Westmoreland-Allegheny counties-based Protect PT will host a February 15 webinar on a proposal to increase oil and gas well bonding for conventional and unconventional wells starting at Noon.

In November, the Environmental Quality Board accepted a petition to increase the bonding amounts for both conventional and unconventional oil and gas wells to the cost taxpayers would have to pay to plug them if abandoned by drilling companies.  Read more here.

Sierra Club, Protect Penn-Trafford, and other Pennsylvania groups filed rulemaking petitions to increase the state’s bond amounts.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported DEP has less than $15 per well available to plug the over 100,500 active conventional oil and gas wells in Pennsylvania.

In 2019 and 2020, according to a DEP report, 813 notices of violation were issued to conventional oil and gas drillers for attempting to abandon their oil and gas wells without plugging them. Read more here.

In addition, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette also reported on the potential for a new wave of abandoned wells in-- PA Faces A New Wave Of Abandoned Conventional Oil and Gas Wells.

Both the conventional and unconventional drillers are opposing the petitions.

The Environmental Quality should get an update on the petition at its February 15 meeting.  Read more here.

The webinar discussion will be led by the Sierra Club’s Kelsey Krepps and Ankit Jain.

Click Here to join the webinar via YouTube.

Related Articles:

-- Scott Perry No Longer DEP Deputy For Oil & Gas Management

-- EQB Accepts Petitions For Study To Increase Oil & Gas Well Bonding; DEP Has $15 Per Well Available In Bonds To Plug Conventional Wells

-- DEP: Conventional Oil & Gas Drillers Tried 813 Times To Abandon Wells Without Plugging Them; Failed To Report Waste Generated 836 Times Over 2 Years 

-- DEP To Prohibit Conventional Oil & Gas Drillers With Unresolved Environmental Violations From Getting Conventional Well Plugging Contracts; 133 Companies Interested In Doing Well Plugging Work

-- Representative Of Conventional Oil & Gas Well Drillers Compares Their History In PA To The Holy Bible - But He Left Out Some Parts

-- PUC Invites Public Comments On Enhancements To Regulations Covering Petroleum & Hazardous Liquids Pipelines 

[Posted: February 11, 2022]

2/14/2022