DEP Releases Revised Rules For Oil and Gas Well Sites

Specifically, the proposed changes would require operators to demonstrate that streams and wetlands will be protected if the edge of a well pad is within 100 feet of the resource; require centralized wastewater impoundments to be permitted through residual waste regulations, with existing impoundments upgraded or closed within three years; and expand the review of impacts that operators must conduct to include public resources such as schools, playgrounds, and approved wellhead protection areas.

Other proposals include requiring operators to identify active, inactive, orphan, and abandoned wells and submit a plan to DEP at least 30 days prior to drilling; create standards for noise control and mitigation; and modernize notification and report submissions to improve efficiency and ease reporting. The proposed amendments will be discussed later this month in meetings of the state’s Oil and Gas Technical Advisory Board and Conventional Oil and Gas Advisory Committee. Public comment will follow.

The draft regulations include separate regulatory chapters to differentiate conventional and unconventional well development. With passage of Act 126 in 2014, the Pennsylvania General Assembly explicitly acknowledged the distinction and directed DEP to draft separate regu­lations. “These proposed revisions focus on the need to protect public safety and the environment while enabling drilling to proceed,” said acting DEP secretary John Quigley.