Last week MDN told you that tough new air emission standards would begin this week for drillers in Pennsylvania’s Marcellus Shale (see Tough New Air Standards for PA Marcellus Drillers Start Next Week). The PA Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) is giving drillers two options: either get an air quality plan pre-approved by the DEP for every well drilled (adding lots of time to drilling a well), or comply with the DEP’s stricter version of new federal standards issued in April 2012–that is, become certified that every well you drill lives up to a certain standard.
Which option are drillers choosing–a plan for every well or the tweaked federal standard? According to the industry organization Marcellus Shale Coalition, looks like most drillers are going with…
