PO 
  Box 
  4023 
  
184 
  South 
  Main 
  Street 
  
Washington, 
  PA 
  15301 
  

P) 
  724.229.3550 
  
F) 
  724.229.3551 
  
www.coalfieldjustice.org 
  
info@coalfieldjustice.org 
  

April 
  18, 
  2016 
  
 
  
Mr. 
  Carl 
  Jones, 
  Jr. 
  
Director 
  of 
  Environmental 
  Justice 
   
  
DEP 
  Southeast 
  Regional 
  Office 
  
2 
  East 
  Main 
  St 
  
Norristown, 
  PA 
  19401 
  
 
  
Dear 
  Mr. 
  Jones, 
   
  
 
  
 
  
Earlier 
  this 
  month, 
  attorneys 
  from 
  the 
  undersigned 
  organizations 
  joined 
  many 
  fellow 
  
environmental 
  attorneys 
  from 
  across 
  Pennsylvania 
  in 
  Harrisburg 
  for 
  the 
  annual 
  Environmental 
  
Law 
  Forum. 
  This 
  two-­‐day 
  conference 
  allows 
  attorneys 
  to 
  obtain 
  their 
  yearly 
  requirement 
  in 
  
continuing 
  legal 
  education 
  credits. 
  Traditionally, 
  noteworthy 
  and 
  interesting 
  developments 
  in 
  the 
  
law 
  have 
  been 
  discussed 
  from 
  respected 
  authorities 
  in 
  particular 
  areas 
  of 
  environmental 
  law. 
  In 
  
fact, 
  Secretary 
  Quigley 
  opened 
  this 
  year’s 
  conference 
  with 
  updates 
  from 
  the 
  Department 
  of 
  
Environmental 
  Protection, 
  highlighting 
  the 
  department’s 
  commitment 
  to 
  transparency 
  and 
  
integrity 
  in 
  all 
  it 
  does. 
  We 
  have 
  been 
  encouraged 
  by, 
  and 
  supportive 
  of, 
  Secretary 
  Quigley’s 
  recent 
  
actions 
  in 
  prioritizing 
  the 
  Office 
  of 
  Environmental 
  Justice 
  and 
  issues 
  of 
  equity 
  more 
  generally 
  in 
  the 
  
Department. 
  It 
  has 
  been 
  a 
  welcome 
  and 
  needed 
  change 
  that 
  is 
  worthy 
  of 
  acknowledgement. 
   
  
 
  
A 
  troubling 
  disclosure 
  made 
  on 
  the 
  second 
  day 
  of 
  this 
  year’s 
  law 
  forum 
  brought 
  to 
  light 
  just 
  
how 
  important 
  it 
  is 
  for 
  all 
  of 
  us 
  in 
  Pennsylvania 
  to 
  prioritize 
  environmental 
  justice. 
  A 
  presentation 
  
from 
  a 
  Range 
  Resources 
  executive 
  offered 
  a 
  glimpse 
  into 
  the 
  true 
  thoughts 
  and 
  priorities 
  of 
  some 
  
actors 
  in 
  the 
  shale 
  gas 
  industry. 
  Terry 
  Bossert, 
  Range 
  Resources’ 
  Vice-­‐President 
  for 
  Legislative 
  and 
  
Regulatory 
  Affairs, 
  said 
  during 
  his 
  presentation 
  that 
  when 
  choosing 
  where 
  to 
  locate 
  shale 
  gas 
  wells 
  
in 
  an 
  area 
  in 
  which 
  it 
  holds 
  leases, 
  the 
  company 
  looks 
  to 
  avoid 
  big 
  houses 
  because 
  people 
  living 
  
there 
  may 
  not 
  like 
  the 
  industrial 
  activity 
  and 
  may 
  have 
  the 
  financial 
  capacity 
  to 
  challenge 
  their 
  
operations. 
  This 
  confirms 
  what 
  many 
  have 
  long 
  suspected, 
  that 
  the 
  shale 
  gas 
  industry 
  may 
  be 
  
targeting 
  Environmental 
  Justice 
  areas 
  in 
  the 
  Commonwealth 
  when 
  making 
  siting 
  decisions, 
  
attempting 
  to 
  isolate 
  and 
  target 
  those 
  with 
  less 
  capacity 
  to 
  defend 
  themselves. 
  This 
  is 
  especially 
  
concerning 
  given 
  the 
  potential 
  for 
  unconventional 
  natural 
  gas 
  drilling 
  and 
  production 
  activities 
  to 
  
harm 
  the 
  environment, 
  public 
  health, 
  property 
  values 
  and 
  the 
  quality 
  of 
  life 
  of 
  people 
  living 
  near 
  
sites 
  where 
  such 
  activities 
  occur. 
   
