Thursday, January 24, 2013
'There is no justification whatsoever for disclosing anything less than 100 percent of the information about the substances in the air and water of Pennsylvania residents,' the legislator said.
State Rep. Jesse White introduced legislation this week that would require the state Department of Environmental Protection to disclose the full and complete testing results—including raw data and documentation—of any environmental tests conducted by the department on a landowner’s or leaseholder’s property in Pennsylvania. According to H.B. 268, DEP would have to make the information available at no cost and within five business days of receiving a written request from the landowner or leaseholder, or face civil penalties of up to $1,500 if the department fails to make the information available. White, D-Cecil, who previously called on DEP to make public the full testing data and other details related to air and water quality tests amid …
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
All state Rep. Jesse White wants for Christmas is...
Dear Santa, I’d like to think I have been a pretty good state representative this year. 2012 has been a big year for me; I got married to the love of my life, plus I got re-elected. I was even talked into rescuing another animal, a kitten named Woodrow, which brings our menagerie to a total of two dogs and two cats (and no, I do NOT want any more cats for Christmas or any other holiday). I didn’t raise anyone’s taxes and I fought hard on some really important issues, so I think I’ve done about as much as possible for a politician to stay off of your “naughty” list. As such, I have put together my Christmas wish list for this year. The first item on my wish list is to have a few more hours in the day. No matter how hard I try, there’s …
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
'The fact that DEP has gone to such lengths to hide the facts should make us all suspicious,' state Rep. Jesse White said.
Last month I sent out a press release asking about the testimony given under oath in depositions by two high-ranking officials at the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. These officials testified the DEP is using a system of codes, called ‘Suite Codes’ to limit the information given to landowners who have their water tested if there is a suspicion of contamination near a natural gas drilling site. Instead of addressing the damning words of his own employees, DEP Secretary Krancer released two separate responses. He went to great pains to avoid addressing the specific issues, instead resorting to personal attacks and misdirection. He ignored what’s really important, which is making sure the people of Pennsylvania get all …
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
'I simply do not trust them to do the right thing for the people I represent, and I’m not willing to give the DEP the benefit of the doubt when the health and safety of my constituents may be at risk,' state Rep. Jesse White said.
Last week, I was copied on a letter sent by a local attorney to Michael Krancer, secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. The letter contained some very explosive information that is extremely relevant to our region when it comes to Marcellus Shale natural gas drilling. The facts in the letter are based on two depositions given under oath by two DEP employees, Bureau of Laboratories Technical Director Taru Upadhyay and Water Quality Specialist John Carson, in a lawsuit filed against the DEP and a natural gas drilling company by a Washington County resident over potential contamination of his well water from drilling activities. The DEP employees testified they were aware of impacts on the resident’s water …
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Read the letter Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Michael Krancer sent to state Rep. Jesse White over a press release the lawmaker sent out last week regarding water testing reports.
Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Michael Krancer on Thursday released a statement addressed to an area lawmaker who last week called for an investigation into the government agency over the reporting methods involved with water testing near Marcellus Shale drilling areas—saying it appeared the legislator “misapprehended some important facts.” State Rep. Jesse White, D-Cecil, said the DEP was withholding results for 16 of the 24 heavy metals tested for in groundwater samples near drilling sites—and called on state and federal authorities to launch an investigation into department practices. In the two-page letter to White, Krancer said, among other things, that a statement the lawmaker released to the media last week …
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
'At this point, I simply do not trust the DEP to do its job, and neither should anyone else in Pennsylvania," state Rep. Jesse White said in his weekly column.
I recently introduced a two-bill package in the state Legislature that would change the head of the Department of Environmental Protection from an appointed secretary to an independently elected commissioner. The bills—HB 2606 and 2607—would change the Pennsylvania Constitution to give the DEP commissioner true independence to do his or her job, much like we did in 1981 by moving the office of Attorney General from an appointed to elected position. What’s the benefit? First and foremost, any time the people have a direct say in choosing their leaders, it’s a good thing. Voters would be able to examine candidates based upon their qualifications and knowledge of the issues to help decide, which is much better than the current system of the …
40.1883
-80.234
State Rep. Jesse White
3855 Millers Run Road, Cecil, PA
/articles/proposed-dep-changes-spring-from-suspected-cornerstone-care-cover-up
1819720
/locations/7914848
Thursday, July 26, 2012
"Unfortunately, the DEP's track record of secrecy and protecting unidentified interests over the health of Pennsylvania residents demonstrates they simply cannot be trusted to provide the transparency this crucial issue demands," state Rep. Jesse White sa
One day after the state Department of Environmental Protection announced plans for air quality monitoring to study the impact of Marcellus Shale drilling in Washington County, the Office of Open Records denied a local lawmaker's appeal of DEP's refusal to release raw testing data from similar tests at Cornerstone Care health clinic in nearby Burgettstown. Citing the DEP's "lack of transparency," state Rep. Jesse White, D-Cecil, said the study, which will monitor for air pollutants in Chartiers and Mt. Pleasant townships relative to nearby natural gas development, cannot be fully trusted based on the DEP’s handling of Cornerstone Care. He is calling for a collaborative effort to ensure public confidence in the process. On Tuesday, the DEP …
Monday, July 23, 2012
The department announced the news in a release Monday.
The state Department of Environmental Protection announced today it has started a one-year air monitoring study of Marcellus Shale development. The study in Washington County will measure ambient airborne pollutants in an effort to determine potential air quality impacts associated with the processing and transmission of unconventional natural gas. “We operate on facts and sound science, and this study will provide us with data on long-term air quality in an area of active natural gas extraction,” DEP Secretary Mike Krancer said. “There has been a documented downward trend in airborne pollutants across the state over the past 10 years, and Marcellus Shale development holds the promise of emissions benefits from the use of this cleaner-…
Monday, June 25, 2012
State Rep. Jesse White said, 'Either DEP did a shoddy job in conducting the testing and doesn’t want to be embarrassed, or the data shows something the DEP doesn't want the public to see.'
Editor's Note: This story was updated at 3:58 p.m. to include response from DEP. State Rep. Jesse White said to consider his mind blown. The state Department of Environmental Protection denied the Cecil lawmaker's open records request for air-quality test data from the agency's investigation of odors at Cornerstone Care—a non-profit medical clinic in Burgettstown. Cornerstone has been closed since May 25, when it was forced to evacuate the facility for a third time. White said the letter, dated June 18, and signed by the DEP's open records officer, stated that the DEP's investigation concerning the odors at Cornerstone was "non-criminal" in nature and was exempted from the state’s Right to Know Law. White said he plans to appeal DEP's …
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
State Rep. Jesse White said that for Cornerstone Care, that's exactly the case.
Last week, an 80-year-old cancer patient called my office asking about the progress of reopening the Cornerstone Care health clinic. It’s important to her because she can’t drive very far for medical care because of her ongoing chemotherapy. Her dilemma brought back memories of driving my late grandmother to and from chemo—every breath was an effort, every unnecessary action took an indescribable toll on her body. By failing to disclose vital public information that could ease the suffering of that woman and others like her, the state Department of Environmental Protection’s role has fundamentally shifted from being part of Cornerstone’s solution to being part of the problem. On June 13, the DEP sent me a summary of the environmental …
Donald Roessler
1:08 pm on Saturday, January 26, 2013
Yes I get the O-R. I haven't looked at the Energy Report section yet but it looks like a good one. more ›