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

The following notices were published in the July 20 PA Bulletin related to oil and gas industry facilities. Many of the notices offer the opportunity for public comments.

-- The Susquehanna River Basin Commission published notice in the July 20 PA Bulletin announcing an August 1 hearing on water withdrawal requests, including for the proposed Amazon Data Center in Luzerne County, seven shale gas development and a UGI power plant. Read more here.

-- Equitrans LP - Compressor Station: DEP invites comments on an Air Quality permit covering multiple sources of air pollution at the facility located in Union Twp., Washington County. An August 21 hearing will be held in the DEP Southwest Regional Office in Pittsburgh. (PA Bulletin, page 4162) Read more here.

Land Recycling/Brownfield Cleanups

-- Chesapeake Appalachia, LLC - Indian Foot Shale Gas Well Pad: DEP received a Final Report on remediation of soil contaminated with production wastewater to meet Statewide Health Standards for the pad located in Monroe Twp., Bradford County. (PA Bulletin, page 4187)

-- Clean Energy Exploration & Production LLC - Whispering Pines Shale Gas Well Pad: DEP received a Final Report on remediation of soil contaminated by production wastewater [DEP inspection report] to meet Statewide Health Standards for the pad located in Delmar Twp., Tioga County. (PA Bulletin, page 4187)

-- Repsol Oil & Gas USA, LLC - Miller Shale Gas Well Pad: DEP received a Final Report on remediation of soil contaminated with production wastewater to meet Statewide Health Standards at the pad located in Union Twp., Tioga County. (PA Bulletin, page 4187)

-- Seneca Resources Company, LLC -Violet Bieser Shale Gas Pad: DEP received a Final Report on remediation of soil contaminated with production wastewater to meet Statewide Health Standards at a site located in Chatham Twp., Tioga County. (PA Bulletin, page 4187)

-- Water Works Transport, LLC - Hoagland Run Road Cleanup: DEP received a Final Report on remediation of soil, groundwater, surface water and sediment contaminated with production wastewater to meet the Site-Specific, Statewide Health and Background Standards for the site located in Lycoming Twp., Lycoming County. (PA Bulletin, page 4187)

-- Lucknow-Highspire Petroleum Terminal: DEP received a Final Report on remediation of soil and groundwater contaminated with petroleum to meet Statewide Health and Site-Specific Standards at the facility located in Whitehall Twp., Lehigh County. (PA Bulletin, page 4188)

-- SWN Production Company, LLC - O’Dell Impoundment: DEP approved a Final Report on remediation of soil contaminated with production wastewater to meet Statewide Health Standards at the facility located in New Milford Twp., Susquehanna County. (PA Bulletin, page 4189)

-- Dupont Terminals-DE, LLC - Dupont Terminal: DEP approved a Final Report on remediation of soil and groundwater contaminated with petroleum to meet Statewide Health and Site-Specific Standards for the facility located in Pittston Twp., Luzerne County. (PA Bulletin, page 4189)

-- PennEnergy Resources, LLC - Reno Conventional Well Site: DEP approved a Final Report on remediation of soil contaminated by production wastewater (aluminum, barium, boron, chloride, iron, lithium, manganese, strontium, zinc, selenium, and vanadium) to meet Statewide Health Standards for the site located in Middlesex Twp., Butler County. (PA Bulletin, page 4189)

2024 Land Recycling/Brownfield Cleanups

So far in 2024, DEP received or acted on 175 Act 2 Land Recycling notices related to oil and gas facility site cleanups.

