So far this year-- as of September 15--
-- NOVs Issued In Last Week: 60 conventional, 31 unconventional
-- Year To Date - NOVs Issued: 4,621 conventional and 944 unconventional
-- Inspections Last Week: 321 conventional and 429 unconventional
-- Year To Date - Inspections: 11,142 conventional and 17,068 unconventional
Another Abandoned Shale Gas Well Pad?
On September 18, 2023, DEP did a follow up inspection of the DR02 shale gas well pad and impoundment operated by Nucomer Energy LLC in Hickory Township, Forest County and found it in the same condition it was on July 8, 2022.
The violations at the site go back at least to April 27, 2022 and the operator was given a notice of violation for failing to submit monthly production and waste disposal reports on September 2, 2020.
DEP issued notices of violation for failing to restore the well pad and onsite impoundment within nine months of completion of fracking, failure to construct or maintain a dike or secondary containment at the site for condensate produced from a well, numerous tears and holes in containment liner and more.
DEP’s most recent inspection report said the company told the agency the compromised line would be replaced in April 2023, but “as of the date of this inspection there has not been any progress made.”
The well pad is located in the Tionesta Creek Watershed, a High Quality stream.
DEP’s inspection report requested the operator to submit a written report by October 11, 2023 on how it plans to bring the shale gas well site into compliance.
Last week DEP inspections found the XTO Energy, Inc. shale gas well pad in Butler County had numerous partially drilled wells and issued NOVs for well abandonment. Read more here.
Roulette Oil & Gas LLC New Abandon Well
On September 19, 2023, DEP inspected the Contant 1 conventional well operated by Roulette Oil and Gas LLC in Harrison Township, Potter County and issued notices of violation for failure to plug the well upon abandoning it.
DEP also issued an NOV for failure of the operator to plug the well to stop the vertical flow of fluids or gas within the well bore.
DEP’s inspection report said the well was drilled in 2009 and has not been produced to date. It was granted inactive status on April 24, 2015 which expired on April 24, 2019 without a request for extension.
DEP records also indicate the operator failed to submit the required annual mechanical integrity reports as required to maintain inactive status.
DEP requested the operator to submit a written report to DEP by October 20, 2023 on how it would bring the well into compliance.
DEP is now reviewing a permit application from Roulette Oil and Gas LLC for an oil and gas wastewater injection well in Clara Township, Potter County.
The principles of this company have been connected to the abandonment of eight oil and gas waste inspection wells in Potter County by a local citizens group. Read more here.
More Conventional Wells Abandoned
On September 19, 2023, DEP inspected the Pymatuning Venture Investors 1 and 2 conventional gas wells operated by Diamond Energy Partners LLC in Conneaut Township, Crawford County and found them to be abandoned.
DEP issued notices of violation for abandoning a well without plugging them and gave the operator until October 17, 2023 to submit a written report on how they will bring the well into compliance.
DEP inspection report for PVI 1.
On September 19, 2023, DEP inspected the Grucza 1 conventional well operated by Stedman Energy Inc. in Waterford Township, Erie County and found it to be abandoned.
DEP issued a notice of violation for abandoning a well without plugging it and gave the operator until October 17, 2023 to submit a written report on how they will bring the well into compliance.
The DEP inspection report noted the casing was open to the atmosphere, but no venting of natural gas was detected at the time of the inspection.
On September 21, 2023, DEP did a follow up inspection on the Sara Gorley conventional well in Luzerne Township, Fayette County operated by Fortress Energy Corp and found it in the same condition it was on May 3, 2023.
“Associated equipment/materials appear to be simply discarded into the surrounding tree line. Previous inspections note that plugging operations were abandoned after trying to reach attainable bottom.”
DEP issued notices of violation for abandoning a well without plugging, not filing annual mechanical integrity reports for five years, failure to meet the minimum standards in the regulations and more.
DEP’s inspection report requested the operator to file a written report by October 20, 2023 on how the operator plans to bring the well into compliance.
