Under a new state law, Marcellus gas operators are required to report the production of their individual wells every six months. The data are expected to be useful to environmental activists as well as industry analysts, who can scour the numbers to check on their competitors.
"The public-reporting website will create much-needed transparency that allows for citizens and policy-makers to be aware of the increasing amount of natural gas being generated in Pennsylvania," DEP Secretary John Hanger said.
Actually, the most recent production data, which cover the 12 months ending June 30, were inadvertently released by DEP in raw form in September. The new website, with a searchable interface, makes the data accessible to the public.
Included are current and historical production statistics for oil and gas wells. The website also includes waste-production data.
In addition, a separate web page lets users view violation data, by operator, as well as the DEP's enforcement measures.
"This is an industrial activity that is taking place widely throughout the state," Hanger said. "It's important that families know what is happening in their backyards, and whether or not the company drilling there has a good track record of safe and environmentally sound operations."
The DEP's site is part of a growing outpouring of online information about the Marcellus Shale, a mile-deep formation that lies under more than half of the state.
Pennsylvania State University's Marcellus Center for Outreach and Research recently launched a website that includes an animated map showing the spread of shale-gas drilling since 2007.
Since 2005, 2,300 Marcellus wells have been drilled in the state.
