Pa. DEP pushes for new rules for conventional wells following veto of industry-backed bill
Tuesday, December 8, 2020
Just weeks after Gov. Tom Wolf vetoed Senate Bill 790, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection is pushing to strengthen regulations specific to the state’s conventional oil and gas industry, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
The new proposals contain requirements to reduce disruptions to protected public resources near well sites and ensure that damaged drinking water supplies are restored to a safe quality. They also include provisions that will significantly decrease the time it takes to get a permit for an underground waste disposal well by making federal and state reviews concurrent.
The first draft of the proposed rules is estimated to be completed by the middle of 2021.
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Shale FAQ
What is fracking?
Fracking is a slang term for hydraulic fracturing. Fracturing is a process by which highly pressurized fluid is pumped thousands of feet into the ground to fracture rock formations. The goal is to release the natural gas that’s locked inside the rock.
Is it safe?
What most concerns people about fracturing is ground water contamination. The worry is that fractures underground, caused by the process, will extending upwards and into aquifers, releasing gas and chemicals into the ground water supply. There’s been no confirmed reports of such a thing happening. Though surface spills and drill site blowouts can lead to localized environmental concerns.
Will my water catch on fire?
Flammable water is caused by the release of methane gas into a drinking water supply. Methane gas occurs naturally and can be released by any kind of drilling, including water wells. In Pennsylvania officials fined Chesapeake Energy $1 million for contaminating ground water with methane. It was determined that the company had not properly cemented it’s boreholes and gas migrated up the well, between rock and into aquifers.