Shale Gas Wastewater Leak
On September 19, 2023, DEP inspected the COP Tract 551 shale gas well pad on State Forest Land in McIntyre Township, Lycoming County after being notified by EQT ARO LLC there was a leak of an unknown quantity of production wastewater.
The wastewater overflowed an interior compartment of a storage unit, flowed onto the well pad and down a stormwater channel on the side of the pad.
DEP issued notices of violations for the spill and gave the company until October 5, 2023 to submit a written report on how they will bring the site into compliance.
The company indicated it would use Act 2 Land Recycling Program cleanup standards. [DEP inspection report]
Inadequate Conventional Gas Leak Compliance Plan
On September 19, 2023, a DEP inspection report noted a compliance plan submitted by Robert P. Lytle for the Robert Lytle 1 conventional gas well located in Harborcreek Township, Erie County was inadequate.
The two paragraph compliance plan was submitted in response to notices of violation issued on June 1, 2023 for defective well casing or cementing and showing signs of well integrity failure.
DEP inspected the well as a result of a complaint, since the well was close to a structure.
The operator was requested again to submit a written report to DEP by October 20, 2023 on how he was going to bring the well into compliance.
Conventional Operator Fails To Comply With Order
On September 18, 2023, DEP did a follow up inspection at the F Nutt 1 conventional well site operated by The Production Co LLC in Jefferson Township, Fayette County and found the operator has failed to comply with an order to restore the well site within nine months of plugging the well.
The well was plugged on October 7, 2021.
DEP’s inspection report was not posted as of this writing so there was no indication of follow up action.
Progress Cleaning Up Shale Gas Well Pad Spill
On September 21, 2023, DEP did a follow up inspection of the Rumpelstiltskin shale gas well pad operated by Rice Drilling B LLC in Somerset Township, Washington County and found significant progress in cleaning up a release of production wastewater at the site in July.
The DEP inspection report said the release was being cleaned up under Act 2 Land Recycling Program standards.
Well Plugging Projects
DEP continued to inspect federally funded conventional oil and gas well plugging projects in multiple counties and well plugging projects in DCNR’s Cornplanter State Forest in Forest County finding no violations.
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 and the Inspection Reports Viewer.
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.
(Photos: top- EQT ARO LLC shale gas well pad wastewater leak; Abandoned Stedman Energy Inc. conventional well; Abandoned well production wastewater tanks operated by Diamond Energy Partners LLC; Robert P. Lytle conventional well venting gas next to a building; bottom- Fortress Energy Corp abandoned conventional well; Nucomer Energy LLC unrestored shale gas well pad July 8, 2022 and September 18, 2023; Rice Drilling B LLC shale gas well pad release cleaned up.)
[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 Industry Public Notice Dashboards:
-- Pennsylvania Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - Sept. 16 to 22 - 2nd Abandoned Shale Gas Well Pad? 5 More Abandoned Conventional Wells; Failure To Comply With Order [PaEN]
-- Petro Erie, Inc. Appeals 2nd DEP Order Requiring The Operator To Restore The Village Of Reno’s Water Supply Contaminated By A Spill Of Conventional Oil Well Wastewater In Venango County [PaEN]
-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices/Opportunities To Comment - September 23 [PaEN]
-- DEP Posted 73 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In September 23 PA Bulletin [PaEN]
NewsClips:
-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Senators To Introduce Bill To Increase Setbacks On Gas Drilling
