Marcellus Shale Newswire 04/01/2011

Vol. 2, Issue 03

A Collection of Marcellus Shale and Gas Drilling Articles from Pennsylvania and Beyond

PennEnvironment

The Philadelphia Inquirer

Pennsylvania environment chief now must approve any shale-drilling citations

By Joseph Tanfani and Craig R. McCoy

March 31, 2011

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/118971044.html?viewAll=y 

In an unprecedented policy shift, inspectors in Pennsylvania have been ordered to stop issuing violations against drillers without prior approval from Gov. Corbett’s new environmental chief. “I could not believe it,” said John Hanger, the last DEP secretary under Gov. Ed Rendell. “It’s extraordinarily unwise. It’s going to cause the public in droves to lose confidence in the inspection process.”

 

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Harrisburg takes reins for Marcellus enforcement

By Don Hopey

March 31, 2011

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11090/1135998-503.stm 

“When they see violations, they have a duty to write them up, but now they must first run them up the chain of command to get a political OK,” [Jan Jarrett, president and chief executive officer for Citizens for Pennsylvania’s Future] said.

 

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Ferlo seeks review of new Marcellus Shale permit rules

By Don Hopey

March 31, 2011

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11090/1136068-100.stm 

State Sen. Jim Ferlo, D-Highland Park, is calling for the Pennsylvania Inspector General and the state Senate to investigate new state Department of Environmental Protection rules that require pre-approval by Harrisburg officials before permitting and enforcement actions can be taken against Marcellus Shale drilling operations.


The Inquirer

Corbett maintains hard line on no Marcellus Shale tax

By Joseph Tanfani and Angela Couloumbis

March 28, 2011

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/pennsylvania/118756034.html?viewAll=y 

Two-thirds of the state’s voters support the idea [of a Marcellus Shale tax], several polls indicate. Democrats are rallying around a single theme: Republicans are willing to hurt the middle class and students while letting their drilling-industry friends off the hook.

 

Intelligencer Journal

Lancaster City to test Susquehanna water for radioactivity

By Ad Crable

March 28, 2011

http://articles.lancasteronline.com/local/4/367567
Lancaster city officials are scrambling to begin additional testing of drinking water drawn from the Susquehanna River to make sure it doesn’t have radioactivity or salty bromides from Marcellus Shale natural gas drilling. Lancaster last tested for radioactivity in 2003 and 2004, before Marcellus Shale extraction started in Pennsylvania. 

 

Ambler Gazette

Montgomery County legislators air their views on a Marcellus Shale Tax

By Linda Finarelli

March 31, 2011

http://www.montgomerynews.com/articles/2011/03/31/ambler_gazette/news/doc4d937fcc35316922412720.txt?viewmode=fullstory 

A poll of Pennsylvania residents in November of last year reported 67 percent of those questioned would support a severance tax on the natural gas industry, but the consensus of the legislators interviewed was that there is not much chance a tax will be passed by the Legislature, where both houses are under Republican control.

 

The Patriot-News

Sen. Casey wants feds to help investigate methane migration as likely source of Pa. explosions

By The Associated Press

March 29, 2011

http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2011/03/sen_bob_casey_wants_feds_to_he.html 

“The belief that the source of the explosions is some type of thermogenic gas migration caused by extensive drilling appears to be widespread,” Casey said in the letter, first reported Tuesday by the Bradford Era. “It appears that the gas may have migrated from deep underground during periods of high barometric pressure coupled with seismic activity and extensive new deep drilling activities.”