The DEP Oil and Gas Technical Advisory Board is scheduled to meet on September 5 on a variety of topics, including strategies to prevent well abandonment, injection well primacy, tracking water contamination and other topics.

The full agenda includes--

-- Public Comment Period

-- Erosion and Sedimentation Control General Permit–4 (Draft Final), Joe Kelly, DEP and Ann Mathew, DEP

-- Guidelines for the Development and Implementation of Oil and Gas Well Site Integrated Contingency Plans for Unconventional Well Sites Technical Guidance, Joe Kelly, DEP and Steve Brokenshire, DEP

-- Guidance for Maintaining Freeboard and Dewatering of Well Development Impoundments for Unconventional Oil and Gas Operations Technical Guidance, Joe Kelly, DEP and Steve Brokenshire, DEP  [Click Here for PPT]

-- Update on federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) Initial Grant, Formula Grant, Regulatory Improvement Grant and Matching Grant, Kris Shiffer, DEP and Don Hegburg, DEP

-- Formula Grant (Phase 1) – Measurement & Tracking of Groundwater and Surface Water Contamination, Don Hegburg, DEP

-- Well Plugging Subcommittee Report, Jeff Walentosky, TAB and Don Hegburg, DEP

-- Update: Underground Injection Control (UIC) Primacy, Kurt Klapkowski, DEP

-- Type 1L Cement for Use in Well Construction, Don Hegburg, DEP

-- Update: Financial Assurance Strategies to Address Future Well Abandonment, All

-- New Business

Public Comment Period

Individuals interested in providing public comment during the meeting should contact Todd Wallace at least 24-hours in advance of the meeting at twallace@pa.gov or by telephone at 717-783-6395.

Individuals who request to provide public comment at the September 5 meeting must submit a written copy of the comment to twallace@pa.gov no later than 24 hours prior to the start of the meeting-- 10:00 a.m. on September 4).

The comment must relate directly to a topic that is listed on the September 5 meeting agenda for consideration by the board.

Public comment is limited to 3 minutes. Written comment will be shared with Board members, but will not be posted to the DEP website.

Attending The Meeting

The meeting will be held in Room 105 Rachel Carson Building, Harrisburg starting at 10:00 a.m.

Click Here to join the meeting remotely via Microsoft Teams [Meeting ID: 219 602 455 090 Passcode: cAQxgf ] or by telephone: (267) 332-8737, Phone Conference ID: 339 581 249#.

For more information and available handouts, visit DEP’s Oil and Gas Technical Advisory Board webpage.  Questions should be directed to Todd Wallace at twallace@pa.gov or by telephone at 717-783-6395.

PA Oil & Gas Industry Public Notice Dashboards:

-- PA Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - August 24 to 30 - Water Pipeline Blowout; 9-Year-Old Hits Conventional Gas Well; 5 Abandoned Shale Gas Wells  [PaEN]

-- Range Resources Shale Gas Water Pipeline Suffers Blowout In Washington County  [PaEN]

-- 9-Year-Old Drives Tractor Into Conventional Well Causing Gas Leak  [PaEN]

-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices, Opportunities To Comment - August 31 [PaEN]

-- DEP Posted 66 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In August 31 PA Bulletin  [PaEN]

Related Articles:

-- Sept. 19 Webinar: A Year Later: Have Leaders Addressed Health Concerns From Natural Gas Development Raised In University Of Pittsburgh Public Health Studies?  [PaEN]

-- DEP Oil & Gas Technical Advisory Board Meets Sept. 5 On Strategies To Prevent Well Abandonments; Injection Well Primacy; Tracking Water Contamination; Other Topics  [PaEN]

-- State, United Mine Workers Announce First-In-PA Registered Apprenticeship Program To Plug Oil And Gas Wells Abandoned By Conventional Well Owners; DEP Issued 711 Violations For Well Abandonment So Far In 2024  [PaEN]

