Today, Tuesday, testimony on natural gas drilling in Harrisburg

Recent Times-Tribune article on testimony on natural gas drilling in Harrisburg

Hearing targets water use for drilling


Published: Sunday, September 28, 2008
By Robert Swift
HARRISBURG — The House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee plans a hearing Tuesday on the natural gas boom in the Marcellus Shale formation covering a large part of Northeast Pennsylvania. Testifying will be state environmental officials and oil and gas industry representatives.

Rep. Camille George, D-74, the panel chairman, said the hearing will focus on protecting water resources during drilling. “Each drilling operation could require up to 1 million gallons of water, and in recent weeks almost $400,000 in fines have been assessed against drillers in just two counties for either withdrawing water without a permit or starting well construction without a permit,” added Mr. George.

Mr. George has sponsored a comprehensive bill to tighten state regulation of drilling activities.

Pay to play

An effort to put a dent in Pennsylvania’s “Pay-to-Play” culture is being made by a group of House Republican lawmakers. This tag refers to the age-old practice of doling out lucrative government contracts to politically influential companies and campaign contributors. While these deals skirt the quid quo pro of an outright bribe, they exemplify an attitude of “You scratch my back, I’ll scratch your back.”

Rep. Robert Godshall, R-53, tackles this practice with a bill to ban the awarding of public contracts to those who made a campaign donation within the year prior to the contract being posted for bidding.

Another bill by Rep, Mike Turzai, R-28, would ban no-bid state contracts to private law firms, an ongoing practice that acquired the nickname of “pinstripe patronage” back in the Thornburgh administration.

The package includes a bill to require competitive bidding on executive and legislative contracts over $100,000.

“We’re not trying to set the Legislature out of the scope of this,” said Rep. Douglas Reichley, R-134. “We want a clean break with the practices of the past.”

Free ride

Drunks would be able to arrange for a ride home under a state-sponsored program if a Senate bill becomes law. The “Safe Ride Home Program” was the subject of discussion at a Senate committee hearing last week.

The bill by Sen. Stewart Greenleaf, R-12, would create a program in which an intoxicated individual at a licensed liquor establishment without a ride could alert a bartender and get a ride home either by taxi or from volunteer drivers. The state Liquor Control Board would have oversight for the program designed to reduce drunken driving.

A number of details will have to be ironed out for the bill to advance, among them a funding source.

Wisconsin’s “SafeRide Program” was mentioned by LCB director Joe Conti as a possible example to follow.

This program relies on participating taverns and a $5 surcharge on drivers convicted of DUI. The surcharge revenues go to the taverns and to reimburse “good Samaritan” drivers for travel expenses.

====

Note: Testimony will also be given by people from the natural gas industry, including Stephen Rhoads, of the Pennsylvania Oil and Gas Association.


Department of Environmental Protection Acting Secretary John Hanger also testified.

In another matter, several thousand acres (at least) were placed into gas leases during a recent Wyoming County Landowners Group signing session at Shadowbrook Inn & Resort in Tunkhannock Township.