The DEP Oil and Gas Technical Advisory Board is scheduled to meet December 5 on a variety of topics including EPA’s oil and gas methane reduction rule, updates on federal well plugging program,  injection well primacy, financial assurance and the impact of reduced drilling and permitting activity funding for DEP’s Oil and Gas regulatory program.

The full agenda includes these items--

-- Public Comment Period

-- Update On RISE PA Program [Reducing Industrial Sector Greenhouse Gas Emissions]  Click Here for DEP’s presentation.  [Read more here on grant guidelines.]

-- Update On EPA’s oil and gas methane reduction rule.  Click Here for DEP’s presentation.

-- Board Well Plugging Subcommittee Report

-- Updated On Federal Well Plugging Grant, Formula Grant, Regulatory Improvement Grant and Matching Grant

-- Update on Methane Emission Reduction Grant Programs  [Read more here]

-- Type 11 Cement for Use In Well Construction

-- Update: Attainable Bottom Workground

-- ESCGP-4 Erosion & Sedimentation General Permit

-- Status Of EPA Injection Well Primary + Underground Gas Storage Area Inspections

-- Drilling & Permitting Activity Impacts To DEP Budget  [Read more here]

-- Update on Finance Assurance of Well Owner’s Potential Liabilities

-- SPEED (Streamlining Permits For Economic Expansion & Development  [Read more here.]

Public Comments

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 must submit a written copy of their comments to twallace@pa.gov no later than 24 hours prior to the start of the meeting.

The comment must relate directly to a topic that is listed on the December 5, 2024, meeting agenda for consideration by the board.

Joining the Meeting

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

Click Here for instructions for joining the meeting online or by telephone.

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

Upcoming Meeting

December 12-- DCED PA Grade Crude [Oil] Development Advisory Council meeting. Technology Center, Room 243, 200 Innovation Blvd, State College. 10:00 a.m.  Click Here for options to join the meeting remotely.  Contact: Adam Walters 717-214-6548 or adwalters@pa.gov.

(Photos: Shale gas development in Tioga State Forest in Tioga County.)

PA Oil & Gas Industry Public Notice Dashboards:

-- PA Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - Nov. 16 to 22 - $5.257 Million In Penalties; Conventional Well Owners Issued More Violations Than All Of 2023; More Abandoned Wells; Failure To Submit Shale Gas Reports  [PaEN]

-- EPA, Justice Dept., DEP Announce $5.275 Million In Penalties, Plus $1.4 Million In Abandoned Well Plugging Funding Against Shale Gas Drilling Companies-- XTO Energy, Inc., Hilcorp Energy Company For Federal, State Clean Air Act Violations  [PaEN]

-- DEP So Far In 2024:  6,907 Violations Issued To Owners Of Conventional Oil & Gas Wells - 153% More Than In 2021;  833 Violations For Abandoning Their Wells -- Exceeding All Of 2023  [PaEN] 

-- Oil & Gas Wastewater Release At Bear Lake Properties Injection Well In Warren County Went Unreported For 109 Days; More Contamination Discovered Along Related Wastewater Pipeline Route  [PaEN]

-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices, Opportunities To Comment - November 23 [PaEN]

-- DEP Prints Corrected Notice Inviting Comments On New Air Pollution Permit For Revolution Natural Gas Cryogenic Processing Plant In Washington County; Plant Suffered Major Explosion, Fire In 2022  [PaEN]

-- DEP Posted 60 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In November 23 PA Bulletin  [PaEN] 

Related Articles This Week:

-- DEP Oil & Gas Advisory Board Meets Dec. 5 On Methane Emissions Reduction; Federal Plugging Program; Injection Well Primacy; Financial Assurance; Drilling & Permitting Activity Impacts On DEP Budget   [PaEN]

-- Pine Creek Headwaters Protection Group Update: Industrial Shale Gas Development In Tioga State Forest Prioritizes Industry Profit Over Constitutional Mandate To Preserve, Protect State Forest Lands  [PaEN]

-- Susquehanna River Basin Commission Meets Dec. 12 On New Fee Schedule; Water Withdrawals, Including 4 Shale Gas; New General Permit For Into-Basin Diversions  [PaEN]

-- Susquehanna River Basin Commission Approved 42 Shale Gas Well Pad Water Use General Permits In October; 274 General Permits So Far In 2024  [PaEN]

-- DEP Reduces Permit Backlog By 75%, Completely Eliminates Backlog For Oil & Gas Permits; You Can’t Blame DEP Anymore For Project Delays  [PaEN]

