Westmoreland Marcellus Citizens’ Group Updates August 7, 2012
For articles and updates or to just vent, visit us at face book.
To view permanent documents, past updates, reports, general information and meeting information http://westmorelandmarcellus.blogspot.com/
For information on the state gas legislation and local control: http://pajustpowers.org/aboutthebills.html-
Please Cut and Paste All Links-(they work erratically)
Calendar of Events
*** Westmoreland County Commissioners will conduct public meetings to solicit comments on how to spend Marcellus shale impact fees.
The meetings will begin at 6 p.m. on:
• Aug. 13 at Derry Township Municipal Building, 5321 Route 982
SEE our Blogspot (under testimonies)--To facilitate us in providing input, Cynthia Walter has written an overview of points to consider when making comments to the commissioners. I have also included Mike Atherton’s statement.
SURVEY ON LINE If you cannot attend, you can fill out a survey at this link.
***Municipal Authority Meeting This Thursday 12:00 Next meeting: Thursday, Aug. 9 NOON
@ MAWC location in New Stanton, 124 Park & Pool Rd
Meetings are 2nd Thursday of each month at 12:00pm
**Call to speak at the meeting/ must be put on the agenda: Secretary’s name is Pam, 724-755-5814
from mt watershed, melissa
Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County is holding their regular monthly meeting on Thursday at Noon. I’ve outlined some potential questions based on queries by myself and others:
1. What are the protocols for public notification of incidents in and around the reservoir?
2. Does the MAWC investigate pollution incidents within the watershed itself? If not, who is then responsible for determining the potential threat to public health?
3. What is the structure of authority of MAWC? (I believe they are appointed by the county commissioners, Jan)
4. Consol’s loss of bentonite cement control was due to contact with an “unknown spring.” What tests have been done to establish the extent of the leakage underground considering there is communication between groundwater and the well bore?
*** Health Effects of Shale Gas Extraction Conference November 9
The Third Annual Health Effects of Shale Gas Extraction Conference will be held on November 9, 2012 in Pittsburgh, PA. More information is available on the conference website: http://shalegas.pitt.edu
TAKE ACTION!!
As expected, the state has appealed the overturning of Act 13. We need to continue to urge township supervisors to pass the resolution opposing the act. That means we have to continue to attend local meetings and keep pushing.
All Township Residents—Call to Action !!
**Lawsuit Filed --Resolutions of Township Support Urged
Please contact Jan for a copy of the resolution supporting the lawsuit against Act 13. Act 13 precludes the use of local zoning to restrict gas operations in residential areas, restricts doctors in sharing important health data, and limits counties in the use of the impact tax (a partial list).
HOW WE CAN HELP: Please print the resolution and take it to your next township supervisors’ meeting to request their support for this lawsuit. Supervisors should return the signed resolution to Brian Coppola and also to your state representatives.
Sample Statement: See our Westmoreland Marcellus Citizens’ Group blogspot, for a sample statement to supervisors. (Address is posted above)
Good references on Act 13:
Top Ten Myths about Act 13 by Sierra Club- http://www.sierraclub.org/pressroom/downloads/FrackingMythbustersFactSheet.pdf
Handout on Act 13 by Penn Future (short version)-
Delaware Riverkeepers Basics About Act 13
Penn Future on act 13 (detailed version)
*** EPA to Exempt Gas Compressor Stations in Rural Areas
from Clean Air Council
“EPA is proposing dangerous and irresponsible changes to federal rules on pollution from gas compressor station engines. This rule change would provide an industry exemption on pollution control technologies on compressor stations in areas that according to EPA, have no “significant human activity.”
This rule would exempt engines at compressor stations on pipelines with 10 or fewer houses within a 220-yard radius and stations not on pipelines that have 5 houses or less within a quarter of a mile radius. Operators will not be required to use technologies that have been used for decades on compressor engines and vehicles to greatly reduce emissions of hazardous air pollutants.
This industry give-away would apply to the vast majority of engines that move and produce natural gas. Without these control technologies, a majority of engines will be able to run 24/7, emitting hazardous smog-forming pollution that harm your health and the climate.”
