Pennsylvania Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - March 4 to 10; Big Week For Spills

From March 4 to 10, DEP’s Oil and Gas Compliance Database shows oil and gas inspectors filed 545 inspection entries that resulted in reporting 87 violations of environmental regulations--  54 violations by the conventional oil and gas industry and 33 violations by the unconventional shale natural gas industry.

So far this year-- as of March 3-- DEP issued 640 formal notices of violation to conventional operators and 249 to unconventional shale gas operators based on 2,458  inspections of conventional facilities and 4,543 inspections of unconventional shale gas facilities.

Three conventional oil and gas operators received notices of violation for failure to plug their wells upon abandoning them-- Peoples Natural Gas Co. LLC (Allegheny County), Bear Lake Prop LLC (Warren County) and DJW Enterprises, Inc. (Washington County).

Otherwise it was a big week for spills, venting gas into the atmosphere, failure to submit production and waste generation and well integrity reports, failing to get a permit to drill and operate a well, etc. from both conventional and unconventional shale gas well operators.

Conventional violators this week included- Peoples Natural Gas Co. LLC (Allegheny County); C&D Gas Co. (Armstrong County); Diversified Prod LLC (Fayette County); Bear Lake Prop LLC (Warren County); DJW Enterprises, Inc. (Washington County); Oil & Gas Mgmt. Inc. (Westmoreland County); and Questa Petro Co. (Westmoreland County).

Unconventional shale gas violators included-- Chesapeake Appalachia LLC (Bradford County); Diversified Prod LLC (Fayette County); M4 Energy LLC (Fayette County); EQT ARO LLC (Lycoming County); Repsol Oil & Gas USA LLC (Susquehanna County); Clean Energy Exploration & Production LLC (Tioga County) and Delmar Midstream LLC (Tioga County).

Report Violations

To report oil and gas violations or any environmental emergency or complaint, visit DEP’s Environmental Complaint webpage.

Check These Resources

Visit DEP’s Compliance Reporting Database webpage to search their compliance records by date and operator.

Sign up for DEP’s eNOTICE service which sends you information on oil and gas and other permits submitted to DEP for review in your community.

Violation Details

Violations Reported - Conventional

3 -- Failure To Plug The Well Upon Abandoning It

1 -- Drilling, altering or operating a well without a permit

2 -- Failed to construct and operate a well in compliance with the regulations

1 -- Operator Vented Natural Gas Into The Atmosphere

1 -- Defective Casing and/or Cementing Of Well

1 -- Operated A Residual Waste Processing Or Disposal Facility Without A Permit

1 -- Failed To Contain Wastes Or Regulated Substances In Tanks Or Other Storage Structures

1 -- Failed To Collect Brine And Properly Manage Wastewater

4 -- Failure To Construct Well To Maintain Its Integrity

4 -- Failed To Submit Well Integrity Report

4 -- Failed To Submit Well Production & Waste Management Report

1 -- Failed to design, implement, maintain erosion & sedimentation controls

1 -- Failed to restore well site, fill in pits used to contain produced water, wastes

1 -- Failed to design construct, maintain pits or tanks to be structurally sound

Company/Location/Violations - Conventional

Allegheny County

-- Peoples Natural Gas Co. LLC - Plum Boro - Harry G. Shaw 1301

     -- Failure To Plug The Well Upon Abandoning It

     -- Failed to construct and operate a well in compliance with the regulations

Armstrong County

-- C&D Gas Co. - Burrell Twp. - JW Clark 2

     -- Failed to design, implement, maintain erosion & sedimentation controls

     -- Failed to restore well site, fill in pits used to contain produced water, wastes

