Elected officials at all levels of government in Pennsylvania should implement regulations to block gas extraction in “pristine places and locations near where people live or work,” said the PennEnvironment Research and Policy Center. The group said it has documented well sites within two miles of more than 320 daycare facilities, 67 schools and nine hospitals in the state. PennEnvironment also called on lawmakers to strengthen clean water laws, “halt the use of toxic chemicals” in hydraulic fracturing and increase resources available to regulators. In addition, PennEnvironment called on the federal government to “end the special treatment for the gas industry and apply the nation’s core public health and environmental laws to gas extraction, just as it would regulate any potential threat to public health or the environment.”
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Articles from People
Shale Companies Learning How to ‘Get It Right’
When people talk about “getting it right” in shale development, they usually mean protecting the environment, and on Tuesday an audience in Pittsburgh heard various ways that the natural gas industry can get it right in the Marcellus Shale.
It’s Spring, But Winter Still Has Price-Lifting Kick
The transition to spring may have officially occurred Sunday, and sources indicated that many people were enjoying the appropriate weather. But there seems to be some trouble getting Old Man Winter off the seasonal stage, as a significant winter storm bearing snow starts moving westward from the Plains into the Midwest as early as Tuesday. From there colder conditions will continue spreading through the Northeast and eventually the South.
Big Freeze Seen as Gone for Now; All Points Fall
A frigid weekend in many sections was becoming a distant memory for many people who thought they had already seen too much winter already. Spot gas demand was dropping, and it was quite possible that more storage supplies were being substituted in its place, resulting in substantial declines in numbers across the board Tuesday.
West Virginia Midstream Facility Moves Forward
Dominion said Wednesday it has optioned land in Natrium, WV, to constructa natural gas processing and fractionation facility that would support wet natural gas production from the Marcellus Shale.
North Dakota’s Bakken Shale Delivering — and Then Some
North Dakota’s oil patch accounted for less than 1% of total U.S. crude oil production three years ago, but today the state is pumping close to 6% of total crude output, thanks to the formidable Bakken-Three Forks shale region, the state’s Department of Mineral Resources (DMR) is reporting.
Three Injured on Louisiana Workover Rig
The U.S. Coast Guard responded Wednesday to a rig fire in Bayou Perot, about 20 miles south of New Orleans in inland waters. Three people were reported injured on the rig, which was working on an inactive natural gas well.
Pennsylvania’s New Governor to Cancel Drilling Moratorium
Marcellus Shale drillers in Pennsylvania will gain a sympathetic ear in January when Gov.-elect Tom Corbett takes office.
Pipeline Blast Shouldn’t Have Happened, PG&E Exec Says
The Sept. 9 San Bruno natural gas transmission pipeline blast that killed eight people and destroyed 37 homes in a quiet suburban San Francisco Bay Area neighborhood shouldn’t have happened and should not be repeated anywhere in the future, a Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) executive told NGI.
DOT Bill Cracks Down on Pipe Safety Violators
Largely in response to the explosion earlier this month on a Pacific Gas and Electric pipeline that killed at least four people, Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Ray LaHood sent legislation to Capitol Hill last Wednesday that seeks to increase oversight of the nation’s aging pipeline system.
