HARRISBURG — Gov. Tom Wolf has vetoed bipartisan legislation that would have helped ensure the future of the state’s 160-year-old conventional oil and gas industry and the jobs it supports, Rep. Martin Causer, R-Turtlepoint, said.
Senate Bill 790 would have enacted the Conventional Oil and Gas Wells Act to govern the conventional, shallow-well oil and gas industry with reasonable, responsible and relevant regulations. At the same time, it would have put a stop to the state Department of Environmental Protection’s efforts to subject the industry to regulations created to address far more impactful unconventional natural gas drilling activities.
“There are major differences between unconventional deep-well drilling and conventional, shallow-well drilling…differences that this administration continues to ignore because it doesn’t fit their narrative,” Causer said. “The industry is struggling immensely, and a significant cause of that struggle is the lack of understanding and purposeful misrepresentation of how our conventional oil and gas operations work in a safe and environmentally conscious manner.”
The representative continued, “Nearly all of Pennsylvania’s conventional oil and gas wells are owned and operated by sole proprietors or small businesses. These men and women live, work and raise their children in the same communities where they are drilling for oil and gas.
“They are capable of and committed to producing this valuable energy source while also ensuring clean air and water for themselves and future generations,” he added.
The legislation was developed in large part by members of the Penn Grade Crude Development Advisory Council, which was created by Act 52 of 2016 to advise and assist DEP with regulatory changes impacting the conventional industry. DEP is represented on the council and participated in the development of the legislation. Causer is also a member of the council.
With the legislative session ending this month, the bill will have to be reintroduced when the new session begins in January.
