Public Notice: Intent to Modify the Class I Underground Injection Control Permit for Panoche Energy Center, LLC

Intent to Modify the Class I Underground Injection Control Permit for Panoche Energy Center, LLC
How to Comment
Comments Due

EPA requests public comment on the proposed modifications to the Permit and will accept comments in writing through the end of the comment period on April 25, 2025 (40 CFR § 124.10). Please note that comments may only be provided on the proposed modified Permit conditions. See 40 CFR § 144.39 (“When a permit is modified, only the conditions subject to modification are reopened"). All other conditions of the Permit, which are not proposed to be revised, remain in place and are not subject to public comment. During the public comment period, we encourage electronic submittal of any comments on the proposed Permit modifications via email to Grant Scavello at scavello.grant@epa.gov. If you are unable to submit comments electronically, or if you have any questions or require assistance submitting comments, please contact Grant Scavello for assistance at the email address above or by calling (415) 972-3556.

If you are a person who needs a reasonable accommodation at no cost to you, or if you need assistance with this public notice in a different language, please reach out to Grant Scavello at scavello.grant@epa.gov.

During the comment period, any interested person may request a public hearing on the draft modifications to the Permit. A request for a public hearing shall be in writing, submitted to Grant Scavello at scavello.grant@epa.gov, and shall state the nature of the issues proposed to be raised in the hearing (40 CFR §§ 124.11 and 124.12). EPA will schedule a hearing only if there is a significant degree of public interest in any of the draft modifications to the Permit. EPA will provide a thirty (30) day notice of any hearing on this matter.

Supporting Materials
All data submitted by the applicant pertaining to the proposed modifications to the Permit is available as part of the administrative record for this action. This Notice, EPA’s Fact Sheet, and the Draft modifications to the Permit are available for public review online at UIC Class I Permit No. R9UIC-CA1-FY17-2R.

If you are unable to access these materials on the internet, please contact Grant Scavello at the telephone number or email address listed above for assistance.  

Publish Date

Summary

The United States Environmental Protection Agency, Region 9, Water Division, Groundwater Protection Section, 75 Hawthorne Street, San Francisco, CA 94105 (EPA) is providing an opportunity for the public to comment on its proposal to modify the Class I Non-Hazardous Underground Injection Control (UIC) permit for Panoche Energy Center, LLC (PEC), Permit No. R9UIC-CA1-FY17-2R (the “Permit”).

PEC is a gas-fired power plant which supplies power to the California electric grid. Fluids disposed by injection at the facility consist of cooling tower blowdown water, reverse osmosis system reject water, evaporative cooler blowdown water, combustion turbine intercooler condensate, enhanced wastewater water, and oil/water separator discharge water associated with operations of a simple cycle power generation plant that consists of four natural gas-fired combustion turbine generators. The Permit authorizes injection into four existing injection wells (IW1, IW2, IW3, IW4), and permits drilling of two additional wells (IW5 and IW6), to dispose of the wastewaters stated above into the Panoche Formation at depths ranging between approximately 7,199 to 8,897 feet below ground surface. The address of this facility is:

Panoche Energy Center, LLC
43883 West Panoche Road
Firebaugh, CA 93622

EPA issued the Permit on September 30, 2022, with an effective date of October 31, 2022. Upon issuance, the Permit included requirements in section II.E.2. to install a monitoring well. The monitoring well was to be used to perform chemical analysis and measure specific conductance and formation pressure in order to identify potential changes in the underground source of drinking water in the vicinity of one nearby abandoned well, the Silver Creek #18 well. In July 2024, PEC informed EPA that it was unable to gain access to the prescribed monitoring well location and requested that EPA change the monitoring condition in the Permit. Instead of the monitoring condition, PEC requested that the Permit include a requirement to perform enhanced injection formation monitoring, additional modeling, and a reduction in the allowable injection volumes authorized by the Permit.

EPA has made a preliminary determination to modify PEC’s Permit to incorporate these changes and remove the requirement to install a monitoring well. This action is being taken as provided by Part C of the SDWA (42 U.S.C. §300h et seq.) and pursuant to 40 CFR § 144.39(a)(2).

Final Permit Decisions and Appeals Process

After the close of the public comment period, EPA will review and consider all comments relevant to the draft modifications to the Permit. For comments submitted on any of the draft Permit modifications, EPA will send a response to comments to the applicant and each person who has submitted written comments. EPA will also post the response to comments document on our website at the above web address. The response to comments will contain: a response to all significant comments on the draft modifications to the Permit; EPA’s final decision on the Permit modifications; any changes in the draft modifications to the Permit and the reasons for the changes; and procedures for appealing the decisions. The final decision shall be to either approve or deny each of the Permit modifications.

The final decision shall become effective no sooner than thirty (30) days after the service of the notice of decision. Within thirty (30) days after a final decision has been issued, any person who filed comments on the draft modifications to the Permit, participated in any public hearing on the proposed modifications to the Permit, or takes issue with any changes to the Permit, may petition the Environmental Appeals Board to review the decision. Note that comments submitted and/or hearing requests on one or a subset of the proposed Permit modifications will not administratively affect other Permit conditions for which no comments and no hearing requests are submitted. Commenters are referred to 40 CFR § 124.19 for procedural requirements of the appeal process. If no comments request a change in the draft modifications to any or all of the Permit modifications, these permit modifications shall become effective immediately upon issuance. 40 CFR § 124.15(b)(3).

Applicants or Respondents

Panoche Energy Center, LLC

43883 West Panoche Road
Firebaugh, CA 93622
United States

Permit Number
R9UIC-CA1-FY17-2R

Related Documents

Public Notices at U.S. EPA

Contact Us About Public Notices at U.S. EPA
Contact Us to ask a question, provide feedback, or report a problem.
Last updated on March 26, 2025