UNDATED — The Pennsylvania Sierra Club is pleased with DEP’s latest proposed oil and gas regulations. The Department of Environmental Protection released a revised draft of “Chapter 78” oil and gas regulations Monday — one year after 24,000 individuals and organizations submitted comments on the original proposal.
The Sierra club praised DEP’s attention to detail and responsiveness to last year’s public comments. DEP is now proposing a requirement that operators submit a permit application that includes a map of all active, inactive, abandoned and orphaned wells prior to drilling.
In response to the changes, Sierra Club PA Chapter Director, Joanne Kilgour said, “We applaud DEP for taking steps to better protect human health and the environment. Importantly, DEP proposes a prohibition on the use of temporary on-site waste storage pits, and would require operators to restore drinking water supplies to pre-drilling condition or to meet state Safe Drinking Water Act standards. We will continue to advocate for regulations and enforcement that best protect our communities, and hope to see the Department further strengthen its approach to a number of issues including centralized wastewater impoundments, which should be prohibited due to significant risk of air and water pollution, as well as risk of human exposure to hazardous substances.”
The latest proposal will be open for additional 30-day comment period. (Codi Jade)