Aboveground Water Pipelines Feeding Shale Gas Drilling Operations Beginning To Freeze Due To Cold Temperatures; Range Resources Incident Reported In Washington County; Notify DEP Of Pipeline Problems

On January 22, Mount Pleasant Township Police reported the freezing, rupture of an aboveground water pipeline serving Range Resources shale gas drilling operations in Washington County near the Yonker Tank Pad.  

The police notice said "extreme weather and temperature conditions have caused frozen piping" requiring Range Resources to switch to hauling water by dozens of trucks on Township roads for the next two weeks.

The notice explained the Mount Pleasant Township Zoning Officer granted a temporary modification of a Range Resources permit to allow hauling water by truck rather than pipelines.

Report Pipeline Freezing/Ruptures

Anyone seeing a pipeline rupture during these cold temperatures or anytime, should report it immediately to DEP’s 24-hour Emergency Response Hotline - 800-541-2050.

Contact DEP’s Oil and Gas Office nearest you for more information.

Background

There are hundreds of miles of aboveground water and wastewater pipelines feeding shale gas drilling operations across the state.

These pipelines are vulnerable to failure due to sustained freezing temperatures like those Pennsylvania is now experiencing.

These HDPE plastic pipelines are laid on top of the ground and are frequently not secured.

DEP does not have the authority to regulate the routes taken by these pipelines, but does require erosion and sedimentation and stream crossing permits.

Natural gas infrastructure is very vulnerable to sustained cold temperatures.

Cold temperatures in December 2022 were blamed for a series of accidents involving natural gas facilities in Pennsylvania--

-- Christmas morning December 25 the Energy Transfer Revolution Cryogenic Natural Gas Processing Plant in Smith Township, Washington County suffered a catastrophic explosion.  Read more here.

-- December 26 MarkWest Liberty Midstream & Resources LLC had a 10,000 gallon spill at the Imperial Pipeline Compressor Station in Robinson Township, Washington County.  Read more here.

-- December 27 the CNX Oak Springs Natural Gas Pipeline Pigging State in South Franklin Township, Washington County vented 1.1 million cubic feet of natural gas. Read more here.

-- December 30 KDKA in Pittsburgh reported a Hyperion Midstream natural gas gathering pipeline under construction slid down a hill and crashed through the basement of a home in Allegheny Township, Westmoreland County.  Read more here.

Natural Gas Power Problems

Freezing temperatures have also been responsible for taking natural gas-fired power plants offline at the most critical times during periods of high winter demand.

During Winter Storms Elliot and Gerri, the largest number of power plant “unplanned outages” were natural gas power plants. Read more here.  Read more here.

These power plants for penalized over $1.5 billion in 2023 for not being available when they were needed most.  

While improvements have been made, the North American Electric Reliability Corp again expressed its concern about the availability of natural gas-fired power plants in its report leading up to this winter.  Read more here.

On January 22, Bloomberg reported the current sustained cold weather may cut US natural gas output by the most since the deadly winter storm of 2021. Read more here.

Also on January 22, the PJM Interconnection issued another Cold Weather Alert saying it may break the record for winter power demands on January 27 and 30. Read more here.

(Photo provided by Cat Lodge, Environmental Integrity Project.)

Related Articles This Week:

-- Shale Gas & Public Health Conference -- Our Work, Our Health: Building A Future Beyond Sacrifice To Be Held Feb. 19 In Pittsburgh, Online  [PaEN]  

-- PJM Interconnect Issues Cold Weather Alert For Western Region Jan. 23 Expanding To Entire PJM Area Jan. 24-27; Regional Grid Could Exceed Winter Demand Record on Jan. 27 & 30  [PaEN] 

-- House Energy Committee Meeting To Consider Bill Giving PUC More Authority To Regulate A.I. Data Centers Moved To Feb. 2  [PaEN]  

-- Gov. Shapiro: Major Utilities, Power Producers, Tech Companies, Experts Endorse Federal/Northeast PJM Governors’ Plan To Meet Surging A.I. Data Center Energy Demands - Will PJM Listen?  [PaEN] 

-- PA House Committees Hearing: Witnesses Agree - A.I. Data Centers - Real And Purely Speculative - Are Driving Up The Cost Of Electricity; Without Effective Action Energy Increases Will Not End   [PaEN] 

NewsClips:

-- Bloomberg: Cold Blast Threatens To Cut US Natural Gas Output By Most Since 2021 Over Next 14 Days, Energy Aspects Says

-- Reuters: PJM Interconnection Expects All-Time Record Winter Electricity Demand Jan. 27 

-- WITF: PA Consumer Advocates Urge House Committees To Tax A.I. Data Centers, Offset Home Energy Spikes At Hearing

-- Post-Gazette: PA House Members Hear Warnings On A.I. Data Centers, Rising Electric Costs At Hearing

-- Tribune-Democrat: Electric Grid Concerns Aired By PA Lawmakers As Frigid Weather Settles In

-- Reuters: PJM Interconnection Expects All-Time Record Winter Electricity Demand Jan. 27 

-- Utility Dive: PJM Considering $1.7 Billion Transmission Line Project Across PA Based On Year-Old A.I. Data Center Demand Forecasts Is A ‘Poster Child’ For Overbuilding, According To PA Consumer Advocate

-- Inside Climate News: Clean Energy Advocates Criticise ‘Glaring’ Omission In White House/Northeast Governor’s Plan To Fuel A.I. Data Centers In PJM Region

-- PA Capital-Star Guest Essay: Beyond NIMBY vs. Progress: How Pennsylvania Can Secure A ‘Durable Yes’ For A.I. Data Centers [Honestly Address Issues Of Concern] - By Desmond Daley, Pittsburgh Resident

-- WHYY: As Electricity Rates Soar, PECO Adds $2.5 Million In Aid For Low-Income Customers 

-- Bloomberg: Natural Gas Prices Soar 75% In 3 Days As Arctic Cold Grips The US

-- Reuters: US Refineries Brace For Disruptions As Arctic Blast Hits

-- Reuters: US Energy Secretary Calls For Doubling Global Oil Output In Davos

[Posted: January 23, 2026]  PA Environment Digest