DEP Renews General Permits For 27 Facilities In 11 Counties To Process/Reuse Oil & Gas Drilling Waste

The Department of Environmental Protection published notices in the January 16 PA Bulletin renewing General Permits for the processing and/or reuse of oil and gas well drilling waste at 27 facilities in 11 counties under General Permit WMGR123. (starting on PA Bulletin page 378)

The permits cover facilities in--

-- Armstrong County: West Franklin Township

-- Bradford County: Standing Stone Township

-- Butler County: Forward, Penn, Winfield townships

-- Clarion County: Piney Township

-- Clearfield County: Lawrence Township

-- Lawrence County: New Castle

-- Lycoming County: Williamsport (Eureka Resources) (2), Gamble Township

-- McKean County: Norwich, Sergeant (2) townships

-- Potter County: Sweden, Ulysses (2) townships

-- Susquehanna County: Dimock (2), Jessup, Lenox townships;

-- Tioga County: Blossburg Boro, Covington, Duncan, Liberty (2), Sullivan townships

General Permit WMGR123 covers “Processing, transfer and beneficial use of oil and gas liquid waste to develop or hydraulically fracture an oil or gas well.

“Oil and gas liquid waste includes liquid wastes from the drilling, development and operation of oil and gas wells and transmission facilities. 

“The term includes contaminated water from well sites, the development of transmission pipelines and the facility operating under this general permit, provided the generating facility has satisfied all other permitting requirements that may apply to contaminated water. 

“The term does not include condensate from oil and gas transmission pipeline compressor stations that exhibits a characteristic of hazardous waste.”

On December 19, 2020 DEP published an updated version of General Permit WMGR123 making changes to the requirements to qualify for the GP, including new siting requirements.  Read more here.

Under the provisions for using General Permits, no prior notice of the public or opportunity for public comment is required, only notice a by DEP that a facility has qualified for the General Permit after the fact.

Related Article:

-- DEP Publishes Final, Revised General Permit For Beneficial Use Of Liquid Waste From Fracking Oil & Gas Wells

[Posted: January 15, 2021]  PA Environment Digest