DEP Issues Air Quality Plan Approval For Expansion Of Harmon Creek Natural Gas Processing Plant In Washington County

The Department of Environmental Protection published notice in the May 17 PA Bulletin announcing it issued an Air Quality Plan Approval for the expansion of the MarkWest Liberty Midstream & Resources, LLC Harmon Creek Natural Gas Processing Plant in Smith Township, Washington County.  (PA Bulletin, page 3512)

The permit was received by DEP on January 17, 2025 and issued on May 2, 2025 and is set to expire on November 2, 2026.

Natural gas processing plants separate ethane from shale gas, which is then used by Shell’s Beaver County petrochemical plant to produce plastics.

A variety of environmental groups and residents opposed issuing the Plan Approval because they said the existing plants at this site have a history of permit violations, and the proposed expansion is in a designated environmental justice area with high rates of asthma, heart disease, and cancer.  Read more here.

Opponents also said MarkWest should have applied for a full Title V Air Quality Permit for the facility because the expansion’s emissions are estimated to be just below the threshold that would require it.  

They said MarkWest had initially planned to apply for a Title V permit, but backtracked.  Read more here.

A copy of the final Air Quality Plan Approval is available from DEP’s Southwest Regional Office.

Individuals aggrieved by this decision have 30 days to file an appeal with the Environmental Hearing Board.

Questions should be directed to Sheri Guerrieri, P.E., New Source Review Chief, DEP Southwest Regional Office, 400 Waterfront Drive in Pittsburgh or call 412-442-4000.

Visit DEP’s MarkWest Harmon Creek Gas Processing Plant webpage for more information.

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.

Resource Links:

-- Washington County Resident To DEP: Harmon Creek Natural Gas Plant Expansion Will Result In A Huge Increase In Air Pollution, It Should Be Required To Have A Major Air Quality Permit, It Is Not A ‘Minor’ Source  [PaEN] 

-- Community Speaks Out Against Expansion Of Harmon Creek Natural Gas Processing Plant In Washington County [PaEN] 

-- Moms Clean Air Force To DEP: Families In Washington County Are Already Living In The Middle Of Major Natural Gas Industrial Sites - Do Not Expand The Harmon Creek Natural Gas Processing Plant And Make It Worse  [PaEN] 

-- Center For Coalfield Justice To DEP: Harmon Natural Gas Processing Plant Should Be Required To Apply For A Full Title V Air Quality Permit As They Originally Proposed In Washington County  [PaEN] 

PA Oil & Gas Industry Public Notice Dashboards:

-- PA Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - May 10 to 16 -- 18 More Abandoned Conventional Wells; Failure To Comply With Plugging Order; 2,000 Gallon Wastewater Spill; Consol Still Cleaning Up Water Supply Contamination  [PaEN] 

-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices, Opportunities To Comment - May 17   [PaEN] 

-- DEP Posted 91 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In May 17 PA Bulletin  [PaEN]  

Related Articles This Week:

-- Environmental Defense Fund Blog: Another Study Identifies Health Risks During Unconventional Oil & Gas Production Even For Those Living Within 1,000 Feet Or More Of Wells  [PaEN] 

-- DEP Issues Air Quality Plan Approval For Expansion Of Harmon Creek Natural Gas Processing Plant In Washington County  [PaEN]

-- DEP Issues RFP For Abandoned Conventional Oil & Gas Well Plugging Services On Time & Materials Basis As Needed  [PaEN] 

-- US House Republicans Eliminate Funding For The Federal Methane Emissions Reduction Program, Including PA's MERP Grant Program To Plug Conventional Oil & Gas Wells  [PaEN] 

-- Avonlea Environmental Technologies Reports Success Of Oil & Gas Wastewater Lithium Extraction Pilot Plant In Susquehanna County  [PaEN]

-- Rise Of The Machines:  Senate, House Members Express Concern That Demand For Power To Run Computers Is Impacting The Price And Availability Of Electricity For ‘Ordinary People’  [PaEN] 

-- Gov. Shapiro: Lightning Plan Tax Credit Bill, Community Energy Pass PA House  [PaEN]

-- Penn State University To Host Online Solar Law Symposium Aug. 21  [PaEN]