Click here to send your message:
[Let the EPA know that your health and welfare matters and compressor stations everywhere should have to use best available technologies to prevent pollution hahttp://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/1152/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=11287ve to use best available technologies to prevent pollution]
***Call Westmoreland Municipal Authority About Beaver Reservoir Spill
If you live in Westmoreland County, you can email the authority office. We should be asking why they have allowed drilling near the county water supply when even fishing and bird watching are prohibited. Also, why, after 10 days from the spill occurring, have the 150,000 people served by Beaver reservoir yet to be publicly warned about the spill. (see article on the spill below)
Go to the MAWC site: MAWC.org , click on contact us, to file a complaint to the board of directors
***[Tell your legislators that you want oil and gas development to follow local government rules. ]From Sierra club
Act 13 denied the authority of local municipalities to protect their residents from natural gas development activities, including the location of compressor stations and pipelines. Several municipalities challenged Act 13.
Last week, the PA Commonwealth Court struck down the Corbett Administration's attempt to nullify municipal zoning powers and regulations.
Let your legislator know that you support the court's decision to protect local land use decisions. Sincerely,Thomas Y. Au Conservation Chair, Pennsylvania Chapter
P.S. Please let us know how your legislator responds! If you receive a reply message, please forward it to [pennsylvania.chapter@sierraclub.org].
P.P.S. Share this alert with your social networks
Fracking Quotes
***“[Corbett] has already cut $20 million from DEP’s budget and now they’re asking them to do things faster,” says McNeil. “The Department is less than half the size it was a few years ago, that strikes me as egregious.” Josh McNeill, executive director of the Conservation Voters of Pennsylvania
*** “Current research indicates that people residing within a half mile of fracking operations can suffer effects from air pollution emissions especially those with asthma and breathing disorders. Health Department Administrator Howard Gamble added the school would fall within a designated "danger" area in the event there would be an explosion or fire at the well site, and people would have to be evacuated.” Dr William Mercer, Wheeling-Ohio County Board of Health regarding Wheeling High School
*** “The Northeast Regional Cancer Institute will conduct research on diseases including cancer to establish a baseline in order to detect any deterioration in public. “This may be our last chance to get baseline data,” said Dr. Samuel Lesko, research and medical director of the institute, referring to NE PA area.
Frack News
Video of families from butler county affected by fracking http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcUyuFjx0IU
Sean Lennon and Jimmy Fallon sing, “Don’t Frack my Mother”
Gas leak video in Allegheny Forest Video –3 minutes
Sad. With a night camera you can see the deer drink the polluted water.
You Can Receive Sky Alerts on Gas activity/Problems in Your Area
You can sign up to receive notifications and alerts. This is one of the best sites I have used because it is easy and the alerts are sent for the area you select.
1. Gov. Corbett Went Too Far with Act 13-His Approach Unconstitutional
“ Provisions of Act 13 that supersede local zoning and environmental laws were declared “unconstitutional, null and void” in the ruling written by Commonwealth Court President Judge Dan Pellegrini.
“The court has recognized that the Pennsylvania legislature and Gov. Corbett went too far,” said Jordan Yeager, the lawyer for the two towns and the environmental group. “This is a great victory for the people of Pennsylvania, for local democracy, for property rights, for our public health, and for the clean water supplies on which we all depend.” Indeed, you could make the broader argument that Corbett's entire approach to the fracking boom -- cutting enforcement while speeding permit times, and kowtowing to industry in every possible way -- is unconstitutional. How so? The Pennsylvania Constitution -- a wonderful document first laid out in 1776 -- states this:
Article I, Section 27: The people have a right to clean air, pure water, and to the preservation of the natural, scenic, historic and esthetic (sic) values of the environment. Pennsylvania's public natural resources are the common property of all the people, including generations yet to come. As trustee of these resources, the Commonwealth shall conserve and maintain them for the benefit of all the people.
(http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/attytood/The-impeachment-of-Pa-Constiturion-shredding-Tom-Corbett.html)
2. Drilling Leak at Beaver Run Reservoir
Timothy Puko is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 412-320-7991 or tpuko@tribweb.com.
