Casey Calls for Federal Regulation of Gas Drilling
Washington PA Observer Reporter
20 August 2010
Associated Press
SCRANTON - U.S. Sen. Bob Casey said Thursday that Pennsylvania's
emerging natural gas industry has the potential to create jobs and
wealth, but also carries environmental risks that must be addressed.
The Pennsylvania Democrat told a forum in Scranton that the "gas rush"
taking place in the vast Marcellus Shale region of Pennsylvania "can
create a great economic boost" in a state where nearly 600,000 people
are unemployed. But he added: "We must not fail to protect our people,
our land, our water and our future."
Casey is sponsoring the FRAC Act, stalled legislation that calls for
federal regulation of the drilling process known as hydraulic
fracturing or "fracking." Drillers inject millions of gallons of
chemical-laden water deep underground to break up the shale and let
natural gas escape, leaving much of the water below ground.
Because the process was exempted from federal laws by 2005 energy
legislation, regulation has been left to various states.
Opponents contend fracking not only threatens the quality of
groundwater but the quantity, since it requires so much water be
withdrawn from area rivers.
The industry says fracking has a long track record and that it is safe,
with no confirmation that the process has ever contaminated water
supplies, and that other kinds of energy production use much more water.
Casey on Thursday pushed for full disclosure of all chemicals used in
fracking, one of the provisions of the FRAC Act. The industry says it
now does disclose those chemicals, some of which are known carcinogens,
after years of claiming the chemical formulas were proprietary.
"Pennsylvanians have a right to know what is being injected into the
ground at thousands of sites across the commonwealth," he said. If
fracking chemicals do not pose a threat to groundwater, drinking water
or human health, he asked, "then why can't we shine the light of full
disclosure on that process?"
Industry official Kathryn Klaber, who appeared with Casey at the forum,
said drillers have nothing to hide and do not object to additional
types of disclosure to make the public more comfortable.
"There's no reason not to have that data available, and clearly the
public sees it as a top priority," said Klaber, head of the Marcellus
Shale Coalition.
Thursday's forum at Marywood University examined the short- and
long-term impacts of natural gas development in the Marcellus Shale, a
giant gas field underlying much of New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio and
West Virginia. Some experts believe the Marcellus Shale, with as much
as 500 trillion cubic feet, could become the nation's most productive,
with enough natural gas to supply the energy-hungry East Coast for 50
years.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has conducted hearings around
the country this summer, seeking input as it prepares to study the
environmental issues of fracking over the next two years. While Casey
has been able to attach the disclosure provisions of the FRAC Act to
another energy bill that the Senate could take up this fall,
legislative action on the regulatory issue is unlikely this year.
Opponents of the gas drilling process complain the industry has taken
environmental and safety shortcuts in their zeal to reap the vast gas
stores. Drilling companies tallied more than 1,400 violations of state
laws since January 2008, according to an environmental advocacy group's
recent analysis of state data.
John Hanger, secretary of Pennsylvania's Department of Environmental
Protection, expressed frustration with the industry in a newspaper
interview on Thursday, vowing to stop issuing permits to frequent
violators.
"The only sanction left to government and the people is to tell a
company it can't do business here any longer," Hanger told the
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. "We're now to the point of really
sorting
through these violations and identifying companies that don't seem yet
to have gotten the message.
Hanger called out three companies in particular: Chief Oil & Gas of
Dallas, Citrus Energy of Colorado and EOG Resources, the Houston-based
company that had a blowout at a Clearfield County well in June.
Klaber said the industry shares Hanger's concern and is working to
reduce violations.
"We've go to do this right," she said. "We need to be at a place where
there are no violations, and we need to be doing that consistently to
earn ... trust."