Clean Air Council v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

Environmental groups filed a petition for review in Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court challenging a 2022 law that “froze” bonding amounts for oil and gas wells “at their current inadequate level.” The groups alleged that the law would prevent remediation of non-producing wells, allowing them to emit pollutants—including the potent greenhouse gas methane—to the air and water. They asked the court to declare that the law violated the trust obligations and right to a clean and healthy environment guaranteed by the Pennsylvania Constitution’s Environmental Rights Amendment.