Sorry folks, but the math isn't working here. PA HB 2213 is being touted as something it isn't; a well thought-out piece of legislation.
Follow me for a moment. This bill, if signed into law, would impact all of PA. It's based upon laws written in 1984 when 99.99999% of all gas wells drilled were vertical wells. One hole - straight down. Even those early vertical wells that were fracked only broke up the rocks ~300' laterally from the bottom of the borehole...so in 1984, 1,000' might have been an adequate baseline distance for water well protection purposes. And I emphasize might.
The proposed revisions to the 1984 act read as follows:
"Unless rebutted by one of the five defenses established in subsection (d), it shall be presumed that a well operator is responsible for the pollution or the diminution of a water supply that is within [1,000] 2,500 feet of the oil or gas well,"
Today...it's a whole different ball game with a different set of rules. Most horizontally-hydrofracked wells look more like this:
And, in many cases, the laterals are being drilled out 5,000' from the well pad.
Still think 2,500' is adequate? Check out a local expert's views on a similar bill ( HB 1205 ).
I believe the minimum new baseline distance should be 1,000' beyond the end of any lateral boreholes.
Let's get it right before the ink dries.
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