Pittsburgh, Pa. – Marcellus Shale Coalition president David Spigelmyer issued the following statement regarding today’s action from Pa. DEP finalizing its massive Chapter 78 regulation proposal:
“Pennsylvania is already well-recognized for having among the nation’s strongest and most effective environmental and enforcement standards, which the industry has worked hard to modernize. Unfortunately, DEP’s regulatory proposal will cost Pennsylvania job creators nearly $2 billion annually without providing meaningful environmental benefits.
“The governor’s regulatory overreach, taken together with the threat of a highest-in-the-nation energy tax, as well as persistently low global commodity prices, severely discourages investment and job creation in the Commonwealth. Given these clear and widely-reported facts, it’s alarming and out of touch with economic reality that Governor Wolf stated just days ago ‘that the industry is showing no signs of slowing down.’
“We have worked in good-faith to provide constructive comments on this proposed rule. It’s disappointing that the Wolf administration chose to ignore comments made by the regulatory community and disregarded legislative directives to do any real cost benefit analysis and engage the state’s Oil and Gas Technical Advisory Board in this process. We stand ready to work collaboratively with all stakeholders to advance common-sense policies that work for all Pennsylvanians.”
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