All Discussions Tagged 'DEP' - GoMarcellusShale.com2024-03-28T13:43:22Zhttps://gomarcellusshale.com/forum/topic/listForTag?tag=DEP&feed=yes&xn_auth=noPennsylvania Attorney General Is ‘Looking Into’ Fracking Problems Across Statetag:gomarcellusshale.com,2017-11-01:2274639:Topic:7661162017-11-01T13:16:15.620ZPaul Heckberthttps://gomarcellusshale.com/profile/PaulHeckbert
<p>excerpt:</p>
<p>"<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;"><strong>Over the past seven months, Pennsylvania’s Attorney General has received an influx of phone calls from residents alleging that officials at the state’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) have ignored or covered up drinking water contamination</strong>, illness, animal deaths, and other impacts they relate to oil and gas operations. According to agents within the Office of the Attorney General (OAG), the…</span></p>
<p>excerpt:</p>
<p>"<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;"><strong>Over the past seven months, Pennsylvania’s Attorney General has received an influx of phone calls from residents alleging that officials at the state’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) have ignored or covered up drinking water contamination</strong>, illness, animal deaths, and other impacts they relate to oil and gas operations. According to agents within the Office of the Attorney General (OAG), the calls began pouring in after a Public Herald report in February revealed over 100 cases of official misconduct were committed by DEP oil and gas staff during investigations of citizen water complaints since 2004. …</span></p>
<p class="p2"></p>
<p class="p1">Since June, Public Herald has received <strong>reports from residents who have been visited by Shapiro’s agents, but Attorney General Shapiro’s office has yet to announce an official investigation</strong>.</p>
<p class="p2"></p>
<p class="p1">Some of the residents who contacted Shapiro’s office have told Public Herald they are hopeful – after all, Shapiro campaigned on the promise to defend Pennsylvanians against pollution from oil and gas operations.</p>
<p class="p2"></p>
<p class="p1">Others are skeptical. “I don’t hold out any hope for justice for what’s going on,” said Jennifer Lisak, who was visited at her home in Jefferson County by one of Shapiro’s agents in June. “Too many people have been harmed for too many years, and nothing has been done. It just keeps getting worse.” "</p>
<p class="p1"></p>
<p><a href="http://publicherald.org/pennsylvania-attorney-general-launches-fracking-probe-residents-call-help/" target="_blank">http://publicherald.org/pennsylvania-attorney-general-launches-fracking-probe-residents-call-help/</a></p>
<p><a href="http://publicherald.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/fracking_drinking_water_complainant_tioga_county.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://publicherald.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/fracking_drinking_water_complainant_tioga_county.jpg?width=400" width="400" class="align-full"/></a></p>
<p>Mike Buckwalter holds a water sample collected in the creek where his cattle used to drink.</p> DEP knew of public water contamination from drilling and fracking in Coudersport, but told no onetag:gomarcellusshale.com,2016-09-29:2274639:Topic:7510942016-09-29T14:30:13.491ZPaul Heckberthttps://gomarcellusshale.com/profile/PaulHeckbert
<p><strong>One Year Later: Officials Found Drilling Chemicals in Public Water, But Told No One</strong></p>
<p>"One year ago, on September 24, 2015, a new company owned by billionaire Terry Pegula — JKLM Energy — announced that it had contaminated private drinking water supplies while drilling for natural gas in Potter County, Pennsylvania. ... Public Herald has uncovered evidence that, from the very beginning, JKLM Energy and DEP officials knew contaminants were detected in public drinking…</p>
<p><strong>One Year Later: Officials Found Drilling Chemicals in Public Water, But Told No One</strong></p>
<p>"One year ago, on September 24, 2015, a new company owned by billionaire Terry Pegula — JKLM Energy — announced that it had contaminated private drinking water supplies while drilling for natural gas in Potter County, Pennsylvania. ... Public Herald has uncovered evidence that, from the very beginning, JKLM Energy and DEP officials knew contaminants were detected in public drinking water, but told no one. ...</p>
<p>In 2015, an October 7th email to JKLM representatives obtained by Public Herald, PA DEP Program Manager Jennifer Means wrote: “We…noticed the detects of MBAS and acetone in the hospital spring, and BTEX in Coudersport’s Well 1..."</p>
<p>BTEX — <strong>benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene</strong> — are a group of carcinogenic compounds that can damage human health. The chemicals are often in fluids for fracking, and have been detected at high volumes returning back to the surface as ‘flowback’ — or wastewater."</p>
