DEP Invites Comments On Draft Guidance For Land Application Of Excess Water From Shale Gas Well Development Impoundments

The Department of Environmental Protection published notice in the January 4 PA Bulletin inviting comments on draft Technical Guidance for Maintaining Freeboard and Dewatering of Well Development Impoundments for Unconventional Oil and Gas Operations. [DEP ID: 800-2200-005]

The deadline for comments is February 3.  [Note: The notice says January 6, but that’s an error.]

The guidance outlines how shale gas well owners can develop a plan to prevent pollution to the waters of this Commonwealth as it relates to land application of excess water from a well development impoundment for maintaining freeboard while the impoundment is in use and also for dewatering the WDI of all water prior to decommissioning it for restoration.

Click Here for a copy of the draft guidance.

Comments will be accepted on DEP’s eComment webpage when the Guidance is posted.

Read the entire PA Bulletin notice on how to submit comments and other information. 

Questions should be directed to: Joseph Kelly, (717) 772-5991, josephkel@pa.gov

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.

Prepare For Winter Weather:

-- PUC Urges Pennsylvanians To Prepare Now For Winter Storms  [PaEN]  

-- Reuters: US Winter Storms Could Cause Power Outages, Cut Natural Gas Supplies 

PA Oil & Gas Industry Public Notice Dashboard - December 28:

-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices, Opportunities To Comment - December 28 [PaEN] 

-- DEP Posted 81 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In December 28 PA Bulletin  [PaEN]

PA Oil & Gas Industry Public Notice Dashboard - January 4:

-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices, Opportunities To Comment - January 4 [PaEN] 

-- DEP Invites Comments On Draft Guidance For Land Application Of Excess Water From Shale Gas Well Development Impoundments  [PaEN] 

-- DEP To Hold Jan. 30 Hearing [Not Jan. 28] On Title V RACT 3 Air Quality Permit For Monroe Energy LLC Trainer Refinery In Delaware County  [PaEN]

-- DEP Sets Feb. 11 Hearing On Renewal Of Title V Air Quality Permit For Energy Transfer Marketing’s Marcus Hook Terminal, Delaware County  [PaEN]

-- DEP Posted 103 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In January 4 PA Bulletin  [PaEN]

Related Articles Last 2 Weeks:

-- DEP: Oil & Gas Wells Plugged In Last 6 Years: 2,941 Conventional Wells, 325 Paid By Taxpayers; 460 Shale Gas Wells Were Plugged By Well Owners   [PaEN]

-- Physicians For Social Responsibility- PA: Jan. 22 Webinar On How To Talk To Your Doctor About Environmental Threats To Your Health  [PaEN] 

-- DEP Invites Comments On Draft Guidance For Land Application Of Excess Water From Shale Gas Well Development Impoundments  [PaEN] 

-- Susquehanna River Basin Commission Approved 18 Shale Gas Well Pad Water Use General Permits In November; 292 General Permits So Far In 2024  [PaEN]

-- Environmental Hearing Board Denies Supersedeas, Allows Operation Of Catalyst Energy, Inc. Oil & Gas Wastewater Injection Well In McKean County During Appeal  [PaEN]

-- Attorney General-Elect Dave Sunday Announces Transition Committee Members, Including An Energy & Environment Committee  [PaEN]

NewsClips:

-- DeSmog - Justin Nobel: PA Needs To Set Construction, Operating Standards For Hundreds Of Miles Of Unregulated Fracking Wastewater Pipelines 

-- WSJ: America’s Big Natural Gas Footprint Is About To Get Even Bigger: ‘Build Baby Build’  [PDF of Article]

-- The Energy Age Blog: EQT Reveals Latest Shale Gas Drilling Plans In Southwest PA 

-- The Energy Age Blog: EQT Executes New Shale Gas Drilling Plan In Union Twp., Washington County 

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: 2024 In Review: EQT, Consol Highlight Energy Industry Upswing

-- PublicSource.org: Scrutiny Of EQT Fracking Likely To Shift In 2025 With Gas-Friendly Washington  

-- PublicSource.org: Protect PT Challenges Fracking Permits In Westmoreland County 

-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: Shale Gas Industry Consent Agreements Set Groundwork For Future Methane Regulations

