Public Meetings on Marcellus Shale
Fellow Pittsburghers – If you are one of the many people interested in the issue of hydraulic fracturing & how it could affect the environment & public health, be sure to attend the following meeting:
- Thu, July 22, 6pm – 10pm
Hilton Garden Inn, 1000 Corporate Drive, Canonsburg, PA 15317
UPDATE: CHEC’s own Dr. Charles Christen attended the July 22nd meeting held by the EPA. See what the Pittsburgh Business Times had to say about the gathering that drew a crowd of over 1,200 people!
Thanks to a post from our readers, we were made aware of a meeting that the PA DEP is hosting to gather community input in this area about proposed regulatory changes. Be sure to check out the post from that reader below for the additional meetings being held across the commonwealth:
- Mon, July 26, 7pm – 9pm
Waterfront Conference Room A & B, 400 Waterfront Drive, Pittsburgh, PA 15222-4745
Comments may be submitted electronically to the Board at RegComments@state.pa.us & must also be received by the Board on or before August 9, 2010. A subject heading of the proposed rulemaking & a return name & address must be included in each transmission.
>You have an error in your list of meetings for the EPA study. The only local EPA meeting is today 7/22. I think the 7/26 meeting is an PA DEP meeting – see details listed below (copied from the DEP webstie). Cynthia Walter, Ph.D., Saint Vincent College
CONTACT:
Tom Rathbun, Department of Environmental Protection
717-787-1323
Public Input Sought on Proposals to Strengthen Oil and Gas Well Protections Statewide Meetings Planned
HARRISBURG — The Environmental Quality Board is inviting the public to comment on proposed regulatory changes that will substantially improve the safety of oil and gas wells across Pennsylvania and protect the state’s water resources from contamination.
The proposed rules would amend state regulations for casing and cementing wells. The Department of Environmental Protection proposed the rule changes to strengthen construction standards for oil and gas wells. A properly cased and cemented well is critical to keeping gas, oil and other fluids contained inside the well bore and away from fresh groundwater.
The more rigorous standards are intended to prevent gas from migrating from a well, where it could contaminate a water supply or possibly enter a home and reach combustible levels. Among the new standards would be requirements for pressure-testing those casings used in Marcellus Shale wells, for using oilfield-grade cement, and for using blowout preventers.
The new regulations will also require well operators to inspect all existing wells quarterly to ensure each is structurally sound, and report the results of these inspections to DEP. The amendments would also clearly define a drilling company’s responsibility for responding to gas migration issues.
To comment or present testimony on these proposed amendments, members of the public can attend one of the following four public hearings:
• Wednesday, July 21 — 7 p.m.
Lycoming College
Heim Science Center Building
Room G-11
700 College Place, Williamsport, PA 17701
• Thursday, July 22 — 7 p.m.
Department of Environmental Protection
Northwest Regional Office
1st Floor Conference Room
230 Chestnut St., Meadville, PA 16335
• Thursday, July 22 — 7 p.m.
Department of Environmental Protection
Southwest Regional Office
Waterfront Conference Room A and B
400 Waterfront Drive, Pittsburgh, PA 15222-4745
• Monday, July 26 — 7 p.m.
Department of Environmental Protection
Southwest Regional Office
Waterfront Conference Room A and B
400 Waterfront Drive, Pittsburgh, PA 15222-4745
The public comment period will remain open through Monday, Aug. 9.
If unable to attend a meeting, members of the public may mail comments, suggestions or objections to the Environmental Quality Board, P.O. Box 8477, Harrisburg, PA 17105-8477 or to Rachel Carson State Office Building, 16th Floor, 400 Market St., Harrisburg, PA 17101-2301. Comments submitted by facsimile will not be accepted.
Comments may also be e-mailed before the deadline to RegComments@state.pa.us. A subject heading of the proposed rulemaking and a return name and address for any response to comments provided must be included in each e-mail.
For more information, visit http://www.depweb.state.pa.us, keyword: Public Participation.
>Gas drillers have hired local construction companies to build uncounted miles of new gravel and stone roads in heretofore wilderness areas to move heavy equipment. What is the environmental impact of these roads? Could a positive impact be a new trail system for recreational tourism? I hope that you will consider adding these new roads to your database. We need the oversight and the data.