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Susquehanna River Basin Commission (SRBC) General Counsel Jason Oyler joins The Water Values Podcast and provides a fascinating look at how the SRBC sprung into action when unconventional gas drilling (i.e., fracking) started in the Susquehanna River Basin. Jason covers a tremendous amount of ground, from how the SRBC promulgated rules quickly, how the SRBC addressed the quantity of water used and where that water was being used, how the SRBC implemented a system of low flow pass-bys, and also how the SRBC monitors water quality. Jason pulls back the curtain on how the SRBC operates - this is an episode you need to hear. As you listen, remember that the SRBC is not a water quality regulator, it is a water quantity regulator.
Additionally, the podcast features our second Bluefield on Tap segment, in which Reese Tisdale, President of Bluefield Research, discusses current water market conditions in the energy sector.
In this session, you’ll learn about:
- What the SRBC is
- How the SRBC was formed and how it is governed
- The unique circumstances that allowed the SRBC to implement fast track rule promulgation
- Why the SRBC regulates unconventional drillers “at gallon one”
- Why the location of unconventional drilling pads in the Susquehanna River Basin presents unique challenges from a water flow perspective
- Why the location of unconventional drilling pads in the Susquehanna River Basin presents unique challenges from an infrastructure perspective
- How unconventional drillers deal with produced water
- How the SRBC set up a remote water quality monitoring system
- How the SRBC is expanding its remote water quality monitoring system
Resources and links mentioned in or relevant to this session include:
- The Susquehanna River Basin Commission website
- The SRBC’s Remote Water Quality Monitoring webpage
- Wikipedia page on the SRBC
- Article identifying period when fracking halted due to low flow conditions
- TWV 007: What’s a Leaky River? with Dr. Ellen Wohl
- TWV 088: Utility Infrastructure Needs with Bluefield Research President Reese Tisdale
A simple Google search for “Susquehanna River Basin Commission” will yield pages upon pages of articles you can read and digest that concern unconventional drilling. They are too numerous to list here.
Transcript
Sorry – no transcript this week. Let me know by emailing me if you miss the transcripts!
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