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The Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) has extended the period for written comment on proposed regulations regarding hydraulic fracturing activities in the Basin from Feb. 28 to March 30, 2018. Two additional public hearings also have been scheduled in February and March. The commissioners extended the period in response to requests for more public input opportunities and

The Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) announced this month draft amendments to its plan and regulations to better provide for the planning, conservation, utilization, development, management and control of the basin’s water resources in connection with the hydraulic fracturing of shale and other hydrocarbon-bearing formations. In December 2010, the DRBC drafted and published environmental protection regulations

The PennEast Pipeline is a proposed 120.2 mile natural gas pipeline, designed to deliver natural gas across two states. The pipeline will begin at two existing interconnects of pipeline and deliver natural gas from Luzerne County, Pennsylvania to Mercer County, New Jersey. The Philadelphia District of the US Army Corps of Engineers released public notice

The PennEast Pipeline Company announced the opening of the PennEast Powering STEM Grant Program Cycle, which supplies grants of up to $10,000 to nonprofit organizations in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The program looks to award organizations that: *Incorporate energy exploration, distribution, use and/or environmental education into their curriculum; *Provide individuals of all ages greater access

The Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) announced in September that it will release a revised set of draft regulations for public comment, addressing natural gas development activities within the Delaware River Basin. In December 2010, the DRBC drafted and published environmental protection regulations for the watershed that were open for public comment until April 15,

Click here to download a PDF version of this document.  In December 2016, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published the final version of the “Hydraulic Fracturing for Oil and Gas: Impacts from the Hydraulic Fracturing Water Cycle on Drinking Water Resources in the United States” (the “Study”).  This Study is the result of

A group of Pennsylvania senators is joining in an ongoing lawsuit that questions the authority of the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) to place a moratorium on hydraulic fracturing in the river basin. Senators Lisa Baker, Joseph Scarnati and Gene Yaw have filed to join a lawsuit brought by a landowners’ group called the Wayne

Public comments are now open on the PennEast Pipeline Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS), released in July and prepared by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) in cooperation with several other agencies. The over 1,000-page DEIS examines the possible effects of the 119-mile pipeline, proposed to carry one billion cubic feet per day of natural

A possible 4,800 feet of natural gas pipeline from Delmont, Pa., to Lambertville, N.J., could be completed as early as 2018, according to the Energy Information Administration. The new pipeline would add to the area’s existing 6,800 feet of pipeline completed prior to 2014.  But the benefits and risks of natural gas pipelines are still

The Lehigh Valley section of the American Society of Civil Engineering honored the civil engineering team at RKR Hess, a division of UTRS, Inc., for its work on the Aquatopia indoor waterpark at Camelback Resort in Monroe County, Pennsylvania. The Aquatopia feature of the resort is the largest ever built in a single phase and

The Environmental Protection Agency is holding a public teleconference, run by the Science Advisory Board’s Hydraulic Fracturing Research Advisory Panel, to discuss the first draft of the peer review report of the Hydraulic Fracturing Drinking Water Assessment. The “Draft Assessment of the Potential Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing for Oil and Gas on Drinking Water Resources”

An application to construct a 118-mile pipeline that will carry natural gas between Pennsylvania and New Jersey was submitted to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) in September by PennEast Pipeline Company, LLC (FERC Docket #CP15-558) The proposed pipeline would transport gas from Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, to other pipelines near Trenton, New Jersey. An interactive

The Environmental Protection Agency is looking for public comment and peer review on the recently released Draft Assessment of the Potential Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing for Oil and Gas on Drinking Water Resources (Executive Summary, Full Report, Appendices). As a part of the peer review process, the draft report must be presented to and reviewed

A new Pennsylvania Senate bill introduced in June would allow Marcellus Shale developers to use treated coal mine water in oil and gas development. The Treated Mine Water Act, approved by the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee, looks to create more opportunities for the oil and gas industry to find reliable sources of water

