DEP Issues Violation To CNX Gas Company For Withdrawing Over 1.8 Million Gallons Of Water For Fracking For 22 Days Without Permission

On March 8, 2024, DEP issued a notice of violation to CNX Gas Company LLC for withdrawing over 1.8 million gallons of water for shale gas fracking without approval from sources in Washington and Greene counties.

CNX withdrew 1,852,768 gallons of water over 22 days from June 24 to August 2, 2023 from Washington Reservoir #4 in North Franklin Township, Washington County.

CNX withdrew 28,192 gallons from the Southwestern PA Water Authority First Street Tap water source in Waynesburg Borough, Greene County.

DEP noted the violations were corrected immediately, but still requested a written explanation from CNX by March 18 explaining why the withdrawals happened without approval and the steps the operator is taking to prevent future occurrences.

Click Here for a copy of the CNX Water Management Plan for Southwest PA.

Not The First Withdrawal Violation

On October 3, 2023, DEP issued a notice of violation to CNX Gas Company LLC for making unauthorized water withdrawals to support shale gas fracking operations for 17 days between May 6, 2023 and July 6, 2023 totaling 389,518 gallons.

The source of the water withdrawal was the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County Beaver Run Reservoir in Bell and Washington Townships, Westmoreland County.  Read more here.

PA Oil & Gas Industry Public Notice Dashboards:

-- PA Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - March 9 to 15  - Home Explosion; 140 More Abandoned Conventional Wells; Methane In Water Supply; Porcupine Causes Wastewater Spill  [PaEN]

-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices, Opportunities To Comment - March 16 [PaEN]

-- DEP Posted 76  Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In March 16 PA Bulletin  [PaEN]

Related Articles - Gas:

-- Shapiro Marks Plugging 200th Abandoned Conventional Oil & Gas Well: These Companies Will Do Anything To Avoid Paying For Plugging; It’s Not Okay Some In The Legislature Are Shielding Them; Text Well Locations  [PaEN]

-- DEP Cites Conventional Oil & Gas Well Operators For Abandoning, Not Plugging 140 More Wells Last Week; Total Now 380 Wells This Year  [PaEN]

-- DEP: Conventional Oil & Gas Operators Will Not Be Eligible For New Methane Reduction Well Plugging Grants If They Are Not In Compliance With State Law, Regulations  [PaEN]

-- Pennsylvania’s Electric Grid Is Dependent On One Fuel To Generate 59% Of Our Electricity; Market Moving To Renewables + Storage   [PaEN]

-- US EIA Report Shows How Winter Storms Have Reduced US Natural Gas Production, But Disruptions Can Happen Any Time Of The Year  [PaEN]

-- DEP Issues Violation To Blackhill Energy, LLC Shale Gas Driller For Contaminating Groundwater, 3 Water Supplies With Methane In Springfield Twp., Bradford County  [PaEN]

-- The Derrick: Public Utility Commission Starts Investigation Into Possible Order For Another Utility To Permanently Acquire Venango Water Company Impacted By Conventional Oil Well Spill [PaEN]

-- DEP Issues Violation To CNX Gas Company For Withdrawing Over 1.8 Million Gallons Of Water For Fracking For 22 Days Without Permission [PaEN]

-- Clean Air Council, Moms Clean Air Force, Earthworks Host March 20 Webinar On Federal Waste Oil & Gas Emission Charges  [PaEN]

-- Susquehanna River Basin Commission Approves 30 Shale Gas Well Pad Water Use General Permits In Bradford, Clearfield, Lycoming, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga, Wyoming Counties  [PaEN]

NewsClips:

-- WVIA: Frustrated With Water Polluted By Shale Gas Drilling, Dimock, Susquehanna County Residents Confront Governor At Clean Energy Announcement In Scranton

-- The Center Square - Anthony Hennen: PA Plugs 200th Abandoned Conventional Oil & Gas Well

-- TribLive: ‘Complete Devastation:’ Crescent Fire Chief Confirms 2 Dead In Another Allegheny House Explosion; Gas Well, Propane On The Property 

