PubPol481 Letter to Congress 2-5-13

Doug Kripke

The Honorable Allyson Y. Schwartz

1227 Longworth House Office Building

Washington, DC 20515

Dear Representative:

As a Nuclear Engineering student at the University of Michigan and resident of Montgomery County, PA,

I am highly concerned with the pressure that energy demands have put on our drinking water, air quality,

and ecosystem in light of the explosion of Marcellus Shale drilling for natural shale gas in 2007. The

increased cost of safer mining practices caused by regulations drives an economic incentive for mining

companies to recklessly extract as much as they can before regulations are in place. In their haste, they

often leave the mining sites and surrounding areas in a state of devastation. I fear that the beautiful dense

forests spanning the gentle rolling hills and mountains of the Commonwealth could be lost along with its

beloved recreational fishing, hiking, hunting, and camping capacity. We cannot let hydraulic fracturing

go unchecked in our state.

While it has not been proven that standard hydraulic fracturing by itself threatens drinking water, the

mining process injects large amounts of known toxic substances (including benzene, hydrofluoric acid,

dimethylformamide, and many more) into the environment indefinitely, which cannot be good for the

local ecosystem. In fact, there are nearly a thousand documented cases of ground water contamination

caused by processes associated with the shale extraction. Furthermore, regardless of a an existing or non-

existing link between fracturing and contaminated drinking water, history proves in the Texas oil fields of

the 1940s and the uranium mines in Arizona’s Indian Reservations of the 1950s and 70s that pre-

regulation mining yields great profits but is intrinsically reckless and thus causes spills, accidents, and

unintended consequences. Are we willing to gamble in the face of this undeniably increased risk? Sure

the Commonwealth would promptly reap the stimulating economic rewards of our inherited and vast

natural gas resources, but at what cost? Life sustaining streams turned toxic? Mass animal extinction?

Toxic air coupled with deforestation?

Natural gas will rightfully be a key player in meeting our country’s increasing energy demand while

meeting our reduced emissions objective. In addition, the vastness of our domestic reserves has a

potential to reduce our foreign energy dependence. Yet, we will suffer if we are too hasty. Indeed, in

2005, natural gas mining companies successfully lobbied for exceptions to the EPA’s Clean Water Act

and Safe Drinking Water Act. As a result, large scale drilling in the Marcellus Shale began in 2007 and

by 2010 turned Pennsylvania into a natural gas exporter (with an average of two new wells being built

every day of those three years). It is projected to make Pennsylvania the energy capital of the nation.

This progression must be slowed until we fully understand the risk of irreversible damage that could

result. I commend Gov. Corbett for passing the House Bill 1950, Act No. 13, earlier this year. I urge you

to support this action, and also to push for even stronger regulations on hydraulic fracturing.

Sincerely,

Douglas E. Kripke

8801 Curtis Terrace

Wyndmoor, PA 19038