-- Marcellus Shale Gas Coalition Lobbyist Responds To Health Concerns Raised In Philadelphia Inquirer Editorial - ‘Fracking Is Making Pennsylvanians Sick, Lawmakers Must Act’
-- Tribune-Democrat Guest Editorial: Natural Gas Development Making Pennsylvanians Sick, Lawmakers Must Act
-- What It’s Like To Raise A Family In The Most Fracked County In PA - Washington County: PA Physicians For Social Responsibility [Video]
-- Uncontrolled Natural Gas Emissions From Equitrans Steelhead Compressor Station, Washington County: PA Physicians For Social Responsibility [Video]
-- The Allegheny Front: ‘Ezell: Ballad Of A Land Man’ Performance About Fracking And Belonging Coming To Pittsburgh
-- The Derrick - Makayla Keating: Petro Erie Appeals DEP July Order To Clean Up Conventional Oil Well Wastewater Spill That Contaminated The Village Of Reno’s Water Supply In Venango County [PDF of Article]
-- Inside Climate News: EPA Approves Permit For Oil, Gas Wastewater Injection Well In Plum Boro, Allegheny County
-- TribLive Guest Essay: EPA/DOE Money Should Be Spent Wisely On Plugging Conventional Oil & Gas Wells - By Russell Zerbo, Clean Air Council
-- StateImpactPA - Rachel McDevitt: IFO Report: PA Natural Gas Prices Down, Shale Gas Drilling Falls
-- Utility Dive: Record 13% Of Eastern US Electric Generation Capacity Failed - 63% Natural Gas-Fired During Winter Storm Elliott [70% In PJM Were Natural Gas Failures]
-- PUC Responds To NTSB Actions Regarding Reading Factory Natural Gas Explosion
-- Post-Gazette - Ford Turner: NTSB Kicks PUC Out Of Investigation Into Deadly Natural Gas Explosion At A Chocolate Factory In Reading
-- Reading Eagle: West Reading Chocolate Factory Explosion: Feds Demand PUC Hand Over UGI Inspection Reports
-- AP: NTSB Investigators Subpoena PUC Records Related To Reading Factory Natural Gas Explosion
-- PennLive: Lancaster County House Explosion Leaves 1 Man Dead: Police
-- MCall: Natural Gas Leak In Lehigh Valley Prompts Brief Shelter-In-Place Order Wednesday
-- The Allegheny Front: Ohio Commission Delays Vote On Shale Gas Fracking Under State Parks During Raucous Meeting
-- TruthDig - Justin Nobel: Abandoned Radioactive Oil, Gas Wastewater Treatment Facility Has Become A Party Spot In Marion County, West Virginia
-- WTRF: Marshall County, WV Emergency Director Confirms Oil Well Pad Fire Has Been Extinguished
Related Articles This Week:
-- Senators Santarsiero, Comitta To Introduce Bill Increasing Setback Safety Zones From Shale Natural Gas Drilling Sites From 500 To 2,500 Feet, Based On Latest Science [PaEN]
-- Susquehanna River Basin Commission Approves 8 Shale Gas Drilling Water Withdrawals - 1 In Exceptional Value Loyalsock Creek, Home To The Hellbender [PaEN]
-- Susquehanna River Basin Commission Approves 34 Shale Gas Well Pad Water Use General Permits In Bradford, Lycoming, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga Counties [PaEN]
-- Game Commission Board OKs More Shale Gas Drilling In Lycoming County, Home To The Hellbender, And Sullivan County [PaEN]
-- EPA Approves Permit For Oil, Gas Wastewater Injection Well In Plum Boro, Allegheny County; 30 Days To File Appeal [PaEN]
-- DEP Hears Concerns, Some Support From Water Resources Committee On Draft Reg. On Reporting Unauthorized Spills, Releases [PaEN]
-- House Environmental Committee Meets Sept. 26 On Cryptocurrency Mining Moratorium Bill [PaEN]
-- Dickinson College Will Host An Evening With Environmental & Indigenous Rights Advocate Tara Houska On Her Groundbreaking Advocacy Work Oct. 4 [PaEN]
-- FracTracker Alliance Now Accepting Nominations For 2023 Community Sentinel Award [PaEN]
-- Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, NERC Final Report On Winter Storm Elliott Says Legislative Action Needed To Establish Reliability Rules For Natural Gas Infrastructure [PaEN]
[Posted: September 23, 2023] PA Environment Digest
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