“A gas-drilling site leaked sediment above the drinking-water reservoir in Westmoreland County, leading state environmental regulators to issue a violation notice.
A solid, non-toxic substance seeped out of a hillside above Beaver Run Reservoir in Bell when drillers nearby bored through a previously unknown spring on July 21, said the DEP and the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County. The substance was a grout that included the clay bentonite — a mix that drillers call liquid cement, officials said.
There were no signs that bentonite entered the drinking-water supply, according to testing done by the authority and a group the driller Consol Energy hired, said John Ashton, the authority’s assistant manager. Consol officials told state inspectors they saw bentonite in the water, according to a preliminary report from the DEP, but state officials are reviewing the details, the department’s regional spokesman John Poister said.”
Questions Posed by Members of our Group:
1. The substance leaked was referred to as a "solid, non-toxic substance" - WHO determined and announced to the media that it's "non-toxic", CONSOL??
2. State environmental regulators were said in a news article to have issued a notice of violation, so why didn't any of the elected officials in the towns affected know about it until concerned residents started TELLING them, in effect doing the PA DEP's job?
3. According to the article this occurred on July 21 - why did we not find out about it until 10 days after it happened??
4. Why didn’t "Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County" notify townships? The 'Authority' tested the water, as did "a group the driller Consol Energy hired.’ That doesn't inspire confidence.
5. Consol said they found "bentonite in the water” Bentonite is dangerous for older people and for pregnant women - these groups are warned by health professionals NOT to take products containing bentonite and yet no one at the PA DEP or CONSOL seems to be a bit worried...
6. "“What the public needs to know is that we’re not worried about the water quality now,” Consol spokeswoman Lynn Seay said. Oh, really? A CONSOL staffer isn't worried, that's good to know.
So---
Still there are questions:
1) Why didn't the DEP notify local officials?
2) Can we trust what the DEP and Consol are saying?
3. Cranberry Officials Keep Gas Zoning Due to Act 13 Ruling
“In a unanimous vote, the Cranberry Board of Supervisors rejected a proposed amendment to the township’s zoning laws for gas companies. The point of the now unneeded amendment was to fit the mold the Gov. Tom Corbett-sponsored Act 13. The Commonwealth Court recently ruled portions of the bill as unconstitutional.
The current ordinance the township has had since 2010 would keep drilling operations companies out of residential areas. The drillers would be required to stay in commercial business areas such as along Route 19.”
[http://cranberry.patch.com/articles/cranberry-board-of-supervisors-vote-to-keep-original-marcellus-shale-drilling-plan]
4. North Huntingdon Officials Halt Plans to Modify Ordinance in Light of Act 13 Ruling
“ North Huntingdon officials will not continue with plans to modify the township's gas and drilling ordinance after the state Commonwealth Court declared portions of Act 13 unconstitutional last week.
"The portion of the act referring to zoning was overturned," Shepherd said. "(Before the ruling) we were moving forward with revising our ordinance to comply with Act 13, but now, we're going to hold off."
The township's ordinance restricts drilling in R-1 and R-1A zoning districts, which are the most densely populated. Bernard Solomon, a member of the township's planning commission, opposed changing the ordinance to come into compliance with Act 13. He said the act took away the township's ability to enforce zoning regulations and the rights of property owners. "I'm thrilled parts of it were thrown out because Act 13 really smelled to high heaven," Solomon said. "I think our ordinance is a very good way of protecting property rights and owners, so I'm thrilled the act was thrown out."It's a good thing for the common man."
5. Cecil Township asks for Dismissal of Lawsuit by MarkWest
“Following the ruling by Commonwealth Court that the zoning portions of the state’s oil and gas drilling law were unconstitutional, Cecil Township is asking the court to dismiss a suit filed by MarkWest Liberty Midstream & Resources to build a compressor station on Route 980.
