Part 3 of a four-part series highlighting the Marcellus Shale Coalition’s four key industry priorities: capitalizing on downstream opportunities, infrastructure buildout, regulatory predictability, and operational reliability.

Meaningful regulatory reform begins with establishing clear, consistent, and predicable rules that protect the environment while providing companies the certainty needed to operate and invest.

“In any business, you need to understand the rules of the road and what is expected so you can develop a business plan,” Jim Welty, president of the Marcellus Shale Coalition, told the Williamsport Sun-Gazette.

That means two things for operators: permits that come back on a defined schedule, and regulations applied consistently across projects and across regions of the Commonwealth.

“We want to know that when we submit a permit, there is a specific timeframe that we can expect those permits to turn around,” Welty said. “We also want to know that the regulatory structure that’s being implemented is being implemented consistently every year, every month, and every week and consistently through every region of the Commonwealth.”

Pennsylvania already runs one of the nation’s most comprehensive regulatory frameworks for energy development. From permitting and inspections to air quality requirements and environmental safeguards, the Commonwealth has spent more than a decade refining a system designed to support responsible development while protecting communities and natural resources.

What’s needed now is to pair those nationally renowned standards with the speed and consistency that modern investment demands. As noted in a previous installment of this series, permitting delays can have significant consequences – ultimately impacting whether or not Pennsylvania can capitalize on its energy advantages for consumers, employees, and the economy.

Certainty Drives Investment

Regulatory predictability requires clear and consistent standards, along with reasonable, reliable timelines for permit reviews. These principles provide the certainty businesses need to plan, invest, and operate with confidence.

Pennsylvania’s elected official have taken real, impactful steps in that direction. Among the most significant was the creation of the Streamlining Permits for Economic Expansion and Development (SPEED) Program, signed into law by Governor Shapiro in 2024. SPEED allows qualified third-party professionals with relevant permitting expertise to conduct an initial review of certain environmental permit applications while DEP retains authority over all final permit decisions. The law also:

  • Established defined review timelines
  • Created a process to elevate delayed applications for priority review
  • Directed DEP to build an online tracking system so applicants can see where permits stand

The 2025 state budget expanded SPEED and added deemed-approved provisions for certain air permits, marking meaningful progress toward a more efficient and predictable process. Because when permits stall, infrastructure is delayed, investment slows (or goes elsewhere), and consumers lose the affordability and reliability benefits those projects deliver.

A Proven Record of Environmental Oversight

Modernized permitting is occurring alongside a regulatory framework that keeps getting stronger.

Act 13 of 2012 established the foundation for Pennsylvania’s modern unconventional natural gas regulatory framework, strengthening environmental protections, enhancing operational requirements, and establishing Pennsylvania’s unique natural gas severance tax, known as the Impact Fee, which has generated over $3.1 billion in funding for local communities across the Commonwealth. Since then, both regulators and industry have continued to advance environmental protections and operational practices through improved technologies, enhanced reporting requirements, expanded monitoring programs, and continuous improvements in how natural gas is developed.

Air quality provides one of the clearest examples.

In 2013, Pennsylvania adopted enhanced air permitting requirements for natural gas operations that required advanced emissions-control technologies, significantly reduced allowable emissions limits for certain facilities, and expanded oversight of equipment that had previously been subject to broader exemptions. These requirements are among the most stringent in the country and designed to improve air quality while streamlining permitting through clear and consistent standards.

Those actions were not one-time measures. Air quality requirements were strengthened again in 2019, and the regulatory framework has continued to evolve. Just as importantly, Pennsylvania has paired these requirements with robust oversight.

Over the years, DEP has expanded inspection capabilities, increased staffing dedicated to oil and natural gas oversight, and conducted extensive environmental monitoring programs to evaluate air quality, water protection, and operational performance.

The result is a regulatory system that continues to raise the bar while supporting one of the nation’s most productive natural gas regions. Pennsylvania’s record shows that strong environmental standards and responsible energy development are not mutually exclusive.

From Harrisburg to Washington: Advancing Affordability and Reliability

The push for regulatory certainty extends beyond Pennsylvania and is increasingly shaping energy policy discussions at both the state and federal levels.

As discussed in part 2 of this series, federal lawmakers are considering reforms aimed at reducing delays for pipelines, power generation facilities, and other critical infrastructure projects. The bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act reflects growing recognition that permitting timelines can influence energy affordability, reliability, and economic competitiveness.

Pennsylvania has already taken meaningful steps to improve permitting efficiency and transparency while maintaining strong environmental protections. Building on that progress can further position the Commonwealth as a model for how regulatory certainty and environmental stewardship can advance together.