Pennsylvania PA-DEP Holding Hearings on Revisions to Oil & Gas Regulations

Attend a January Hearing on PA Oil and Gas Regs

From Matt Walker, Clean Air Council, www.cleanair.org

The Department of Environmental Protection (PA-DEP) and the PA Environmental Quality Board recently announced that a public comment period is open for the long-awaited proposed revisions to oil and gas regulations that include performance standards for oil and gas activities. The regulation include a consideration of drilling impacts on public resources as well as standards related to managing drilling waste, restoring drilling sites and gathering pipeline construction, and requirements for finding and dealing with abandoned wells close to proposed well sites.

This is your chance to voice your opinion on these important environmental regulations through written comment or at public hearings in January. Clean Air Council will be sending additional information in the coming weeks, but right now it’s important to get out to one of the public hearings if you can.
 
How to comment – - -

To view documents on the proposed regulation, visit www.dep.state.pa.us and click the “Proposed Oil and Gas Regulations” button.

You can submit comments to the Environmental Quality Board online using http://www.ahs.dep.pa.gov/RegComments

You can also submit comments by e-mail to RegComments@pa.gov. 

The comment period ends on February 12th 2014.
 
How to speak at a hearing – - -

Please see the list of public hearing locations and dates below and contact PA-DEP at 717-787-4526 to sign up to speak at one of the hearings. Groups including Clean Air Council are also requesting additional hearing locations and a comment deadline extension to allow for more participation.

The public hearings will begin at 6 pm at the following locations:

Wyoming County: Jan. 7, 2014, Tunkhannock High School Auditorium, 135 Tiger Drive, Tunkhannock, PA 18657

Chester County: Jan. 9, 2014, West Chester University of Pennsylvania’s Sykes Student Union Theater, 110 West Rosedale Avenue, West Chester, PA 19383

Lycoming County: Jan. 13, 2014, Pennsylvania College of Technology’s Klump Academic Center, One College Avenue, Williamsport, PA 17701

Crawford County: Jan. 15, 2014, Meadville Area Senior High School Auditorium, 930 North Street, Meadville, PA 16335

Cumberland County: Jan. 16, 2014, Good Hope Middle School Auditorium, 451 Skyport Road, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050

Washington County: Jan. 22, 2014, Washington and Jefferson College’s Rossin Campus Center / Allen Ballroom, 60 South Lincoln Street, Washington, PA 15301

Indiana County: Jan. 23, 2014, Indiana University of Pennsylvania’s Convention and Athletic Complex, 711 Pratt Drive, Indiana, PA 15705

Thank you for helping to protect everyone’s right to breathe clean air!

Matt Walker, Community Outreach Director, Clean Air Council
215-567-4004 ext. 121, mwalker@cleanair.org