Fayette County

-- Diversified Prod LLC - German Twp. - Burden 1

     -- Failed to design construct, maintain pits or tanks to be structurally sound

Warren County

-- Bear Lake Prop LLC - Columbus Twp. - T Reed 2

     -- Failure To Plug The Well Upon Abandoning It

Washington County

-- DJW Enterprises, Inc. - Amwell Twp. - Pearl Miles 1

     -- Failure To Plug The Well Upon Abandoning It

     -- Operator Vented Natural Gas Into The Atmosphere

     -- Defective Casing and/or Cementing Of Well

     -- Failed To Submit Well Production & Waste Management Report

Westmoreland County

-- Oil & Gas Mgmt. Inc. - East Huntingdon Twp. - RHB&D 2

     -- Failed to construct and operate a well in compliance with the regulations

     -- Failure To Construct Well To Maintain Its Integrity

     -- Failed To Submit Well Integrity Report

     -- Failed To Submit Well Production & Waste Management Report

-- Oil & Gas Mgmt. Inc. - East Huntingdon Twp. - RHB&D 3

     -- Failure To Construct Well To Maintain Its Integrity

     -- Failed To Submit Well Integrity Report

     -- Failed To Submit Well Production & Waste Management Report

-- Oil & Gas Mgmt. Inc. - Loyalhanna Twp. - Kiskiminetas School 6

     -- Drilling, altering or operating a well without a permit

     -- Failed To Contain Wastes Or Regulated Substances In Tanks Or Other Storage Structures

     -- Failed To Collect Brine And Properly Manage Wastewater

     -- Operated A Residual Waste Processing Or Disposal Facility Without A Permit

Questa Petro Co. - East Huntingdon Twp. - Brodak 1

     -- Failed To Submit Well Production & Waste Management Report

     -- Failure To Construct Well To Maintain Its Integrity

     -- Failed To Submit Well Integrity Report

Questa Petro Co. - East Huntingdon Twp. - Brodak 3

     -- Failed To Submit Well Production & Waste Management Report

     -- Failure To Construct Well To Maintain Its Integrity

     -- Failed To Submit Well Integrity Report

Violations Reported - Unconventional Shale Gas

1 -- Discharged Waste Into Waters Of Commonwealth

2 -- Failure To Report A Release That Caused Or Threatens To Cause Pollution

2 -- Failure To Prevent Substances From Reaching Waters of Commonwealth

2 -- Failed to design, implement, maintain erosion & sedimentation controls

6 -- Operated A Residual Waste Processing Or Disposal Facility Without A Permit

7 -- Failed To Contain Wastes Or Regulated Substances In Tanks Or Other Storage Structures

1 -- Failed to design construct, maintain pits or tanks to be structurally sound

1 -- Term of inactive well status expired

1  -- Failed to monitor inactive status of well

1 -- Failed to have emergency response plan

1 -- Failed To Submit Well Integrity Report

Company/Location/Violations - Unconventional Shale Gas

Bradford County

-- Chesapeake Appalachia LLC - Wilmot Twp. - VRGC 4HC

     -- Failed To Contain Wastes Or Regulated Substances In Tanks Or Other Storage Structures

     -- Operated A Residual Waste Processing Or Disposal Facility Without A Permit

-- Chesapeake Appalachia LLC - Tuscarora Twp. - BORECK N SUS 1H

     -- Failure To Report A Release That Caused Or Threatens To Cause Pollution

     -- Failed To Contain Wastes Or Regulated Substances In Tanks Or Other Storage Structures

     -- Operated A Residual Waste Processing Or Disposal Facility Without A Permit

-- Chesapeake Appalachia LLC - Tuscarora Twp. - Floydie OG Well Pad

     -- Failure To Report A Release That Caused Or Threatens To Cause Pollution

     -- Failed To Contain Wastes Or Regulated Substances In Tanks Or Other Storage Structures

     -- Operated A Residual Waste Processing Or Disposal Facility Without A Permit

Fayette County

-- Diversified Prod LLC - Lower Tyrone Twp. - Pritts Unit 1

     -- Term of inactive well status expired

     -- Failed to design construct, maintain pits or tanks to be structurally sound

-- M4 Energy LLC - Stewart Twp. - Sproul 7005

     -- Failed To Submit Well Integrity Report

     -- Failed to monitor inactive status of well

     -- Failed to have emergency response plan

Lycoming County

-- EQT ARO LLC - Cascade Twp. - Salt Run HB Ext1-11H

     -- Failed To Contain Wastes Or Regulated Substances In Tanks Or Other Storage Structures

     -- Operated A Residual Waste Processing Or Disposal Facility Without A Permit

-- EQT ARO LLC - McIntyre Twp. - COP Tract 551 B-8H

     -- Failed To Contain Wastes Or Regulated Substances In Tanks Or Other Storage Structures

