Tuesday, January 21, 2020

195 Groups Oppose SB 790 Reducing Conventional Drilling Environmental Protections, House Set For Final Vote

As the full House prepares for a final vote on Senate Bill 790 (Scarnati-R-Jefferson) TODAY reducing the environmental protections from conventional oil and gas drilling, Berks Gas Truth sent a letter to members of the General Assembly and Gov. Wolf saying 195 organizations and 1,655 individuals have expressed their opposition to the bill.
The letter notes Senate Bill 790, introduced by Sen. Joseph Scarnati (R-Jefferson) provides benefits to conventional drillers that put the public and our environment in peril, including a loosening of the requirements for reporting spills.
“Just last year, a team of Penn State researchers published a peer-reviewed study that found that “in Pennsylvania from 2008 to 2014, spreading O&G wastewater on roads released over 4 times more radium to the environment (320 millicuries) than O&G wastewater treatment facilities and 200 times more radium than spill events.””
“Earlier this year, another study from PSE Healthy Energy that looked at oil and gas waste management from 1991 – 2017 found that about 30 percent of waste came from conventional drilling. Road spreading of waste was first reported in 1995.”
“The study found 5,725,353 barrels [240,464,826 gallons] of wastewater from conventional oil and gas wells were applied to roads between 1991 and 2017. 97.9 percent of that waste -- 235,415,065 gallons-- remained in Pennsylvania and was spread on roads.
“In 2017, approximately 193,000 barrels [8.1 million gallons] of wastewater from conventional oil and gas operations were used for road spreading. This accounted for 0.3 percent of all wastewater generated in 2017, according to Hill.”
“As you know, the DEP put a moratorium on road-spreading of brine in 2018 as a result of a 2017 Environmental Hearing Board appeal. 
“Then, in May of this year, days after the PSE Healthy Energy study was published, the Pennsylvania Grade Crude Development Advisory Council (CDAC) wrote in its Annual Report, “At public comment at various meetings during the year the presidents of PIOGA and PGCC complained to CDAC about the oil and gas production constraints and the economic hardship suffered as a result of the dwindling number of produced water options.
“Among other things the presidents of the trade organizations called upon CDAC to direct its efforts to the re-initiation of the brine spreading/dust suppression program suspended by the DEP, but which had operated previously for several decades.”
The letter also points to an article published today by Justin Nobel for Rolling Stone which catalogs the dangers of radioactivity associated with oil and gas drilling.
“Justin Nobel’s reporting shows that, once again, the  frontline communities, concerned citizens, and advocates are on the right side of the issue. Even with road-spreading of drilling waste removed, Senate Bill 790 remains a dangerous bill our legislature must reject,” said Karen Feridun, Founder of Berks Gas Truth.
“Today’s reporting is just the latest evidence that drilling will never be safe. It’s time for our legislature to put the health and safety of the people and our environment first.” 
The letter closes, “Our more fundamental concern with Senate Bill 790 is that it will enable more oil and gas drilling in Pennsylvania when it is clear that we are nearly out of time to address the climate crisis. 
“Our legislature should be looking for ways to speed the transition away from the production of fossil fuels and petrochemicals. As we have heard so often, our house is on fire. Stop fanning the flames.”
(Photo: Leak from conventional oil well, DEP.)
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Related Articles - Hazards Of Drilling Wastewater
[Posted: January 21, 2020]  PA Environment Digest
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