Marcellus Shale Newswire 11/11/2011
Vol. 2, Issue 35
A Collection of Marcellus Shale and Gas Driling Articles from Pennsylvania and Beyond
PennEnvironment
The Pennsylvania Environmental Council
Environmental groups call for tougher measures in Marcellus Shale bills
By Bob Oltmanns and Kelly Donaldson
November 10, 2011
http://www.pecpa.org/release/environmental-groups-call-tougher-measures-marcellus-shale-bills
(Harrisburg) – Two of Pennsylvania’s leading environmental organizations today called on the General Assembly to enact tougher environmental protections in proposed legislation aimed at regulating development of the state’s Marcellus Shale natural gas reserves.
The Pennsylvania Environmental Council (PEC) and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) have outlined a number of specific environmental protection measures that are critical to any legislation that passes into law.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Study: Well fees still aren’t enough
By Don Hopey
November 10, 2011
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11314/1188841-454-0.stm
Plugging an abandoned Marcellus Shale gas well in Pennsylvania could cost $100,000 or more, and well bonding changes proposed by the Corbett administration could stick taxpayers with almost all of that bill, according to a study from Carnegie Mellon University.
The CMU study found that the new Marcellus gas well bonding fees, recommended by Mr. Corbett’s Marcellus Shale Advisory Commission and now under consideration in the Republican-controlled Legislature, would require drilling companies to cover only a fraction of the costs of plugging and decommissioning old, nonproducing and abandoned gas wells.
The Indypendent
Two Big Decisions Loom on the Fate of Drinking Water for 15 Million People Living Near the Marcellus Shale
By Steven Wishnia
November 8, 2011
http://www.indypendent.org/2011/11/08/marcellus-shale-drinking-water/
The fate of fracking in the Northeast may be determined soon.
On Nov. 21, the Delaware River Basin Commission, comprising representatives from four states (New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware) and the federal government, will vote on whether to allow the intensive method of natural-gas drilling in the river’s watershed. The watershed, which supplies drinking water for more than 15 million people, overlaps the eastern end of the Marcellus Shale, an underground geological formation touted as the “Saudi Arabia of natural gas.”
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Upper Burrell Township opposes state bill on drilling
By Rossilynne Skena
November 9, 2011
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/valleynewsdispatch/s_766282.html
Upper Burrell is staunchly opposing state Marcellus shale bills that could supersede local drilling regulations.
Township supervisors Monday unanimously passed a resolution opposing “state intervention with local zoning regulations.”
The township opposes House Bill 1950 and Senate Bill 1100 which would, if adopted, take away powers given to municipalities to adopt a standardized zoning authority, the resolution states.
Insurance & Financial Advisor News
Marcellus Shale gas leads to widespread litigation, insurance claims
By Jaime L. Brockway
November 10, 2011
Lawsuits and legislation about natural gas harvesting in the Marcellus Shale region and nationwide is underway and expected to spread, eventually reaching the insurance industry.
About 40 civil suits have been filed in the U.S., alleging personal injury, nuisance and toxic torts involving land, air and water.
The Journal
Fracking Firm Admits It Caused Earthquakes
By RP Siegel
November 11, 2011
http://www.triplepundit.com/2011/11/fracking-firm-admits-caused-earthquakes/
Given the twin concerns of peak oil and climate change, it’s no surprise that natural gas (with its lower carbon intensity than coal) has been hailed by many as the salvation of our modern way of life, at least for now. And with the discovery of enormous deposits under Marcellus Shale in the Eastern US, and other deposits in the Southwest, it’s even more appealing, since that is keeping prices relatively low.
United Press International
Pa. shales rules fall short, critics say
By Associated Press
November 11, 2011
HARRISBURG, Pa., Nov. 11 (UPI) — Proposed legislation in Pennsylvania outlining development of the Marcellus shale play doesn’t do enough to protect the state’s environment, critics say.
In October, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett announced plans to implement a list of recommendations from a committee overseeing development of the Marcellus shale natural gas play in the state. The commission issued 96 recommendations to detailing detail aspects ranging from fees to offset the effect of natural gas development to enhanced environmental standards.