On Wednesday, Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA) held a press conference to discuss his push to continue plugging abandoned wells.
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NewsTranscript
00:00Good afternoon everyone. Thank you for coming and we ordered up some beautiful
00:05weather here for the governor. Thank you. I'm Bob Sabat, chairman of the
00:09Board of Supervisors of North Franklin Township. The governor took a few moments
00:14to meet my fellow supervisor Mike Quinn. County Commissioners Larry Maggi and Nick
00:22Sherman are here today and I understand a representative from representative Tim
00:27O'Neill's office is here as well. So we appreciate you all coming. North
00:32Franklin Township has really had a lot of growth in the last couple years. We
00:38built a new township building which we broke ground on and and had our
00:43dedication last year and now this water company building which was the old pump
00:50station which governor had a chance to look at an old picture from 1911. We're
00:55getting that refurbished and so all this is going to become walking trails
01:00through here. We have pavilions and parks to build and I keep saying all the time
01:06I never understood why a township supervisor had to serve six years. Well
01:09I'm now in term number three and we're still trying to navigate and get things
01:15done. So governor has promised us some fish for the lake and that's great and
01:21really put me on the record. So we want to thank over a million dollars has come
01:29in to North Franklin Township in many ways from state DCNR grants and we
01:36really appreciate that and we need more and it's about local government being
01:42able to get things done and also I want to point out that the DEP has been
01:50helpful in trying to get this well plugged for us and I understand in three
01:55three more weeks it will be done. So with that I'm going to cut this short and I
02:01am NOT going to go any further. I'm going to introduce the man who is our governor
02:06who's doing a great job in this state and I'm very proud to introduce him
02:12Governor Shapiro but we're going to have two other people speak. Joe Bonfiglio
02:19and also Brian Treece will speak and then the governor. So thank you very much.
02:25Hi everyone I'm Joe Bonfiglio representing Environmental Defense Fund. I am really
02:32honored today to join Governor Shapiro to celebrate a big milestone. I want to
02:37congratulate the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection for plugging
02:42their 300th well. It's a big number and we have to sort of pull back remembering that
02:47for generations oil and gas production in western PA directly contributed to
02:52the tremendous economic and industrial growth of this country but it also left
02:56behind a legacy of hundreds of thousands of unplugged orphaned and abandoned
03:02wells throughout the state. Governor Shapiro has identified well management
03:07as key both for Pennsylvania's economy and its environment and we could not be
03:11more supportive of that work. In fact Environmental Defense Fund has partnered
03:18with Pennsylvania D.P., universities around the Commonwealth and the incredible
03:23environmental advocacy organization Moms Clean Air Force and the Red Shirts to
03:29advance a project to pilot new technologies to find old wells not in
03:34current databases. So just last fall we flew drones with sensors in Clarion and
03:39McKean counties and found more than 250 potential wells not on any databases and
03:47just last week DEP inspectors tested our work and confirmed that four of them
03:52were now on the list to be plugged. We're encouraged by these results but we need
03:57to keep working further and harder to find ways to scale this effort. Now
04:02Pennsylvania can can continue to lead and achieve its climate goals by
04:07addressing the state's methane pollution from abandoned wells while
04:10also ensuring that today's active wells don't become tomorrow's orphans. Policies
04:16like limiting carbon pollution from the state power sector, developing a durable
04:20plan to implement EPA standards on methane and in getting hydrogen policy
04:25right are all ways that the state can make progress towards a cleaner future.
04:29Now Governor Shapiro has demonstrated that a strong economy does not mean
04:34compromising clean air and clean water. Efforts to curb pollution from oil and
04:39the oil and gas industry are creating jobs and economic opportunity. A recent
04:43report showed that the number of methane mitigation companies are creating jobs
04:48here and that number of companies grew 22% in just three years. EDF applauds the
04:56Shapiro administration as it charts a course to grow a clean economy, cut
05:00pollution and strengthen both families and communities right here in
05:03Pennsylvania. And with that I'll turn it to Brian Treese.
