DEP reaches $650K settlement with Equitrans over gas storage in Greene County
The state Department of Environmental Protection has executed a $650,000 penalty against Equitrans Midstream Corp. of Southpointe for violations at the Swarts underground gas storage reservoir in Greene County.
The consent order and agreement the DEP reached with Equitrans also requires the corporation to identify and locate oil and gas wells, and submit a verified statement for the entire Swarts Field and protective area that is under the Harvey Mine’s B District. The mine is operated by Consol Coal Resources L.P.
“Throughout modern history, Greene County has been an epicenter of all manner of energy development, and that activity means that operators’ adherence to Pennsylvania’s laws and regulations is imperative from both an environmental and safety perspective,” DEP Secretary Patrick McDonnell said.
A portion of Harvey Mine overlies the Swarts Field and Hunter’s Cave storage reservoir and the 2,000-foot protective boundary around each field.
As early as June 2013, Equitrans was made aware by CONSOL the mine operator planned or had conducted coal extraction activities within 2,000 feet of the Swarts Field.
Gas storage fields are comprised of subsurface geological formations into which natural gas is pumped and stored under pressure.
Equitrans was obligated to submit a verified statement that includes maps, an explanation of the operator’s due diligence in complying with state law, any additional efforts the operator is making and intends to make to locate wells, and any wells it intends to plug or recondition. While Equitrans provided information to DEP at various times since passage of the Oil and Gas Act, it did not provide a verified statement pursuant to the law.
On December 26, 2018, DEP ordered Equitrans to supply the DEP with the required information regarding wells that have or may have been drilled into the Swarts Field. The order required Equitrans to depressurize the field if the requested information was not provided. Equitrans appealed the order to the Environmental Hearing Board on January 25. Equitrans has since agreed to withdraw its appeal.
State law contains specific provisions that apply to operators whose storage fields are near an active underground coal mine. Storage field operators are required to locate and, in certain instances, plug or recondition wells, that have been or may have been drilled into or through the storage stratum to prevent the escape of gas. A release of storage field gas into a mine would pose a risk of asphyxiation or explosion in the mine.
On October 18, 2019, Equitrans submitted a verified statement covering the portion of the Swarts Field overlying the Harvey Mine’s 5B panel and surrounding area, the initial area of mining in the Harvey Mine’s B District.