Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

The Potter County Natural Gas Resource Center has arranged for an award-winning geoscientist as guest speaker for its next meeting. Dr. Terry Engelder’s presentation, “Utica Shale: Digging Deeper,” is especially timely, with large Utica Shale drilling projects on the drawing board in at least three sections of Potter County and in other parts of Pennsylvania. Marcellus Shale has been in the headlines for the past several years, but industry leaders say the Utica layer that’s beneath it -- more than two miles underground -- could be where the more intense local gas production takes place. Dr. Engelder will speak at 7 pm Tuesday, Feb. 17, at the Gunzburger Building on Main Street in Coudersport. “There are many things we do not know about the Utica Shale, but there are signs that it’s going to be a very productive source of natural gas in our region, so the more we know, the better prepared we can be,” said Natural Gas Resource Center Director Bob Veilleux. Engelder is a geosci...

Governor Tom Wolf has signed an Executive Order reinstating the moratorium on gas drilling in state parks and forests. “I absolutely want to do natural gas,” Wolf said. “I think if we do it right we can create really good jobs and a great industry, and sustain a strong economy in Pennsylvania. But we have to do it right.” “But in the meantime, there are places in Pennsylvania where people really have to be able to feel that they can enjoy the scenic beauty that we have here,” Wolf said. His order supersedes an order signed by former Governor Tom Corbett in May that allowed drilling, and restores the order signed by former Governor Ed Rendell in 2010. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

No fracking in New York State. That’s the decision from Governor Andrew Cuomo after the state’s acting health commissioner and the head of the department of environmental conservation said they couldn’t support fracking because of possible public health risks. During his entire time in office, Cuomo had been waiting for a report from the health commissioner before making a decision a whether to lift the moratorium on fracking in New York. Karen Moreau, executive director of the New York State Petroleum Council says, “This is the wrong direction for New York,” adding that Pennsylvania has gotten $2.1 billion in state and local taxes from fracking, which has gone toward improvements to roads, bridges and public works systems. Congressman Tom Reed says the decision is devastating for the Southern Tier economy. "I am extremely disappointed in today’s announcement from Governor Cuomo which bans hydraulic fracturing. This move effectively blocks the development of natural gas and...

National Fuel Gas is planning to build a pipeline from Clermont to Elma, New York. The company has started the federal review process to build the 97-mile pipeline from McKean County to the Porterville Compressor Station in Erie County. The 24-inch lines will be buried at least three feet underground, but four feet in agricultural areas. The pipeline is being built to make transportation of Marcellus Shale gas from the source to the marketplace easier. A natural gas gathering system is already in place near Mount Jewett. National Fuel image The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Pennsylvania General Energy of Warren is suing a township in Indiana County, claiming an ordinance passed to ban the disposal of drilling byproducts is illegal and, that federal and state laws nullify it anyway. The ordinance and resulting lawsuit were sparked by PGE's plans to convert an old underground natural gas well to an injection well, where the company could dispose of briny water and other fluids from drilling. Grant Township supervisors say they haven’t seen the lawsuit yet, but have say their own lawyer had told them the ordinance may be illegal. The supervisors are meeting tomorrow to decide whether to rescind the ordinance or defend it in court. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

HARRISBURG – Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati (R-Jefferson) has issued the following statement regarding the Flatirons Development, LLC decision concerning the Brandon-Day well: “Flatirons Development, LLC, has agreed to discontinue Marcellus drilling operations of the Brandon-Day well which is located upstream of the Brockway Borough Municipal Authority Rattlesnake Reservoir. The existing bore hole will be abandoned, sealed and reclaimed to eliminate the possibility of watershed contamination. “This recent decision by Flatirons Development to stop plans for drilling at the Brandon-Day well is a good and responsible decision for our community. Earlier this year after taking part in numerous discussions and meetings regarding this well, I reached out to the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to express serious reservations with permitting any further drilling at the proposed site or any nearby site which could potentially compromise the reservoir. “Toby Creek W...

