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On September 5, Rep. Charity Grimm Krupa (R-Fayette) introduced House Bill 1656 to prohibit DEP from issuing any permits or authorizations allowing oil and gas wastewater injection wells in Pennsylvania.
The bill also authorizes anyone who owns property or operates a business within five miles of a well drilled or altered in violation of the ban to file an action in county court to enforce compliance with the ban.
The court may grant relief in the form of actual damages, attorney fees and court costs as well as equitable and injunctive relief.
“Protecting the health and safety of our residents is one of the core functions of our government. Unfortunately, projects are occasionally proposed that endanger our citizens and I believe that an injection well for toxic oil and gas wastewater that has been proposed in a rural township in my district is just such a project,” said Rep. Krupa in announcing the legislation.
“Injection wells are wells that are used to store fluid deep underground into porous formations.
“It has been demonstrated that the waste water from oil and gas operations has a number of radioactive elements and other toxic materials within it, which present possible health risks if they are allowed to mix with our drinking water.
“I do not believe that it is an acceptable risk to allow injection wells to be sited within our communities considering the severe consequences that may result if an accidental spill or leakage incident occurs.
“There have been a number of injection wells that have reported issues with fluid migration and significant cracking in the lining of these wells which has led to leaks.
“My legislation would prohibit our Department of Environmental Protection from issuing any permits or authorizations which would allow for oil and gas waste water to be injected within the Commonwealth.”
Rep. Krupa’s legislation is responding to constituents opposed to an oil and gas injection well in Fayette County. The opposition forced the withdrawal of the permit application by the company proposing it. Read more here.
Rep. Krupa told the Observer-Reporter: “I’m very, very proud of how the community rallied and responded to this. In my role, I don’t want this to happen in Nicholson or Springhill (townships) or anywhere in state.”
Click Here for Rep. Krupa’s co-sponsor memo.
[Note: This is the same wastewater conventional oil and gas well drillers illegally spread on dirt roads to dispose of. Read more here.
[Conventional oil and gas wastewater contains 32 chemicals and constituents that exceed environmental and health standards, including for radioactivity. Read more here.
[This is the same wastewater that is now contaminating the Village of Reno’s water supply in Venango County. Read more here.
[This issue isn’t just one method of disposal, it is all methods of disposal must be reviewed.]
Related NewsClips - Fayette County:
-- Observer-Reporter: State, County Elected Leaders Take Proactive Steps To Ban Oil, Gas Wastewater Injection Wells
-- Observer-Reporter: Fayette County Commissioners Take Step To Prevent Oil/Gas Wastewater Injection Wells
Related Articles - Fayette County:
-- EPA: G2 STEM LLC Withdraws Application For Oil/Gas Wastewater Underground Injection Well Permit In Fayette County [PaEN]
-- DEP Assesses $600,000 Penalty For Illegal Disposal Of Over 1,800 Truck Loads Of Oil & Gas Waste Drill Cuttings In Fayette County [PaEN]
Related Articles - Injection Wells:
-- DEP Extends Comment Period On Proposed Roulette Oil/Gas Wastewater Injection Well In Clara Twp., Potter County To Sept. 7 [PaEN]
-- Comments Submitted On Proposed Roulette Oil & Gas Wastewater Injection Well In Potter County By Save Our Streams PA Show Principals Have Been Involved In Abandoning 8 Previous Injection Wells [PaEN]
-- EPA Issues Permit For Class IID Oil & Gas Waste Underground Injection Well In Jefferson County [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 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]
-- PA General Energy Announced It Will Plug Proposed Oil & Gas Waste Injection Well In Grant Twp., Indiana County [PaEN]
PA Oil & Gas Industry Public Notice Dashboards:
-- Pennsylvania Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - September 2 to 8; Equitrans Issued NOVs For Failing To Provide DEP Inspectors Access To Facilities As Requested [PaEN]
-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices/Opportunities To Comment - September 9 [PaEN]
-- DEP Posted 47 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In September 9 PA Bulletin [PaEN]
NewsClips:
