More gas drilling ahead for Pa’s federal and state forests

Gas drilling in Pennsylvania’s Tioga State Forest — PennFuture photo

Environmentalists, conservationists and others opposed to natural gas drilling in state and federal forests have  been dealt a stinging defeat as a U.S. appeals court ruled that the owners of mineral rights in a
national forest in Pennsylvania don’t have to wait for an environmental
study before drilling.

The 3rd U.S. Court of Appeals upheld a Pennsylvania district court’s
ruling that mineral rights owners don’t have to wait for an
environmental impact study from the U.S. Forest Service to start
drilling in the Allegheny National Forest, according to a report by the Platts news service.

The U.S. Forest Service in 2009 opted to call for a long-term
environmental impact assessment of the national forest as part of a
settlement with the Sierra Club and other advocacy groups.

The Pennsylvania Oil and Gas Association and other groups sued to
return to 1980 measures that require a 60-day notice before drilling
operations begin.

The federal appeals court upheld the lower court’s decision, saying
the owners of mineral rights would suffer an undue burden while waiting
years for the EIS.

Natural gas production from the Marcellus shale gas play in
Pennsylvania was reported at 1.87 billion cubic feet per day during the
first half of 2011, a 22 percent increase over production reported in
the second half of 2010.

Corbett planning to drill Pennsylvania out of debt?

Meanwhile, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported today that the Republican administration of Gov. Tom Corbett is considering the expansion of gas drilling in forests and other state-owned land.

“Gov. Tom Corbett’s administration in Harrisburg is considering
leasing more state land, though there are no firm plans at the moment,
said Corbett spokesman Eric Shirk.

“The January 2010 lease sale under former (Department of Natural Resources and Conservation) Sec. (John) Quigley
included 18,000 acres of ecologically sensitive wild and natural areas
which can only be accessed underground and which brought in $128 million
for taxpayers,” wrote Patrick Henderson, Gov. Corbett’s energy
executive, in e-mailed comments. “Done correctly, it is possible to
develop our commonwealth’s natural resources while ensuring the
protection of our public lands.”

About 800,000 acres of the 1.5 million acres of state land in the
Marcellus fairway are unleased. Most of the unleased land either is in
ecologically sensitive areas or cannot be accessed without cutting
through those areas, according to a study by the DCNR.

The state forests have a long history of hosting other drilling and
mining, but the Marcellus rush has only just begun. The Marcellus wells
there have nearly doubled over the past year to 175. Another 125 to 150
will go in next year on land already under lease, department
spokespeople said. Initial department estimates posted on its website
had figured for nearly 6,500 wells on nearly 1,100 well pads. 

The push is for money. Once a seven-figure trickle, the state’s Oil
and Gas Lease Fund has exploded from new oil and gas money. It earned a
combined $444.1 million in 2009 and 2010, more than double what it made
in its previous 61-year history, according to department figures.

“I knew this was opening Pandora’s box. It was too successful, and
the numbers were just staggering,” said Quigley, who helped oversee the
last round of leasing under then-Gov. Ed Rendell. “I can’t criticize
Gov. Corbett for doing the same thing my boss did. … The danger is
that some could look to the state forest as a way out of financial
problems, as easy money.”

DCNR expects to bring in a record of $58 million in rent and
royalties alone in the 2011-12 fiscal year, spokeswoman Christina Novak
said.

Last month, Gov­er­nor Corbett’s Sec­re­tary of Eco­nomic and Com­mu­nity
Devel­op­ment, Alan Walker, said that increased drilling in
Pennsylvania’s state forests could bring in “close to $60 bil­lion” over
the next three decades. ““That allows us to solve just about every
eco­nomic prob­lem we have that is hang­ing out there, he said, “includ­ing
un-funded pen­sion lia­bil­ity and infra­struc­ture prob­lems.” .

What’s your opinion on expanded natural gas drilling in national and state parksa Uses the comment box below.  If one isn’t visible, activate it by clicking on the tiny ‘comment’ line.

