PA. Repubs. Want Investigation of One Dem Legislator and One Fracker - let's investigate them all!

[JPZenger]

PA. Republicans are just shocked, just shocked that a Dem. legislator discussed fundraising by Range Resources on his behalf, in an email. The legislator also joked about stowing away in the cargo hold of Range Resources' jet on the way to the Super Bowl. Range Resources is the largest fracking company in PA and one of the largest political contributors in the state.

This Dem legislator, Jesse White, has become a very outspoken critic of Range Resources and the state legislature's new law that prevents local regulation of gas wells, compressor stations, and related facilities.

After Rep. White became a public critic, Range Resources publicly released private emails between the legislator and Range Resources. That is a shot across the bow aimed at any other PA. legislator who may get in their way.

So now the Republicans want an investation of Rep. White. Sure, we'd be happy to open up an investigation ---- of all lobbying and political contributions by Range Resources involving all state legislators. Let the subpeonas flow from our new Attorney General. Normally, emails from legislators are exempt from the State's Right to Know Act (funny that the law was written that way). I'd love to read them all.

http://casablancapa.blogspot.com/2012/11/a-junior-member-of-minority-party-caucus.html

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Here's a recent comment from Rep. White:

" About three weeks ago, I was warned in a telephone conversation with Range Resources' lawyer David Poole that if I did not stop asking questions about the DEP's policy of not releasing test results for heavy metal carcinogens in drinking water near drilling sites, Range would make my life very difficult and unpleasant. We saw the results this past week as Range engaged in an all-out manufactured assault on my character, aided by a reporter very eager to earn headlines...by printing the stories they wanted him to tell."

here's a link to a detailed statement by Rep. White:

http://www.supportjesse.com/2012/11/he-has-a-right-to-criticize-who-has-a-heart-to-help-or-why-i-choose-not-to-retaliate-against-range-resources-character-attacks/
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Here's a link to a PA. Public Radio network story about DEP's coverup of contaminated well water results near fracking sites, which helped spur this battle with Rep. White:

http://stateimpact.npr.org/pennsylvania/2012/11/02/dep-employee-says-agency-withholds-water-contamination-information-from-residents/

[JPZenger]

1. Excerpt of link about DEP Coverup of contaminated well water results

"Taru Upadhyay, director of the DEP’s Bureau of Laboratories, testified that although the DEP’s laboratory tests for a full range of heavy metals, the lab does not report all of the test results back to the field office, or the resident. The heavy metals left out of one particular report back to a resident of Washington County included cobalt, silicon, tin, titanium, zinc, boron, silicon, aluminum, copper, nickel, lithium, and molybdenum.

The deposition relates to a lawsuit filed against the Department of Environmental Protection in Washington County, Kiskadden v. DEP, and was taken by attorney Kendra Smith back in September. Smith wrote to DEP Secretary Michael Krancer on Thursday, informing him the DEP’s Oil and Gas Division has procedures in place that purposely remove from lab reports water contaminants for certain heavy metals.

“Testimony of Ms. Taru Upadhyay was quite alarming. As the Technical Director of PA DEP Bureau of Laboratories she revealed what can only be characterized as a deliberate procedure by the PA DEP Oil & Gas Division and the PA DEP Bureau of Laboratories to withhold critical water testing results.”

[Curmudgeoness]

2. This is par for the course.

If I could council Rep White, I would tell him to keep the pressure up and let them bring it on. I have a feeling that in the end, they will look a lot worse than he does. The more they try to punish him with investigations, the more publicity this will get. The more publicity will mean that we all hear all about what the DEP Labs are and are not doing. Information exposed is Jesse White's friend.

Obviously, it was not smart of him to put things in emails that could bite him in the ass, and I don't know how many times this has to happen before our "leaders" learn. It makes me wonder how intelligent they all are. But even with that, I still say that they have more to hide than he does.

Something stinks in Harrisburg.