Letters: Centre County wells should be capped ASAP; Candidates will build a stronger community

Editor’s note: The CDT welcomes letters endorsing candidates in the May 16 primary election and will accept letters that are received by May 11. Letters are subject to editing, must be based on facts and should avoid attacks on other candidates.

Centre County wells should be capped ASAP

Experts estimate there could be as many as 750,000 abandoned wells that were drilled in Pennsylvania by the oil and gas industry. Readers may be surprised to learn that some can be found in Centre County. The Sierra Club Moshannon Group visited State Gamelands 103 (northwest of Unionville) this month and found three.

During our visit to the Wallace Run 1 well it was venting a very small amount of natural gas intermittently. It was surrounded by a small puddle of clear fluid with a slight oil sheen. Like the next well, it is an orphan well since previous ownership can’t be traced.

Nearby, the Wallace Run 2 well was bubbling methane vigorously surrounded by a much larger amount of fluid than the above well. The quantity of gas venting from this well and other such “super-emitters” should not be ignored. Methane is a greenhouse gas many times more potent than carbon dioxide in contributing to global warming.

These orphan wells were previously reported to Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) on by Sierra Moshannon members in May 2022, however they were not included on the list of priority wells which the DEP compiled. Wells on the priority list are those the agency plans to plug with funding provided by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

Pennsylvania has received a $25 million grant from $375 million promised by the IIJA. The Wallace Run wells, especially 2, should be capped ASAP. It is unclear why they were left off the priority list.

Candidates will build a stronger community

State College Borough Council is losing four members (out of seven) and the Borough is going through rezoning, a transition will have huge implications for the future of the Borough. Fortunately, there are four excellent candidates for four-year terms on Council: Evan Myers, Kevin Kassab, Josh Portney and Matt Herndon. Last month, I endorsed Nalini Krishankutty to finish the rest of her term.

Evan Myers, my predecessor as Council President, has provided leadership on human rights and planning issues. Kevin Kassab through his work in community relations for the Borough has had a major impact on our interaction with marginalized communities in the Borough. Josh Portney has served on Borough and Centre Region Planning Commissions. Matt Herndon is a well-informed activist on planning, development and zoning. Also, the Borough has made advancements in the last few years on environmental sustainability and on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion issues. I am confident that these four candidates and Ms. Krishnankutty will keep the Borough moving forward on these issues.

The board for the State College Area School District (SCASD) has been moving in the right direction on Equity, on its recent LEED Gold and Platinum school buildings, and on curriculum. To continue and accelerate that direction I emphatically endorse the “Slate for State” — Amy Bader, Gretchen Brandt, Anne Demo, Daniel Kolbe and Aaron Miller — to fill the five school director positions in SCASD.

Electing these candidates for Borough Council and for the SCASD board will continue trends that are building a stronger community.

Who is the county GOP’s candidate?

For the first time in recent history, the Centre County Republican Party has not fielded a candidate for judge of the Court of Common Pleas. Why is this? Are we to assume that Julia Rater is our candidate? Why did the party stand down and let the Democrats take an easy path to a majority on the court? Or, is it that the smoke-filled rooms that often produce our “politicians” decided that Julia Rater needs to pretend to be a Democrat in order to win the woke left? What is it? Has anyone asked the Party who their candidate is? I would appreciate a letter from the Republican Party chair telling Republican voters who their pick is, so I can make my decision.