Dead vegetation around a conventional well site in Warren County indicates a possible brine spill.
Courtesy Pennsylvania DEP
Dead vegetation around a conventional well site in Warren County indicates a possible brine spill.
Courtesy Pennsylvania DEP
A state House committee has approved a controversial bill to eliminate many environmental requirements for Pennsylvaniaâs conventional oil and gas industry.
The House Environmental Resources and Energy committee voted 14-11 Monday to advance HB 2154. Itâs the latest move in a years-long legal and political battle over how to regulate the stateâs oil and gas industry.
Rep. Martin Causer (R- Cameron) is the billâs prime sponsor. He said conventional oil and gas companies are distinctly different from the larger corporations that drill deeper, Marcellus Shale wells. Causerâs bill is aimed at reinstating 1984-era standards. An identical measure is before a Senate committee.
âThis legislation would create a separate Oil and Gas Act,â Causer said. âI think thatâs very important.â
Governor Tom Wolf opposes the new bills, but two years ago he made a deal with Republicans during state budget negotiations to kill pending regulations on conventional drillers.
In 2012, the state passed Act 13, a major overhaul of Pennsylvaniaâs oil and gas law. At the time, the law had not seen significant changes since the 1980s, despite technological advances in the industry. Act 13 placed new environmental requirements on both conventional and Marcellus drillers.
Democrats on the committee all voted against the new measure, including Rep. Carolyn Comitta (D- Chester), who said she believes it violates the environmental rights amendment of Pennsylvaniaâs constitution.
âThe bill is rolling back protections for public resources,â she said. âWe shouldnât be rolling back protections, we should be improving protections.â
Among the major changes in the bill:
StateImpact Pennsylvania is a collaboration among WITF, WHYY, and the Allegheny Front. Reporters Reid Frazier, Rachel McDevitt and Susan Phillips cover the commonwealthâs energy economy. Read their reports on this site, and hear them on public radio stations across Pennsylvania.
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StateImpact Pennsylvania is a collaboration among WITF, WHYY, and the Allegheny Front. Reporters Reid Frazier, Rachel McDevitt and Susan Phillips cover the commonwealthâs energy economy. Read their reports on this site, and hear them on public radio stations across Pennsylvania.
Climate Solutions, a collaboration of news organizations, educational institutions and a theater company, uses engagement, education and storytelling to help central Pennsylvanians toward climate change literacy, resilience and adaptation. Our work will amplify how people are finding solutions to the challenges presented by a warming world.