<p><a href="http://publicherald.org/one-year-later-officials-found-drilling-chemicals-in-public-water-but-told-no-one/">http://publicherald.org/one-year-later-officials-found-drilling-chemicals-in-public-water-but-told-no-one/</a></p> John Hanger on Our self-destructive gas industrytag:gomarcellusshale.com,2016-04-10:2274639:Topic:7272702016-04-10T14:19:21.493ZPaul Heckberthttps://gomarcellusshale.com/profile/PaulHeckbert
<p>John Hanger, Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection under Governor Rendell, who helped bring fracking to Pennsylvania, wrote an op-ed for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that says "<em>The industry and its sycophants fight a drilling tax, blast reasonable proposals to cut methane leaks and strengthen drilling safety, shortchange some royalty owners and often stonewall mistakes instead of owning them. These practices are playing badly with both red and blue…</em></p>
<p>John Hanger, Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection under Governor Rendell, who helped bring fracking to Pennsylvania, wrote an op-ed for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that says "<em>The industry and its sycophants fight a drilling tax, blast reasonable proposals to cut methane leaks and strengthen drilling safety, shortchange some royalty owners and often stonewall mistakes instead of owning them. These practices are playing badly with both red and blue America.</em>" and points out that a majority of Americans oppose fracking.</p>
<p></p>
<p>(biography of Hanger: <a href="https://stateimpact.npr.org/pennsylvania/tag/john-hanger/">https://stateimpact.npr.org/pennsylvania/tag/john-hanger/</a>)</p>
<p></p>
<p>Here's the full text:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.post-gazette.com/opinion/Op-Ed/2016/04/10/Our-self-destructive-gas-industry/stories/201604100022">http://www.post-gazette.com/opinion/Op-Ed/2016/04/10/Our-self-destructive-gas-industry/stories/201604100022</a></p>
<p></p>
<br />
<h1><span class="font-size-7">Our self-destructive gas industry</span></h1>
<h2><span class="font-size-5">Natural-gas executives are their own worst enemy</span></h2>
<span class="storydate">April 10, 2016 12:00 AM</span><br />
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<div class="byline">By John Hanger</div>
<div class="byline"></div>
<div class="thisStory"><p>The natural gas industry is in its worst 12-month-period ever, but its leaders are acting like the captain of the Titanic.</p>
<p>The price of natural gas is at rock-bottom levels, hurting producers while helping consumers. Yet low prices remarkably are compounded by collapsing public support, as documented by a national Gallup poll released last week.</p>
<p>Low prices are making the gas industry even more insular, defensive and tone deaf as it sails toward disaster. The industry and its sycophants fight a drilling tax, blast reasonable proposals to cut methane leaks and strengthen drilling safety, shortchange some royalty owners and often stonewall mistakes instead of owning them. These practices are playing badly with both red and blue America.</p>
<p>At this time last year Americans were split on fracking — fracturing rock deep underground to release natural gas — with 40 percent supporting it and 40 percent opposing it. Now, Gallup reports that just 36 percent support fracking and 51 percent oppose it.</p>
<p>The biggest erosion came among Republicans, as GOP support plunged from 66 percent to 55 percent. Meanwhile, Democrats and independents overwhelmingly oppose fracking, with approval at only 25 percent of Democrats and 34 percent of independents. No wonder so many Democrats support a ban on fracking altogether.</p>
<p>For the gas industry to lose so much support so quickly, even as its huge production delivers energy bargains to heating and electricity consumers, is astonishing, but the gas industry keeps damaging itself every day, ignoring louder and louder alarm bells.</p>
<p>We should remember that the decline in natural gas prices is saving homes an average of about $1,000 per year compared with costs in 2008 before shale production surged. For poor and lower-income families, these savings make the difference between keeping the heat and lights on or having a bit of money for clothing or a trip to the grandparents.</p>
<p>Low gas prices also are causing a massive switch from coal to natural gas for generating electricity. For the first time ever, natural gas in 2016 will generate more electricity than any other energy source. The result is a lot less mercury, soot, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and carbon pollution coming from power plants.</p>
<p>Other benefits of drilling include jobs and royalty checks. Yet here again the industry hurts itself by inflating by three times the real number of jobs it’s creating directly and indirectly and by shortchanging some of its royalty owners.</p>
<p>Despite the significant benefits of natural gas, gas drilling is an industrial practice that brings spills, traffic, local air pollution and other burdens, such as earthquakes. Yes, irresponsible underground disposal of drilling wastewater, especially in Oklahoma and Texas, is causing numerous earthquakes, some of them strong enough to damage property and risk lives. Deep underground disposal of wastewater should be stopped within three years.</p>
