Green groups rap Pa. on gas drilling, stormwater reviews
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Environmental groups have condemned as a "give-away" to the oil and gas industry the state Department of Environmental Protection decision to remove county conservation districts from the review process for deep well drilling into the Marcellus Shales.
Members of the Pennsylvania Campaign for Clean Water said the DEP also instituted an expedited "fast track" stormwater permitting process that does not allow for public participation or meaningful agency review of permit applications.
Thirty-six member organizations of the campaign co-signed a letter sent today to DEP Acting Secretary John Hanger condemning DEP's actions.
"At a time when DEP is admittedly understaffed to deal with the rush of Marcellus Shale drilling in Pennsylvania, it makes no sense whatsoever to strip the conservation districts of their duties and give them to DEP staff that lack their level of experience in erosion and sediment control," said Myron Arnowitt, Pennsylvania state director, Clean Water Action. "Many local communities have already been heavily impacted by drilling. The public is looking for more oversight, not less."
"We believe a fast-track permitting scheme that eliminates technical review of erosion, sediment, and stormwater plans is illegal under federal and state environmental laws," said Matt Royer, staff attorney, Pennsylvania office, Chesapeake Bay Foundation.
It's estimated that Pennsylvania could have as much as 363 trillion cubic feet of natural gas deep underground in Marcellus Shale formations that underlie three-fourths of the state. The gas could be worth as much as $1 trillion, but environmentalists are worried because the drilling process uses more than 1 million gallons of water per well and produces polluted waste water that drillers have had trouble treating before it is discharged into rivers and streams.
First Published March 31, 2009 12:33 pm
