Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

JAMES CITY – State Rep. Matt Gabler (R-Clearfield/Elk) is addressing a story we ran yesterday about a Pleasantville man's indictment on federal charges related to a permit for an underground disposal well in Highland Township, Elk County. According to the indictment filed by a federal grand jury Pleasantville-based S & T Services and Supply Inc. contracted with ARG Resources Inc. to plug abandoned oil wells so that ARG would be in compliance with its injection-well-permitting process under the Safe Drinking Water Act. 44-year-old Ronald Wright was then hired by S & T Services to perform the well plugging, but the indictment says he filed false claims that he had plugged the wells. Gabler issued the following statement: “(This) report is yet another devastating indictment of the EPA’s underground injection well permitting process. Reports show the EPA is investigating a case of fraudulent testimony – testimony which they relied upon to issue the injection well perm...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) announced today his latest effort to protect consumers and employers from wasteful mandates that drive up the price of food and gasoline. Sen. Toomey is calling on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to lessen the renewable fuel standard (RFS) that refiners must meet when manufacturing gasoline – and to do so in a timely manner. According to federal law, every November, the EPA must announce a sensible RFS mandate for the upcoming calendar year. Unfortunately, the EPA failed to meet this responsibility last year when it ignored the deadline and increased the RFS mandate on gasoline manufacturers. This lead to increased compliance costs for many Pennsylvania employers, including refineries located in Southeast Pa. “The EPA’s failure to follow the law last year put many family-sustaining jobs in Southeast Pa. in jeopardy. I urge the EPA to follow federal law and announce the RFS for 2014 in a timely manner,” said...

A company operating a natural gas liquid extraction plant on West Washington Street has agreed to pay a penalty to settle Clean Air Act violations. The US Environmental Protection Agency announced today that Belden and Blake Corporation will pay $42,504 for allegedly failing to comply with federal clean air regulations intended to prevent accidental releases of flammable substances. The settlement follows up on an EPA administrative order issued in September of 2011 to prevent releases that could pose a risk to human health and workers in the area of the plant at 1950 West Washington. The company has already protected piping to a 10,000-gallon gas storage tank, conducted a process hazard review for all of the facility's equipment, and provided operating procedure training for employees. The facility handles and stores flammable mixtures including propane, butane and ethane, which are later transferred off-site. As a part of the settlement, the company did not admit or deny E...

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Friday provided an update on its ongoing national study currently underway to better understand any potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water resources. Results of the study, which Congress requested EPA to complete, are expected to be released in a draft for public and peer review in 2014. The update provided today outlines work currently underway, including the status of research projects that will inform the final study. It is important to note that while this progress report outlines the framework for the final study, it does not draw conclusions about the potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water resources, which will be made in the final study. As the administration and EPA has made clear, natural gas has a central role to play in our energy future, and this important domestic fuel source has extensive economic, energy security, and environmental benefits. The study EPA is curre...

New York and six other states say they plan to sue the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency over methane emissions from oil and gas drilling. Attorney General Eric Schneiderman says in a news release issued today that the EPA is violating the Clean Air Act by not addressing the emissions. Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Vermont joined New York in sending a required 60-day notice to EPA. You can read the notice of intent to sue here . ( PDF ) The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

A public meeting concerning the proposed underground injection wells in Warren County is scheduled for December 12 at the Columbus Township Fire Department. The state Department of Environmental Protection and US Environmental Protection Agency are hosting the meeting, which starts at 6 p.m. The two proposed wells in Columbus Township would be authorized to inject fluids produced in association with oil- and gas-production activities. These fluids may be made up mostly of fresh water or could contain elevated levels of chlorides called “brine.” The fluids would be pumped back into geologic formations that are able to handle such fluids. There is no discharge from a UIC well onto the land surface or into nearby surface waterways. After brief presentations explaining their roles in permitting Underground Injection Control wells, representatives from DEP and EPA will be available to answer questions. “This is an opportunity for area residents to talk to both our staff and EPA about th...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) issued the following statement today about the Environmental Protection Agency’s rejection of a waiver request from states seeking relief from the renewable fuel standard’s ethanol mandate: "Ethanol mandates disproportionately hurt states like Pennsylvania. From our dairy and chicken farms to our refineries, this ill-advised policy hurts all Americans every day, costing consumers more at the grocery store and damaging our economy. I’m disappointed that the EPA chose to disregard the impact this growing mandate will have on Americans’ food costs by denying the waiver request I supported. It’s time for Congress to put an end to ethanol mandates, and I look forward to working on this during the 113th Congress,” Sen. Toomey said. In an August letter to EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, Sen. Toomey and six other senators asked that the EPA not increase the renewable fuel standard in 2013 and keep it at the 2012 level, in response...

