CNX Resources Corporation, Shapiro administration announce transparency initiative
Courtesy of PACast
Nick Deiuliis announced CNX鈥檚 transparency initiative, in conjunction Gov. Josh Shapiro, Thursday morning. 鈥淭his unprecedented level of transparency, it鈥檚 good. It鈥檚 good for residents鈥� health, it鈥檚 good for the industry worker, it鈥檚 good for economic development, it鈥檚 good for energy security, good for the environment and good for community investment. The ultimate success, that鈥檚 going to be set by seeing radical transparency becoming the norm and the standard,鈥� he said.
Courtesy of PACast
Gov. Josh Shapiro announced a collaboration between his administration and the natural gas company CNX Resources Corporation to increase transparency Thursday morning at a well pad in Claysville. 鈥淭he public demands answers. Those answers need to be guided by data, not by rhetoric,鈥� Shaprio said.
Courtesy of PACast
Nick Deiuliis, president and CEO of Canonsburg-based CNX Resources Corporation, signs the resolution for a first-of-its-kind environmental monitoring and chemical disclosures policy Thursday at a well pad in Claysville.
CNX Resources Corporation, together Gov. Josh Shapiro, announced Thursday a new program that increases transparency between the natural gas company and the public.
The state Department of Environmental Protection will work with Canonsburg-based CNX Resources to collect in-depth data on air emissions and water quality, enhance public disclosure of drilling chemicals and expand buffer zones, Shapiro said Thursday, touting the collaboration as the first of its kind.
The initiative comes three years after a grand jury convened by Shapiro, then state attorney general, found that government agencies failed to oversee the fracking industry and protect Pennsylvanians from the industry鈥檚 operational risks.
鈥淭he grand jury found evidence that the manner in which some other natural gas companies were operating endangered public health and safety,鈥� Shapiro said, noting the grand jurors issued recommendations for improving health and safety. 鈥淭he grand jurors also laid out a roadmap for lawmakers to follow 鈥� eight specific recommendations to hold the industry accountable and better protect the people.鈥�
While the grand jury鈥檚 findings have been public knowledge for years, state lawmakers have taken no action to improve natural gas industry safety standards, Shapiro said.
鈥淐NX has agreed to voluntarily abide by many of the recommendations in the grand jury report and to take a series of steps that go even further than what the grand jurors contemplated at the time. This is really an unprecedented level of transparency. CNX, it should be lost on no one, is the first company in Pennsylvania to step up and make these voluntary commitments, but I do hope they will not be the last,鈥� Shapiro said.
Along with publicly releasing a list of all chemicals used in drilling and hydraulic fracturing before they鈥檙e used on site, CNX has pledged, at its own expense, to monitor air and water quality, assess the environmental impacts of natural gas extraction, and provide realtime emission facts and data to all stakeholders and other interested parties.
CNX will expand its no-drill zones from 500 to 600 feet, including increasing no-drill zones to 2,500 feet at sensitive sites like near schools and hospitals, while data is being collected. CNX will also work with third party waste haulers to implement additional safety measures for transporting waste from unconventional well sites, and support the DEP鈥檚 regulation of gathering lines to inspect for corrosion.
The company has also committed to not hire DEP employees working in offices within CNX鈥檚 operating areas for at least two years from the time the employee leaves the department.
The initiative, the first of its kind between a corporation and an administration, met with mixed reviews. Sean Steffee, an executive board member of Boilermakers 154 representing trade unions, said Thursday he supports the joint efforts.
鈥淚n 2022, the U.S. consumed 888 billion cubic meters of natural gas for home heating, electricity generation, and Pennsylvania is the leader in electricity generation. It鈥檚 important that we produce natural gas. We have the ability to do it. Our unions have built and maintained natural gas infrastructure throughout Pennsylvania, and these jobs have provided great wages and benefits,鈥� Steffee said. 鈥淧ennsylvania is the energy powerhouse, and it鈥檚 time to embrace it and not apologize for it, and move forward with cutting-edge technology so we can move forward and do this environmentally friendly.鈥�
David Masur, executive director of PennEnvironment, also applauded Shapiro and CNX鈥檚 efforts, though he expressed a desire to ultimately end fracking in the state.
鈥淧oll after poll shows that the policy initiatives being introduced by the Shapiro administration are broadly supported by Pennsylvanians from all walks of life and all stripes. Hopefully, more energy companies come to the table and voluntarily agree with the governor鈥檚 team to implement policies we sorely need to protect our communities from the ravages of fracking,鈥� Masur said in a news release. 鈥淲hile the package of just-announced policies are important first steps for reining in fracking pollution, at the end of the day, we must end fracking if we鈥檙e going to protect public health and our planet.鈥�
The Center for Coalfield Justice, a nonprofit focused on public and environmental health that advocates for better policies, regulations and oversight of fossil fuel extraction and use in Washington and Greene counties, took a much stronger stance against the efforts of Shapiro and CNX.
鈥淭his is not CNX鈥檚 hero origin story,鈥� the CCJ said in a news release. 鈥淭his announcement is too little, too late, and conveniently comes as CNX seeks carte blanche to develop 鈥榖lue鈥� hydrogen throughout the region as part of the ARCH2 hub.鈥�
Shapiro, CNX and others, however, see the transparency initiative as a bipartisan step toward cleaner energy production.
鈥淲e must reject the false choice between protecting jobs and protecting our planet and public health. I believe we can do both here in Pennsylvania. We鈥檝e shown that energy production and environmental protection, they can coexist,鈥� Shapiro said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e putting forth a model of how natural gas in Pennsylvania can be extracted and processed in the most responsible, sustainable way anywhere in the nation.鈥�
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