Monday,May 30, WDUQ (Pittsburgh) reported that last week a conference was held in State College, Pa which trained those attending in the environmental impact and law enforcement issues surrounding Marcellus shale. ”…..(M)ore than 200 federal, state and local law enforcement officers, prosecutors and environmental officials from Pennsylvania, New York, West Virginia and Ohio participated in a 2-day Marcellus Shale Law Enforcement Training Conference.
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
The article cited notes “POTENTIAL (emphasis mine) criminal enforcemrnt” for illegal dumping of frack water.
Fact is, most marcellus shale drilling law is CIVIL. It becomes a criminal matter only when deliberate illegal activity is found and the same can be said for the reader, if the reader deliberately fails to provide a proper household septic system.
Once again, the headline used by Frack Check is an overstatement, displaying Frack Check’s anti-drilling bias.
I believe the use of the word “criminal” in the headline is appropriate. The original DUQ story was headlined “Fed, State officials meet on Criminal Enforcement of Drilling”. Does that make DUQ biased as well?
Also, in the story text, this quote: According to David Hickton, U.S. Attorney for Western Pennsylvania, the conference provided an overview of state and federal requirements that companies and subcontractors must follow to ensure that workers, the public and the environment are not put at risk. Hickton says his office has a responsibility to prosecute environmental crimes….
“If the frack water (used to break the shale and released the gas) is not handled properly and, for example, is dumped without proper disposition, there would be potential criminal issues involved.” NOTE the words CRIMES and CRIMINAL.
Here’s some good news. Gordy Oil Company is working with the Monroe County Commissuion to help mitigate some of the adverse effects of gas drilling (the opposite of suffering “criminal prosecution”):
http://www.monroecountywv.net/Forms/Memorandum.pdf