     -- Operated A Residual Waste Processing Or Disposal Facility Without A Permit

-- EQT ARO LLC - McIntyre Twp.  - COP Tract 551 Access Road

     -- Failed to design, implement, maintain erosion & sedimentation controls

     -- Failure To Prevent Substances From Reaching Waters of Commonwealth

Susquehanna County

-- Repsol Oil & Gas USA LLC - Rush Twp. - Shaw J (05-272)

     -- Failed To Contain Wastes Or Regulated Substances In Tanks Or Other Storage Structures

     -- Failure To Prevent Substances From Reaching Waters of Commonwealth

     -- Operated A Residual Waste Processing Or Disposal Facility Without A Permit

Tioga County

-- Clean Energy Exploration & Production LLC - Delmar Twp. - Whispering Pines Well Pad

     -- Failed To Contain Wastes Or Regulated Substances In Tanks Or Other Storage Structures

     -- Operated A Residual Waste Processing Or Disposal Facility Without A Permit

-- Delmar Midstream LLC - Delmar Twp. - Whispering Pines To Brown Pipeline

     -- Discharged Waste/substance Into Waters Of Commonwealth

     -- Failed to design, implement, maintain erosion & sedimentation controls

[Note: If you believe your company was listed in error, contact DEP’s Oil and Gas Program.]

[Note: These may not be all the NOVs issued to oil and gas companies during this time period.  Additional inspection reports may be added to DEP’s Oil and Gas Compliance Database.]

PA Oil & Gas Public Notice Dashboards:

-- Pennsylvania Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - March 4 to 10; Big Week For Spills  [PaEN]

-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices/Opportunities To Comment - March 11 [PaEN]

-- DEP Posts 84 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In March 11 PA Bulletin  [PaEN]  

PA Oil & Gas Compliance Reports

-- Feature: 60 Years Of Fracking, 20 Years Of Shale Gas: Pennsylvania’s Oil & Gas Industrial Infrastructure Is Hiding In Plain Sight [PaEN]

-- Conventional Oil & Gas Well Owners Failed To File Annual Production/Waste Generation Reports For 61,655 Wells; Attorney General Continues Investigation Of Road Dumping Wastewater  [PaEN]

-- DEP Issued 754 Notices Of Violation For Defective Oil & Gas Well Casing, Cementing, The Fundamental Protection Needed To Prevent Gas Migration, Groundwater & Air Contamination, Explosions  [PaEN]

-- DEP Report Finds: Conventional Oil & Gas Drillers Routinely Abandon Wells; Fail To Report How Millions Of Gallons Of Waste Is Disposed; And Non-Compliance Is An ‘Acceptable Norm’  [PaEN]

-- DEP 2021 Oil & Gas Program Annual Report Shows Conventional Oil & Gas Operators Received A Record 610 Notices Of Violation For Abandoning Wells Without Plugging Them  [PaEN]

-- PA Oil & Gas Industry Has Record Year: Cost, Criminal Convictions Up; $3.1 Million In Penalties Collected; Record Number Of Violations Issued; Major Compliance Issues Uncovered; Evidence Of Health Impacts Mounts  [PaEN]

NewsClips This Week:

-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: Greene County House That Exploded In 2018 From Natural Gas Leak Stands As A Monument To Leaking Gas Pipelines, Leaking Gas Wells, Leaking Gas Storage Areas 

-- WESA: CMU Researchers Find High Levels Of A Hazardous Chemical Acrolein Weeks After Ohio/PA Train Derailment [Acrolein Also Used In Shale Gas Fracking Fluid,To Treat Shale Gas Drilling Impoundments] 

-- The Center Square - Anthony Hennen: Well Done Foundation Says Taxpayers Shouldn’t Be Stuck With Paying To Plug Oil & Gas Wells, Private Finance Or Corporate Funding Needed

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Business, Natural Gas, Oil Groups Urge Shapiro, General Assembly To Promote State’s Energy Industry

-- Post-Gazette: Smoke Stacks From Closed Hatfield’s Ferry Coal-Fired Power Plant Demolished, Closing Chapter In PA Industrial History In Greene County: ‘I’m Ecstatic. It Was The Dirtiest, Dirtiest Place Ever.  It Put A Blight On Our Community’ 

-- WESA: Mon Valley Clean Air Watchdogs Call On EPA To Challenge Clairton Coke (Coal) Plant’s Operating Permit From Allegheny County 

