PA Environment Digest

Share this:

Beaver County Residents Invited To Join An Oct. 23 In-Person Tour Of Shale Gas Fracking Sites & Infrastructure In Washington County And Discover Its Costs

Join the Beaver County Marcellus Awareness Community October 23 for an in-person tour through Washington County and experience firsthand how shale gas fracking infrastructure is impacting families every day.

Led by environmental advocate Lois Bower-Bjornson, this tour will take Beaver County residents to the heart of fracking country, revealing the hidden costs of this controversial industry.

Discover the impacts of fracking on the environment, air quality, and public health. Hear stories directly from those living with the consequences, and see the infrastructure that's changing landscapes and lives.

The tour will include visits to active fracking sites and nearby communities affected by the industry.

Fracking in Washington County began in the mid-2000s when advancements in hydraulic fracturing (fracking) technology and horizontal drilling unlocked vast reserves of natural gas in the Marcellus Shale formation.

Washington County quickly became a hub for natural gas extraction, with its proximity to the Marcellus Shale and large rural areas making it a prime target for energy companies.

The promise of economic benefits and job creation brought an influx of fracking companies, and Washington County soon hosted hundreds of fracking wells.

By 2010, Washington County led Pennsylvania in natural gas production, and its landscape transformed with drilling rigs, compressor stations, and gas pipelines.

However, the rapid expansion of fracking in Washington County came with significant environmental and health concerns.

Local residents began reporting water contamination, air pollution, and health problems such as respiratory illnesses and headaches.

Studies have linked fracking activities to higher rates of earthquakes, methane emissions, and exposure to toxic chemicals used in the fracking process. Communities in Washington County, especially those near fracking sites, have faced deteriorating living conditions and increasing concerns about long-term impacts on their health and the environment.

These issues have prompted local activism and ongoing debates over the true cost of the fracking boom in the region.

Transportation will be provided for Beaver County residents for the tour, but space is limited so please register in advance.

Let’s come together as a community to understand the full story behind fracking and take action to ensure that this isn't the fate for Beaver County.

Click Here to register and for more information.

The Beaver County Marcellus Awareness Community seeks to protect the residents of Southwestern Pennsylvania, with emphasis on those in Beaver County, by informing them about the health, safety, environmental and economic impacts of fracking infrastructure, including the petrochemical buildout; and by supporting sustainable alternatives to carbon-based energy sources and economic development strategies in Beaver County.

PA Oil & Gas Industry Public Notice Dashboards:

-- PA Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - October 5 to 18 - Conventional Well Owners Issued 767 Violations For Abandoning Their Wells - So Far, More Than Double Number In 2019; Leaking Gas Storage Area Wells [PaEN]

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

-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices, Opportunities To Comment - October 19 [PaEN]

-- DEP Posted 87 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In October 12 PA Bulletin [PaEN]

-- DEP Posted 57 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In October 19 PA Bulletin [PaEN]

Related Articles This Week:

-- Pennsylvania Voters Overwhelmingly Support Stricter Regulations On Fracking, New Poll Finds [PaEN]

-- Saint Vincent College Study Finds Counties With Shale Gas Fracking Wells Using Chemicals That Target Certain Hormones Have Greater Incidence Of Pre-Term Births, Low Birth Weights [PaEN]

-- Beaver County Residents Invited To Join An Oct. 23 In-Person Tour Of Shale Gas Fracking Sites & Infrastructure In Washington County And Discover Its Costs [PaEN]

-- Observer-Reporter Letter: There’s Another Side To The 'Shale Gas Revolution' [PaEN]

-- Sen. Bartolotta, Sen. Yaw Announce Bill To Withhold Gas Drilling Impact Fees To Municipalities That Set More Protective Standards On Natural Gas Development Than State Law, And While There Is a Legal Challenge To Local Restrictions [PaEN]

-- Observer-Reporter Guest Essay: Why Politicians Want You To Pay More For Natural Gas - By Patrick McDonnell, CEO of PennFuture, Former Secretary of DEP [PaEN]

-- PJM Interconnection Winter Outlook: Adequate Power Supplies Available Under Normal Conditions; PJM Delays Next Power Auction After Prices Spike [PaEN]

-- The Derrick: PUC Judge Issues Emergency Order Appointing Aqua Pennsylvania As Temporary Operator For 6 Rhodes Estate Water Companies [Serious Community Impacts Continue From Conventional Oil Well Spill In Venango County] [PaEN]

-- DEP Begins Accepting Applications For New Methane Reduction Grants To Plug Conventional Oil, Gas Wells Oct. 16 [PaEN]

-- Evangelical Environmental Network Delivers Over 36,000 Comments From Pro-Life Christians To Gov. Shapiro, DEP In Support Of Strong Oil & Gas Industry Methane Emission Controls [PaEN]

-- Beaver County Marcellus Awareness Community Receives Grant To Strengthen Communications and Community Engagement Initiatives [PaEN]

-- Susquehanna River Basin Conditions Trigger Low-Flow Water Use Restrictions At 9 Shale Gas Water Withdrawals In Bradford, Susquehanna, Tioga Counties [PaEN]

-- DEP Invites Comments On Proposed Air Quality General Permit (GP-16) Covering Gaseous Fuel-Fired Spark Ignition Internal Combustion Engines [Copy Of Documents ]

-- Team PA & Clean Air Task Force Convene Leaders To Discuss Challenges, Opportunities Of Industrial Decarbonization; DOE Provides Update On Decarbonization Investments In PA [PaEN]

-- Beaver County Marcellus Awareness Community Urges EPA To Move Forward With Strong Regulation Of Vinyl Chloride Under Federal Toxic Substances Control Act, While Calling For A Ban [PaEN]

-- EPA Files $4.2 Million Settlement Of Air Pollution Violations For 2019 Philadelphia Refinery Explosion, Fire; Public Comments Invited [PaEN]

NewsClips:

-- The Energy Age Blog: ‘Amity & Prosperity’ By Eliza Griswold Thrust Fracking In Washington County, PA Into The National Spotlight