Marcellus Shale - Gas Wells

September 13, 2010

Gas activists urge caution

Harveys Lake residents hear an environmental group’s concerns about drilling.

By Matt Hughes mhughes@timesleader.com
Staff Writer   |   Matt Hughes on Facebook   |   @TLMattHughes on Twitter

HARVEYS LAKE – Mere miles from the site where Encana Oil & Gas will soon begin drilling a natural gas well in Lake Township, residents of neighboring Harveys Lake met Thursday with the Gas Drilling Awareness Coalition to hear the environmental activist group’s position.

Mayor Clarence Hogan said he invited the group to speak at Our Lady of Victory Church to inform his constituents about the potential environmental hazards posed by natural gas drilling.

“I wanted to host it to get our residents aware of what could possibly happen with this gas drilling, this fracking,” Hogan said. “I don’t want to wake up some morning and go out on my front porch to see fish floating out there dead, and that could happen.”

About 75 residents turned out to see group founder Tom Jiunta’s PowerPoint presentation about the issue.

Jiunta prefaced his presentation by stating his group is not opposed to those who have leased their land to gas companies.

“We have nothing against people who have leased their land. All I care about is clean air and clean water,” Jiunta said. “We want to work together to preserve our land.”

Jiunta said only 12 residents of the borough, less than half of 1 percent of residents or 1 percent of households, have leased their land thus far, Jiunta said.

Jiunta claimed gas drilling presents dire risks to air and water quality and public health, and that the gas drilling industry is loosely regulated and suffers from lack of oversight.

“The problem is that oversight is done by the gas companies,” Jiunta said. “That’s the fox watching the henhouse.”

Jiunta recommended all borough residents have their water tested for contaminants before drilling begins.

Michael Daley, of the borough council’s Environmental Advisory Committee, said geologist Brian Oram of Wilkes University is offering a group well-testing rate for borough residents and that data collected will be pooled to establish a baseline water quality profile for the community.

Borough resident MerryAnn Edwards said she would “absolutely” have her water tested, despite the approximately $1,000 price tag of testing.

“I’m concerned about my water, and my property value and the lake,” Edwards said, “even more concerned for the environment, and most very concerned about the lack of regulation on this industry.”

Council members said after the meeting that the borough is reviewing a model municipal drilling ordinance that was submitted by the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund.

Tweet	Follow @TLnews

Send Question or Remark to the Publisher