Apr 27, 2015 2 min read

From the beginning, horizontal drilling and fracking in Southwestern Pennsylvania have been experiments undertaken by the shale gas industry. The industry chose to use our communities as testing grounds for new methods of extraction and production, relying on reckless ideas like direct disposal of wastewater into our rivers and streams.

Over time, the industry has admitted to making things up as they go, and other states have watched things play out from the sidelines. Meanwhile, the commonwealth has consistently failed to hold the industry accountable for its actions and failed to protect public health and the environment.

As the Department of Environmental Protection revisits some of its oil and gas regulations, we must demand more state oversight of an industry that has gotten away with so much for too long. On Wednesday, starting at 6 p.m., there will be a hearing at Washington & Jefferson College on these regulations, known as Chapter 78. Thus far, there are many proposed improvements to the regulations, but they are still not enough to keep our communities and the environment safe.

The DEP must prohibit operators from using open pits, which we know leak, for storage of contaminants; require drillers to check for orphaned and abandoned wells near their drilling pads and paths; restore clean water to those whose water supplies have been affected by drilling; implement noise controls to protect the quality of life near well pads; increase public participation in the permitting process for oil and gas surface infrastructure; and include a 1-mile minimum setback from schools.

These are just some recommendations to make our communities safer and more livable, now and for years to come.

Veronica Coptis

Carmichaels

Coptis is the deputy director of the Center for Coalfield Justice.