Corbett's former health secretary says state not addressing fracking health concerns

Last week, we brought you the news that Pennsylvania Department of Health employees were sent a list of fracking-related buzzwords as part of official guidance for how to handle complaints to the department -- and told not to personally return calls from people who used words on the list.

This weekend, Governor Corbett's former top health department official said the state wasn't doing nearly enough to study the health impacts of tracking. 

“The lack of any action speaks volumes," said Dr. Eli Avila. “Don't BS the public. Their health comes first."

Corbett's current health secretary, Michael Wolf, said he hasn't spoken directly to the governor about possible health impacts from the drilling boom, only to the governor's staff. 

PennFuture, along with the Sierra Club, Clean Air Council, PennEnvironment and Clean Water Action, put out a joint statement yesterday demanding an investigation:

"We are calling for a full independent and transparent investigation into the Pennsylvania Department of Health's response to drilling complaints. The legitimate questions of Pennsylvania citizens concerning their health or that of family members as a result of natural gas drilling activity cannot be discounted or dismissed outright. The fact that the department originally denied the existence of a “buzzwords” list, and the fact that Governor Corbett has refused to weigh in with a forceful response, leaves us no choice but to call for a full investigation. We are also asking the department to make available to the public all past and future health complaints, and to commit to addressing all future complaints in a timely manner." 

"This entire episode begs the question: Is the Corbett administration more concerned with protecting the natural gas industry than it is the health and welfare of Pennsylvania families and future generations? There should not be one set of rules for the gas industry and another set for everyone else. If there is any question that the actions of drillers are causing harm to our air, water and land as well as the health of our citizens, the governor and state agencies must address those concerns immediately. Governor Corbett needs to show leadership on this issue of great public concern, not delay and deny."

Stay tuned. This is a story we'll be following closely.  

Andrew Sharp is PennFuture's Director of Outreach and is based in Philadelphia. He tweets at @RexBainbridge.