Wednesday, May 15, 2013
'With natural gas drilling of the Marcellus Shale and the infrastructure that comes with it, such as pipelines and processing plants, local government is more important now than ever,' state Rep. Jesse White rights.
Former Speaker of the House of Representatives Tip O’Neill famously declared that “all politics is local.” You can take such a statement in a variety of ways, but there are some profound truths hidden in there. The 2013 Municipal Primary Election is on Tuesday, May 21, and voter turnout is expected to be extremely low. If not for the sea of campaign signs littering landscapes everywhere, most people may not even know which offices are up for election. All federal offices, such as president, senate and members of Congress run in even-numbered years, along with statewide offices such as governor and the state Legislature. In the odd-numbered years, local offices such as borough council, township supervisor, school board director, along with …
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
The statement comes after Cecil Township supervisors voted 3-2 to meet privately with the Southpointe-based Marcellus Shale company.
Cecil Supervisor Andy Schrader wanted it on the record: He has no problem meeting with Southpointe-based Marcellus Shale company Range Resources. But it has to be public. "I am totally against private meetings," Schrader said Monday. His statement, which was echoed in a letter to the editor in the Observer-Reporter newspaper, came after the township board of supervisors voted earlier this month to meet with the company privately. Supervisors Elizabeth Cowden, Frank Ludwin and Tom Casciola voted yes on the motion. Schrader and Supervisor Mike Debbis cast the dissenting vote. Cowden had suggested the meeting, saying she hoped it would bring more cooperation instead of litigation. Range has filed several lawsuits against the township in the …
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
The idea was approved Monday by a vote of 3-2.
Cecil Township supervisors on Monday voted to hold a private meeting with Southpointe-based Marcellus Shale company Range Resources. The vote was approved by a vote of 3-2. Supervisors Andy Schrader and Mike Debbis cast the dissenting votes. In the discussion leading up to the vote, Supervisor Elizabeth Cowden said she hoped such a meeting would lead to more cooperation instead of litigation. Range Resources and Cecil Township are in court over a Right to Know issue. The company has also joined with MarkWest to appeal a decision regarding a compressor station off Coleman Road. Cowden also cited a Burkes County court case in which a quorum of supervisors met privately on a fact-finding mission without breaking the Sunshine Law. Cowden also …
40.318751
-80.217833
Cecil Township
3599 Millers Run Rd, Cecil, PA
/articles/cecil-supervisors-vote-to-have-private-meeting-with-range-resources
831714
/locations/9362721
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Before we shut to door on April, here is a look back at the the most-read stories of the month.
It's a new month, but before we shut the door on April, let's take a look back at the most-read stories it had to offer here at Canon-McMillan Patch. Without further ado... 10. Cecil Police Charging Township Man With Possession of Heroin, Resisting Arrest 9. Two-Vehicle Crash With Injuries Reported in Cecil 8. Police: Canonsburg Man Charged with DUI After Crashing Car, Falling Asleep Behind the Wheel 7. Pushak Out, Bukovinsky in As Cecil Township Police Chief 6. Police: Teen Jailed After Allegedly Stabbing Ex-Boyfriend's New Girlfriend 5. Canonsburg Woman Dies in Car Crash 4. White: DEP Ignored Open Records Request Regarding Range Resources' Worstell Impoundment 3. UPDATED: Bystanders Lifted Truck Off Ejected Driver After Cecil Crash 2. …
'Wastewater impoundments are simply not an industry best practice; they’re little more than toxic waste dumps, and new and better technologies absolutely exist,' state Rep. Jesse White writes.
