Proposed rules overreach
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) proposed Chapter 78 rules are overreaching and would force operational changes on the oil and gas industry far surpassing regulations for other industries.
If enacted in their current form, the rules would create a chilling effect throughout the supply chain to small businesses such as Allegheny Medical Integrated Health Services. These standards will significantly increase costs by hundreds of millions of dollars, yet the DEP has failed to conduct a cost-benefit analysis to determine if there is any environmental benefit. Nor has it conducted an analysis on the impact to small businesses that work with the companies affected by these changes.
Midstream, construction and environmental companies have grown along with the oil and natural gas industry. All of those businesses need drug and alcohol testing, pre-and-post-employment physicals, annual medical surveillance to ensure a workforce is healthy, and we have benefitted. Well over 200,000 Pennsylvania jobs are tied to the oil and natural gas industry.
Pennsylvania has world-class environmental regulations that have been a model for states across the nation. These new rules would result in significant compliance costs at a time of historic downward commodity pressures and force a false choice between economic stability and protecting our environment.
Good regulations should be able to manage both, not undercut one entirely.
Melissa Hodge
Pittsburgh
Hodge is the director of corporate health and wellness for Allegheny Medical Integrated Health Services.