Energy-environment drilling program underway

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PITTSBURGH (AP) — An uncommon partnership between oil and
gas companies and some environmental groups has accepted its first
application for a certification program aimed at promoting voluntary but
tough new standards in addition to existing government regulations on
drilling in the Marcellus Shale.
The Pittsburgh-based Center for
Sustainable Shale said Thursday one drilling company, which was not
identified, has submitted an application to be certified. Director Susan
LeGros said an independent audit of the company is scheduled for early
June.
The center has hired Bureau Veritas, a French global testing
and inspection firm, to review applications and compliance by drillers.
The certification process involves the independent review of each
applicant’s drilling and environmental protection practices. A firm that
passes the review is monitored for two years then undergoes the review
process again.
The gas drilling boom in the Marcellus Shale,
largely brought on with the use of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking,
has generated tens of billions of dollars and reduced energy bills and
fuel imports in Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia. But it’s also
brought concerns, and sparked protests, over air and water pollution.
The
certification program was not welcomed by all, eliciting sharp
differences among environmental groups and the energy industry. The
Sierra Club has criticized the effort, saying a voluntary program is no
substitute for tough state or federal rules. Chesapeake Energy has said
the program unnecessarily goes beyond government regulations, and the
company has no plans to join the partnership.
The founding members
of the center include energy companies Chevron, Shell, EQT and Consol
Energy, along with the Clean Air Task Force, Citizens for Pennsylvania’s
Future, and other groups. The Richard King Mellon Foundation this week
announced a new $150,000 grant to the center.
In a related
development, LeGros said, the Heinz Endowments and the William Penn
Foundation are no longer providing grant support. A Heinz spokeswoman
declined to comment. A Penn Foundation spokesman confirmed no additional
grants were currently in the works, but said he could not predict
future decisions.
The shale also lies under parts of New York but that state has a drilling moratorium.

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