Related:
OK to drill in Pa. forest, court rules 



———————————————————————————————————————————-


Like this post? You’ll love our daily newsletter, EnviroPolitics

Try it free for 30 days!  No obligation. Cancel anytime with one click

More gas drilling ahead for Pa’s federal and state forests Read More »

NJ Technology Council’s final call for presentations

Our friends at the New Jersey Technology Council asked us to pass the information below to our readers. We are happy to oblige.
__________________________________________________________________________

FINAL Call for Presentations – Delaware Valley
Technology Research Symposium
October 6, 2011 at Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ
Deadline for Entries – September 19th at 11:45 pm  

 

The New Jersey Technology Council is
delighted to announce a new effort in conjunction with Rowan University – the Delaware Valley Research Symposium
which will take place at Rowan University on the afternoon of October
6th.  Submission is for Research Projects in the
fields of Information Technology/Software, Electronics/Advanced Materials,
Environment/Energy, Life Sciences and Telecom/Media which is in the early – mid
development stages.

Either corporate or university graduate, post doctoral
fellows or researchers can participate.  Entries from South Jersey (Princeton
South), Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia are sought.
The focus of this competition is partnering, collaboration and visibility, not
funding. 

Two participants
(one representing corporate and one educational for each category) will be
selected to present their concept at the event on the afternoon
of October 6 in a six minute presentation.  With
permission, a video recording will be made of their presentation and will be
made available for viewing on www.njtc.tv.

Selected
presenters will also have an exhibit table at the event and individual
opportunities to meet with potential collaborators.

For
more information on submitting a very short and simple presentation, click HERE. 
————————————————————————————————————————————-

Our most recent posts:
USGBC offers free green jobs training for NJ employers
The right and left debate RGGI in New Jersey



———————————————————————————————————————————-


Like this post? You’ll love our daily newsletter, EnviroPolitics

Try it free for 30 days!  No obligation. Cancel anytime with one click

NJ Technology Council’s final call for presentations Read More »

USGBC offers free green jobs training for NJ employers

To help workers and businesses better compete in a
difficult economic climate; The US Green Building Council-New Jersey
(USGBC-NJ) has entered into a new partnership with the state
Department of Labor and Workforce Development (LWD) to provide free, on-site  “Green Jobs” training to its chapter members.

The training will center
around the field of Green Building to help USGBC-NJ members align
themselves with the ever-changing demands on workforce skill. The new
trainings will focus in large part on LEED® (Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design) test preparation enabling members to obtain
accreditation that will enable them to compete for the proliferation of
green oriented work that is on the horizon.

The organization says the training will help “companies compete effectively and acquire a
greater percentage of the jobs created under the State’s Energy Master
Plan.”

The customized educational
programs will be made available at no cost to USGBC-NJ individual
chapter members. The training will be conducted onsite at an
employer’s office or in one of the designated USGBC-NJ training
facilities.

The two part program will
include LEED® Training which includes LEED® Green Associate
recommended modules. The first part of the training will include the
LEED® & Fundamentals of Sustainability . The second part of the
training will include a variety of customized training programs for
multiple disciplines also inclusive of LEED® Technical Review and Exam
Review.  Customized Programs include but are not limited to: Operations
& Maintenance, Facilities Management, Construction Management &
Trades, Legal Considerations in Green Building & LEED, Real Estate
& Development, LEED Neighborhood Development, Green Building &
Labs, and Corporate Sustainability, LEED & Schools.

More information on the USGBC-NJ training program can be found by clicking on this link

Our most recent posts:
The right and left debate RGGI in New Jersey


———————————————————————————————————————————-



Like this post? You’ll love our daily newsletter, EnviroPolitics

Try it free for 30 days!  No obligation. Cancel anytime with one click


USGBC offers free green jobs training for NJ employers Read More »

The right and left debate RGGI in New Jersey

On May 26, 2011, Republican Gov. Chris Christie punched New Jersey’s environmental community in the nose with this announcement: Gov: NJ’s pulling out of climate-change compact, RGGI.

Within days, Democrats in the state legislature were holding hearings to question the governor’s decision  (NJ’s withdrawal from RGGI contested in Assembly) and introducing legislation A4108/S2946 to keep the state in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative compact.

