81 Groups, 3,342 Individuals Express Opposition To Bill Rolling Back Environmental Standards On Conventional Oil & Gas Drilling, Legalizing Road Dumping Of Drilling Wastewater

On May 26, 81 organizations, institutions, and businesses and more than 3,342 concerned citizens called on state senators to vote no on a bill--  House Bill 1144 (Causer-R-Cameron)-- that would roll back rules on conventional drillers, many that have been in place for decades. 

The letter and petition organized by Berks Gas Truth was originally sent to members of House, but was resubmitted with additional signatures in the wake of the bill’s passage in the House Tuesday.  Read more here.

Although the bill is full of bad provisions, the group focused on the same issue it focused on in the last session when a similar bill, Senate Bill 790, was making its way through the legislature. 

Last year’s bill would have reinstated the practice of road dumping drilling wastewater on unpaved roads. This year’s bill would allow the waste to be spread on paved roads, as well.

Last year, the group presented a letter to the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee the morning of its consideration of Senate Bill 790. The Committee amended the bill to remove the road dumping provision. 

Wednesday’s letter updates and appends that letter to express that much attention has been given to the contents of drilling waste since last year and concerns for potential impacts to water and air quality, human health, and safety have only increased.

“The people spoke clearly last year and the Committee, and ultimately Governor Wolf who vetoed the bill he rightly considered to be a bad bill even without the road spreading provision, heard them,” said Karen Feridun, Founder of Berks Gas Truth. “This time, the House moved the bill very quickly. With only a short time to circulate the letter and petition, we exceeded the number of signatures we’d gathered last time and received even more prior to delivering it to the Senate this morning. 

“Let’s face  it, ‘I’d like toxic, radioactive waste to be spread on the roads where I live,’ said no one ever. Unfortunately, sentiments expressed by the people are of no interest to the members of the House who passed this bill. Let’s hope our senators are more responsive to the people they were elected to represent,” added Feridun.

Click Here for a copy of the letter.  Click Here for a copy of the petition.

Related Article:

-- House Republicans Pass Bill Legalizing Road Dumping Of Conventional Oil & Gas Well Wastewater, Rolling Back Environmental Protection Standards 

[Posted: May 26, 2021]  PA Environment Digest