Thursday, April 29, 2010

PA League Of Women Voters Release Marcellus Shale Impact Study May 3

The League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania will hold a press conference in the Main Capitol Rotunda at 10 a.m., May 3, to announce the results of its year-long study: Natural Gas Extraction from Marcellus Shale.
The study arose from concerns raised by League members in Indiana County and other counties in the area of the Marcellus Shale formation and was adopted by delegates to LWVPA’s State Convention in June 2009. The study covered the benefits and costs of natural gas extraction from Marcellus Shale including its ramifications for Pennsylvania’s water, air, infrastructure, agriculture, forests, tourism, and economy.
The League has long-standing positions on many of these issues. However, we needed to study how these positions should be applied in order to participate knowledgeably in critical policy decisions needed to balance the anticipated economic gains to the Commonwealth with potential environmental impacts.
Five Study Guides, covering various aspects of natural gas extraction from Marcellus Shale, were distributed to members and posted on the LWVPA website.
Twenty-seven local League chapters, spanning the state from Washington to Susquehanna Counties, organized study groups, sponsored public forums with experts representing various viewpoints, visited drilling sites, and participated in webinars and other presentations at various universities and colleges.
Earlier this year, more than 350 members participated in consensus meetings that resulted in the position statement that will be announced on Monday.
Issues to be discussed includes-- economic impact including a severance tax; environmental impact including leasing state lands for drilling; and regulation including the need for federal and state legislation.
More about the study, including the Study Guides, can be found at the LWVPA website.

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