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The Department of Environmental Protection published notice in the February 8 PA Bulletin saying Southwestern Energy Production Company failed to comply with the Act 2 Land Recycling Program cleanup standards at the Greenzweig shale gas wastewater impoundment in Herrick Township, Bradford County. (PA Bulletin, page 1377)
On January 2, 2025 DEP issued a disapproval letter for an Act 2 Final Report on the remediation of a release from the Greenzweig shale gas wastewater impoundment covering releases first documented by DEP on February 3, 2020.
DEP’s investigation found the liner of the impoundment was compromised causing a slow release of wastewater at multiple locations around and under the facility.
Southwestern Energy was using the Act 2 Land Recycling Program to document the cleanup of the release and submitted a Final Report on November 6, 2024 that said it met the Act 2 cleanup standards.
However, DEP disapproved the report January 2 finding the extent of the release had not been fully characterised at multiple points and the water column had not been evaluated to determine if the wastewater impacted surface water.
Visit DEP’s Land Recycling Program webpage to learn more about this program.
For more information on environmental programs in Pennsylvania, visit DEP’s website. Submit Environmental Complaints; Click Here to sign up for DEP’s newsletter; sign up for DEP’s eNotice; Like DEP on Facebook, Follow DEP on Twitter and visit DEP’s YouTube Channel.
(Photos: Greenzweig Impoundment as it looked in 2020 from DEP inspection report and online Oil & Gas Mapping Tool.)
Resource Link:
-- DEP Invites Comments On Draft Guidance For Land Application Of Excess Water From Shale Gas Well Development Impoundments [PaEN]
PA Oil & Gas Industry Public Notice Dashboards:
-- PA Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - Jan. 25 to Feb. 14 - Shale Gas Well Ordered Plugged After 8 Years; 20 More Abandoned Conventional Wells; Shale Gas Well Leaking Gas For 23 Months And Counting [PaEN]
-- DEP: Southwestern Energy Prod Co. Failed To Comply With Act 2 Cleanup Standards At The Greenzweig Shale Gas Wastewater Impoundment In Bradford County After 5 Years [PaEN]
-- DEP Signs Consent Order With Roulette Oil & Gas To Plug Shale Gas Well Abandoned For 8 Years In Hebron Twp., Potter County [PaEN]
-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices, Opportunities To Comment - February 8 [PaEN]
-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices, Opportunities To Comment - February 15 [PaEN]
-- DEP To Hold March 11 Hearing On Air Quality Application For MarkWest Liberty Harmon Creek Natural Gas Processing Plant In Washington County
-- DEP Posted 100 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In February 8 PA Bulletin [PaEN]
-- DEP Posted 86 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In February 15 PA Bulletin [PaEN]
Related Articles This Week:
-- Washington County Judge Rules Sunoco Pipeline Did Not Have Eminent Domain Authority To Take Property For Mariner East Pipelines In Landowner Lawsuit Alleging Fraud [PaEN]
-- CNX CEO Tells DEP’s Citizens Council Their Monitoring Shows ‘No Material Impact’ To Air Or Water Quality From Natural Gas Development; Citizens Said CNX Lacks Scientific Rigor, Offers Misleading Greenwash [PaEN]
-- On Feb. 13 Dept. Of Health, Penn State Project ECHO Webinar To Educate Medical Professionals, Public On Exposures To Natural Gas Facility Pollution; Real Washington County CNX Facility Case Study Used [PaEN]
-- Governor’s Updated Regulatory Agenda Includes Proposed Annual Permit Fee For Shale Gas Wells; Updated Conventional Waste Disposal and Coproduct Waste Regs. [PaEN]
-- DEP To Hold March 11 Hearing On Air Quality Application For MarkWest Liberty Harmon Creek Natural Gas Processing Plant In Washington County
