In November 2023, Gov. Shapiro instructed DEP to take action to adopt oil and gas emission reduction measures aligned with federal policy as part of his administration’s work to address climate change and protect Pennsylvania’s Constitutional right to clean air and pure water. Read more here.
Background
In March 2024 EPA finalized a federal rule to reduce emissions of methane and other pollution from oil and natural gas operations and related actions-- “Reducing Emissions of Methane and Other Pollution from Oil and Natural Gas Operations” (40 CFR Part 60, Subparts OOOOb and OOOOc).
The rule applies to wells (conventional and unconventional), centrifugal compressors, reciprocating compressors, pneumatic controllers, pneumatic pumps, storage vessels, fugitive emissions components, super emitter emissions events, and process unit equipment involved in oil and natural gas operations.
The rule includes New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) to reduce methane and smog-forming volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from new, modified and reconstructed sources (OOOOb).
It also included Emissions Guidelines (OOOOc), which set procedures for states to follow as they develop plans to limit methane from existing sources.
States can either adopt the OOOOc model rule as a State Plan EG [emission guidelines] for existing sources, or develop their own standards that are no less stringent as the federal standards.
DEP has told a series of agency advisory committees they do not plan to adopt new regulations incorporating the EPA rule because state regulations automatically adopt federal requirements. [Read more here]
DEP does have to develop a plan and an amendment to the State Air Quality Implementation Plan to implement the methane rule that must go through a public development and comment process.
DEP has a deadline of March 8, 2026 to submit a plan to EPA to implement the new methane reduction rule and well owners have a deadline of March 2029 to comply with its requirements.
Click Here for DEP’s presentation slides on the federal regulation.
Visit DEP’s new Methane Reduction Strategy webpage for more background on this initiative.
Webinar Registration
The April 1 webinar will be held from Noon to 1:00 p.m.
Click Here to register to attend via Microsoft Teams.
Public Comment/Hearings
The Department intends to hold five regional public hearings and one virtual public hearing. Regional public hearings will be held in the Northeast, Northwest, Northcentral, Southwest, and Central Offices.
Please refer back to this webpage or the Pennsylvania Bulletin once the public comment period is open for details on location and times.
EPA Reconsidering This Regulation
On March 12, the US Environmental Protection Agency announced it is reconsidering this entire regulation-- “Reducing Emissions of Methane and Other Pollution from Oil and Natural Gas Operations” (40 CFR Part 60, Subparts OOOOb and OOOOc).
EPA Administrator Zeldin said in-part-- “Oil and gas standards promulgated by EPA must be rooted in the rule of law, not be used as a weapon to shut down development and manufacturing in the United States.
“EPA is reconsidering these regulations to ensure they do not prevent America from unleashing energy dominance and continuing our trajectory as a leader in clean energy and emissions reductions.
“We produce energy better and cleaner than so many other countries around the world, and yet Americans are punished at the end of the day by ideologically driven regulations.” Read more here.
At a December 12 meeting of DCED’s PA Grade Crude [Oil] Development Advisory Council, conventional oil and gas well owners told DEP they would not comply with this new regulation because the purposely build and operate as many as 95% of conventional wells to vent methane that could trigger quarterly methane monitoring and capture requirements under the new US EPA methane reduction regulations making it too expensive for owners to comply. Read more here.
In addition, DEP’s oil and gas inspection reports show all newly drilled conventional wells are left to vent gas for days or weeks as part of what is the normal process used now to develop a well in Pennsylvania.
DEP’s 2022 Oil & Gas Methane Rule
In 2022, the Environmental Quality Board adopted a final regulation to reduce volatile organic compounds and methane emissions from oil and gas wells and infrastructure that covered both conventional oil and gas and shale gas wells. Read more here.
The regulations were adopted to comply with US Environmental Protection Agency requirements.
At one point, in the face of Republican opposition in the General Assembly, EPA threatened to impose the sanction of withholding federal highway funds from Pennsylvania until the regulation was adopted. Read more here.
As part of adopting the regulations in 2022, DEP estimated conventional oil and gas facilities would account for 80% of methane emissions benefit from the regulation because conventional well owners have done little or nothing to control them. Read more here.
DEP expected up to a 175,788 ton reduction of methane from conventional sources [Read more here.] and a 45,278 ton reduction in methane from unconventional shale gas sources [Read more here], according to the Regulatory Analysis Forms for the regulations.
