PennEnvironment Marcellus Shale Statement of Principles Gas extraction in the Marcellus Shale in Pennsylvania has already led to water pollution, harmful air emissions, withdrawals of millions of gallons of water from Pennsylvania’s rivers and streams, and drilling within Pennsylvania’s state forestlands – lands owned by the people of Pennsylvania. Residents near gas extraction‐heavy areas are already feeling some of its negative effects. A well in Bradford County blew out during the hydraulic fracturing process, spilling thousands of gallons of toxic fluid and forcing the evacuation of at least seven families. A drinking water advisory was issued for roughly 325,000 residents of the Pittsburgh area for three consecutive years, partially due to pollution from gas drilling wastewater. Gas fields could become major sources of health‐threatening smog and hazardous air pollutants. With industry projecting on the order of 50,000 new wells over the next two decades, gas extraction is likely to move into greater proximity of populated areas. Pennsylvania’s natural resources are also threatened by increased drilling activity. Roughly 40 percent of Pennsylvania’s state forests that fall within the Marcellus shale – nearly 700,000 acres – have been leased out to private companies for gas drilling. As drilling increases on this leased land, so does the likelihood that long‐term, negative environmental effects will occur. We, the undersigned organizations and individuals call on our state leaders and elected officials to enact the following: Ensure gas drillers pay the full cost of gas drilling clean‐up through impact fees, and setting mandatory penalties for companies that break the law, pollute the environment or put public health at risk. Pennsylvania should levy a drilling fee on gas drilling companies for the valuable natural resources they remove from underneath the Commonwealth’s lands. A portion of this fee should be used to pay for future damages to Pennsylvania’s waterways and land. The Commonwealth should also implement mandatory minimum penalties for violating state and federal environmental laws or regulations related to gas drilling. These penalties should be stiff enough to discourage companies from breaking the laws in the first place. Bond requirements should also be increased to cover the true cost of gas well reclamation. Serious repeat offenders should be restricted from drilling. Designate important and pristine places off‐limits to drilling, including: the remainder of state forests that have not been leased to gas drillers; state parks; areas that supply drinking water to downstream communities; areas close to homes and businesses; sensitive or threatened ecosystems such as wetlands, and important habitat for threatened or endangered species. Improve the public’s right to know by requiring gas companies to report to the Department of Environmental Protection and the general public in an easy‐to‐find and timely manner: the types, amounts and concentrations of the chemicals used during hydraulic fracturing – the process used to extract gas from underground – at each well; withdrawal volumes from Pennsylvania’s waterways, amounts and makeup of flowback wastewater and the treatment or destination of the waste. Increase the resources available to regulators. After years of budget cuts, funding for crucial state agencies such as the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), Susquehanna River Basin Commission (SRBC), Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC), and the Fish and Boat Commission, should be increased to allow these agencies the ability to tackle the challenges associated with gas drilling and keep pace with increased drilling with the appropriate number of enforcement staff on the ground. Authority should be given back to Pennsylvania’s County Conservation Districts to help manage the gas drilling permitting process. Strengthen Pennsylvania’s clean water laws already on the books. This includes: expanding the protective buffer zone around streams, rivers and drinking water supplies; requiring pre‐drilling surveys of waterways near a proposed gas well; setting water withdrawal limits; setting reporting requirements on discharges and wastewater disposal; improving the regulations around gas well construction and inspection; requiring the state to account for cumulative impacts of natural gas exploration from multiple drilling sites when permitting new drilling. Prevent gas companies from forcing residents to sign leases through forced pooling requirements. Efforts to regulate spacing of wells should not result in property owners being forced to sign leases they do not want. Support local governments through allowing stricter municipal rules, and by addressing local impacts from disruptions