-- DEP Sets March 20 Environmental Justice Hearing On New NPDES Water Quality Permit For The Westmoreland Landfill In Rostraver Township [PaEN]
-- Marcellus Drilling News: Rain City Resources, Kendra II Agree To Set Up Pilot Plant To Extract Lithium From Marcellus Shale Wastewater In Susquehanna County [PaEN]
-- Susquehanna River Basin Commission To Hold Business Meeting March 13, Including 6 Shale Gas Development Water Withdrawals [PaEN]
-- Evangelical Environmental Network: FERC Approval Of PJM Fast Track Power Plant Plan Favors Natural Gas, Leaves Clean, Abundant Energy Behind For Pennsylvania [PaEN]
-- DEP, Attorney General Announce $14,866,280 In Grants To Fund 79 Local Water Quality Improvement Projects Funded By Growing Greener, Natural Gas Pipeline Penalties [PaEN]
-- Gov. Shapiro’s Budget Includes Energy Plan; Funding To Make-up Deficit In Oil & Gas Program; New State Park, Trail Initiative; Over $6.2 Billion In Federal Funding At Risk For DEP, DCNR, PennVEST [PaEN]
-- Gov. Shapiro Files Lawsuit Challenging President's Unconstitutional Federal Funding Freeze In Order to Protect PA Interests; Mine Reclamation, Conventional Well Plugging, Many Other Funds At Risk [PaEN]
-- President Forms National Energy Dominance Council To Promote Oil, Natural Gas, Natural Gas Liquids, Refined Petroleum Products, Uranium, Coal, Biofuels, Geothermal Heat, Kinetic Movement Of Flowing Water, Critical Minerals [PaEN]
NewsClips:
-- US EIA Natural Gas Price Forecast For 2025 Now 21% Higher Than Last Forecast At $3.80; 2026 Forecast Now $4.20
-- Wall Street Journal: US Oil, Gas Frackers And Saudi Officials Tell President They Won’t Drill More No Matter How Many Regulations Are Rolled Back, Prices Are Too Low [PDF of article]
-- The Energy Age Blog: Judge Rules Sunoco Didn’t Have Eminent Domain Power For Mariner East Pipelines Work In 2013; Lawsuit Claims Company Coerced Property Owners Into Allowing Easements
-- Observer-Reporter: Washington County Judge Rules Sunoco Did Not Have Eminent Domain Powers For Mariner East Pipeline In 2013 In Landowner Lawsuit Alleging Fraud [PDF of Article]
-- Inquirer: Federal Pipeline Safety Agency Says Energy Transfer/Sunoco Pipeline Leaked Fuel In Bucks County For At Least 16 Months
-- WHYY: Upper Makefield Twp. Residents Call For Answers After Energy Transfer Jet Fuel Pipeline Leak Contaminated Wells In Bucks County
-- WHYY: Upper Makefield Residents, PA Officials Call For Energy Transfer Jet Fuel Pipeline To Be Shut Down Pending Spill Investigation In Bucks County
-- Inquirer: Legislators Say Energy Transfer Jet Fuel Pipeline That Leaked Into Bucks County Wells Should Be Shut Down; Operator Failed To Detect Leak
-- DEP To Hold March 11 Hearing On Air Quality Application For MarkWest Liberty Harmon Creek Natural Gas Processing Plant In Washington County
-- Inside Climate News - Kiley Bense: Pennsylvania’s New Energy Plan A ‘Betrayal’ To Those On Front Lines, Critics Say
-- Inside Climate News - Jon Hurdle: New Data Shows Shell Petrochemical Plant In Beaver County Failed To Boost Local Economy
-- WSJ: US Imposes 10% Tariff On Canadian Oil, Gas, 25% On Other Products [PDF of Article] [United Refining In Warren Uses 70,000 Barrels Of Canadian Oil A Day ] [Tariff Temporarily Suspended]
-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: Chinese Tariffs On US Exports Of Natural Gas, Coal, Energy To China Bring Deja Vu To Local Players
-- AP: President Creates Council For ‘Energy Dominance,’ Boosts Natural Gas Exports And Offshore Drilling
-- The Allegheny Front - Reid Frazier: Will Appalachian Hydrogen Hub Survive As President Takes Aim At Clean Energy?
-- Wall Street Journal: US Oil, Gas Frackers And Saudi Officials Tell President They Won’t Drill More No Matter How Many Regulations Are Rolled Back, Prices Are Too Low [PDF of article]
[Posted: February 9, 2025]
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