On November 4, Protect PT and Three Rivers Waterkeeper announced they have appealed two permits for the Slickville Pipeline Project issued by the Department of Environmental Protection to the Environmental Hearing Board.

Both permits are associated with CNX Resource Corporation's Slickville Pipeline Project, which proposes to build a natural gas pipeline and a shale gas wastewater pipeline along a 13.9 mile route.

The appeals were filed as serious concerns surrounding potential environmental contamination and community health impacts were not addressed within the permits.

The CNX Slickville Pipeline Project expands across Bell, Loyalhanna, and Salem Townships in Westmoreland County, and aims to transport natural gas and wastewater from drilling operations.

Protect PT and Three Rivers Waterkeeper have provided substantial evidence of deficiencies regarding the permits during their open comment period.

The joint comments raised numerous issues related to the permit applications that were not addressed in the final approved permit.

Key problems include:

-- Permitting Inconsistencies: The PA Bulletin does not reflect that the Erosion and Sedimentation Control Plan (ESCP) application was revised and resubmitted in March 2024. CNX did not comply with Act 14 notification requirements to local governments, failing to provide updated notices to affected townships.

-- Environmental Concerns: The Chapter 102 Erosion and Sediment permit states that 30.9 acres will be disturbed, contradicting the Project Limit of Disturbance (LOD) of 228 acres. The application also does not sufficiently address the existing impairment of the Beaver Run Watershed, nor does it identify impacts to high-quality and exceptional value waters requiring specific protective measures.

-- Inadequate Analysis: There is no site-specific analysis of past land uses or the impacts to drinking water supplies. Additionally, the project’s assertions of remediation and restoration contradict environmental reports, suggesting a lack of comprehensive evaluation of potential pollution sources, including acid mine drainage.

-- Disregarded Recommendations: The Site Restoration Report recommends field adjustments to the land slope, sturdier pipeline construction, and anti-landslide measures in order to prevent catastrophic shifts in the ground around the pipeline that could result in landslides and subsidence. However, the project implements none of these critical safety measures.

“We had hoped in light of the 2020 43rd Grand Jury Report on fracking, scrutinizing PA DEP for its past failures, that the reviews of permits like these without addressing community concerns was a trend that would stop. It seems that the Shapiro administration’s DEP is just as much beholden to the fracking industry as previous administrations,” said Gillian Graber, Executive Director of Protect PT.

The project is also under scrutiny for its contributions to climate change. The Pennsylvania Climate Change Act of 2008 acknowledges that fossil fuel production significantly contributes to climate deterioration.

The issuance of permits for this project would affirmatively promote fossil fuel extraction, leading to increased greenhouse gas emissions, according to the groups.

The groups said DEP must review how the issuance of any permits for the project would exacerbate climate change by increasing downstream GHG emissions, but this information is not provided.

[Note: There is no present requirement for DEP to make this assessment.]

“At a minimum, the project will directly impact 54 wetlands, 43 streams, and 2 ponds, all of which contribute to the region's source of drinking water. The proposed pipeline would carry produced, highly radioactive water latent with heavy metals and PFAS chemicals, and any discharge or spill will have serious consequences to the environment and human health,” said Heather Hulton VanTassel, Executive Director of Three Rivers Waterkeeper.

The permit applications fail to identify the hazardous contaminants being carried by the produced water in the pipeline, and the project is devoid of any radiation monitoring, radiation protection plans, appropriate training, or emergency response procedures for highly radioactive substances.

Moreover, ongoing violations by CNX and CNX Midstream further undermine confidence in the project and are strong evidence that all deficiencies of the permits must be addressed to secure the protection of our environment and public health, the groups said.

The publicly available violation history of CNX Midstream indicates 290 violations, many recurring and outstanding through May 2024 with 53 open violations, many unresolved for years, and a history of non-compliance.

CNX Gas has approximately 1,365 entries for notices of violation, consent orders, and civil penalties in the last 10 years.

“CNX and CNXM should not be allowed to expand production when there are so many unresolved environmental violations and noncompliance” said Hulton VanTassel.

“This is a company that claims to be ‘radically transparent’ yet continues to violate our right to clean air and water,” said Graber.

Click Here for a copy of the appeal of Permit ESP076523001.

Click Here for a copy of the appeal of Permit E6507244-003.