  
Mr. 
  Bossert’s 
  comments 
  suggest 
  that 
  Range 
  Resources, 
  and 
  presumably 
  the 
  general 
  
industry, 
  strategically 
  makes 
  decisions 
  to 
  conduct 
  its 
  natural 
  gas 
  operations 
  in 
  disadvantaged 
  
communities, 
  often 
  overburdened 
  by 
  other 
  industrial 
  activities. 
  It 
  would 
  violate 
  the 
  principles 
  of 
  
environmental 
  justice 
  if 
  natural 
  gas 
  operations 
  were 
  deliberately 
  sited 
  in 
  communities 
  that 
  are 
  
designated 
  as 
  Environmental 
  Justice 
  areas 
  or 
  otherwise 
  burdened 
  by 
  industrial 
  uses. 
  To 
  that 
  end, 
  
the 
  undersigned 
  organizations 
  respectfully 
  request 
  that 
  the 
  Office 
  of 
  Environmental 
  Justice 
  take 
  
action 
  to 
  ensure 
  that 
  Environmental 
  Justice 
  communities 
  in 
  Pennsylvania 
  are 
  not 
  targeted 
  for 
  
industrial 
  development 
  simply 
  because 
  they 
  may 
  not 
  have 
  the 
  resources 
  to 
  stand 
  up 
  for 
  their 
  rights. 
  
We 
  are 
  deeply 
  concerned 
  by 
  the 
  implications 
  of 
  Mr. 
  Bossert’s 
  comments, 
  which 
  likely 
  reflect 
  
the 
  shale 
  gas 
  industry’s 
  siting 
  practices 
  generally. 
  To 
  the 
  extent 
  that 
  that 
  ability 
  of 
  residents 
  to 
  
object 
  to 
  natural 
  gas 
  development 
  is 
  or 
  has 
  been 
  a 
  consideration 
  in 
  deciding 
  the 
  location 
  of 
  natural 
  
gas 
  facilities, 
  Mr. 
  Bossert’s 
  comments 
  serve 
  as 
  actual 
  notice 
  of 
  the 
  need 
  to 
  implement 
  policies 
  and 
  
practices 
  that 
  protect 
  these 
  communities 
  from 
  the 
  adverse 
  effects 
  of 
  industrial 
  land 
  uses. 
  Based 
  on 
  
that 
  notice, 
  the 
  significant 
  risk 
  of 
  disparate 
  impacts 
  to 
  environmental 
  justice 
  communities 
  cannot 
  
Justice 
  for 
  Coalfield 
  Citizens 
  

 be 
  overlooked. 
  All 
  shale 
  gas 
  well 
  permits 
  should 
  be 
  considered 
  trigger 
  permits 
  under 
  the 
  opt-­‐in 
  
permit 
  provision 
  of 
  Appendix 
  A 
  of 
  the 
  Department's 
  Environmental 
  Justice 
  Public 
  Participation 
  
Policy 
  of 
  2005. 
   
  Furthermore, 
  the 
  Office 
  of 
  Environmental 
  Justice 
  should 
  conduct 
  a 
  retroactive 
  
analysis 
  of 
  permits 
  previously 
  issued 
  to 
  determine 
  whether 
  there 
  was 
  an 
  adverse 
  impact 
  on 
  
environmental 
  justice 
  communities. 
   
  
 
  
The 
  undersigned 
  organizations 
  would 
  welcome 
  the 
  opportunity 
  to 
  further 
  discuss 
  what 
  
more 
  can 
  be 
  done 
  to 
  protect 
  already 
  burdened 
  communities. 
  Thank 
  you 
  for 
  your 
  time 
  and 
  
consideration. 
  Should 
  you 
  have 
  any 
  questions, 
  please 
  do 
  not 
  hesitate 
  to 
  contact 
  us 
  by 
  phone 
  or 
  by 
  e-­‐
mail. 
   
   
  
 
  
Sincerely, 
   
  
 
  
Patrick 
  Grenter 
  
Executive 
  Director 
   
  
Center 
  for 
  Coalfield 
  Justice 
  
 
  
Joanne 
  Kilgour 
  
Chapter 
  Director 
   
  
Sierra 
  Club, 
  Pennsylvania 
  Chapter 
  
 
  
Joseph 
  Otis 
  Minott 
  
Executive 
  Director 
  
Clean 
  Air 
  Council 
  
 
  
cc: 
  Mr. 
  John 
  Quigley, 
  DEP 
  Secretary 
  
Mr. 
  Scott 
  Perry, 
  DEP 
  Deputy 
  Secretary 
  of 
  the 
  Office 
  of 
  Oil 
  and 
  Gas 
  Management 
  
Ms. 
  Laureen 
  M. 
  Boles, 
  DEP 
  EJAB 
  member 
  
Mr. 
  Eli 
  Brill, 
  DEP 
  EJAB 
  member 
  
Mr. 
  Adam 
  Cutler, 
  DEP 
  EJAB 
  member 
  
Dr. 
  Arthur 
  Frank, 
  DEP 
  EJAB 
  member 
  
Mr. 
  Hazem 
  M 
  Hijazi, 
  PE, 
  DEP 
  EJAB 
  member 
  
Dr. 
  Clea 
  Patrick 
  Hollis, 
  DEP 
  EJAB 
  member 
  
Dr. 
  Kirk 
  Jalbert, 
  DEP 
  EJAB 
  member 
  
Dr. 
  Allison 
  Robinson, 
  DEP 
  EJAB 
  member 
  
Dr. 
  Horace 
  Strand, 
  Chester, 
  DEP 
  EJAB 
  member 
  
Mr. 
  John 
  G. 
  Waffenschmidt, 
  DEP 
  EJAB 
  member 
  
Dr. 
  Mark 
  V. 
  White, 
  DEP 
  EJAB 
  member 
  
 
  
 
  
 
  

Justice 
  for 
  Coalfield 
  Citizens