Legislation proposed by U.S. Sen. Bob Casey Jr. of Pennsylvania for dealing with emergencies during oil and gas drilling operations is a step in the right direction. On its own, however, it is not enough to protect people who live and work near the wells.

Mr. Casey, who conducted a hearing in Pittsburgh last Monday, plans to introduce the Faster Action Safety Team Emergency Response Act, which would give the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration the authority to regulate emergency procedures at wells. Among other things, drill operators would be required to have an employee trained in response measures at each well when exploration or drilling is occurring, establish a certified response team no farther away than an hour's travel time, contact local first responders within 15 minutes of an emergency and OSHA within an hour, provide annual training for local crews and keep mobile or satellite phones at their wells.

The rules that Mr. Casey proposed go beyond what the state Department of Environmental Protection requires now of drilling operators.

In establishing a baseline for what must become the culture at oil and gas wells, it is important that regulations be directed at the companies doing the drilling, not the volunteer or municipal fire and medical crews that answer the calls for help.

It also is important in setting up the rules for well operators to take local conditions into consideration. As Anthony Iannacchione, director of the mining Engineering Program at the University of Pittsburgh, said at the hearing, risks in remote, rural areas are different from those in dense, urban environments.

Robert French, director of the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency, which has statewide responsibility for handling disasters, further recommended that local emergency responders be notified when the DEP issues drilling permits, along with a list of chemical additives they will be using, so that responders can be ready.

When preparing for the worst, the best plan is one that puts safety first by providing adequate training for well workers and first responders and sharing with the public all the information they need to stay safe.

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