PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE: The state Department of Environmental Protection has completely rolled back a controversial, 5-week-old procedural change that required all field enforcement actions involving Marcellus Shale gas drilling operations be pre-approved by political appointees in Harrisburg.
Katy Gresh, DEP spokeswoman, said the department’s oil and gas field inspectors are again allowed to write violation notices as they did prior to a March 23 internal department memo that directed them to take no action on violations until they received “final clearance” from DEP Secretary Michael Krancer and a handful of other administrators…
“That’s a very welcome development. I’m glad to hear the directive has been rescinded,” said former DEP secretary John Hanger, who criticized the procedural change for undercutting public confidence in environmental enforcement. Monday he said it “amounted to a detour that was unnecessary and unwise.”… (more)
