The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports:

Pennsylvania regulators backed off plans to write noise limits and requirements involving centralized wastewater storage tanks into new environmental rules for oil and gas wells.

The Department of Environmental Protection called those changes the most significant in the final draft of proposed rules it released Wednesday.

“These amendments reflect a balance between meeting the needs of the industry and the needs of public health and the environment; all while enabling drilling to proceed,” said department Secretary John Quigley, who promised more regulatory changes soon.

Industry and environmental advocates complained that the proposed noise limits were too vague to include in well permits. The DEP said centralized tanks for wastewater from wells could be governed by existing residual waste permit rules.

The most recent changes also clarify unclear language in the last draft. Drillers that pollute drinking water supplies will have to restore them to a higher standard. Playgrounds whose presence near a well would trigger extra requirements in a permit do not include those privately operated by a restaurant or day care center. One-year drilling permits can be renewed only once, for two years, before a company needs to start over on the application process.

“We are confident this will be approved,” Quigley said of the proposal that requires OKs from the Environmental Quality Board and the Independent Regulatory Review Commission next year.

“We have made changes. We have done this right.”

The four-year rewrite of rules meant to protect land, water and air around drilling and fracking sites has been divisive as it stretched between two administrations and sought to regulate both conventional drilling and the growing exploration of deep shale.

The department last year took testimony at a dozen public hearings before lawmakers ordered it to separate the new rules for conventional and shale drilling.

Gov. Tom Wolf, who took office this year and appointed Quigley, revamped the advisory boards that review the rules. The department then made enough changes to the draft rules that it required a second round of public comment.

Quigley acknowledged that the newly formed Conventional Oil and Gas Advisory Committee already has said it won’t give its blessing to the rules covering shallow wells.

Deputy Secretary Scott Perry said he expects more changes to this draft as it goes before the two advisory boards.

A separate process to write stronger public health rules for the industry is starting now, Quigley said.