<p>Natural gas is a fossil fuel but much cleaner than coal or oil. And those of us who have homes in the Three Mile Island nuclear evacuation area, in particular, understand that no energy option is perfect.</p>
<p>The gas industry, however, minimizes and stonewalls its mistakes and downsides. If the gas industry does not change fundamentally its practices, its problems will grow worse. Changing its disastrous messaging alone won’t fix its problems.</p>
<p>To stop the erosion of public support, the natural gas industry must accept reasonable drilling taxes and stop shortchanging royalty owners. It must end underground disposal of drilling wastewater and embrace strong rules to reduce methane leaks and drilling mishaps. It must own its mistakes, such as the water contamination in Dimock, Pa., instead of denying or minimizing them.</p>
<p>Change is always resisted and often rejected. The gas industry, however, rejects fundamental change at its peril.</p>
<p>Perhaps the executives making decisions think nothing could be worse than the past 12 months. But if they think their industry is overtaxed, overregulated and overly criticized now, all they have to do is see what happens if public support erodes further.</p>
<p>Today, the gas industry is its own worst enemy, and it is on a collision course with an iceberg.</p>
</div> Debate on fracking by Democratic candidates for PA Senatortag:gomarcellusshale.com,2016-04-09:2274639:Topic:7270802016-04-09T18:33:11.215ZPaul Heckberthttps://gomarcellusshale.com/profile/PaulHeckbert
<p>Excerpts from the Allegheny Front story and audio: <a href="http://www.alleghenyfront.org/fracking-is-becoming-a-big-deal-in-the-democratic-senate-race/">http://www.alleghenyfront.org/fracking-is-becoming-a-big-deal-in-the-democratic-senate-race/</a></p>
<p>"The three leading Democratic candidates for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Republican Pat <strong>Toomey</strong> have been sparring over the past few weeks over environmental issues—particularly fracking.</p>
<p>Former…</p>
<p>Excerpts from the Allegheny Front story and audio: <a href="http://www.alleghenyfront.org/fracking-is-becoming-a-big-deal-in-the-democratic-senate-race/">http://www.alleghenyfront.org/fracking-is-becoming-a-big-deal-in-the-democratic-senate-race/</a></p>
<p>"The three leading Democratic candidates for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Republican Pat <strong>Toomey</strong> have been sparring over the past few weeks over environmental issues—particularly fracking.</p>
<p>Former Congressman and Navy Rear Admiral Joe <strong>Sestak</strong> and Braddock Mayor John <strong>Fetterman</strong> have both called for a moratorium on fracking until regulations are tightened. Katie <strong>McGinty</strong>, former chief of staff for Governor Tom Wolf, does not support a moratorium.</p>
<p>“I’m for a moratorium on fracking,” Sestak told WPSU’s public affairs program <a href="http://radio.wpsu.org/programs/take-note" target="_blank">Take Note</a> recently. “How can you ever do something where the solicitor general has said our Department of [Environmental] Protection (DEP) wasn’t prepared to oversee the drilling? And it didn't have the proper regulations nor the enforcement of it, and therefore you see where our drinking water is being damaged."</p>
<p>Sestak was referring to a <a href="http://www.paauditor.gov/Media/Default/Reports/speDEP072114.pdf" target="_blank">2014 Pennsylvania solicitor general’s report</a> that found the DEP provided inconsistent and inadequate oversight over the fracking industry."</p>
<p></p> Range Resources cited by DEP for violations at 44 well sitestag:gomarcellusshale.com,2016-02-25:2274639:Topic:7197662016-02-25T02:33:31.835ZPaul Heckberthttps://gomarcellusshale.com/profile/PaulHeckbert
<p>"Dozens of Range Resources well sites were recently listed out of compliance with state environmental laws and, in some cases, it took state regulators years to record the violations. The same violation – failure to clean up a site within 9 months of drilling a well – was noted for all 44 sites inspected through an administrative review, according to Department of Environmental Protection records. ... Of the 44 violations, …</p>
<p>"Dozens of Range Resources well sites were recently listed out of compliance with state environmental laws and, in some cases, it took state regulators years to record the violations. The same violation – failure to clean up a site within 9 months of drilling a well – was noted for all 44 sites inspected through an administrative review, according to Department of Environmental Protection records. ... Of the 44 violations, <a href="http://www.depreportingservices.state.pa.us/ReportServer/Pages/ReportViewer.aspx?/Oil_Gas/OG_Compliance">40 sites were affected in Washington County</a>, and <a href="http://www.depreportingservices.state.pa.us/ReportServer/Pages/ReportViewer.aspx?/Oil_Gas/OG_Compliance">four were found in Allegheny County</a>."</p>
