PA Environment Digest Blog: DEP Oil & Gas Advisory Board Meets June 13 On Migration Of Waste From Injection Wells; E&S Permitting; Federal Plugging Programs; Updated Conventional Waste Regs; Financial Assurance To Prevent Well Abandonment

On the agenda for DEP’s Oil and Gas Technical Advisory Board June 13 meeting is a discussion of a variety of topics, including--

-- Potential For Wastewater Migration From Underground Injection Disposal Wells

-- Financial Assurance Strategies To Address Future Well Abandonment

-- Orphan & Abandoned Well Topics--

-- Implications Of Changing Definitions For Abandoned, Orphan Wells [Read more here.]

-- Rate Of Well Abandonment vs. Rate Of Well Plugging

-- Unconventional Well Decommissioning costs

-- Update On Conventional Oil & Gas Waste Regulation Changes

-- Erosion & Sediment Control General Permit-4 (ESCGP-4) [Click Here for Presentation]

-- Update On Federal Plugging Programs (Conventional)--

-- Bipartisan Infrastructure Act Plugging

-- Inflation Reduction Act Methane Reduction Grants

-- Discussion Of Type 1L Cement Use In Well Construction

Click Here for the entire agenda.

Public Comment Period

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.

The comment must relate directly to a topic that is listed on the June 13, 2024 meeting agenda for consideration by the board. Individual public comments are limited to 3 minutes.

Individuals who request to provide public comment must submit a written copy of the comment to twallace@pa.gov no later than 24 hours prior to the start of the meeting (i.e., 10:00 am on June 11, 2024).

Written comments will be shared with TAB members, but will not be posted to the DEP website.

Joining The Meeting

The meeting will be held in Room 105 of the Rachel Carson Building in Harrisburg starting at 10:00 a.m. and ending at 3:15 p.m.

Click Here to join the meeting via Microsoft Teams - Meeting ID: 214 366 674 396 Passcode: oA87Wt.

The meeting will also be available by telephone-- (267) 332-8737 (Passcode: 658 310 56#).

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

Related Articles This Week:

-- House Environmental Committee Hearing On Road Dumping Oil & Gas Wastewater Set For June 10; A Voting Meeting On Bill To Ban Road Dumping June 11 [PaEN]

-- Better Path Coalition: DEP Removes Co-Product Category From Conventional Oil & Gas Waste Reporting Database; Well Owners Continue To Fail To Report How They Dispose Of Their Waste [PaEN]

-- Independent Fiscal Office Reports Drop In PA Shale Gas Production From 4th Quarter [PaEN]

-- DEP Citizens Advisory Council Meets June 11 To Hear About Mid-Atlantic Hydrogen Hub, Ag-Grid Energy, More On Electronics Waste Recycling [PaEN]

NewsClips:

-- The Energy Age Blog: 3 New EQT Shale Gas Well Pads Ready For Drilling In Union Twp., Washington County

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Natural Gas Drilling Drops In First Quarter In Pennsylvania

-- Marcellus Drilling News: Martins Ferry WV Council Pressure Ohio Agency To Clean Up PA-Owned Oil & Gas Wastewater Treatment Plant NOW

-- Times Leader: Report: As Fracking Increases, So Do Oil & Gas Industry Inefficiencies

-- Post-Gazette Editorial: Fracking Produces A Resource [Lithium] Needed To Wean Us Off Fossil Fuels - Pennsylvania Should Embrace It

-- Environmental Health News: The Oil & Gas Industry’s Radioactive Problem: Q & A With Author Justin Nobel