Marcellus Drilling News: Federal And State Lawmakers Tour Facilities Extracting Lithium From Oil & Gas Wastewater In Susquehanna County

On August 1, the Marcellus Drilling News reported Congressman Dan Meuser (R-PA) joined Rep. Jonathan Fritz (R-Susquehanna), state legislators, and industry leaders for a series of facility tours and a roundtable discussion Thursday focused on positioning Pennsylvania as a national leader in the domestic production of critical minerals like lithium and rare earth elements.

The day began with site visits to two pioneering lithium extraction facilities utilizing produced water from the Marcellus Shale. 

The Avonlea/Kendra II facility in Springville and the Gradiant/C2G facility in Montrose showcased groundbreaking technologies that recover lithium from fracking brine—reducing environmental waste while strengthening America's energy independence.

“These facilities represent the future of American energy,” said Congressman Meuser. “What we saw today is innovation in action—private sector ingenuity transforming waste into strategic resources. They’re proving that we don’t need to look overseas to meet our energy needs. By responsibly tapping into what’s available domestically, we can create jobs, protect the environment, and secure our national supply chain from adversaries like China.”

Following the tours, Congressman Meuser participated in a roundtable hosted by Rep. Fritz at The Community Foundation of the Endless Mountains. 

The discussion focused on how federal and state policymakers can work with private industry to expand critical mineral production, streamline permitting, and create rural economic opportunities.

Tax Credit Proposal

Congressman Meuser also announced that he will soon introduce legislation to establish a production tax credit for companies extracting critical minerals—including rare earth elements from coal byproducts and lithium from fracking brine. 

These credits are aimed at unlocking overlooked domestic resources, strengthening U.S. manufacturing, and turning existing waste into valuable supply chain inputs.

“America imports nearly 90% of our critical minerals—many of them from foreign adversaries. That is unacceptable,” Meuser said. “My legislation will help reverse that dependency by turning underutilized materials like coal ash and brine water into strategic assets. It’s about pairing innovation with environmental reuse—converting industrial waste streams into sustainable inputs for clean energy, defense systems, and advanced manufacturing.”

Meuser concluded, “This is a win-win for Pennsylvania. We bring new opportunity to our legacy energy regions, revitalize local economies, and help the U.S. lead the next industrial revolution. It’s time to match bold policy with private sector potential—and this bill will do just that.”

Meuser thanked Rep. Jonathan Fritz and William desRosiers of Coterra Energy for organizing such an insightful and productive day. 

Meuser said in his announcement “Coterra Energy is helping lead innovation in Pennsylvania. Through community engagement and investment, Coterra will help drive Pennsylvania into a new age of energy production.” 

Attendees included: Rep. Jonathan Fritz, 111th District (Host); Commissioner Dave Darrow; Commissioner Robert McNamara; Rep. Tina Pickett, 110th District; Rep. Kristin Marcell, 178th District; Rep. James B. Struzzi II, 62nd District; Rep. Michael Stender, 108th District; Rep. Clint Owlett, 68th District; Rep. Brenda Pugh, 120th District; Rep. Alec Ryncavage, 119th District; Rep. Jamie Flick, 83rd District; Doug Brett, President, Avonlea Lithium Corp.; Ron Lincz, P.Eng., COO, Avonlea Lithium Corp.; Jesse Bonnice, President, C2G Energy Services; Cristine Clayton, Executive Director & CEO, Endless Mountains; and Earle Wootton, Chairman of the Board, Endless Mountains.

Click Here for Cong. Meuser’s announcement.