<p></p>
<p><a href="http://www.pennlive.com/news/2016/02/dep_cites_marcellus_shale_dril.html">http://www.pennlive.com/news/2016/02/dep_cites_marcellus_shale_dril.html</a></p>
<p></p>
<p>Is this what Range Resources meant by their slogan "Drilling is just the beginning"?</p> HELP US STOP THE DIMOCK DRILLING BANtag:gomarcellusshale.com,2013-09-18:2274639:Topic:5003462013-09-18T04:52:15.629ZAnn Van Lentenhttps://gomarcellusshale.com/profile/AnnVanLenten784
<p>Dimock, PA landowners are asking for your help.</p>
<p>We have been waiting for 4 years for the PA Dept. of Environmental Protection to complete their study of the Dimock water issues. 740 residents and their families are being unjustly held back from exercising their gas lease rights because of the 9-square mile drilling ban. Most of us live nowhere near Carter Road and we believe most of us don't even share the same water acquifer. Cabot Oil & Gas cannot drill on our properties,…</p>
<p>Dimock, PA landowners are asking for your help.</p>
<p>We have been waiting for 4 years for the PA Dept. of Environmental Protection to complete their study of the Dimock water issues. 740 residents and their families are being unjustly held back from exercising their gas lease rights because of the 9-square mile drilling ban. Most of us live nowhere near Carter Road and we believe most of us don't even share the same water acquifer. Cabot Oil & Gas cannot drill on our properties, however, the DEP allows them to drill everywhere else in the state of Pennsylvania - even across the street from the imaginery 9-square mile line.</p>
<p>Yes, the drilling ban is still in effect in Dimock. The DEP refuses to communicate with the landowners involved. They are, in effect, ignoring us. We've gotten little support from our representatives or the press - and no answers at all from the DEP. We ask each and every one of you, no matter where you live, to sign our free online petition asking the PA DEP to "STOP THE DIMOCK DRILLING BAN". Just think - <u>your</u> land could be included in an arbitrary drilling ban at any time.</p>
<p>Please sign our petition at: <a href="http://www.dimockproud.com/">www.dimockproud.com</a> and ask your relatives and friends to take a moment to do the same. Our voices cannot and will not be heard unless we have a large number of signatures. Please help us to regain our land rights.</p>
<p>Thank you for your support in our fight for justice.</p>
<p> </p> Help Us Stop The Dimock, PA Drilling Bantag:gomarcellusshale.com,2013-09-18:2274639:Topic:5003402013-09-18T04:16:59.511ZAnn Van Lentenhttps://gomarcellusshale.com/profile/AnnVanLenten784
<p>Dimock, PA landowners are asking for your help.</p>
<p>We have been waiting for 4 years for the PA Dept. of Environmental Protection to complete their study of the Dimock water issues. 740 residents and their families are being unjustly held back from exercising their gas lease rights because of the 9-square mile drilling ban. Most of us live nowhere near Carter Road and we believe most of us don't even share the same water acquifer. Cabot Oil & Gas cannot drill on our properties,…</p>
<p>Dimock, PA landowners are asking for your help.</p>
<p>We have been waiting for 4 years for the PA Dept. of Environmental Protection to complete their study of the Dimock water issues. 740 residents and their families are being unjustly held back from exercising their gas lease rights because of the 9-square mile drilling ban. Most of us live nowhere near Carter Road and we believe most of us don't even share the same water acquifer. Cabot Oil & Gas cannot drill on our properties, however, the DEP allows them to drill everywhere else in the state of Pennsylvania - even across the street from the imaginery 9-square mile line.</p>
<p>Yes, the drilling ban is still in effect in Dimock. The DEP refuses to communicate with the landowners involved. They are, in effect, ignoring us. We've gotten little support from our representatives or the press - and no answers at all from the DEP. We ask each and every one of you, no matter where you live, to sign our free online petition asking the PA DEP to "STOP THE DIMOCK DRILLING BAN". Just think - <span style="text-decoration: underline;">your</span> land could be included in an arbitrary drilling ban at any time.</p>
<p>Please sign our petition at: <a href="http://www.dimockproud.com/">www.dimockproud.com</a> and ask your relatives and friends to take a moment to do the same. Our voices cannot and will not be heard unless we have a large number of signatures. Please help us to regain our land rights.</p>
<p>Thank you for your support in our fight for justice.</p> Why hasn't this company been in the news yet?tag:gomarcellusshale.com,2011-07-16:2274639:Topic:1210472011-07-16T03:56:15.503Zcraighttps://gomarcellusshale.com/profile/craigsmith
<p>Why hasn't this company been in the news yet? I think I know why, how about you?</p>