-- Appalachian Regional Commission Selects Job Training, Revitalization Groups For Communities Impacted By Coal, Power Plant Closures; Underserved, Marginalized Communities; 5 In PA Serving Coal, Oil & Gas Counties  [PaEN]

-- Pittsburgh Works Together Releases New Report: The PJM Grid In Peril: What Will Keep The Lights On?  [PaEN]

-- Sen. Yaw To Introduce Bills To Establish PA Baseload Energy Development Fund Based On Texas Model; And Have One Permit For Power Plants  [PaEN]

-- Ready For 100% Montgomery County: Communities With Half The County Population Support Clean Energy Future  [PaEN]

-- DEP Permitting Efficiency: 19,222 Permits Since 11/2023; Decisions On 15,794;  2 Currently Eligible For PAyback Did Not Meet Decision Deadlines; No Application Fees Refunded [8.27.24]

-- Washington & Jefferson College To Host Pittsburgh Regional Carbon Capture Conference Oct. 22 In Washington County  [PaEN]

NewsClips:

-- TribLive Guest Essay: Gov. Shapiro Needs To Step Up His Environmental Game - By Tom Pike, Protect PT

-- Public News Service: Shale Gas Fracking Boom In PA Raises Health, Environmental Concerns

-- Tribune-Democrat: Shapiro, Mineworkers Create Apprenticeship To Plug Oil & Gas Wells Abandoned By Conventional Well Owners

-- Wilkes-Barre Times: State Announces Apprenticeship Program To Plug Oil, Gas Wells Abandoned By Conventional Well Owners

-- TribLive: PA Apprenticeship Program Expands To Including Training To Plug Oil, Gas Wells Abandoned By Conventional Well Owners

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: State, United Mine Workers Partner On New Apprenticeship On Plugging Oil & Gas Wells Abandoned By Conventional Well Owners

-- The Center Square - Anthony Hennen: Natural Gas Subsidy Plan Rolled Out To Stabilize Grid [Sen. Yaw’s Energy Development Fund ]

-- Utility Dive: PA Senator [Sen. Yaw] To Introduce Energy Fund Bill, Bill To Require One Permit With One  ‘Statute of Limitations’ For Power Plant Projects

-- Reuters: Texas Energy Fund Approves Gas-Fired Power Plants For Next Stage Of Consideration

-- Utility Dive: Texas Energy Fund Elects 17 Gas-Fired Power Plant Projects Totaling Almost 10 GW For Possible Loans

-- Utility Dive: PJM December Electricity Auction Prices Could Jump 157% Over July Auction, Morgan Stanley

-- The Center Square - Anthony Hennen: Pittsburgh Works Report: Red Tape, New Power Plant Delays Put PJM Electric Grid ‘In Peril’

-- Utility Dive Guest Essay: Getting Real About Electric Grid Reliability In PJM After July Capacity Auction - By Glen Thomas, Former Chair of the PA Public Utility Commission

-- PennLive Guest Essay: Troubling Times Are Ahead For American Energy - By Commonwealth Foundation  [59% Of Energy On PA’s Electric Grid Comes From One Fuel]

-- TribLive Guest Essay: Biden Clean Power Plant Reboot Will Cripple PA’s Energy Affordability - By Sen. Greg Rothman (R-Cumberland)  [Need To Diversify Our Energy Generation Away From 59% Natural Gas To Prevent Price Spikes]

-- WHYY/BillyPenn: PECO Customers Could Face Double-Digit Electricity Bill Increases Next Year; Experts Blame Growing Demand, Lagging Transition To Renewable Energy

-- Inside Climate News: US Appetite For Electricity Grew Massively In First Half Of 2024; Solar Power Rose To The Occasion

-- Chesapeake Bay Journal - Ad Crable: Air Monitoring Study By CNX Resources Finds Fracking ‘Poses No Public Health Risk’; Environmental Groups Critical

-- WHYY: Philadelphia Gas Commission Passes Rules To Limit Public Participation In Budget Process

[Posted: August 28, 2024]

9/2/2024