Anya Litvak of the Pittsburgh Business Times has compiled important data about the enforcement by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection of gas drilling regulations that have been strengthened since 2008. Litvak reports the following:
1. 5803 gas drilling rule violations issued from 2008 to May 2011;
2. The rate of violations is declining, dropping from one violation per every 2 wells or one violation for every 4 inspections in 2010 to one violation for every six inspections or one violation for every three wells in 2011.
3. 253 violations were issued in April and May 2011 and 313 in the first 3 months Of 2011.
DEP more than doubled gas drilling enforcement staff, increasing employees from 88 to 202, by hiring in 2009 and twice in 2010.
The Pittsburgh Business Times has created a searchable database of all violations. Http://www.bizjournals.com/Pittsburgh/datacenter/search-all-marcellus-shale-violations.html. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection also posts the violations on its website.
No comments:
Post a Comment