FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – October 29, 2019
Contact: Karen Feridun, Berks Gas Truth, 610-678-7726, berksgastruth@gmail.com
Pennsylvanians to Legislators, Wolf: Let’s Not Go Down that Unpaved Road Again
More than 100 Organizations & 1,000 Concerned Citizens Sign Letter Saying No to SB790
Today, Berks Gas Truth submitted a letter to lawmakers and Governor Wolf signed by more than 100 organizations and businesses and 1,000 concerned citizens objecting to a move to allow the road-spreading of drilling waste on unpaved roads in the Commonwealth. Senate Bill 790 introduced by Senator Joseph Scarnati (R-25) provides other benefits to conventional drillers, including a loosening of the requirements for reporting spills.
The letter addressed to Senate leaders, but copied to other legislators and the governor, comes after the bill was moved straight from the Appropriations committee to a floor vote with no debate. The letter states, “We, the undersigned, are writing to protest your refusal to follow the established process in a rush to get a win for the industry you have come to believe you represent.”
“Pennsylvanians are getting tired of the industry’s every wish being our government’s command. For months, we have been calling for an investigation into the alarming number of diagnoses of rare cancers in children in the shale fields. No response. Instead, our elected officials have pushed several bills, SB790 being just one, that would roll back environmental protections and provide the natural gas and petrochemical industries with subsidies and incentives. It’s a sad day when a public health crisis that has already killed thirteen young people takes a back seat to reinstating the very kind of toxic practices that may be linked to their deaths.” said Karen Feridun, Founder of Berks Gas Truth.
The letter closes, “Doing the bidding of the natural gas industry is not your job. You are in Harrisburg to represent the best interests of Pennsylvanians. You are failing us, regularly and miserably. We call on the House to stop both SB 790 and HB 1635 (a similar measure introduced this year). Should they fail to represent our best interests, we call on Governor Wolf to commit to vetoing whichever bill reaches his desk.”
###