White Announces Marcellus Shale Co-Op

State Rep. Jesse White, D-Cecil is asking municipalities within the 46th District to join him in creating a Marcellus Municipal Co-Operative program to provide local oversight of natural gas drilling sites.

"My constituents tell me they want the jobs that come with drilling, but they are concerned about the potential impact it has on the environment, their drinking water and local infrastructure," White said. "Municipalities must have the right tools to inspect the sites and enforce the regulations that protect residents from any dangers associated with drilling."

White said municipalities choosing to participate would share rescources to hire a natural gas enforcement officer, who would monitor drilling and compressor sites, enforce local ordinances and respond to concerns residents have about those operations.

"My district was the first in the commonwealth to see Marcellus Shale activity, and I think we have all been pioneers in dealing with issues surrounding the drilling," he said.  "New challenges require new approaches and fresh ideas, and I would encourage all of the municipalities in my district to join me so we can pool our collective resources in an innovative and positive way."

White said he would help municipalities organize the Marcellus Municipal Co-op and craft ordinances to establish the position and its authority, but also emphasized the program wouldn't supersede the authority of the state Department of Environmental Protection.

"We’re starting to see more and more municipalities adopting gas ordinances, but those ordinances may be ineffective if you don’t have the right experts or officers in place to enforce the law," White said. "The Marcellus Municipal Co-op would provide residents with a layer of oversight that is focused on local regulations the DEP simply cannot enforce and that often go unchecked."

He said local zoning officers are not equipped with the technical know-how to appropriately enforce portions of local ordinances regulating the oil and gas industry.

White said his initiative mirrors one in Midland, Texas, where a full-time gas enforcement officer works city-wide to ensure the stipulations set forth in the local ordinances are followed.

That gas officer, he said, has keys to all of the active drill site and compressor station facilities and is able to drop in to do inspections any time.

The scope of a local enforcement agency, White said, would be determined by the communities composing the co-op -- and that details about everything from qualifications to duties to pay scale are still undefined.

He said that while he has received "overhwhelmingly positive" feedback since announcing the initiative earlier this week, that he expects it to take a few months before any formal action is taken.

The boards and councils in the 22 municipalites that compose his legislative district, White said, have been encouraged to discuss the concept at upcoming meetings to gauge interest.

In addition, White is urging his local municipalities to form Marcellus Shale Advisory committees to handle gas-drilling related issues. He said they are common place in Texas, and "would give municipalities a dedicated source of expertise on common issues pertaining to local gas drilling matters."

White also discussed the possibility of municipalities requiring drilling companies that do business in the township or borough to participate in a system to help prevent employment of unauthorized foreign workers. White said the state House of Representatives last year overwhelmingly passed legislation mandating such a requirement, but the proposal died in the Senate.

"The natural gas industry is here to stay, so we have to be thinking about how everyone can co-exist," White said. "Residents deserve to feel safe and confident that local ordinances and protections are being adhered to. At the same time, we want to respect the rights of the gas industry and promote job creation. The best way to achieve that is by pooling our resources to enforce the laws and ordinances we already have on the books."

Representatives from Southpointe-based oil and gas company Range Resources, said they were caught off guard by the proposal.

"Unfortunately, we have no idea what this plan entails at this time. But from what we understand, Range believes that more can be done at the local level to allow for community oversight that ensures safety and minimizes inconveniences, which is why we support strong and predictable local ordinances," spokesman Mike Mackin said in a statement. "Unfortunately, this concept would be impossible for communities to enforce because every municipality has different rules and regulations."

Mackin said the company feels there are other, more viable options.

"Another approach that would give more freedom to municipalities, without more layers of government, could be to follow the lead in Lycoming County, which has a baseline ordinance that all municipalities have accepted," he said. "This has saved local tax dollars and increased predictable oversight. It's in our best interest for our operations to have the least number of inconveniences as possible and a model ordinance is a great way to achieve that balance."