CITIZEN POWER ALLIANCE

Natural gas producers in the state are facing tougher regulations on the disposal of wastewater from Marcellus Shale drilling operations, now that a state regulatory panel has voted to enact the new measures.

After three hours of deliberations Thursday, the Independent Regulatory Review Commission voted 4-1 to approve the regulations, which are intended to reduce the amount of toxic chemicals that natural gas producers release into Pennsylvania waterways.

The state's burgeoning natural gas industry has begun drilling deep underground in the widespread areas of Marcellus Shale present in Pennsylvania. Drillers use chemicals like arsenic, aluminum and cadmium mixed into pressurized water, which is shot more than a mile underground to fracture rock formations. The process is known as "hydraulic fracturing" or "fracking."

The new regulations aim to limit the chemicals, called "total dissolved solids," to no more than 500 milligrams per liter when they are released into waterways.

John Hanger, secretary of the state Department of Environmental Protection, told regulatory panel members that maintaining low levels of solids is important because many water treatment plants can't remove them from the water.

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