PA Environment Digest Blog: DEP Tells House Committee It’s Not Sure What Will Be In Its Plan To Reduce Methane Emissions From Oil & Gas Operations It Needs To Submit To EPA In January

Tuesday, April 21, 2026

DEP Tells House Committee It’s Not Sure What Will Be In Its Plan To Reduce Methane Emissions From Oil & Gas Operations It Needs To Submit To EPA In January

On April 21, the Department of Environmental Protection told the House Environmental and Natural Resource Protection Committee it isn’t sure what will be in its plan to reduce methane emissions from oil and gas operations it has to submit to the US Environmental Protection Agency in January.

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 that required states to submit an implementation plan.

In 2025, DEP went through an extensive public participation effort on a proposed plan that relied on requiring general permits referencing federal standards and a model rule to implement the EPA requirements and not adopting its own regulations.

Ali Tarquino Morris, DEP Deputy Secretary for Waste, Air, Radiation and Remediation, said-- “When it [EPA rule] was initially brought forward, the deadlines to comply with it were such that the incorporation by reference and the development of general permits was the most expeditious path forward that would satisfy our federal obligation to submit a state plan to EPA that was also approvable by EPA.”

The initial EPA deadline to submit a plan was March 2026. That has now been changed to January 2027.

DEP received over 10,000 comments on its initial plan. Comments from industry and many from environmental groups said DEP should adopt its own regulations, but for different reasons.

Industry suggested a Pennsylvania rule was needed to tailor the emission reduction standards to meet the needs of the conventional oil and gas well owners, versus the unconventional shale gas drillers they said had very different operations.

Todd Pappasergi, General Council from the PA Independent Oil and Gas Association, told the Committee-- “We have world-class unconventional shale development, a large conventional natural gas industry that supplies local gas and Pennsylvania grade crude oil production that remains nationally important in a variety of different industrial sectors.

“These sectors have different economics, different infrastructure, and different operating realities. A one size fits all regulatory model simply does not work in this space.

“Right now, as DEP is proposing it through a general permitting process to adopt federal regulations under Subpart 0000c, separate considerations are not part of the state plan. It is right now a one size fits all model.”

“Subpart 0000c gives states flexibility. Pennsylvania can focus resources on higher emitting sources, use practical alternatives for low producing wells, such as audio, visual, and all factory inspections, along with the already existing monthly integrity reports, or even lower cost monitoring methods while also accounting for economic feasibility and remaining useful life of the wells themselves.

“That is the path Pennsylvania should be on,” said Pappasergi.

Environmental groups at the House hearing, said DEP should adopt its own regulations because “Pennsylvanians cannot count on the current [federal] administration to protect them from methane and other harmful emissions from the oil and gas sector,” as Andres Restrepo, Senior Attorney with the Sierra Club told the Committee.

“Following in the footsteps of California, Colorado, and New Mexico, DEP must forge ahead now with the most protective possible methane controls, adopting standards that are informed by—and at least as strong as—those included in EPA’s Biden-era methane emission guidelines for existing sources.

“Even if the current EPA weakens, delays, or seeks to abandon federal methane requirements that are currently on the books, the Clean Air Act grants states full authority to adopt and enforce stationary source standards—including methane controls for the oil and gas sector— that are more protective than federal requirements, and that apply as a matter of state law even when the federal government declines to take action,” said Restrepo.

John Rutecki, Regulatory and Legislative Manager at Environmental Defense Fund, testified-- "Pennsylvania does not have to choose between a strong oil and gas industry and clean air - we can have both.

“The path forward is achievable if we focus on smart, flexible policy that reflects both science and economic reality.”

Rutecki emphasized that in 2023, Pennsylvania’s oil and gas sector released an estimated 1.05 million metric tons of methane-- representing approximately $178 million in wasted natural gas.

That lost energy, he said, could have met the annual heating and cooking needs of roughly 820,000 households.

