[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6209752,"mediaKeyId","3733757-355a5ac6a8ce96778c8bc3f1b9ec1a60","parentId",3733757,"title","Environmental group urges stronger health protections as committee hears gas industry briefing","audioSeconds",424,"startMs",131000,"endMs",555000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3733757-355a5ac6a8ce96778c8bc3f1b9ec1a60&start=131&end=555","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3733757-355a5ac6a8ce96778c8bc3f1b9ec1a60/thumbnail_131000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6209752/Pennsylvania/Environmental-group-urges-stronger-health-protections-as-committee-hears-gas-industry-briefing","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6209752-597c19b803b236cf2de1f888bc51e07a/orig.mp4?Expires=1770437717&Signature=aEBnSLyG~4-jTRxLlV4Ti6oWCTUzy~UnGYBWSKaXUqknb0srF2moxsC2q6bh~iMTSEWqy4spfz1K7xHYDFp~ZH-4MvjoVDa6KkrapNlPkzBKcku1QH-pZblPJsFW1pCeR2zIGdTc4d6u19M-WF6JCAxW32A8g-nOyh-7R3j-qKP~1Hmw4MbmBqsM06P~51v8EWCmHyxOvGk1z9CkDZCNfri-tlviyHbYXI2Q2FfH3Oa9QdzOFEhPfhx3qZ8zv~ld0vvIxmwYU6gzXVyic38GUCZkjRsEe5jXO23-n4-Aksf5R-NRpzDHfwQdBXw66XwZCqdbF2TzL1EXouX6QbtKOw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Pennsylvania House of Representatives","date","2025-06-10T07:38:03.277Z","article","Alice Liu, policy analyst at the Clean Air Council, told the House Consumer Protection, Technology and Utilities Committee that residents who live near oil and gas operations face documented health risks and that state policy should reflect those harms.

\"We don't have to choose between clean energy and economic development. That, ladies and gentlemen, is a false trade off,\" Liu said in opening remarks, and she urged the General Assembly to consider health-based protections for communities near extraction and processing sites.

Liu framed her testimony around three industry segments — upstream production, midstream transmission and storage, and downstream distribution — and emphasized methane and other pollutants. \"Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas that accelerates climate change when burned or when it leaks,\" she said, adding that fracked gas also contains volatile organic compounds and hazardous air pollutants linked in peer‑reviewed studies to cancer and respiratory, neurological and reproductive harms.

The testimony cited a University of Pittsburgh 2023 study that Liu said found \"increased risks of asthma and childhood lymphoma in those living near gas wells.\" Liu also said she spoke with Walter Tzu, identified in her remarks as a board member of Physicians for Social Responsibility, Pennsylvania, who said, \"to ignore the health risks of fracking jeopardizes the health of Pennsylvanians who live above the Marcellus Shale and should be a strong impetus to accelerate a move to renewable green energy.\" Walter Tzu did not testify in the committee meeting; his remarks were reported by Liu.

Liu provided additional context about the population she described as disproportionately exposed: \"There are nearly 1,500,000 people in Pennsylvania who live within half a mile of an active oil or gas well, compressor station, or processing plant.\" She told members there are more than 2,000 peer‑reviewed health studies that link unconventional oil and gas operations to adverse health outcomes and urged the committee to examine state implementation of federal rules. She noted that the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, \"who's responsible for designing the state plan to implement the Environmental Protection Agency's methane rule,\" is developing a plan to meet the EPA rule finalized in March 2024.

Liu also raised economic and reliability concerns connected to gas dependence. She told the committee that Pennsylvania produces far more gas than it uses — \"only about 25% of it\" — and that exports and market dynamics can raise local energy prices. She argued that greater deployment of renewables and energy storage would reduce public health harms and price volatility while creating jobs.

Industry witnesses at the same hearing challenged parts of Liu's characterization. Jim Welty, president of the Marcellus Shale Coalition, disputed the University of Pittsburgh study’s conclusions and criticized its methods, and Andrew Tubbs, president of the Energy Association of Pennsylvania, said he did not fully agree with Liu’s framing on prices and economic impacts. Both witnesses emphasized existing state and federal regulation of the industry.

Why it matters: Liu urged the legislature to weigh health impacts alongside energy and economic considerations. The testimony raises questions about how the commonwealth will implement federal methane rules, how exposures near operations will be addressed, and how the state balances gas production with renewable deployment.

