DEP rolls back approval process for shale violations
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The state Department of Environmental Protection has completely rolled back a controversial, 5-week-old procedural change that required all field enforcement actions involving Marcellus Shale gas drilling operations be pre-approved by political appointees in Harrisburg.
Katy Gresh, DEP spokeswoman, said the department's oil and gas field inspectors are again allowed to write violation notices as they did prior to a March 23 internal department memo that directed them to take no action on violations until they received "final clearance" from DEP Secretary Michael Krancer and a handful of other administrators.
"The notice of violation process is just as it was. The inspectors don't need pre-approval and that has been communicated to them," said Ms. Gresh, who added that department administrators will continue to review the violations after they are written to ensure regulations are enforced consistently.
"That's a very welcome development. I'm glad to hear the directive has been rescinded," said former DEP secretary John Hanger, who criticized the procedural change for undercutting public confidence in environmental enforcement. Monday he said it "amounted to a detour that was unnecessary and unwise."
Staff at the DEP's regional offices grumbled at the March 23 memo and -- after it was leaked to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and other news organizations -- a storm of protests from environmental organizations and businesses followed. They feared the change would reduce enforcement of the state's fast-growing Marcellus gas drilling industry and endanger the public.
The DEP said the procedural changes were only meant to be a three-month "pilot program" aimed at improving enforcement "consistency." But 42 environmental groups, faith groups and businesses sent a letter to Gov. Tom Corbett on April 7 asking him to rescind the new procedures immediately.
First Published May 3, 2011 12:00 am
