Regulation

The Pennsylvania State Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) should prepare to cough up some of the money it receives from the steep charges it assesses for Chapter 102 Erosion and Sedimentation and Chapter 105 Water Obstructions and Encroachments permits. For YEARS, we’ve told you about these permits sometimes taking two, three, even six to eight months for approval — instead of the law-mandated 14 days. It got so bad that in the fall of 2019, PA State Sen. Gene Yaw introduced a bill to allow third-party reviews of these permits (see PA Sen. Yaw Intros Bill to Allow 3rd Party Review of Erosion Permits). One of Josh Shapiro’s pledges was to fix the permitting delay mess. In August, he promised a money-back guarantee (see Gov. Shapiro Says Fix Coming for Late Permits: Money-Back Guarantee). He made good on his promise yesterday.
Read More “PA Shale Drillers Now Have Money-Back Guarantee for Permit Delays”

A problem plaguing the entire country is old conventional oil and gas wells that were never adequately plugged and capped, called orphaned wells, because (supposedly) nobody knows who owns them. In the fall of 2021, President Biden signed into law the so-called Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, some $1.2 trillion in pork barrel spending, passed with the help of turncoat Republicans (see Biden So-Called $1.2T Infrastructure Bill Passes Thanks to RINOs). Only a tiny portion (9%) of the money is going for infrastructure, things like roads and bridges and plugging orphaned wells. Some $4.7 billion was set aside in the bill specifically to help states plug orphaned wells. Roughly half a billion has been distributed so far, including $76 million or so to Pennsylvania (see Bidenistas Dispense $163 Million to Plug Old O&G Wells in OH-PA-WV).
Read More “PA DEP Tries to Track Down & Make Deadbeats Pay to Plug Wells”

An abrupt turn of events. Pennsylvania Secretary of the Dept. of Environmental Protection, Rich Negrin, has resigned his post, or rather, he will resign. He “pre-resigned” — handing in his notice that he will officially resign as of Dec. 9. But until then, for the next six weeks (effective immediately), Negrin is on medical leave. Which means he can draw his full salary over the next six weeks even though he is effectively gone from the position. In his place, Jessica Shirley, who was named Deputy Secretary of the DEP earlier this year, will become the Acting Secretary until a permanent replacement is named.
Read More “PA DEP Sec. Negrin Resigning Dec. 8 – On Medical Leave Until Then”

In the fall of 2021, President Biden signed into law the so-called Infrastructure bill, some $1.2 trillion in pork barrel spending, passed with the help of turncoat Republicans (see Biden So-Called $1.2T Infrastructure Bill Passes Thanks to RINOs). Only about 9% of the $1.2 trillion goes to infrastructure projects like roads and bridges. One of the line items in the bill (so small it’s a rounding error) is money to plug orphaned and abandoned oil and gas wells. A small amount of money was distributed last fall, a year after the bill became law (see PA DEP Solicits Bids to Plug First 50 Orphaned Wells Using Fed $$). Wonder of wonders, the Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) used that money (and another tranche from earlier this year) to plug 100 orphaned wells in 2023. Hats off to the DEP, which somehow did not screw this one up.
Read More “PA Gets Butt in Gear, Plugged 100 Orphan Wells This Yr Using Fed $”

Rich Negrin, Secretary of the Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP), was supposed to be Gov. Josh Shapiro’s guy who could magically make the trains run on time at the DEP. He was the White Knight bureaucrat who could crack the code on getting simple permits for construction — things like Chapter 102 erosion and sediment control permits — back to being issued in two weeks (instead of months), as is required under PA law (see PA Acting DEP Sec. Unveils 10-Pt. Plan to Fix Tardy Permit Reviews). Except he hasn’t, and won’t get it fixed — not until well into 2024 (if even then).
Read More “PA DEP Sec. Negrin Says to Expect Slow Permitting Until 2024”