On August 14, the Department of the Interior announced the availability of $775 million for 21 states to clean up legacy pollution through President Biden’s Investing in America agenda.

Through the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Department is delivering the largest investment in tackling legacy pollution in American history, including $4.7 billion to plug orphaned wells.

Twenty-one states are eligible to apply for a Phase 2 formula grant and have until December 13, 2024, to submit applications.

Pennsylvania is eligible to apply for $114,609,711 or up to $152,812,948 Phase II grants, depending on how much the state is awarded in the Phase 1 grant application which is still under review.

Click Here for the complete announcement.

DEP continues to issue violations to conventional oil and gas well owners for abandoning wells without plugging them.

So are in 2024, DEP has issued 700 notices of violation for this offense.  Read more here.

PA Oil & Gas Industry Public Notice Dashboards:

-- PA Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - August 10 to 16 - Failure To File Critical Annual Report Violations Sent To Owners Of 5,300+ Conventional Wells; Failure To Fix Leaking Wells  [PaEN] 

-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices, Opportunities To Comment - August 17 [PaEN]

-- DEP Posted 63 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In August 17 PA Bulletin  [PaEN] 

Related Articles This Week:

-- Attorney General Henry Announces Greylock Shale Gas Driller Will Pay $140,000, Plead No Contest To Multiple Criminal Charges For Environmental Violations In Greene County  [PaEN]

-- DEP Issues Violations To 16 Owners Of 5,374 Conventional Oil & Gas Wells For Failing To Submit Annual Production, Waste Generation/Disposal, Well Integrity Reports  [PaEN]

-- DEP To Hold Information Sessions On New Orphan Conventional Oil & Gas Well Plugging Grant Program Aug. 26, 27 & 30  [PaEN]

-- US Dept. Of The Interior Announces Pennsylvania Eligible For Up To $152.6 Million In Funding To Plug Abandoned Conventional Oil & Gas Wells  [PaEN] 

-- CNX: 'Natural Gas Development Is Safe And Poses No Public Health Risks,' Based On CNX Air Quality Monitoring From 14 Sites, Most For Just 4 To 24 Weeks  [PaEN]

-- DCED Conventional Oil & Gas Advisory Council Meeting Aug. 15 Agenda Includes Road Dumping Wastewater; Updates On Abandoned Well Plugging; Changing Definition Of Abandoned Wells  [PaEN]

-- Penn State, Shell Petrochemicals, Shell Pipeline Company Announce Collaboration Focused On Energy And Sustainability  [PaEN]

-- Briefing By US Dept. Of Energy On Appalachian Hydrogen Hub Previewing Future Engagement Opportunities Featured Comments Expressing Concerns About The Project  [PaEN]

-- DEP To Introduce SPEED Permit Review, Joint Chapter 105 Permit Pilot Programs  [PaEN]

NewsClips:

-- WPXI: Western PA Natural Gas Driller Convicted In Water Contamination Case

-- TribLive: Indiana Twp. Supervisors Deny Request That Could Have Led To New Gas Wells And Fracking In Allegheny County

-- Ohio River Valley Institute: The Peril, Politics And Price Of Shale Gas Development, Fracking Waste - By Eric de Place And Julia Stone

-- TribLive Letter: PA Must Make A Stronger Plan For Reducing Methane From Oil & Gas Facilities

-- Inside Climate News - Kiley Bense: After Partnering With Pennsylvania To Monitor Itself, CNX Shale Gas Company Declares Its Fracking Operations ‘Safe’

-- Investing.com: CNX Resources Stock Downgraded As Natural Gas Price Outlook Dims

-- MarketBeat.com: CNX Resources Downgraded By Piper Sandler To ‘Underweight’

-- Financial Times: Schlumberger Oilfield Services Expands In Russia As Rivals Baker Hughes, Halliburton Both Sold Russian Businesses. [Schlumberger Serves Shale Gas Industry In PA]

-- PA House Republican Caucus: American Petroleum Institute Hosts Republican Lawmakers To Talk About The Role Of Natural Gas In Attracting AI Data Centers In Luzerne County

-- Williamsport Sun: Republican US Senate Candidate: Energy Superpower Status Hindered By Permitting, Policy

-- The Center Square - Anthony Hennen: Officials Ignore Most Appalachian Hydrogen Hub Worries

-- The Allegheny Front - Reid Frazier: Appalachian Hydrogen Hub Officials Promise Greater Transparency For Hydrogen Projects Now That It Has US DOE Approval

-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: Leaders At Beaver County Shell Petrochemical Plant Admit To Rocky Start But Insist Operations Are Stabilizing

-- Marcellus Drilling News: Shell Flushes $1 Million Down Penn State Toilet On Energy Transition, DEI; Is It Buying Off Penn State?  [PDF of article]

-- Post-Gazette Editorial: Shell Must Level With Petrochemical Plant’s Neighbors - It’s Too Often Bright, Loud And Stinking

-- Reuters: Shell, PetroChina To Expand Surat Coal Seam Gas Project In Australia

-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: 75-Year-Old Plastics Plant In Beaver County May Close By End Of Year

-- WHYY: Climate Change Takes Center Stage At Philadelphia Gas Commission Meeting

-- E&E News: Oil & Gas Industry Says Bucks County Climate Damage Responsibility Lawsuit Violates State Sunshine Law

-- Bloomberg: Kamala Harris Once Trashed Fracking, And Pennsylvania Hasn’t Forgotten

[Posted: August 15, 2024]

8/19/2024