Pennsylvania Marcellus News Roundup, June 13-20.

United Methodists call for halt to drilling

United Methodists representing 950 churches across Northeastern and Central Pennsylvania passed a resolution calling for a temporary halt in gas well drilling in the Marcellus shale as well as an impact tax on those places where drilling already has taken hold.

Quinn seeks fee on gas drilling

State Rep. Marguerite Quinn said she is all for the jobs the burgeoning Marcellus Shale natural gas industry is growing in Pennsylvania, and is not seeking to “stifle” that success.

But before the 143rd District Republican looks to the future, she winces at the “past lessons we have learned through the coal industry.” She points to the environmental nightmares, health problems and infrastructure challenges coal’s legacy left the commonwealth.

 Wagner: Schools should benefit from Marcellus shale

Jack Wagner urged Beaver County school officials to begin lobbying for a natural gas extraction tax and then for a share of the revenue generated by it. 

 Survey finds Marcellus drilling popular

Six in 10 Pennsylvania residents support natural gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale, and an equal number support a tax on the companies drilling there, according to a poll on Pennsylvania politics released Tuesday.

 Fee for Marcellus Shale Drilling passes committee

The Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee, chaired by Sen. Mary Jo White (R-21), today approved amended legislation that would impose an impact fee on natural gas drilling in Pennsylvania.

 Marcellus Shale Drilling Tax Takes Center Stage at Montco Meeting

State government representatives and advocates for a Marcellus Shale drilling tax hosted a breakfast meeting Monday at Lehman United Methodist Church in Hatboro.

Pa. makes recommendations to monitor cancer, other illnesses in fracking areas

Pennsylvania's Department of Health wants to start tracking health and environmental data relating to natural gas drilling in the state's Marcellus Shale.

New Website Levels the Playing Field in Marcellus Shale Debate

A new website aimed at organizing the avalanche of information on all things Marcellus Shale was announced today by the Pennsylvania Environmental Council (PEC). “MarcellusFacts” (www.marcellusfacts.org), scours the internet continuously for news and information on Marcellus Shale and aggregates it into an easy-to-read format. Material is gathered from such sources as Google News, RSS feeds and audited news sites, and organized into a clear and concise format for computers or smartphones.

Ridge: Gas industry must improve public image

Former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge, now a consultant to the natural gas industry, said Thursday that drillers operating in the Marcellus Shale recognize they need to improve their image if they want to be "warmly embraced" by the public, not just "grudgingly accepted."

 DEP examines report of gas in Lycoming Co. wells

State environmental officials are investigating new instances of methane contaminating private residential water wells and bubbling up in a northern Pennsylvania stream near a Marcellus Shale natural gas drilling operation.

Marcellus aids Pa. jobless rate

Pennsylvania's jobless rate fell slightly to 7.4 percent in May as the booming natural gas industry added more jobs, the state said on Thursday.

Bill to tap Marcellus drilling money accumulate as budget deadline looms

A short discussion, a unanimous vote and the deed was done — the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee sent to the floor of the Legislature a bill to extract tens of millions of dollars annually from natural gas drilling on the rich Marcellus Shale formation,

Pa. lawmaker introduces another bill to levy impact fee on Marcellus Shale gas drilling

A new Marcellus drilling impact fee bill in the House is generating a buzz and drawing support from several Republican lawmakers representing Northeast Pennsylvania as well as environmental groups.

Ohio taking in flood of Pennsylvania brine for disposal

Millions of barrels of salty, toxic wastewater from natural-gas wells in Pennsylvania are coming into Ohio despite efforts to keep it at bay.

Methane found in seven water wells near XTO Energy natural gas drilling sites in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania environmental officials are investigating new instances of methane in seven water wells in an area where Fort Worth-based XTO Energy is drilling natural gas wells in the Marcellus Shale play.