Marcellus Shale Newswire 04/22/2011

PennEnvironment

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Blown-out Bradford County well ‘stable but not killed’

April 21, 2011

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11111/1140969-100.stm#ixzz1KAlSgIWW

The Chesapeake Energy well in Bradford County had an equipment failure that allowed thousands of gallons of chemically laced hydraulic fracturing fluid to flow from the site for at least half a day. In response to the situation, the environmental group PennFuture called on DEP Secretary Michael Krancer to immediately shut down all of Chesapeake’s drilling operations while an investigation is conducted.

 

The Wall Street Journal

Pennsylvania Gas-Well Blowout Forces Evacuation

April 20, 2011

By Ben Casselman

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704570704576275353686652670.html

Workers lost control of a natural-gas well in rural Pennsylvania late Tuesday night, forcing the evacuation of local families and spilling chemicals into a nearby stream. 

“How many of these can you have?” said David Masur, executive director of PennEnvironment, which has called for a ban on hydraulic fracturing until drillers demonstrate better safety practices. “You’ve played Russian Roulette. You’ve spun the revolver too many times. People’s lives are on the line.”

 

The Philadelphia Inquirer

Pa. drillers told to stop sending wastewater to treatment plants

April 20, 2011

By Andrew Maykuth

http://articles.philly.com/2011-04-20/news/29451390_1_drinking-water-wastewater-treatment-plants 

Pennsylvania regulators on Tuesday called on Marcellus Shale natural gas drillers to stop sending wastewater to 15 treatment plants, citing an increased risk of contaminating public drinking water. “Now is the time to take action to end this practice,” acting DEP Secretary Michael Krancer said in a statement Tuesday.

 

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Pa.: Marcellus wastewater shouldn’t go to treatment plants

April 19, 2011

By Don Hopey and Sean D. Hamill

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11109/1140412-100.stm

Because of high levels of dissolved solids and bromide in rivers and streams used for public drinking water sources, the state Department of Environmental Protection has asked all Marcellus Shale operations to voluntarily stop disposal of drilling wastewater at 15 municipal sewage treatment plants. 

 

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Corbett promises to guard resources, but rejects taxing Marcellus drilling

April 19, 2011

By Laura Olson

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11109/1140278-454-0.stm 

Mr. Shober said he’s worried about unforeseen long-term effects and wants to see more prevention and planning. “Let’s work on the environmental side, so we aren’t finding something out three years down the road that we should have heard now,” he said.

 

 

The Reading Eagle

Panel pressed on Marcellus Shale Drilling

April 21, 2011

By Darrin Youker

http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=302851 

Environmental advocates believe Pennsylvania should ban drilling until all the ecological dangers are explored. “Water is a limited resource,” said Dorothy Reilly, an Exeter Township resident.  “Once it is contaminated, you can’t uncontaminated it.”

 

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Congressional Democrats issue caution on fracking

April 19, 2011

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11109/1140234-503.stm 

The state recorded the sixth-highest volume over a 5-year period of hydraulic fracturing fluids containing 2-butoxyethanol, or 2-BE, a substance that can cause destruction of red blood cells and damage to internal organs and bone marrow, according to the report. In Pennsylvania, 747,416 gallons of product containing the compound were injected into wells, the report said. 

 

The Patriot-News

Marcellus Shale gas industry pays taxes, but not many

By Heather Long

April 16, 2011

http://www.pennlive.com/editorials/index.ssf/2011/04/marcellus_shale_gas_industry_p.html  

The state does not tax purchases of drilling equipment and supplies because they are considered manufacturing expenses. Companies also don’t pay property tax on gas reserves. An analysis by the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center found that 85 percent of oil and gas sector companies who filed returns in Pennsylvania owed no taxes in 2008. 

 

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Drilling economics divides struggling communities

By Jeremy Boren

April 17, 2011

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/s_732702.html 

Statewide, police inspected 731 commercial trucks, took 131 of them out of service for violations and issued 421 violations. “It doesn’t matter how it gets there, if it gets into the aquifer and the water, we’re dead,” [Dencil Backus] said.