-- TribLive: Friends, Neighbors Remember Victims Of Crescent Twp. House Explosion In Allegheny County

-- TribLive: Crescent House Explosion Marks 3rd In Western PA Since Summer

-- WTAE: 3 Allegheny County Home Explosion Investigations Launched In Past 2 Years Remain Open

-- WTAE: Firefighters Return To Scene Of Crescent House Explosion After Fire Rekindles

-- WTAE: Crescent Twp. Police Thank Columbia Gas Worker Who Rushed To Shut Off Gas On Scene Of Home Explosion

-- WPXI: 2 Dead In Large House Explosion In Crescent Twp., Allegheny County; Private Gas Well, Propane Found And Secured 

-- Post-Gazette: 2 Killed In An ‘Absolutely Extreme’ Home Explosion In Crescent Twp., Allegheny County

-- AP: ‘Very Significant’ Explosion Kills 2 And Destroys House In Allegheny County

-- WPXI: DEP Acknowledges Presence Of Unregistered Conventional Gas Wells Near Site Of Tuesday Explosion

-- KDKA: Fmr DEP Officials Says It’s ‘Nearly Impossible’ To Identify All Unregistered Conventional Gas Wells

-- WPXI: Peoples Natural Gas Pipeline Has Been Leaking Gas Since October In Verona, Allegheny County

-- Scranton Times: Gas Leak Evacuates Downtown Olyphant For 2 Hours In Lackawanna County

-- Observer-Reporter Guest Essay: Natural Gas Is A Winner For Pennsylvania And The Whole Country - By Dan Weaver, PA Independent Oil & Gas Association

-- Public News Service: PA Advocates Push For Swift Update Of Federal Natural Gas Pipeline Safety Rules 

-- WHYY - Susan Phillips: Environmentalists Clash With Gov. Shapiro At Hydrogen Energy Meeting In Northeast Philly

-- Inside Climate News: Delaware RiverKeeper, Activists Want More Public Participation In Proposed Hydrogen Hub In Southeastern PA

-- TribLive: Water Use Restrictions Lifted As Beaver Run Reservoir Levels Return To Normal In Westmoreland

-- Environmental Defense Fund: New Study Quantifies Health Impacts From Oil & Gas Flaring In US

-- AP: US Energy Industry Gas Leaks Are Triple The Official Figures, Study Finds

-- Bloomberg: Oil & Gas Industry Methane Emissions Near Record Despite Pledges

-- Environmental Health News: Participation In Oil & Gas Line Development Harms Mental Health And Creates Distrust In Government, Study

-- The Center Square - Anthony Hennen: Report: Billions In PA Taxpayer Subsidies Go To Polluting Shell Petrochemical Plant Without Regard To Environmental Compliance

-- Post-Gazette/NYT: US Taxpayers Have Subsidized Fossil Fuels For 111 Years, And Counting

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: EQT Gas Driller To Acquire Equitrans Midstream [Mountain Valley Pipeline; Cambria County 1.1 Billion Cubic Foot Gas Leak; Abandoned Wells; PA Criminal Charges]

-- EQT Gas Company Announcement Of Equitrans Midstream

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Why EQT Gas Is Acquiring Equitrans Midstream Corp

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Mountain Valley Gas Pipeline Could Be Sold After Equitrans Acquisition

-- Bloomberg: Natural Gas Prices Jump As EQT Slashes Output To Fight Glut

-- Reuters: US Natural Gas Producers Reduce Output In 2024 [To Raise Prices] While Demand Rises To Record High, US EIA Says

-- Forbes: U.S. Natural Gas Production Set New Record, But Don’t Expect Relief On Your Heating Bills [LNG Exports Link U.S. To High Prices]   [PaEN]

-- Reuters: Owner Of Louisiana LNG Gas Export Facility Under Construction Asks FERC To Keep Documents Confidential Related To Startup And Repairs

-- Reuters: Chinese Company Wants Say In Louisiana LNG Gas Export Facility Permit Extension

[Posted: March 13, 2024]


3/18/2024

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