Canonsburg, PA – In an E&E TV segment this week, Marcellus Shale Coalition president Kathryn Klaber discussed a host of critical issues regarding the responsible development of clean-burning American natural gas, including policy implications — both regionally and nationally — as well as the organization’s commitment to operational transparency and environmental stewardship.

Click HERE to view video of this interview online.

On Pa. Legislative, Regulatory Reform

“The package is really comprehensive. It’s an impact fee that has been discussed for quite a long time, as well as additional environmental protections and some certainty around uniformity in local government operations and ordinances. But, yes, the fee is one that I think brings to closure a lot of the discussion about having Pennsylvania — having the companies in Pennsylvania reimburse the local governments for impacts that may go above and beyond all those taxes and fees already paid.”

On States Effectively Regulating Shale Gas, Hydraulic Fracturing

“I would posit that the state is the only one to [regulate fracturing], because it’s very difficult for federal regulators to understand the nuances and the geological differences when state regulators have done this for a long time, not just in oil and gas, but air, water, land. And those things all go together to do the right kind of regulation for the industry. The package that’s going through Pennsylvania this week really takes that issue and pounds it home, because you’ve got additional state protections that are very customized to what the people of Pennsylvania want and what is required to further modernize the regulations on the books in Pennsylvania.”

On the MSC’s Commitment to Transparency, Proactive FracFocus Participation

“Recently the Marcellus Shale Coalition Board of Directors, at the end of last year, passed a resolution that our members would all disclose and register on FracFocus, a national database that is, frankly, very easy to use and has a lot of that — probably more information than you can get through in a short amount of time. I think that there are multiple prongs now to encourage that additional disclosure. We not only have it in the state of Pennsylvania, in our new state regulations passed last year, but even more additional disclosure requirements in the bill that’s being considered this week. So, I think we’re beyond the point of whether or not and now it’s at a point where let’s absorb all this data that’s out there and use it to answer the questions that may be on people’s minds.”

READ MORE