The public comment period in the final rulemaking of the “Environmental Protection Performance Standards of Oil and Gas Well Sites” ends on May 19, after four years of revisions to and multiple rounds of comment on the regulations proposed by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). The revisions to Chapter 78 of the Pennsylvania Code,

In a recent Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PA DEP) informational meeting sponsored by Rep. Rosemary Brown (R-Monroe/Pike), DEP representatives discussed the annual permit fee imposed on dam owners to cover a portion of the DEP costs to administer the Dam Safety program and the fiscal responsibility regulations. The meeting was primarily for private dam

On October 23, the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission (LVPC) held its inaugural “Celebration of Excellence in Planning” awards ceremony at Iacocca Hall in Bethlehem, Pa.

Recently, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP) invited RKR Hess engineers to make a presentation at the Flood Protection Program’s 14th Annual Workshop. Held in State College, Pa., the workshop was attended by municipal representatives responsible for the operation and maintenance of flood protection projects, as well as representatives from agencies that regulate and

In one week, Pennsylvania voters will take to the polls to choose their next governor. As the Republican incumbent, Governor Tom Corbett faces a major opponent in Democratic candidate Tom Wolf to secure his seat. Among the many issues debated throughout each candidate’s campaign, shale gas drilling remains an important topic for Commonwealth citizens.

On May 9, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR) soliciting comment from stakeholders and the general public regarding obtaining information on chemical substances and mixtures used in hydraulic fracturing for oil and gas exploration and development.

On February 11, 2014, three gas wells exploded at Chevron’s gas well site in Dunkard Township, Green County, Pa. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PA DEP), as of March 6, all three of the gas wells involved—6H, 7H and 8H—are now secure.

During the November 21, 2013, bi-monthly Pennsylvania Commonwealth Financing Authority (CFA) meeting, the dispersal of approximately $44 million from Act 13 impact fees gathered from Marcellus Shale well operators was approved for 183 projects across the Commonwealth.

Exxon Mobil’s energy corporation division, XTO Energy, Inc., and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently reached a civil action settlement after approximately 57,000 gallons of wastewater were illegally discharged at the division’s shale gas drill site in Lycoming County, Pa. According to the EPA, XTO violated Section 301 of the Clean Water Act (CWA),

In the past decade, an increasing number of energy companies have hoped to expand their resource production to include shale gas. More than a dozen different companies have requested federal approval from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to produce and export the fossil fuel to foreign countries.

RKR Hess is excited to welcome the newest addition to our transportation services team, Project Engineer, Timothy Kramer, P.E. Joining us from Alfred Benesch & Company (Allentown, Pa.) where he served as Project Engineer, Kramer prepared and managed tasks associated with Design-Build, Design-Bid-Build, and highway design and bridge replacement projects.

As reported by The Associated Press, energy companies Hess Corp. and Newfield Exploration Co. recently terminated their property leases in northeastern Pennsylvania, where drilling of the Marcellus Shale has been put on hold due to the ongoing creation and negotiation of environmental protection regulations by the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC). A master lease for

This spring, the Lehigh Valley Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers (LVASCE) awarded RKR Hess with the 2012 Outstanding Civil Engineering Award for its work on the East Stroudsburg Dam Rehabilitation Project.

The results of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) ongoing Study of the Potential Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing on Drinking Water Resources are expected to be released in late 2014 and are widely anticipated

As winter quickly approaches, it’s a good time to think about ways you can save on your heating bills and help  the environment by using less energy. Here are some tips to save on your winter heating bills.

We recently served as the Design and Consulting Engineer for a $9.125M water service area expansion project for Stroudsburg Municipal Authority to expand service along the Route 611 corridor in Pocono Township, Monroe County, PA.

We will be posting project updates,  news and other information about RKR Hess, a division of UTRS, Inc. here from time-to-time. We’ll also provide industry insights and tips in our core areas of expertise of civil and environmental engineering.