Friday, May 18, 2018

DEP’s Good Samaritan Program Encourages Proposals To Plug Abandoned Oil & Gas Wells, Treat Mine Drainage

The Department of Environmental Protection regularly receives proposals under the Environmental Good Samaritan Act Program for both mine reclamation and oil and gas well plugging.
The Good Samaritan Program is for landowners, citizens, watershed associations, environmental organizations and, governmental entities who do not have a legal responsibility to reclaim abandoned lands, abate water pollution or plug abandoned wells, but are interested in addressing these problems.
Potential liabilities for personal injury, property damage, water pollution, and the continued operation, maintenance or repair of water pollution abatement facilities can hamper these efforts.
The 1999 Environmental Good Samaritan Act provides certain protections and immunities to landowners, groups and companies who propose reclamation and well plugging projects.
From 1999 to November 2016, DEP has 76 mine reclamation and acid mine drainage Good Samaritan projects in the program and only recently began accepting proposals to plug abandoned or orphan oil and gas wells.
Examples of some of the recent projects include--
-- Cameron Energy Company: plug an abandoned oil and gas well in Sheffield Township, Warren County. (PA Bulletin page 5857)
-- Chemtrade Logistics: plug an abandoned oil and gas well in Ridgeway Township, Elk County.  (PA Bulletin page 5857)
-- Gas & Oil Management Associates: plug an abandoned oil and gas well in Mead Township, Warren County. (PA Bulletin page 1476)
-- PA Grade Crude Oil Coalition: plug an abandoned oil and gas well in Corydon Township, McKean County.  (PA Bulletin, page 3009)
-- Clearfield County Conservation District: acid mine drainage treatment School Tributary to Deer Creek,  Girard Township, Clearfield County. (PA Bulletin page 1898)
Click Here to use DEP’s interactive GIS map to show Good Samaritan oil and gas well projects (orange squares).
Click Here for a map of mine reclamation projects. Click Here for a list of projects.
New Abandoned Good Samaritan Well Program
DEP developed a new aspect of the Environmental Good Samaritan Program to apply it to plugging abandoned oil and gas wells in January.
Online training is available to walk volunteers through the process of submitting a project proposal under the new program and applying for the liability protection. In addition, the eFACTS environmental database and Oil and Gas Mapping Tool have been updated to provide an inventory of Environmental Good Samaritan project proposals for abandoned wells in Pennsylvania.
Volunteers enjoy reduced liability, and can develop the land at or near the well site more quickly than if they had to wait for DEP to plug the well, given limited state funding.
Visit DEP’s Abandoned & Orphan Well Program webpage for more information. Questions about well plugging through the Environmental Good Samaritan Act can be addressed by contacting the DEP Bureau of Oil and Gas Planning and Program Management or the district office where the project is located.
CFA Plugging Grants
Grants are available for plugging orphan or abandoned wells through the Commonwealth Financing Authority funded by the Act 13 drilling impact fees.  Click Here for a DEP fact sheet on the program.  Click Here to apply.  The deadline to apply for this round is May 31.
Federal Legislation
There is legislation being considered in Congress to establish a similar good samaritan program related to reclamation of abandoned mines.  DEP, Trout Unlimited and other groups supported federal legislation in testimony in May of last year.
For more information on Environmental Good Samaritan Act protection for reclaiming abandoned mine lands or treating discharges, visit DEP’s Environmental Good Samaritan Program webpage.
(Map: Good Samaritan mine reclamation and acid mine drainage projects.)
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