Petitioners wait for recommendations from DEP to adopt better bonding in Pennsylvania
Contact: Morgan Caplan, Morgan.Caplan@sierraclub.org
Harrisburg, PA - Today at the Pennsylvania Environmental Quality Board meeting, the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) updated the public on the status of two rulemaking petitions to raise oil and gas bonds, stating that it would need more time to produce reports but that the Department is aiming to release the reports in late spring or early summer. The petitions were filed by the Sierra Club, Clean Air Council, Earthworks, Mountain Watershed Association, PennFuture, and Protect Penn-Trafford.
This comes three months after the Board moved forward these petitions that would work to adopt better bonding for conventional and unconventional wells in the Commonwealth. Under the law, the DEP must evaluate the petitions and provide recommendations on whether the EQB should approve the actions requested in the petition. DEP may extend the required 60-day timeline if it believes necessary, but must give the EQB at its meeting an update on the time needed to produce these reports.
Last month, the Department of the Interior announced that Pennsylvania will receive $104 million in the first phase of funding to plug the Commonwealth's wells to address environmental, health, and safety concerns. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides crucial support to help the state recover from its massive well backlog. In future phases of funding, states that make regulatory improvements - such as raising their bond amounts - will receive more money, making it advantageous for states to look into these processes now rather than later.
“We’re glad the Pennsylvania DEP is taking this subject seriously and producing reports that reflect the full depth of this issue,” said Sierra Club Senior Campaign Representative Kelsey Krepps. “We encourage them to produce these reports in a timely manner as Pennsylvania’s significantly under-bonded oil and gas wells continue to be a huge problem that only grows with time.”
About the Sierra Club: The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.
This blog was included as part of the March 2022 Sylvanian newsletter. Please click here to check out more articles from this edition!