Task force to form rules for gas drilling, wastewater pollution
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The state Department of Environmental Protection and representatives of the natural gas industry have begun meeting to develop new rules for controlling wastewater pollution from drilling operations and methods to treat the wastewater.
The state-industry task force, which met for the first time last Monday in Harrisburg, also will seek to streamline permitting procedures.
The partnership was prompted by an oil and gas well drilling boom that last year saw more than 4,100 wells drilled statewide, including hundreds of deeper wells tapping into the Marcellus shale formation.
Those wells, 5,000 to 8,000 feet deep, use millions of gallons of pressurized water to crack the shale and release natural gas. The wastewater left over is high in salts and dissolved solids.
The deep wells also have the potential to be lucrative for landowners and the state. It's estimated there are 363 trillion cubic feet of recoverable gas in the Marcellus shale, enough to supply the nation's natural gas needs for 14 years.
"The department is committed to working alongside the drilling industry to develop new treatment technologies to treat this wastewater that will allow our natural gas industry and our economy to thrive while protecting the health of our rivers and streams," said John Hanger, the DEP acting secretary.
The task force hopes to limit surface water discharges from wastewater treatment plants by encouraging reuse of the water used to fracture the shale; locate geologic formations capable of safe, deep, underground water storage; and evaluate new technologies for treatment.
"The rivers and streams of Pennsylvania have a very limited ability to absorb some of the additional wastewater created from the increased development of the Marcellus shale formation," Mr. Hanger said. "Additional wastewater treatment facilities and methods will be necessary to accommodate the increased volumes of wastewater from these drilling activities."
Beginning in October, high dissolved solids levels were found in the Monongahela River, caused in part by discharges of the largely untreated "frac water" and partly by abandoned mine water discharges. The high total dissolved solids levels caused problems for industrial water users along the river and for public drinking water customers who reported bad tasting and smelling water, scaling problems with automatic dishwashers and spotting on glassware.
The DEP has also found that drillers drained two streams in Washington County to supply water needed to fracture deep rock formations and release the gas.
The drilling industry hopes to ease state regulations and shorten the well-permit processing time from 150 days to 30 or 45 days. Many out-of-state firms attracted by the Marcellus "play" have complained about delays in processing and downplayed water use and disposal concerns.
Proposed permit revisions include developing a general permit that will allow earth-moving and well pad construction without DEP review as long as "best management practices" are followed. They also encourage the withdrawal of water from streams during high-flow conditions to protect the water resource.
"As natural gas drilling becomes more competitive among states, these steps will ensure that Pennsylvania's environment and economy emerge as the real winners by adopting a best-in-class regulatory program that is effective, well reasoned and predictable," said John H. Pinkerton, chairman and chief executive officer of Range Resources, a Texas-based oil and gas firm, one of 12 industry representatives on the task force.
The industry has already invested more than $4 billion in the state for land acquisition and drilling activities. Range, just one of more than 20 drilling companies operating in the state, expects to have six drilling rigs operating in the state by the end of this year, with each rig supporting about 150 full-time jobs.
But environmental groups that expressed concern in November about DEP shortcomings in regulating water resource use and wastewater disposal say they should be part of the task force and have input before any regulatory changes are drafted.
"If the task force is making decisions about the kind of water treatment that will be required, I think the public and environmental groups should be represented," said Myron Arnowitt, Clean Water Action state director. "We're interested in more communication with the DEP and will ask for a place on the task force to broaden that partnership beyond industry."
John Baillie, senior attorney for Citizens for Pennsylvania's Future, said environmental groups will ask for regular high level meetings with the DEP secretary or his designee to make sure their concerns are heard.
Any regulatory changes are subject to state Environmental Quality Board approval and a review process that will include multiple public hearings, probably beginning this spring, said Teresa Candori, a DEP spokeswoman.
Because of the high number of drilling-permit applications, the DEP is also hiring 30 new permit reviewers and well site inspectors. Increases in permit application fees will help pay for the additional state workers.
First Published January 19, 2009 12:00 am
