Pennsylvania Supreme Court to consider whether Pennsylvania can make power plants pay for emissions
Tuesday, May 30, 2023
Pennsylvania Supreme Court justices indicated last week that they are likely to have split opinions on whether a governor has the right to force power plant owners to pay for their greenhouse gas emissions, according to State Impact Pennsylvania.
Last week Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court listened to arguments from both sides to determine whether a lower court was right to halt that state’s participation in a multi-state consortium that imposes a price and declining cap on carbon dioxide emissions from power plants.
The underlying legal question the justices are considering is whether former Gov. Tom Wolf bypassed the Legislature’s constitutional authority to approve any form of taxation.
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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.