Shale drilling and well water pollution

[tomgamber]

What percentage?

 

[franklin]

Elana wrote:
How do members of this forum feel about a tax on gas production if a portion of the revenues were invested into land and water projects?

What about the current proposals to open more of our state forests to drilling?

No, I already pay too much in taxes and what I pay is largely misspent.

 

[JackM]

I won't argue about some part of your tax dollars being misspent, but I have my doubts about you paying "too much already."

 

[RLeeP]

>>Still need to do lots of research, but I think this will be one of the biggest problems in the state in terms of conservation in the foreseeable future. I am not too sure what kind of say tax paying citizens of these counties have, but I am guessing the Clean Water Act is the main body of law that would give them a voice.>>

There is a Citizen's Suit Provision in the Federal Clean Water Act that allows any citizen legally determined to have standing to bring action against a polluter in any case where it can be determined that EPA or DEP is not enforcing the law. Usually, these actions are brought by local groups or small foundations and their purpose is more about goosing the regulators into doing their jobs than actually seeking monetary damages from the violator. Once the 60 day notice of intent to sue is issued, 98% or more of these cases are settled without going to court. Most of them are more of a shot across the bow sort of thing.

Occasionally, one will end up in court. I used to serve on the board of one of these foundations in PA and ended up taking standing in a suit against United Refining for long term chronic violations of their discharge permits at Warren into the Allegheny.

They wouldn't talk and wanted to go to Federal court (where these things are heard). So we did and they ended up being fined 250K to be applied to watershed protection and improvement in the National Forest region as well as a court order to fix their discharge.

So, it is a useful tool that can and should be used very sparingly.




http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizen_suit