Corbett: Pennsylvania “Is A Leader In Energy”

Corbett is an industry shill, a bought and paid for representative for the gas industry. To hell with those of us forced to live around these gas wells! “Drill Here, Drill There, To hell with the grand kids!”

May 8th 2012
 
Dear Tom:
 
I am writing to you today to ask you to give some consideration and look into getting rid of the “SRBC” i.e. Susquehanna River Basin Association. At a recent meeting SRBC held here in Williamsport, during the question and answer period of the meeting. I asked their spokesman if he knew that, in their bylaws, it is stated that, the Commonwealth can take over their responsibilities entirely, of policing the entire Susquehanna River Basin and its tributaries? Which would put the Commonwealth in charge, of enforcing the federal “Clean Water Act” and State regulations in regulating our own waterways?
 
The answer to my question from the SRBC spokesman was yes, he knew this! The following represents their original by-laws under! –See Section 3.10 of the Susquehanna River Basin Compact, P.L.9l-575; 84 Stat. 1509 et seq.
 
REGULATING WATER WITHDRAWALS AND CONSUMPTIVE USES
IN THE SUSQUEHANNA RIVER BASIN
 
Who has the primary responsibility for managing?
The water resources of the Susquehanna basin?
 
“The primary responsibility for managing the waters of
The Susquehanna falls on the three member states-
New York Pennsylvania and Maryland. SRBC works
To fill in the regulatory gaps that exists in each state’s
Management program. SRBC assumes the necessary
Responsibility until the state has the regulatory
Authority to implement a water management program
Consistent with the Compact”.
 
In essence the SRBC appointed themselves to regulate the Susquehanna River basin until such time the Commonwealth would Implement their own Water Management Plan and take over the responsibilities!
 
At this point in the meeting, I stated, it was my opinion that the citizens of Pa. simply, could not afford to pay to implement all the regulations that SRBC casually, (some not in the federal regs.)was placing on us! Furthermore, there is not enough State money, in our treasury to pay for all the construction being ordered, e.g. in all the communities up and down stream, in building all those (in my view ineffective) unnecessary gigantic tanks, in efforts to catch excess storm water run-off during heavy rains, supposedly, to remove excess sediments from our storm sewers. We are either broke now, or will be soon from laws they are either stretching, or adding to, as they go along.
 
SRBC, made it clear in the meeting that, the Commonwealth of Pa. had the right to take over, absence of them, in regulating their own waterways!
 
My last suggestion to SRBC was, i.e. “Pennsylvania, should sell the water coming from the Susquehanna water shed, flowing into the Bay, (see the attached copy and related story from the Pittsburg Tribune-Review dated Sunday March 11th 2012) if so, we could afford to implement all their regulations. e.g. In this case Pa. would not need to worry on how we would pay for all those required installations of sewage treatment plant up-dates, which are nothing but pipe dreams! Why not? Arizona sells their water from the Colorado river, to the State of California.
 
SRBC’s response was, to this suggestion was, this would create one hell of a mess! In my opinion that would be a fair trade!
 
I finished my remarks to the SRBC spokesman by saying one of the most beautiful examples of nature’s erosion that you will ever see, is the Arizona’s Grand Canyon, which was created entirely by the Colorado River’s continual massive erosion. Which goes on until this day? Therefore erosion, in some cases is not always so bad! When our mighty rivers rise from floods and rain, it is not possible to stop, natures erosion process! After all the heavy rains so far this year, and the methods SRBC has ordered Pa., to put in place, to reduce sediments flowing into the Bay.  According to their recent studies there has not been a reduction of measurable sediment flow, downstream of the Susquehanna, flowing into the Bay! Even after considering that the State has spent millions of dollars trying to comply with SRBC’s orders.
 