Reducing methane emissions, he noted, is not only an environmental priority but also a key affordability strategy as natural gas demand, and prices, are expected to rise due to LNG exports and growing electricity needs from data centers.

“The agency has the experience to develop standards that fit Pennsylvania’s specific circumstances. The federal landscape on methane is evolving, and underscores why Pennsylvania would benefit from having its own durable, state-level protections in place," Rutecki said.

Ali Tarquino Morris, DEP Deputy Secretary for Waste, Air, Radiation and Remediation, explained the agency is considering “among the options” adopting its own regulations.

“The department does have the authority to develop regulations based on its legal authority under the [state] Air Pollution Control Act.

“However, further study is required to determine whether additional reductions can be attained and justified in accordance with state law.

“And it also requires us to have available Pennsylvania specific data on oil and gas facilities, businesses, and economics, but that is certainly among the options that is currently being evaluated in response to public comment,” Tarquino Morris said.

DEP’s written testimony pointed out “any rulemaking affecting conventional and unconventional oil and natural gas industry sources must be undertaken separately; one for the conventional industry and another for unconventional industry.”

DEP also said in its written comments-- “The federal government has rolled back greenhouse gas reporting requirements going forward and it is expected that this will make compiling the state inventory more difficult for some sectors.”

Seth Pelepko, DEP Deputy Secretary For Oil & Gas Management, explained to the Committee how DEP’s Oil and Gas Program has plugged 381 abandoned wells since August 2024 using new federal funding and a total of 3,741 wells in the last 20 years reducing emissions by over 500 million metric ton of carbon dioxide equivalents.

The Program also takes action to reduce leaks from active wells through requiring well integrity plans and taking enforcement actions.

Pelepko said DEP issued 2,167 notices of violation to conventional oil and gas well owners in 2023, 2024 and 2025 for failing to submit well integrity plans. So far in 2026, DEP issued 167 violations.

For 2025, well integrity reports were submitted for nearly 76% of conventional oil and gas wells and 99.77% of unconventional shale gas wells.

DEP issued conventional well owners 909 violations in 2023, 2024 and 2025 for wells venting gas. So far in 2026, DEP issued 24 violations.

Click Here to watch the hearing.

Click Here for written testimony and comments from Committee webpage.

Written Comments/Testimony

Here are copies of the written testimony--

-- DEP Written Testimony

-- Ali Tarquino Morris, DEP Deputy Secretary for Waste, Air, Radiation & Remediation

-- Seth Pelepko, DEP Deputy Secretary For Oil & Gas Management

-- Andres Restrepo, Senior Attorney, Sierra Club

-- John Rutecki, Regulatory & Legislative Manager, Environmental Defense Fund

-- Todd Pappasergi, General Counsel, PA Independent Oil & Gas Association

-- Josh Eisenfeld, Oil & Gas Accountability Manager, EarthWorks

-- Alice Lu, Policy Analyst, Clean Air Council

Written comments submitted--

-- Marcellus Shale Gas Coalition

-- Concerned Health Professionals of Pennsylvania

-- Better Path Coalition & No False Climate Solutions PA

-- Physicians for Social Responsibility PA

Rep. Greg Vitali (D-Delaware) serves as Majority Chair of the House Environmental & Natural Resource Protection Committee and can be contacted by calling 717-787-7647 or sending email to: gvitali@pahouse.net. Rep. Jack Rader, Jr. (R-Monroe) serves as Minority Chair and can be contacted by calling 717-787-7732 or click here to send an email.

Resource Links:

-- DEP: More Than 99% Of Conventional Oil & Gas Facility Owners Failed To Comply With VOC/Methane Reduction Regulations Covering 64,660 Wells; Had 193 Days To File [PaEN]

-- Shale Gas Industry VP Attacks Credibility Of A Mom And Allegheny County Resident For Comments She Submitted In Support Of DEP Plan To Reduce Methane Emissions From The Oil & Gas Industry [PaEN]

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

-- EPA Moves To Weaken Rule To Reduce Methane Emissions From Oil & Gas Operations [PaEN]