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FRIDAY, MAY 6, 2011
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Group wants stronger limits on drilling PennEnvironment has found Marcellus Shale sites near day cares, schools and hospitals. By MARC LEVY Associated Press
HARRISBURG — Policymakers in Pennsylvania should immediately strengthen rules that make sensitive ecosystems, areas around water sources and places where people live or work off limits to natural gas drilling, an environmental group said Thursday. The message comes as drilling in Marcellus Shale natural gas wells intensifies. Philadelphia-based PennEnvironment said it has found permitted Marcellus Shale sites within two miles of numerous day cares, schools and hospitals in Pennsylvania. It also said there are hundreds of instances of environmental violations flagged by state regulators at Marcellus Shale drilling sites within two miles of schools or day cares.
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1974. The city also was awarded a grant of more than $2 million it applied for on behalf of Wilkes University, which will partially fund the construction of a new science building on campus. Mayor Tom Leighton said work, funded by a previous gambling-revenue grant of $600,000, has already begun at the former bank, and that the new grant will be used to complete “mothballing” of the building, or making repairs to preserve structural integrity and prevent further degradation. Once repairs are completed, the building, which was purchased by the city for $225,000 in 2005, will be more attractive to investors currently interested in the property but holding back because of the cost repairing the bank, he said. “It’s a structurally sound building that has great potential use,
State law provides for a buffer of 200 feet between a drilling site and buildings and private water wells, as well as a 100foot buffer around many waterways and wetlands. Several bills awaiting action in the GOP-controlled Legislature would increase those buffers. One, introduced by state Rep. Karen Boback, R-Harveys Lake, would increase existing buffers to 1,000 feet. However, a company would be able to get permission to drill within that buffer if, for instance, it secured an owner’s permission or took extra precautions that satisfy state regulators. A bill introduced by state Sen. Gene Yaw, R-Lycoming, would increase the existing buffer around water wells and buildings to 500 feet. It would leave intact the 100-foot buffer around waterways and wetlands, but allow state regulators to impose a 500foot buffer around them for the storage of hazardous chemicals
or materials. Last year, House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee Chairman Bud George, DClearfield, introduced a bill that would have established a 1,000foot buffer around buildings and water wells. It also would have established a 2,500-foot buffer around surface-water sources and a 1,000-foot buffer around groundwater sources for a driller that uses hydraulic fracturing or horizontal drilling. That bill died without action in the Democratic-controlled House. He reintroduced it this year. For decades, energy companies have drilled shallow oil and gas wells in Pennsylvania. However, in the last three years, fresh environmental concerns have arisen with the influx of energy companies using high volumes of chemical-laced water in a process known as hydraulic fracturing to drill lucrative and deep Marcellus Shale wells. They also use the recent innovation of horizontal drilling underground to increase a well’s production.
and this is the first step in moving forward,” Leighton said. The mayor said the building’s design, character and structural integrity would make it attractive to a number of businesses, adding “we’ll do our due diligence to make sure we have something in there conducive to the revitalization of the downtown.”
Wilkes President Tim Gilmour called the grant funding “crucial” to the project and said the building “will ensure Wilkes has the leading-edge facilities needed to train the best scientists, doctors, engineers and researchers to compete in today’s global economy.” Across the river, Kingston was awarded $1 million to purchase vehicles and equipment and to revitalize a vacant strip mall on Third Avenue. Kingston Manager Paul Keating said the municipality applied for $2.5 million in funding; $2 million for the Jewish Community Center project and $500,000 for two dump trucks, two police vehicles and a truck-mounted vacuum sweeper. He said he did not know how the grant funding would be divided, but said he and Mayor Jim Haggerty are “really excited about the funding, and we feel that it’s a good day for Kingston.” According to Keating, the Jewish Community Center of Wyoming Valley plans to move into the Kingston Plaza shopping center,
Science building The grant to Wilkes University will be put toward construction of a new $35 million, 70,000-squarefoot science building on South River Street between Stark Learning Center and Conyngham Hall. The building, to be designed by Saylor Gregg Architects, will house the biology, chemistry and earth sciences departments as well as the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research of Northeast Pennsylvania, which studies the impact of Marcellus Shale drilling in the region. The university plans to break ground on the project by fall, and expects to begin occupying the building by the spring of 2013.