-- AP: Investigators Pinpoint House As Source Of Gas Explosion That Killed 6 In Plum Boro, Allegheny County
-- TribLive: Investigators Say Cause Of Fatal Plum Boro Gas Explosion Came From Inside The Home
-- The Derrick - Makayla Keating: Officials Update Sugarcreek Boro On Continuing Reno Water Issues In Venango County, Aqua PA Still Hauling Water To Keep System Going; DEP To Hold Public Meeting [Water Supply Contaminated By Conventional Oil Well Wastewater] [PDF of Article]
-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: Lessons Of Equitrans 1.1 Billion Cubic Feet Natural Gas Storage Facility Blowout Just Starting To Surface As Gas Injection Season Nears
-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: Equitrans Names New CEO To Coincide With Completion Of Mountain Valley Natural Gas Pipeline Project
-- DEP Holds Sept. 19 Meeting On Ethane Chilling Expansion Project At Energy Transfer Marketing In Marcus Hook Boro, Delaware County
-- University Of Pittsburgh News: Pitt Studies Link Unconventional Natural Gas Development To Childhood Cancer, Asthma Attacks
-- Inquirer Editorial: Natural Gas Development Is Making Pennsylvanians Sick, Lawmakers Must Act
-- TribLive Guest Essay: Leaders Aren’t Helpless And Must Take Action To Protect Constituents From Natural Gas Development Health Impacts - By Tom Pike, Penn Twp., Westmoreland County
-- The Daily Item Guest Essay: Is Natural Gas Development Good For Pennsylvania? $3.8 Billion In PA Taxpayer Subsidies; University Of Pittsburgh Health Studies; Methane Leaks; Jobs Decline - By Sandy Field, Climate Reality Project - Susquehanna Valley Chapter
-- Reading Eagle Guest Essay: PA Farmers Benefit From Strong Natural Gas Industry, Don’t Adopt A Severance Tax - By Matt Espenshade, President Of PA State Grange
-- Observer-Reporter: Operating In Marcellus Energizes Range Resources [Puff Piece On Shale Gas Industry, Nothing On Real Impacts To Environment, Health In PA’s Most Densely Drilled County-- Washington]
-- The Guardian: Report - Natural Gas Projects In Australia Risk Exposing People To Cancer And Birth Defects [Following University Of Pittsburgh Studies]
-- NJ Spotlight News - Jon Hurdle: Feds Suspend Rule Allowing Natural Gas To Be Shipped By Train, Another Blow To Plan For LNG Natural Gas Export Terminal In South Jersey
-- Scranton Times Editorial: US DOT Defuses Rolling Bombs [Shipping LNG Natural Gas By Train] For Now
-- Bloomberg: Higher Natural Gas Price In Europe Makes Holding Back Supplies For A Month Lucrative
-- Washington Examiner: Fragile LNG Natural Gas Market Vulnerable To Major Price Swings, Supply Shortages
-- Wall Street Journal: Saudi Oil Production Cuts Send World Diesel Prices Soaring
-- AP: Oil Prices Spike As Saudi Arabia, Russia Extend 1.3 Million Barrel A Day Oil Cut Thru December
-- Inside Climate News: New PA Legislation Aims To Classify Oil & Gas Wastewater As Hazardous Waste
-- Utility Dive: PJM, Natural Gas, Other Electric Generators Reach Agreement To Resolve $1.8 Billion In Winter Storm Elliot Nonperformance Penalties; Details Confidential Now But Will Be Made Public Later In September
-- Wall Street Journal: Race To Drill America’s Longest Oil And Gas Wells [PA Included]
Related Articles This Week:
-- KDKA: Natural Gas Gathering Pipeline Crashes Into, Thru Westmoreland County Home And A Loophole In State Law That Doesn’t Regulate Gathering Pipelines For Safety [PaEN]
-- DEP Provides Oil & Gas Advisory Board With Updates On Well Plugging Financial Assurance; Pitt Health Studies; Funding Options For Program; Civil Penalty Policy [PaEN]
-- DEP Hosts Sept. 29 Online Training On New Chapter 105 Environmental Assessment Alternatives Guidance [PaEN]
-- State Dept. Of Health Invites Citizens To File Environmental Health Complaints Related To Natural Gas Development; Health Will Also Review Environmental Test Results [PaEN]
-- Republican Rep. Krupa Introduces HB 1656 To Ban Oil, Gas Wastewater Injection Wells To Protect The Public From Radioactive, Toxic Materials [PaEN]
-- Independent Fiscal Office Reports 2nd Quarter Natural Gas Production Increased 0.3% Over Prior Year; Dramatic Slowdown In Drilling New Shale Gas Wells Taking Hold [PaEN]
-- DEP: Preliminary Test Results Not Indicative Of Stray Gas Migration Cause Of Plum Boro Home Explosion In Rustic Ridge Allegheny County [PaEN]
-- PUC: No Evidence Public Utility Natural Gas Equipment Caused 2022 Hialeah Dr. Home Explosion In Plum Boro, Allegheny County [PaEN]
-- Legal Victory Puts Hellbender Back On Track For Federal Endangered Species Protection - By Waterkeeper Alliance [PaEN]
[Posted: September 5, 2023]
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