<p>With all the negative 'news/opinions' regarding fracing that we have been bombarded with in the media you would think that this company, Hydrozonics , would be all over the news as well. They have been in business for 20 yrs, they now successfully reclaim/recycl 100% of flowback. There are many other benefits including elimination of chemical use. Even if you are against fracing, you need to see…</p>
<p>Why hasn't this company been in the news yet? I think I know why, how about you?</p>
<p>With all the negative 'news/opinions' regarding fracing that we have been bombarded with in the media you would think that this company, Hydrozonics , would be all over the news as well. They have been in business for 20 yrs, they now successfully reclaim/recycl 100% of flowback. There are many other benefits including elimination of chemical use. Even if you are against fracing, you need to see what cutting edge technology is being used in the industry. They are solving just about every problem the anti-fracking folks can come up with.... Which gives you a glimpse into the near future i suspect. There is one impressive list of companies that have/are using their technology. I found this while searching the Marcellus Shale Advisory Committee website. The link is to a DEP site and includes a presentation to the Marcellus Shale Advisory Committee on April 27, 2001. It is a shame this was never covered anywhere. </p>
<p> </p>
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://files.dep.state.pa.us/PublicParticipation/Public%20Participation%20Center/PubPartCenterPortalFiles/Marcellus%20Shale/Hydrozonix_Presentation.pdf">http://files.dep.state.pa.us/PublicParticipation/Public%20Participation%20Center/PubPartCenterPortalFiles/Marcellus%20Shale/Hydrozonix_Presentation.pdf</a></p>
<p> </p> EQT's Hydraulic Fracturing Fluid Composition Released to the PA DEPtag:gomarcellusshale.com,2010-08-27:2274639:Topic:448092010-08-27T18:57:38.914ZKeith Mauck (Site Publisher)https://gomarcellusshale.com/profile/marcellus_shale
<p>EQT is the second producer to release this information.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Follow link: <a href="http://www.eqt.com/production/compositions.aspx">http://www.eqt.com/production/compositions.aspx</a></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Can someone break this down into what some of these actually are?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Especially the Scale Inhibitor and the Gelling Agent? Isn't that what they do rather than their composition?</p>
<p> </p>
<p align="left"><font face="Arial" size="1"><font face="Arial" size="1">Typical…</font></font></p>
<p>EQT is the second producer to release this information.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Follow link: <a href="http://www.eqt.com/production/compositions.aspx">http://www.eqt.com/production/compositions.aspx</a></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Can someone break this down into what some of these actually are?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Especially the Scale Inhibitor and the Gelling Agent? Isn't that what they do rather than their composition?</p>
<p> </p>
<p align="left"><font size="1" face="Arial"><font size="1" face="Arial">Typical Marcellus Well</font></font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="1" face="Arial"><font size="1" face="Arial">(BJ Services)</font></font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="1" face="Arial"><font size="1" face="Arial">Water, 95.5291%</font></font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="1" face="Arial"><font size="1" face="Arial">Sand, 4.2231%</font></font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="1" face="Arial"><font size="1" face="Arial">FR, 0.0955%</font></font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="1" face="Arial"><font size="1" face="Arial">Biocide, 0.0495%</font></font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="1" face="Arial"><font size="1" face="Arial">Scale Inhibitor, 0.0264%</font></font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="1" face="Arial"><font size="1" face="Arial">15% HCL, 0.0579%</font></font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="1" face="Arial"><font size="1" face="Arial">Gelling Agent, 0.0167%</font></font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="1" face="Arial"><font size="1" face="Arial">Gel Breaker, 0.0017%</font></font></p>
<p><font size="1" face="Arial"><font size="1" face="Arial"> </font></font></p> Regulations on Natural Gas Drilling: An Analogy that we can all relate totag:gomarcellusshale.com,2010-02-18:2274639:Topic:221212010-02-18T15:23:40.050Zroy joneshttps://gomarcellusshale.com/profile/royjones
<p>Let's face it, the majority of people involved with shales have no clue as to what is going on around them. They don't know the history of drilling, they don't know the regulations, and they don't know the environmental protection advances the industry has made over the past 50 years since the start of hydraulic fracturing. I'm not saying this in a negative way. Why would people know anything about these new technologies? If instead a "shale boom", let's imagine there was a "maplewood…</p>