In preliminary objections filed Monday, the township argues that the decision on the zoning portions of Act 13 announced Thursday removes the foundation of MarkWest’s claim, which is that it would be allowed to build the compressor station under the law. Because the zoning provisions of the law were stricken, oil and gas drilling ordinances crafted by individual municipalities “remain in place and MarkWest has no basis to seek a direct appeal to the Commonwealth Court.”
6. PSATS Finally Gets it Right
PA State Assoc of Township Supervisors will support Cecil Twp in the case filed by Mark West regarding Act 13.
7. An Update Regarding the Status of the Act 13 Case.
The state entities appealed to the Pa Supreme Court, which was expected. The state filed a motion for expedited consideration of the appeal which the plaintiffs will join, albeit, for different reasons. As the rules allow, and as a cautionary measure, plaintiffs will also be filing a cross appeal probably next week regarding a few of the issues that did not go our way in Commonwealth Court. Special law, etc... The court will decide in the next week or two whether it will grant an expedited review for October. If the relief is granted, the argument will take place a little closer to home in Pittsburgh. The argument would be open to the Public. There have been some great editorials and we have word that a few nonprofits will be filing briefs in support of our position. There is much to do to keep public support swinging our way. It is believed that this group as well as the plaintiffs’ determination were instrumental in our first win. Why risk a winning formula, let's all keep up our efforts!
8. State Court Strikes Down Act 13 -- What Does it Have to do with Alec?
“On July 26, the PA Court ruled PA Act 13 unconstitutional. The bill would have stripped away local zoning laws, eliminated the legal concept of a Home Rule Charter, limited private property rights, and in the process, completely disempowered town, city, municipal and county governments, particularly when it comes to shale gas development.The Court ruled that Act 13 "…violates substantive due process because it does not protect the interests of neighboring property owners from harm, alters the character of neighborhoods and makes irrational classifications – irrational because it requires municipalities to allow all zones, drilling operations and impoundments, gas compressor stations, storage and use of explosives in all zoning districts, and applies industrial criteria to restrictions on height of structures, screening and fencing, lighting and noise." Act 13 — pejoratively referred to as "the Nation's Worst Corporate Giveaway" by AlterNet reporter Steven Rosenfeld — would have ended local democracy as we know it in Pennsylvania."It’s absolutely crushing of local self-government," Ben Price, project director for the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund (CELDF), told Rosenfeld. "It’s a complete capitulation of the rights of the people and their right to self-government. They are handing it over to the industry to let them govern us. It is the corporate state. That is how we look at it."Where could the idea for such a bill come from in the first place?Rosenfeld pointed to the oil and gas industry in his piece. That's half of the answer. The other half of the question left unanswered, though, is who do oil and gas industry lobbyists feed anti-democratic, state-level legislation to?The answer, in a word: ALEC. PA Act 13 was originally an ALEC Model Bill. ALEC is appropriately described as an ideologically conservative, Republican Party-centric "corporate bill mill" by the Center for Media and Democracy, the overseer of the ALEC Exposed project. 98 percent of ALEC's funding comes from corporations, according to CMD.[Soft Break]ALEC's meetings bring together corporate lobbyists and state legislators to schmooze, and then vote on what it calls "model bills" that will be distributed to the offices of politicians in statehouses nationwide. A close examination suggests that an ALEC model bill is quite similar to the recently overturned Act 13.”
http://www.alternet.org/environment/state-supreme-court-strikes-down-pennsylvanias-act-13-law-deemed-worst-corporate?akid=9164.317190.yrMSa-&rd=1&src=newsletter686719&t=2&paging=off
9. Dr Rodriguez Sues Over Act 13
Dr. Alfonso Rodriguez sued the Pennsylvania attorney general, its secretary of environmental protection and the chairman of its Public Utility Commission. He claims Act 13 forces medical professionals into "a vague confidentiality agreement," and that obeying the law would force him "to violate ethical rules imposed upon him by the medical profession that could cost (him) his license to practice medicine within the Commonwealth."
Rodriguez is a nephrologist, specializing in renal diseases, hypertension and advanced diabetes, in Dallas, Pa. He says his kidney patients need a pure source of water to remove toxins from their blood, and he receives daily alerts from the FDA, the Centers for Disease Control and local water companies on the status of the water system.