The committee did not take formal action on the testimony at the meeting. Members followed the presentations with questions about methane mitigation, well water, pipeline permitting and the pace of infrastructure replacement. Liu’s written testimony was part of the hearing record submitted to the committee.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Consumer Protection, Technology & Utilities Committee -- June 9, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Alice Liu, policy analyst at the Clean Air Council, told the House Consumer Protection, Technology and Utilities Committee that residents who live near oil and gas operations face documented health risks and that state policy should reflect those harms.","taxTitle","Consumer Protection, Technology & Utilities, House of Representatives, Legislative, Pennsylvania","taxId",29267,"location","Pennsylvania","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6209743,"Industry trade group and utilities defend regulation and call for more pipeline and market access to move Pennsylvania gas",560,1355000,1915000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3733757-355a5ac6a8ce96778c8bc3f1b9ec1a60&start=1355&end=1915","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3733757-355a5ac6a8ce96778c8bc3f1b9ec1a60/thumbnail_1355000.jpg","/articles/6209743/Pennsylvania/Industry-trade-group-and-utilities-defend-regulation-and-call-for-more-pipeline-and-market-access-to-move-Pennsylvania-gas","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6209743-a71225a2636cb1d37d8e8ce620ceb8fd/orig.mp4?Expires=1770437717&Signature=lw4grlr1mJ0FMm8cKNa3TSnOW0DkTHKtelViols5TWDtuw2sb9GCtZ99vSF3pYJH1rJ7HOVzKt9AONQlp~QbxvWHtQSChkHYfqPj~QCMCI2Xu-7EugViN0St-QuP-MckQxoqe35Hzng9cDFJsK5R1C9b~ZN1nWzIlywEZc97VB6pOADzEOC7Fvw9K9YhPO8Epf8-3yzhXajMEHMIBksUqWwnT7wH~aise8kp5nrDGVZQu3JWcDZCKIviAS975DImT~MdkTf4qnj6QTwe2uHj33YODV5CcrNx5qWThxdLe63nU2IjjGU5vnyiEkW3l4ltFDEs89GQZT4bhGLjT2pQ5w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Jim Welty, president of the Marcellus Shale Coalition, told the House Consumer Protection, Technology and Utilities Committee that shale gas development in Pennsylvania is subject to numerous state and federal laws and provides substantial economic benefits to the commonwealth.

\"We are probably 1 of the most heavily regulated industries in the Commonwealth, if not the nation,\" Welty said, listing statutes and programs under which operators obtain permits and operate, including the Oil and Gas Act, the Clean Streams Law, the Air Pollution Control Act, the Radiation Protection Act, the Solid Waste Management Act, the Unconventional Well Emergency Response Act, federal and state pipeline safety acts, and the PA One Call law.

Welty argued the industry supports more than 123,000 jobs and contributes sizable economic figures he gave for the committee: roughly $41 billion in economic activity and more than $6 billion each in taxes and royalties annually. He also credited gas with reducing emissions in the power sector: he told the committee that electric‑sector carbon emissions have fallen 46 percent since the shift from coal to gas and called the change a public‑health benefit.

On methane, Welty said operators have an incentive to capture gas and that the Appalachian Basin has \"the lowest methane intensity of any basin in The United States,\" citing studies he referenced in submitted materials. He urged development of markets and pipeline access so Pennsylvania gas can reach customers and overseas allies, and he encouraged a market‑driven, \"all of the above\" energy approach.

Energy Association of Pennsylvania President Andrew Tubbs emphasized the role of transmission, storage and distribution infrastructure for moving gas to market. Tubbs said upgrades at the distribution level, including investment mechanisms such as the distribution system improvement charge, have increased the annual miles of pipe replacement from about 30 miles in the 1990s to more than 80 miles in recent years and have reduced methane emissions through replacement of aging mains.

During question-and-answer, members raised water contamination, permitting delays, and comparative impacts of large pipeline projects. Welty disputed claims that production has affected drinking water quality and said the Susquehanna River Basin Commission had found \"no discernible impact on the quality or quantity of the water\" in that basin; other members and the Clean Air Council rebutted that water impacts have been reported in particular pipeline construction incidents and that midstream horizontal directional‑drilling (HDD) operations can create localized flowback and risks that require permit conditions and close oversight.

Why it matters: Industry witnesses made a case to lawmakers that gas development is regulated, economically significant and central to the region’s electricity and heating supply, while also urging faster permitting and market development to get more Pennsylvania gas to consumers. The exchange highlighted tensions between public‑health advocates and industry on study interpretation, permitting timelines and the environmental effects of construction and production.

