September 13th, 2013 by WCBC Radio
Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane's decision to prosecute a major Marcellus Shale natural-gas driller for a 2010 wastewater spill has sent shock waves through the industry. But environmentalists this week hailed the prosecution of the Exxon Mobil Corp. subsidiary as a departure from the soft treatment they say the industry has received from Pennsylvania regulators. Fracking for natural gas via Marcellus Shale has been viewed as having the potential to create hundreds of millions of dollars in revenues for western Maryland, and local elected officials have been frustrated with the state for its deliberate pace in permitting any drilling. One of the more vocal advocates for fracking has been Allegany County Commissioner Bill Valentine. Valentine has stated repeatedly that hydraulic fracturing has been taking place for decades in various parts of the country with no environmental consequences. He said he has talked with health department officials in Pennsylvania in the past year and was not informed of any problems resulting from fracking
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