All Politics Are More Local Now Than Ever

'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 …

•  6 Comments
• Photos (1)

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 ›

Cecil Supervisor: I Will Not Meet Privately With Range Resources

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 …

•  3 Comments
• Photos (1)

Amanda Gillooly

6:04 pm on Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Kitty - just to clarify, the audit/report was part of a criminal investigation and is not public for that reason and others.   more ›

Cecil Supervisors Vote to Have Private Meeting with Range Resources

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 …

•  12 Comments
• Photos (1)

Is Range Resources Spokesman Lobbying or Lying? You Decide

'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 …

•  12 Comments
• Photos (1)

Gerry Bell

7:42 pm on Sunday, May 5, 2013

I don't have a comment on what Mrs. Cowden said at the hearing, but your approach to commenting is pretty low. The leases that were just signed are only a fraction of what she controls, so they're not that earthshattering.   more ›

Range Resources 'Dumping Ground' Irks Cecil Township Officials

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 …

•  168 Comments
• Photos (4)

Frank Pollack

10:03 am on Monday, April 15, 2013

I too was offered money and a lease and turned it down. Money ain't everything.   more ›

Solobay Again Urging State to Study the Benefit of Converting State Fleet to Natural Gas

The senator from Canonsburg reintroduced a resolution asking for a study to be conducted to determine the possible benefits of converting more state vehicles to natural gas.

State Sen. Tim Solobay is again urging the Department of General Services to study whether it should convert more state vehicles to run on natural gas. Solobay has reintroduced a resolution in support of a study and is asking colleagues to support it. “Pennsylvania is at the forefront of the natural gas industry and our resource supply puts us in a position to reap great benefits from using this asset wisely,” he said.  “One of the ways in which we can do this is by setting an example for the commonwealth by using natural gas in our state fleet.” Many gasoline-powered vehicles can be cost-effectively converted to run on natural gas, Solobay said. While many private companies have converted truck fleets to take advantage of historically low…

•  16 Comments
• Photos (1)

Donald Roessler

10:20 pm on Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Bob the stuff they buried in Strabane was processed uranium as far as I know that's why they entombed it in clay. Part of my point was the gas we have been using all along would have a chance of being radioactive. Uranium will produce radon gas as it decays and that's the biggest danger of it. The uranium can be removed from the flowback water and then the water is safe. Radon gas has been known …   more ›

Representin'

How Can a Bully be a Good Neighbor?

'Not to single out one company, but doesn’t it seem odd that Range Resources is the only company dominating both local and national headlines regarding its aggressive tactics with local governments?' state Rep. Jesse White writes.

Last week, the roller coaster ride between some of the municipalities I represent and some of the extreme elements of the natural gas industry public-relations machine took a few more twists and turns. What has already been a bizarre relationship is getting more and more bizarre by the day. Last month, Robinson Township Board of Supervisors was forced to turn down two drilling permit applications when the drilling company, Range Resources, refused to submit an adequate sound study or site plan. This alone was bizarre, since Range’s lawyers were given multiple chances to correct the situation but didn’t; the lawyer refused to answer any questions at one hearing and refused to participate in another. Range spokesman Matt Pitzarella issued a …

•  23 Comments
• Photos (1)

MarkWest, Range Resources Again Appeal Compressor Station Decision

The companies filed separate notices of appeal.

MarkWest and Range Resoures have appealed a Washington County judge's decision regarding a special exception to build a natural gas compressor station in Cecil Township. The companies filed separate notices of appeal last week, township officials said. The case will go to the Commonwealth Court. Judge John DiSalle had denied the appeal in a decision last month. "After careful review of the record...the court is satisfied that the zoning hearing board vigilantly considered all of the relevant evidence and used sound discretion in reaching the conclusion that MarkWest had failed to meet its burden to demonstrate that the proposed compressor facility was of the same general character of other permitted uses within the I1 light industrial zone…

•  1 Comment
• Photos (1)

Range Resources, Corporate Bullies?

The Southpointe-based company and its spokesman were blasted by a Wallstreet website last week.

Marcellus Shale innovator Range Resources, based in Southpointe, was criticized by a Wall Street investment website last week for taking a "shock-and-awe approach to dealing with anyone who questions the safety of its fracking operations." According to The Motley Fool story titled "Are Corporate Bullies Bad Investments?," Range Resources has "sued or intimidated activists, homeowners, and public officials, sometimes for little more than asking questions." The website sites the company's suit against Robinson Township in Washington County, as well as other incidents. "Range should pick on someone its own size," the website noted. "Naturally, the company calls this characterization unfair." Although it was not mentioned in the story, Cecil …

•  10 Comments
• Photos (1)

proud American

8:21 am on Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Like Rep. White some organizations provide proof when they write articles. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMsAz9Lv3aM   more ›

Region to Receive $272K for Conservation Efforts

The Washington County Conservation District will receive a total of $83,758—the third highest amount in the state.

Washington County is one of five southwestern Pennsylvania counties to receive a large portion of a state fund set aside by Marcellus Shale drilling fees to promote local conservation efforts. “These grants will help fund the important work of county conservation districts,” state Sen. Tim Solobay, D-Canonsburg, said. “Learning better ways to use and save resources while teaching stewardship to citizens is an important part of our effort to preserve and improve the environment of the region.” The grants will be dispersed from the Unconventional Gas Well Fund, created under Act 13 of 2012 to help all county conservation districts continue their services, with a special emphasis on those that host Marcellus Shale gas wells. Conservation …

•  1 Comment
• Photos (1)