HARRISBURG - Auditor General Eugene DePasquale today said that a recent audit shows that the meteoric growth of the shale gas industry caught the Department of Environmental Protection unprepared to effectively administer laws and regulations to protect drinking water and unable to efficiently respond to citizen complaints. "There are very dedicated hard-working people at DEP but they are being hampered in doing their jobs by lack of resources - including staff and a modern information technology system -- and inconsistent or failed implementation of department policies, among other things, "DePasquale said. "It is almost like firefighters trying to put out a five-alarm fire with a 20-foot garden hose. There is no question that DEP needs help and soon to protect clean water." The audit covered the period of 2009 through 2012 and was launched by DePasquale in January 2013 immediately after he became auditor general. The audit's purpose was to assess DEP's a...

New York's top court handed a victory to opponents of hydraulic fracturing for natural gas Monday by affirming the right of municipalities to ban the practice within their borders. The state Court of Appeals affirmed a midlevel appeals court ruling from last year that said the state oil and gas law doesn't trump the authority of local governments to control land use through zoning. The two fracking cases from two central New York towns have been closely watched by drillers hoping to tap into the state's piece of the Marcellus Shale formation and by environmentalists who fear water and air pollution. Both sides are still waiting to see whether a statewide moratorium on fracking in effect since July 2008 will be lifted. The court in a 5-2 decision stressed that it did not consider the merits of fracking, but only the "home rule" authority of municipalities to regulate their land use. The court said the towns of Dryden and Middlefield both acted properly. ~~ ...

HARRISBURG – Recognizing the significant differences between shallow well drilling and drilling in the Marcellus Shale, the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee today approved legislation that would require the state to adopt separate regulations for the two distinct activities. House Bill 2350, sponsored by Reps. Martin Causer (R-Turtlepoint), Kathy Rapp (R-Warren) and Matt Gabler (R-Clearfield/Elk), would direct the Environmental Quality Board (EQB) to separate both existing and proposed regulations for the drilling, alteration, operation and plugging of unconventional gas wells and conventional oil and gas wells in the Commonwealth. “When it comes to regulations, it’s very important to recognize the vast differences between conventional drilling and drilling in the Marcellus Shale,” Causer said. “Conventional wells are shallow and have significantly smaller well pads. Their overall impact on the surrounding environment is far less than that of deep, Marcellus...

Local oil and gas producers, along with other business and community leaders, met with DCED’s Carolyn Newhouse today about the danger of changes to regulations that would be detrimental to the industry, as well as the local economy. The Environmental Quality Board is considering changes meant to further regulate drillers in Marcellus and Utica shales. But shallow well drillers say not only would it be too costly for them to comply with the regulations, it’s not necessary. The local producers are asking the board to allow the shallow wells to operate under the regulations in place before Act 13, and to tell DEP to apply changes to deep wells only. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati (R-25) and Speaker Sam Smith (R-66) issued the following statement regarding the Supreme Court Ruling on Act 13 Zoning Provisions: The decision made by four Supreme Court Justices today to invalidate a portion of Act 13 of 2012 is incredibly disappointing. While recognizing that a decision of this length will take weeks to fully absorb, we are stunned that four Justices would issue this ruling which will so harshly impact the economic welfare of Pennsylvanians. The majority decision seems to raise significantly more questions than it answers. Chief Justice Castille’s opinion relies in part on inaccurate antidotes and unproven science. The consequences of this decision will likely be the increase of natural gas prices for consumers, while at the same time costing a multitude of jobs in Pennsylvania. It is important to note that this decision resets the clock on zoning prior to the enactment of Act 13, therefore municipalities will contin...

(News Release) HARRISBURG -- The Department of Environmental Protection announced today that it has published a new online “Oil and Gas Mapping Tool” on its website. “We understand how important it is for Pennsylvanians to have access to as much information as possible about the oil and gas industry in Pennsylvania,” DEP Secretary Chris Abruzzo said. “For this reason, DEP created this easy-to-use tool to promote knowledge sharing, increase transparency and provide convenient access to well data.” The online mapping tool displays the location of wells across Pennsylvania and allows users to search and view specific types of wells by county, such as conventional gas, unconventional gas, oil or coal bed methane wells. Users are also able to filter search results based on the status of the well by selecting active, plugged or abandoned. After search filters are applied, users will have the ability to view wells via satellite photo view, topographic map view or animated map view. Once an...