Resource Links:

-- Marcellus Drilling News: Politicians, Others Tour 2 Lithium-From-Oil & Gas Wastewater Plants In NE PA  [PDF of Article]

-- Marcellus Drilling News: Integrated Lithium Production Plant Coming To PA In 2026 Using Oil & Gas Production Wastewater  [PaEN]

-- Marcellus Drilling News: Avonlea Lithium Corp. Completes Successful Lithium Extraction From Shale Gas Wastewater At Susquehanna County Pilot Plant  [PaEN]

PA Oil & Gas Industry Public Notice Dashboards:

-- PA Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - July 26 to August 1- Coterra Contaminates 13 More Water Wells; Shale Driller Fails To Restore 16 Well Sites; Dewatering Abandoned Impoundment Halted; Another Pipeline Construction Spill  [PaEN] 

     -- Coterra Energy Fined $299,000 For Contaminating 13 Private Water Supplies In Lenox Twp., Susquehanna County - Just A Few Miles From Dimock  [PaEN]

     -- Pin Oak Energy Partners Signs Consent Order With DEP To Address Its Failure To Restore 16 Shale Gas Well Sites And An Impoundment In Beaver County Since 2023  [PaEN] 

     -- DEP: Second Spill From Horizontal Drilling At EQM Gathering Pipeline Construction Project In Washington County Contaminates Spring  [PaEN]

-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices, Opportunities To Comment - August 2 [PaEN] 

-- DEP Posted 69 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In August 2 PA Bulletin  [PaEN]  

Related Articles This Week:

-- Coterra Energy Fined $299,000 For Contaminating 13 Private Water Supplies In Lenox Twp., Susquehanna County - Just A Few Miles From Dimock  [PaEN]

-- PA Marcellus Shale Gas Coalition Applauds President For Overturning Basis For Greenhouse Gas Reduction Programs-- Including Methane From Oil & Gas Operations  [PaEN] 

-- EPA Extends Oil & Gas Industry Compliance Deadlines For Federal Clean Air Act Methane Reduction Rule; Deadline Extended For States To Submit Compliance Plan To 2027  [PaEN] 

-- Guest Essay: Federal EPA Rollbacks Mean Pennsylvania Must Take The Lead On Cutting Methane Pollution From Oil & Gas Operations - By Melissa Ostroff, Earthworks   [PaEN]

-- State And Federal Lawmakers Tour Facilities Extracting Lithium From Oil & Gas Wastewater In Susquehanna County [PaEN]

-- PUC Chairman DeFrank Leads National Effort To Strengthen Natural Gas Use Energy Efficiency, Reliability, And Sustainability  [PaEN]

-- Spotlight PA: PA PUC Developing Model Tariff For A.I. Data Centers To Ensure PA Consumers Don’t Foot The Bill

-- PJM Electric Auction Impacts: 1 In 5 PA Households Report Problems Now Paying Energy Bills; Electric Utility Shutoffs Up 38.1% So Far This Year  [PaEN] 

-- PJM Electricity Auction: PJM Lost 2.8 Gigawatts Of Power Due To Reduced Reliability Rating Of Natural Gas Power Plants; Could Gain 12.2 Gigawatts By Increasing Reliability From Less Than 75% Now To An Achievable 90%  [PaEN] 

-- Guest Essay: Three Proposals To Protect Consumers From A.I. Price Increases: Bring Your Own Generation; Data Centers Must Pay Their Fair Share; An 'All Of The Above' Energy Future, Including Renewables - By Kevin Walker, CEO, Duquesne Light  [PaEN]

-- PJM Interconnection Again Extends Maximum Generation Alert & Load Management Alert To July 30; Demand Response Programs Implemented On July 28, 29  [PaEN] 

-- 42 Organizations Call On DEP For More Transparency On Proposed A.I. Data Centers  [PaEN] 

-- PA Dept. Of Health Distributing Free Potassium Iodide Tablets To Residents Near PA’s 4 Operating Nuclear Power Plants Aug. 14  [PaEN] 

-- Penn State Extension: Sept. 9 Webinar On Growth Of A.I. Data Centers, Rising Electricity Prices, Lagging Energy Development  [PaEN]

-- Food & Water Watch Hosts Aug. 5 Webinar On Protecting Your Pennsylvania Community With Local Zoning  [PaEN] 

-- Keystone Energy Efficiency Alliance, EEA-NJ Hosts Sept. 10-11 Navigating Change Policy Conference  [PaEN]

Related NewsClips This Week:

-- 8.4.25 - Natural Gas, Energy, A.I./Data Center NewsClips

[Posted: August 1, 2025]  PA Environment Digest