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: EPA Region III Official To Meet With Pittsburgh Environmental Groups Over Air Pollution Standards

-- WNEP: Columbia County Residents Concerned About Coal Mine Fire Near Mount Carmel - ‘Like Burning Tires’

-- The Guardian: Among 10 Worst Places To Live In U.S. For Particulate Air Pollution - Harrisburg, York, Lancaster Region

Related Articles This Week:

-- Gov. Shapiro’s Budget Proposes Major Initiative To Speed Up DEP Permit Reviews/ Inspections; Double Oil & Gas Fund Investment In State Parks/Forests Infrastructure  [PaEN]

-- Rep. Greg Vitali Named Majority Chair Of House Environmental Committee; House Appoints Committee Members  [PaEN]

-- DEP Oil & Gas Advisory Board Meets March 13 To Hear Updates On Regulation Of Natural Gas Storage Areas, Chapter 78 Regs; Federal Well Plugging Program, Carbon Capture, Hydrogen Development  [PaEN]

-- DEP Hosting 6 Regional Engagement Sessions On Climate Action For Environmental Justice Communities Starting April 5  [PaEN]

-- The Guardian: One Of The Worst Global Methane Leaks In 2022 Was In PA - Equitrans In Cambria County; Routine Abandonment, Non-Compliance Of Conventional Gas Wells  [PaEN]

-- DEP Methane Overflight Research Study Resulted In Voluntary Reductions In Oil & Gas, Landfill Facilities; Coal Industry Uncooperative [PaEN] 

-- Scranton Times Editorial: Lower Boom On Natural Gas Leaks, Audit Abandoned Gas Well Capping  [PaEN]

-- Save Our Streams PA Hosting April 28-30 Abandoned Well Weekend Workshop In Bradford County  [PaEN]

-- Susquehanna River Basin Commission Meets March 16 On 6 Natural Gas Drilling Water Uses; 4.5 MGD Out-Of-Basin Transfer  [PaEN]

-- Senate Passes Bill Blocking Local Elected Officials From Moving To Cleaner Energy Sources To Combat Climate Change [PaEN]

-- Rep. Fiedler, Labor Leaders, Educational, Environmental Leaders Announce Bill To Create Grant Program To Invest In Solar Energy Facilities At Schools  [PaEN] 

-- U.S. EIA: 'Increasing Electricity Generation From Renewable Sources Contributes To Lower Power Prices' In 2023  [PaEN]

-- Bill Setting Decommissioning Rules For Utility-Scale Solar Energy Facilities Passes The Senate  [PaEN]

-- Sen. Yaw Proposes Independent Energy Office To Promote Development Of PA’s Diverse Energy Portfolio - Natural Gas, Nuclear Power, Coal [PaEN] 

-- U.S. Senate Hearing: Energy, Environmental Impacts Of Cryptocurrency Mining In Pennsylvania  [PaEN]

-- Republicans On Senate Committee Report Out Bill Allowing General Assembly To Kill Regulations By Doing Nothing  [PaEN]

-- Norfolk Southern CEO To Appear March 20 Before PA Senate Committee To Answer Questions About Ohio/PA Train Derailment; Committee Subpoenas Documents [PaEN]

-- House Democratic & Republican Policy Committees Hold March 14 Joint Hearing On Impact Of Ohio/PA Train Derailment In Beaver County [PaEN] 

-- Gov. Shapiro Announces Agreement With Norfolk Southern To Pay $7.38 Million In Initial Response Costs, Costs To Businesses, Residents From Train Derailment  [PaEN] 

-- Dept. Of Health Extends Operation Of Health Resource Center In Beaver County For PA Residents Impacted By Ohio/PA Train Derailment  [PaEN] 

-- DEP Reports No Signs Of Groundwater Contamination With First Results From Water Sampling Near Ohio/PA Train Derailment Site  [PaEN]

-- Sen. Bob Casey Testifies Before U.S. Senate Committee On Ohio/PA Train Derailment [PaEN]

-- Moms Clean Air Force: Impacted Parents From Ohio, PA Will Raise Concerns About Chemical Pollution From The Train Derailment, Petrochemical Industry In The Ohio Valley During U.S. Senate Hearing [PaEN] 

[Posted: March 11, 2023]  PA Environment Digest