PA Lawmaker Proposes Two Year Moratorium on Deep Injection Wells

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 that links even more small earthquakes in the Mid-west to deep well injections.
Pennsylvania has only 8 permitted wells, but two are under appeal. And the EPA, which oversees deep injection wells in the state, recently shut one down after a blow-out. House Bill 2350 also proposes to restrict the operation of any new well built after January 1, 2012. One new deep injection well is proposed for Brady Township, Clearfield County. Residents of that community have already expressed opposition to the project. Two wells permitted by the EPA for Warren County have also come under scrutiny from residents and local elected officials.
George’s bill also creates new setbacks from known faults, public water supplies, private wells, floodplains and trout streams. George used Ohio’s new deep injection well law as a model. Ohio has 177 deep injection wells. More than 2 million barrels of Pennsylvania’s frack water ended up in Ohio’s deep injection wells last year. For more about the link between Pennsylvania’s frack water and Ohio’s earthquakes, click here.

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