PITTSBURGH — The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection fined Equitrans more than $1 million for air quality, waste and oil and gas violations related to the uncontrolled gas release from Equitrans’ Rager Mountain natural gas storage field and George L Reade 1 storage well in November 2022.
The total civil penalty assessments include $350,000 for air quality violations, which is the maximum civil penalty assessment allowable under the Pennsylvania Air Pollution Control Act, and $764,000 pursuant to Pennsylvania’s oil and gas and solid waste laws.
From Nov. 6-19, 2022, natural gas vented uncontrollably from the Rager Mountain storage field in Jackson Township, Cambria County. The DEP said it responded immediately to the well control emergency, maintained a 24/7 onsite presence for 15 days and continued to investigate and oversee remedial activities at the site throughout 2023.
Attempts to control the well involved pumping fresh water and a heavy brine into the well to stop the flow of gas. Approximately 50-100 barrels of heavy brine were released onto the ground and into conveyance channels and wetlands near the site, violating the Solid Waste Management Act. The well was plugged Nov. 20, 2022.
Equitrans-provided emission estimates indicated approximately 1.037 billion cubic feet of natural gas was released into the atmosphere, violating Pennsylvania’s Air Pollution Control Act. This release represented about 10% of the total recorded methane emissions in the state in 2022, the DEP said.
DEP issued two compliance orders requiring corrective actions which Equitrans appealed. Equitrans however has complied with both orders and has agreed to withdraw its appeals. DEP continues to monitor the environmental impacts of the incident.
Accounts from DEP personnel and members of the public described the odors and noise produced by the venting of natural gas as akin to a jet engine. The leak created a visible plume of gas that led the Federal Aviation Administration to issue a temporary flight restriction over the area during much of the incident.
Gas storage fields are regulated at the federal level by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. DEP continues to collaborate with federal and state regulators on their respective investigations and areas of oversight.
More information can be found in the Consent Assessment of Civil Penalty for the air quality violations and the Civil Penalty Assessment for the waste and oil and gas violations. These reports can be found at www.ahs.dep.pa.gov/NewsRoomPublic/articleviewer.aspx?id=22410&typeid=1.
