DEP Announcements
West Virginia Environmental Council Action Alert
26 March 2012
DEP Accepting Comments on Centralized Pit Construction Standards
The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection’s
Office of Oil and Gas is taking comments on its design and
construction standards for centralized pits used to store
wastewater associated with horizontal drilling. The standards
provide guidelines for construction, liner requirements, water
quality monitoring, and engineer certifications.
The document can be found at: http://www.dep.wv.gov/oil-and-gas/Pages/default.aspx
Comments may be submitted in writing by email to
dep.oogcomments@wv.gov or through the U.S. Postal Service to:
John Kearney
Office of Oil and Gas
601 57th Street SE, Charleston, WV 25304.
Comments will be accepted until April 12, 2012 at 5 p.m.
DEP Accepting Comments on Oil and Gas Stormwater General Permit
The State of West Virginia, Department of Environmental
Protection, Division of Water and Waste Management is proposing to
issue a State General Water Pollution Control Permit to regulate
the discharge of stormwater runoff associated with oil and gas
related construction activities. The General Permit will
authorize discharges composed entirely of stormwater associated
with oil and gas field activities or operations associated with
exploration, production, processing or treatment operations or
transmission facilities, disturbing one acre or greater of land
area, to the waters of the State. It is proposed that this
General Permit be issued for a four (4) year term.
The Director of the Division of Water and Waste Management retains
authority to require any owner/operator to apply for and obtain an
alternative Permit. This authority will be exercised when
the Director determines that an alternative permit will better
protect the receiving water.
The Draft Permit may be inspected by appointment between 8:00 a.m.
and 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday at the Department of
Environmental Protection, Division of Water and Waste Management,
Public Information Office, 57th Street SE, Charleston, WV
25304. Copies of the documents may be obtained from the
Division at a nominal cost.
A public hearing has been scheduled to take additional comments on
the Draft Permit. The hearing has been scheduled for 6 p.m.
on April 9, 2012, at the Coopers Rock Training Room, WV DEP
Headquarters, 601 57th Street SE, Charleston, WV
25304. Any person may submit oral or written statements
concerning the draft permit; however, reasonable limits may be set
upon the time allowed for oral statements.
Any interested persons may submit written comments on the Draft
Permit. The public comment period begins March 8, 2012 and
ends April 19, 2012. Comments should be addressed to:
Director, Division of Water and
Waste Management
Department of Environmental Protection
601 57th Street, SE
Charleston, WV 25304
Attention: Tonya Ombler
E mail: Tonya.K.Ombler@wv.gov
All comments received within this period will be considered prior
to acting on the Draft Permit. Correspondence should include
the name, address, and telephone number of the writer; and a
concise statement of the nature of the issues being raised.
Requests for additional information should be directed to Tonya
Ombler at (304) 926-0499, extension 1132.
DEP Office of Oil & Gas Launches Horizontal Drilling Page on
Website
The Department of Environmental Protection’s Office of Oil and
Gas has launched a webpage that contains information specifically
related to horizontal drilling as defined by the Horizontal
Drilling Act that was passed by the state Legislature in December.
As part of the Act, the Legislature required the DEP to create the
page so citizens could obtain information about the location of
proposed horizontal wells and give them the opportunity to comment
on those permit applications.
Currently, the page offers links to items that will be further
developed as permit applications are received by the agency. Links
to pages that allow citizens to submit or review comments about
specific permit applications, as well as a link to a tool that
helps them find the location of a proposed well, are included.
“The page will continue to grow and change as more permit
applications are submitted to the agency,” said James Martin,
Chief of the Office of Oil and Gas. “Soon, after we populate the
site with applications that have been received, people will be
able to see a list with information such as the applicant, where
the well is located, the formation it targets, whether the well
has been completed and the date the permit was issued.”
Under the new legislation, one of the first steps operators have
to take is placing a Class II Legal notice in local newspapers at
least 10 days prior to submitting an application.
“As an added public notice option, people can go to this page and
sign up for an email notification whenever a permit is received or
issued by the Office of Oil and Gas,” Martin said.
The site can be found at: http://www.dep.wv.gov/oil-and-gas/Horizontal-Permits/Pages/default.aspx