-- PUC Sets June Hearings On Proposed 11.4% Natural Gas Rate Increase By Columbia Gas  [PaEN]

-- PennLive: PPL Customers Will See Another Rate Increase June 1 - 16% [Due To Regional Electric Market Issues]

-- US EIA: US Natural Gas Prices Double Last Year Due To LNG Exports, Demand Driving Electricity Prices Higher This Summer  [PaEN]

-- North American Electric Reliability Corp.: Record Load Growth From Data Centers, High Temperatures Expected To Strain Electric Grid This Summer [PaEN]  

-- Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Summer Electricity Assessment Sees Adequate Generating Resources To Meet Normal Operating Conditions; Higher Natural Gas Prices Driving Electricity Prices Higher  [PaEN] 

-- Better Path Coalition Hosts May 21 Webinar On Regional Water Use Policy And Siting Data Center Facilities  [PaEN]

NewsClips:

-- The Allegheny Front - Julie Grant: PA Senate Bill Would Cut Drilling Impact Fees For  Communities That Restrict Fracking 

-- Farm And Dairy: PA Bill Could Pull Funding From Communities That Restrict Oil And Gas Activity

-- Olean Times Herald: EPA Hears Concerns About 2nd Proposed Oil & Gas Wastewater Injection Well In McKean County 

-- CBSNews: Residents Say Jet Fuel Pipeline Leak In Bucks County Went Undetected For Months, Poisoned Their Drinking Water 

-- Marcellus Drilling News: Fracking Halted At Encino Shale Gas Well Pad In Ohio Linked To Earthquakes  [PDF of Article]

-- WFMJ: Fracking Halted At Ohio Shale Gas Well Pad Following Earthquakes In The Area 

-- Scranton Times: NE PA Could Become Major Supplier Of Lithium For Batteries

-- PA Capital-Star: Is Congress Trampling On State Laws Protecting Property Rights Against Pipelines

-- Marcellus Drilling News: Truck Hauling Shale Gas Wastewater Overturns Loses 2,000 Gallons In Stream, Driver Not Injured  [PDF of Article]

-- PublicSource.org - Jake Vasilias: Peering Into A Shale Gas Driller’s Pledge Of ‘Radical Transparency’  [CNX Resources]   

-- FracTracker Alliance: CNX Not-So-Radical Transparency Provides Incomplete Information, Heavily Downplays Dangers Of Shale Gas Development 

-- Post-Gazette - Ford Turner: PA House Approves Shapiro’s Energy Plan Tax Credit Bill

-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: NRG Buys 5 PA Gas Power Plants To Meet ‘Supercycle’ Of Demand By Data Centers; Refitted To Run As Baseload Plants 

-- Vistra To Acquire 2 Natural Gas Power Plants In PA, Other States

-- Bloomberg: Vistra Buys Power Plants From Lotus Infrastructure Partners In PA, Other States To Power A.I. Data Centers 

-- Post-Gazette - Ford Turner: PA Regional Power Grid Operator Sees Manageable Summer Peak Load, But A Slight Risk Of ‘Running Short’

-- PennLive: PPL Customers Will See Another Rate Increase June 1 - 16% [Due To Regional Electric Market Issues]

-- Financial Times: Constellation Energy, Other Companies Abandon Almost Half the Projects In $5 Billion Texas Program To Fund Natural Gas Power Plants Due To Costs, Supply Chain Delays  [Sen. Yaw Wants A Program Like This In PA] 

-- Politico: House Republicans On Committee Eliminate Funding For Federal Methane Emission Reduction Program, Including PA’s MERP Grant Program To Plug Conventional Oil & Gas Wells  

-- WHYY: President Wants To End LIHEAP, 300,000 PA Households Could Struggle To Pay Heating Bills

-- TribLive: New Kensington’s Re:Build To Boost US Production Capacity For Renewable Hydrogen In Westmoreland County 

-- TribLive Guest Essay: Hydrogen Future Begins In Western PA - If We Seize It - By ConservAmerica

-- Reuters: US, Europe Drive Global Power Plant Emissions Higher So Far In 2025

[Posted: May 16, 2025]  PA Environment Digest