News digest

State approves PCL&P gas rate increase HARRISBURG — The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) voted unanimously on Aug. 18 to approve a change to the Gas Cost Rate (GCR) for Pike County Light & Power. Pike County Light & Power provides gas service to over 4,000 customers in eastern Pike County. The average bill for a residential customer using 80 Mcf per year will increase $108. The new gas billing rate will increase $1.3522 per Mcf, from $5.2374 per Mcf to $6.5896 per Mcf (25.8%). The new rate will become effective with service rendered on and after Sept. 1. For recent news releases, audio of select Commission proceedings or more information about the PUC, visit our website at www.puc.state.pa.us . Green Living Fair set for Sunday SHAWNEE — State Rep. John Siptroth will hold his third annual Green Living Fair from noon to 4 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 22 at the Shawnee Inn, Shawnee-on-Delaware. The free event is open to the public. “This is an opportunity for residents to learn about the benefits of clean, renewable energy,” said Siptroth. “It’s also an opportunity for people to learn what they can do to protect our environment for future generations.” There will be presentations on wind and solar energy, conservation measures people can take such as energy-efficient lighting and ways residents can finance energy-saving home improvements. There will also be a discussion on plastic, tire and glass waste. For more information about the fair, call 866-604-5578. No gas drilling unless fracking is safe ALBANY, N.Y. — Gov. David Paterson says hydraulic fracturing of natural gas wells in New York’s part of the four-state Marcellus Shale region won’t be allowed without “overwhelming evidence that nothing will happen’’ to harm clean water supplies. In an interview last Friday with Syracuse radio WSYR’s Jim Reith, Paterson said the controversy over natural gas drilling is “obviously a clash between a very lucrative profit-making opportunity and a very serious public safety hazard.” He said a decision on issuing gas drilling permits will be based on scientific evidence showing hydraulic fracturing is safe. Permits have been on hold for two years in New York while regulators complete a review. Hydraulic fracturing uses chemical-laced water at high pressure to fracture gas-rich shale. Opponents say it threatens water supplies but the industry says it’s been used safely for decades. DEP Fines Atlas Resources for Drilling Wastewater Spill PITTSBURGH — The Department of Environmental Protection has fined Atlas Resources LLC $97,350 for allowing used hydraulic fracturing fluids to overfill a wastewater pit and contaminate a high-quality watershed in Hopewell Township, Washington County. The violations were discovered in December of last year at the Cowden 17 gas well in Washington County. Once the unknown quantity of fluid overflowed the impoundment’s banks, it ran over the ground and into a tributary of Dunkle Run. “It is unacceptable for drilling companies in Pennsylvania to threaten public safety or harm the environment through careless acts, such as this,” DEP Southwest Regional Director George Jugovic Jr. said. “The Marcellus Shale offers significant economic opportunities for Pennsylvania, but these companies must adopt operating standards that prevent these sorts of accidents and they must make protecting our water resources a top priority.”