Pa. Oil and Gas Permit Backlog Eliminated

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has eliminated a backlog for oil and gas permit approvals after a year of concentrated efforts.

Department Acting Secretary Jessica Shirley also recently announced that the backlog reduction initiative had been successful in reducing tie-ups by 75 percent since Nov. 1, 2023, for all permits issued by various DEP bureaus. DEP reviews more than 45,000 permit applications every year for activities including air quality for factories and power plants, water quality, stream disturbance, land clearing, coal mining, and oil and gas well development.

DEP had come under increasing pressure to improve its review process for permits in various areas, including oil and gas activities and air and water quality, as companies faced long waits for decisions on projects. The DEP has been handcuffed by underfunding and staff shortages, but Gov. Josh Shapiro made improving permitting times in all state agencies one of the first priorities of his administration.

The DEP has been modernizing its permitting processes and improving its technology to eliminate backlogs, and has added 225 employees to conduct permit reviews and health and safety inspections. The state Legislature also approved $7 million for technology upgrades for DEP in the fiscal 2024-25 state budget.

When the initiative began on Nov. 1, 2023, the agency had more than 2,400 permit applications in its offices requiring action. As of Nov. 15, 2024, 1,750 of those applications have been eliminated from the queue, and agency staff has kept up with new applications, In addition, oil and gas staff reviewed and made decisions on all 115 permits that were received before Nov. 1, 2023.

DEP will also be implementing the SPEED program, which was created as part of the 2024-25 state budget. It will allow permit applicants to have a DEP-verified and qualified professional conduct an initial application review. DEP staff will then review that person’s recommendation and either finalize the decision or note any technical deficiencies that must be corrected. DEP will retain final authority on permit decisions, and applicants will pay the review fees for the qualified professional’s review, in addition to the permit application fees.

The agency is continuing to identify improvements to its other permitting programs. “At DEP we are moving at the speed of business – taking care of backlogged permits and not adding to the list – while protecting clean air and water and public health,” Shirley said in a release.