Last week we told you about projects in Bradford and Potter County that will be receiving money to improve availability and affordability of housing. Today, Senator Joe Scarnati sent us list that includes seven additional projects. According to Scarnati the $1,303,653 awarded within the 25th Senatorial District is part of more than $8.45 million being distributed to groups in a total of 22 counties through this round of funding. Scarnati explained that the funding comes from Pennsylvania Housing Affordability and Rehabilitation Enhancement (PHARE) Fund and Marcellus Shale impact fees. The PHARE program is administered by the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency which works to provide affordable homeownership and rental housing options for older adults, low and moderate income families and people with special housing needs. “As the need for housing within our region continues to grow, it is essential that we make sure our communities have the support that they need to ensure peo...

A subsidiary of ExxonMobil is being charged for illegally discharging more than 50,000 gallons of toxic waste water from a Marcellus Shale gas well site in Lycoming County. Attorney General Kathleen Kane says XTO Energy of Indiana, PA, transported and stored gas on the site despite not having the proper equipment to safely store or process it after hiring another company to move processing equipment to another well site in West Virginia. The illegal discharge of gas well waste water was discovered on Nov. 16, 2010, when an inspector with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection made an unannounced visit, Kane said in a news release. She said the toxic waste water flowed into and polluted an unnamed tributary of Sugar Run. More than 3,000 tons of contaminated soil had to be excavated and removed from the site. Read more at AttorneyGeneral.gov . The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Congressman Glenn "GT" Thompson spoke with RadioPA's Brad Christman the day before the Congressional Natural Gas Caucus hearing in Williamsport Friday. You can listen here Read about the hearing here . Note: NY Congressman is also a chair of the caucus. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

The CEO of Pennsylvania’s Marcellus Shale Coalition says she’ll be stepping down this fall. Kathryn Klaber says she is proud of what the group has accomplished over the past four years, and she will represent the group at upcoming meetings in Australia and London. She will also host the coalition’s Shale Insight Conference in Philadelphia this September. The group plans a nationwide search for its next leader, according to a news release. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

HARRISBURG – The Marcellus Shale Impact Fee has generated more than $198,000,000 in revenue for 2012, according to Senator Joe Scarnati (R-Jefferson). Over the past 8 months, more than $400 million in revenue has been generated by the impact fee. The fee revenue for 2012 was due to the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) by April 1st, 2013. Under the Marcellus Shale Impact Fee, Act 13 of 2012, the PUC is responsible for the collection and distribution of impact fees. “I am pleased to see the positive effect that the Marcellus Shale Impact Fee revenue funds are having across our state,” Scarnati said. “This reasonable impact fee on the industry provides the necessary funding to protect Pennsylvania’s natural resources, particularly during a time when we continue needing to find ways to stretch our tax dollars.” Senator Scarnati was a chief architect of the Marcellus Shale Impact Fee legislation, which was enacted last year after considerable discussion among state gov...

Washington DC- Today U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) announced that he has written a letter to Silver Airlines CEO, Darrell Richardson, urging the company to work to reduce cancellations at Bradford Regional Airport after a series of cancellations. In his letter, Casey made the case that the certainty of air service is critical to attracting business travelers to the area and for preserving the airports’ Essential Air Service contract. “The Essential Air Service program plays a vital economic role for airports throughout the Commonwealth. Keeping the Bradford Regional Airport’s Essential Air Service contract in place goes hand in hand with economic growth,” Senator Casey said. “Recent cancellations have created too much uncertainty for businesses and travelers. I’m hopeful that Silver Airlines will take immediate steps to fix this issue.” The full text of Senator Casey’s letter to Silver Airlines can be seen below: Mr. Darrell Richardson Chief Executive Officer Silver Airlin...

Two state senators are calling on the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) to conduct an immediate review of a critical communications breakdown that occurred in Beaver and Lawrence Counties following the illegal dumping of thousands of gallons of fracking wastewater in Ohio. Senator Lisa Baker (R-20), chair of the Senate Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee, and Senator Elder Vogel Jr. (R-47) wrote to PEMA last week asking for answers to why local officials and the public were not informed about the possible threat to drinking water downstream from the dumping. "While a long list of agencies, including PEMA and the PA State Police were notified of the illegal dumping in Ohio near the Pennsylvania border, no one took the all-important step of sharing this critical information with other relevant agencies," the senators wrote in their letter to PEMA Director Glenn Cannon. They said that neither the Department of Environmental Protection nor tw...

Read more at Solomon's Words .