On Wednesday, Sen. Scott Hutchinson (R-Venango), the author of the bill that turned into Act 52 killing DEP’s conventional drilling regulations, circulated a co-sponsor memo to his colleagues saying he plans to introduce legislation to re-write the 1984 Oil and Gas Act and Act 13 of 2012 to “make it reflective of today’s conventional oil and gas industry.”
Sen. Hutchinson added, “... Act 13 also placed an unbearable burden on the much smaller conventional producers and over time has brought the conventional industry to near collapse.”
“To help alleviate this,” Sen. Hutchinson said, “I am introducing a redraft of the Oil and Gas Act with new language designed to update or clarify old provisions where needed. This will help to provide a legislative framework for regulations specific to conventional oil and gas drillers in a way that protects the environment while preserving this valuable industry.”
Last June the General Assembly passed Sen. Hutchinson’s bill and Gov. Wolf signed into law Act 52 killing updated conventional drilling regulations DEP had worked on for several years, forcing DEP to start the process over this year.
A new PA Grade Crude Development Advisory Council also formed by Act 52 last June to help advise DEP on conventional regulations has not yet announced its first organizational meeting.
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