HARRISBURG – Department of Environmental Protection Secretary John Hanger announced that preliminary production data for Marcellus Shale natural gas wells in the state is now available online for the first time, offering more transparency for the public.
Under Act 15 of 2010, Marcellus operators were required to report their well production totals from July 1, 2009 to June 30, 2010 by Aug. 15.
“Governor Rendell signed legislation in March that does away with provisions in the Oil and Gas Act that required production data to be kept confidential for five years, removing a much-criticized layer of secrecy and giving the public and government unprecedented access to this information,” Hanger said. “This action modernizes our data collection and reporting processes and gives the public and policymakers a clear picture of how much natural gas is being generated by the rapidly-growing Marcellus Shale industry.”
The preliminary report is now available at www.depweb.state.pa.us by clicking on “Oil & Gas,” then “Bureau of Oil and Gas Management,” and finally “New – O&G Production” in the left navigation bar. Updated reports will be made available every six months.
According to DEP, 18 of the state’s 74 Marcellus Shale operators had yet to submit the required information as of Sept. 7. The secretary has said the department will pursue whatever enforcement action is necessary to ensure compliance with the law.
Hanger added that beginning Nov. 1, the public will be able to search all oil and natural gas production data statewide, including historic production data, and will also be able to track how much drilling waste and wastewater is being generated at drilling sites.
Under Act 15, all other oil and gas production besides Marcellus wells must be reported annually.
