Susquehanna River Basin Commission Approved 33 Shale Gas Well Pad Water Use General Permits In September; 291 In 2026

The Susquehanna River Basin Commission published notice in the October 24 PA Bulletin the Executive Director gave his approval to or renewed 35 general water use permits in September for individual shale gas well drilling pads in Bradford, Lycoming, McKean, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga, and Wyoming counties.

So far in 2026, SRBC issued 291 shale gas-related general permits.

A separate water withdrawal approval is required by SRBC for actually withdrawing water from a specific water source for use by shale gas drilling operations.  Read more here.

So far in 2026, SRBC has issued three new shale gas water withdrawal approval.  Read more here.

New/Renewed General Permits

Here is the list of new general permits renewed or issued in September--

-- RENEWAL—Expand Operating, LLC; Pad ID: Van Order Pad; ABR-201107042.R3; Herrick Township, Bradford County, PA; Consumptive Use of Up to 7.5000 mgd; Approval Date: September 8, 2026.

-- RENEWAL—BKV Operating, LLC; Pad ID: Kile; ABR-201103026.R3; Washington Township, Wyoming County, PA; Consumptive Use of Up to 5.0000 mgd; Approval Date: September 14, 2026.

-- RENEWAL—Coterra Energy, Inc.; Pad ID: Mogridge P1; ABR-201108005.R3; Springville Township, Susquehanna County, PA; Consumptive Use of Up to 5.0000 mgd; Approval Date: September 14, 2026.

-- RENEWAL—Expand Operating, LLC; Pad ID: Joe; ABR-201108014.R3; Wilmot Township, Bradford County, PA; Consumptive Use of Up to 7.5000 mgd; Approval Date: September 14, 2026.

-- RENEWAL—Expand Operating, LLC; Pad ID: Lyncott Corp Pad; ABR-201107044.R3; New Milford Township, Susquehanna County, PA; Consumptive Use of Up to 7.5000 mgd; Approval Date: September 14, 2026.

-- RENEWAL—Repsol Oil & Gas USA, LLC; Pad ID: EVERTS (03 086) P; ABR-201606006.R2; Columbia Township, Bradford County, PA; Consumptive Use of Up to 6.0000 mgd; Approval Date: September 14, 2026.

-- RENEWAL—Seneca Resources Company, LLC; Pad ID: D08-M; ABR-201507007.R2; Norwich Township, McKean County, PA; Consumptive Use of Up to 4.0000 mgd; Approval Date: September 14, 2026.

-- RENEWAL—EQT ARO, LLC; Pad ID: Lycoming H&FC Pad E; ABR-201105013.R3; Cogan House Township, Lycoming County, PA; Consumptive Use of Up to 4.0000 mgd; Approval Date: September 16, 2026.

-- RENEWAL—Expand Operating, LLC; Pad ID: Bark'em Squirrel Pad; ABR-201107045.R3; New Milford Township, Susquehanna County, PA; Consumptive Use of Up to 7.5000 mgd; Approval Date: September 16, 2026.

-- RENEWAL—Expand Operating, LLC; Pad ID: Hillis; ABR-201108035.R3; Herrick Township, Bradford County, PA; Consumptive Use of Up to 7.5000 mgd; Approval Date: September 16, 2026.

-- RENEWAL—Expand Operating, LLC; Pad ID: Susan; ABR-201108036.R3; Auburn Township, Susquehanna County, PA; Consumptive Use of Up to 7.5000 mgd; Approval Date: September 16, 2026.

-- RENEWAL—Expand Operating, LLC; Pad ID: Tyler; ABR-201108034.R3; Auburn Township, Susquehanna County, PA; Consumptive Use of Up to 7.5000 mgd; Approval Date: September 16, 2026.

-- RENEWAL—EQT ARO, LLC; Pad ID: COP Tr 289 Pad D; ABR-201008030.R3; McHenry Township, Lycoming County, PA; Consumptive Use of Up to 4.0000 mgd; Approval Date: September 25, 2026.

-- RENEWAL—EQT ARO, LLC; Pad ID: H Lyle Landon Pad A; ABR-201106020.R3; Cogan House Township, Lycoming County, PA; Consumptive Use of Up to 4.0000 mgd; Approval Date: September 25, 2026.

-- RENEWAL—EQT ARO, LLC; Pad ID: Larrys Creek F&G Pad H; ABR-201106019.R3; Cummings Township, Lycoming County, PA; Consumptive Use of Up to 4.0000 mgd; Approval Date: September 25, 2026.

-- RENEWAL—EXCO Resources (PA), LLC; Pad ID: Arthur Pad; ABR-201103018.R3; Franklin Township, Lycoming County, PA; Consumptive Use of Up to 8.0000 mgd; Approval Date: September 25, 2026.

