HARRISBURG PATRIOT-NEWS Editorial: Despite what the Corbett administration repeatedly says (example here), Pennsylvania is not doing such a great job keeping an eye on the environmental fallout from the boom in shale gas drilling.
The latest evidence comes from Tuesday’s report by state auditor general Eugene DePasquale.
Among the shortcomings noted in the audit:
• The state has no system for tracking the handling and disposal of drilling wastes (some of which are tainted by naturally-occurring radioactivity).
• The state doesn’t do a good job of responding to citizen complaints about harm from drilling.
• Information about how the state oversees drilling is not always complete, accurate, or easily accessible and understandable for the public. (The audit says there’s “a spider web of links to arcane reports.”)
• When gas drilling contaminated water supplies, the state relied on voluntary remedies, instead of issuing formal enforcement orders… (more)
