Save the Lackawaxen River from Stone Energy
- por: Damascus Citizens for Sustainability
- destinatário: Paula.Schmitt@drbc.state.nj.us
**Comment Period ends on April 12, 2010--Please sign and foward to help save our most precious resource. We need more studies and strict regulation in place before they approve any permits.
Shortly after being named Pennsylvania's River of the Year for 2010 by the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), the Lackawaxen River is in danger. The Delaware River Basin Commission has set a Public Hearing for Stone Energy Company's proposed surface water withdrawal and natural gas well. These applications are the first permits in the Delaware River Watershed actively moving for approval by the DRBC. One application is for the withdrawal of .70 million gallons of water per day from the West Branch of the Lackawaxen River in Mount Pleasant Township, Wayne County, PA. The water would be used by Stone Energy for shale gas extraction and development, primarily for hydraulic fracturing, of their gas wells. The other application is for shale gas well M1(known as the Matoushek well) in Clinton Township, Wayne County. **It is important to note that this well was drilled by Stone Energy in 2008 without first obtaining approval from DRBC. This application would legalize that well and allow hydraulic fracturing and other well development to proceed.
The proposed permits for these applications are available on the DRBC website: Dockets Nos. D-2009-13-1** <http://www.state.nj.us/drbc/dockets/D-2009-13-1.pdf> (water withdrawal) and D-2009-18-1** <http://www.state.nj.us/drbc/dockets/D-2009-18-1.pdf> (natural gas well drilling pad site).
All who have signed this petition would like the DRBC to consider the following:
>DRBC should not approve any permits for natural gas related projects, including gas wells, water withdrawals, treatment facilities, etc., until they have adopted the natural gas-specific regulations they are in the process of developing. NO DRILLING UNTIL PROTECTIVE REGULATIONS ARE IN PLACE
>PADEP is in the process of adopting new construction and safety standards for natural gas wells. No permits should be approved until these regulations are implemented by PADEP
>DRBC needs to adopt changes to its Water Code for the Flexible Flow Management Plan that is being developed for the main stem River BEFORE allocating water flows from the River and its tributaries
>Public disclosure of all chemicals that will be used in hydraulic fracturing should be required; no use of toxic, hazardous, or potentially dangerous chemicals should be allowed.
> Stone Energy must complete a build out analysis documenting the wells to be served by the water withdrawn to justify need and to define the %u201Carea served%u201D
>PADEP is in the process of adopting effluent standards for some gas drilling wastewater contaminants. These, at a minimum, should be adopted BEFORE wastewater is produced at this project
>Stone Energy must submit for the public comment period a nonpoint source pollution control plan that meets Special Protection Waters anti-degradation requirements
>The pass-by flow in the West Branch must be based on the ecological needs of the living resources of the stream and downstream water users, not on a 25% formula. DRBC is developing a ecological flow model for the watershed%u2019s streams based on habitat needs and this should be adopted PRIOR to any approval for withdrawal from the watershed%u2019s waterways
>Comprehensive analysis that includes the cumulative effects of the water resource impacts of these applications -- the withdrawal of water from the West Branch of the Lackawaxen River and the development of the M1 well --needs to be completed PRIOR to approval of any natural gas projects in the Delaware River Watershed.
Thank you
Shortly after being named Pennsylvania's River of the Year for 2010 by the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), the Lackawaxen River is in danger. The Delaware River Basin Commission has set a Public Hearing for Stone Energy Company's proposed surface water withdrawal and natural gas well. These applications are the first permits in the Delaware River Watershed actively moving for approval by the DRBC. One application is for the withdrawal of .70 million gallons of water per day from the West Branch of the Lackawaxen River in Mount Pleasant Township, Wayne County, PA. The water would be used by Stone Energy for shale gas extraction and development, primarily for hydraulic fracturing, of their gas wells. The other application is for shale gas well M1(known as the Matoushek well) in Clinton Township, Wayne County. **It is important to note that this well was drilled by Stone Energy in 2008 without first obtaining approval from DRBC. This application would legalize that well and allow hydraulic fracturing and other well development to proceed.
The proposed permits for these applications are available on the DRBC website: Dockets Nos. D-2009-13-1** <http://www.state.nj.us/drbc/dockets/D-2009-13-1.pdf> (water withdrawal) and D-2009-18-1** <http://www.state.nj.us/drbc/dockets/D-2009-18-1.pdf> (natural gas well drilling pad site).
All who have signed this petition would like the DRBC to consider the following:
>DRBC should not approve any permits for natural gas related projects, including gas wells, water withdrawals, treatment facilities, etc., until they have adopted the natural gas-specific regulations they are in the process of developing. NO DRILLING UNTIL PROTECTIVE REGULATIONS ARE IN PLACE
>PADEP is in the process of adopting new construction and safety standards for natural gas wells. No permits should be approved until these regulations are implemented by PADEP
>DRBC needs to adopt changes to its Water Code for the Flexible Flow Management Plan that is being developed for the main stem River BEFORE allocating water flows from the River and its tributaries
>Public disclosure of all chemicals that will be used in hydraulic fracturing should be required; no use of toxic, hazardous, or potentially dangerous chemicals should be allowed.
> Stone Energy must complete a build out analysis documenting the wells to be served by the water withdrawn to justify need and to define the %u201Carea served%u201D
>PADEP is in the process of adopting effluent standards for some gas drilling wastewater contaminants. These, at a minimum, should be adopted BEFORE wastewater is produced at this project
>Stone Energy must submit for the public comment period a nonpoint source pollution control plan that meets Special Protection Waters anti-degradation requirements
>The pass-by flow in the West Branch must be based on the ecological needs of the living resources of the stream and downstream water users, not on a 25% formula. DRBC is developing a ecological flow model for the watershed%u2019s streams based on habitat needs and this should be adopted PRIOR to any approval for withdrawal from the watershed%u2019s waterways
>Comprehensive analysis that includes the cumulative effects of the water resource impacts of these applications -- the withdrawal of water from the West Branch of the Lackawaxen River and the development of the M1 well --needs to be completed PRIOR to approval of any natural gas projects in the Delaware River Watershed.
Thank you
Dear Members of the DRBC:
First, I wanted to thank you for all of your hard work as I know this past year has been one full of pressure and hard decisions. We thank you for protecting our valuable water sources from potential harm.
All of us who have signed this petition are not in favor of having the Stone Energy docket approved. Along with the reasons stated in the body of the petition it is also our firm belief that until the EPA study is completed there should be a moratorium on gas drilling in the area. Just this morning Cabot was cited yet again with another spill incident http://bit.ly/a0frmwDon't we owe it to our children and future generations to see what the long term health effects of the hydrofracturing process can cause. Many physicians and experienced bio-chemist have all stated that this is a huge medical unknown we are stepping into. Let's slow the process down and act responsibly. Your decision is quite possibly one of the most important in regards to protecting our children and great citizens in the area. We have far too many facts supporting that there is something inherently wrong with this process. ...moving forward would be acting irresponsibly.
Please say no to the Stone Energy Docket and yes, to a moratorium until the EPA study has been completed.
Kindly,
Ver mais petições:
O seu JavaScript está desativado. Sem ele, nosso site pode não funcionar corretamente.
ao assinar, você aceita o termos de serviço da Care2 Você pode gerenciar suas assinaturas de e-mail a qualquer momento.
Está tendo algum problema?? Avise-nos.