Resource Link:

-- Incomplete Chapter 105 Application For CNX Midstream Slickville Fracking Wastewater, Natural Gas Pipelines Project In Westmoreland County Withdrawn By DEP  [PaEN]

PA Oil & Gas Industry Public Notice Dashboards:

-- PA Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - Nov. 2 to 8 - 8,800 Gallon Shale Gas Wastewater Spill; Failure To Comply With Plugging Order; Spills, Releases, Gas Leaks  [PaEN]

-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices, Opportunities To Comment - November 9 [PaEN]

-- DEP Posted 71 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In November 9 PA Bulletin  [PaEN] 

Related Articles This Week:

-- Cecil Township Supervisors In Washington County Adopt 2,500 Setback From Shale Gas Well Pads From Homes, Businesses, 5,000 Foot Setback From Hospitals, Schools   [PaEN]

-- PA Republican Senators Introduce Bill To Punish Local Elected Officials Who Want To Protect Their Constituents From The Documented Adverse Health, Environmental Impacts Of Shale Gas Development  [PaEN]

-- The Allegheny Front - Kara Holsopple: Longtime Environmental Official On PA Election Results: People Will Need To Be ‘As Tenacious As The Industry’

-- Protect PT, Three Rivers Waterkeeper Appeal DEP Permits For CNX Slickville Natural Gas, Shale Gas Wastewater Pipelines Project In Westmoreland County  [PaEN]

-- 66 Water Withdrawals Now Restricted In Susquehanna River Basin Due To Low-Flow Water Conditions, Most Shale Gas-related  [PaEN] 

-- Penn State Extension Hosts Nov. 25 Webinar On Private Water Supply Testing, Education; Helpful To Those In Oil & Gas Drilling Areas Which May Impact Water Wells  [PaEN]

-- Center For Coalfield Justice Hosts Dec. 12 Learn How To Effectively Advocate For Change Workshop In Washington County  [PaEN]

NewsClips:

-- Observer-Reporter: Cecil Township Supervisors Approve Ordinance Increasing Setbacks For New Shale Gas Well Pads  [PDF of Article]

-- Marcellus Drilling News: Cecil Township Supervisors Pull The Trigger On Frack ‘Ban’ Via Setbacks  [PDF of Article]

-- Marcellus Drilling News: Marcellus Shale Gas Coalition Pushes Back Against Cecil Township’s 2,500 Foot Setback From Well Pads  [PDF of Article]

-- Marcellus Drilling News: MarkWest/MPLX To Add Natural Gas Liquids Processing Plant At Harmon Creek Facility In Smith Twp., Washington County  [PDF of Article] 

-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: As Fracking Turns 20 In Pennsylvania, Towns Consider New Regulations For Distance Between Homes And Well Pads  [Cecil Twp., Washington County]  [PDF of Article]

-- The Allegheny Front - Kara Holsopple: Longtime Environmental Official On PA Election Results: People Will Need To Be ‘As Tenacious As The Industry’

-- Observer-Report: Natural Gas Poised To Be Long-Term Energizer In Washington County [PDF of Article]  [Last Of A Series]

-- Observer-Reporter Guest Essay: Celebrating 20 Years Of Marcellus Shale Natural Gas Development - By Dave Callahan, Marcellus Shale Gas Coalition & Jeff Kotula, Washington County Chamber of Commerce  [PDF of Article]

-- TribLive: Pennsylvanians See Utility Bills Climb Despite Living In One Of America’s Most Productive Natural Gas States 

-- Marcellus Drilling News: Coterra Energy Expands Curtailment Of Marcellus Drilling, Fracking; No Rigs In Marcellus Due To Low Prices  [PDF of Article]

-- Marcellus Drilling News: CEO Of PA Fracking Services Company Says Shale Gas Drillers Are Idle, Hitting Rock Bottom Due To Low Natural Gas Prices [PDF of Article]

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Deep Well Services Company In Southwest PA To Be Bought By United Arab Emirates Company 

-- Marcellus Drilling News: Federal Court Agrees The Environmental Hearing Board Can Hear Appeals Of Transco’s Regional Energy Access Expansion Natural Gas Pipeline Project  [PDF of Article]

-- Post-Gazette: Beaver County Styrene Plastics Plant To Shut Down In January Citing Aging Plant

-- TribLive: Pennsylvanians See Utility Bills Climb Despite Living In One Of America’s Most Productive Natural Gas States 

-- Marcellus Drilling News: EQT CEO Says Shale Gas Needs To Get Back To Building Pipelines To Export Gas, For AI Boom  [PDF of Article]

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Appalachian Natural Gas Execs Say Demand Likely To Grow In Next Decade Thanks To Rise In LNG Gas Exports, Demand For Data Center Power

-- Utility Dive: FERC Rejects Interconnection Pact For Amazon Data Center At Talen Nuclear Power Plant In Luzerne County

-- Utility Dive: FERC’s Amazon, Talen Energy Ruling ‘Not The Final Word’ On Nuclear, Data Center Colocation: Constellation CEO

-- Reuters: FERC OKs Introduction Of Natural Gas To New LNG Gas Export Facility In Louisiana

-- Politico: European Union’s Opening Bid To Avoid Republican Tariffs: Buy More American LNG Gas

[Posted: November 4, 2024]

11/11/2024