Corbett

Pennsylvania’s manufacturing sector would benefit from the development of a statewide energy plan, according to a report from Gov. Tom Corbett’s Manufacturing Advisory Council (GMAC).

When Gov. Tom Corbett approved Act 13 last month, he gave county officials across the state 60 days to impose an annual fee on unconventional gas wells, or to opt-out. With five weeks until the April 14 deadline, almost all of the eligible counties are on the road toward imposing the fee, but the biggest potential hold-out also happens to be the most active county in the Marcellus Shale (see Daily GPI, Feb. 15).

Pennsylvania state lawmakers have apparently reached a deal for the impact fee they hope to impose on natural gas drilling by splitting the difference between two competing proposals.

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett signed a bill recently giving state regulators authority over gathering lines. The law makes the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) the “state agent” of the U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, a designation shared by the regulatory body in every natural gas producing state except Alaska. With the authority the PUC can now inspect and investigate pipelines that are not public utilities. Because the law only allows the PUC to enforce federal regulations, it does not give the agency oversight over pipelines in sparsely populated corners of the state, known as “Class I” gathering lines. But the law does allow the PUC to hire at least 12 additional inspectors to ease the increased workload, with the positions paid for by a combination of federal funds and industry fees.

Corbett wants an impact fee, but his proposal is closer to the House version. Still, following the Senate vote, he offered limited praise for the measure, calling it “a significant step forward toward finalizing a strong and sensible Marcellus Shale legislative package…While productive discussions are ongoing and continue to resolve the various issues related to the Marcellus Shale, [Wednesday’s] action reaffirms the strong commitment of the Senate to achieve out common goals of safe and responsible natural gas development in Pennsylvania.”

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett on Monday signed into law amendments to the state’s 1984 Coal and Gas Resource Coordination Act, which will require natural gas drillers to coordinate their activities with active coal mine operations.

At the direction of Republican Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett, acting Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Secretary Mike Krancer last Tuesday called on all drilling operators to stop delivering wastewater from Marcellus Shale gas extraction by May 19 to 15 facilities currently accepting it, citing newly revised total dissolved solids (TDS) regulations.

At the direction of Republican Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett, acting Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Secretary Mike Krancer on Tuesday called on all drilling operators to stop delivering wastewater from Marcellus Shale gas extraction by May 19 to 15 facilities currently accepting it, citing newly revised total dissolved solids (TDS) regulations.

A coalition of conservation and environmental groups wants Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett to rescind a new policy requiring Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) inspectors to get approval before issuing notices of violation to Marcellus Shale operators. In a recent letter, 42 groups, including Citizens for Pennsylvania’s Future, Audubon Pennsylvania and the Sierra Club, said the policy “will create unacceptable delays in resolving identified problems putting public safety and natural resources unnecessarily at risk.” The policy, described by the DEP as a three-month pilot project, requires inspectors to get all notices of violations pre-approved by DEP Secretary Michael Krancer. The DEP said the measure is a way to guarantee consistency across the state, but critics say it undermines the authority of inspectors (see Shale Daily, April 1).