EPA Seeks More Information from Natural Gas Drilling Operations to Ensure Safety of Wastewater Disposal (PA)
PHILADELPHIA (May
12, 2011) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today directed
six natural gas drillers to disclose how and where the companies
dispose of or recycle drilling process water in the region. EPA
continues to work with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental
Protection (PADEP) to ensure that natural gas production takes
place safely and responsibly. These actions are among the ongoing
steps EPA is taking to ensure drilling operations are protective of
public health and the environment. Natural gas is a key part of our
nation’s energy future and EPA will continue to work with
federal, state and local partners to ensure that public health and
the environment are protected.
“We want
to make sure that the drillers are handling their wastewater in an
environmentally responsible manner,” said EPA mid-Atlantic
Regional Administrator Shawn M. Garvin. “EPA is continuing to
work with PADEP officials who are on the frontlines of permitting
and regulating natural gas drilling activities in
Pennsylvania.”
EPA’s action follows a request by PADEP
asking drillers to voluntarily stop taking wastewater to
Pennsylvania wastewater treatment plants by May 19. EPA wants to
know where drillers are now going to dispose of their wastewater
and will work with PADEP to ensure EPA has access to this
information. The companies must report back to EPA by May 25 with
information on the disposal or recycling of their drilling process
water.
The companies receiving the information requests
are: Atlas Resources L.L.C; Talisman Energy USA; Range Resources
– Appalachia, L.L.C.; Cabot Gas and Oil Corporation; SWEPI,
LP; and, Chesapeake Energy Corporation. These six companies account
for more than 50 percent of the natural gas drilling in
Pennsylvania.
EPA has also requested that PADEP:
· Apply water quality standards for the protection of drinking water at the point of wastewater discharge, rather than at the point of first downstream drinking water intake;
· Consider more “representative” sampling where drinking water facilities are downstream of treatment plants accepting Marcellus Shale gas wastewater; and
· Be aware that EPA has sent a letter to PADEP’s southwest regional office clarifying that Federal Underground Injection Control permits are required for any placement of hydraulic fracturing wastes in injection wells or bore holes.
EPA requested these actions in a letter to PADEP Secretary Michael Krancer dated May11. The letter also asked the state agency take action to ensure that any new practices for disposing of drilling wastewater are legally enforceable.
In another action related to the energy
extraction industry, EPA has issued a proposed order to the
Tunnelton Liquids Company to stop the underground injection of
waste treatment into an abandoned mine in Saltsburg, Indiana
County, Pa. EPA issued the order under the Safe Drinking Water Act,
which requires company to cease its unauthorized discharge waste,
including wastewater related to oil and gas
production.
For more information visit http://www.epa.gov/region03/marcellus_shale/