Since then, the legislation cleared both houses along partisan lines and was delivered to the governor. As expected, he vetoed it on August 19.

But RGGI (pronounced Reggie)  is not yet dead, as its allies are now pushing for a vote this fall to override the veto. And they have a hot new argument to use.

Secret meeting between governor and industrialist

Last week, blogs and newspapers reported that, before he delivered his surprise RGGI-withdrawl pronouncement, Christie met secretly with fossil-fuel billionaire David Koch (pronounced Coke) who is financing a number of right-wing think tanks and activist groups opposed to carbon-control efforts like RGGI.  

Op-Eds, pro and con

With that as a backdrop, let us point you to two Bergen Record op-ed pieces that take up the RGGI stay or RGGI go debate. 

Writing on September 1 in support of Governor Christie’s decision (Taking sides on the environment) was Mike Proto, the communications director for Americans for Prosperity New Jersey.

Writing in rebuttal of Proto’s piece on September 11 (Facts on RGGI contradict its critics) were Peter Shattuck, the carbon markets policy analyst at Environment Northeast and Xavier Walter, who is president and co-founder of The Energy Team
in Southampton, NJ.

We suggest that you read them both and let us know what you think in the comment box below. If the box is not visible, click the tiny ‘comments’ line, also below. If you’re not sure where you stand on the issue, don’t worry. With every seat in both houses of the State Legislature up for grabs in the November election, and environmental issues playing their normal role, you can expect to read a god deal more about RGGI between now and then.   


———————————————————————————————————————————-


Like this post? You’ll love our daily newsletter, EnviroPolitics

Try it free for 30 days!  No obligation. Cancel anytime with one click

.  

The right and left debate RGGI in New Jersey Read More »

Where do you get your environmental news?


Readers of our daily e-newsletter, EnviroPolitics,
got to see 55 stories in yesterday’s edition alone,
including these:


New Jersey Politics

Oliver disputes Christie’s account on
controversial bill The Democratic
leader of the New Jersey Assembly said she was “beginning to wonder if
Gov. Christie is mentally deranged” after an audiotape surfaced Wednesday
of comments he made in June at a previously unheralded meeting.

Former campaign treasurer sentenced for embezzlement Andrew McCrosson, a former campaign treasurer for U.S. Rep.
Frank LoBiondo, was sentenced to 30 months in prison Wednesday for embezzling
more than $450,000 

NJ redirects $1.25B in tunnel funds for other work The New Jersey Turnpike Authority
has formally rededicated $1.25 billion from the canceled Hudson River commuter
rail tunnel to local road and bridge projects over the next five years 

DRPA to consider use of unspent funds
Amid growing financial pressures,
the Delaware River Port Authority may decide next month whether to reclaim some
of its $29 million in unspent “economic development” funds  


New Jersey Environment

Governor, oil baron had private meeting Months
before New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie announced the state was withdrawing from
a pact aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions among 10 Northeastern states,
he met with one of the billionaire oil industry brothers who have fought to end
regional greenhouse gas initiatives

Will pipeline upgrade harm enviro-sensitive sites? The Christie administration’s aggressive effort to expand
the state’s system of natural gas pipelines is posing uncomfortable policy
decisions for the agencies overseeing that effort 

NJ hunters helping the hungry reach million-meal mark New Jersey has lots of hungry people.
Fortunately, it also has lots of white-tailed deer



Pennsylvania Environment
Activists protest at gas drilling
industry conference Several hundred o activists and homeowners packed the
sidewalks outside a natural gas industry conference Wednesday in Philadelphia
and called for a moratorium on drilling, which they said is contaminating
water, harming animals and threatening public health hazard 
Chesapeake CEO skewers protesters
picketing event When Aubrey McClendon , the CEO of
Chesapeake Energy, arrived in the City of Brotherly Love, he didn’t see much
love. So the unofficial front man for independent drillers used his lunchtime
keynote address to skewer the rowdy group outside as much as he promoted the
friendly audience inside  