Rodriguez says he "has recently treated patients directly exposed to high-volume hydraulic fracturing fluid as the result of well blowouts, including a patient exposed to hydraulic fracturing fluid who was admitted to the hospital with a complicated diagnosis with low platelets, anemia, rash and acute renal failure that required extensive hemodialysis and exposure to chemotherapeutic agents."
The general 'recipe' of hydraulic fracturing fluid is common knowledge within the gas drilling industry. Information on the exact nature and chemical make-up of hydraulic fluid is kept 'secret' by the industry because the gas and drilling industry simply does not want the general public to become aware of the toxic fluids being pumped into the ground in order to extract natural gas."
He adds that the toxic fluids often flow back to the surface, to be stored in wastewater impoundment pits, and that "storing waste fracturing fluid in open air impoundment ponds causes the toxic chemicals and other waste products to become more concentrated as water evaporates into the air."
ERIN MCAULEY, 7-31-12
10. State OKs Gas Drilling at Dutch Fork Lake
“The PA Fish and Boat Commission will allow gas drilling on state-owned land at Dutch Fork Lake in Donegal Township. The announcement came in advance of a public meeting to be held at the Claysville Community Center to discuss the status of the lake restoration project.
The announcement that drilling operations would begin, met with cautious optimism from officials associated with the yearlong Dutch Fork dam and spillway restoration project. “You know, I’m not really excited about the idea of drilling on any recreational lands or waterways,” said state Rep. Peter J. Daley, D-California. “But if it helps to maintain the park, I’m all for it.” According to meeting minutes, the two parties entered into a five-year lease in which Range Resources paid a bonus of $2,236,680 for the 588 acres and agreed to an 18% royalty rate. ($3,803 per acre)”
[http://www.observer-reporter.com/or/gasdrilling11/Dutch-Creek-gas-drilling]
11. DC March gets no Media Attention
Letter to Editor
“Having joined with about 5,000 local residents and folks from states where fracking for natural gas has destroyed their water, air and health, I was disappointed to find no report on the July 28 “Stop the frack attack” event in The Post.
“The protest on the lawn of the Capitol was followed by a march, which was impossible to miss as it filled the streets, to the offices of the American Petroleum Institute. Surely an issue of this importance — basically the future of natural gas obtained through fracking — that affects so many people warrants coverage.
I’m not asking for color pictures above the fold on Page A1, as granted to the alleged Aurora gunman, but such a protest merits at least a mention somewhere.” Anne Ambler, Silver Spring
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/anti-fracking-march-deserved-coverage/2012/08/03/f58e6cf6-dc08-11e1-8ad1-909913931f71_story.html
12 Fracking Near School a Health Concern in W VA
‘Wheeling-Ohio County Board of Health members discussed the effect of fracking on local health, especially the proposed operation which is just 1300 feet from Wheeling High school.
Dr William Mercer, health officer, said current research indicates that people residing within a half mile of fracking operations can suffer effects from air pollution emissions especially those with asthma and breathing disorders. Health Department Administrator Howard Gamble added the school would fall within a designated "danger" area in the event there would be an explosion or fire at the well site, and people would have to be evacuated. Under such circumstances, evacuation routes away from the school would be limited.
"If the Ohio County Board of Education wants us to get more involved, we will," Mercer said. "But hopefully, the issue will be resolved." (the intelligencer, joselyn king) (http://www.theintelligencer.net/page/content.detail/id/572283/WLU-Campus-Will-Be-Smoke-Free.html?nav=515)
13 Corbett tells DEP to expedite permitting process
“ Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett has issued an executive order requiring the Department of Environmental Protection to set timelines for processing permit applications. The DEP is responsible for issuing permits on industrial activity that may impact the environment. The department’s resources have been stretched by the recent gas drilling boom. In a press release issued Tuesday, Corbett says he’s responding to complaints about how long DEP takes to issue permits.
Josh McNeil, executive director of the Conservation Voters of Pennsylvania, says the order could jeopardize environmental protection. “[Corbett] has already cut $20 million from DEP’s budget and now they’re asking them to do things faster,” says McNeil. “The Department is less than half the size it was a few years ago, that strikes me as egregious.”
