Pennsylvania Archives - Inside Climate News

From Fracked Gas in Pennsylvania to Toxic Waste in Texas, Tracking Vinyl Chloride Production in the U.S.

By Kiley Bense — Tue, 05 Dec 2023 10:00:00 +0000

Appalachia’s fracking boom is fueling the expansion of American plastics manufacturing, including production of vinyl chloride, the carcinogen used to make PVC that burned in East Palestine, Ohio.

By Kiley Bense

On the evening of May 17, 1970, the 19th car of a freight train derailed in the Pennsylvania village of Cromby, a small town nestled along a horseshoe curve in the Schuylkill River about 30 miles from Philadelphia.

Should Toxic Wastewater From Gas Drilling Be Spread on Pennsylvania Roads as a Dust and Snow Suppressant?

By Jake Bolster — Fri, 27 Oct 2023 09:30:00 +0000

Members of a gas industry advisory council would like the Department of Environmental Protection to consider the practice. The DEP has yet to be convinced.

By Jake Bolster

A gas industry advisory council to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection opened its meeting earlier this month by discussing the possibility of legalizing the spreading of toxic wastewater from conventional gas drilling on roads as a dust and snow treatment, despite studies showing the practice is potentially harmful to human health and the environment.

Pennsylvania’s Gas Industry Used 160 Million Pounds of Secret Chemicals From 2012 to 2022, a New Report Says

By Jon Hurdle — Tue, 24 Oct 2023 14:00:00 +0000

Researchers say unidentified additives may have included “forever chemicals” linked to serious health problems.

By Jon Hurdle

Oil and gas producers in Pennsylvania used some 160 million pounds of chemicals that they are not required by law to publicly identify in more than 5,000 gas wells between 2012 and 2022, according to research published on Tuesday.

Research by Public Health Experts Shows ‘Damning’ Evidence on the Harms of Fracking

By Jon Hurdle — Fri, 20 Oct 2023 09:30:00 +0000

The natural gas industry answers with its own reviews of research, finding a lack of evidence to establish a clear link between fracking and negative health outcomes.

By Jon Hurdle

Hydraulic fracturing for oil and gas is linked to an array of health harms, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, asthma and birth defects, according to the latest compilation of studies on the impact of fracking on human health.

Lawmakers Want Answers on Damage and Costs Linked to Idled ‘Zombie’ Coal Mines

By James Bruggers — Fri, 20 Oct 2023 09:00:00 +0000

Sen. John Fetterman, the Pennsylvania Democrat, joins a call for a national GAO investigation into a problem that could fall to taxpayers to solve.

By James Bruggers

Lawmakers, including two from Pennsylvania, are asking for a federal investigation into the full extent of environmental damage caused by what are known as “zombie” surface mines, which may technically still be considered active for coal extraction but have been idled for months or years and can leak toxic waste.

Answers About Old Gas Sites Repurposed as Injection Wells for Fracking’s Toxic Wastewater May Never Be Fully Unearthed

By Jake Bolster — Sun, 15 Oct 2023 09:33:00 +0000

Residents in Plum Borough, Pennsylvania, are fighting to stop a proposed injection well recently approved by the EPA, citing possible water contamination. One Geologist called the proposal “state of the art,” but said questions remain.

By Jake Bolster

A little over a month after Penneco Environmental Solutions received approval in May 2021 from the Environmental Protection Agency to dispose of an additional 2.16 million gallons of highly toxic fracking wastewater in its disposal well in Plum Borough, Pennsylvania, a pressure valve tripped and shut down the well.

A Rural Pennsylvania Community Goes to Commonwealth Court, Trying to Stop a New Disposal Well for Toxic Fracking Wastewater

By Jake Bolster — Tue, 10 Oct 2023 22:51:51 +0000

The facility, in Plum Borough outside Pittsburgh, would be the state’s 15th “injection” well. Pennsylvania’s gas industry has never had a comprehensive plan for disposing of vast quantities of highly polluting produced water.

By Jake Bolster

Attorneys representing Plum Borough and an environmental group opposed to fracking said in arguments on Tuesday before Commonwealth Court in Pittsburgh that a proposed second “injection” well for disposing of toxic fracking wastewater would violate the borough’s zoning code.

At a ‘Climate Convergence,’ Pennsylvania Environmental Activists Urge Gov. Shapiro and State Lawmakers to Do More to Curb Emissions

By Jon Hurdle — Tue, 03 Oct 2023 08:55:00 +0000

Democratic state Sen. Katie Muth, one of only a few lawmakers in attendance, said strong action isn’t likely, given the state’s “bipartisan love affair with gas and oil.” But two Republicans have introduced legislation banning injection wells for toxic wastewater from fracking.

By Jon Hurdle

HARRISBURG, Pa.—Barbara Brandom fought back tears as she contemplated the destruction of nature and a lost environment she fears her grandchildren will never experience as a result of climate change.

Shapiro Advisors Endorse Emissions Curbs to Fight Climate Change but Don’t Embrace RGGI Membership

By Kiley Bense — Sat, 30 Sep 2023 09:15:00 +0000

Members of the governor’s secretive group were split between joining the 12-state Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative and a possible “cap-and-invest” collaborative with 13 states served by PJM, the nation’s largest grid operator.

By Kiley Bense

After meeting for months in secrecy, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s working group on the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative on Friday endorsed participation in a “cap-and-invest” process to reduce utilities’ greenhouse gas emissions but stopped short of endorsing membership in RGGI.

A Drop in Emissions, and a Jobs Bonanza? Critics Question Benefits of a Proposed Hydrogen Hub for the Appalachian Region

By Jon Hurdle — Tue, 26 Sep 2023 10:00:00 +0000

The potential gains for Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio have not been clearly spelled out, and the science is being challenged, as the Department of Energy prepares to announce the builders of six to 10 federally funded hubs across the country.

By Jon Hurdle

PITTSBURGH—As the federal government nears a decision on which of the nation’s proposed “hydrogen hubs” will share up to $8 billion in startup money, critics of the idea in the Appalachian region are asserting that the program would do little to curb greenhouse gas emissions or create jobs, while increasing electricity prices for consumers and businesses.