On July 15, Eureka Resources submitted a request to the Department of Environmental Protection to terminate the water quality permit for a proposed oil and gas wastewater treatment facility in Dimock, Susquehanna County due to changed “commercial factors.”

The notification came in the form of a Notice to Terminate the NPDES Water Quality Permit it was issued in January 2022.

The only explanation Eureka Resources provided for the termination was this short statement--

“Plans for construction of the proposed facility have changed based on commercial factors; Eureka Resources will not be moving forward with the project; NPDES permit coverage will not [be] required; proposed facility was never constructed and no wastewater was ever discharged.”

The request to terminate the permit was signed by company CEO Daniel J. Ertel.

DEP approved the request to terminate the permit in a July 24 letter saying it will become effective in 30 days.

The proposed Eureka Resources facility was part of the many controversies over shale gas drilling in the Dimock area of Susquehanna County and was opposed by local citizens.

Sen. Katie Muth (D-Chester) tried to intervene in the issue in 2022 by pursuing an appeal of the water quality permit for the facility but was rebuffed by the Environmental Hearing Board and Commonwealth Court for lack of standing. Read more here.

What Else We Know

On August 19, the Department of Environmental Protection inspected the Eureka Resources Standing Stone oil and gas wastewater treatment plant in Standing Stone Township, Bradford County and found the plant shut down and all the workers were laid off in July.

The telephone number at the plant has been disconnected.  Read more here.

On August 23, Marcellus Drilling News reported Eureka Resources plans to close or sell two of its oil and gas wastewater treatment plants in Williamsport and downsize its operations to only one facility-- its Standing Stone Treatment Facility in Bradford County.  Read more here.

Resource Links:

-- Commonwealth Court Affirms EHB Ruling Sen. Muth Lacks Standing To Appeal A DEP Permit For Eureka Resources Oil & Gas Wastewater Treatment Facility [PaEN]

-- Hearing Board Denies Sen. Muth Standing As A Legislator To Appeal DEP Permit For Eureka Resources Oil & Gas Wastewater Treatment Plant in Susquehanna County  [PaEN]

-- Former Employees Of Eureka Resources Oil & Gas Wastewater Treatment Company Ask For Criminal Investigation Of Eureka And An Audit Of DEP Over Alleged Workplace, Environmental Violations  [PaEN]

-- StateImpactPA - Jon Hurdle: Planned Oil & Gas Wastewater Treatment Plant Called New Threat To Dimock’s Water In Susquehanna County

-- NorthcentralPA.com: Eureka Resources Expanding Operations In Northeast PA

PA Oil & Gas Industry Public Notice Dashboards:

-- PA Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - July 27 to August 2 - 120 More Abandoned Conventional Wells; 3rd Pipeline Construction Spill; 1,260 Gallon Conventional Oil Spill  [PaEN] 

-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices, Opportunities To Comment - August 3 [PaEN]

-- DEP Posted 66 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In August 3 PA Bulletin  [PaEN]

Related Articles This Week:

-- DEP Issues Violations To D & B Gas Prod LLC For Abandoning, Not Plugging 110 Conventional Gas, Coalbed Methane Wells In Indiana County; Total Abandonment NOVs 687 In 2024  [PaEN] 

-- PA US Sen. Casey Cosponsors Bill To Find, Clean Up Abandoned Oil & Gas Wells, Improve Detection, Plugging Tech  [PaEN]

-- Eureka Resources Request To Terminate Its Water Quality Permit For A Proposed Oil & Gas Wastewater Treatment Facility In Dimock, Susquehanna County Approved By DEP  [PaEN]

-- PUC Seeks To Accelerate Removal, Replacement Of Older Plastic Pipe In Natural Gas Distribution Systems  [PaEN]

-- PJM Electricity Auction Price 9 Times Higher Than Previous Auction-- $269.92/MW-Day For 2025/26 Delivery Compared To $28.92/MW-Day In 2024-25; Extreme Weather Risk Big Factor    [PaEN]

-- Natural Resources Defense Council: The Cost Of Slow-Walking Clean Energy Can Be Seen In Latest PJM Electricity Prices  [PaEN]

-- PennFuture: Dramatic PJM Electricity Price Increases Due To Forced Outages Of Gas Power Plants; Huge Backlog Of New Generation Projects; Demand Growth Driven By Data Centers, Cryptocurrency Mining  [PaEN]

