In state Sen. Mary Jo White’s April 24 Butler Eagle letter to the editor concerning Act 13, she states that the practice of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is subject to the Clean Water Act and the Clean Air Act.
That statement deserves clarification.
The oil and gas industry enjoys total or partial exemptions from the Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act and many other federal laws designed to protect public health and the environment, including the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA or Superfund Act), the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), the Toxic Release Inventory under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA), and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
Additionally, the 2005 Energy Act completely removes federal Environmental Protection Agency oversight regarding frack fluid, exempting it from the Safe Drinking Water Act and allowing frackers to withhold the chemicals used during the process.
If the senator or other readers are interested in understanding more about Act 13, they may visit www.pennfuture.org. There they will find the law translated into plain English.
J.B.
That statement deserves clarification.
The oil and gas industry enjoys total or partial exemptions from the Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act and many other federal laws designed to protect public health and the environment, including the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA or Superfund Act), the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), the Toxic Release Inventory under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA), and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
Additionally, the 2005 Energy Act completely removes federal Environmental Protection Agency oversight regarding frack fluid, exempting it from the Safe Drinking Water Act and allowing frackers to withhold the chemicals used during the process.
If the senator or other readers are interested in understanding more about Act 13, they may visit www.pennfuture.org. There they will find the law translated into plain English.
J.B.
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