Bill targets gas well issues

BY ROBERT SWIFT, Times-Shamrock Writer

HARRISBURG – Natural gas well operators would face new emergency preparedness requirements under a bill by state Sen. Lisa Baker that cleared a Senate committee this week.

Baker, R-20, Lehman Twp., steered the safety bill out of the Senate Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee which she heads.

The measure requires operators to post emergency information, including GPS coordinates, at well sites and file emergency response plans with state officials and the county 911 center.

The bill’s goal is to cut down on response time and prevent small incidents from escalating into major accidents, said Baker.

“First responders have been telling me they often don’t know where well sites are being drilled or what dangers they will face when they arrive on the scene,” she added.

Baker is pushing for a Senate floor vote on the bill next month.

Meanwhile, legislation spelling out public notification requirements for gas drillers applying for state well permits was introduced this week by Rep. Dave Reed, R-62, Indiana, a member of the House Republican leadership.

The measure requires applicants to send notice by certified mail to all landowners and water sellers with water supplies within 1,000 feet of the proposed well.

The bill is needed to clarify differing interpretations under existing state law about whether all landowners or just landowners with wells need to be notified, said Reed. He chairs the House Majority Policy Committee. In that role, Reed plans to hold statewide hearings this summer on revising the state 1984 oil and gas act with an emphasis on water protection and wastewater treatment issues.