The Department of Environmental Protection will hold a hearing July 25 to accept public comments on the proposed Roulette oil and gas wastewater injection well in Clara Township, Potter County.

The hearing will begin at 5:30 p.m. at the F.W. Gunzburger County Office Building auditorium, located at 1 North Main Street, Coudersport, PA, 16915. Doors will open and onsite registration will begin at 5:00 PM.

The purpose of this hearing is to take testimony concerning the Roulette Oil & Gas Company, LLC (ROGC), application to convert the Clara Field #20 gas well into an oil and gas waste disposal well (solely for ROGC conventional well waste) in Clara Township, Potter County. 

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued an Underground Injection Control Permit (PAS2D050BPOT), effective January 14, 2022, to authorize the operation of the Class II-D Injection Well.  [Read more here]

The DEP will accept and record testimony concerning ROGC’s application.  Those wishing to present testimony during the hearing should contact the Regional Communications Manager, Megan Lehman, at 570-327-3659, before noon on Monday, July 24, 2023, to register. 

There will also be an opportunity to sign up to testify at the door before the start of the meeting.

Organizations are encouraged to designate one witness to present testimony on behalf of the organization. 

Persons unable to attend the public hearing can submit a written statement to the DEP by close of business on Tuesday, August 8, 2023. 

Written statements should be sent via the U.S. Postal Service to Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, Northwest Oil and Gas District, 230 Chestnut Street, Meadville, PA 16335, emailed to RA-EPOILGASDROPBOX@pa.gov, or fax to 814-332-6120. 

Each written statement must contain the name, address, and telephone number of the person submitting the comments, identification of the permit application (Clara Field #20), and a concise statement of the objections to the permit application and the relevant facts upon which the objections are based.

Individuals in need of an accommodation as provided for in the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 should contact Megan Lehman or the Pennsylvania AT&T Relay Service at 1-800-654-5984 (TDD) to discuss how DEP may accommodate your needs.

Click Here for a copy of the permit applications.  Click Here for a fact sheet.

To learn more about how DEP regulates injection wells, visit DEP’s Underground Injection Control Wells webpage.

(Photos: Top- Trees growing through liner around storage tanks, wellhead - DEP inspection photos; Bottom- Clara well site - DEP inspection photo; unlicensed and uninspected truck used to haul drilling wastewater.  This is where hundreds of thousands of gallons of drilling wastewater would be deposed of.)

Related Article:

-- Concerned Residents, Advocates Call On DEP For The Opportunity To Comment On Proposed Roulette Oil & Gas Waste Injection Well In Potter County  [PaEN]

-- Local Officials, Residents, Advocacy Groups Call On DEP To Conduct A Robust Public Participation Process For Oil & Gas Waste Injection Well Applications  [PaEN]

PA Oil & Gas Public Notice Dashboards:

-- Pennsylvania Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - June 17 to 23 - Federal Well Plugging Project & Dimock Area Shale Gas Well Inspections; Leaking Plugged Conventional Wells; Frack Out Investigation  [PaEN]

-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices/Opportunities To Comment - June 24  [PaEN]

-- DEP Posts 47 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In June 24 PA Bulletin  [PaEN]  

NewsClips This Week:

-- Marcellus Drilling News: Punxsutawney Phil Getting A New Neighbor - Oil & Gas Wastewater Injection Well

-- TribLive: Grant Twp., Indiana County Community’s Fight To Stop An Oil & Gas Waste Injection Well

-- TribLive: Murrysville, Plum Officials Deal With Oil & Gas Waste Injection Well Issues In Allegheny County

-- WTAE: Washington County Homeowner Takes On Gas Drilling Companies In Court

-- KDKA: Washington County Family Takes 2 Gas Companies To Court Over Fracking Health Concerns

-- WTAE: 6 Leaking Abandoned Conventional Wells In Hanover Twp., Washington County Contaminated Water Supply, Releasing Natural Gas In And Next To Hillman State Park 

Related Articles This Week:

-- 3 Days That Shook Washington County: Natural Gas Plant Explosion; Pipeline Leak Of 1.1 Million Cubic Feet Of Gas; 10,000 Gallon Spill At Compressor Station  [PaEN]

-- Senate Committee Meets June 26 To Consider Nomination Of Richard Negrin As DEP Secretary; Energy Information Office, Electric Billing Legislation  [PaEN]

-- House Republicans, Democrats Introduce Legislation To Prevent The Court System From Being Used By Powerful Interests To Silence Citizen Critics  [PaEN]

-- House Environmental Committee Holds June 27 Meeting On Bills Increasing Setback Distances From Natural Gas Infrastructure, 2-Year Moratorium On Cryptocurrency Air Permits  [PaEN]

-- Susquehanna River Basin Commission Approves Water Withdrawal Projects, Including 12 Related To Shale Natural Gas Drilling  [PaEN]

-- Susquehanna River Basin Commission Approves 32 Shale Gas Well Pad Water Use Permits In Bradford, Clearfield, Lycoming, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga, Wyoming Counties  [PaEN]

-- Susquehanna River Basin Commission Advises Water Withdrawal Permit Holders To Review Low Flow Water Restrictions And Begin Planning For Alternative Operations  [PaEN]

-- DEP Finds PA General Energy Installed Its Shawnee Water Withdrawal On The Exceptional Value Loyalsock Creek At Sizes Larger Than Authorized By Its SRBC, DEP Permits  [PaEN]

-- Senate Republicans Pass Bill To Significantly Narrow The Grounds For Appealing DEP Environmental Permit Actions  [PaEN]

-- Senate Environmental Committee Reports Out Bills Letting Polluters Decide When To Report Spills And CO2 Injection Well Primacy By Party-Line Votes  [PaEN]

-- DEP To Hold July 25 Hearing On Proposed Roulette Oil & Gas Wastewater Injection Well In Potter County  [PaEN]

-- EPA Issues Permit For Class IID Oil & Gas Waste Underground Injection Well In Jefferson County  [PaEN]

-- DEP Posts Solicitation For Bids To Plug 23 Abandoned Conventional Oil & Gas Waste Injection Wells Owned By ARG Resources, Inc. And Pennzoil Company In Elk County    [PaEN]

-- PUC Distributes A Record $278.8 Million In Act 13 Shale Gas Drilling Impact Fee Revenue; Conventional Oil/Gas Operators Do Not Pay These Fees  [PaEN]

[Posted: June 20, 2023]

6/26/2023