Jesse White – 11/20/11

This page was last updated on November 21, 2011.

Op-Ed: This isn’t “the right way” on Marcellus Shale; State Rep. Jesse White (D-46); Beaver Countian; November 20, 2011.

Mr. White lost the very small part of his district in Beaver County in both 2006 and 2010. According to Mr. White’s campaign website, at one time “He worked … in the Legal Department for the United Steelworkers of America in Pittsburgh.” Mr. White was convicted of defamation and invasion of privacy in April 2011.

Previous White pieces I critiqued are here, here, here, here, here, here, and here. Mr. White usually posts his comments on both the Beaver Countian website and his own, but when I posted this critique the article was only on the Beaver Countian website. I’ve also seen Mr. White’s pieces on Canon-MacMillan Patch.

Below are some comments about parts of the subject opinion piece.

Here is the text for House Bill 1950 and Senate Bill 1100. I advise you to read the bills yourself rather than accept Mr. White’s representation of their content and effect.

Mr. White wrote, “We all recognize the economic growth that is being created by the natural gas boom, and local governments don’t want to overly restrict the industry.” That explains why Pittsburgh City Council voted to ban Marcellus gas drilling - not. Then again, perhaps Mr. White doesn’t believe banning an activity is “overly restrict[ive].”

Mr. White wrote, “nothing in House Bill 1950 would create new jobs for Pennsylvania residents or provide an economic benefit for anyone who wasn’t benefiting already.” If anyone knows what Mr. White is talking about, please contact me.

You will find Mr. White flip-flops on the issue of local control. In one spot, Mr. White asserts the “bill would effectively eliminate the right of local municipalities to pass reasonable ordinances dealing with natural gas operations.” Later, however, Mr. White complains local control over enacting the impact fee “creates a totally unnecessary level of government bureaucracy.”

Once again Mr. White whines about Grover Norquist; this is at least the third time in the last three to four months. Previous mentions are here and here.

According to Mr. “I’m not a partisan” White, anyone who disagrees with his opinion of HB 1950 “is either knowingly spewing propaganda or dangerously ignorant of reality.”