The University of Pittsburgh announced School of Public Health scientists will present the results of studies exploring health impacts of human exposure to environmental risk factors, including unconventional natural gas development activities, in an eight-county region in Southwest Pennsylvania.

The meeting will be held on August 15 from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. both in-person and livestreamed and include an opportunity for online participants to submit questions.

The in-person meeting will be held at the Performance Center on the second floor of the Natali Student Center on the PennWest California University campus, 250 University Ave, California, Washington County.

Click Here to join the meeting remotely.  People attending online must submit questions in advance to paenv@pitt.edu.

Debrief Meeting

The Center for Coalfield Justice and MAD-FACTS will host an in-person debrief and healing space after the health study meeting at the California United Methodist Church at 227 3rd Street in California.

Click Here to register by email.  Click Here for the complete advisory.

Background

In 2019, the Pennsylvania Department of Health contracted with Pitt Public Health to conduct three observational epidemiological studies focusing on asthma, birth outcomes and childhood cancers

These studies will focus on the potential health impacts of human exposure to environmental risk factors, such as unconventional natural gas development activities, among others.

The first study will focus on finding out if historical exposure to various environmental risk factors may be linked to childhood cancers in Southwestern Pennsylvania using existing data sources and parent interviews.

The second and third studies will use information already available to find out if exposure to environmental risk factors is related to more severe cases of asthma or to increased occurrence of adverse birth outcomes in Southwestern Pennsylvania.

For more information, visit the PA Health and Environment Study webpage.

(Photos: Examples of unconventional shale gas and conventional oil and gas industrial facility impacts.)

Related Articles - Health Study:

-- Environmental Groups Launched Effort May 4 Asking For Update On Studies Of Health Impacts Of Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities, So Far No Response  [PaEN]

-- Washington County Community Meeting Updates Residents On PA Health & Environment Studies, Discusses Health Impacts Of Shale Gas Development  [PaEN]

-- Pitt School Of Public Health, PA Dept Of Health Abruptly Pull Out Of Oct. 5 Public Meeting They Helped Convene On Studies Looking At Links Between Natural Gas Development And Childhood Cancer Rates  [PaEN]

-- University Of Pittsburgh School Of Public Health Recruiting Families In Southwest PA For Study Of Childhood Cancer, One Of 3 Studies Of Potential Health Impacts Linked To Shale Natural Gas Development  [PaEN]

-- Health Advocacy Groups Meet With State Dept. Of Health, DEP To Discuss Residents Impacted By Shale Gas Emissions  [PaEN]

-- Dept. Of Health Awards $2.5 Million Contract To University of Pittsburgh To Research Health Effects Of Hydraulic Fracturing In PA  [PaEN]

Related Articles - Washington County:

-- DEP: Widespread Presence Of PFAS ‘Forever Chemicals’ In Fresh Water May Have Led To ‘Inadvertently’ Using Contaminated Water For Fracking Gas Wells In Washington County    [PaEN]

-- KDKA Investigation: Washington County Family Says Energy Transfer/MarkWest Natural Gas Processing Plants Turned A Peaceful Farm Into A Nightmare    [PaEN]

-- 3 Days That Shook Washington County: Natural Gas Plant Explosion; Pipeline Leak Of 1.1 Million Cubic Feet Of Gas; 10,000 Gallon Spill At Compressor Station  [PaEN]

-- DEP Ongoing Explosion/Fire Investigation: Energy Transfer Reported An Uncontrolled Release Of Ethane For 9.5 Hours From Its Revolution Natural Gas Processing Plant In Washington County  [PaEN]

-- DEP Rejects MarkWest Act 2 Cleanup Notification For 10,000 Gallon Natural Gas Condensate Spill At Compressor Station In Robinson Twp., Washington County, Notice Is Re-sent   [PaEN]

-- Robinson Twp., Washington County Seeks Answers To Cleanup Of MarkWest Liberty Midstream 10,000 Gallon Spill Of Natural Gas Condensates After Company Sends Notice To Wrong Municipality  [PaEN]

-- Natural Gas Pipeline Pigging Facility Malfunction Dec. 27 Released 1.1 Million Cubic Feet Of Natural Gas; Same Facility Plagued Community With Blowdowns 3 Times A Day, 7 Days A Week For Nearly 10 Years Until Criminal Charges Brought Against CNX  [PaEN]

-- Observer-Reporter: Explosion, Fire At Energy Transfer’s Revolution Natural Gas Cryogenic Plant Burned For Nearly 11 Hours On Christmas Day In Smith Twp., Washington County  [PaEN]

-- Guest Essay: Counties, PEMA Need To Include A Complete Vulnerability Assessment Of All Natural Gas Facilities In State, County Hazard Mitigation Emergency Plans  [PaEN]

-- Washington County Family Lawsuit Alleges Shale Gas Company Violated The Terms Of Their Lease By Endangering Their Health, Contaminating Their Water Supply And Not Protecting Their Land  [PaEN]

-- DEP: Shell, Pipeline Contractor Assessed $670,000 Penalty For Falcon Ethane Pipeline Construction Violations In Allegheny, Beaver, Washington Counties  [PaEN]