The committee did not adopt policy or take formal votes during the hearing. Several members urged additional oversight, data and clarity on permitting and water impacts as a next step.","Representatives of the Marcellus Shale Coalition and Energy Association of Pennsylvania told the House Consumer Protection, Technology and Utilities Committee that the gas industry is heavily regulated, supplies critical electricity and heating capacity, and contributes substantial jobs and tax revenue; they urged faster permitting and more",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6209748,"Philadelphia Gas Works outlines LNG storage, programs and $125 million federal investment to speed main replacements",522,856000,1378000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3733757-355a5ac6a8ce96778c8bc3f1b9ec1a60&start=856&end=1378","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3733757-355a5ac6a8ce96778c8bc3f1b9ec1a60/thumbnail_856000.jpg","/articles/6209748/Pennsylvania/Philadelphia-Gas-Works-outlines-LNG-storage-programs-and-125-million-federal-investment-to-speed-main-replacements","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6209748-f89adcecc345798eae42f4df494ef221/orig.mp4?Expires=1770437717&Signature=giytO98xfimcFNHz~MRmMP~iTg5gbTso89iV1ABh2aY~xz4CiP3gSCG9O7QdwPxso3LVegBc3czmcC1ED5gZxu0CQPzbdbabQi--tdyvB4aqsCucATW3aTaQt2Gdfhz3U0YO5Op8Vojx7XKwhBNsSpcn620VMb-CDUwwe34nxG7nWpihCKWx1DxMmUeHN-dw29g2EuiZzqr1QvE-rBiA2P1bDgVUe3k~AWwolUu1aJqiUEfRMEalhISwYv9fAK0fVHG9YFxYCY5YtxeEPYmCHrsnTwh~cIN3J97x0DipS-KI~Ty0~hzhJ7FWVLa3DsGu0m8bek5Ai6gki6FwxYx8HA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Melanie McCoughtry, chief of staff and senior vice president of Philadelphia Gas Works, told the House Consumer Protection, Technology and Utilities Committee that the city‑owned utility serves more than half a million customers and is using federal and internal funds to replace aging infrastructure and support low‑income ratepayers.

\"We are not an investor owned utility. We are a municipally owned utility, which is extremely unique. We are the largest natural gas utility in the country, and so we serve over over half a million customers,\" McCoughtry said, describing PGW's customer base as \"overwhelmingly residential\" and noting the utility employs about 1,600 people, roughly 1,100 of whom are union covered.

McCoughtry outlined three tools PGW uses to manage service: uncover new revenue, cut costs and increase efficiencies, or raise rates. She told the committee PGW collected roughly $700,000,000 in revenue in the last year to pay commodity costs and credited its in‑city liquefied natural gas (LNG) storage for savings to customers. \"One of the reasons that we were able to keep prices so low is our LNG facility,\" she said, and estimated city customers have saved more than $4,000,000,000 because the utility can store gas on‑site.

On infrastructure, McCoughtry said PGW owns about 6,000 miles of underground gas mains and that approximately 1,100 miles remain cast iron. She told members PGW received $125,000,000 from the federal reinvestment act to accelerate main replacement and that the funds will reduce an additional 66 miles of older pipe without passing the immediate cost to customers. PGW is also subject to multiple layers of oversight, she said: the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission and local city oversight, including mayoral and city council appointments to a gas commission.

McCoughtry described customer assistance and efficiency efforts as significant parts of PGW's work. She said the utility spends about $80,000,000 annually on programs to support financially vulnerable customers and has invested more than $75,000,000 in its Energy Sense weatherization and housing‑stock improvement program. \"PGW isn't often viewed this way, but we're probably 1 of the largest social service agencies in the city of Philadelphia,\" she said.

She also described climate and emissions work: PGW measures emissions across scope 1, 2 and 3 and cited its cast‑iron replacement program and energy efficiency efforts as central methane‑reduction measures. McCoughtry said PGW has launched a pilot feasibility study on geothermal with a Philadelphia school, and said any broader changes need careful study to ensure cost recovery and replicability.

Why it matters: The committee heard details about the operational and financial structure of a large municipally‑owned utility that serves low‑income customers and manages large in‑city LNG capacity. PGW emphasized customer assistance, infrastructure replacement and emission‑reduction programs while warning of constraints on rapid change because of cost recovery and regulatory oversight.

The committee made no formal determination during the informational meeting. Members asked follow‑up questions about methane reduction programs and permitting and restoration costs that can affect project timelines and budgets.","Philadelphia Gas Works told the House Consumer Protection, Technology and Utilities Committee it serves more than half a million customers, operates large in‑city LNG storage, and is using federal funds to accelerate replacement of aging cast‑iron pipes; PGW also described customer assistance and energy‑efficiency programs funded through utility","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Environmental group urges stronger health protections as committee hears gas industry briefing

Industry trade group and utilities defend regulation and call for more pipeline and market access to move Pennsylvania gas

Philadelphia Gas Works outlines LNG storage, programs and $125 million federal investment to speed main replacements