{"id":423847,"date":"2026-01-30T08:58:26","date_gmt":"2026-01-30T07:58:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=423847"},"modified":"2026-01-30T08:58:29","modified_gmt":"2026-01-30T07:58:29","slug":"efforts-to-kill-gas-industry-disguised-as-environmental-protection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=423847","title":{"rendered":"Efforts to Kill Gas Industry Disguised as Environmental Protection"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"An<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From Watts Up With That?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Gordon Tomb<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Exterior<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Newly proposed regulations on Pennsylvania natural gas purport to protect the environment. However, the restrictions, if passed, would shut down an industry that has moderated electricity rates and reduced the cost of gas, saving consumers billions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Under consideration in the state House of Representatives and at the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) are new setback requirements that would increase minimum distances between gas wells and both structures and water supplies\u2014some by as much as a mile\u2014without conclusive scientific data to support it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAside from states that have effectively banned drilling, Pennsylvania has the most stringent setback distances of the five top hydrocarbon-producing states,\u201d says Patrick Henderson, vice president of government affairs and communications for the Marcellus Shale Coalition (MSC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Bill (HB) 1946, which would expand setbacks if enacted, is \u201cnothing but a backdoor ban on new \u2026 natural gas development,\u201d said Henderson, testifying at a legislative hearing<\/a>. \u201cThis fact is indisputable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Frankly, to argue otherwise defies common sense and displays the unreasonableness of ideological fervor, not the clear-headedness of rational regulation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An MSC analysis<\/a> of Pennsylvania\u2019s 17 most productive counties showed that the bill in the Democrat-led House would ban gas wells in 87 to 100 percent of the individual counties. The region stretches from the counties of Washington, Greene, and Allegheny in the southwest to Sullivan, Wyoming, and Susquehanna in the northeast, following the state\u2019s Appalachian Mountains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A 2020 grand jury report inspired HB 1946. However, a previous Democrat-led administration found the report \u201cso egregious in its recommendations,\u201d says Henderson, \u201cthat it did a \u2018disservice to the citizens of the Commonwealth\u2019 and that many aspects of the report \u2018were factually and legally inaccurate.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not to be outdone, the state Environmental Quality Board<\/a> of the current Democrat administration\u2014encouraged by environmental activists\u2014has recommended even more-stringent restrictions. Under the proposal, setbacks would increase for schools and hospitals (from 500 feet to 1 mile), other buildings and private wells (from 500 feet to 3,281 feet), public water supplies (from 1,000 feet to 3,281 feet), and wetlands and bodies of water (from 300 feet to 750 feet).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Restrictive as those distances are, some activists remain unsatisfied. \u201cTen miles might be too close,\u201d says Dr. Ned Ketyer<\/a>, the president of Physicians for Social Responsibility\u2013Pennsylvania, during a state House hearing<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ketyer references several studies that purportedly connect a wide range of health issues and \u201cclimate change\u201d to Pennsylvania\u2019s well operations. However, under questioning, he acknowledges that none of the research has proven that the wells have directly harmed anyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNone of the studies are saying that fracking is causing this,\u201d he says. \u201cThese studies are not designed to prove causation. They are to make associations between living near fracking and health impacts that are being seen in the community.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gas well development already endures strict regulations. Since 2012, Pennsylvania has heavily regulated setbacks, especially the kind targeted by new legislative proposals. Since then,<\/a> the industry has generated nearly $3 billion in tax revenue for all 67 Pennsylvania counties, billions in royalty payments to landowners, billions in energy savings, and hundreds of thousands of high-paying jobs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the past two years alone, more-efficiently produced natural gas has saved consumers almost $20 billion in energy costs compared to 2008, according to industry analysis of data from the state Public Utility Commission. In addition, lower gas prices have reduced the cost of electricity<\/a> generation by 16 percent since 2011, although other factors, such as transmission expenses and \u201cgreen\u201d energy subsidies, have increased overall power prices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pennsylvanians have benefited enormously from the rise of the modern gas industry, and suggestions to the contrary are absurd and harmful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe mere contemplation (of setback increases) sends a chilling message to Pennsylvania\u2019s business and investment community,\u201d says MSC President Jim Welty<\/a>. \u201cIt further lends credence to those who claim, inaccurately, that Pennsylvania elected officials and regulators have not capably regulated and overseen the industry.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Legislators and regulators supporting setback increases should reconsider their positions and seek ways to encourage further development of the state\u2019s energy resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Originally published in Times Leader<\/em><\/a> on <\/em>January 24, 2026.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gordon Tomb<\/a> is Senior Advisor at the CO2 Coalition and senior fellow with the Commonwealth Foundation, a Pennsylvania free-market think tank.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Newly proposed regulations on Pennsylvania natural gas purport to protect the environment. However, the restrictions, if passed, would shut down an industry that has moderated electricity rates and reduced the cost of gas, saving consumers billions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121246920,"featured_media":423852,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","_crdt_document":"","advanced_seo_description":"Explore how new proposed regulations could threaten Pennsylvania's natural gas industry, impacting energy costs and consumer savings.","jetpack_seo_html_title":"New Gas Regulations in Pennsylvania: A Threat to Energy Savings","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":true,"token":"eyJpbWciOiJodHRwczpcL1wvY2xpbWF0ZS1zY2llbmNlLnByZXNzXC93cC1jb250ZW50XC91cGxvYWRzXC8yMDI2XC8wMVwvMEFRTTRLSUVTXzVyYTItdE1yMWJSU0w4YmFDOTR3dUFfWHcxdVRzdTBSQ2FHY0plV1BkVHVMVWVoR3dNSmRueVYzWl9fTEVUNkhENmhWeU5lTDhLSE13bnB2b2ZVd05udjJmRWtRYi1reG5UWVVtdFg4cGw4eEpGZm9TTTNRSDJCLTEtMTAyNHg2NzQuanBlZyIsInR4dCI6IkVmZm9ydHMgdG8gS2lsbCBHYXMgSW5kdXN0cnkgRGlzZ3Vpc2VkIGFzIEVudmlyb25tZW50YWwgUHJvdGVjdGlvbiIsInRlbXBsYXRlIjoiaGlnaHdheSIsImZvbnQiOiIiLCJibG9nX2lkIjoxNTU4MTI0NDl9.cY25RpwZsJPQRm9kkzHcLI6yLD92JRgbLGSoQ_r0AEIMQ"},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[691818056,691833614,691832526,691840999,691818376,691824231],"class_list":{"0":"post-423847","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"hentry","7":"category-uncategorized","8":"tag-climate-change","9":"tag-department-of-environmental-protection-dep","10":"tag-electricity-rates","11":"tag-marcellus-shale-coalition-msc","12":"tag-natural-gas","13":"tag-pennsylvania","15":"fallback-thumbnail"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0AQM4KIES_5ra2-tMr1bRSL8baC94wuA_Xw1uTsu0RCaGcJeWPdTuLUehGwMJdnyV3Z__LET6HD6hVyNeL8KHMwnpvofUwNnv2fEkQb-kxnTYUmtX8pl8xJFfoSM3QH2B-1.jpeg?fit=1295%2C853&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paxLW1-1Mgf","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":241274,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=241274","url_meta":{"origin":423847,"position":0},"title":"In 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