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Dec. 9, 2010
Formal filings to drill new Marcellus gas wells in Garrett County are expected any day from a company whose work locally in Pennsylvania has produced complaints about damage to a water well (see related story), and, a new study finds, more than 1,000 violations of Pennsylvania regulations so far this year. The process is still new to many Garrett Countians, with significant revenue being promised by drilling companies. However, concerns over the fracking process continue to grow.
Another concern is coming to light in that the principal oversight agency in charge of approving drilling, the Maryland Department of the Environment, is understaffed, under-funded, and limited by outmoded regulations. This situation is generating new scrutiny in Annapolis, as legislators prepare for the 2011 legislative session.
At least two central Maryland delegates are known to be drafting legislation that would call for a moratorium on drilling until MDE’s mining division in Baltimore completes a full review of its regulations and procedures. But details have yet to emerge.
“The MDE is working to find additional resources,” said Lisa Nissley, legislative liaison and environmental justice coordinator. Nissley noted the passage of a bill last spring that allows the department to impose licensing fees on energy companies.
“This would give us the revenue needed to hire additional inspectors,” she said.
