Marcellus Shale Newswire 06/10/2011

Vol. 2, Issue 13

A Collection of Marcellus Shale and Gas Drilling Articles from Pennsylvania and Beyond

PennEnvironment

The Morning Call

Stop drilling in Pa., ‘Gasland’ director says

June 7, 2011

http://articles.mcall.com/2011-06-07/news/mc-pa-shale-rally-gasland-20110607_1_natural-gas-drilling-marcellus-shale-severance-tax

Hundreds of citizen-activists attended and lobby day on Tuesday, co-hosted by PennEnvironment, Clean Water Action, Sierra Club, and other environmental organizations. ‘Gasland’ director Josh Fox was also in attendance and said that it’s only a matter of time before legislators and administration head to the calls of the taxpayers in drilling zones. Governor Corbett has so far ignored all the calls and letters regarding the Marcellus shale tax and moratorium. 

 

Scranton Times Tribune

Scarnati seeks impact fee bill vote

By Robert Swift

June 9, 2011

http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/scarnati-seeks-impact-fee-bill-vote-1.1159486

Senator Scarnati is moving forward to have a Senate floor vote this month on his legislation to establish Marcellus Shale impact fees. The impact fees would help towns that have been affected by gas drilling operations. His main goal is to make sure that local towns receive money to help offset the impacts of gas drilling.

 

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Drillers’ tax: Legislators should make it part of the budget

June 8, 2011

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11159/1152015-192.stm

Pennsylvania lawmakers are starting to hammer out the budget and so far a Marcellus shale gas drilling tax has not been included. There are numerous bills up for consideration which shows that legislators have been responding to demands by constituents. Governor Corbett has not budged on the matter but it seems imperative that this tax needs to get on the budget at the end of this month. 

 

The Philadelphia Inquirer 

Pa. says flow of drilling wastewater almost halted

By Marc Levy

June 4, 2011

http://www.philly.com/philly/hp/news_update/20110603_ap_pasaysflowofdrillingwastewateralmosthalted.html?ref=morelikethis

Marcellus shale natural gas companies have almost stopped taking the chemical-filled wastewater to riverside treatment plants that are ill-equipped to remove the pollutants. The EPA had set a May 19 deadline for companies to voluntarily stop taking wastewater to riverside wastewater plants. Companies now say that they reuse most of their wastewater or take it to Ohio to the state’s 170 underground injection wells. 

 

Philadelphia NewsWorks

Pa. lawmaker wants tracers on frack fluid, baseline water well tests

By Susan Phillips

June 9, 2011

http://www.newsworks.org/index.php/health-science/item/21330-pa-lawmaker…

Representative Mike Sturla says that the state should pay for baseline water tests for people living near natural gas wells, through a tax or impact fee. If a tax were put in place, then tracers could be put in every well close to a drilling sight. This would let scientists and the public know when or if traces of chemicals enter the well. 

 

The Sunbury Daily Item

Coalition delivers petition to state senator

By Evamarie Socha

June 8, 2011

http://dailyitem.com/0100_news/x2041457866/Coalition-delivers-petition-to-state-senator

The Central Susquehanna Citizens Coalition collected over 700 signatures in favor of a natural gas tax and delivered them to Senator Gene Yaw’s Lewisburg office. Yaw is not opposed to a tax on Marcellus shale drillers, but the Senator is concerned about where the money goes. The money should not go directly to the “big black hole in Harrisburg” according to Yaw, but should be determined by local and county governments. 

 

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Bucks County Republican looks for sponsor on shale fee

By Brad Bumsted

June 8, 2011

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/breaking/s_741108.html

Representative Marguerite Quinn, a republican from Bucks County, is asking legislators to co-sponsor her shale impact fee which she designed to win Corbett’s approval. Corbett stated that it must be a fee and not a tax which goes to help areas that have been affected by natural gas drilling. Quinn’s proposal is a flat rate fee on a declining scale, starting at $50,000 per well. 

 

West Virginia’s MetroNews

Morgantown Passes Fracking Ban

June 8, 2011

http://www.wvmetronews.com/news.cfm?func=displayfullstory&storyid=45955

On Tuesday June 8th, Morgantown City Council approved the first reading of a proposed ban on fracking within the city limits and one mile outside of the city limits. This stemmed from the placement of a well near Morgantown’s water treatment plant which is right across from the Monongahela River. West Virginia Oil and Gas executive Corky DeMarco spoke saying that the risks from fracking are very small but the residents said that any risk at all is too much.