Coalition Members Review Water Protection Regs
December 1st, 2012
New
state laws on gas well drilling should provide greater protection for
water resources – as long as they’re followed. That was a message
delivered by a Pa. Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP)
representative during the recent Triple Divide Watershed Coalition
meeting in Potter County. Mark Stephens (right), a geologist who has been advising area officials on sourcewater protection issues, said the state’s new regulations include larger buffer zones between drilling sites and water supplies, as well as stricter well casing standards. He added that energy companies may decide not to drill for gas on leases in close proximity to an abandoned well, since capping those wells may be prohibitively expensive.
John
McLaughlin (left), chairman of the Triple Divide Watershed Coalition,
said that while the regulations are stricter, they still lack one
important provision that’s near and dear to the hearts of coalition
members. “There’s a missing part that is critical,” McLaughlin said.
“Public water recharge zones need to be put into the DEP permit review
process so that any wells proposed anywhere close to those areas receive
extra scrutiny and the companies have to get the water system’s
approval to drill.” Erica Tomlinson of the Tioga County Conservation
District showed coalition members maps that have been created in Tioga
to identify critical public water source recharge areas. Coalition
chairman John McLaughlin suggested that the Triple Divide organization
seek funding to produce similar maps for Potter County.Attending the meeting were John Van Zandt, DEP; Don Muir, Pa. Rural Water Assn.; Potter County Commissioners Paul Heimel, Susan Kefover and Doug Morley; Jason Childs, Potter County Conservation District; Charlotte Dietrich and Debra Ostrom, Potter County Planning Department; and local public water system operators from Coudersport, Watrous, Genesee, Roulette, Galeton and Shinglehouse.
2 comments:
What a bald faced lie this article is.
They totally glossed over the FACT that the S.T.R.O.N.G.E.R committee actually recommended that abandoned wells in proximity to new gas/oil development be PLUGGED.
The State chose to IGNORE that recommendation because...plugging old wells is expensive!
What they gave us instead was a VOLUNTARY effort to plug the 300,000 some abandoned wells PA already has...
Bend over folks, the Oil and gas industry is coming in for sloppy seconds!
Voluntary plugging...what a joke, Corbett and Krancer are setting the stage for SUPERFUND Part Duh
7:48:00 AM O&G sites are not eligible for the Superfund program, even when they are abandoned.
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