The Department of Environmental Protection has canceled the December 11 Oil and Gas Technical Advisory Board meeting where they were due to roll out proposed changes to Chapter 78 regulations required by the Act 13 Marcellus Shale drilling law enacted in February.

DEP issued a white paper in August for the Advisory Board and the public outlining the agency’s proposed changes to regulations in response to Act 13.

The bulleted list of changes in the white paper covered application requirements, well location restrictions, proposed protection of water supplies, pre-drilling or pre-alteration survey requirements, erosion and sedimentation controls, wastewater control and disposal planning, standards for pit and tank containment and much more.

DEP originally said proposed language to implement these changes would be available online on or about September 14.

DEP had scheduled two additional Oil and Gas Board meetings to review the proposals on September 17 and October 15.  The proposals were also to be shared with DEP’s Small Business Compliance Assistance Advisory Committee on October 24.

DEP anticipated finalizing proposed language at the November 15 Oil and Gas Board meeting and then send it to the Environmental Quality Board on December 18 for their consideration.  (The December EQB meeting has been canceled.)

Keep watching the Oil and Gas Technical Advisory Board webpage for more information.

12/3/2012