Cost Of Shale Gas Drilling Permit In Pennsylvania Jumps 150%

Pennsylvania more than doubled as of August 1 the fee for all unconventional well permit applications, while shale companies call on state officials to find other mechanisms to fund the oil and gas program of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. The fee for all unconventional well permit applications is now $12,500—up from US$5,000 for nonvertical unconventional wells and US$4,200 for vertical unconventional wells. The increase is designed “to sustain the Program at current staff levels and operating costs,”…