Gov’s message to a flooding midstate: “Now is the time to prepare” State offices will be open Thursday. Those in flood-prone
areas don’t need to panic, but they need to be ready to move. The governor is
staying in Harrisburg, ditching plans to attend a Marcellus Shale conference in
Philadelphia

Pennsylvania Politics 



Corbett to appear monthly Philly
call-in radio show 
Tough issues await Philadelphia City
Council after summer recess 
State-owned colleges finalize
contract with support employees

New
York/Nation/World 

  • TV executive behind ‘Springer’ tries to win House
    Seat 
  • Bloody weekend show intractable gun problem 
  • A immigration culture clash over gay marriages 
  • Cash flowing after vote 
  • Schumer asks $5.8B in flood aid for Irene 
  • Rochester fights ash borer, treats 4,300 trees 
  • 2 more solar companies get U.S. loan backing 

Here’s how to get your own copy of
yesterday’s issue
Plus a FREE, no-obligation, 30-day
trial subscription
  1. Type: “September 9 Issue” in the subject line of an email
  2. Send the email to: recentissue@aweber.com 
  3. Check your email for a simple, confirmation
    message 

Problems? Email: editor@enviropolitics or call
215-295-9339 

Enjoy the issue—and 30 more if you choose!

Where do you get your environmental news? Read More »

Do environmental regulations kill jobs?

As the economy remains stuck and the presidential campaign season opens, how environmental regulations affect jobs will be a hot-button issue in numerous races and debates. The New York Times article below is, in our view, a good place to start the discussion.  What do you think?  Have federal and state environmental regulations harmed the economy?  Should new proposals be put on ice until job growth picks up? Should existing regulations be rolled back to spark an economic recovery?  If so, which ones?  Use the comment box at the bottom of the post to share your thoughts. If one isn’t visible, click on the tiny ‘comments ‘link.
—————————————————————————————————

      A Debate Arises on Job Creation and Environment

By and
Published: September 4, 2011

Do environmental regulations kill jobs?

Republicans and business groups say yes, arguing that environmental protection is simply too expensive for a battered economy. They were quick to claim victory Friday after the Obama administration abandoned stricter ozone pollution standards.

Many economists agree that regulation comes with undeniable costs that can affect workers. Factories may close because of the high cost of cleanup, or owners may relocate to countries with weaker regulations.

But many experts say that the effects should be assessed through a nuanced tally of costs and benefits that takes into account both economic and societal factors. Some argue that the costs can be offset as companies develop cheaper ways to clean up pollutants, and others say that regulation is often blamed for job losses that occur for different reasons, like a stagnant economy. As companies develop new technologies to cope with regulatory requirements, some new jobs are created.

What’s more, some economists say, previous regulations, like the various amendments to the Clean Air Act, have resulted in far lower costs and job losses than industrial executives initially feared.

For example, when the Environmental Protection Agency first proposed amendments to the Clean Air Act aimed at reducing acid rain caused by power plant emissions, the electric utility industry warned that they would cost $7.5 billion and tens of thousands of jobs. But the cost of the program has been closer to $1 billion, said Dallas Burtraw, an economist at Resources for the Future, a nonprofit research group on the environment. And the E.P.A., in a paper published this year, cited studies showing that the law had been a modest net creator of jobs through industry spending on technology to comply with it.

The question of just how much environmental regulation hurts jobs is a particularly delicate one as leaders in Washington debate the best ways to address the nation’s stubbornly high unemployment rate. As President Obama prepares for an important speech on Thursday focusing on job creation, Republicans are pushing for a rollback in environmental regulations that they say saddle companies with onerous costs that curtail jobs without leading to significant improvement in environmental or public health.


See full story at:  nytimes.com

Our most recent posts:
Obama Visits Flood-Ravaged New Jersey
Obama decision blindsides enviros-and his own EPA
NJ Gov. Chris Christie wants you back — on the beach
Obama caves in to industry on Clean Air Act rules  
NJ eyes faster payback for water utilities that make infrastructure upgrades 

 
———————————————————————————————————————————-

Like this post? You’ll love our daily newsletter, EnviroPolitics

Try it free for 30 days!  No obligation. Cancel anytime with one click

Do environmental regulations kill jobs? Read More »