-- Guest Essay: Protecting Public Health Means Enforcing Environmental Regulations While Helping Businesses Thrive - By Jessica Shirley, Acting DEP Secretary  [PaEN]

-- Gov. Shapiro Signs Executive Order Creating PA Permit Fast Track Program; Can't Blame DEP Anymore For Delaying Projects  [PaEN]

-- DCNR Speeds Up Endangered, Threatened Species Environmental Permit Review Times, ATV Permitting, Ginseng Certification  [PaEN]

-- DEP Publishes Updated Non-Regulatory Agenda Showing Technical Guidance Documents In Development  [PaEN] 

-- PUC To Host Nov. 25 Technical Conference On Adequacy Of Electricity Supplies In Pennsylvania  [PaEN]

NewsClips:

-- National Review: Northeast Pennsylvania Needs Natural Gas - New Congress, New Federal Administration Should Overturn Delaware River Basin Commission Moratorium On Shale Gas Fracking - By Jason Adams  [PDF of Article]

-- Marcellus Drilling News: Bear Lake Shale Gas Wastewater Injection Well Leak Went Undiscovered For 109 Days [PDF of article] 

-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: Exxon And Hilcorp Shale Gas Drillers Settle Environmental Violations With Millions In Fines And Promised Air Quality Benefits

-- CNHINews: Hilcorp Shale Gas Company One Of 2 Firms Facing EPA, DEP Penalties For Air Pollution

-- WKBN27: Pennsylvania Oil & Gas Producers To Pay EPA Penalty

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: PA Environmental Groups Urge Biden To Keep Block On LNG Gas Export Projects  [PDF of Article]

-- Environmental Health Project Releases 2024 Year In Review [Shale Gas Drilling Health Impacts]

-- Erie Times Letter: A Boon? Consider The Price Pennsylvania Pays For Fracking - By Katie Jones, FracTracker Alliance, Johnstown

-- Marcellus Shale Gas Coalition: David Callahan To Retire At End Of Year; Jim Welty To Take Over As President

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Current, Future Marcellus Shale Gas Coalition Leaders Talk Industry [Patrick Henderson Promoted To VP]  [PDF of Article]

-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: Marcellus Shale Gas Coalition Announces New Leadership In New Year

-- PA Independent Oil & Gas Assn.: Shapiro Signs Executive Order Aimed At Streamlining Permit Process For Infrastructure Projects

-- WHYY - Susan Phillips: Climate Activists Criticize Exclusion From Philadelphia Gas Works Budget Process, Propose New Rules

-- Lancaster Farming: Game Commission’s New Plan To Spend Shale Gas Drilling Lease Royalties Applauded By Sen. Martin 

-- The Allegheny Front: Fairmont, WV Residents Press Agencies On Explosion, Fire At Oil & Gas Waste Process Site Last Year Owned By PA Company

-- Utility Dive: State Ratepayer Advocates Press FERC For PJM Capacity Market Changes, Citing ‘Crushing’ Prices [Not PA’s Consumer Advocate]

-- Reuters: Gauging The Likely Republican Effect On US Energy, Power Sectors  [PDF of Article]

-- WSJ: Republican Oil & Gas Donors Don’t Really Want To ‘Drill, Baby, Drill’  [PDF of Article]

-- The Economist: New Republican Administration’s Natural Gas War Is About To Begin  [PDF of Article]

-- Institute For Energy Economics & Financial Analysis: New Fortress Energy, Leader Of LNG Gas Export Growth Bubble, Facing Bankruptcy [Proposed Building Facilities In PA]

-- Reuters: Freeport Texas LNG Gas Export Facility Shuts Down 1 Of 3 Liquefaction Lines Due To High Air Pollution Emissions Lasting 11 Hours

-- Bloomberg: Asian LNG Gas Prices Jump To Highest This Year Following Europe’s Rise

-- Reuters: US LNG Gas Exports Primed To Jump As Price In Europe Hits One-Year High

-- Reuters: US Natural Gas Drillers To Lift 2025 Output, Reversing Year Of Cuts- US EIA

-- Bloomberg: China’s Surging LNG Gas Imports From US Threatened By Next Trade War

-- Reuters: LNG Gas Tankers Divert To Europe From Asia After Russia Halts Supplies To Austria  [11.18.24]

-- Bloomberg: LNG Gas Traders Choose To Pay Penalties For Not Shipping Gas To Germany To Chase Higher Profits In Asia  [10.1.24]

[Posted: November 21, 2024]

11/25/2024