Two members of the Department of Environmental Protection’s Oil and Gas program joined other executives from Pennsylvania’s Department of State and the U.S. Department of Commerce at a sustainable energy development workshop in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, on May 4-6.

“This was an unprecedented opportunity for DEP to assist Mongolian government leaders by sharing our knowledge regarding environmental regulation of the oil and gas industry,” DEP Deputy Secretary for Oil and Gas Management Scott Perry said.  “DEP’s regulations are among the most protective in this country but still allow for the industry to proceed in a responsible manner.”

Perry was joined by DEP’s Director of District Oil and Gas Operations John Ryder.

Perry and Ryder made seven presentations to the 13 Mongolian government executives on a wide range of topics, including interagency government coordination, conventional and unconventional well construction and permitting, adapting to water-stressed areas, and inspections, auditing and compliance tracking.

The workshop was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Commerce and the American embassy in Ulaanbaatar in coordination with the Mongolian Petroleum Authority and the Ministries of Mining and the Environment and Tourism. 

Funding for the workshop was provided by the federal and state departments of State.

Mongolia is a country of about three million people in East Asia. Coal, copper and gold mining represent more than 80 percent of the country’s exports. The country also exports nearly 10 million barrels of oil to China annually.

(Reprinted from the May 12 DEP News. Click Here to sign up for your own copy.)

5/16/2016