United Refining is being accused of not maintaining underground storage tanks at six of its western New York gas stations. EPA is seeking more than $42,000 from the Warren-based company in connection to its Kwik Fill stations in Jamestown, Dunkirk, Westfield, Fredonia and Rochester. The complaint refers to record-keeping as well as maintenance of storage tanks. http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/8b770facf5edf6f185257359003fb69e/17b8deca94fdb08885257aa1005b48a3!OpenDocument The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

The US Environmental Protection Agency has announced an agreement with a company that illegally dumped oil production brine waste on the Allegheny National Forest. The EPA says the Consent Agreement and Final Order requires Swamp Angel Energy to pay a civil penalty of $54,324, and plug the well that was used for the dumping. In 2007 and 2008, a former part-owner of Swamp Angel and a former site supervisor dumped about 228,000 gallons of contaminated brine into two pre-existing wells in the Allegheny National Forest without a permit. Wastewater from Swamp Angel’s oil production wells in the ANF was supposed to be disposed of at an authorized treatment facility. Since then, Swamp Angel applied for and received a SDWA permit from EPA to use one of the wells for disposal of brine generated during oil production. As part of the settlement, Swamp Angel will plug the other well to prevent contamination of underground sources of drinking water. In 2010, a criminal case involving the comp...

A Canadian gas drilling company is paying more than $62,000 in fines for not filing safety information about hazardous chemicals stored at sites in Pennsylvania. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says in a news release that Talisman Energy USA discovered the violations at 52 gas drilling sites and reported them to the agency. The EPA says Talisman, corrected the violations quickly. EPA says compliance with these requirements is important for the health and safety of facility occupants and first responders in the event of discharge or accidental exposure to hazardous chemicals. The required information also provides valuable information to emergency planners. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced a settlement with EXCO Resources LLC for violations of the federal law designed to protect underground sources of drinking water. The violations occurred at the company’s brine disposal well located at Brady Field in Bell Township, Clearfield County, Pa. Under the terms of the Consent Agreement with EPA, EXCO is required to pay a civil penalty of $159,624 and comply with the conditions of its underground injection control permit. The company must also rework the well in accordance with an EPA-approved plan to comply with federal mechanical integrity standards for brine disposal wells, which require multiple levels of protection to prevent contamination of underground sources of drinking water. According to information provided by the company in response to a September 2011 information request from EPA, the disposal well failed mechanical integrity sometime in early April 2011. The company failed to notify EPA in a timely manner a...

The President and CEO of Cabot Oil & Gas says the EPA is wasting money by launching an expanded investigation of water contamination in Dimock. Dan Dinges sent a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency regarding the decision of the agency to initiate a water sampling program in Dimock Township. He also says the EPA decision appears to undermine President Obama’s support for shale gas development as a key aspect of the country’s energy policy and economic recovery. The state DEP says Cabot polluted Dimock’s aquifer with methane gas in 2008. Cabot has since fulfilled the terms of a DEP consent order, but some residents say their wells are still polluted with methane and toxic chemicals. You can read Dinges' letter here . PDF The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced today that it plans to perform water sampling at approximately 60 homes in the Carter Road/Meshoppen Creek Road area of Dimock, Pa. to further assess whether any residents are being exposed to hazardous substances that cause health concerns. EPA’s decision to conduct sampling is based on EPA’s review of data provided by residents, Cabot Oil and Gas, and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. “EPA is working diligently to understand the situation in Dimock and address residents’ concerns,” said EPA Regional Administrator Shawn M. Garvin. “We believe that the information provided to us by the residents deserves further review, and conducting our own sampling will help us fill information gaps. Our actions will be based on the science and the law and we will work to help get a more complete picture of water quality for these homes in Dimock.” The sampling will begin in a matter of days and the agency estimates that it wi...

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has approved a natural gas pipeline in Pennsylvania’s Endless Mountain region, despite concerns expressed by the EPA. The 39-mile MARC 1 pipeline, which would go through Pennsylvania and into New York, is proposed by a subsidiary of Inergy LP of Kansas City, Missouri. The commission says the project would have only "limited impact" on landowners and communities and would not adversely affect any endangered species' habitat. The majority of the impact would be felt in Sullivan County, but FERC says the impact will be “insignificant.” Last summer, the Environmental Protection Agency said existing pipelines would be sufficient and the new line could pollute 111 sensitive streams and bodies of water. Besides Sullivan County, the Endless Mountain region includes Bradford, Susquehanna, Northern Wayne and Wyoming counties.