-- Inside Climate News: Q/A With Eliza Griswold Pulitzer Winning Author Of Deep Dive Into Fracking In PA, How Extractive Industries ‘Gut’ Communities  [PaEN]

-- AG Shapiro: Southeast Directional Drilling Pleads Guilty To Contaminating Water Supply In Washington County, To Pay $15,000 Fine  [PaEN]

PA Oil & Gas Industry Public Notice Dashboards:

-- Pennsylvania Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - August 5 to 11; Routine Venting Of Conventional Wells, Shale Gas Wells; Major Conventional Spills; Pipeline Subsidence  [PaEN] 

-- Mayor Of Sugarcreek Asks For Donations To Refill Village Of Reno Water Tank After Contamination In Venango County; Emergency Water Distribution Resumes; Contamination From Conventional Oil Wastewater Tanks Suspected  [PaEN]

-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices/Opportunities To Comment - August 12  [PaEN]

-- DEP Accepting Comments On 2 Major Olympus Energy/Hyperion Midstream Natural Gas, Water Pipeline Projects Impacting EV, HQ Streams, Wetlands In Westmoreland County  [PaEN]

-- DEP Posted 58 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In August 12 PA Bulletin  [PaEN]

NewsClips This Week:

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Pennsylvania To Release Long-Awaited Studies On Health Impacts Of Shale Gas Development

-- Environmental Health Project: LNG (Liquefied) Natural Gas - Health And Climate Impacts

-- The Derrick - Kara O’Neil: Oil City Approves Water Sale Plan To Help Out Reno Pending DEP OK  [PDF of article]

-- The Derrick - Makayla Keating: Water Distribution Will Resume In Village Of Reno, Venango County Affected By Suspected Conventional Oil Well Wastewater Spill  [PDF of article ]

-- The Derrick - Makayla Keating: DEP: No Time Frame On When Water Will Be Safe To Drink In Reno; Water Distribution On Hold Due To Low Chlorine Levels  [PDF of article]

-- The Derrick - Makayla Keating: Do Not Consume Water Advisory Continues For Reno, Venango County, Aug. 11 Event Set To Raise Money For Water Fund  [PDF of article ]

-- The Derrick - Makayla Keating: DEP Inspection Report Outlines Findings In Reno, Venango County Water System Contamination Case [PDF of article] 

-- The Derrick: Volunteers Signing Up To Help With Emergency Water Distribution In Reno  [PDF of article]

-- The Derrick: Reno Water Customers Turn Out To Air Concerns About Ongoing Water Issues At Sugarcreek Borough Council Meeting [PDF of article]

-- The Derrick: Reno Water Customers Advised Not To Consume Water [PDF of article]

-- Post-Gazette: EPA: Virginia Company Withdraws Application For Controversial Oil/Gas Wastewater Disposal Well In Fayette County

-- Post-Gazette: Residents In This Fayette County Town Are Going To Battle With EPA Over An Oil & Gas Wastewater Disposal Well Permit

-- Ohio River Valley Institute Blog: Oil & Gas - Central To Pennsylvania Politics, But Not Its Economy

-- Happy Valley Industry: KeyState Energy Natural Gas-Based Manufacturing, Carbon Capture Project Doubles Cost To $2 Billion, Pushes Back Start Of Operations Up To 2 Years In Clinton County

-- Utility Dive: PJM, MISO, Other Grid Operators Warn Of ‘Significant Power Shortages’ From Epa’s Power Plant Carbon Rule

-- TribLive Guest Essay: As Climate Change Becomes Harder To Ignore, Proposed EPA Power Plant Standards Give Hope - PennEnvironment

-- Utility Dive: Constellation Energy CEO ‘Disappointed’ To See Peers Opposing EPA’s Power Plant Carbon Rule

-- Public Source: Inside PA’s Compliance Monitoring Of Shell Petrochemical Plant In Beaver County; DEP Struggling To Keep Up

Related Articles This Week:

-- University Of Pittsburgh School Of Public Health Will Release Results Of Shale Gas Development Health Impact Study On Aug. 15 In Washington County  [PaEN]

-- EPA: G2 STEM LLC Withdraws Application For Oil/Gas Wastewater Underground Injection Well Permit In Fayette County  [PaEN]

-- Damascus Citizens: Comments Point Out Significant Deficiencies In  Proposed Fayette County Oil/Gas Wastewater Injection Well

-- DEP Extends Comment Period On Proposed Roulette Oil/Gas Wastewater Injection Well In Clara Twp., Potter County To Sept. 7  [PaEN]

-- PA-Based Evangelical Environmental Network: Over 51,000 Christians Call For Stronger Standards On Fossil Fuel Power Plants  [PaEN]

-- PJM Interconnection, Other Grid Operators Express Concerns Proposed EPA Power Plant Rule Will Accelerate Retirements Of Fossil Fuel Plants Without Reliable Renewable, Storage Technologies To Replace Them  [PaEN]

-- PA League Of Women Voters, Food & Water Watch Launch Letter-Writing Campaign Opposing Hydrogen Hubs In PA  [PaEN]

[Posted: August 10, 2023]

8/14/2023