-- “World-Class Standards” Of Shale Gas Production In PA 

-- TribLive Guest Essay: What PA Has Been Doing On Energy Generation Is Simply Not Working, Renewable Energy Reliable, Economical - By Sharon Pillar, PA Solar Center 

-- Utility Dive: Pennsylvania Asks FERC To Lower PJM Capacity Price Cap To Prevent ‘Runaway’ Costs

-- Inside Climate News: Elevated Levels Of Radium Found In Western PA Freshwater Mussels Downstream Of Oil & Gas Wastewater Discharge Points

-- Protect PT/Three Rivers Waterkeepers Jan. 16 Plum Boro Community Meeting On Pennaco Oil & Gas Wastewater Injection Wells,  Plum Borough Community Center, Allegheny County 7:00 to 8:00 p.m.

-- Protect PT: Jan. 22 How To Run For Local Public Office Training Webinar, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

-- Baker Hughes: PA Natural Gas Drilling Rigs Same As Last Week - 15; Aug. 23 Was 21 [1.3.25]

-- Baker Hughes: PA Natural Gas Drilling Rigs Same As Last Week - 15; Aug. 23 Was 21 [12.27.24]

-- AAA Gasoline Prices: National- $3.06   Ohio- $3.15   PA- $3.26 [1.3.25]

-- AAA Gasoline Prices: National- $3.02  Ohio- $2.99   PA- $3.21 [12.27.24]

-- WTAJ: 200,000+ PA Residents Could See 18% Increase In National Fuel Gas Natural Gas Bills In 2025 

-- WFMJ: National Fuel Gas Customers Could See 17% Increase In Gas Costs Starting Aug. 1 

-- Altoona Mirror: Peoples Gas Natural Gas Rates To Increase Jan. 1

-- Utility Dive: North American Electric Reliability Corp. Issues Electric Grid Reliability Warning Ahead Of Expected Winter Storm In Eastern US Starting Jan. 4  

-- Marcellus Shale Gas Coalition: Preparing For Winter - How The Natural Gas industry Ensures Safety And Reliability 

-- Financial Times: US Gas, Heating Oil, Energy Markets On Edge As ‘Polar Vortex’ Set To Deliver Deep Freeze In Northern US

-- FoxNews: Natural Gas Prices Spike As Forecasts Of Colder Than Expected Winter

-- Bloomberg: US Natural Gas Prices Surge 16% As Forecasters Warn Of Artic Blast In January

-- Bloomberg: European Natural Gas Prices Up 2.4% With One Week Left On Ukraine-Russian Pipeline Transit Deal

-- Marcellus Drilling News: NYMEX Natural Gas Price Up 14% Last Week To $3.75; Heading For $4.30? [Cold Weather, LNG Demand Push Prices Higher]  [PDF of Article]

-- Reuters: US LNG Gas Demand Hits Record High, Prices Increase On Last Day Of The Year

-- Bloomberg: European Natural Gas Prices Increase As Norway LNG Gas Export Outage Adds To Loss Of Russian Flow

-- Bloomberg: Russia, Ukraine End 5 Decades Of Natural Gas Transit To Europe

-- Reuters: What Happens When Russian Natural Gas Supply To Europe Via Ukraine Ends Jan. 1?

-- FXEmpire: 2025 Natural Gas Forecast: LNG Exports, Domestic Demand Push Upward Price Potential 

-- Bloomberg: European Natural Gas Prices Rise With Clock Ticking Toward Expiring Ukraine, Russia Pipeline Transit Deal Jan. 1

-- The Allegheny Front/WPSU: Worried About Gas Stoves? An Induction Cooking Class Explores An Alternative

-- WHYY - Zoe Read: Eastern Hellbender May Get Federal Protections 

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: 2024 In Review: EQT, Consol Highlight Energy Industry Upswing

-- ABC6: Dozens Forced Out Of Their Homes After Natural Gas Leak In Bethlehem 

-- Inside Climate News - Jon Hurdle: 5 Years After Philadelphia Refinery’s Closure, Pollution Concerns Persist

-- Financial Times: Methane Pollution At US’s Biggest Oilfield Plunges 26% After Biden Crackdown

[Posted: January 3, 2025]  PA Environment Digest