[http://stateimpact.npr.org/pennsylvania/2012/07/24/corbett-tells-dep-to-fast-track-permit-process/]
14. Protesters Hold Mock Funeral Criticizing Shell
“The “Sons and Daughters of Liberty” (SDL) held a mock funeral for what they claim is the “death of the Pennsylvania commonwealth” on Tuesday afternoon in Market Square, and it didn't take long to see Gov. Tom Corbett's shale policy was a target for criticism.
A satirical skit featuring members of the SDL playing Gov. Corbett and a Royal Dutch Shell representative accompanied the proceedings. The storyline of the skit involved Corbett granting Shell the $1.7 billion dollars in subsidies and tax breaks it is to receive for building an ethane cracker plant near Monaca.”
[http://shale.sites.post-gazette.com/index.php/news/archives/24708]
15. Health survey in NE PA
A health survey will be conducted in NE PA to determine if there are health impacts from drilling operations. The Northeast Regional Cancer Institute will conduct research on diseases including cancer to establish a baseline in order to detect any deterioration in public. “This may be our last chance to get baseline data,” said Dr. Samuel Lesko, research and medical director of the institute. “As these activities become more and more common, the baseline fades out into the background.”
Read More ( http://www.timesleader.com/stories/Health-survey-to-address-drilling-impact,135816#ixzz21kbMjLkDalth).
16. Health Study in Washington County
“DEP will conduct a one-year study of air for ground level ozone, carbon monoxide, methane and 60 other pollutants, focusing on areas with gas processing plants and compressor stations.
DEP will conduct a long-term analysis of risk to the public to decide if more studies are needed in other parts of the state. “
(study will monitor Marcellus gas emissions, AP, 7-24-12, Latrobe bulletin)
17. Talisman Energy To Pay $62,000 to EPA in Fines –Violations at 52 sites
“Talisman discovered the violations at 52 gas-drilling sites. The violations were for failing to file safety information about hazardous chemicals stored at those sites. Talisman, corrected the violations according to the EPA.”
(Talisman Energy to pay 62,000 EPA fines, AP, 7-26-12. Latrobe bulletin)
18. Rep Jesse White Rebuts Distortions about Act 13
1. Drilling has not been banned in Pennsylvania. All the court did was roll everything back to the way it was before Act 13 was passed a few months ago. A company can still drill in any municipality; it just has to follow local zoning laws again.
2. The decision did not infringe on property rights; in fact, it clearly protected them. Judge Pellegrini wrote clearly in his opinion that Act 13, “…violates substantive due process because it does not protect the interests of neighboring property owners from harm, alters the character of neighborhoods and makes irrational classifications—irrational because it requires municipalities to allow drilling operations and impoundments, gas compressor stations, storage and use of explosives in all zoning districts, and applies industrial criteria to restrictions on height of structures, screening and fencing, lighting and noise.” In simple language, the court acknowledged property owners have rights even if they don’t have gas leases.
3. The impact fee is not affected. Here’s another scare tactic—claiming the impact fee money (which translates into about a 1 percent tax with plenty of gas industry givebacks) won’t materialize because of the court decision. There are no facts to back that up—the court deliberately left the impact fee language in place and struck down the zoning portions.
4. Claims the Act 13 decision will cost us jobs are just false. Yet another scare tactic—and this is the big one. All you need to know about the ridiculousness of the cries about job losses is to look at the numbers. In the five years leading up to the passage of Act 13, stock in Range Resources went up about 200 percent, and that was with local zoning still intact. If all we’re doing is going back to the way things used to be, how can anyone argue the drillers are suddenly going to lose money because Act 13 was struck down?
Pennsylvania was already seeing a slowdown due to very low gas prices and the rush to develop ‘wet gas’ regions in Ohio. Don’t let anyone tell you any slowdown or loss of jobs is solely due to Act 13, because there just aren’t any facts to back it up.
