Susquehanna River Basin Commission Approves New Fee Schedule, Water Withdrawals, Including 4 Shale Gas Withdrawals, Contribution To Abandoned Mine Drainage Remediation Project

On December 12, the Susquehanna River Basin Commission held its business meeting and approved a new fee schedule, water withdrawals, including four shale gas withdrawals, a contribution to abandoned mine drainage remediation project and proposed a new General Permit for Into-Basin Water Diversions.

The shale gas water withdrawal requests include --

-- New: Project Sponsor and Facility: Chesapeake Appalachia, LLC (Susquehanna River), Sheshequin Township, Bradford County, PA. Application for surface water withdrawal of up to 4.000 mgd (peak day).

-- Renewal: Project Sponsor and Facility: Coterra Energy, Inc. (Tunkhannock Creek), Lenox Township, Susquehanna County, PA. Application for renewal and modification of surface water withdrawal of up to 2.880 mgd (peak day) (Docket No. 20191201).

-- Renewal: Project Sponsor and Facility: Coterra Energy, Inc. (Tunkhannock Creek), Nicholson Township, Wyoming County, PA. Application for renewal and modification of surface water withdrawal of up to 2.880 mgd (peak day) (Docket No. 20230903).

-- Renewal: Project Sponsor and Facility: SWN Production Company, LLC (Susquehanna River), Great Bend Township, Susquehanna County, PA. Application for renewal of surface water withdrawal of up to 2.000 mgd (peak day) (Docket No. 20191209).

SRBC has approved 27 new and renewed water withdrawal requests for shale gas operations so far in 2024.  Read more here.

SRBC has also approved a total of 274 General Permits for individual water uses by shale gas well pads so far in 2024. Read more here.

Click Here to find more  information on the water withdrawal applications.

The voting Commissioners and alternates were Suzanne Dorsey, Deputy Secretary, Maryland Department of the Environment; Jill Whitcomb, Acting Deputy Secretary for Water Programs, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection; and Lauren Townley, Chief, Water Assessment and Implementation Section, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

Click Here for the complete announcement.

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.

(Photos: SRBC-approved shale gas drilling water withdrawal point on the Loyalsock Creek in Lycoming County under construction.)

PA Oil & Gas Industry Public Notice Dashboards:

-- PA Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - Dec. 7 to 14 - Failed To Restore Shale Gas Well Pad, Impoundment For 12 Years; Spills On Top Of Spills  [PaEN]  

-- What The Shale Gas Industry Is Leaving Behind: DEP: Nucomer Energy LLC Fails To Restore Shale Gas Well Pad, Water Impoundment In Forest County For More Than 12 Years After Drilling Was Completed  [PaEN]

-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices, Opportunities To Comment - December 14 [PaEN] 

-- DEP Invites Comments On 2 PA General Energy Company Pipeline Projects Impacting Exceptional Value Streams And Wetlands In Lycoming County To Support Shale Gas Development  [PaEN]

-- DEP To Hold Jan. 28 Hearing On Title V RACT 3 Air Quality Permit For Monroe Energy LLC Trainer Refinery In Delaware County  [PaEN] 

-- DEP Posted 107 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In December 14 PA Bulletin  [PaEN] 

Related Articles This Week:

-- DEP Forms Internal Work Group To Develop Position On Road Dumping Conventional Oil & Gas Wastewater; Shapiro Administration Supports Legislative Ban On Road Dumping  [PaEN] 

-- Conventional Oil & Gas Well Owners Now Operate As Many As 95% Of Conventional Wells To Vent Methane Gas Making It Too Expensive To Comply With New EPA Methane Emission Reduction Regulations  [PaEN] 

-- EPA, Justice Dept., DEP Settlement With PennEnergy Resources LLC Requires Payment Of $2 Million Penalty, $3.6 Million Investment In Reducing Oil & Gas Facility Air Pollution Emissions  [PaEN] 

-- Independent Fiscal Office Estimates Act 13 Drilling Impact Fee Revenue Of $163.8 Million In 2024, Down $115 From 2022  [‘Lower Expectations’ Of Shale Industry Support]  [PaEN] 

-- Baker Hughes: PA Natural Gas Drilling Rigs Down 1 From Last Week To 15; 21 On Aug. 21

-- Susquehanna River Basin Commission Approves New Fee Schedule, Water Withdrawals, Including 4 Shale Gas Withdrawals, Contribution To Abandoned Mine Drainage Remediation Project  [PaEN]

-- Rep. Martin Causer Returns As Republican Chair Of House Environmental Committee; Priority- Getting Government 'Out Of The Way' Of Energy Production  [PaEN] 

NewsClips:

-- Farm & Dairy: Western PA Residents Fight For Increase In Shale Gas Well Pad Setbacks

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: PA’s Shale Gas Impact Fee Project To Drop This Year

-- WTAE: PennEnergy Resources Agrees To Settlement After Alleged Environmental Law Violations

-- The Allegheny Front: PennEnergy Shale Gas Company Agrees To Reduce Harmful Emissions From Oil & Gas Sites In Western PA

-- Mountain State Spotlight: WV Landowners Lawsuit Settlement With Diversified Energy Company, EQT Corporation Will Result In Plugging 2,600 Wells In WV, Ohio, Kentucky, Virginia, Tennessee, Pennsylvania Over 10 Years

-- AP: Fatal Natural Gas Explosion At Reading Chocolate Factory Caused By Faulty Gas Pipeline Fitting, Federal Safety Board Finds 

-- PUC: Investigation Into Reading Chocolate Factory Natural Gas Explosion Can Help Drive Gas Pipeline Safety

-- PUC Approves PECO 12.5% Natural Gas Rate Increase, 7.1% Electric Rate Increase

-- WHYY: PECO To Hike Gas Rates 12.5%, Electric Rates 10%  Starting In January

-- NPR: Proposed Federal Rule Requires Gas Utilities To Find and Fix More Climate-Warming Leaks

-- AAA Gasoline Prices: National- $3.02  Ohio- $3.05  PA- $3.24  

-- TribLive Guest Essay: Republican Administration’s Big Oil/Gas Cronies Poised To Prop Up Fossil Fuels With $17 Billion In Subsidies, Incentives To Export Gas To China, Other Overseas Markets 

-- Bloomberg: No Winners Seen In Republican Administration’s ‘Destructive’ Energy Tariffs

-- PA Capital-Star: It’s Do Or Die Time For Philly Hydrogen Hub, Green Groups Are Rallying Against It 

-- Beaver Times: Shell Petrochemical Plant To Host Free Smoke Detector Distribution Dec. 12  

-- The Guardian: Locals In Beaver County Pennsylvania Feel ‘Sacrificed’ For Shell Petrochemical Plastics Plant 

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Northern Oil & Gas To Invest In Appalachian Natural Gas Drilling

-- WHYY: New Jersey, Home To Many Oil And Gas Producers, Eyes Fees To Fight Climate Change

[Posted: December 12, 2024]  PA Environment Digest