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that the policy and intent of our firm is to continue to provide every client with both the level of service and quality of product consistent with has/her needs.” Amato on decision to restructure Contacted Thursday, Amato said the charges against Michael Pasonick were not a factor in the decision to restructure the corporation. “Mike has been out of the business and we are the new principals,” Amato said. Asked if he thought the charges against Michael Pasonick would negatively impact the company, Amato declined to comment. Michael Pasonick formed Michael J. Pasonick Jr. Inc., one of several corpora-
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not apply to pipelines, and Dallas Township goes beyond those state guidelines. He writes that by submitting an application for land development, the company is not waiving its right to dispute the need for an application, but
tions that bear his name, in 1976, according to corporate records. Other firms with which he is listed as an officer include Michael J. Pasonick Jr. & Associates and Pasonick & Sergeant Inc. Pasonick did not return a phone message Thursday regarding the reasoning for the corporate restructuring. His association with Pasonick & Associates is known to have negatively impacted the business in at least one contract, however. Lost county contract in 2009 In December 2009, the Luzerne County Housing Authority chose another firm over Pasonick & Associates in part due to allegations that had been raised against Michael Pasonick, Authority Director David Fagula said in a previous interview. At that time, Pasonick had been identified by attorney Michael Butera as the person who paid a $1,400 bribe to former Housing Authority board member
working with the township in keeping officials and residents informed. Despite the letter, township officials said the company will still need to appear before the township planning commission, and construction will not begin until land development approval is granted. The letter also says a zoning application was submitted Jan. 19 and amended Feb. 24 for the
We’re looking for you! Telerx, a customer service call center in the Hanover Industrial Estates, has announced it will expand its workforce by 40 to 50 thanks to a contract with an international company.
Lake Lehman enjoys field day fun
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NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER OBSERVED
DON CAREY/THE TIMES LEADER
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uzerne County Community College students Belinda Coulibaly and Hector M. Cancel III joined faculty members and other students Thursday to take part in the National Day of Prayer held each year on the first Thursday in May.
formerly home to Price Chopper. A group of local Jewish investors planning to develop the project, Project Home Run LLC, also plan to build medical office space and senior housing units at the complex. JCC Director Rick Evans referred questions about the project to members of the center’s board, who did not return a request for comment by deadline Thursday. Ten other projects Other projects receiving casino-revenue funding for the first time are: • $1.48 million for the downtown Pittston redevelopment project. The grant will fund the acquisition and demolition of 12 parcels to make way for a new commercial building housing medical and health care professionals with a public parking lot, as well as façade and exterior renovation work to existing buildings. • $898,000 for streetscape improvements and a parking lot expansion in Plymouth. The bor-
William Maguire. Butera’s client, Gerald Bonner, admitted he passed the bribe to Maguire from Pasonick. Maguire and Bonner each pleaded guilty to charges related to that case, but Pasonick was not charged. Pasonick’s firms have done work for numerous municipalities, school districts and Luzerne County over the years. The county paid Pasonick’s firms nearly $505,000 from 2004 to April 2011, but has no current contracts with Pasonick, according to the controller’s office. County Commissioner Stephen Urban said he would oppose awarding any future contracts to Pasonick companies based on the charges. “The allegations are he got business by bribing someone. That is not a proper course of conduct,” Urban said. “I don’t want a company of that caliber working for the county.” Officials from several local municipalities said they see no reason to stop us-
metering station, pipeline and associated projects within the township. Therefore, Komoroski writes, projects proposed in the township would follow its June 2008 zoning ordinance revision. Township supervisors recently struck down proposed changes to the zoning ordinance to include regulations on natural gas activities, but the board passed a resolution to declare
