White: DEP Ignored Open Records Request Regarding Range Resources' Worstell Impoundment

It's been more than a week since state Rep. Jesse White made a formal state Right to Know request for information associated with the Range Resources waste water impoundment in Cecil Township.

And the Democratic lawmaker from Cecil said Tuesday afternoon that he has yet to get a response from the state agency.

White made a request for permits and other documents associated with the site after news surfaced that there was a 30-gallon leak from a storage tank located near the impoundment on Swihart Road.

The Right to Know law stipulates that a public agency has five business days to respond to requests. If an agency does not respond in that time period, the request is deemed denied.

The five-day period was over as of the end of the business day on Monday.

The legislator said that he also sent a subsequent email to the department seeking a meeting with officials—which he said could limit the scope of his Right to Know request.

But he said he has yet to hear back about that issue, either.

And White said it doesn't bode well for an agency that claims to respond to concerns in an expedient manner.

"By refusing to meet with me to discuss the situation, and by ignoring the Right to Know request, the DEP is once again playing political games and ignoring the law when they should be supplying facts. Residents living near this 12 million gallon wastewater impoundment and others similar to it don’t have time for industry talking points and lame excuses," he said. "They need these important questions answered, period. If the DEP refuses to acknowledge their concerns, how can DEP claim to have any credibility whatsoever?”

White said he intends to appeal the request today.

But state Sen. Tim Solobay, D-Canonsburg, said he had an "extensive" meeting with members of the department days after news of the storage tank leak was publicized.

And he said the department is doing what it can to ensure companies in the Marcellus Shale industry, as well as all industries, "not only do it right, but safely."

Solobay also expressed frustration with the Range Resources' impoundment issue and the publicity and reaction that is spawned.

"It is frustrating when people spin and challenge every bit of information and action out there with the sky-is-falling mentality," he said, adding that some seem to "enjoy spreading fear and uneducated comments."

Solobay added: "A majority of the negative voices out there are paid activists (that) do nothing but spread false rumors and scare people."