DEP estimated total 2020 methane emissions from conventional sources to be 365,103 tons and 102,297 tons from unconventional shale gas sources, according to the Regulatory Analysis Forms.
Three industry groups representing the conventional oil and gas industry filed a lawsuit in Commonwealth Court December 5, 2022 in an attempt to block implementation of this regulation on conventional oil and gas facilities. [Read more here.]
However, the 2022 has not been implemented by conventional well and facility owners because the industry and DEP agreed to put a hold on implementation until the legal challenge to the regulation was concluded. Read more here.
As a result, only four conventional well facility owners out of an estimated 4,719 owners who were required to submit the first compliance reports required by the regulation by June 1, 2024 did submit those reports-- less than 1%. Read more here.
These four owners reported a total of 1,901 tons of methane and 204.3 tons of VOCs in 2023. Read more here.
In contrast, 112 of the 130 unconventional shale gas facility owners required to submit compliance reports did comply-- 86%-- 18 shale gas owners have still not submitted reports or contacted DEP.
Of those 112, 63 unconventional shale gas companies reported emissions in DEP’s Air Quality Emission Inventory [select unconventional gas well as facility type and 2023] which shows methane emissions of 47,486.2 tons and VOC emissions of 2,393.1 tons.
(Photos showing methane leaking from conventional oil and gas and shale gas wells and other natural gas infrastructure.)
Resource Links:
-- Conventional Oil & Gas Industry Compliance With 2022 DEP Methane Reduction Regulation Put On Hold Pending Outcome Of Litigation [PaEN]
-- DEP Extends Deadline Of First Methane Pollution Report From Oil & Gas Facilities To June 1, 2024 [PaEN]
Related Articles This Week:
-- DEP To Host April 1 Webinar On New Program To Reduce Methane Pollution From Oil And Gas Operations [PaEN]
-- Environmental Health Project To Hold April 1 Webinar On What The Shapiro Administration Can Do To Better Protect Public Health From The Impacts Of Shale Gas Development [PaEN]
-- Environmental Health Project Seeking Communities To Participate In HealthWatch Program To Better Understand Local Health Impacts Of Shale Gas Development [PaEN]
-- Center For Coalfield Justice To DEP: Harmon Natural Gas Processing Plant Should Be Required To Apply For A Full Title V Air Quality Permit As They Originally Proposed In Washington County [PaEN]
-- Capital And Main - Audrey Carleton: The Little Town Of Cecil Township, Washington County That Stood Up To Big Shale Gas And Set More Protective Setback Distances And Now Faces Legal Challenges From 2 Shale Gas Drillers
-- The Derrick: Hearing Dates Set On Rhodes Estates Water Companies; PUC Judge Urges Parties To ‘Seriously Explore’ Settlements [Venango Water Co. Impacted By Conventional Oil Well Wastewater Spill] [PaEN]
-- Penn State Extension: April 2 Webinar: Gravity Energy Storage - Giving Inactive Oil Wells A Second Life [PaEN]
-- Penn State Research: Reusing Old Oil And Gas Wells For Energy Storage Using Compressed Air Technology [PaEN]
NewsClips:
-- Inquirer - Frank Kummer: PA Attorney General Launches Criminal Investigation Into Energy Transfer/Sunoco Pipeline Spill In Bucks County
-- Wilkes-Barre Times: Shapiro Administration Plugs 300 Abandoned Conventional Oil & Gas Wells Across PA
-- Inquirer - Frank Kummer/Kristen Graham: Philadelphia Gas Works Explores Heating, Cooling Philly School And City Rec Center With Geothermal Energy
-- The Hill: Texas Workers Face Mounting Dangers In The Heart Of America’s Greatest Oil & Gas Boom [Part I]
-- The Hill: Deregulation Push By President, Texas Republicans Sparks Hope And Fear In The Oil & Gas Fields [Part II]
-- The Hill: Texans Grapple With Rising Toxic Pollution As Oil, Gas Production Booms [Part III]
-- Reuters: US Natural Gas Prices Up On Record Flows To LNG Gas Export Plants
-- Bloomberg: ‘Drill, Baby, Drill’ Mantra Set To Make US LNG Gas Exports Less Competitive
-- Reuters: US EIA Reports US Natural Gas Pipeline Completions Boosted LNG Gas Takeaway Capacity For 2 Years In A Row
-- Bloomberg Opinion: Cheaper Power Is Too ‘Woke’ For Texas Republicans; State Debating Bills To Boost Natural Gas, Restrain Renewables
[Posted: March 19, 2025] PA Environment Digest
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