PA Environment Digest Blog: Oil & Gas Facilities Self-Reported 13,432,713 Tons Of Air Pollution In PA In 2022; 101,741,616 Tons Total Since 2012

Unconventional, conventional, pipeline, storage and other oil and gas facilities have been self-reporting air emissions from their facilities since 2012 and do so regularly under Title V and other Air Quality permits issued by the Department of Environmental Protection.

Shale gas emissions reporting was an initiative of the Corbett Administration.

In 2022, these facilities self-reported 13,432,713 tons of air pollution-- 47.93% came from mid-stream pipeline facilities; 30.18% from unconventional shale gas wells and 21.81% from main line natural gas compressor stations.

Methane emissions were reported as 165,793.87 tons, carbon dioxide- 13,222,354.96 tons, volatile organic compounds - 6,837.05 tons, Particulate Matter 2.5 - 917.62 tons, and Particulate Matter 10 - 993.77 tons.

In 2012, the first year of reporting (which got off to a rocky start because it was new), facilities self-reported 3,80,198.40 tons of air pollution-- 59.48% came from unconventional shale gas wells and 37.37% came from mail line compressor stations.

Methane emissions were reported as 90,725.82 tons, carbon dioxide- 3,710,597.99 tons, volatile organic compounds - 2,869.63 tons, Particulate Matter 2.5 - 578.79 tons, and Particulate Matter 10 - 703.87 tons.

In 2022, 5,458 oil and gas facilities at 3,692 sites in Pennsylvania reported--

-- 0.21 tons - 1,3 Butadiene [EPA Hazardous Air Pollutant]

-- 55.68 tons - 2,2,3 - Trimethylpentane [EPA Hazardous Air Pollutant]

-- 71 tons - Acetaldehyde [EPA Hazardous Air Pollutant]

-- 49.93 tons - Acrolein [EPA Hazardous Air Pollutant]

-- 5.71 tons - Ammonia

-- 45.89 tons - Benzene [EPA Hazardous Air Pollutant]

-- 1.81 tons - Butane

-- 13,222,354.9 tons - Carbon Dioxide [Greenhouse Gas]

-- 11,284 tons - Carbon Monoxide

-- 81.81 tons - Ethane

-- 8.74 tons - Ethyl Benzene [EPA Hazardous Air Pollutant]

-- 813.78 tons - Formaldehyde [EPA Hazardous Air Pollutant]

-- 76.56 tons - Hexane [EPA Hazardous Air Pollutant]

-- 0.23 tons - Isopentane

-- 0.01 tons - Lead [EPA Hazardous Air Pollutant]

-- 0.00010 tons - Mercury [EPA Hazardous Air Pollutant]

-- 165,793.87 tons - Methane

-- 218.04 tons - Methanol [EPA Hazardous Air Pollutant]

-- 75.41 tons - n-Hexane [EPA Hazardous Air Pollutant]

-- 21,830.47 tons - Nitrogen Oxides

-- 83.6 tons - Nitrous Oxide

-- 1.44 tons - Non-Methane Hydrocarbons

-- 993.77 tons - Particulate Matter - 10 microns

-- 917.62 tons - Particulate Matter - 2.5 microns

-- 673.57 tons - Particulate Matter - Condensable

-- 1.7 tons - Pentane

-- 0.84 tons - Polycyclic Organic Matter

-- 4.32 tons - Propane

-- 350.13 tons - Sulfur Oxides

-- 46.39 tons - Toluene [EPA Hazardous Air Pollutant]

-- 6,837.05 tons - Volatile Organic Compounds

-- 34.98 tons Xylenes (Isomers and Mixture) [EPA Hazardous Air Pollutant]

Disagreements Over Accuracy

There have been major disagreements on how accurate this self-reporting is, in particular related to conventional oil and gas facilities because they frequently do not report their emissions.

DEP estimates, for example, 80% of the methane emissions from oil and gas facilities come from the conventional oil and gas industry in the state because they have done little or nothing to control them. Twenty percent comes from the shale gas industry. Read more here.

DEP posts this declaimer with the data: “DEP expressly disclaims any liability for errors or omissions related to the data and any representation or warranty that might be otherwise implied is expressly disclaimed.”

In addition, data from the Allegheny County air emissions inventory may be in some years and not others, since the County runs its own air pollution control program.

Visit DEP’s Natural Gas Emission Inventory, Air Quality Reports and Visuals and Trends webpages to view and analyze the air emissions data reported by oil and gas facilities in Pennsylvania.

Data can be broken out by type of facility-- conventional and unconventional gas wells, compressor stations, gas storage wells-- pollutant, company, facility and more.

PA Oil & Gas Industry Public Notice Dashboards:

-- PA Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - Dec. 16 to 22 - 46% More Conventional NOVs; More Abandoned Wells; Conventional Well Fire; Venting Gas, Spills, Plugging Mess [PaEN]

-- Conventional Oil Well Storage Tanks Burn In McKean County, 6 Local Fire Companies Respond [PaEN]

-- PA Oil & Gas Industry Compliance So Far In 2023 - It Isn’t Pretty [PaEN]

-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices/Opportunities To Comment - December 23 [PaEN]

-- DEP Posted 56 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In Dec. 23 PA Bulletin [PaEN]