<p>Let's face it, the majority of people involved with shales have no clue as to what is going on around them. They don't know the history of drilling, they don't know the regulations, and they don't know the environmental protection advances the industry has made over the past 50 years since the start of hydraulic fracturing. I'm not saying this in a negative way. Why would people know anything about these new technologies? If instead a "shale boom", let's imagine there was a "maplewood boom" and people wanted to rip the sides off of my log cabin. What would I do? I would likely become extremely protective of my pricey wood cabin, and would likely have a defensive stance. It doesn't necessarily mean the loggers are wreckless, but that defensive mechanism is the natural human response.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The kneejerk response to this shale boom isn't much different. Instead of your log cabin, you are protecting your land, your water, your environment. It's new to people, and that is fine, but before we start pointing fingers at who is responsible for safe drilling we have to understand the specific roles of the people involved. I feel as though the claims of "We have to stop these oil companies from steamrolling through our land! Let's petition against them" are pointed in the wrong direction. Energy companies follow strict laws and operate under the watchful eye of governing bodies. They abide by their rules or they can't drill. I feel as though an analogy everybody can relate to can clear this up.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Let's say Joe gets on a highway in Texas. Joe sees the speed limit is listed as 70. Joe knows this enforcing agency is extremely strict with violations, fines up to a million dollars, so Joe will never go over that limit. This speed limit number has been revised over the past 50 years and it works. It's safe. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Joe then hears a brand new highway has opened up in the Appalachian basin and wants to test it out. This highway is new to the Appalachian Basin residents who are used to their 25 mile per hour side roads. A 70 mile per hour limit is unheard of, so the agencies tighten up and set it at 60. As always, Joe abides by this limit set by the agencies. In fact, Joe must present written documents for his speed across every mile he drives or he can not use it. Still, this new highway is extremely new to current residents. They see Joe on the road and they develop an anger towards Joe, even though he has been safely driving on these types of roads for the past 50 years. The residents make a lot of noise to try and slow down the speed limit to 45 on the highway. It passes. The New York residents slow it down to ZERO. Nobody is on that highway. No tolls are paid. Still, the anger is towards Joe. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>My question is, why would Joe be to blame for following the speed limit? In the same sense, why would energy companies be to blame for following the set of laws in place? These restrictions aren't new to the industry. They were created and refined over the past 50 years. You don't hear about the people using the Texas highways that safely abide by the speed limit - which include thousands of drivers everyday. What you hear of are the 1 or 2 incidents per year where somebody drove over the limit, likely because of a mechanical problem, and got in a fatal accident. Those are the incidents that make the news. This creates an overwhelmingly biased view of those Texas highways.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>There are two points here:</p>
<p> </p>
<p>1. These restrictions and techniques may be new to the Appalachian basin, but they are far from a new technique and set of rules. They have been refined for you already across the country. Even though this speed limit is a lot higher than we're used to, they are still much stricter than the majority of the country.</p>
<p><br/>2. Even if you still have a problem with the "speed limit", why blame Joe? Why is it the energy companies are responsible for making even stricter regulations? If you drove on that highway, would you ever get out of your car and change the speed limit from "60" to "30"? ..... or even in the most drastic cases "0". It's not the driver's job to change the limits. People have anger towards the wrong group. You want Joe to slow his speed down? Then try and get the limits changed. You don't ask Joe to do that, you ask the enforcing agency. Joe really isn't such a bad guy you know.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The limits are there. They're stricter than most of the country. They are abided by, and these companies have a watchful eye on them at all times. If we shut down these highways we'll have to resort to our horse and buggies like New York is doing right now. Did I mention those buggy axels are imported from foreign countries? </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Let's let Joe drive. Go Marcellus.</p>