Officials from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and the federal Environmental Protection Agency, have agreed to answer questions from residents on a proposed deep injection well near the Tamarack Swamp, in Warren County. The wells would take drilling waste, and dispose of it deep within the earth. The DEP announced the public meeting for next [...]
The head of the state’s township supervisor’s lobbying organization has come out in favor of greater regulation of deep injection wells. David Sanko, executive director of the Pennsylvania State Association of Townhip Supervisors, recently wrote a letter to Gov. Corbett asking him to adopt measures similar to the state of Ohio. Deep injection wells that [...]
Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Michael Krancer says deep injection wells are not “an issue that the Commonwealth needs to grapple with at this time.” Deep injection wells take fracking waste water and send it deep within crevices of the earth. Only five of these wells are currently operating in the state. Krancer wrote a letter [...]
The federal Environmental Appeals Board has told EPA, Region 3, they must redo their analysis regarding proposed frack water disposal wells in Warren County. The EPA had granted a permit to Bear Lake Properties to convert two former natural gas wells into disposal wells. The proposal would send the waste water from natural gas drilling [...]
When you drill for natural gas, for every gallon of gas produced, some amount of wastewater gets created as well. Sometimes it can be simple brine that can be disposed of in simple ways, such as using it to melt snow on Pennsylvania’s roads in winter. Or to keep the dust down in summer. But [...]
Drillers use deep injection wells as one option to dispose of drilling waste deep underground. EnergyWire reports on the number of waste disposal wells under construction, or pending permits, in Ohio and Pennsylvania. “In Ohio, 16 new wells are under construction to take waste “brine” from oil and gas wells. Seven have been granted permits but [...]
A bill that would strip the U.S. Forest Service of regulation over water withdrawals in the Allegheny National Forest could be voted on by lawmakers in Harrisburg this week. As I wrote last December, the state Government Committee approved House Bill 1904, which would amend a law passed by the General Assembly back in 1911. [...]
State Rep. Bud George, a Democrat from Clearfield County, has introduced a bill to halt the construction of any new deep injection wells for two years. These wells are used to dispose of frack waste water and have recently caused earthquakes in Ohio and Arkansas. The U.S. Geological Survey will be releasing a new report [...]
The Department of Environmental Protection says Catalyst Energy will have to pay a fine and conduct remediation for its oil and gas production in Forest, McKean and Warren counties. The DEP fined the Pittsburgh-based oil and gas company $185,000 for violations at non-Marcellus wells. The DEP says Catalyst operations polluted 14 residential drinking water supplies [...]
This week, StateImpact is answering reader-submitted burning questions about natural gas drilling. On Monday, we tackled water testing. Tuesday, we took a look at an issue that popped up after August’s Virginia earthquake: whether or not fracking can lead to earthquakes. On Wednesday, we looked at all things water. Today’s question comes from Jenny Lisak. Lisak wants to know how [...]
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