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Stephen L. Broskoske: The arts promote creative thinking; don’t cut them from school curriculum

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Does ‘up to $150 million’ in debt mean tax spikes in Wilkes-Barre Area?

<p>It&#8217;s not every day that The New York Times&#8217; editorial board comments on the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, but that&#8217;s exactly what it did after the (forced) resignation of DEP Secretary John Quigley.</p><p>The editorial noted that Secretary Quigley had sought to highlight the dangers of hydraulic fracturing by backing tough new updates in state rules governing drilling for natural gas. Quigley privately had characterized the House and Senate hearings on vital environmental issues as &#8220;Russian show trials&#8221; in disapproving the more stringent oil and gas regulations.</p><p>State Sen. John Yudichak, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee, also has received attention in the press in regard to the resignation of Quigley.</p><p>State Rep. Greg Vitali, commenting on the resignation of Secretary Quigley, had this to say: &#8220;(Quigley) was very effective in promoting regulations that would regulate the oil and gas industry, and I think he incurred the ire of legislators who are closely aligned with the oil and gas industry. John Yudichak was one of them.&#8221;</p><p>The sudden departure of Secretary Quigley is a serious loss for Pennsylvanians. Along with the 9,000 oil and gas wells drilled since 2005, an estimated 30,000 miles of new natural gas pipelines are proposed to be constructed in Pennsylvania over the next two decades.</p><p>We all know that the gas and oil industry has a legion of lobbyists and huge amounts of money for political contributions to push for policies that will benefit its bottom line.</p><p>But where are the strong advocates for policies that will benefit the health and safety of the average citizen of Pennsylvania?</p><p><strong>Diane Dreier</strong></p><p>Dallas</p><style>
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Letter to the Editor: Environmental Secretary John Quigley’s resignation a ‘serious loss for Pennsylvanians’