Tom, please don’t discard my proposals without giving the idea’s some serious considering taking over the SRBC’s and transferring those to the (DEP) Department Environmental Protection. Obviously it would place some additional work on them, but they can do the job with the resources they already have. They can make decisions on their own, on what it is, that’s practical and makes common sense, as well as being cost effective. Your actions if you agree on this premise, would take an unnecessary regulatory agency out of the mix. Which is becoming one of the big obstacles in the way of the Gas Drillers, here in Pa. There are simply, to many so called regulatory experts, running around on their drilling pads. Let us together, lighten their load?
 
One last important matter, pollution from oil and gas drilling and transportation! The OIL & Gas Industry is more concerned about damage to the environment, then the average American, or any environmentalist. They are the ones that get the bad press, the reason for most accidents is due to human error, the idea and plan is to avoid those! There will always be accidents and there is a tree hugger hiding behind every tree. The real truth is, it is the latter who unnecessarily keeps America form becoming energy independent, along with the entire Obama administration!
 
I look forward to hearing from you, Sincerely,
 
Ray P. Smith
My phone number is 570-971-2250
Email, rpsmith662@verizon.net
 
See attachment Story from the Pittsburg Tribune-Review
 
 
 
 
 
 Commission suggests charging for river waterBy Bob FryeTRIBUNE-REVIEW
Sunday, March 11, 2012 You can lead a horse to water, but can you make him pay for it?That’s something the executive director of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission figuratively is asking.While delivering the commission’s annual report to the House of Representatives Game and Fisheries Committee at the state Capital in Harrisburg, John Arway suggested that lawmakers should start charging industry for the water it takes from the state’s rivers and streams.Right now, that’s not happening.The Susquehanna River Basin Commission charges industry about 27 cents per 1,000 gallons of water from that river, or just enough to replace what’s removed; the Delaware River Basin Commission charges about 8 cents per 1,000 gallons, Arway said. No one regulates who takes water out of the Ohio River drainage, nor does anyone pay to replace it.The commission itself makes a little money by selling water. It’s getting $5 per 1,000 gallons taken from Donegal Lake in Westmoreland County. The water is being purchased by a Marcellus Shale deep-well driller.But beyond that, the state is letting industry take its water for free. That’s the way things have been for a long time, Arway added.”Shallow-well gas drillers in the Allegheny National Forest have been pulling all of the water for their operations from our rivers for decades without paying a penny for it. Farmers do the same,” Arway said. “Anyone with a tanker truck can pull up to our water and take what they want without the commonwealth getting a thing for it.”That’s not the way things work elsewhere, he said. In the West — where water is a scarce commodity — industry routinely pays for water, he said. If Pennsylvania started doing the same, it could reap tens of millions of dollars in benefits, if not more.Lawmakers on the committee expressed some interested in the idea, though it’s clear a lot of specifics would have to be worked out.Rep. John Evans, the Crawford County Republican who serves as majority chairman of the committee, asked how money generated from selling water should be allocated. His first impression seemed to be that Arway was asking for the commission to get all of the money.”Shouldn’t the commonwealth receive the funds because the water belongs to it?” Evans asked.That is indeed the case, Arway said. He said he would expect that lawmakers would decide how to allocate that money, with some going to townships for repair of bridges over streams and rivers, some going to water treatment facilities — and some going to the Fish and Boat Commission, because anglers and boaters use the waterways from which the water is being taken.Exactly who should get money and in what proportion is something the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee could determine, he suggested.”It’s unlimited, how this could be constructed,” Arway said.Whether there’s any interest in the idea may become clear soon. Arway said he will be “going on the road” to talk about the idea with constituents — from sportsmen to lawmakers — in the near future.”It’s a message we want to get out and see how it resonates,” Arway said.Bob Frye can be reached at bfrye@tribweb.com or 724-838-5148.  Images and text copyright © 2012 by Trib Total Media, Inc.Reproduction or reuse prohibited without written consent. Read more: Commission suggests charging for river water – Pittsburgh Tribune-Review http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/outdoors/print_785791.html#ixzz1op2CrlvI