WILLIAMSPORT — A public hearing is set for 5:30 p.m. July 25 in Coudersport regarding a proposal for a waste injection well in Clara Township, Potter County.
The hearing, hosted by Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, will accept testimony concerning the Roulette Oil and Gas Company’s application to convert the Clara Field #20 gas well, located in Clara Township, into an oil and gas waste disposal well for the injection of waste produced through the company’s conventional oil and gas operations.
The hearing will take place at the F.W. Gunzburger County Office Building auditorium, located at 1 North Main St., Coudersport. During the hearing, DEP will accept and record testimony concerning ROGC’s application.
Doors will open and onsite registration to testify will begin at 5 p.m.
Permitting for underground injection wells is a shared process between federal and state agency partners. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued an Underground Injection Control Permit, effective Jan. 14, 2022, to authorize the operation of the Class II-D Injection Well, pending DEP approval of the well permit application. EPA’s permit governs the material that is injected into the well, well integrity, groundwater protection, and well closure requirements.
DEP’s permit, which is currently under consideration, covers the location and construction of the well bore, surface issues, and an examination of the potential for pollution resulting from underground disposal.
A fact sheet with more information about the proposed project and the full electronic application are available for review on DEP’s Underground Injection Well webpage at https://www.dep.pa.gov/Business/Energy/OilandGasPrograms/OilandGasMgmt/Pages/Underground-Injection-Wells.aspx.
Those wishing to offer comments at the July 25 hearing should pre-register with Megan Lehman, Regional Communications Manager for DEP’s Northcentral Regional Office, at meglehman@pa.gov or 570-327-3659.
Pre-registration will be accepted until noon on Monday, July 24. Each registered individual will be allotted three minutes to speak. Onsite registrations to testify will also be accepted. Registration is not required for those wishing to simply attend the hearing or to submit written comments.
Written comments of any length will also be accepted until Tuesday, Aug. 8, and should be sent via mail to PA Department of Environmental Protection, Northwest Oil and Gas District, 230 Chestnut Street, Meadville, PA 16335, or via email at RA-EPOILGASDROPBOX@pa.gov. Written comments should include the name, address, and telephone number of the person filing the comment.
DEP reviews and considers all comments with equal weight, regardless of whether they are provided as verbal testimony or in written format. At the conclusion of the public comment period, DEP will issue a Comment and Response Document that serves as DEP’s response to all comments submitted during the comment period.
