Governor’s Updated Regulatory Agenda Includes Proposed Annual Permit Fee For Shale Gas Wells; Updated Conventional Waste Disposal and Coproduct Waste Regs.

The Governor’s Office published an updated agency-by-agency Regulatory Agenda in the February 15 PA Bulletin that lists regulations in development, an estimated schedule of consideration and opportunities for public comments.

For DEP, the Agenda includes a proposed regulation establishing an annual permit fee for shale gas wells [Read more here] and updated waste management regulations covering conventional oil and gas operations [Read more here].

Also included is an update of the Residual Waste Coproduct regulations to “ensure that the efficacy of a waste for a particular use and the consistency of the process” are demonstrated as part of the coproduct determination.  Read more here.

Each of these draft regulations are usually provided to advisory committees before they are considered for adoption as proposed by the Environmental Quality Board.

The draft schedule has these regulations going to the EQB in the fourth quarter of 2025.

The Department of Agriculture is also planning an update of the state’s pesticide regulations to meet EPA requirements.

DEP Regulatory/Non-Regulatory Agendas

The Department of Environmental Protection has its own Regulatory Agenda for regulations in development and its own Non-Regulatory Agenda for technical guidance in development. 

For more information on environmental programs in Pennsylvania, visit DEP’s website.  Submit Environmental Complaints; Click Here to sign up for DEP’s newsletter; sign up for DEP’s eNotice; Like DEP on Facebook, Follow DEP on Twitter and visit DEP’s YouTube Channel.

PA Oil & Gas Industry Public Notice Dashboards:

-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices, Opportunities To Comment -  February 8 [PaEN] 

-- DEP Sets March 11 Environmental Justice Office Hearing On Air Quality Permit For New Pollution Control Devices At Harmon Creek Natural Gas Processing Plant In Washington County  [PaEN] 

-- DEP Posted 100 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In February 8 PA Bulletin  [PaEN]  

Related Articles This Week:

 -- Washington County Judge Rules Sunoco Pipeline Did Not Have Eminent Domain Authority To Take Property For Mariner East Pipelines In Landowner Lawsuit Alleging Fraud  [PaEN]

-- What The Shale Gas Industry Is Leaving Behind: DEP: Southwestern Energy Prod Co. Failed To Comply With Act 2 Cleanup Standards At The Greenzweig Shale Gas Wastewater Impoundment In Bradford County After 5 Years  [PaEN]

-- What The Shale Gas Industry Is Leaving Behind: DEP Signs Consent Order With Roulette Oil & Gas To Plug Shale Gas Well Abandoned For 8 Years In Hebron Twp., Potter County  [PaEN]

-- CNX CEO Tells DEP’s Citizens Council Their Monitoring Shows ‘No Material Impact’ To Air Or Water Quality From Natural Gas Development; Citizens Said CNX Lacks Scientific Rigor, Offers Misleading Greenwash  [PaEN] 

-- On Feb. 13 Dept. Of Health, Penn State Project ECHO Webinar To Educate Medical Professionals, Public On Exposures To Natural Gas Facility Pollution; Real Washington County CNX Facility Case Study Used  [PaEN] 

-- DEP To Hold March 11 Hearing On Air Quality Application For MarkWest Liberty Harmon Creek Natural Gas Processing Plant In Washington County

-- Marcellus Drilling News: Rain City Resources, Kendra II Agree To Set Up Pilot Plant To Extract Lithium From Marcellus Shale Wastewater In Susquehanna County [PaEN]

-- DEP, Attorney General Announce $14,866,280 In Grants To Fund 79 Local Water Quality Improvement Projects Funded By Growing Greener, Natural Gas Pipeline Penalties  [PaEN]

-- Gov. Shapiro’s Budget Includes Energy Plan; Funding To Make-up Deficit In Oil & Gas Program; New State Park, Trail Initiative; Over $6.2 Billion In Federal Funding At Risk For DEP, DCNR, PennVEST  [PaEN]

-- Gov. Shapiro Files Lawsuit Challenging President's Unconstitutional Federal Funding Freeze In Order to Protect PA Interests; Mine Reclamation, Conventional Well Plugging, Many Other Funds At Risk  [PaEN] 

NewsClips:

-- US EIA Natural Gas Price Forecast For 2025 Now 21% Higher Than Last Forecast At $3.80; 2026 Forecast Now $4.20

-- The Energy Age Blog: Judge Rules Sunoco Didn’t Have Eminent Domain Power For Mariner East Pipelines Work In 2013; Lawsuit Claims Company Coerced Property Owners Into Allowing Easements

-- Observer-Reporter: Washington County Judge Rules Sunoco Did Not Have Eminent Domain Powers For Mariner East Pipeline In 2013 In Landowner Lawsuit Alleging Fraud   [PDF of Article]

-- WHYY: Upper Makefield Twp. Residents Call For Answers After Energy Transfer Jet Fuel Pipeline Leak Contaminated Wells In Bucks County 

-- Inquirer: Legislators Say Energy Transfer Jet Fuel Pipeline That Leaked Into Bucks County Wells Should Be Shut Down; Operator Failed To Detect Leak

-- DEP To Hold March 11 Hearing On Air Quality Application For MarkWest Liberty Harmon Creek Natural Gas Processing Plant In Washington County

-- Inside Climate News - Kiley Bense: Pennsylvania’s New Energy Plan A ‘Betrayal’ To Those On Front Lines, Critics Say 

-- Inside Climate News - Jon Hurdle: New Data Shows Shell Petrochemical Plant In Beaver County Failed To Boost Local Economy  

-- WSJ: US Imposes 10% Tariff On Canadian Oil, Gas, 25% On Other Products  [PDF of Article]  [United Refining In Warren Uses 70,000 Barrels Of Canadian Oil A Day ]  [Tariff Temporarily Suspended]

-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: Chinese Tariffs On US Exports Of Natural Gas, Coal, Energy To China Bring Deja Vu To Local Players

-- The Allegheny Front - Reid Frazier: Will Appalachian Hydrogen Hub Survive As President Takes Aim At Clean Energy?

-- Wall Street Journal: US Oil, Gas Frackers And Saudi Officials Tell President They Won’t Drill More No Matter How Many Regulations Are Rolled Back, Prices Are Too Low  [PDF of article] 

[Posted: February 13, 2025]  PA Environment Digest