Hydraulic Fracturing & Water Stress 

  

  

  

  

EPA Revises Permitting Guidance for Using Diesel Fuel in Oil and Gas Hydraulic Fracturing

  

  

2014 WREN Water Education Grants

Two Tracks: Watershed Education - up to $5,000 and Source Water Protection Collaborative Grants - up to $7,000

Due: March 21, 2014

Due: March 31, 2014

 Visit WREN

  

Headlines abound on the West Virginia drinking water crisis where a chemical spill in January led to ongoing concerns about safe running water for 300,000 people. Here are two recent pieces:

  

In addition, WREN has grants available up to $7,000 per project to foster collaborative drinking water protection efforts at an aquifer or county level; proposals are due March 21,2014.  For more information, click here.   

  

  

Rain garden display at Australian bus shelter.

To stimulate interest in raingardens and show how simple it is to build one, the Victorian Government's Melbourne Water has constructed a series of raingarden displays in bus and tram shelters, inside metrolite panels.

The display shows how stormwater runoff is collected on the roof and then channeled down into the raingarden. The raingarden acts as a natural filter to catch any impurities before they can run into local waterways. With the tagline across the back of the shelters, "If we can build a raingarden here, you can build one at home," the 3D raingardens show the layers and construction required for residents to add a beautiful raingarden to their properties. 

10,000 Raingardens Project helps tackle stormwater pollution in Melbourne, Australia.

As an added incentive, the water company offers construction assistance to install the rain garden, and a payment plan that allows residents to pay for the rain garden as part of their water bill. Check out the photos here. View the video above on Melbourne's 10,000 Raingardens Project.  

Mobilizing for safe drinking water, members representing multiple source water protection coalitions came together from seven counties to the DEP North Central Region office in Williamsport for a first ever joint meeting to share news and further the coalitions' goal to protect drinking water quality. 

 

 

From L to R; Dr.Jennifer Whisner, Columbia -Montour Source Water Protection Coalition Chair; Carl Cox, Tioga County Source Water Protection Coalition Chair, Mike Savage, Central PA Source Water Alliance for Protection Chair, Eric Moore, North Central Source Water Protection Alliance Chair, and John McLaughlin, Triple Divide Watershed Coalition Chair.  Photo courtesy of Jim Clark, PSU Extension

They took the opportunity to meet with DEP North Central Region Director Marcus Kohl to ask that DEP acknowledge their delineated drinking water recharge zones in DEP's gas/oil permitting system. The coalitions also asked that public drinking water systems be notified when a permit is issued in close proximity to these sensitive areas. Most coalition members now have DEP-approved source water protection plans in place, and view permit integration as an essential next step for implementing their protection plans.

 

Future annual meetings and enhanced communications are being planned by the groups. The Coalitions hope to make a difference with new Gas & Oil Regulations by submitting comments to the Environmental Quality Board. (See below for information about how to submit comments about proposed Chapter 78 Oil and Gas regulations, deadline March 14, 2014.)

 

The 55 attendees included the chairmen and members of five source water protection coalitions, community planners from Centre, Lycoming, Clearfield and Tioga Counties, Geisinger Hospital, Tioga County GIS Department, Penn State Extension, PA Rural Water Association, SSM Group, DEP and EPA. 

 

Click here to read more about drinking water coalitions.  Click here to read more about DEP's Oil and Gas Programs. 

 

 

Penn State Public Media's Water Blues Green Solutions is a 60-minute documentary telling stories about real people solving their water blues (flooding, pollution and scarcity) with green solutions in four cities across the country. The cities include Philadelphia, Portland, San Antonio, and the Bronx, NY.
 
The film can act as a catalyst for community discussions where people can share ideas, communicate local issues, build lasting relationships, and plan for the future.

Registration for the Schuylkill Watershed Congress is now open.  The Delaware Riverkeeper Network has held the annual event over the last 15 years to advance the best available information and techniques for protecting and restoring watersheds. The focus on networking across disciplines means that the Watershed Congress melds science, policy and practical applications into one program to help people interested in understanding, protecting and restoring their local streams.

 

The League's WREN Project is helping to offer a limited number of scholarships for local elected officials from Pennsylvania to attend the 2014 Watershed Congress. The goal is to help them learn ways to grow the region in a more sustainable fashion. Click here for more information on municipal scholarships. Click below for event information.  

 

Date:  Saturday, 3/15/2014

Time: 7:30am to 3:15pm
Location: Montgomery County Community College - West Campus Pottstown, Pennsylvania

Who should attend?
Municipal officials and staff; members of watershed organizations; conservancy and land trust representatives; members of community groups; civic leaders, environmental consultants and contractors; educators and students (high school and above); and the general public are all invited.

  

In light of the recent PA Supreme Court decision that invalidated portions of the Act 13 oil and gas drilling law, including setbacks, the Pennsylvania Environmental Council urged PADEP to not delay implementing the stronger proposed Chapter 78 changes. Read PEC's testimony here. On February 21, 2014, the PA Supreme Court rejected the Administration's Application for Reconsideration of its Act 13 decision. The result is the denial clears the way to return the case to Commonwealth Court to re-decide. Click here to read more.

