Funding for Pa. DCNR drops with decrease in oil, gas development
Tuesday, March 1, 2016
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette PowerSource reports that the Pennsylvania state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ royalty payments from wells drilled on state forest land have dwindled.
Sixty years ago, a special fund was created to put away money from oil and gas activity on state lands and other projects. Lately, though, a lot of that money ended up being used to run the DCNR’s day-to-day operations and the state’s budget didn’t allow much money to be put in the fund.
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf has proposed to allocate $61.3 million from the state’s general fund for the DCNR. According to the source, this would offset the reduction of $51 million in funding to the agency. Not everyone agrees with this plan, though.
Read more: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette PowerSource > Dwindling oil, gas royalties mean DCNR funding significantly diminished
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Shale FAQ
What is fracking?
Fracking is a slang term for hydraulic fracturing. Fracturing is a process by which highly pressurized fluid is pumped thousands of feet into the ground to fracture rock formations. The goal is to release the natural gas that’s locked inside the rock.
Is it safe?
What most concerns people about fracturing is ground water contamination. The worry is that fractures underground, caused by the process, will extending upwards and into aquifers, releasing gas and chemicals into the ground water supply. There’s been no confirmed reports of such a thing happening. Though surface spills and drill site blowouts can lead to localized environmental concerns.
Will my water catch on fire?
Flammable water is caused by the release of methane gas into a drinking water supply. Methane gas occurs naturally and can be released by any kind of drilling, including water wells. In Pennsylvania officials fined Chesapeake Energy $1 million for contaminating ground water with methane. It was determined that the company had not properly cemented it’s boreholes and gas migrated up the well, between rock and into aquifers.