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

The following notices were published in the July 6 PA Bulletin related to oil and gas industry facilities. Many of the notices offer the opportunity for public comments.

-- The Department of Environmental Protection published notice in the July 6 PA Bulletin announcing it has issued an Air Quality Permit Plan Approval to authorize the construction and operation of the Frontier LNG natural gas production facility at the Winner 4H Shale Gas Well Pad in West Keating Township, Clinton County. Frontier Natural Resources, Inc. is a partner in the KeyState project. (PA Bulletin, page 3830) Read more here.

-- The Department of Environmental Protection posted a note on its Shell Petrochemical Plant webpage that on July 2 DEP determined the Title V Air Quality Permit Application submitted by Shell for its Beaver County plant is administratively complete and the application was posted on DEP's website. DEP will now publish a notice in the PA Bulletin it has received the application and open an initial public comment period. Read more here.

-- Shell Petrochemical Plant/Former Horsehead Corp Facility: DEP approved a Final Report on remediation of soil and groundwater contaminated with aluminum, arsenic, cadmium, cobalt, iron, lead, manganese, mercury, selenium, and zinc in groundwater; antimony, arsenic, cadmium, lead, manganese, nickel, selenium, silver, thallium, and zinc in soil to meet the Site-Specific Standards at the facility located in Potter Twp., Beaver County. (PA Bulletin, page 3829) Read more here.

Land Recycling/Brownfield Cleanups

-- Cumberland Valley School District - Fuel Oil Spill At Eagle View Middle School: DEP received a Notice Of Intent to remediate soil and groundwater contaminated with fuel oil from leaking storage tanks to the Statewide Health Standard for the school located in Silver Spring Twp., Cumberland County. (PA Bulletin, page 3807)

-- EQT Production Co - Lumber Shale Gas Well Pad: DEP received a Final Report on remediation of soil contaminated with wastewater containing Aluminum, Barium, Boron, Iron, Lithium, Manganese, Selenium, Strontium, Vanadium and Zinc to meet the Statewide Health Standards at the pad located in Springhill Twp., Greene County. (PA Bulletin, page 3827)

-- T&T Compression, Inc. - Alexander Roy 1 Conventional Well: DEP approved a Final Resport on remediation of soil and groundwater contaminated with Aluminum, Barium, Boron, Chloride, Iron, Lithium, Manganese, Strontium, Vanadium, Zinc, and Selenium to meet the Statewide Health Standards at the well site located in Grant Twp., Indiana County. (PA Bulletin, page 3828)

-- EQT Production Co. - Mac Shale Gas Well Pad: DEP approved a Final Report on remediation of soil contaminated with wastewater containing aluminum, barium, boron, chloride, iron, lithium, manganese, selenium, strontium, vanadium, and zinc to meet the Statewide Health Standards at the pad located in Whitely Twp., Greene County. (PA Bulletin, page 3830)

-- Olympus Energy - Athena Shale Gas Well Pad: DEP approved a Final Report on remediation of soil and groundwater contaminated with Benzene, tert- butylbenzene, sec-butylbenzene, cyclohexane, ethylbenzene, isopropylbenzene (Cumene), Napthalene, Toluene, Total Xylenes, 1,2,4-Trimethylbenzene, 1,3,5-trimethyl- benzene, Acenaphthene, Anthracene, Benzo(a)anthracene, Benzo(a)pyrene, Benzo(b)flouranthene, Benzo(g,h,i)peryl-ene, Biphenyl, Chrysene, Flouranthene, Flourene, Indeno(1,2,3-cd)pyrene, 2-Methylnaphthalene, Phenan- threne, Pyrene to meet Statewide Health Standards at the pad located in Washington Twp., Westmoreland County. (PA Bulletin, page 3829)

-- Olympus Energy - Athena Shale Gas Well Pad: DEP approved a final report on remediation of soil contaminated with volatile organic compounds, semi-volatile organic compounds and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons to meet Statewide Health Standards at the pad located in Washington Twp., Westmoreland County. (PA Bulletin, page 3829)

-- Range Resources - Brownlee Kelley Shale Gas Well Pad: DEP approved a Final Report on remediation of soil contaminated with wastewater containing aluminum, barium, boron, chloride, iron, lithium, manganese, selenium, strontium, vanadium and zinc to meet Statewide Health Standards at the pad located in Hopewell Twp., Washington County. (PA Bulletin, page 3829)

2024 Land Recycling/Brownfield Cleanups

So far in 2024, DEP received or acted on 164 Act 2 Land Recycling notices related to oil and gas facility site cleanups.

