Agency: New study does not show that fracking is safe

Agency: New study does not show that fracking is safe

CHARLESTON, W.VA.

Despite statements from industry officials and political leaders, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency officials say their new study of the nation’s natural-gas boom should not be described as proof the nation’s water supplies are safe from hydraulic fracturing.

The Charleston Gazette reported that the EPA’s science adviser and deputy administrator Thomas A. Burke says the message of the report is that vulnerabilities in the water have been identified and they are important to know about and address to keep risks as low as possible.

Burke commented Friday, one day after the agency released its draft report.

Ohio measure would cut certain filing fees for businesses

COLUMBUS

Ohio lawmakers have passed legislation to reduce certain filing fees required to start and maintain a business in the state.

The proposal, which cleared the state Senate last week, heads to Gov. John Kasich for his expected signature.

Several fees, which are collected by the Secretary of State’s office, would drop to $99 from $125. The fees to apply for the right to use or reserve a name for future use would be trimmed to $39 from $50.

The bill also would require the governor’s workforce board to annually review the performance of a jobs website and submit its findings to the governor and legislative leaders. The review would include the number of jobs posted to the OhioMeansJobs website by employers based in the state along with other information.

Lawyer: Death won’t stop investigation

PITTSBURGH

The death of a retired researcher accused of having stolen trade secrets for a Chinese company won’t stop the investigation, authorities in western Pennsylvania said.

Retired PPG researcher Thomas Rukavina killed himself Friday night in his Plum Township home, the Allegheny County medical examiner’s office said Sunday. An autopsy determined he died of asphyxiation due to hanging. The 62-year-old was still wearing an electronic monitoring device that was a condition of his release.

Rukavina was arrested May 7 and later indicted on charges of having stolen trade secrets on plastic windows for use on aircraft and high-speed trains that PPG says are worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

Pipeline firm said California oil spill ‘extremely unlikely’

LOS ANGELES

A Texas company whose ruptured pipeline created the largest coastal oil spill in California in 25 years had assured the government that a break in the line, while possible, was “extremely unlikely” and state-of-the-art monitoring could quickly detect possible leaks and alert operators, documents show.

Nearly 1,200 pages of records, filed with state regulators by Plains All American Pipeline, detail a range of defenses the company established to guard against crude-oil spills and, at the same time, prepare for the worst should a spill occur.

The company acknowledged the potential for oil to leak from the 24-inch, 10.6-mile-long pipeline west of Santa Barbara. A team of experts organized by the company, however, assessed that risk as remote.

On May 19, a 6-inch breach along a badly corroded section of the line caused up to 101,000 gallons of oil to spill, blackening beaches and creating a 9-mile ocean slick. The breach and the environmental damage have challenged the company’s conclusions about safe operation and rigorous monitoring.

Associated Press