Pennsylvania Issues New Regulations for Unconventional Drilling

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has published regulations to set performance standards for surface activities associated with unconventional drilling, representing the first update to oil and gas well regulations since Marcellus shale development transformed natural gas production in the state. Some of the changes implement the requirements of Act 13 enacted in 2012 to overhaul Pennsylvania’s oil and gas regulations. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has rescinded several provisions of Act 13, reflecting support for municipal authority in the light of several state decisions that quashed local bans on hydraulic fracturing.