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representative Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson (R-PA), Chairman of the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Conservation, Energy, and Forestry today held a public hearing to review Phase II of the Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Watershed Implementation Plans and their impact on rural communities. Among the hearing panelists were Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Secretary, Michael Krancer, and Pennsylvania Farm Bureau President, Carl Shaffer. The implementation of the TMDL is complex and far-reaching, affecting communities in six states and the District of Columbia. States are now in the second phase of a three-part process to limit discharge into the Bay and several of them have raised concerns about the cost and the regulatory burden they face in meeting the new limits. Witnesses testified that the process is being driven by flawed scientific modeling, arbitrary deadlines from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) instead of economic a...

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA), Chairman of the Joint Economic Committee, today released the following statement in response to the EPA’s announcement of a final plan to study fracking: “This study will go a long way to reassure residents and establish safe practices that will help the industry expand and produce jobs,” said Senator Casey. “There is no doubt that natural gas drilling offers Pennsylvania a critical opportunity to fuel its economy and create jobs. It is imperative that we get this right so that we don’t jeopardize our chances for an economic boom.” EPA previously identified seven case studies to help inform the assessment of potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water resources. Two of the seven sites were selected as prospective case studies where EPA will monitor key aspects of the hydraulic fracturing process throughout the lifecycle of a well. These areas are located in: Haynesville Shale - DeSoto Parish, La. Marcellus Shale - Washin...

Federal environmental regulators say they will develop national standards for the disposal of polluted wastewaters generated by fracking. The Environmental Protection Agency announced today that it will draft standards for fracking wastewater that drillers would have to meet before sending it to treatment plants. The industry already recycles much of the wastewater or injects it deep underground, but some of it is sent to treatment plants that are often not equipped to handle it. http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/1e5ab1124055f3b28525781f0042ed40/91e7fadb4b114c4a8525792f00542001!OpenDocument

WASHINGTON, D.C. – On behalf of the nearly 900,000 workers in the U.S. forest products industry, Donna Harman, president and CEO of the American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA), commended today the action taken by U.S. Rep. Glenn Thompson to protect manufacturing jobs by co-sponsoring legislation that would stay and improve EPA’s costly and burdensome Boiler MACT rule and three related rules until they can be improved to be more achievable and affordable. “Congressman Thompson has shown decisive leadership to protect good manufacturing jobs from regulations that even the EPA itself has admitted need to be changed,” said Harman. “By sponsoring legislation to stay and improve these costly rules, Representative Thompson is helping to prevent severe hardship and tens of thousands of job losses in the forest product sector alone.” The Boiler MACT regulation issued by the EPA in February 2011 sets emission limits for boilers used in a vast array of industrial, commercial and inst...

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today proposed standards to reduce harmful air pollution from oil and gas drilling operations. These proposed updated standards - which are being issued in response to a court order - would rely on cost-effective existing technologies to reduce emissions that contribute to smog pollution and can cause cancer while supporting the administration’s priority of continuing to expand safe and responsible domestic oil and gas production. The standards would leverage operators' ability to capture and sell natural gas that currently escapes into the air, resulting in more efficient operations while reducing harmful emissions that can impact air quality in surrounding areas and nearby states. "This administration has been clear that natural gas is a key component of our clean energy future, and the steps announced today will help ensure responsible production of this domestic energy source," said Gina McCarthy, assistant a...

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has proposed a $157,500 civil penalty against a Kansas-based company for alleged illegal discharges of more than 228,000 gallons of oil brine into injection wells in the Allegheny National Forest in McKean County. In its complaint, EPA alleges that Swamp Angel Energy illegally pumped brine generated from its oil production operations into the underground wells. “EPA takes our responsibility to protect public health very seriously,” EPA Regional Administrator Shawn M. Garvin said in a news release. “When companies break the law and threaten our drinking water supplies, they must be held accountable.” EPA’s action also requires the company to properly plug one of the two wells at issue, known as “Old Glory.” Swamp Angel employees John Morgan of Sheffield and Michael Evans of La Quinta, California, were charged in connection to the illegal brine injection. A year ago, they were sentenced to home detention and probation, and ordered to pay a fine...