PA Environment Digest Blog: Watch Live TODAY At 11:00: Gov. Shapiro, CNX Resources To Announce Collaboration To Protect Public Health, Support Energy Industry

Today at 11:00 a.m., Gov. Josh Shapiro and CNX Resources Corporation President and CEO Nick Deiuliis will announce an historic collaboration between the Commonwealth and the company – the first of its kind anywhere in the nation – to protect public health while supporting the energy industry.

The announcement follows Governor Shapiro’s work as Attorney General that led to the 43rd Statewide Grand Jury Report, which advocated for a series of common sense reforms to prioritize public health and ensure the natural gas industry is operating in line with the highest standards.

According to the media advisory, Gov. Shapiro, CNX President Nick Deiuliis and Sen. Camera Bartolotta (R-Washington) will be at the event.

The event will be held at 1 Stone Road in Claysville, Washington County.

A live stream will be available at pacast.com/live/gov and governor.pa.gov/live/. Media from the event will be posted on the PAcast webpage.

Grand Jury Report Background

The Grand Jury Report was released by then Attorney General Shapiro in June 2020 after what he said then was a two-year investigation uncovered systematic failure by government agencies in overseeing the fracking industry and fulfilling their responsibility to protect Pennsylvanians from the inherent risks of industry operations. Read more here.

“Our government has a duty to set, and enforce, ground rules that protect public health and safety. We are the referees, we are here to prevent big corporations and the powerful industries from harming our communities or running over the rights of citizens,” said then Attorney General Shapiro. “When it comes to fracking, Pennsylvania failed. Now it’s time to face the facts, and do what we can to protect the people of this commonwealth by encouraging the Department of Environmental Protection to partner with us and by passing the Grand Jurors’ common-sense reforms.”

The announcement in 2020 said in addition to exposing failures on the part of the Department of Environmental Protection and the Department of Health, the Grand Jury made eight recommendations to create a more comprehensive legal framework that would better protect Pennsylvanians from the realities of industry operations.

The Grand Jury recommendations included--

-- Expanding No-Drill Zones: Expanding no-drill zones in Pennsylvania from the required 500 feet to 2,500 feet;

-- Chemical Disclosure: Requiring fracking companies to publicly disclose all chemicals used in drilling and hydraulic fracturing before they are used on-site;

-- Gathering Pipelines: Requiring the regulation of gathering lines, used to transport unconventional gas hundreds of miles;

-- Assess Air Quality: Adding up all sources of air pollution in a given area to accurately assess air quality;

-- Safe Transport Of Waste: Requiring safer transport of the contaminated waste created from fracking sites;

-- Comprehensive Health Response: Conducting a comprehensive health response to the effects of living near unconventional drilling sites;

-- Limit Revolving Door: Limiting the ability of Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection employees to be employed in the private sector immediately after leaving the Department;

-- Direct Criminal Jurisdiction: Allowing the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General original criminal jurisdiction over unconventional oil and gas companies.

In April, an Inside Climate News article quoted a spokesperson for now Gov. Shapiro as saying the Governor’s Office supports the key recommendations in the Grand Jury Report. Read more here.

Click Here for a copy of the Grand Jury Report. Read more here.

House Hearing This Week

On October 30 the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee held its first-ever hearing on the health and environmental impacts of the shale gas industry and legislation increasing safety zone setbacks around gas infrastructure.

The legislation being considered is House Bill 170 (Otten-D-Chester) increasing setback safety zones from shale natural gas drilling sites and infrastructure from 500 to 2,500 feet or more, based on the recommendations in the Grand Jury report and the latest science. Read more here.

Sen. Yaw: Bill Expanding Setbacks ‘Stupid’

Sen. Gene Yaw (R-Lycoming), Majority Chair of the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee, issued this statement in reaction to the House hearing this week--

“Earlier today, the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee held a public hearing on House Bill 170, which would expand setback requirements for natural gas wells in Pennsylvania to between 2,500 – 5,000 feet.

“It is often said that we cannot legislate against stupidity. That is true but we can stop stupid legislation from becoming law.

“Should House Bill 170 or any similar legislation pass the House of Representatives, it will not be considered in the Senate.” Read more here.

(Photos: Gov. Josh Shapiro, CNX President Nick Deiuliis, Sen. Camera Bartolotta.)

Articles Related To CNX:

-- Natural Gas Pipeline Pigging Facility Malfunction Dec. 27 Released 1.1 Million Cubic Feet Of Natural Gas; Same Facility Plagued Community With Blowdowns 3 Times A Day, 7 Days A Week For Nearly 10 Years Until Criminal Charges Brought Against CNX [PaEN]

-- DEP: CNX Gas Pays $310,000 Penalty For Violations During, After Pipeline Construction In Washington County [PaEN]

-- DEP Assesses $200,000 In Penalties For Drilling Wastewater Spills By CNX In Greene County [PaEN]

-- DEP Settlement With CNX For E&S Violations In Greene, Washington Counties Yields $180,000 Streambank, Fish Habitat Project [PaEN]

-- DEP: CNX Gas Company Agrees To Pay $175,000 Penalty For Uncontrolled Methane Leaks At The Shaw Well In Westmoreland County [PaEN]

-- CNX Gas Company Pays $250,000 Penalty For Marchland 3 Pipeline Violations In Indiana County [PaEN]

-- DEP Assesses CNX Gas Drilling $433,500 For Violations In Greene County [PaEN]

-- CNX Gas Pays $450K In Penalties For Washington County Water Withdrawal Violations [PaEN]