To: John H. Quigley, Secretary, Department of Environmental Protection, The Pennsylvania State House, The Pennsylvania State Senate, and Governor Tom Wolf
One Mile Minimum! Keep Oil & Gas Operations Away from Our Schools!
Karen Feridun
There is no evidence that fracking and supporting infrastructure can operate without risks to human health. Yet there is a growing body of peer-reviewed science that provides significant evidence of the public health risks of shale oil and gas development. There is also no scientifically definitive setback distance that would prevent health and safety impacts from oil and gas infrastructure.
Given the accidents like explosions and fires that have occurred, and documented water and air pollution from oil and gas infrastructure, policy-makers should exercise the utmost precaution when making decisions that could impact children and other vulnerable populations. Children are especially vulnerable to environmental hazards and warrant greater protection from environmental risks.
I, the undersigned, urge the Department of Environmental Protection to include a one-mile setback from the property boundary of oil and gas infrastructure and the property boundary of a school property in its revisions to Pennsylvania's regulations for above-ground oil and gas operations (Chapter 78).
Given the accidents like explosions and fires that have occurred, and documented water and air pollution from oil and gas infrastructure, policy-makers should exercise the utmost precaution when making decisions that could impact children and other vulnerable populations. Children are especially vulnerable to environmental hazards and warrant greater protection from environmental risks.
I, the undersigned, urge the Department of Environmental Protection to include a one-mile setback from the property boundary of oil and gas infrastructure and the property boundary of a school property in its revisions to Pennsylvania's regulations for above-ground oil and gas operations (Chapter 78).
Why is this important?
Protect Our Children (protectourchildrencoalition.org) is a coalition of parents groups and environmental and health advocates calling for a one mile minimum separation between schools and oil & gas wells or related infrastructure projects. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection is accepting comments until May 4th on a proposed set of regulations that does not include the separation we've been calling for.