Preventing Catastrophe in Pennsylvania

Natural gas drilling is probably the hottest issue in Northeast Pennsylvania, and perhaps in the entire state. Vast deposits of natural gas have been discovered in Pennsylvania and other states, and the stakes are enormous. Pennsylvania has enough natural gas to generate badly needed tax revenues, develop thousands of desperately needed jobs and make a vital contribution to national energy independence. The risks are enormous, as spills and leaks are occurring all the time, and it appears that a major disaster is just around the corner. Alarmingly, the gas companies have leases to drill right next to vital reservoirs which thousands of citizens depend on for their drinking water. This is the background in which State Representative Phyllis Mundy called for a moratorium on natural gas drilling in Pennsylvania.

The Announcement

Standing next to the Huntsville Reservoir that supplies drinking water to approximately 30,000 residents in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania state Representative Phyllis Mundy proposed a one-year moratorium on new natural gas drilling permits in Pennsylvania. Mundy is concerned that the industry is moving ahead too quickly. She wants to step back in order to get the time to learn how to do it right. The risks in doing it wrong are enormous and long-lasting. Representative Mundy made the announcement on Monday, June 21, 2010.

The Proposal

The Democrat plans to introduce the moratorium proposal in the capital city of Harrisburg later this week. She plans to introduce two other bills to protect drinking water from contamination from Marcellus Shale gas drilling. One bill would prohibit drilling within 2,500 feet of a primary source of drinking water such as a reservoir. The current legal distance is only 100 feet, Mundy said.

The other bill requires national action. The bill calls for a resolution to urge The United States Congress to repeal a provision in the federal Safe Drinking Water Act that exempts oil and gas drilling companies from certain restrictions on drilling near drinking water sources.

The Huntsville Reservoir provides drinking water for 30,000 people in Luzerne County, and the nearby Ceasetown reservoir provides drinking water for another 70,000 citizens. Much of the land around the reservoirs has already been leased.

Source: Bob Kalinowski, Mundy calls for drilling moratorium, The Citizens Voice Newspaper, June 22, 2010.