05:10Thank you Joe. Good afternoon. As mentioned my name is Brian Treese and
05:15I'm with Penn Mechanical Group. I'm the operations manager and we are the
05:19contractor tasked with plugging this well, the Water Works Number One. I'm
05:23honored to welcome Governor Shapiro, ladies and gentlemen of his
05:26administration, DEP representatives, the press, local government
05:31officials and members of the community. It's an exciting day to stand here
05:35before you on the site of the 300th well being plugged under Governor Shapiro's
05:39administration. Penn Mechanical Group was blessed to be also involved in the
05:46200th well less than a year ago and with any luck we will be standing in a
05:51similar situation for number 400.
05:54Hurry up.
05:57A little bit about Penn Mechanical Group. We are a 100% PA based family
06:01owned business who has dedicated their efforts for the last 30 plus years to
06:06provide the best possible service to the gas and oil industry. We got into the
06:10plugging operations approximately seven years ago and have plugged over combined
06:14400 wells for DEP along with other responsible operators across the
06:19commonwealth. All of our customers are taking the proper initiative to plug
06:24their own wells before they become abandoned or on an orphan list
06:30or become hazards to the environment.
06:33With the addition of our well plugging service side years ago, we were able to
06:39add numerous PA based jobs to our already strong workforce. And since
06:43then we have been able to increase that number by over three fold with the
06:48additional equipment and supportive services that go along with the plugging
06:52and abandonment of oil and gas wells. The addition of these jobs obviously
06:56has a trickle down effect within the PA economy from local home purchases,
07:01vehicle purchases, local restaurants, hotels to everyday local living
07:05expenses.
07:08Excuse me. The aforementioned would not have been possible without the push
07:11from government officials such as Governor Shapiro to get non producing
07:15wells plugged prior to them becoming a environmental concern. Pennsylvania has
07:20over 350,000 orphan wells which have the potential to contaminate water
07:26supplies, degrade ecosystems or emit methane and air pollutants. I bet
07:32everybody's thinking, wow, how do we handle that vast number of wells? Well,
07:36it's simple one well at a time. And that's exactly what Governor Shapiro
07:39and the D. P. Are doing. I mean, they've started with went to 100. Then
07:43they went to the 200th. We're at the 300th. And before you know it, we're
07:45gonna hit another milestone at 400.
07:48And it's an honor to be doing this alongside them.
07:52These feats could not have been or have been achieved without a good relation
07:57working relationship, which I am pleased to say that Penn Mechanical Group
08:00holds with the Department of Environmental Protection.
08:04Now, all the wells that we encounter encounter are unique in their own ways,
08:08whether they're in the middle of the woods beside someone's home alongside
08:12bodies of water or simply in the middle of an open field. The common
08:16denominator to all these wells are they are somebody's property, and we need to
08:20treat them with respect.
08:23The landowners, the locals and everybody, that's their home. We're
08:28just visitors there, and we want to make sure that we treat their property in
08:32their areas with respect.
08:35P. M. G. Strives on showing up and leaving the site better or as good as
08:41what we found it. The property members and the communities that we work in
08:46are their homes, and we're just visitors.
08:51We prioritize the mindset that if this were my property, how would I want it to
08:55be treated? And how do I want to be left? This could be a simple is when we
08:59leave will supply a fresh load of stone in the driveway will plant a certain
09:03grass seed that they prefer for their wildlife. But whatever we can do to make
09:07sure that they're happy when we leave is what we strive to do. We want all
09:11these experience to be good for the landowners. Although we understand that
09:15it is an inconvenience at times, we still want them to say when we leave,
09:19Hey, you know what? That pen mechanical group, they did the best possible job
09:22they could do for us.
