PA Marcellus News Digest 10/8/12

PA Marcellus News Digest

October 8, 2012

Articles

Westmoreland meeting set about proposed Sunoco gas pipeline
Pitt Trib
Rossilynne Skena
Oct 8
Westmoreland County residents who live in the path of a proposed 45-mile gas pipeline can discuss the project with Sunoco representatives on Wednesday evening in North Huntingdon.
Link: http://triblive.com/news/westmoreland/2716722-74/sunoco-pipeline-project-meeting-residents-dunbar-questions-company-gas-mcginn#axzz28hZh40cC

Pennsylvania foundations draw cheers, protests for supporting fracking studies
Patriot-News
AP
Oct 8
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Citizens groups and nonprofits around the nation are asking questions about environmental and health impacts of natural gas hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, and Pennsylvania charities are funding much of the debate.
Link: http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2012/10/fracking_studies.html

Chesapeake hopes to develop ‘green’ solution for use in fracking
Pitt Trib
Bloomberg News
Oct 4
Chesapeake Energy Corp., the nation’s second-largest natural gas producer, is testing hydraulic-fracturing fluids composed solely of environmentally benign components in wells.
Link: http://triblive.com/state/marcellusshale/2723673-74/chesapeake-fracking-fluids-green-jones-gas-testing-largest-oil-components#axzz28PxmJcDU

Companies deal with Beaver County developer for land rights, waiting for Shell cracker
Pitt Trib
Bill Vidonic
Oct 5
Five companies are interested in constructing plants along the Ohio River in Beaver County, contingent upon oil giant Shell finalizing its plan to build a petrochemical plant nearby, a developer said on Thursday.
Link: http://triblive.com/business/2718343-74/betters-shell-companies-plant-million-property-rights-site-cawley-county#axzz28hozyHby

FirstEnergy considers conversion of some power plants
Pitt Trib
Alex Nixon
Oct 6
FirstEnergy Corp. may burn natural gas along with coal at some of its power plants in Pennsylvania and West Virginia, the company said on Friday.
Link: http://triblive.com/business/2730517-74/gas-natural-power-durbin-firstenergy-plant-plants-coal-company-ferry#axzz28hozyHby

The Utica Shale May Hold 38 Trillion Cubic Feet Of Gas
NPR State Impact
Scott Detrow
Oct 5
Link: http://stateimpact.npr.org/pennsylvania/2012/10/05/the-utica-shale-may-hold-38-trillion-cubic-feet-of-gas/

DCNR Resignations Point to Fissures, Frustration
NPR State Impact
Susan Phillips
Oct 4
Link: http://stateimpact.npr.org/pennsylvania/2012/10/04/dcnr-resignations-point-to-fissures-frustration/

Release

DEP Releases Final Oil And Gas Air Aggregation Guidance For Drilling Activities
Oct 7
(full text below)
Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Mike Krancer announced Friday the agency has finalized guidance on air quality permitting decisions for oil and gas operations. The guidance applies to permitting sources of emissions from the exploration, extraction and production of oil and gas.

DEP published a version of the guidance for public comment last fall. Notice of the final guidance; http://www.pabulletin.com/secure/data/vol42/42-40/1951.html will appear in the Pennsylvania Bulletin on October 6 and discusses how DEP decides when to separately permit emission sources, such as natural gas compressor stations, and when to aggregate them.

“Our guidance provides a common-sense approach to air aggregation, also known as single-source determinations, based on existing law,” Krancer said. “Recently, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s misuse of the aggregation test for natural gas exploration, extraction and production earned the EPA a sharply worded rebuke from the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals.

“The court’s opinion in Summit Petroleum v. EPA, which dealt with the aggregation of separate natural gas facilities in Michigan, made very clear that Pennsylvania’s approach is the correct interpretation and application of the law,” he said. “The Summit Petroleum court’s decision characterized EPA’s interpretation as ‘unreasonable’ and ‘inconsistent’ with the regulatory history that established the regulatory test.”

A Pennsylvania Environmental Hearing Board Judge recently called the analysis of the Summit Petroleum case “persuasive.” The West Virginia Air Quality Board also recently affirmed an approach similar to DEP’s.

“Our Air Quality program will use a practical, common-sense and legally sound approach as it makes aggregation determinations on a case-by-case basis, weighing all of the factors the law provides,” Krancer said. “We in Pennsylvania have a lengthy and successful history of regulating the oil and gas industry, and we are ensuring that this state and this country realize the full promise of abundant, domestic, cheap, clean-burning natural gas extracted and brought to market in an environmentally sensitive manner.”

DEP regulates air emissions in the oil and gas industry through air quality plan approvals and general and operating permits. In the coming months, the agency will also announce a revised general permit for oil and gas compressor stations, which authorizes the operation of minor emission sources.

In keeping with how DEP issues and implements technical guidance, the agency published an “interim final” version of the air aggregation guidance for a 30-day public comment period last fall and began implementing it October 21, 2011.

DEP will finalize the guidance effective October 6, the day it will be published in the Bulletin.

A copy of the guidance will be available from DEP’s eLibrary Air Quality webpage: http://www.elibrary.dep.state.pa.us/dsweb/View/Collection-8629