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CAUSE REPORT: Stop Natural Gas Drilling in PA!
Over a mile below the earth’s surface in many regions of Pennsylvania, there is a mostly untapped reservoir of natural gas in a type of dark rock form known as Marcellus Shale. This resource can be accessed and harvested by drilling into the earth, using a technique called hydraulic fracturing. This involves using water to blast 6,000 feet into the ground.

Beginning in 2008, The State of Pennsylvania began to lease hundreds of thousands of acres of State Forest to private drilling companies. Some geologists say that the Marcellus Shale in PA could be one of the largest in the nation. Now gas drillers are looking to lease local land in an attempt to find and remove the gas, whose value increases as energy prices soar.
The wastewater from hydraulic fracturing contains a variety of sediments, contaminants and toxins. Gas drilling companies are sending their runoff into the surrounding areas, and the toxins are seeping into drinking water supplies (One such case in The Monongahela River supply).
Senate Democrats hope to introduce a bill to stop additional leasing — at least until the environmental impact of the drilling is better understood. The EPA ordered a study in 2009 to further examine the environmental effects of hydraulic fracturing.
WHAT WE WANT:
- Support legislation to stop land leasing to natural gas companies in PA until further EPA studies are conducted.
- Support legislation to mandate that existing gas companies and drill sites divert their wastewater to special waste treatment facilities.
- Stop the State of PA from signing private leases of State Forest land.
ADDITIONAL READING
Art In The Age Blog – Protect PA’s Public Lands!
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review – Gas Drilling Debate Coverage
State of PA Frequently Asked Questions
Scientific American - Dangers of Hydraulic Fracturing
Philadelphia Inquirer – Threats of Gas Drilling to Forests
The Wilkes Barre Times-Leader – Articles on The Marcellus Shale Drilling
VIDEO: Impacts of Natural Gas Drilling
Stop Marcellus Shale Natural Gas Drilling
Written by robin on 04/29/2010 in Activism | Blog | Causes | News | Philadelphia | Politics | Theory/Criticism
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