By SARA FURLONG

s.furlong@bradfordera.com

The U.S.

Environmental Protection Agency, having received sufficient interest in doing so, held a public hearing Tuesday evening regarding another proposed wastewater disposal injection well in McKean County.

In early April, the EPA issued public notice of a proposed permit for Sandstone Development LLC to operate McKay 7 A, an injection well in Lafayette Township, McKean County — EPA permit number PAS2R430BMCK.

Initially, EPA officials said they would accept written public comments on the proposal until April 29, and that a public hearing would be held May 6 only if the organization received ‘a significant degree of public

interest.’ In addition to the public hearing, EPA also extended the deadline for written public comments to May 20.

Sandstone Development, 464 Bingham Road, Cyclone, applied for the EPA Underground Injection Control (UIC) program Class HR injection well permit to inject fluids produced by enhanced oil and gas recovery, according to the EPA notice and website.

James Bennett, EPA Region 3 UIC section chief, moderated Tuesday’s hearing and was joined by EPA’s Kevin Rowsey, UIC program lead, and Ryan Hancharik, permit writer.

Before ceding the floor, Bennett provided an overview of the UIC program. ‘Congress recognized that our groundwater resources needed protection from potentially harmful practices such as underground injections of fluid,’ Bennett said. ‘The objective of the program is to ensure that the construction and operation of these wells provides the highest level of protection to underground sources of drinking water (USDWs) … those aquifers which supply or could supply drinking water for human consumption.’

The permits accomplish this, Bennett said, through ‘stringent casing, cementing, testing and monitoring requirements.’

He continued, ‘EPA does not have the authority under the UIC program, to address issues such as noise, economic impact, air emissions, truck traffic or siting concerns. Several of these issues may be addressed by state and local regulations.’

He noted that violators of UIC regulations are subject to civil or criminal penalties, and the severity of a penalty is based on the seriousness of the violation.

At its highest posted total, there were 16 participants on the call. Several spoke up with comments for the EPA’s official record.

Bradley Eschrich, stating he was representing the people of McKean County, said he would like to know the methodology for the well site selection.

‘I personally feel that it certainly can’t be an optimal location in terms of risk reduction.

McKean County is home to some of the oldest, least regulated and most old oil wells in the entire country. This area is just a terrible place for that and the sandstone (Bradford Third sandstone reservoir) that they’re injecting into is very easily infiltrated on top of that.’

Barbara Laxon shared, ‘The EPA itself did a study and it was pointed out that McKean and neighboring counties were some of the worst areas in the country as far as the porosity of the underground rocks, the number of wells that can communicate and allow for stray gas migration, et cetera.’

Laxon said that in September 2023, Rep.

Charity Grimm Krupa, R-Fayette County, ‘attempted to get a bill passed specifying that Well… page A-10 the geology in McKean County and other counties in this area is especially poor (for injection wells). It didn’t go through, but this was her point.”

Laxon also brought up the McKay 7A well’s proximity to another injection well, Lot 580-1 operated by Catalyst Energy Inc. of Pittsburgh in Cyclone, just off Route 646 (Ridge Road). By the shortest route, the two sites are approximately 2.3 miles apart, according to Google Maps.

She said McKay 7A would present some of the same issues as the Lot 580-1 well, “being that it’s very close to the headwaters of a couple creeks that contribute to the Tunungwant Creek, which is itself a tributary of the Allegheny River.”

Laxon and, later, McKean County Commissioner Marty Wilder both wanted to know, in light of potential Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) cuts to funding and staff at the EPA, how proper oversight would be maintained.

Wilder said, “If that’s the case, how do you propose to protect the people of McKean County from any harmful effects of this well?”

Laxon said, “Because of these issues, I’m asking that the injection well permit be denied.”

Barbara Brandon, a retired physician, said, “The wastewater is extremely toxic … but it’s not just the radionucleotypes that have a very long half-life … but also multiple organic compounds such as benzene, the exposure to which is cumulative over the lives of a human being and leads to malignancies like leukemia. Any (expulsion) of this wastewater is extremely bothersome and dangerous to people downstream.

“I think that the activities from the first well in Cyclone should be studied and published before any more permits are given for injection of wastewater in this region.”

Alexander Casper of Bradford said, “I’m concerned with the fact that injection wells in the past have shown proof that the wastewater injection does have an impact downstream and up-wind in the air for communities that are near the injection well. The wastewater contains radioactivity as well as several other harmful chemicals that can be carcinogenic and lead to various neurological and developmental conditions for people who drink that water or breathe in that air nearby.

“I urge the EPA to deny this type of permit within McKean County. This is not a good idea.”

The Bradford Era inquired, in light of EPA’s concern only with the well’s structure and operation, who or what agency would address other concerns residents have, such as noise, light and air pollution, and increased heavy truck traffic.

Bennett indicated that a “formal response to public comments document” would be posted, and provided an email address for the newspaper’s inquiry. The Era reached out to that address Wednesday, but had not received a reply by press time. The response document will likely not be posted until after the public comment period closes on May 20.

Bennett said to close the hearing, “On behalf of the Environmental Protection Agency, I’d like to thank you all for your participation here and your well-thought-out comments on this proposed permit under EPA’s program for underground injection control in Pennsylvania. I assure you that all these comments will be given serious attention as we prepare our final decision.”