-- RENEWAL—Expand Operating, LLC; Pad ID: Jag; ABR-201109002.R3; Franklin Township, Bradford County, PA; Consumptive Use of Up to 7.5000 mgd; Approval Date: September 25, 2026.

-- RENEWAL—Expand Operating, LLC; Pad ID: Mad Dog; ABR-201108021.R3; Wilmot Township, Bradford County, PA; Consumptive Use of Up to 7.5000 mgd; Approval Date: September 25, 2026.

-- RENEWAL—Repsol Oil & Gas USA, LLC; Pad ID: CAMP COMFORT (07 185); ABR-201106025.R3; Middletown Township, Susquehanna County, PA; Consumptive Use of Up to 6.0000 mgd; Approval Date: September 25, 2026.

-- RENEWAL—Repsol Oil & Gas USA, LLC; Pad ID: COOLEY (05 004) P; ABR-201007099.R3; Orwell Township, Bradford County, PA; Consumptive Use of Up to 6.0000 mgd; Approval Date: September 25, 2026.

-- RENEWAL—Repsol Oil & Gas USA, LLC; Pad ID: Sawyer 376; ABR-201007061.R3; Union Township, Tioga County, PA; Consumptive Use of Up to 6.0000 mgd; Approval Date: September 25, 2026.

-- RENEWAL—Blackhill Energy, LLC; Pad ID: REITER 1H Pad; ABR-201008048.R3; Ridgebury Township, Bradford County, PA; Consumptive Use of Up to 4.9990 mgd; Approval Date: September 29, 2026.

-- RENEWAL—EXCO Resources (PA), LLC; Pad ID: Cadwalader Pad; ABR-201103039.R3; Cogan House Township, Lycoming County, PA; Consumptive Use of Up to 8.0000 mgd; Approval Date: September 29, 2026.

-- RENEWAL—Expand Operating, LLC; Pad ID: Bernstein Pad; ABR-201107052.R3; Clifford and Lenox Townships, Susquehanna County, PA; Consumptive Use of Up to 7.5000 mgd; Approval Date: September 29, 2026.

-- RENEWAL—Expand Operating, LLC; Pad ID: Clark Pad; ABR-201107043.R3; Orwell Township, Bradford County, PA; Consumptive Use of Up to 7.5000 mgd; Approval Date: September 29, 2026.

-- RENEWAL—Expand Operating, LLC; Pad ID: Kerr B Drilling Pad # 1; ABR-201109031.R3; Lathrop Township, Susquehanna County, PA; Consumptive Use of Up to 7.5000 mgd; Approval Date: September 29, 2026.

-- RENEWAL—Expand Operating, LLC; Pad ID: LKM; ABR-201109014.R3; Litchfield Township, Bradford County, PA; Consumptive Use of Up to 7.5000 mgd; Approval Date: September 29, 2026.

-- RENEWAL—Expand Operating, LLC; Pad ID: McGroarty; ABR-201109012.R3; Albany Township, Bradford County, PA; Consumptive Use of Up to 7.5000 mgd; Approval Date: September 29, 2026.

-- RENEWAL—Expand Operating, LLC; Pad ID: Savage Drilling Pad # 1; ABR-201108018.R3; Elkland Township, Sullivan County, PA; Consumptive Use of Up to 7.5000 mgd; Approval Date: September 29, 2026.

-- RENEWAL—Repsol Oil & Gas USA, LLC; Pad ID: BENNETT (05 164) R; ABR-201107049.R3; Stevens Township, Bradford County, PA; Consumptive Use of Up to 6.0000 mgd; Approval Date: September 29, 2026.

-- RENEWAL—Repsol Oil & Gas USA, LLC; Pad ID: Foti 721; ABR-201007118.R3; McNett Township, Lycoming County, PA; Consumptive Use of Up to 6.0000 mgd; Approval Date: September 29, 2026.

-- RENEWAL—Repsol Oil & Gas USA, LLC; Pad ID: Taylor 718; ABR-201007016.R3; Liberty Township, Tioga County, PA; Consumptive Use of Up to 7.5000 mgd; Approval Date: September 29, 2026.

-- RENEWAL—Repsol Oil & Gas USA, LLC; Pad ID: WALTERS (05 001) J; ABR-201007096.R3; Herrick Township, Bradford County, PA; Consumptive Use of Up to 6.0000 mgd; Approval Date: September 29, 2026.

Expanded Application Info Available

Information available on pending and issued water withdrawals is available on SRBC’s Water Application and Approval Viewer webpage.

For more information on programs, training opportunities and upcoming events, visit the Susquehanna River Basin Commission website.  Click Here to sign up for SRBC’s newsletter.   Follow SRBC on Twitter, visit them on YouTube.

