, NIV)

"As my late mom always told me, “If you make a mess, you clean it up!”

“The Federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act provides $4.5 billion for orphaned oil/gas wells to be remediated, with Pennsylvania’s share as high as $500 million. Still, this amount will only address a fraction of the over 200,000 orphaned wells in our Commonwealth, leaving the remaining costs to be borne by Pennsylvania taxpayers.

“What is more, this orphaned well disaster would have never existed if we had proper bonding requirements in place.

“HB 2644 adds insult to injury, as it requires much less than true well remediation costs as bonding. This allows companies to easily walk away and stick us (the taxpayer) with the job of cleaning up another mess, giving a free ride to the conventional industry.

“Both the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the conventional industry place the average cost of well plugging at approximately $33,000 per well (though the actual cost could be much higher).

“DEP just recently updated their expected costs to $70,000 for plugging orphaned wells.

“Nevertheless, House Bill 2644 would arbitrarily limit bonding requirements for conventional wells to $2,500 per well, or a not-to-exceed blanket bond amount of $100,000, no matter how many wells are owned by an operator.

“House Bill 2644 also cuts the ability of the Environmental Quality Board to adjust these bonding amounts.

“Simply put, HB 2644 makes no sense and only increases taxpayer burdens now and in future.

“If you genuinely care for our children—their health, their future, and their tax burden—you should oppose this legislation.

“Now is the time to exercise sound fiscal responsibility through good stewardship by defending our children, stopping the waste of taxpayer money, and ending the fossil fuel legacy of dumping the costs on others.

“Please do the moral thing and oppose HB 2644.”

Sincerely,

The Rev. Mitchell C. Hescox

President/C.E.O.

Click Here for a copy of the letter.

For more information on programs, initiatives, upcoming events and how you can get involved, visit the Evangelical Environmental Network website.   ENN is based in New Freedom, York County.

The mission of ENN is to inspire, equip, educate, and mobilize evangelical Christians to love God and others by rediscovering and reclaiming the Biblical mandate to care for creation and working toward a stable climate and a healthy, pollution-free world.

Related Articles - New Abandoned Oil & Gas Wells:

-- Gov. Wolf Now Has To Decide To Hold Oil & Gas Drillers Accountable, Or Create A $5.1 Billion Cleanup Liability For Taxpayers  [PaEN]

-- EQB Accepts Petitions For Study To Increase Oil & Gas Well Bonding; DEP Has $15 Per Well Available In Bonds To Plug Conventional Wells

-- PA Environmental Council: Without A Veto Of HB 2644, PA's Abandoned Oil & Gas Well Problem May Be All But Permanent  [PaEN]

-- PA Environmental Council/Environmental Defense Fund + 12 Other Groups: HB 2644 Unjustifiably Limits Bonding For Oil & Gas Wells, Risks Eligibility For Federal Well Plugging Funds  [PaEN]

-- DEP Issues 20% More NOVs To Oil & Gas Well Drillers For Abandoning Wells Without Plugging Them In 2nd Quarter [PaEN]

-- New Abandoned Wells: DEP Records Show Abandoning Oil & Gas Wells Without Plugging Them Is Pervasive In Conventional Drilling Industry; Who Is Protecting Taxpayers?  [2.23.22]

-- 12 Unconventional Shale Gas Drillers Issued DEP Notices Of Violation For Abandoning Wells Without Plugging Them At 35 Well Pads In 17 Counties [3.2.22]

-- Financial Assurance, Plugging Regulations To Be Reviewed To Prevent New Abandoned Oil & Gas Wells Under Federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Plugging Program  [4.25.22]

 -- DEP Federal ‘Orphan’ Well Plugging List Includes 7,300 Active Conventional Wells With Identified Owners; DEP Says Cost Recovery A Priority  [5.23.22]

PA Environment Digest:

-- Links To Oil & Gas Drilling Articles

[Posted: July 6, 2022]

7/11/2022