Gas at a glance

DEP inspectors analyze air quality to gauge possible impact of gas well operations

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is gathering samples to analyze air quality in areas near natural gas operations in Washington and Greene counties to isolate the source of odors that have prompted complaints from residents. Under the Air Pollution Control Act, any entity operating a source of odors may be fined up to $25,000. During the first of four phases, DEP’s Mobile Analytic Unit will collect air samples at a site in Washington County removed from active drilling and compare the results with samples taken near active drilling sites in Greene and Washington counties. DEP will also analyze air samples collected over a 24-hour period using 12 canisters, some of which will be placed on the properties of residents who have complained of odors. Phases two through four will be conducted within three miles downwind of sites related to gas well drilling in the Marcellus Shale, including active drill sites, compressor stations, drip tanks, well heads, gas well flares and wastewater impoundments. All sampling will be completed by June. Samples will be analyzed for volatile organic compounds, ozone, nitrogen oxides, hydrogen sulfide and carbon monoxide. For more information visit www.depweb.state.pa.us or call 412/442-4000.

DEP orders Cabot to remove well pad pit in Dimock

DEP has ordered Cabot Oil & Gas Corp. to close and remove an earthen pit in Susquehanna County that holds drilling fluids to determine whether it is contaminating nearby water resources. The reserve pit is located at the Hibbard well pad in Dimock Township. DEP’s Northcentral Regional Director Robert Yowell said this more aggressive enforcement action was necessitated after the company ignored previous requests. DEP Oil and Gas Program staff responded to a report of black water in a ditch near the Hibbard well pad on March 22. The black water had impacted a private unused drinking water well, two springs and a wetland. The water, soil and sediment sample results from DEP and Cabot’s contractor in the area, along with visible tears and holes in the reserve pit’s liner and local geology, led DEP to conclude that the black water is a mixture of groundwater and liquid waste from the reserve pit.

DEP to meet with drilling companies to improve environmental protection

DEP Secretary John Hanger has called a meeting of oil and gas companies with permits to drill in the Marcellus Shale to discuss what steps the industry must take to prevent gas migrating from wells and polluting Pennsylvania’s natural resources, which can create a public safety risk. The meeting will be held on May 13 in Harrisburg, PA. “I am urging the industry to come and discuss how to effectively and safely prevent gas migration, protect our natural resources, and ensure that what happened to the residents of Dimock Township, Susquehanna County, does not happen elsewhere.” DEP has taken action against Cabot Oil & Gas Inc. for failing to address migrating gas discovered in 2009 from drilling operations that contaminated groundwater and the drinking water supplies of 14 homes in the region.

PA Game Commission approves resolution urging caution on Marcellus Shale

Pennsylvania Game Commissioners have unanimously approved a resolution urging caution regarding development of Marcellus Shale gas resources on the agency’s State Game Lands system. The resolution, in part, reads as follows: “Be it resolved that the development of Marcellus Shale gas resources on the State Game Land system will be accomplished with great prudence, minimum disruption to State Game Lands, replacement of disturbed lands, and long-term sustainability of revenues for the wildlife mission.”

Partners to buy 42,344 more acres of Marcellus Shale for $192 million

Atlas Energy Inc. and its partner Reliance Industries will buy 42,344 more acres in the Marcellus Shale at a cost of nearly $192 million, as reported by Reuters news agency. In April, Reliance agreed to pay Atlas $1.7 billion to buy a 40 percent stake in Atlas’s Marcellus Shale operations. The new acreage is in Fayette, Washington, Indiana, Westmoreland, Armstrong and Clarion counties. The company said it should be able to drill 450 additional wells on the property. Atlas Energy operates the drilling site in Washington County, PA where an impoundment pond caught fire on March 31, throwing 100-foot flames into the air. In January, the company was also fined $85,000 by the DEP for failing to control erosion and runoff at multiple well sites and for improperly discharging waste products.