As a third generation farmer I understand the importance of protecting our environment and also realize the responsibility of good stewardship of our land and water. We only have one environment and we must protect it while still providing for our most basic needs
In Chester County we value clean air, water, and open space. We know how necessary all three are important to the health, lives and safety of people. The Legislature needs to understand that these natural resources should not be put up for sale and it is their job to protect and safeguard Pennsylvania's environmental treasures, something Act 13, the fracking law, fails to do.
The Corbett administration's Fracking law, which Chris Ross voted for, sold our valuable resources for pennies on the dollar. This law failed to provide much needed revenue to our state. This law failed to ensure that the safety and oversight necessary to protect the people of Pennsylvania were in place, and it tried to allow the gas industry to override local zoning codes. That zoning portion of the law was recently determined to be unconstitutional. Natural gas development could be a win-win for both the Pennsylvania economy and the environment, but this state legislature and the Corbett administration have managed to turn it into a lose-lose proposition.
While there won't be drilling in Chester County the effects of drilling from pipelines to possible downstream water contamination make it a critical issue for the residents of the 158th District and one that we need to keep on top of. There is only one environment and it is one of the jobs of the Legislature to ensure that the decisions that are made today do not endanger the safety, health and lives of future generations.
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