[On July 24, Range Resources reported revenue of $442.4 million for the last quarter]—and that’s only three months. It has money to pepper ads and billboards all over the place, and was a sponsor of the opening ceremonies of the Olympics in London.
With those kinds of revenues and so much money to blow on advertising for a company that doesn’t really sell anything to the public, there’s just no way it will go broke by requiring it to move a few hundred more feet away from a church, school, hospital or your house before drilling or building a compressor station.
5. The Act 13 decision will not increase your home heating bill. This is a common and very inaccurate statement I hear. Natural gas is a global commodity traded on a world market; the gas being pulled from underneath Pennsylvania is just as likely to end up in China or Russia as it is to end up in your furnace. The prices are so low because the supply is so great. At a recent event sponsored by a local chamber of commerce, someone from a gas company got up and said to a room of 200 people that one of the biggest challenges of the industry is to find ways to drive up prices to increase production and profits—not one person in the room seemed to disagree.
Photo by Bob Donnan
19. Joe Osborne Explains Air Quality Terms
A Summary
Terminology regarding air quality does not mean what a layperson may assume it means.
Minor Source—Minor does not mean insignificant. It is a source of air pollution that is not regulated under the more stringent “major source” regulations of the Clean Air Act. A source must emit between 10 and 250 tons per year of a pollutant to be considered ” “major”. A “minor” source could emit 9 tons per year of benzene of 99 tons of fine particulate matter and pose a threat to health or the environment.
Not Significant—“Not significant” does not mean “not important” in air quality lingo. “No significant impact” means air modelling indicates that the source will not cause high concentrations of certain pollutant that are above the significance levels of the Clean Air act. This does not equate with statistically insignificant -- the pollution is measureable and can be sufficiently large enough to have an effect on health especially for sensitive populations. It does not mean that there is no significant effect on health.
“Significance” only applies to 5 pollutants. So it says nothing about many other pollutants including lead, ozone, reduced sulphur, six varieties of greenhouse gasses, and 187 hazardous air pollutants.
So “no significant emission” increase does not mean there is no measurable increase but simply means the range will not increase more than the threshold requiring more rigorous regulation. That threshold can be as high as 100 tons per year.
Best Available Technology-This does not mean that no expense was spared to achieve state of the art technology to control pollution. Because BAT takes into account economic impacts, the most effective method of pollution control might not be used. In addition, BAT is only required for “major sources” and certain pollutants. BAT might be used for one or two pollutants while other pollutants are controlled at a lower standard.
From (Stealth Jargon:the confusion of technical terms with their common sense lookalikes by Joe Osborne, GASP legal director)
For the complete article:
Link to publications, then the hotline
Why we write Testimony on Compressor Stations:
Because organizations and individuals wrote to urge better pollution controls, the Frazer compressor station permit was improved.
- VOCs and formaldehyde emissions will be reduced by an additional 44% and 58% respectively
- Ambient air modelling was conducted
- Allegheny Dept of Health is requiring an analysis of produced water every six months to verify emissions estimates of VOCs from the source.
The Frazer station is legally considered a “minor source” of air pollution, but it still has the potential to emit 35 tons of nitrogen oxides and 13.5 tons of VOCs per year. Both are ozone precursors. While the facility is categorized as minor, it is just one of hundreds of compressor stations in the area, so the cumulative impact may not minor to our health.
Based on the article by GASP, Gasp Hotline, summer 2012
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
GASP and Clean Air Council have the technical and legal staff to provide data to other statewide non- profits, including our group, so that we can have the data needed to support more rigorous regulation of air emissions. We owe these organizations our appreciation for their leadership and technical knowledge.
Westmoreland Marcellus Citizen’s Group—Mission Statement
To raise the public’s general awareness and understanding of the impacts of Marcellus drilling on the natural environment, health, and long-term economies of local communities.
Officers: President-Jan Milburn
Treasurer-Wanda Guthrie
Secretary-Ron Nordstrom
Facebook Coordinator-Elizabeth Nordstrom
Blogsite –April Jackman
Science Subcommittee-Dr. Cynthia Walter
To receive our news updates, please email jan at janjackmil@yahoo.com
