The Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee has now scheduled a meeting for June 25 to consider Senate Bill 1378 (Scarnati-R- Jefferson) that would set different environmental standards for conventional oil and gas wells- sponsor summary.

The Committee will also consider Senate Bill 1310 (Hutchinson-R-Venango) creating the PA Grade Crude (Oil) Development Advisory Council within DEP- sponsor summary-- and Senate Bill 1443 (White-R-Indiana) amending the Indigenous mineral resources development act to authorized state agencies to release surface and subsurface land and mineral rights.

The meeting will be held in Room 8E-B East Wing Capitol Building starting at 10:00.

In May, The Pennsylvania Environmental Council sent a communication to members of the Senate to express its opposition to Senate Bill 1378.

Paul King, President and CEO of PEC, made the following statement in association with the communication: “Senate Bill 1378 is a step in the wrong direction. At a time when we are still waiting for promulgation of new natural gas regulations from a law that passed more than two years ago, this legislation seeks to further limit protection standards.

“As many natural gas operators have done at their own initiative, including in cooperative fashion through the Center for Sustainable Shale Development, we should be looking for ways to improve performance and protection – not carving out new exemptions.

“If Pennsylvania truly wants to be a leader in responsible resource development, the General Assembly should promptly reject Senate Bill 1378.”

(Photo: conventional oil and gas wells in the Allegheny National Forest.)

The text of the communication follows:

“On behalf of the Pennsylvania Environmental Council, I am writing to express our strong opposition to Senate Bill 1378 (P.N. 2053) – which would establish the “Pennsylvania Conventional Oil and Gas Well Regulations Act.”

“Senate Bill 1378 directs the Department of Environmental Protection and Environmental Quality Board to establish separate regulations for conventional and unconventional gas wells in Pennsylvania. This requirement would extend to all environmental protection laws in the Commonwealth.

“Both conventional and unconventional wells pose potential risks to human health and the environment, including on or off site spills of wastewater or other contaminants, erosion and sedimentation issues, methane migration from subsurface disturbance, air emissions, and other impacts. Despite Senate Bill 1378’s assertion, conventional well development is not inherently “benign”.

“Senate Bill 1378’s flaw is compounded by the fact that the legislation follows an artificial distinction between “conventional” and “unconventional” gas wells. The bill distinguishes “conventional” and “unconventional” operations solely by depth of the target formation – below the Elk Sandstone or its geologic equivalent.

“Here’s why this is so important: this distinction does not account for the technology or technique (for example, hydraulic fracturing) used by an operator. In fact, Senate Bill 1378 goes a step further to expressly state that the technology or design of a well is inconsequential to its characterization as “conventional” or “unconventional”(see, for example, page 2, line 23 of the legislation).

“Therefore, pursuant to this legislation, any operator, regardless of the size of the company, could conduct high volume fracturing at shallow depths and still be deemed “conventional” – and thus subject to reduced protection standards. It bears noting that fracturing at shallower formations can pose even greater risks to ground and drinking water resources.

“This arbitrary distinction, which has it roots in Act 13 of 2012, is wholly inappropriate as a benchmark for setting environmental protection standards.

“Senate Bill 1378 creates a new and potentially vast exemption for natural gas operations, undercutting necessary environmental protections for on-site containment, drinking and surface water protection, air emissions, and other siting and control standards.

“This legislation goes directly against the import of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s decision last December with respect to Act 13 and the sufficiency of environmental protection in regulating natural gas development.

“The General Assembly should not violate the public trust by taking steps to further weaken the protections afforded to its citizens and environment.

“We ask that you oppose this legislation. Thank you for your consideration.”

Background: Conventional Well Drilling In PA By PA Environment Digest

Conventional oil and gas wells are a significant threat to Pennsylvania’s environment if not properly regulated and increasingly fracking is used to get more production out of conventional oil and gas wells, just like unconventional Marcellus Shale wells.

Since 1859 some 325,000 conventional oil and gas wells have been drilled in Pennsylvania, of which an estimated 200,000 wells are abandoned and unplugged creating a pathway for air, soil and ground and surface water pollution throughout the state.

It has only been since 1956 the state has required permits for new drilling operations.  It was not until 1984 when well operators were required to plug non-producing wells they drilled and standards were set for well construction and operation.

The environmental threat from improperly constructed and plugged conventional oil and gas wells was so great that the 1984 law Oil and Gas Act created the Abandoned and Orphaned Well Program. 

Some funding for abandoned well plugging was provided in the 1984 law, however it was expended in the original Growing Greener Program and supplemented in the 2012 with the Act 13 law regulating unconventional oil and gas wells.

The General Assembly was clearly concerned enough by conventional oil and gas drilling in the past to establish environmental standards and find ways to deal with the environmental hazards they create.

Identical legislation-- House Bill 2350 (Causer-R-Cameron)-- was introduced in the House this week.

6/23/2014