In June MDN told you about an idea “whose time has come”–legislation in Pennsylvania that will allow drillers to use acid mine water (AMW) from abandoned coal mines as fracking fluid, reducing the need for using fresh water sources (see New Bill Allows Drillers to Use Acid Mine Water for Fracking in PA). The legislation, sponsored by Sen. Camera Bartolotta (Republican), would let drillers use AMW without fear that they will be sued from sun-up to sundown by radical environmentalists. The current laws on the books say “if you touch it, you own it” and drillers are afraid if they begin using AMW, litigious lawyers for Big Green groups like Food & Water Watch, Delaware Riverkeeper, Sierra Club, National Resources Defense Council and others will take them to court and try to bankrupt them–claiming the AMW, even if treated, is causing negative environmental and health issues. Senate Bill (SB) 875 would fix that problem. VERY good news: SB875 was passed by both the Senate and House last week and sent to Gov. Tom Wolf’s desk for his signature. Since Wolf plays dirty and uses political blackmail (holding up the state budget over a Marcellus severance tax), there’s no telling when, or if, he’ll sign SB875 since it “benefits” the Marcellus industry…
