PA DEP Playing Beat the Clock with VOC Reg for Conventional Wells

In July, the PA Independent Regulatory Review Commission (IRRC) voted 5-0 to approve Part I of the final Environmental Quality Board (EQB) regulation that supposedly will capture every last molecule of stray methane that leaks from shale drilling operations (see PA IRRC Approves Onerous VOC/Methane Regulation for Shale Ops). The onerous new regulation, adding new layers of reporting and new equipment requirements (that won’t change a thing) was supposed to already be in effect, but the House Energy committee in August voted to disapprove of the unconventional regulations, setting up a possible delay. The EQB, part of the state Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP), was supposed to have developed a separate set of regulations for conventional wells, but has dithered on that front as well. The whole thing is a mess and risks blowing $500-$750 million dollars in federal highway funds.

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