Letters
Washington PA Observer Reporter
8 June 2010
Beware Marcellus drillers
They pollute the water table with their fracking compounds and
wastewater.
They create air pollution.
They create noise pollution.
They tell our neighbors what they want to hear.
They intimidate solicitors and township supervisors with potential
lawsuits.
Their presentations are full of assumptions but no real guarantees.
They dangle the promise of proposed wealth and money in front of our
neighbors that will likely be taxed away.
They promise jobs that will never materialize. Certainly not for our
neighbors, and their claim of job creation is not filled by
Pennsylvanians but rather by needy Texans and Louisianans.
I must admit they know how to get things done. Our supervisors will
hide behind our solicitors and the planning commission's recommendation
rather than protect the people. And the planning commission will cave
in for lack of support from the supervisors and solicitor.
They will win, and Southwestern Pennsylvania will be like the Gulf of
Mexico: one giant mistake after another.
Richard Yanock
Washington
Arm yourself With Education
Many tri-state citizens watched a film shown at the Byham Theater
recently that will be televised on HBO at 9 p.m. June 21.
It is a documentary about the thrills and perils of Marcellus Shale
drilling. Please watch it on HBO. This documentary was a winner at the
Sundance Film Festival in 2010 and very informative. There was a
Q&A session with representatives from Clean Water Action, the
Center for Environmental Research and Education at Duquesne University,
the Center for Healthy Environments and Communities at the University
of Pittsburgh and State Rep. David Levandansky.
The film contained facts and interviews concerning the lives of common
American citizens whose lives are in turmoil due to the lasting effects
of the gas-drilling boom. The film left many feeling emotional and
outraged. Listen to this side of the story that you may not be aware
of. The gas companies are having an orgy with the state of Pennsylvania
and its citizens. We must demand state and federal regulation on this
issue.
Thought for the day: Many of us are too often separated from our money
and good health by the irrational belief that somebody is going to hand
us a windfall. We need a collective, before-the-fact heavy dose of
education to arm ourselves.
Nina Ward
Washington
Seeking Setback
If you own 10 acres or so, the Pennsylvania House of
Representatives is currently proposing legislation that will impact
whether your land can be drilled on or not.
The legislation is proposing a 1,000-foot setback from structures.
However, there is a variance permitting the drillers to not comply with
the proposed 1,000-foot requirement. With 10 acres, the drillers could
create a five-acre site and put in six to 12 wells. With compaction and
contamination, it will be decades before anything can be grown on that
land again.
Please write your legislators and ask for a 1,000-foot setback with no
variances permitting less than 1,000 feet, or that the drillers must
get surface-owner permission.
Ann Miller
Washington