Imagine...

It seems that PA Senator Mary Jo White has revealed her true colors once again. Instead of fully supporting and - perish the thought - strengthening the new/proposed TDS standards to protect our commonwealth's waters, she has just the opposite in mind. 

Fom her letter:

"However, after reviewing many of the comments submitted, including from affected permit holders and potential applicants, I do have serious concerns regarding the specific standards established for total dissolved solids, chlorides and sulfates by the Department."

Translation: My friends and contributors from BIG OIL are more important than our citizens. I mean, why do they think they deserve to have their waters protected?

Anyway, you can read the entire letter here. Draw your own conclusions.

Here's a snippet about the letter from an e-mail I received last night: 

"This last week Senator Mary Jo White, powerful chair of the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee, addressed a letter to John Hanger, Secretary of DEP and chair of the Environmental Quality Board. Senator White’s district is in the heartland of Pennsylvania’s oil and gas industry. In her letter, she advocates for the industry's position on the proposed new rules on TDS’s. I suspect this letter is cover for the EQB to roll back the proposed TDS regulations as hinted by DEP Water Secretary John Hines at Lycoming College.

Total dissolved solids (TDS) are primarily a brine of concentrated complex salts from mine drainage, manufacturing processes, and gas industry waste water. Current practice is to treat elements of gas waste water and discharge it into rivers still laden with TDS. The proposed new rules, which would greatly reduce TDS discharges, are already having an effect on the industry as they move to recycle their waste water and seeks advanced methods of treating it.

Coming after a long public comment process, Senator White's letter appears to be a delaying tactic and desires giving special access to industry interest. Nor is it exactly factual. Compare what she says with the scientific justification for the new rules DEP put out last summer under Secretary Hanger’s name."

As stated in a previous post, I believe Senator White is no friend of Pennsylvania's environment.  I guess I should change my graphic to include a heelprint?

"Imagine what you could accomplish if you knew you would not fail." - Anon.