-- Kleinman Center For Energy Policy: The High Price Of Failing To Transition To Clean Energy In PJM Footprint; Next PJM Auction Is In December - By John Quigley, Senior Fellow, Kleinman Center  [PaEN]

-- House Committee Held 2nd Hearing On Governor’s Energy Plan To Diversify Energy Generation, Improve Grid Reliability, Lower Consumer Energy Costs  [PaEN]

-- US Dept. Of Energy Awards Western PA/WV/OH ARCH2 Hydrogen Hub $30 Million  [PaEN]

-- USDA Announces $163 Million In Rural Energy For America Funding, Including 4 Projects in Pennsylvania  [PaEN]

-- PA Solar Center, Philadelphia Solar Energy Assn., Partners Host Aug. 14 Webinar To Get Eligible Schools Ready To Apply For The New PA Solar For Schools Grants  [PaEN]

-- US Dept. Of Energy Accepting Applications For Grants To Expand Innovative Weatherization Assistance Programs

-- DEP Awards $15+ Million In PA Electric Grid Resilience Grants To Prevent, Shorten Power Outages In Rural Electric Systems; Fall Grant Round Planned  [PaEN]

-- DEP Awards $2.3 Million To Schools, Businesses, Local Governments Switching To Zero- Or Low-Emission Vehicles; Now Accepting Applications  [PaEN]

-- Appalachian Voices Urges Congress To Reject Proposed Changes To Federal Energy Permitting That Reduces Opportunities For Communities To Challenge Projects; US Senate Committee Considers Bill July 31  [PaEN]

NewsClips:

-- Utility Dive: PJM Capacity Auction To Lead To Double-Digit Rate Hikes For Exelon Utilities: CFO  [PECO]

-- Utility Dive: FirstEnergy Seeks Alternatives To PJM Capacity Market’s Dramatically Higher Prices To Bolster Power Supply

-- Bloomberg: Almost 20% Of Americans Face Prospect Of Higher Energy Bills

-- Meadville Tribune: National Fuel Natural Gas Rates Rising More Than 11% Aug. 1

-- AP: PUC Files Complaints Against Peoples Gas In Fatal 2021 Natural Gas Explosion In Tyrone, Blair County

-- WESA/WPSU: PUC Ask People’s Gas To Pay $800,000 After Deadly 2021 Natural Gas Explosion In Tyrone

-- Altoona Mirror: Peoples’ Gas Secrecy Questioned In 2021 Natural Gas Explosion In Tyrone

-- The Energy Age Blog: Acrylonitrile: From Fracking To Train Wrecks 

-- The Intelligencer - Wheeling: $25,000 Bond Keeps PA Oil & Gas Waste Company CEO Out Of Jail For Now Related To Martins Ferry, OH Waste Facility

-- The Energy Age Blog: Delaware County Employees Retirement System, Other Plaintiffs Secure $40 Million Recovery In Cabot Oil & Gas [Now Coterra Energy] Securities Fraud Lawsuit

-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: EQT Natural Gas’ Toby Rice On Presidential Politics: ‘Time To Hold Leaders Accountable’ [EQT, PA Shale Gas Says We Have A ‘Duty’ To Sell More Gas To China Our Economic, Military Competitor]

-- Reuters: Coterra Energy Misses Profit Estimates On Weak Natural Gas Prices

-- Environmental Defense Fund: New Data Show US Oil & Gas Methane Emissions Over 4 Times Higher Than EPA Estimates; 8 Times Greater Than Industry Target

-- Reuters: Federal Appeals Court Throws Out FERC Approval Of PA/NJ Transcontinental Regional Energy Access Expansion Pipeline Project Saying The Agency Did Not Properly Address Objections

-- Marcellus Drilling News/Times West Virginian: Who’s To Blame For Dirty Natural Gas That Ruined West Virginia University’s Boilers?

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Shell CEO Praises Progress Of Shell Petrochemical Plant In Beaver County

-- US Senate Committee Clears Manchin-Barrasso Bill To Change Federal Energy Facility Permitting Process

-- E&E News: What’s Next For US Senate Energy Facility Permitting Bill? 

-- Washington Examiner: Major Bipartisan Federal Permitting Overhaul Bill Clears Senate Committee

-- The Guardian: US Energy Permitting ‘Reform’ Bill A ‘Wishlist For The Fossil Industry,’ Say Environmental Groups

-- Earthworks Blog: Proposed Federal Energy Permitting Reform Act - Bill Prioritizing Polluters Over Communities

[Posted: August 2, 2024]

8/5/2024