Photo courtesy of propublica.com
The PA Governor, Tom Corbett, has released a budget proposal that will cut back on environmental permits and restrictions, potentially putting recent advances in environmental regulations at risk.
From ProPublica:
The state has been under pressure recently to reign in environmental damage from its fast-growing natural gas drilling industry, and has faced criticism–including in a 2009 ProPublica investigation—-for its inability to handle and safely treat wastewater produced from the drilling process. In response, the DEP has added staff, implemented stricter drilling rules, and begun permitting and building new and improved water treatment plants.
That momentum could now change.
The governor’s proposal also includes, on page 48, this statement about streamlining the regulatory process:
“Regulatory Reform: Friction-free processes for government interaction with job creators are critical to maintain economic momentum and competitiveness. State government needs to be a partner with job creators. To address the length of time agencies take to act on permits and eliminate permit backlogs, PennDOT and DEP have begun auditing and assessing all of their permit processes to make them more responsive to the needs of job creators. In addition, the DCED secretary is empowered to expedite any permit or action pending in any agency where the creation of jobs may be impacted.”
Submitted by Andrew Fatato
Photo courtesy of visitusa.com
John Hanger, the former head of Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection, recently sat down with ProPublica to talk about the difficulties related to regulating the gas drilling industry as it often grows faster than the legislation meant to keep it in check.