Air Quality Permits

-- Columbia Gas Transmission - Iowa Compressor Station: DEP invites comments on an Air Quality Plan Approval covering multiple sources of air pollution at the facility located in Pine Creek Twp., Jefferson County. (PA Bulletin, page 3809)

-- Frontier LNG - LNG Gas Facility: DEP issued an Air Quality Permit Plan Approval to authorize the construction and operation of a natural gas production facility at the Winner 4H Shale Gas Well Pad in West Keating Township, Clinton County. Frontier Natural Resources, Inc. is a partner in the KeyState project. (PA Bulletin, page 3830) Read more here.

-- CNX Gas Company LLC - RHL-99 Shale Gas Well Pad: DEP renewed the Air Quality Plan Approval for multiple sources of air pollution on the pad located in Richhill Twp., Greene County. (PA Bulletin, page 3831)

-- Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company - Compressor Station 321: DEP issued a renewal of a Title V Air Quality Permit covering multiple sources of air pollution at the facility located in Clifford Twp., Schuylkill County. (PA Bulletin, page 3831)

-- Philadelphia Gas Works - Richmond LNG Gas Plant: Philadelphia Air Management Services renewed a Title V Air Quality Permit covering multiple sources of air pollution at the facility located at 3100 East Venango St., Philadelphia. (PA Bulletin, page 3831)

-- EQT Production Company - Ealy Shale Gas Well Pad: DEP approved de minimis air emissions increases covering multiple sources of air pollution at the pad located in East Finley Twp., Washington County. (PA Bulletin, page 3833)

-- Range Resources Appalachia, LLC: DEP approved de minimis air emissions increases covering multiple sources of air pollution at an Unknown facility located in Donegal Borough, Washington County. (PA Bulletin, page 3833)

Chapter 105 Encroachment Permits

-- WB McKean LLC - Landfill Gas Facility: DEP invites comments on a Chapter 105 permit for a proposed natural gas recycling facility for landfill gas located in Sergeant Twp., McKean County. (PA Bulletin, page 3817)

-- Chesapeake Appalachia LLC - Water Pipeline: DEP approved a Chapter 105 permit for a pipeline project impacting Vought Creek, Wysox Creek and wetlands located in Wysox Twp., Bradford County. (PA Bulletin, page 3835)

Erosion & Sedimentation Permits

-- Chesapeake Appalachia LLC: DEP issued a Chapter 102 permit for an Unknown project impacting Deer Lick Creek located in Rush Twp., Susquehanna County. (PA Bulletin, page 3838)

-- APEX WML Midstream LLC: DEP issued a Chapter 102 permit for a pipeline project impacting Kelly Run and Sewickley Creek in Sewickley Twp., Westmoreland County. (PA Bulletin, page 3838)

-- EQM Gathering OPCO LLC - NIPI-H201 Pipeline: DEP issued a Chapter 102 permit for a pipeline project impacting Long Run, Enlow Fork, Browns Creek and Short Creek located in East Findlay [sp?] Township, Washington County and Morris Township, Greene County. (PA Bulletin, page 3838)

Oil & Gas Well Drilling Permits [6.28.24]*

-- Last Week - Permits: DEP issued 10 conventional and 10 unconventional

-- Year To Date - Permits: DEP issued 116 conventional and 253 unconventional

-- Wells Drilled Last Week: 4 conventional and 0 unconventional

-- Year To Date - Wells Drilled: 75 conventional and 163 unconventional

*Weekly Workload Report - 6.28.24

*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 29 to July 5 - Lots Of Conventional Wells Venting Gas; 12 + 6 More Abandoned Conventional Wells [PaEN]

-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices, Opportunities To Comment - July 6 [PaEN]

-- DEP Posted 53 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In July 6 PA Bulletin [PaEN]