caused by this large, transient industry. Conduct a full cumulative impact analysis of existing and likely proposed drilling in Pennsylvania’s Marcellus Shale, including an analysis of impacts on water quality and quantity, air quality, land use, habitat and human health. Halt additional drilling until all environmental and public health protections listed above are implemented. __________________________ Name __________________________ Organization __________________________ Affiliation/Position __________________________ Phone __________________________ Email _______________________________________ Address/City/State/Zip LOCAL OFFICIALS Borough of Media Environmental Advisory Council Stephen P. Kunz Borough of Media, PA Co‐Chair Environmental Advisory Council Det Annsin Schuylkill Township, PA Doylestown Borough Council Doylestown, PA Councilman R. Daniel Lavelle Pittsburgh City Council Ronald T. Beimel Pittsburgh, PA Chairperson Elk County Board of Commissioners Diane Ellis‐Marseglia County Commissioner Councilwoman Blondell Brown Bucks County Board of Commissioners Philadelphia City Council Philadelphia, PA Councilman Bill Peduto Pittsburgh City Council Carol Buskirk Pittsburgh, PA Environmental Advisory Council West Hanover Environmental Advisory Council Councilwoman Natalia Rudiak West Hanover, PA Pittsburgh City Council Pittsburgh, PA Don Cunningham Chief Executive Councilman Doug Shields Lehigh County Pittsburgh City Council Pittsburgh, PA Susan Curry Chair Councilwoman Barbara Silzle Environmental Advisory Council Lansdowne City Council Ambler, PA Chair of Environmental Committee Lansdowne, PA John Dindak Mayor John Stoffa West Homestead Borough County Executive West Homestead, PA Northampton County Councilman Patrick Dowd Gail Stringer, Ph.D. Pittsburgh City Council Lower Makefield Township Pittsburgh, PA Environmental Advisory Council Yardley, PA Alan Dresser Chair Joe Sundeen Environmental Advisory Council Lower Makefield Township Lower Makefield Township, PA Environmental Advisory Council Yardley, PA Councilman Eric Evans Bethlehem City Council PUBLIC HEALTH EXPERTS Bethlehem, PA Allison Abayasekara Public Health Professional Councilman Bill Greenlee Mechanicsburg, PA Philadelphia City Council Philadelphia, PA Vivek Ahya, MD Assistant Professor of Medicine Council President Darlene Harris Medical Director of Lung Transplantation Program Pittsburgh City Council University of Pennsylvania Hospital Pittsburgh, PA Philadelphia, PA Councilman Bruce Kraus R. Aimee Ando, DO Pittsburgh City Council Abington Memorial Hospital Pittsburgh, PA Philadelphia, PA Kimberly Connolly, MPH, RN Amy Auchincloss, Ph.D., MPH Clinical Assistant Professor, College of Nursing Assistant Professor Director, Center for Global and Public Health Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics Villanova University Drexel University Villanova, PA Philadelphia, PA Alice Coyle, MD Aaron Barchowsky, Ph.D. MRI/CT Technologist Professor, GSPH Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia University of Pittsburgh Philadelphia, PA Pittsburgh, PA Pamela Dalton, Ph.D., MPH Emma Barinas‐Mitchell, Ph.D. Monell Chemical Senses Center Assistant Professor, GSPH University of Pennsylvania University of Pittsburgh Philadelphia, PA Pittsburgh, PA Andrew Dancis, MD Julie Becker, Ph.D., MPH Associate Professor President and Founder University of Pennsylvania, School of Medicine Women’s Health and Environmental Network Philadelphia, PA Philadelphia, PA Michelle E. Danielson, Ph.D. Amy Behrman, MD Research Associate Director, Occupational Medicine University of Pittsburgh, GSPH Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania Pittsburgh, PA Philadelphia, PA Mary Amanda Dew, Ph.D. Natalie Arnold Blais Professor, School of Medicine Master of Public Health Candidate University of Pittsburgh University of Pittsburgh, GSPH Pittsburgh, PA Pittsburgh, PA Jill Diesel, MPH Signe A. Jonsson Brightman, MD University of Pittsburgh, GSPH Adjunct Professor of Clinical Pathology Pittsburgh, PA University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine Sharon Dillon Philadelphia, PA Health Director Jenners Pond Center Andrea Brockman BSN, DDS West Grove, PA President OraMedica International, LLC Vincent DiLorenzo, MD Muncy Valley, PA CEO OraMedica International, LLC John Brooks, MD Muncy Valley, PA Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine University of Pennsylvania Hospital Richard L. Doty, MD Philadelphia, PA Director, Smell and Taste Center University of Pennsylvania, School of Medicine Paul F. Burroughs, Esq. Philadelphia, PA Erie County Board of Health Chairperson Molly M. Eggleston, MPH, CHES, CPH Erie, PA Pittsburgh, PA Thomas R. Comerci, MD David Eibling, M.D. Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine Board Member Temple