Washington, 10 October (Argus) — The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has adopted new rules for hydraulic fracturing for the first time since use of the well stimulation technique ushered in a gas boom for the state. The regulations, which took effect on 8 October, are intended to protect water resources and ensure public safety during fracturing operations. The DEP has been working on the regulations since 2011 and has spent recent months holding training sessions to help industry comply. Natural gas producers strongly oppose the rules. The industry won a small victory in June when Pennsylvania governor Tom Wolf (D) signed a bill that exempted conventional oil and gas wells from the regulations. But the new rules will apply to the majority of new wells being drilled in Pennsylvania, which use fracturing to coax oil and gas out of the ground. Industry groups are expected to challenge the regulations in court. "This action constitutes a flawed, predetermined and antagonistic development process by an agency that ignored clear legislative directives and limitations," Pennsylvania Oil and Gas Association president Daniel Weaver said last week. The rules come as broader deployment of fracturing drove the state's gas production to 13.2 Bcf/d last year, equivalent to nearly 15pc of US production, according to the US Energy Information Administration. Pennsylvania was only producing about 0.5 Bcf/d of gas in 2008, as the shale drilling boom was just starting to take off. The DEP through the rules set new requirements for operators drilling vertically or horizontally within 100 feet of any waterbody or wetland larger than 1 acre (0.004km2). The rules require those operators to demonstrate the well site location would protect that water, despite arguments from industry groups that DEP did not have authority to establish that buffer distance. The DEP also put in place rules requiring operators to sample nearby water supplies before they start oil and gas development. If fracturing degrades those water supplies, the operator will have to restore that water to achieve minimum federal water quality standards or to the original quality of the water, whichever is greater. The rules aim to prevent water contamination and safety hazards that can occur when fractures of an unconventional well inadvertently affects a nearby abandoned well, an event called a "frack hit." The rules will require operators to identify and monitor abandoned wells within 1,000 feet of where horizontal and vertical drilling will occur, before any hydraulic fracturing can occur. Oil and gas companies planning to deploy hydraulic fracturing near schools, playgrounds, parks, forests and other public resources could have to meet more rigorous requirements. The DEP said its new regulations allow it to require additional "protective measures" near those facilities. Pennsylvania's crude production has also grown during the shale drilling boom, though the state remains a relatively minor producer in the US. Pennsylvania produced 19,000 b/d of crude last year, according to the EIA, up from 8,000 b/d in 2008. 2838733
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has tightened its rules on hydraulic fracking in an attempt to protect water resources and ensure public safety. The DEP’s new rules took effect on 8 October, having been in the works since 2011. The DEP requires operators to demonstrate that drilling vertically or horizontally within 1,000ft of any water body or wetland larger than one acre will not affect local water sources. Water sources within 100ft of drilling must be identified before any drilling occurs. Pennsylvania produced 19,000b/d of crude oil in 2015.