PA Environment Digest Blog: PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices, Opportunities To Comment

The following notices were published in the June 15 PA Bulletin related to oil and gas industry facilities. Many of the notices offer the opportunity for public comments.

Land Recycling/Brownfield Cleanups

-- Chesapeake Appalachia LLC - Amcor Shale Gas Well Pad: DEP received a Final Report on remediation of soil contaminated with production wastewater to meet the Statewide Health Standards at the pad located in Meshoppen Twp., Wyoming County. (PA Bulletin, page 3477)

-- EQT Corporation - Polecat Shale Gas Well Pad: DEP approved a Final Report on remediation of soil contaminated with chloride, aluminum, barium, boron, iron, lithium, manganese, selenium, strontium, vanadium, and zinc to meet the Statewide Health Standards at the pad located in Whiteley Twp., Greene County. (PA Bulletin, page 3478)

2024 Land Recycling/Brownfield Cleanups

So far in 2024, DEP received or acted on 147 Act 2 Land Recycling notices related to oil and gas facility site cleanups.

Waste Permits

-- The Department of Environmental Protection published notice in the June 15 PA Bulletin inviting comments on the waste permit renewal for the Kelly Run Landfill in Forward Township, Allegheny County. The Landfill accepts a variety of wastes, according to its webpage, including municipal, construction and demolition, business and TENORM (Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material often associated with oil and gas drill cuttings). (PA Bulletin, page 3452) Read more here.

-- Waste Management Of Fairless, LLC - Landfill Gas Project: DEP issued a major permit modification for the distribution of landfill gas from the Fairless Landfill located in Falls Twp., Bucks County. (PA Bulletin, page 3482)

Air Quality Permits

-- Mountain Gathering, LLC: DEP invites comments on modification of the emission limits in an Air Quality Plan Approval for an unknown type of facility [probably a compressor station] located in Jefferson Twp., Butler County. (PA Bulletin, page 3453)

-- Imperial Landfill Gas Company LLC: DEP invites comments on Air Quality Plan Approval covering multiple sources of air pollution for the facility located in Robinson Twp., Washington County. (PA Bulletin, page 3454)

-- UGI Texas Creek, LLC - Yaggie Compressor Station: DEP issued an Air Quality Plan Approval covering multiple sources of air pollution at the facility located in Union Twp., Tioga County. (PA Bulletin, page 3482)

-- SWN Production Company - Marcucci-Jones Shale Gas Well Pad: DEP issued an Air Quality Plan Approval covering multiple sources of air pollution at the pad located in Stevens Twp., Bradford County. (PA Bulletin, page 3482)

-- EQT Chap, LLC - Deemston-Wicks Compressor Station: DEP issued a State Only Air Quality Permit covering multiple sources of air pollution at the facility located in Deemston Boro, Washington County. (PA Bulletin, page 3484)

-- MC Project Co. LLC - Martins Creek Natural Gas/Oil Power Plant: DEP issued minor modifications to the Title V Air Quality Permit for the facility located in Lower Mount Bethel Twp., Northampton County. (PA Bulletin, page 3483)

Chapter 105 Waterways & Encroachments

-- Chesapeake Appalachia LLC - 16-Inch Water Pipeline: DEP issued a Chapter 105 permit for a project impacting Billings Creek, wetlands and floodways located in Herrick Twp., Bradford County. (PA Bulletin, page 3488)

Erosion & Sedimentation Permits

-- CNX Midstream Operating Co. - Pipeline Project: DEP invites comments on a Chapter 102 permit application for a project impacting Beaver Run located in Bell and Washington Townships, Westmoreland County. (PA Bulletin, page 3464)

-- HEP Pennsylvania Gathering LLC: DEP issued Chapter 102 permit for an unknown project impacting Bennet Creek located in Stevens Twp., Bradford County. (PA Bulletin, page 3490)

-- Chesapeake Appalachia LLC: DEP issued Chapter 102 permit for an unknown project impacting Ellis Creek in Asylum Twp., Bradford County. (PA Bulletin, page 3490)

-- Coterra Energy Inc.: DEP issued Chapter 102 permit for an unknown project impacting Riley Creek located in Auburn Twp., Susquehanna County. (PA Bulletin, page 3490)

-- Greylock Prod LLC - Beacon Shale Gas Well Pad: DEP issued Chapter 102 permit for the pad impacting Frosty Run located in Greene Twp., Greene County. (PA Bulletin, page 3490)

-- Rice Drilling B LLC [EQT] - Strosnider Shale Gas Well Pad: DEP issued Chapter 102 permit the pad impacting Smith Creek and Pursley Creek (High Quality) located in Franklin Twp., Greene County. (PA Bulletin, page 3490)

Note: DEP’s June 7 Weekly Workload Report: Zero Shale Gas Wells Drilled In PA, 2 New Permits Issued, Only 1 New Shale Gas Application Received, Only 1 Under Review

Oil & Gas Well Drilling Permits [6.7.24]*

-- Last Week - Permits: DEP issued 6 conventional and 2 unconventional

-- Year To Date - Permits: DEP issued 97 conventional and 216 unconventional

-- Year To Date - Wells Drilled: 63 conventional and 144 unconventional

*Weekly Workload Report - 6.7.24

*DEP’s Weekly Oil & Gas Program Workload Report - Most Recent

DEP Issued These New Oil & Gas Permits *

*Click Here to find oil and gas well permits recently issued near you

Did you know DEP can send you email notices when permit applications are submitted to DEP in your community?

This is the only way you can get notified of when oil and gas-related permits are submitted to DEP.

You’ll also get notice of new technical guidance documents and regulations.

Click Here to sign up for DEP’s eNOTICE today!

Act 14 Notices To Municipalities

Many communities and citizens are not aware that a state law passed in 1984 gives them the first chance to comment on Department of Environmental Protection permit applications even before they are submitted to the agency. Read more here.

Act 14 requires applicants to submit notices to municipalities and counties for air quality, water obstruction (Chapter 105), any permit issued under the Cleans Streams Law (including Chapter 102, stormwater, NPDES, many more), any solid waste and hazardous waste, land recycling and water allocation permits.

These notifications, sent by registered mail, must give municipalities and counties at least 30 days to comment to DEP and in the case of solid waste and hazardous waste at least 60 days, according to the law.

Without proof Act 14 notices were sent to municipalities and counties within the required timeframe, a DEP permit application is not complete and DEP cannot review it.

And the notices must be sent each time an applicant wants to modify, renew or expand what their applications cover, so there can be a lot of them.

For those interested in the oil and gas industry, these notices cover almost every aspect of developing oil and gas drilling well pads and all gas infrastructure-- pipelines, gas processing plants, water and wastewater storage facilities, pigging and metering stations and more.

Not covered are permits related to coal mining. Read more here.

PA Oil & Gas Industry Public Notice Dashboards:

-- PA Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - June 8 to 14 - Abandoned Conventional Well Violations Now Top 512, Equaling All Of 2023 [PaEN]

-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices, Opportunities To Comment - June 15 [PaEN]

-- DEP’s June 7 Weekly Workload Report: Zero Shale Gas Wells Drilled In PA, 2 New Permits Issued, Only 1 New Shale Gas Application Received, Only 1 Under Review

-- DEP Posted 74 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In June 15 PA Bulletin [PaEN]