Category: Pennsylvania
-
Exxon to Face Criminal Charges for 50,000+ Gallon Fracking Wastewater Spill
By Emily Atkin Exxon Mobil Corp. subsidiary XTO Energy will have to face criminal charges for allegedly dumping tens of thousands of gallons of fracking waste at a Marcellus Shale drilling site in 2010, according to a Pennsylvania judge’s ruling on Thursday. Following a preliminary hearing, Magisterial District Judge James G. Carn decided that all…
-
Inspector General Finds EPA Justified in Intervening to Protect Drinking Water from Fracking
Today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Inspector General found EPA Region 6 was justified in legally intervening to protect Parker County, TX residents’ drinking water from drilling impacts. At Sen. Inhofe’s (R-OK) request, the Inspector General investigated to determine if Region 6’s intervention against Range Resources was due to political influence by the Obama administration. [caption…
-
Fracking Pipeline Stirs Controversy in Bluegrass State
By Natasha Khan The land agent first came knocking on Vivian and Dean House’s door in July. They sat on the patio of the retired couple’s 85-acre farm in this Central Kentucky town and chatted. The guy was friendly, the kind of guy Dean could talk to about fishing. He put the couple at ease…
-
PA Supreme Court Finds Parts of Act 13 Unconstitutional, Allows Municipalities to Limit Fracking
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court issued an opinion yesterday in the closely-watched case of Robinson Township v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, No. 63 MAP 2012. The case was a challenge filed by several Pennsylvania municipalities against the state legislature’s adoption of Act 13. Act 13 sought to eliminate zoning authority from municipalities over oil and gas extraction.…
-
Pennsylvania Regulators Fast Track Coal Ash Disposal Plans Despite Flaws
By Sharon Kelly Across the U.S., the shale rush has unleashed a frenzy of excitement about domestic energy supplies. But the oil and gas produced from fracking comes along with billions of gallons of wastewater and tons of mud and rock that carry radioactive materials and heavy metals. As problems with disposal mount, the industry has offered…