HELP STOP EZ-FRACK
EMAIL YOUR REPRESENTATIVE in HARRISBURG PA
- EZ-FRACK: AUTOMATIC APPROVAL
- EZ-FRACK: RUBBERSTAMP REVIEW AND APPROVAL
House to vote on bad DEP permitting bill
This week, the House is expected to vote on legislation that would severely limit (or possibly eliminate) the role of the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to adequately review applications for pollution and other permits.
House Bill 1659 sets very short deadlines for DEP to review permits, then declares that permits are approved if DEP can’t meet any of the deadlines. Meanwhile, the General Assembly has been cutting DEP’s budget, hindering its ability to timely review permits.
House Bill also requires DEP to develop a plan within 90 days to outsource permit reviews to non-DEP employees. Sports teams cannot bring their own referees or umpires to games, but FRACKERS in Pennsylvania may soon be able to decide who reviews their permit applications. This will encourgage the Gas Industry to go Permit Review Shopping to find the "reviewer" with the fastest and cheapest rubber stamp.
DEP opposes HB 1659, but Secretary Michael Krancer has been uncharacteristically timid in sharing his opinion of the bill with legislators.
HB-1659 will give the Natural Gas Industry yet another gift. No other industry in Pennsylvania enjoys such special considerations.
HB-1659 will turn the permitting process into a wink and a nod.
HB-1959 renders the entire notion of permits completely useless and fit only for use as toilet paper.
With Act 13 the Natural Gas Industry is free to frack where ever it wants and NOW the Natural Gas Industry wants to frack even faster with an EZ-Frack permitting process?
Of the 7,019 applications that DEP has processed since 2005, only 31 have been rejected - less than one-half of one percent. The Average time spent on reviewing a permit is 35 minutes. Aren't we rubberstamping permits fast enough already?
HB-1659 will allow the Natural Gas Industry to go "reviewer shopping" and find the the cheapest and fastest rubberstamper in the state.
Lobbyists spent $1,300,000 just on the “impact fee bill”. This is approximately 1/3 of the amount spent for the entire previous year. How much are they paying for HB-1659?
It seems in the best interest of public health and safety and the environment that this bill does not proceed to the senate. Please email your Representative and ask them to vote NO.
Emails are preferred over phone calls.
Consider this:
ReplyDeleteOf the 7,019 applications that DEP has processed between 2005-2011, only 31 have been rejected - less than one-half of one percent. The Average time spent on reviewing a permit is 35 minutes.
http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/energy/2011-04-13-pa-gas-drilling-permits.htm
Ok so what does this mean? Does it mean the DEP isn't properly reviewing permits? Or does it mean the Natural Gas Industry are very very very good at filling out paperwork? If it's the later, then why are there soooooo many fracking violations which the Natural Gas Industry brushes off as "just paperwork"? Did the Natural Gas Industry suddenly become inept on filling out "paperwork" once a permit has been granted?
Shit! I had no idea how bad things were in my old home state. Maybe I should move back there so I can vote!
ReplyDeleteDory, How can New Yorkers help with this?
ReplyDelete