09:25The only way this is achieved is by employing considerate, hardworking men
09:28and women. The employees of Penn Mechanical Group are just that we, as a
09:33company, could not achieve the success that we have had in this line of
09:36business without these individuals. Speaking for myself, the owners and
09:41other management of Penn Mechanical, we're pride proud to have these
09:45gentlemen behind me and along with the other men and women that we have
09:49working out in the field elsewhere on our team. With current employees like
09:53this, Penn Mechanical Group will continue to give nothing but first
09:57class more workmanship. Now, without further ado, I would like to introduce
10:01Governor Josh Shapiro. Thank you very much. Appreciate it.
10:06Thank you, Brian. And it feels like just yesterday, Brian and I were
10:12together and I think it was Butler County when we did our 200th well, and
10:16now we are here at number 300. This is an important milestone, and I want you
10:22to understand why I think these well plugging efforts are so critically
10:28important for our commonwealth, for our economy, for putting people to work for
10:33our public health, for our environment, for our farmers and much, much more. Let
10:38me just say I am really pleased to be back in Washington County. You all are
10:43really well led here, and I want to acknowledge and thank your county
10:47commissioners who are here. Commissioner Maggi, Commissioner Sherman and
10:51Commissioner Janice. We've had the opportunity to work together on a number
10:54of things. They are always harping on economic development. I mean that in the
10:58most complimentary way, and we work closely with them. So we appreciate their
11:03important work here, and I want to say it's good for me to be here with our
11:08team from DEP, led by Acting Secretary Jess Shirley, who I was with just
11:13yesterday in York County, along with the wonderful team here that does great work
11:18out in the community. Kurt and Eric and everyone at DEP, we appreciate you very,
11:23very much, and I've got your backs. You know, I couldn't help when I was
11:28listening to Bob talk and having the opportunity to be with him, and Mike, I'm
11:33gonna embarrass you, his fellow supervisor before. They commented to me
11:37on how they have kind of different political philosophies. They view life a
11:42little bit differently, but the thing that has unified them over nearly two
11:47decades of working together here in North Franklin Township has been
11:51focusing on common sense, and as I like to see every day, that GSD attitude, that
11:57attitude of just getting stuff done, whether it's paving a road or building a
12:01park or making sure the kids have safe streets to walk down. Those common sense
12:06things are things that bring us together, that bind us, that unite us, and I'm
12:12pleased to be here today to be with folks who share that attitude. It's how
12:16I'm trying to lead our Commonwealth, and it's why this effort that we have
12:21engaged in to plug these wells is so critically important. Let me explain. I
12:27actually wanted to be here today because I think this may be the easiest way for
12:32folks to understand the vision that I've had when it comes to plugging these
12:37wells. We talked before about how an orphaned or abandoned well leaks methane
12:42into the air. That methane is really bad to breathe in. It leads to adverse health
12:48conditions for our kids. It leads to warmer, wetter weather that creates more
12:54moldy crops and undermines the work that our farmers are doing, and as we see
13:00right here in Washington County, it makes it harder to get outside and enjoy the
13:05outdoors, but if you go and plug that well, if you stop that methane from
13:10leaking, better health outcomes, better for our farmers. You got people going to
13:15work to do this important work every day that puts food on their tables for
13:20them and their families. We get the opportunity to get out and enjoy the
13:24wonderful, beautiful outdoors, especially in this southwestern corner of
13:29Pennsylvania that's just so unbelievably beautiful. That lake right over
13:34there, the lake that people look at, admire, it's beautiful, but can't enjoy
13:39because of what's bubbling beneath the surface, literally bubbling beneath the
13:43surface with methane leaking, but when we cap that well, when we stop that
13:49methane from leaking, we can stock that with fish, and you got me on the record
13:54that we're going to do that, Bob. We can bring people back outside. We can enjoy
13:58the beauty of our communities. We can do right by our planet. We can do right by
14:03the people that are doing this work, and we can create another area of
14:08opportunity right here in Washington County. This is really critically
14:13important stuff. It's why I talked about this when I was running to be your
14:17governor. Folks are like, what is this guy talking about? But I was passionate
14:21about it. It's why when in my first few months as governor, we were able to put
