Shale drilling fines/enforcement actions drop DRASTICALLY under Corbett.

[Divernan]

Short version: 1st quarter, 2010, under Rendell, 1 enforcement action for every 1.7 violations
1st quarter, 2011, under Corbett, 1 enforcement action for every 8.69 violations.
Beyond disgraceful - the rape of the Commonwealth by Corbett and his cronies continues.

Shale drilling fines drop under Corbett
Sunday, May 15, 2011
By Don Hopey, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The state Department of Environmental Protection assessed significantly fewer fines on Marcellus Shale drilling operations during the first few months of the Corbett administration than under the Rendell administration, according to state data analyzed by Citizens for Pennsylvania's Future.

The statewide environmental organization's review found the DEP took 36 enforcement actions on 313 violations identified by field inspectors during the first three months of 2011 -- a rate of one enforcement action for every 8.69 violations. That's a much lower rate of enforcement than in the first quarter of 2010, when Gov. Ed Rendell was in charge and 122 enforcement actions were taken on 207 violations, or one enforcement action for every 1.7 violations.

The enforcement rate for the first quarter of 2011 also falls far below the annual rate for 2010 of one enforcement action for every 3.94 violations, and the 2009 rate of one for every 3.16 violations.

"It shows that the DEP is not taking enforcement actions at the same rate as it has in the last couple of years and not by just a little bit," said Jan Jarrett, president and chief executive officer of PennFuture. "It seems significant. "Reading between the lines it seems to signal more emphasis on 'compliance assistance.' Instead of assessing fines and penalties, it seems the system is geared more to achieving compliance, and that seems ill-advised, given the scope of the natural gas drilling activities in the state."

If you can stand more infuriating and detailed descriptions of Corbett's prostituted DEP, read more at the link.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11135/1146734-454.stm#ixzz1MQZl45l8

[Curmudgeoness]

1. Just wait until we see the report from 2nd quarter 2011.

Since they effectively stopped the writing of violations on March 23, and that continued for five weeks until they reversed that desicion, the numbers will be much much better. Since there would be no violations (or damned few) in that period, it will look like the statistics are just peachy.

However, I am not opposed to "compliance assistance" as a tactic to use to get the drillers in line. Of course, after one or two "assists", it would be stupid not to hit them where it hurts. But so far, we have not been doing much to "hurt" their pocketbooks. Fines I have seen are so insignificant to be laughable.