PA Weekly Oil & Gas Compliance Snapshot - October 17 to 23

-- DEP - Day 119: Contaminated Water Discharges Continue, Failure To Comply With Cleanup Order At Equitrans Water SVC [EQT] Richter Impoundment In Greene County  [PaEN] 

-- DEP: Routine Inspections Find 16 Anderson Energy SVC LLC Conventional Wells Abandoned, Not Plugged In Forest County  [PaEN] 

-- DEP: Follow-Up Inspections Of 4 Michael Harju Conventional Wells Found They Continue To Be Abandoned, Not Plugged Going Back To 2020 In Westmoreland County  [PaEN]  

-- DEP: Routine Inspections Find 3 Keystone Crude LLC Abandoned, Unplugged Conventional Gas Wells In Allegheny County  [PaEN] 

-- DEP: Equitrans LP [EQT] Conventional Well Plugging Results In Multiple Spills, Inadvertent Returns, Failure To Comply With Permits In Greene County  [PaEN]   

-- DEP: Bialy Gas Production Intent To Plug Abandoned Conventional Well Leads To Discovery Of Severely Corroded Contaminated Water Tanks With Holes, Leaking Fluids In Beaver County  [PaEN] 

-- DEP: EQT Production Site Prep For Well Plugging Leads To Significant Well Pad, Access Road Erosion Violations In Fayette County  [PaEN] 

-- DEP: Contaminated Water Tank Failed Causing Release At Diversified Production LLC Conventional Oil & Gas Well Site In Warren County  [PaEN] 

-- DEP: Contaminated Water Release Discovered At Deer Run Oil & Gas LLC Conventional Oil & Gas Well Site In Crawford County 

-- DEP - Day 645: First Amer Energy Inc. Failed To Comply With Order To Restore 3 Conventional Oil & Gas Well Sites In Warren County  [PaEN]

-- PUC Accepting Nominations For PaOneCall Damage Prevention Committee

Related Article This Week:

-- DEP Celebrates Plugging 500th Abandoned Conventional Oil & Gas Well; DEP Continues To Issue Violations By The Hundreds To Conventional Well Owners For Abandoning Wells  [PaEN] 

-- Senate Committee Reports Out Resolution Authorizing Study Of The Economic Importance Of Conventional Oil & Gas Industry; Forgetting The Billions In Costs The Industry Dumps On Taxpayers  [PaEN] 

-- Environmental Health Project, Food & Water Watch, Partners Host Nov. 10 Webinar On Shale Gas Fracking, Data Centers And Your Health  [PaEN] 

-- PUC Launches Working Group To Review Electric, Natural Gas, Water & Wastewater Utility Ratemaking, Address Affordability, Transparency And Changing Economic Conditions  [PaEN]

-- PUC Approves 3.94% Increase In National Fuel Gas Rates; One-Time $30 Credit For Low Income Customers; Enhanced Energy Efficiency Pilot; Extended Temporary Weather Normalization Charge

NewsClips:

-- Observer-Reporter: Jerome Bettis, DEP Secretary Visit Washington County To Celebrate 500th Abandoned Conventional Well Plugging

-- TribLive: Proposed Shale Gas Well In Salem Twp. Concerns Local Residents In Westmoreland County  

-- TribLive: Salem Twp., Westmoreland County Officials To Shale Gas Well Opponents: No Local Authority Over Drilling Without Local Zoning 

-- Bloomberg Commentary: President’s Arm-Twisting For New York’s Constitution Natural Gas Pipeline May End In Regret

-- Inside Climate News: After A Decade Of Efforts To Regulate Methane From Oil & Gas Industry, The President’s Administration Promises New Rules, Has Rolled Back Or Blocked Previous Attempts

[Posted: October 23, 2026]  PA Environment Digest

PUC Launches Working Group To Review Electric, Natural Gas, Water & Wastewater Utility Ratemaking, Address Affordability, Transparency And Changing Economic Conditions

The Public Utility Commission published notice in the October 24 PA Bulletin announcing the creation of a Ratemaking Working Group (RWG) to examine potential improvements to longstanding ratemaking processes.

Electric, natural gas, water and wastewater utilities will be included in the review.

The initial focus of the Group will be return on equity (ROE), transparency in rate case settlements and the methodology used to establish returns associated with Distribution System Improvement Charges (DSIC).

The Ratemaking Working Group will be managed by the PUC’s Office of Executive Director and include representatives from consumer and small business advocates, utilities, state government and the General Assembly, industrial energy consumers, low-income advocates and other stakeholders. 

Designated stakeholder groups now have 30 days from the October 24 notice to submit nominations for their members on the Working Group.  The Commission will announce the full membership within 15 days after that deadline.

A Finance Subcommittee will provide additional perspectives from the credit ratings, investment banking and equity analyst communities.

The working group will then begin developing its initial report and recommendations for Commission consideration.

Documents related to this announcement can be found at: Docket No.: M-2026-3064953.

