Letter to the editor: Pa.'s natural gas industry follows rigorous rules

Attorney General Josh Shapiro’s report on natural gas, as described in the editorial “Grand jury report on fracking indicts the state” (July 7, TribLIVE), is “factually and legally inaccurate.” Those aren’t my words; those are the words from the dedicated Department of Environmental Protection professionals who also described the report as “a disservice to the citizens of the Commonwealth.”

Those words couldn’t be more accurate. The tens of thousands of Pennsylvanians who work across the energy sector place the highest priority on having strong rules of engagement, heightened regulatory compliance and transparency.

No other aspect of our economy is under the same level of intense scrutiny as the natural gas industry. From 2010 to 2019, DEP inspected unconventional well sites 134,681 times, including more than 19,000 well site inspections last year with 677 unconventional wells being drilled.

Many of the report’s so-called policy recommendations are laws already on the books or would result in a ban on safe, job-creating natural gas development. Consider hydraulic fracturing fluid disclosure. These fluids are typically made up of 99.5% or more water and sand and the small amount of additives — commonly applied with foods and everyday household products — can be accessed on a per-well basis in the national online FracFocus.org clearinghouse.

The evidence and data is clear — Pennsylvania’s environmental standards and regulatory framework are among the nation’s most rigorous. For anyone to suggest that we are not protecting our environment and public health while responsibly and safely producing clean and abundant American natural gas should better understand the facts and science behind natural gas development.

David Spigelmyer

Robinson