Natural Gas Drilling in PA

1. Natural Gas Drilling in PA Mai, Layla, Emily

2. Background Information • Natural gas drilling uses a process called ‘hydraulic fracturing’ or “fracking”, which pumps millions of gallons of water into the ground to break up the rock and sediment to release the gas. When the water is sucked back out, it contains natural toxins • TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) is the most harmful byproduct. • The wastewater is disposed of in Pennsylvania’s municipal sewage plants and in some industrial treatment plants, which then discharge it into rivers and streams. • The plants aren’t equipped to remove TDS or any of the chemicals the water may contain. • Federal guidelines specifically recommend against sending drilling wastewater to ordinary sewage plants

3. Granberg, Al. "Hydraulic Fracturing." ProPublica. Web. 28 Nov. 2010. <http://www.propublica.org/special/hydraulic-fracturing-national>.

4. Pro Drilling for Natural Gas • Benefits some farmers – “Shaleionaires” • Twice as much natural gas in this country than oil in Saudi Arabia • “Claimed” half the carbon emissions and no mercury • America owns the energy source

5. Con Drilling • Water supply tainted by high levels of toxic chemicals • Too pricy and difficult to extract • Safety/health of individuals above ground is at risk • Human Error

6. Halliburton Loophole • Created in 2005 – advocated by Dick Cheney • Exempts hydraulic fracturing from the Safe Drinking Water Act • Companies using this method do not have to disclose the chemicals they use to the public • Authorizes the use of hazardous chemicals to “frack”

7. Political Parties

8. Republican Party • Drill job creation, good for economy • Have some environmental regulation • No severance tax- bad for industry • Have local inspectors make sure things are safe • Governor Corbett has received criticism about the amount of money he accepted from oil and gas industries supporting his campaign (almost $1 million- 4th largest contributor)

9. Democratic Party • Onorato: “utilize the Marcellus shale for job and industry growth while still holding big oil and gas accountable for their actions and protecting the environment.” • Severance tax- average the tax of the other 20 states that have severance taxes for natural gas drilling (usually about 10%)

10. Green Party • If drillers want to use to get natural gas, they should not be allowed to use chemical additives or fracking; must also comply with the Clean Water Act • Strongly enforce environmental laws • Severance tax of at least around 10% • No drilling on public land without the permission of Pennsylvania voters

11. Strict regulations to make sure water is not contaminated during drilling process • Should invest in sustainable, clean energy instead of natural gas drilling

12. Interest Groups

13. PennEnvironment • Natural gas drilling threatens public health by contaminating water supplies • Gas companies should have to pay for cleaning the wastewater ($.25/gallon) • Drillers should use water as efficiently as possible • It’s okay to drill for natural gas, as long as it is done in a completely environmentally safe way

14. Marcellus Shale Coalition • Pro-drilling • Argue natural gas is clean-burning (better than coal) • Create tens of thousands of jobs • Take “common sense” steps to protect environment • The parties involved with drilling will clean up after themselves • Help Pennsylvania’s struggling economy

15. Pennsylvania Gas Drilling Statistics "Pennsylvania | ProPublica Drilling Tracker." ProPublica. Web. 28 Nov. 2010. <http://projects.propublica.org/gas-drilling-regulatory-staffing/states/PA>.

16. Public Opinion Poll http://www.lycoming.edu/news/stories/PressReleaseSept2010Marcellus1.swf?POPUP_ENABLED=true

17. Recent Developments • Recently, Pittsburgh passed legislation against gas drilling within city limits • "An ordinance to PROTECT the health, safety, and welfare of residents/neighborhoods of Pittsburgh by banning the commercial extraction of natural gas within the city; establishing a bill of rights for Pittsburgh residents; and removing legal powers from gas extraction within the city."

18. Drilling for natural gas could disrupt the environment of many species native to Pennsylvania • Wind power is another large threat in PA • Around 11/13: 13,000+ gallons of frack water was spilled in Lycoming County

20. Works Cited • " Marcellus Shale Coalition." Marcellus Shale Coalition. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2010. <http://marcelluscoalition.org/home/>. • "Corbett, Tom & Cawley, Jim." Follow The Money. FollowTheMoney.org, n.d. Web. 27 Nov. 2010. <www.followthemoney.org/database/StateGlance/candidate.phtml?c=123883&PHPSESSID=e1c4cb8783d51837b8b44108bfa1ad27 >. • "Green Party of Pennsylvania :: ." Green Party of Pennsylvania :: . Green Party of Pennsylvania, n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2010. <http://www.gpofpa.org/index.php?module=htmlpages&func=display&pid=17>. • "Plan to Protect Pennsylvania's Environment with Leadership for the Future | Tom Corbett for Governor of Pennsylvania." Tom Corbett for Governor of Pennsylvania. Tom Corbett for Governor, n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2010. <http://www.tomcorbettforgovernor.com/issues/environment/>. • "Marcellus Shale top issue for Onorato, Corbett in gubernatorial race | The Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, PA ." Times Leader Wilkes-Barre | The Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, PA . N.p., 28 Oct. 2010. Web. 28 Nov. 2010. <http://www.timesleader.com/news/Marcellus_Shale_top_issue_for_Onorato__Corbett_in_gubernatorial_race_10-24-2010.html>.

21. Works Cited (continued) • "EARTHWORKS - Senators, Representatives act to close Halliburton Loophole in the Safe Drinking Water Act." EARTHWORKS - Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2010. <http://www.earthworksaction.org/PR_2009HalliburtonLeg.cfm>. • Lee, Stacy. "Munhall Opposes Drilling." TribLiveNews. N.p., 21 Oct. 2010. Web. 28 Nov. 2010. <www.pittsburghlive.com/x/dailynewsmckeesport/s_705439.html>. • Murphy, Jan. "Former Gov. Tom Ridge to promote benefits of natural gas drilling in Pennsylvania | PennLive.com." Central PA Local News, Breaking News, Sports & Weather - PennLive.com. N.p., 30 July 2010. Web. 28 Nov. 2010. <http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2010/07/former_gov_tom_ridge_to_promot.html>. • "Natural Gas News | HeatingOil.com." Save On Home Heating Oil | HeatingOil.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2010. <http://www.heatingoil.com/category/blog/natural-gas-blog/>. • Sapien, Joaquin. "With Natural Gas Drilling Boom, Pennsylvania Faces Flood of Wastewater: Scientific American." Science News, Articles and Information | Scientific American. N.p., 9 Oct. 2009. Web. 28 Nov. 2010. <http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=wastewater-sediment-natural-gas-mckeesport-sewage>. • "With Natural Gas Drilling Boom, Pennsylvania Faces an Onslaught of Wastewater - ProPublica." ProPublica. N.p., 3 Nov. 2010. Web. 28 Nov. 2010. <http://www.propublica.org/article/wastewater-from-gas-drilling-boom-may-threaten-monongahela-river>. • Worden, Amy. "House passes gas drilling moratorium | Philly | 05/04/2010." philly.com: Philadelphia local news, sports, jobs, cars, homes. N.p., 4 May 2010. Web. 22 Nov. 2010. <http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/harrisburg_politics/House_passes_drilling_moratorium.html>. • Worden, Amy. "Pennsylvania legislators failing to make headway on Marcellus tax | Philadelphia Inquirer | 09/22/2010." philly.com: Philadelphia local news, sports, jobs, cars, homes. N.p., 22 Sept. 2010. Web. 20 Oct. 2010. <http://www.philly.com/inquirer/local/20100922_Pennsylvania_legislators_failing_to_make_headway_on_Marcellus_tax.html>.