Background

On September 10, the Commission voted 5-0 to approve a motion by Chairman Steve DeFrank, directing the creation of the group.

“The world around our utility system is changing, and our regulatory processes cannot simply stand still,” Chairman DeFrank said. “Our responsibility is to make sure every dollar recovered from customers is carefully scrutinized while ensuring utilities can make the prudent investments necessary to provide safe, reliable service. This is about examining whether our ratemaking processes can be more efficient, transparent and effective – while balancing affordability with the infrastructure investment Pennsylvania needs.”

The initiative comes as utilities and consumers confront a rapidly changing landscape that includes inflation, increased customer arrearages, supply chain constraints, infrastructure needs, data center development and electric reliability concerns – factors that have increased pressure on utility costs and contributed to a significant number of proposed rate increases.

Examining Opportunities for Modernization

The Ratemaking Working Group will bring together consumer advocates, utilities, policymakers, financial experts and other stakeholders to develop recommendations for Commission consideration.

Among the issues identified for initial review are--

-- Return on Equity: Whether ROE issues could be addressed through periodic, sector-specific cost-of-capital proceedings rather than litigated separately in individual utility rate cases, along with consideration of utility performance measures such as reliability, safety and water quality.

-- Rate Case Transparency: Ways to provide greater public clarity about important financial metrics, including ROE and equity capitalization, when utility rate cases are resolved through settlements.

-- DSIC Methodology: Whether a more formula-based approach using objective economic measures could increase transparency and predictability in establishing the ROE used for Distribution System Improvement Charges.

PUC Vice Chair Kimberly Barrow, in a separate statement, outlined additional questions for the working group to consider, focusing on ROE and DSIC ROE, utility performance, market conditions and the resulting impacts on ratepayers.

Separating some complex financial issues from individual rate cases could also allow the Commission, consumer advocates and other parties to devote greater attention to utility capital investments, operating expenses, service quality, customer assistance programs and other issues that directly affect customers.

The review is not intended to overturn longstanding ratemaking principles or eliminate established financial tools. 

Rather, it will examine whether Pennsylvania’s regulatory processes can be modernized to better reflect changing economic and utility-sector conditions while balancing customer affordability with the need for continued investment in safe and reliable utility infrastructure.

Documents related to this announcement can be found at: Docket No.: M-2026-3064953.

Related Articles This Week:

-- Joint State Government Commission Issues Update On Report Looking At The Costs, Benefits And Risks Of Pennsylvania Participating In The PJM Interconnection; Hearings To Be Held  [PaEN]

-- PA House Sends Clean Energy, PA EDGE Tax Credits, New Fee For Electric Ratepayer Rebates Legislation Back To Senate For Action; Does NOT Repeal Data Center Tax Exemption  [PaEN] 

-- DEP Announces $14.4 Million Investment Of Federal Funds to Strengthen PA’s Electric Grid, Improve Electric Grid Reliability

-- PUC Approves 3.94% Increase In National Fuel Gas Rates; One-Time $30 Credit For Low Income Customers; Enhanced Energy Efficiency Pilot; Extended Temporary Weather Normalization Charge

-- PUC Chairman Steve DeFrank Elected President Of The Organization Of PJM States

NewsClips:

-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: Electric Bills In The Pittsburgh Region Will Rise Again This Winter

-- KDKA: Electric Rates To Rise This Winter In PA As Power Demand Outpaces Supply Due To A.I. Data Center Demand, Experts Say

-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: PUC Denies FirstEnergy’s Idea For Controlling Electric Bills Among Shopping Customers  

-- ABC27: Bills That Could Ease High Electric Rates Trapped In PA Senate Legislative Limbo

-- Spotlight PA: PA Legislature Set To Wrap Up Its Session, Many Bipartisan Bills Left Stranded [Data Centers, Allowing Sexual Abuse Survivors To Sue, Rewriting Illegal 2nd Degree Murder Law, No Gift Ban] 

-- Pittsburgh Business Journal: Washington & Jefferson College Survey Finds 64% Of Adults In PA Want More Regulation Of Data Centers; 59% See No Or Little Benefit Of Data Centers; 47.5% Oppose Data Centers 

-- AP: Facing Pushback On A.I. Data Centers, Tech Giants Are Promising Hosts More Money, Fewer Secrets [PA Included]

-- WHYY - Susan Phillips: How A.I. Data Center Battles In Philadelphia Suburbs Could Impact Party Control Of The PA General Assembly

-- Inside Climate News: With A Trifecta, PA Democrats Would Pass Energy Reforms And Rein In A.I. Data Centers; But Gov. Josh Shapiro May Be ‘The Limiting Factor’ 

-- Inside Climate News: A.I.Data Centers Are ‘Front And Center’ In PA’s Competitive Congressional Elections

[Posted: October 23, 2026]  PA Environment Digest