On February 17, 2022, EPA Region 3 (R3) referred to DOJ a civil judicial action against Texas-based Hilcorp Energy Company (Hilcorp), one of the largest privately held oil and gas exploration and production companies in the United States. R3 alleges that Hilcorp failed to comply with CAA general operating permit (GP-5) conditions and failed to obtain a required permit before operating six (6) of its oil and gas production facilities in Lawrence and Mercer Counties in violation of Section 110 of the CAA and Commonwealth of Pennsylvania regulations that comprise the State Implementation Plan for Pennsylvania. These emission sources are located in the Northwest Regional Office jurisdiction of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP), which has expressed interest in joining this matter as a co-plaintiff. EPA further alleges that Hilcorp?s violations have resulted in significant unlawful VOC emissions to the atmosphere. VOCs are regulated under the CAA as precursors to the criteria pollutant ground-level ozone and this case is part of EPA's ongoing National Compliance Initiative for Creating Cleaner Air for Communities by Reducing Excess Emissions of Harmful Pollutants from Stationary Sources and is in furtherance of President Biden's directive that federal agencies coordinate investments and other efforts to assist coal, oil and gas, and power plant communities, and achieve substantial reductions of methane emissions from the oil and gas sector as qui