14:26together a fund made up of both federal dollars and state dollars and a team to
14:31get out there and plug these wells, and I want you to know with our 300th well, we
14:38have now plugged. I've been governor two years. We have now plugged more wells in
14:41the last two years than the Commonwealth plugged in the last 11 years combined,
14:47and we're not even close to being done. I think the chart you're going to see on
14:52the number of wells we plug is going to look more like a hockey stick, really
14:56dramatically increasing as these months and years go on, and so I want you to
15:01know every time we plug a well, we're doing right by public health, right by
15:06public safety, right by our farmers, right by our workers, and right by our
15:10communities, and we're going to keep at it. This is common sense stuff. You may
15:15have read a few weeks ago when the new administration in Washington froze a
15:21bunch of federal money. I actually had to go to court to stop them. I'm not
15:25saying this to be partisan. I want you to understand, though, what happened when
15:28they froze that money. They actually froze millions of dollars that we were
15:32relying on to plug these wells. Now, I filed a lawsuit, but the most important
15:37thing I kept doing was talking to the Trump administration, and I actually
15:41pitched them directly. I said, you know, these are communities that had your back,
15:46Mr. President. These are communities that supported you, and unfortunately, this
15:50funding that you're cutting, this funding that you're freezing, is actually hurting
15:54those communities. Next day, they unfroze the money, and we got back to work and
15:59made sure that this work continues. I share that with you because I want you
16:03to know this is an important federal-state partnership that we need
16:07to keep up, and we need to make sure it continues here in Washington County and
16:12across the southwestern corner of our state, the northern tier, where so many of
16:17these wells exist. I want you to know that this work is really important to me
16:23and really important to DEP. I also want you to know, and this is a commercial for
16:28those of you who are at home watching, we know that we've got a lot of wells
16:32out there, but we also know that we don't know where all of them are. A lot of the
16:37mapping that we have for these old wells is just that, old, and some of those wells
16:41never made it onto the system, and so I want to say to everyone watching here, we
16:47need your help. If you stumble, hopefully not literally, but if you stumble across
16:50an orphaned or abandoned well, alert DEP. Don't assume that they know it's there,
16:57and that we'll get it on the list and make sure that it gets fixed up, that it
17:02gets plugged, these people do their jobs, and then they move on to the next one. So
17:06I want to encourage the public to work with us as we work hard for you to
17:10improve public health, public safety, put people to work, and do things that are
17:15just common sense, the North Franklin Township way. So I want to thank you for
17:19welcoming me back to Washington County to allow us to highlight what I think is
17:24one of the most important things our administration is doing, and I want to
17:27make sure that this work continues. And thanks to all of you and your dedication
17:31to our outdoors, to our infrastructure, to our public health and safety. I know
17:36we're going to continue to be successful in this effort. So thank you all very
17:39much. With that, we'll be happy to take a few questions from the media, and then I
17:43look forward to checking out the well behind me and getting this work done.
17:54Well first off, it's critically important that you alert us if you see a well on
18:10your property or somewhere near your property. And I want to make sure that
18:14folks let us know, and you'll excuse me, I set up a special line where people can
18:20text me to let me know where, if they come across a well, it's 717-788-8990.
18:28Literally text me your address, text me latitude, longitude, whatever. We will get
18:34out there and we will find it. We want to test and see if methane is leaking. If
18:38methane is leaking, it is a worrisome thing for, I've got four kids, it's
18:43worrisome for young kids. It can easily impact them if they have asthma or other
18:50health conditions. It's not good for our farmers, it's just not good for our
18:54planet. And so we want to get that plugged as quickly as possible. And so I
18:58want to encourage any landowner to alert us right away. And I also want to say to
19:02landowners, if you've got an orphaned or abandoned well on your property, you're
19:06not in trouble. You didn't do anything wrong. We want to make sure we know it's
19:10there so we can get out and we can plug it and make it right for you, for your
19:14children, and for your community. Thank you. Anything else? No? Thank you all very,
19:22very much. Appreciate it. Thank you.
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