Gas at a Glance

‘Gasland’ to premiere on HBO June 21; free screening at SCCC June 18

‘Gasland’, the award-winning gas drilling documentary by local filmmaker Josh Fox of Milanville, PA will premiere on HBO on June 21 at 9:00 p.m. The documentary depicts Fox’s 24-state quest to gain firsthand knowledge of the effects of hydraulic fracturing. A House Party Guide and Toolkit are available at www.gaslandthemovie.com/images/GaslandHousePartyGuide.pdf to help hosts orchestrate a home showing. The resources include tips on spreading the word, questions for discussion following the film and actions to take.

In addition, a free screening of ‘Gasland’ is scheduled at Sullivan County Community College’s Seelig Theatre on Friday, June 18 at 7:00 p.m. Fox and Wes Gillingham of Catskill Mountainkeeper will answer questions following the film. This event is open to the public. For more information call 845/583-4381.

Sestak seeks gas drilling moratorium

U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak, a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, has called for a moratorium on drilling in Pennsylvania until better environmental safeguards are in place. Sestak cited his concerns during a public event at Misericordia University, as reported in The Scranton Times-Tribune. “We don’t know what’s going in (the ground)” he said. “We don’t know if we have the right regulations being enforced.” Sestak is a co-sponsor of House Resolution 2766, the Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals Act, which requires that hydraulic fracturing be regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act, and require oil and gas companies to disclose chemicals used in fracking operations. Sestak also called for a severance tax on gas extraction, noting that Pennsylvania is the only one of 15 natural gas-producing states in the nation without one. Sestak’s opponent for the Pennsylvania Senate seat, Republican Pat Toomey, opposes a severance tax and the proposed moratorium.

Baker preps bills for water protection

PA state Senator Lisa Baker is preparing a series of bills to provide additional protections to drinking water sources. “Prevention and protection are preferable to crisis management and emergency response,” Baker noted. “As drilling proceeds on a larger scale, area residents want answers that show responsibility being assured, rather than risks being assumed. The economic benefits of gas extraction will be realized statewide, while the environmental drawbacks will be experienced locally. Reasonable environmental protections will not discourage the development of this industry; they will help to make sure that unreasonable costs are not imposed on local communities and homeowners.” One bill would require testing at three times—before drilling, at the completion of drilling, and six months afterwards—at three different depths. A second bill would rule out drilling at sites too close to drinking water sources such as reservoirs. A third bill would require the Department of Environmental Protection to ensure that the operators of wastewater treatment facilities are properly trained and sufficiently monitored to lessen the chances of human error creating a major problem. Baker said that some of the costs would be borne by the gas companies. Oversight costs could be paid for through a severance tax, which is still being debated. She reiterated her opposition to any severance tax plan that would devote the revenue generated to filling a hole in the state budget, rather than providing for community protection in drilling areas.