Blog

By Barbara Brandom, with editing by Sandy Field and James Cato

Boroughs and townships have the power to protect their communities’ quality of life.

April 2, 2024 the Northumberland Bourough Council “strenuously and unequivocally” approved a resolution opposing Encina’s proposed plastic recycling facility in Point Township. The resolution was approved unanimously without discussion, and cites more than ten concerns as the foundation for the council’s objection. (https://www.dailyitem.com/news/northumberland-council-passes-anti-encina-resolution/article_ae2d446e-f0ef-11ee-b1c4-b3e8154595ac.html )

Residents have voiced their concerns about the air and water pollution this industrial activity would cause for two years. Members of the local grassroots group, Save Our Susquehanna, worked with attorneys from the Clean Air Council, and other supportive environmental groups, including Beyond Plastics and Climate Reality Project to bring the resolution to the attention of the borough council and to engage one of the council members in chaperoning this resolution through their adoption process. Beyond concerns regarding traffic from over 100 tractor trailers delivering plastic waste every day, the residents are also concerned about spills of toxic waste and hazardous chemicals into the Susquehanna River at the site or during transport from the site by rail. The community is proud of its historic and recreational value. The resolution states that the environmental and economic value of the river can not be overstated.

With editing by James Cato

Communication from Fayette County residents, Mountain Watershed Association. and Protect Penn-Trafford motivated Fayette County Commissioners to approve a setback of 2,500 feet from residences for wells that accept fracking wastewater. (https://www.dailycourier.com/news/fayette-commissioners-restrict-injection-wells/article_54462b4c-eab8-11ee-a740-878902847664.html#:~:text=Fayette%20County%20commissioners%20during%20a%20zoning%20public%20hearing,Light%20Industrial%2C%20%26%20M-2%20Heavy%20Industrial%20zoning%20districts.%E2%80%9D) The ordinance states that “Class I-IV Injection Wells shall require a Special Exception within the M-1 Light Industrial and M-2 Heavy Industrial zoning districts.” To put this in perspective, a distance of 5000 feet is what was recommended between fracking wells and schools or hospitals in Report 1 of the Forty-Third Statewide Investigating Grand Jury.  The same pollutants are present around injection wells as fracking wells.

            This action to protect the health of Fayette County residents followed the first proposal to place an injection well in Fayette County. In the summer of 2023, G2 STEM LLC made this proposal in Nicholson Township, Fayette County. With very short notice many people gave testimonies at a public hearing that was only supported virtually by the US EPA (Environmental Protection Agency). The people who had lived in Nicholson Township all their lives spoke about unpredictable water migrations they had observed locally. The possibility of contamination of the Monongahela River through old coal mines was noted. There was also concern about groundwater contamination, especially if a truck carrying fracking waste crashed on a narrow winding road. Shortly thereafter G2 STEM LLC withdrew its proposal.

            As another response to the unpopular injection well plan in Nicholson Township, Representative Charity Grimm Krupa introduced HB 1656, a bill that would restrict injection wells in the entire state of Pennsylvania. This bill has not yet left the House environmental Resources and Energy Committee.

              Food and Water Watch, Protect Penn-Trafford, and Three Rivers Waterkeeper all gave time and resources to support the people of Fayette County as they worked to understand the dangers of injection wells.

Listening and Learning about Hydrogen Hubs

On April 10, 2024 a virtual listening session was held for MACH2, the hydrogen hub proposed in Southeastern Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey. Many spoke, including activists living in Chester County who recognize that community engagement is a farce unless the OCED (Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations) holds in person meetings in community centers close to where people live, and Tracy Carluccio of the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, who stated that many, many people in the Delaware River Basin are struggling to reverse the effects of industrial pollution. Carluccio suggested that if comments of these communities are taken seriously MACH2 would be canceled. There were also union members who look for industry jobs. One union member asked the excellent question, “Will those making Blue Hydrogen, associated with MACH2, but outside of MACH2, be held to the same environmental standards?” Recall that producing hydrogen from methane is very energy intensive and creates carbon dioxide that must be stored. Look for more opportunities to ask questions about how the development of MACH2 will alter your life.

 Recently PA Representative Otten wrote in her newsletter; “With Pennsylvania slated to become the home of two hydrogen hub projects including MACH2 in southeastern Pennsylvania, it is critical that we as legislators fully understand the processes that go into the production of hydrogen. . .  Before we move any further with these hydrogen hub projects it is critical that we as legislators continue to educate ourselves on these projects so that we do not repeat the same environmental policy mistakes we have made in the past. We must continue to listen to the communities, including environmental justice communities, who would be directly impacted, and enact thoughtful, responsible, forward-looking legislation that prioritizes public health and safety, while incentivizing renewable project development and the creation of good clean-energy jobs for Pennsylvania.” 

Now is a time of great change no matter how you look at it. Floods are increasing, temperatures are increasing. We must go forward with plans to deal with these changes. We can not expect to continue as we have in the past.