 

The Governor called on drillers to voluntarily observe the environmental standards recently struck down as part of Act 13 by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. The Marcellus Shale Coalition stated it would agree to honor those setbacks.

The setback provisions struck down by the court had required a minimum of 300 feet between an unconventional oil or gas well bore and a stream, spring, body of water or wetland. The minimum distance for conventional oil and gas wells between a well bore and a stream, spring, body of water or wetland was established at 100 feet. Distance provisions can be waived by the state Department of Environmental Protection upon satisfactory demonstration of additional protective measures taken by an operator to ensure that water quality will be fully protected.

 

Legislative Efforts to standardize Environmental Rules and Regulations

In the aftermath of the PA Supreme Court decision, some legislators in Harrisburg are continuing to look for ways to establish uniform regulations at the state level.  State Representative Seth Grove stated his intention to House members to standardize environmental protection in the issuance of permits: "The legislation I will be introducing will enable DEP to enforce clear, consistent, and transparent set of environmental rules and regulations throughout the permitting process. These rules and regulations will preempt all local ordinances. By enabling businesses to comply with a single set of rules and regulations will help to create an open, consistent, and compliant working environment between government and businesses." Read more.

  

Zoning Hearing on Natural Gas Wastewater Treatment Plant

A Berwick-based company applies to build natural gas wastewater treatment plant. A zoning hearing will be held March 4, 2014, at 7pm at the Luzerne County Courthouse. 

 

New Chesapeake Bay Agreement Released  - Call for Public Feedback

Chesapeake Bay Program partners are seeking public input on a new agreement that will guide the next chapter of restoration across the watershed. A public comment period will run until March 17, 2014.

 

Interested parties can offer input in the following ways:

• Submitting an online comment here.
• Submitting an email to agreement@chesapeakebay.net

Current Bills Under Consideration by PA Legislators

• House Bill 1576 and Senate Bill 1047 would fundamentally change endangered species protection in Pennsylvania. Concerns are being raised that if passed, HB 1576 could change stream classifications, protections for trout and strip protections from plants and animals threatened with extinction in Pennsylvania. Proponents of the bill cite the need for a better balance of economic growth and environmental protection.  HB 1576 is scheduled for floor vote in the PA House the week of March 10th.  

• Senate Bill 411, the "Mine Drainage and Mine Pooling Water in Fracking Bill," was passed by PA Senate Appropriations Committee on January 13, 2014. The bill would amend Pennsylvania's Environmental Good Samaritan Act to limit the liability of mine operators who provide "treated mine drainage from a permitted mining activity site" for reuse in hydraulic fracturing operations in oil and gas development.  The mine operators would be "immune from liability for any cost, injury or damage arising out of the use of the treated mine drainage."

• Bill would prohibit DEP from mandating the use of stream buffers to control erosion and sedimentation in High Quality and Exceptional Value Watersheds under Chapter 102 of DEP's regulations. Click here for information in PA Environment Digest on the issue.   

• House Bill 1607 - Pennsylvania General Assembly is considering eliminating exemptions in the PA One Call law (Underground Utility Line Protection Act) that currently exclude natural gas gathering lines.  
• If approved, the bill would transfer enforcement of the One Call Law from the Department of Labor and Industry to the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission. This would remove current exemptions in state law, a move opposed by PIOGA, that exclude certain production and gathering pipelines and systems from compliance with the PA One Call law. 
• U.S. Department of Transportation, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) position:" PHMSA believes that state one call laws should not include exemptions; however, if exemptions must be included, they should be narrowly defined for specific, low-risk activities, but should not be provided for entire groups or entities.  In addition, rationale for exemptions should be supported with data."
• The Pennsylvania One-Call System, Inc. is strongly in favor of eliminating the exemptions and wants mapping and integration of all gathering lines into the One Call System in the interest of public and contractor safety.

PA Legislative Session Schedule 

• Click here for calendars and committee meeting schedules.

The League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania Citizen Education Fund (LWVPA-CEF) through its WREN Project (Water Resources Education Network) has funding available to help launch or strengthen community partnerships that raise awareness and educate citizens about ways to keep Pennsylvania water resources clean and healthy.

 

If your proposal meets our criteria, we'll work together with you to help make your project a success. For 2014, WREN offers two grant programs to help local community partnerships raise awareness about threats to water bodies and water supplies -- and promote solutions.

 

A Watershed Education track with awards up to $5,000 to help foster local community partnerships that raise awareness, implement demonstration projects and encourage behavior change that will reduce polluted runoff.

 

A Source Water Protection track with awards up to $7,000 to foster regional or County-level Source Water Protection Collaboratives that will educate local officials and residents about ways to protect public drinking water resources from contamination, improve emergency response coordination and ensure the community water supply will be sustainable.

 

Click here to read more.