From the plugging of abandoned oil and gas wells in Pennsylvania’s mining regions, to responding to drinking water contamination in the Philadelphia suburbs, to overseeing new natural gas pipelines throughout the state, the Department of Environmental Protection has a lot of priorities to cover but not always enough resources, secretary Patrick McDonnell said recently.
McDonnell said earlier this month the department approved an increase in drinking water fees to pay for new staff in its drinking water safety program.
Now, the program receives about $20 million from the state’s “Act 13” money, which comes from impact fees on natural gas extraction.
“But that’s (only) funding half the program,” McDonnell said.
“One of the conversations we’ll be having here over the next year or two is how we fund that going forward, and what those programs look like.” Resources are also needed to plug as many as half a million abandoned oil and gas wells, some of them existing from the 19th century.
He said lawmakers in Harrisburg seemed to support the proposal during early budget hearings, but that nothing is certain.
That’s a question I wouldn’t be able to answer.” Asked about the most significant issues in the southeast region, McDonnell and Patterson turned first to ongoing perfluorinted chemical water contamination in Bucks and Montgomery counties.
If the state were to make a limit lower than the one recommended by the EPA, it could affect the actions the military would have to take in addressing regional drinking water contamination.
Patterson said the state may try and base its cleanup requirements off the 70 part per trillion drinking water safety limit recommended by the EPA.
An major ongoing concern are potential cuts to EPA funding, which in turn could trickle down to states that receive money from the agency to run delegated programs, such as those for air pollution and clean drinking water.