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ing the firm, however. Pasonick’s firm is involved in several projects in Exeter, including updating the borough’s zoning ordinance. Council President Richard Murawski said Thursday he does not believe the charges against Michael Pasonick should impact the borough’s dealings with the firm. “Personally, I’ve been involved with the company for 20 years. I never had any problem. When we request they do something, they do it in a professional and timely manner,” Murawski said. Plans to retain Pasonick’s firm Nanticoke City Administrator Holly Sirko said she also does not see any reason to stop using Pasonick’s firm. “We employ the firm as the city’s engineer. He is not a principal in the firm anymore,” Sirko said. “We don’t plan to make a change any time soon.” John Bonita, business manager for Pittston Township, echoed that senti-
its current zoning ordinance “invalid” to deal with “natural gas exploration, processing, production, transmission, odorizing, metering, filtering, maintenance, communication and related activities.” This action gives the township 30 days to address the ordinance’s inadequacies and 180 to pass a curative amendment. Solicitor Thomas Brennan said he and Jack Varaly, the
Volunteers of America in Wilkes-Barre
ough previously lost $1.255 million in gambling tax money earmarked for the project in 2009 because it failed to provide requested documentation about the project to the state and prove significant public input had been sought. • $461,350 to purchase machinery for a new regional yard waste processing facility in Dupont. • $226,332 for a central recyclable materials depository to be built in Foster Township. • $100,000 to build a helicopter parking pad and security-camera monitoring system at the Wyoming Valley Airport in Forty Fort, which is owned by Luzerne County. • $100,000 for the construction of a paved parking area at Giant’s Despair Heritage Park in Laurel Run. Some ongoing projects that have received funds from previous rounds of local share grant awards received additional funding this time around. They are: • The Interstate 81, Exit 175
ramp and state Route 315 corridor improvement project in Jenkins and Pittston townships. The project has been promised $2.4 million each year for fiscal years 2007 through 2011for a total of $12 million, making it the largest total dispersal to the county since the program’s been in place. • $1.25 million to construct two parking decks above the Church Street Station intermodal transit center in Hazleton. The project received an initial $1.05 million grant in 2010 and will get another $1.25 million in funding in each of the next two years for a total allocation of $4.8 million. • $1 million to continue the East Side Landfill Development project in Plains Township. The project was promised $5 million total with $1 million annual allocations during a five-year span that began in fiscal year 2007. It is now complete. • $500,000 to resurface 24 streets in Duryea. The borough was awarded $200,000 of a promised $700,000 in 2010 for the project, which began in May.
ment. Pasonick was hired as engineer at the township’s reorganization meeting in January. “It’s not going to matter to us at this point,” Bonita said. “He is good till the end of the year.” Pasonick has been a licensed engineer since 1970. It is not known yet what, if any, impact the criminal charges will have on his license. Ron Ruman, spokesman for the state Department of State, said he could not comment specifically about Pasonick. Speaking generally, he said the department would investigate should it obtain information that any licensed professional had been charged with a crime. “If we become aware of a criminal investigation, we can gather information for our own investigation and take appropriate action,” Ruman said. “That could be anything from a fine to a revocation of a license, depending on what we find.”
township’s planning consultant, will go over all natural gas activity-based applications received to determine if and how the new measure applies. Chief’s natural gas projects have been the subject of three continued zoning hearings since February. The company first had plans to build a compressor station about 1,345 feet away from the Dallas schools, but due to local legislators’ and resi-
W H AT ’ S N E X T Township officials said May 31 is a tentative continuation date for a zoning hearing for Chief’s proposed metering station off Hildebrandt Road.
dents’ concerns, Chief amended its application to include a metering station for the site on the Hayes property off Hildebrandt Road.