THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA

HOUSE BILL

INTRODUCED BY MUNDY, BISHOP, BOBACK, CALTAGIRONE, CARROLL, DePASQUALE, DRUCKER, FREEMAN, GEORGE, GOODMAN, GRUCELA, HOUGHTON, JOHNSON, LEVDANSKY, McGEEHAN, McILVAINE SMITH, MELIO, MURPHY, PAYTON, ROSS, SIPTROTH, K. SMITH, STABACK, R. TAYLOR, WAGNER, YOUNGBLOOD, YUDICHAK, HESS AND BRIGGS, AUGUST 5, 2010

REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES AND ENERGY, AUGUST 5, 2010  

AN ACT

Amending the act of December 19, 1984 (P.L.1140, No.223),

entitled "An act relating to the development of oil and gas

and coal; imposing duties and powers on the Department of

Environmental Resources; imposing notification requirements

to protect landowners; and providing for definitions, for

various requirements to regulate the drilling and operation

of oil and gas wells, for gas storage reservoirs, for various

reporting requirements, including certain requirements

concerning the operation of coal mines, for well permits, for

well registration, for distance requirements, for well casing

requirements, for safety device requirements, for storage

reservoir obligations, for well bonding requirements, for a

Well Plugging Restricted Revenue Account to enforce oil and

gas well plugging requirements, for the creation of an Oil

and Gas Technical Advisory Board, for oil and gas well

inspections, for enforcement and for penalties," further

providing for well reporting requirements.

The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

hereby enacts as follows:

Section 1.  Section 212(a.1) of the act of December 19, 1984

(P.L.1140, No.223), known as the Oil and Gas Act, amended March

22, 2010 (P.L.169, No.15), is amended to read:

Section 212.  Well reporting requirements.

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(a.1)  Every operator of a well which produces gas from the

Marcellus Shale formation shall file with the department, on a

form provided by the department, a semiannual report specifying

[the amount of production], on the most well-specific basis

available[.], the following information:

(1)  The amount of production.

(2)  The amount of each type of waste generated by the

well.

(3)  Each facility that accepted waste generated by the

well for disposal, treatment or reuse and the amount of each

type of waste accepted by each such facility.

The initial report required under this subsection shall be filed

with the department on or before August 15, 2010, and shall

include production data from the preceding calendar year.

Initial reports shall also specify the status of each well;

however, in subsequent reports, only changes in the status must

be reported. Subsequent semiannual reports shall be filed with

the department on or before February 15 and August 15 of each

year and shall include production data from the preceding

reporting period. The Commonwealth shall have the right to

utilize such information in enforcement proceedings, in making

designations or determinations under section 1927-A of the act

of April 9, 1929 (P.L.177, No.175), known as The Administrative

Code of 1929, or in aggregate form for statistical purposes. 

Beginning November 1, 2010, the department shall make the

reports available on its publicly accessible Internet website.

Any costs incurred by the department to comply with the

requirements of this subsection shall be paid out of the fees

collected under section 201(d).

* * *

Section 2.  This act shall take effect in 60 days.