Pennsylvania DEP Releases Latest Revisions Of Oil And Gas Rulemaking

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) recently announced the draft final revisions to the “Environmental Protection Performance Standards at Oil and Gas Well Sites” rulemaking (Chapters 78 and 78a).  Following the most recent round of public comment, DEP decided not to include the provisions for noise mitigation and centralized storage tanks for wastewater in the final regulations.  DEP indicated that a separate process is more appropriate for noise mitigation due to the complex nature of noise mitigation.  With regard to centralized storage tanks, DEP decided it would continue to regulate these facilities under the residual waste regulations.  The amendments will be discussed at the upcoming meetings of the Conventional Oil and Gas Advisory Committee and, Oil and Gas Technical Advisory Board in late August and early September, respectively.