What should I do if a company HAS applied for state permits?

If a gas company has applied for permits in your community, you can take the following steps to educate yourself and protect yourself from potential harms:

• Immediately begin water testing and health surveys to get baseline data
• Push your township elected officials to respond to the Act 14 Notice (see here for more info on Act 14)
• Depending on the type of permit and type of proposed infrastructure, there may be several different opportunities for you to participate in the permitting process. This often comes in the form of submitting written comments to the permitting agency, but can also include giving public comments at an in-person hearing. See Environmental Integrity Project, How to Prepare My Testimony, for tips on preparing public comment.
• If you have the time or capacity, we encourage citizens to do a file review to check the company’s permit application for completeness or any flaws (see Clean Air’s Public Participation Guide, page 33). If you find any issues or gaps in the permit, it is much easier to contest it with the DEP.  Additionally, the permitting agency may be required to consider your findings if you submit them during a public comment period.
• Opportunities for public participation differ depending on the type of permit issued. You can view the opportunities for public engagement for each permit type to learn more.
• Track the permits issued in your community by subscribing to updates on DEP eNotice.