If state Rep. Scott Conklin has his way, Pennsylvanians will soon have a new, statewide hotline to report natural-gas-drilling violations.
Conklin, D-Rush Township, told reporters Friday that he will introduce a bill to create a toll-free telephone number, one that anyone may use to call in suspected oil- and natural-gas-related problems in the field.
‘What I want to do is to make it easy,’ Conklin said in a press conference.
Right now, he said, people who see such issues need to determine which one of the half-dozen Department of Environmental Protection regions they’re located in, then figure out which regional DEP number to call.
Conklin said a variety of people have asked him exactly which agency they should call when emergencies and other problems arise. He mentioned a reported fish kill in the Parker Dam area and recent drilling-related problems reported in Clearfield County.
‘I think it’s time to narrow the focus, streamline the process and provide one, easily accessible telephone number,’ he said in a news release.
The 24-hour, 365-day-a-year hotline could be established at ‘minimal cost,’ perhaps through a telecommunications agency or within a state office, but at no annual expense greater than $100,000, Conklin said.
‘Especially when dealing with natural-gas extraction, this is such a new industry in the state with a lot of unknowns, and even the (slightest) question of a violation should be able to be addressed quickly and directly,’ he said in the release. ‘The ultimate goal here is to safeguard the public health — that’s No. 1 — and to protect the welfare of our environment.’
Conklin’s bill, once it’s introduced, will be referred to a House committee for review. He said he expects other lawmakers to support the effort.
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