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DEP defends using federal methane rule by reference, highlights $215M well‑plugging and new measurement plans
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Summary
DEP officials told the House Environmental Committee they are implementing EPA’s 2024 methane framework through a general permit that incorporates federal rules by reference while scaling up well‑plugging funded largely by $215 million in IIJA grants and building a Pennsylvania methane measurement program.
Chair Vitale convened a public hearing on methane emissions from the oil and gas industry where Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection witnesses outlined the agency's immediate plan and long‑term priorities.
Seth Palepko, head of DEP's oil and gas program, said DEP is focusing on scope‑1 emissions under state oversight and described where methane is released across drilling, completion and production. He told the committee DEP inspectors routinely use sensitive instruments and require operators to submit quarterly monitoring and annual mechanical‑integrity data. Palepko said the agency has used roughly $215,000,000 in Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funding to decommission abandoned wells, and that, as of the testimony draft date, DEP had plugged 381 wells with IIJA support. He said DEP's long‑running plugging program has historically plugged more than 3,700 wells since 1989 and—using assumptions in his testimony—estimated large avoided emissions tied to that work.
Ali Tarquinio Morris, who the chair introduced as head of DEP's air program, said the air office must meet Clean Air Act obligations and that the department is evaluating options to implement EPA's March 2024 methane emission guidelines. Morris told members the department proposed using a general permit to incorporate the federal requirements by reference because of short federal deadlines and the need to produce an approvable state plan; DEP also solicited and received about 10,000 public comments on its draft state plan.
Members asked for specifics about orphan and abandoned wells and the reliability of federal emissions inventories. Palepko said DEP maintains about 27,000 documented orphan and abandoned wells and acknowledged peer‑reviewed research suggesting many more undocumented sites exist. He said DEP is expanding procurement to mobilize contractors, standing up a methane measurement program to produce Pennsylvania‑specific measurement data (rather than rely solely on federal emission factors), and digitizing historical maps to field‑verify well locations.
Morris and Palepko both emphasized the federal timeline for state plan submission (DEP said a state plan must be submitted for EPA review by January 2027) as a major factor behind choosing the general‑permit approach. They also said DEP is evaluating whether Pennsylvania‑specific rulemaking under state authority is warranted and feasible once more state data and analysis are available.
The hearing produced no final agency rule or legislative action; DEP presented implementation options and described next steps that include awarding work under standing contracts, building out measurement capabilities and continuing public engagement.
"We're moving toward awarding requests for proposal contracts to mobilize contractors more efficiently," Palepko told the committee, and he said the agency is working to make measurement and location data more precise for Pennsylvania.
The committee did not vote or adopt policy at the hearing; DEP said it will continue to refine its state plan and consider regulatory options in response to public comment and evolving federal guidance.