A letter to the editor published on April 24 in the Washington Observer-Reporter from Range Resources' spokesman (and registered lobbyist) Matt Pitzarella stated: "Range is on record on countless occasions being in support of, and in fact lobbying for, not against, smarter and tighter regulations that adapt to new and emerging technologies." Mr. Pitzarella’s statement is stunning because less than 24 hours earlier, every member of the state House of Representatives was lobbied to do exactly the opposite. The Marcellus Shale Coalition, speaking on behalf of Range Resources, circulated e-mails to urge a vote against my amendments to HB 302, 303 and 308. My amendments would ban open air impoundments for the disposal of hazardous wastewater …
40.1883
-80.234
State Rep. Jesse White
3855 Millers Run Road, Cecil, PA
/articles/is-range-resources-spokesman-lobbying-or-lying-you-decide
1819720
/locations/9329888
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Mark West Liberty Midstream & Resources has agreed to install appropriately sized emergency vents on its condensate storage tanks and adopt an approved maintenance schedule at all 14 of its compressor stations in Washington and Butler counties.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced Tuesday two separate settlements with companies that have agreed to improve operation of their natural gas facilities in western Pennsylvania, and Washington County specifically. EPA alleged that the companies failed to comply with federal clean air regulations to prevent accidental releases of flammable substances. Mark West Liberty Midstream & Resources has agreed to install appropriately sized emergency vents on its condensate storage tanks and adopt an approved maintenance schedule at all 14 of its compressor stations in Washington and Butler counties. The Mark West compressor stations receive natural gas from well sites, separate out the liquids from the natural gas and route the …
Sunday, April 14, 2013
As the Marcellus Shale industry expands in western Pennsylvania—and individual property owners start to benefit—issues often become controversial, especially when it comes to the environment.
Marcellus Shale is here to stay. Like its natural resource predecessors—coal deep mining and strip mining, natural gas and oil wells, and logging—Marcellus Shale drilling brings jobs and a source of energy for businesses and consumers. Like its predessors, Marcellus Shale drilling also brings and will most likely leave behind environmental concerns. Today, there's mine insurance today for those who own homes and businesses above areas that were mined for coal 100 or more years ago. Reclamation efforts were mandated in 1977 to restore areas destroyed by strip mining and why there's always a danger of an oil or gas well fire or leak into waterways. Reforestation replaces trees lost to the logging industry. Already, Marcellus Shale has raised…
Saturday, April 13, 2013
State Rep. Jesse White, D-Cecil, is seeking co-sponsors for the bill to will introduce.
One local lawmaker wants the state to ban Marcellus Shale wastewater impoundments—or frac ponds—and began seeking co-sponsors Friday for a bill he intends to introduce on the matter. "Wastewater impoundments are NOT an industry best practice, as per the industry itself. The new Center for Sustainable Shale Development, which includes industry partners Shell, Chevron, CONSOL and EQT, recently identified eliminating wastewater impoundments as one of their performance standards," state Rep. Jesse White, D-Cecil, wrote in a memor to colleagues on Friday. "Unfortunately, less reputable operators will not be bound by these standards and will continue to dump this hazardous material in this highly dangerous manner. Wastewater impoundments are …
Friday, April 5, 2013
Township officials said they were largely left out of the loop when it came to the construction of a Marcellus Shale impoundment. But now, they fear it might be too late to have any say at all.
Editor's Note: This story was updated at 3:51 p.m. on Wednesday, April 10. I spoke with Department of Environmental Protection spokesman John Poisture, who clarified comments he made to Canon-McMillan Patch last week. Range Resources has built an impoundment in Cecil Township that “has basically become a dumping ground”—and Supervisor Andy Schrader said the board didn’t know much about it until after the construction was already completed. “We didn’t know about it,” he said. “By the time I found out about it, it was too late.” That’s why supervisors sent a letter to the state Department of Environmental Protection in November telling them about concerns over the site—especially in light of information that Range Resources is planning a …
Monday, April 1, 2013
Find out what story was the most popular in March (hint: it deals with the Canon-McMillan School District).
Before we put March in the memory book, here is a look back at the top 10 most-popular stories on the Canon-McMillan Patch for the month. (Drum roll please...) 10. Wrong-Way Driver Charged With DUI 9. One Injured in Cecil Township Crash 8. Fundraiser Started for Gracie the Greyhound's Vet Bills 7. Vehicle Overturns in Canonsburg—Drivers Asked to be Cautious While Traveling Through Area 6. Nearby: Teenager Jailed for Alleged Rape in California 5. Police Searching for Suspect After Chase 4. Yelp's Top 10 Restaurants in Canonsburg: Do You Agree? 3. How Can a Bully be a Good Neighbor? 2. Cecil Township Supervisors Place Police Chief on Administrative Leave And the number-one story of the month is... 1. Canon-McMillan School Board Accepts …
Jesse White, State Representative, 46th District
11:41 am on Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Understood, but since it was Act 13, a state law, that preempted local zoning, and you mentioned both me and Senator Solobay, I want to make my position clear. As for my thoughts on Range, I believe what I believe and I have substantiated it with facts. Actually, I just got more information that furthers those beliefs, and I stand by them. more ›