On April 27, 2016, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) announced that it has initiated an “unprecedented expansion” of the Commonwealth’s particulate matter air monitoring network to include additional monitors in areas near natural gas development. The expansion project will include 10 additional DEP monitoring stations and has a target completion date of fall 2017.
DEP plans to implement the expansion project in three stages, with one monitoring station added to each of 10 counties. DEP completed Phase 1 earlier this year with the addition of air monitoring stations in Towanda Township, Bradford County, and Holbrook Township, Greene County. The Department expects to complete Phase 2 by the end of 2016 by adding monitoring stations in Fayette, Indiana, Lycoming, Susquehanna, and Wyoming Counties. Phase 3 has a target completion date of fall 2017 and will include air monitoring stations in Clarion, Jefferson, and McKean Counties.
On February 12, 2013, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection released its 2011 emissions data from the unconventional drilling industry, which accounts for emissions from natural gas production and processing facilities from “57 operators of unconventional wells and 40 mid-stream operators of 150 compressor stations.” In its Fact Sheet, the DEP notes that there were significant reductions for a number of air contaminants from 2008 (the last year that the DEP completed an emissions inventory) to 2011, including nitrogen oxides and sulfur oxides. In a press release, the Marcellus Shale Coalition noted that according to this 2011 air emissions data, “Marcellus Shale development accounts for less than 3 percent of nitrogen oxide (NOx) and 1 percent of the total volatile organic compounds (VOC) emitted each year in the Commonwealth.” Pursuant to the Oil and Gas Act of 2012 (Act 13), owners and operators of these point sources must report these air emissions annually to the DEP by March 1 each year. 2012 air emission data is due to the PADEP on March 1, 2013.
The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports that Allegheny County Health Department Air Quality Program subcommittee may conduct a preliminary vote today on whether to require developers to notify them at certain stages of drilling to allow the county to conduct air monitoring. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and the Pennsylvania Independent Oil and Gas Association both submitted comments to the proposal and questioned the Health Department’s plan. Although Allegheny County has special jurisdiction over air quality within its limits, but it is uncertain whether it would allow the county to regulate drilling activities in light of Act 13, which the state enacted last year.
UPDATE: The Tribune-Review reports that the Air Quality Program Regulation subcommittee gave preliminary approval to the proposed rules yesterday.