Buckingham Resident Wants Supervisors to Take a Stand on 'Fracking'

Ginnie Preston is scared that hydraulic fracturing will come knocking at Buckingham Township’s door.

The township resident appeared before last week in an effort to get them to sign a petition taking a stand against the controversial issue.

“Fracking” is a method used to extract natural gas from the ground by drilling deep wells and then pumping water, sand and chemicals, under high pressure, into the wells. The pressure fractures the underground shale and creates fissures that enable natural gas to flow more easily out of the well.

Proponents argue that the extracted natural gas can serve as an alternative, relatively inexpensive source of energy and provide a boost to the local economy. Critics say not enough studies have been done on the procedure and its ramifications for the environment or the health of those living near the drill sites.

Preston urged supervisors to ask for a moratorium on fracking “until sound regulations are in place and conclusive environmental studies have been completed.”

She also is a member of the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, an environmental watchdog group.

While Buckingham doesn’t appear to be on the gas companies' radar yet, other Upper Bucks County neighbors, such as Bedminster, Ottsville and Nockamixon, have had some preliminary activity, said Preston.

“As Buckingham Township residents, we all live downstream from the headlands of the Delaware (River), and get our drinking water from the Delaware,” Preston read from her statement. “For that reason, we must demand that if drilling continues, it cannot be exempt from regulation, and it must be extracted in a safe and responsible manner that will not harm our environment. “    

Preston said the Delaware River Basin Commission could lift a current moratorium on fracking on April 15, when the public comment phase ends.

She also encouraged supervisors to draft a resolution of their intent and send it to local and state government officials.

On the federal level recently, U.S. Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) reintroduced a bill, The FRAC Act, that would repeal a current exemption for oil and gas companies and require them to disclose the chemicals used in the hydraulic fracturing process.

Supervisor Henry Rowan, who signed Preston's petition that night, brought up concerns about the chemicals used and the possibility of water contamination from the discarded drilling fluids.

“It’s a huge issue,” he said.

With inadequate laws in place and the threat of unregulated chemicals showing up in public water systems because of fracking, it should be a worry for all municipalities, Rowan said.

 “There is not one municipal wastewater treatment plant in the state that is capable of removing radon from its system," he said, referring to a byproduct of radioactive material that can surface during  fracking.

Supervisors Jon Forest and Maggie Rash declined to sign the petition that night. Rash asked Preston for more information on the subject.

In a related matter, the BuxMont Coalition for Peace Action is hosting a free showing of Gasland, an award-winning documentary showing the impact of gas drilling on residents and their environment.

The film will be shown at 6 p.m. Sunday in the Pennswood Village Game Room, 1382 Newtown-Langhorne Road, Newtown. A discussion will follow.

Those interested also can visit the DRBC’s website to register their own comments and learn more about the issue.