Department of Environmental Protection Oil & Gas Annual report highlights strong regulatory compliance

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The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) recently released its Oil & Gas Annual report, which highlighted energy operators’ 95 percent regulatory compliance rate as Pennsylvania natural gas production hit record highs in 2017.

“As an industry deeply committed to safety above all else, we’re very pleased with this 95 percent regulatory compliance rate yet also focused on continuously improving our performance…” Dave Spigelmyer of the Marcellus Shale Coalition (MSC) said. “Pennsylvania’s strong energy regulations ensure our environment is protected as we safely produce more clean-burning natural gas that’s powering our economy, cleaning our air and moving America forward.”

According to the DEP report, unconventional wells in Pennsylvania produced a record 5.36 trillion cubic feet of natural gas in 2017, an increase of a quarter trillion since 2016. The report also showed that 2,028 unconventional well permits were issued this past year, 707 more than in 2016.

A recent U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) identified Appalachia as one of three regions driving U.S. gas production. In July, the Marcellus and Utica shale plays accounted for approximately one-third of total domestic natural gas production.