Three years ago I was able to report in a letter to the Eagle that the Butler County Democratic Committee had passed a resolution calling for a statewide moratorium on hydraulic fracturing for gas production.

Today I am proud to report the Pennsylvania State Democratic Committee has joined with the Butler committee in calling for such a moratorium. On Saturday, a strongly worded resolution passed by a 115 to 81 vote. This vote was taken at the meeting of the State Democratic Committee in Lancaster. The call for a moratorium was supported by state Democratic committeepersons from Butler County Jack Beiler and Georgiann Kerr. Kerr is also the chair of the Butler County Democratic Committee.

The resolution reads: “Therefore be it resolved that the Democratic Party of Pennsylvania supports a moratorium on the practice of hydraulic fracturing until such time as the practice can be done safely, and further supports requiring full restitution by the natural gas industry for any harm to human life and health, for damage to property, including loss of property value, for harm to water supplies, harm to wildlife, pets and livestock, and harm to the natural environment of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.”

The resolution also took Gov. Tom Corbett to task for taxing the gas industry at ridiculously low levels.

In Pennsylvania, in order to make a few people rich we are imperiling our environment, the quality of our lives and the health of our citizenry.

Recently it was pointed out in a letter from Jack Beiler that Peoples TWP Gas Company is petitioning the PUC for incredible rate increases. The gas being extracted from the ground beneath us is not for Pennsylvania. Peoples Gas customers will pay higher rates in order to build pipelines to export gas from the state and from the United States. Those same customers will finally pay higher gas rates in perpetuity as they compete with China for the gas that came from wells right here in Pennsylvania.