More about gas drilling

For those of you who pay attention you know that I have invited all local officials and candidates for office to give us a statement about gas drilling. I will publish the response unedited.

The first one is from Republican James O'Meara Sr. who wants to replace Democrat Eddie Day Pashinski in the 121st District

Gort... here you go! Thanks for the opportunity to write a bit on this...


I agree with Representative Pashinski: He and many others in Harrisburg left the barn door open. Now they are scrambling to round up the horses that bolted out of the barn. Bill Goldsworthy said it best when he noted that rules and regulations for gas companies should have been in place long ago.

As to my views on drilling…

In April, at the Issues and Eggs breakfast in Wilkes-Barre , I reminded folks of an old saying: “…there never seems to be time to do things right, but there’s always time to do it twice.”

I said that natural gas drilling must be done right the first time. We don’t get a “do over.”

Yes, there is a potential for Marcellus shale drilling to bring enormous benefits to our entire region. It offers a promise of jobs, economic growth, energy independence, and improved national security.

But drilling must be done in a way that puts public safety and preservation of our water supplies and other natural resources above profits. That’s as plain as I can say it.

Here’s what I’d like to see:

…No drilling on State Game Lands or Forests. We have the responsibility, under the Commonwealth’s Constitution, to protect our natural resources.
…Disclosure of the chemical makeup of “fracking” compound. Regulators in the state of Wyoming now require this. And the energy industry in Wyoming has decided they can live with disclosure. It’s time we wake up and demand the same thing in Pennsylvania , too.
…No drilling within one mile of community drinking water supplies. Without full disclosure of the chemical makeup of fracking compounds, more distance needs to be placed between drill sites and water supplies.
…Instead of a severance tax, I propose what I call the “Mother Earth Safety Deposit.” Gas companies would pay Pennsylvania a per-well deposit for each well drilled. Interest earned from the well deposits would go solely to the Commonwealth. When the well is shut down, the deposit would be returned after the site is inspected and deemed safe. The gas companies would have a significant financial stake in safe drilling.

James O’Meara, Sr.