Drilling Right: The State Must Serve the Public on Marcellus Shale
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
11 May 2010
While political candidates debate the wisdom or folly of taxing the
Marcellus shale drilling, Pennsylvania's top environmental official has
issued a timely warning about the need to smartly regulate this new
source of jobs and energy.
Whether you're a Democrat or Republican, a candidate or voter -- the
words of John Hanger, secretary of the Department of Environmental
Protection, should be taken to heart.
As reported by the Post-Gazette's Don Hopey, Mr. Hanger delivered a
strong keynote speech last week to the Marcellus Shale Policy
Conference at Duquesne University. In the audience were representatives
of industry, science, environmental groups and state and local
governments.
While Mr. Hanger acknowledged the economic promise of the Marcellus
drilling boom, he said Pennsylvania was late in setting effective
regulations on an industry that could have a profound impact on the
state's land and water. "Rules matter," he said. "The philosophy of the
staff matters. And what is needed is the right rules and the right
staff with the independence to enforce those rules."
He also said the state needs "companies with the right culture that
want to do things the right way." In the case of drilling for natural
gas in the Marcellus shale, the environmental concerns relate to the
industry's heavy consumption of water (to fracture the rock), the
quality of wastewater returned to waterways and the impact on surface
lands where the drilling occurs.
Americans have seen what can go wrong even when energy companies claim
to be using the best and safest extraction methods. BP's Deepwater
Horizon well still bleeds 5,000 to 26,500 barrels of oil a day into the
Gulf of Mexico, after an explosion killed 11 workers on April 20.
Massey Energy's Upper Big Branch mine exploded on April 5, killing 29
workers.
While no one is anticipating such tragic outcomes for the Marcellus
work in Pennsylvania, it is state government's duty to safeguard the
public interest while permitting business activity. That means
effective regulations and a severance tax on drilling that can be used,
in part, to create a fund to cover the unexpected.
Mr. Hanger's words are the voice of reason.