PITTSBURGH —
Pennsylvania regulators aren’t inspecting tens of thousands of oil and gas wells even once a year, a new report says.
But state officials say they’re inspecting most new wells in the Marcellus Shale region, which is the right place to focus.
The report issued Tuesday by Earthworks, a Washington D.C. nonprofit, found that more than 66,000 active wells weren’t inspected by the Department of Environmental Protection last year, and that many companies cited for violations aren’t punished.
DEP spokeswoman Katherine Gresh said in a statement that the agency inspected 78 percent of newer shale gas wells last year, and that older conventional wells usually operate for decades without problems. She said that failing to note the major differences between old and new wells “is comparing apples to oranges and misleading the public.”
Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, has made it possible to tap into deep reserves of oil and gas but has also raised concerns about pollution. Large volumes of water, along with sand and hazardous chemicals, are injected underground to break rock apart and free the oil and gas. Contaminated wastewater from the process can leak from faulty well casings into aquifers, but it’s often difficult to trace underground sources of pollution.
The Marcellus Shale formation exists across much of the state, and is the target of most new drilling in Pennsylvania. Fracking is required to release the gas from the shale.
Earthworks says the number of inspections don’t meet the goal of DEP’s own guidelines, even for new wells.
“There’s at least a quarter of all new wells that aren’t getting inspected. We still think that’s not good enough,” said Bruce Baizel, an Earthworks staff attorney.
Gresh said that a 1989 DEP statement on frequency of well inspections isn’t a law, just a policy, and that drilling companies also are required to inspect their own wells and report any problems. The 1989 document states that the agency intends to inspect wells “at least once during each of the phases of siting, drilling, casing, cementing, completing, altering and stimulating a well.”
Regulators contend that overall, water and air pollution problems are rare, but environmental groups and some scientists say there hasn’t been enough research on those issues. The industry and many federal and state officials say the practice is safe when done properly, and many rules on air pollution and disclosure of the chemicals used in fracking are being strengthened.
Marcellus Shale
Report raps state gas drilling enforcement
- Marcellus Shale
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Meeting set on Marcellus drilling
The League of Women Voters of Lawrence County will sponsor a panel discussion on Marcellus drilling on Tuesday. The discussion on drilling and property values will begin at 6:30 p.m. at New Wilmington Methodist Church, 125 S. Mercer St.
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SRU to host shale summit
Slippery Rock University will host a summit Tuesday to educate local businesses about the Marcellus and Utica shale industry. The session, called Shale Summit II, will be a joint venture of the university, the Grove City Area and Butler County chambers of commerce and WISR/WBUT radio.
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Education Options, Part 2: Current shale boom casts new light on county’s economic future
Second of two parts: Welcome to the Industrial Revolution of 2013. The Marcellus Shale phenomenon has arrived with the promise of jobs and prosperity for an area in dire need of just such a miracle.
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Seismic testing to be discussed
Seismic testing for Marcellus Shale will be discussed Tuesday in New Wilmington. The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. at United Methodist Church, located at the corner of South Mercer Street and Neshannock Avenue.
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Shale Update: Gas from 2012 wells entering pipeline
Wells drilled a year ago in Lawrence County are producing natural gas that is entering a pipeline for consumers. Natural gas from the Marcellus Shale formation under Lawrence County is now being pumped from two wells on the Harry Patterson property in the New Beaver Borough area into a major pipeline and is being sold, said Joe Minnitte, case manager for Shell Exploration and Production Co.
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Township requests shale money for bridges
North Beaver Township could be the first municipality to spend county Marcellus shale funds earmarked for bridge repairs. The supervisors have requested $63,000 from Lawrence County’s Act 13 transportation funds, which — by law — are to be used for rehabilitation or replacement of county and municipal bridges.
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Commission approves shale pact for Pulaski game lands
The Pennsylvania Game Commission will allow Hilcorp Energy Co. to extract oil and gas from Pulaski Township state game lands. The eight-member board today unanimously approved a restricted surface use oil and gas cooperative agreement for two separate tracts, including 586 acres of state game land 150.
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Estate planning workshop to address shale issues
A free workshop on estate planning for shale gas leases is planned this month in Lawrence County. Estate Planning for Marcellus Shale Lease Holders, will run from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Jan. 22 at the Shenango Township Volunteer Fire Hall, 2424 E. Washington St. It is being hosted by state Rep. Jaret Gibbons.
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Extension to review seismic tests, pipelines
A program on seismic testing, pipeline agreements and leasing will be offered three times next week. Penn State Extension and the Beaver-Lawrence Farm Bureau will present the program Tuesday in New Castle. It will be presented two more times on Thursday in Beaver County.
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Shell donation boosts Jameson project
Shell Appalachia’s search for natural gas will help fuel completion of Jameson Heath System’s emergency/surgical wing. Jameson is scheduled to take possession of its $20.3 million expansion Feb. 14.
- More Marcellus Shale Headlines
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Meeting set on Marcellus drilling
