Corbett calls for voluntary drilling standards
Both Onorato and Corbett are against a moratorium on Marcellus Shale drilling (which come have called for after a Clearfield County blowout early this month), and both have called for more gas industry jobs to be created among Pa residents (rather than importing workers from elsewhere).
Team Corbett released a statement on those matters today:
June 23, 2010 - Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Tom Corbett today released the following statement regarding environmental issues concerning Marcellus Shale:
"While the Marcellus Shale offers great economic and energy independence opportunities for Pennsylvania, I believe that it must be developed responsibly and with strong environmental stewardship. We must make every effort to protect Pennsylvania's waterways and lands.
That is why today I am calling on the Marcellus Shale industry and the Department of Environmental Protection to work together to develop and institute high industry standards pertaining to environmental and public safety issues and also to address critical workforce development needs around the natural gas industry. It is time for collaboration in Harrisburg, to build consensus and to move toward the development of legislation to enact into statute industry standards that allow for the responsible development of our natural gas resources while protecting our water, land and the citizens of Pennsylvania.
I believe that the industry and DEP should agree on the following:
- Detemine the best practices and highest standards in drilling to ensure clean water and safety for all Pennsylvanians and agree to implement them while public debate continues. This voluntary agreement is an interim step and should be followed by legislative action to codify how Pennsylvania will permit the development of cleaner energy in a safe manner.
- Meet the demand for trained workers in the energy industry. I call on the industry, the state and our higher education institutions, career and technical schools, and workforce development programs, to immediately begin the development and implementation of training programs to fill these new jobs for Pennsylvanians. It is also critical for the Department of Community and Economic Development to identify Pennsylvania manufacturers and businesses that will be the ongoing suppliers to this growing industry.
- Ensure that the industry works with all levels of government to further support the training and education of Pennsylvania first responders to make certain they are prepared to deal with emergencies involving drilling in the Marcellus Shale region.
While there are a few who have called for a moratorium on drilling, I believe that we can achieve strong environmental stewardship of our waterways and lands without putting hardworking Pennsylvanians out of work and sending thousands of jobs to other states. We can bring the industry together with DEP and state regulators to develop high industry standards and ensure world class operations in Pennsylvania. We can work to ensure greater protection of our water wells. We can put into place safeguards for our state forests and streams. And, we can demand the highest standard of technology for use on drilling sites.