Air Quality Permits

-- Orrtanna Power, LLC - Peaking Power Station: DEP invites comments on an Air Quality permit covering multiple sources of air pollution at the facility located in Highland Twp., Adams County. (PA Bulletin, page 4162)

-- CNX Midstream Operating Co., LLC - Compressor Station: DEP issued a GP5 Air Quality Permit renewal for the facility located in Gaskill Twp., Jefferson County. (PA Bulletin, page 4191)

-- Range Resources Appalachia, LLC - Hunter John 11629 Shale Gas Well Pad: DEP issued a GP5 Air Quality Permit for the facility located in Donegal Twp., Washington County. (PA Bulletin, page 4191)

-- Range Resources Appalachia, LLC - Miller William 10129 Shale Gas Well Pad: DEP issued a GP5 Air Quality Permit for the facility located in Jefferson Twp., Washington County. (PA Bulletin, page 4191)

-- Monroe Energy LLC - Trainer Refinery: DEP issued an extension of an Air Quality Plan Approve to replace a cracking unit at the facility located in Trainer Borough, Delaware County. (PA Bulletin, page 4191)

-- Monroe Energy LLC - Trainer Refinery: DEP issued an extension of an Air Quality Plan Approve to replace three cooling towers at the facility located in Trainer Borough, Delaware County. (PA Bulletin, page 4191)

-- Tenaska Pennsylvania Partners, LLC - Gas-fired Westmoreland Generating Station: DEP issued a modified Air Quality Plan Approval covering multiple air pollution sources at the facility located in South Huntingdon Twp., Westmoreland County. (PA Bulletin, page 4192)

-- Seward Generation LLC - Waste Coal Power Plant: DEP issued a modification to the Title V Air Quality Permit covering multiple sources of air pollution at the facility located in East Wheatfield Twp., Indiana County. (PA Bulletin, page 4192)

-- XTO Energy, Inc. - Shale Gas Well Pad: DEP approved a de minimis emission increase for the facility located in Penn Twp., Butler County. (PA Bulletin, page 4193)

NPDES Water Quality Permits

-- Texas Eastern Trans LP - Perulack Compressor Station: DEP invites comments on a renewal of an NPDES Water Quality Permit for a discharge from a groundwater remediation system impacting Lick Run in Lack Twp., Juniata County. (PA Bulletin, page 4146)

Erosion & Sedimentation Permits

-- Blackhill Energy LLC: DEP issued a Chapter 102 permit for an Unknown Project impact Mill Creek located in Springfield Twp., Bradford County. (PA Bulletin, page 4197)

-- Chesapeake Appalachia LLC: DEP issued a Chapter 102 permit for an Unknown Project impacting the Susquehanna River in Terry Twp., Bradford County. (PA Bulletin, page 4197)

-- DTM Appalachia Gathering LLC: DEP issued a Chapter 102 permit for an Unknown Project impacting Muddy Creek located in Jefferson Twp., Greene County. (PA Bulletin, page 4197)

-- Seneca Resources Co LLC: DEP issued a Chapter 102 permit for an Unknown Project impacting Bobby Run (Exceptional Value) located in Shippen Twp., Cameron County. (PA Bulletin, page 4197)

-- Seneca Resources Co LLC: DEP issued a Chapter 102 permit for an Unknown Project impacting Canoe Camp Creek and the Tioga River located in Covington and Richmond Townships, Tioga County. PA Bulletin, page 4197)

NOTE: DEP Received 17,026 Permit Applications Since Nov. 2023: 13,616 Decided; 3,410 Pending; 8 Did Not Meet Decision Deadlines Eligible For PAyback Refund: Zero Asked For Refunds

NOTE: Oil & Gas Well Permits: Received 2 shale gas, ZERO conventional; Under review 2 shale gas, ZERO conventional week ending July 12

Oil & Gas Well Drilling Permits [7.12.24]*

-- Last Week - Permits: DEP issued 1 conventional and 25 unconventional

-- Year To Date - Permits: DEP issued 118 conventional and 284 unconventional

-- Year To Date - Wells Drilled: 79 conventional and 169 unconventional

*Weekly Workload Report - 7.12.24

*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 - July 13 to 19 - Pipeline Construction Spill; 9 Abandoned Conventional Wells; Failure To Comply With Order [PaEN]

-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices, Opportunities To Comment - July 20 [PaEN]

-- DEP Posted 61 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In July 20 PA Bulletin [PaEN]