So far this year-- as of November 17--
-- NOVs Issued In Last Week: 196 conventional, 31 unconventional
-- Year To Date - NOVs Issued: 5,972 conventional and 1,149 unconventional
-- Inspections Last Week: 360 conventional and 310 unconventional
-- Year To Date - Inspections: 14,582 conventional and 20,350 unconventional
-- Wells Drilled Last Week: 3 conventional and 5 unconventional
-- Year To Date Wells Drilled: 169 conventional and 366 unconventional
5 New Well Abandonments
On November 20, 2023, DEP inspected the Martens 3 and Guenther Martens 1, Martens 4, and Guether Martens 2 conventional wells operated by Stedman Energy, Inc. in Waterford Township, Erie County and found them to be abandoned without being plugged.
DEP requested the operator to submit a written report on how the wells will be brought into compliance by December 15, 2023.
DEP inspection report example - Martens 4-- shows oil production tank partially full.
On November 15, 2023, DEP inspected the American Window 1 conventional well operated by Bemorich Inc. in Washington Township, Fayette County and found it to be abandoned and not plugged.
DEP requested the operator to submit a written report by December 1, 2023 on how the well be brought into compliance.
DEP issued 477 notices of violation for abandoning conventional oil and gas wells so far in 2023. Read more here.
Conventional Well Plugging Underway
On November 20, 2023, DEP inspected the Cupec 1 conventional well operated by Dannic Energy Corp in Fairview Township, Butler County and found plugging operations were underway.
The original notice of violation for abandoning this well without plugging it was issued on March 1, 2023. [DEP inspection report]
On June 15, 2023, Dannic Energy Corp was issued four notices of violation by DEP for abandoning wells without plugging them in Erie County. Read more here.
2nd Shale Gas Well Pad Spill Same Pad
On November 20, 2023, DEP inspected the Wildcat Shale Gas Well Pad operated by Greylock Prod LLC in Whiteley Township, Greene County in response to a notification of a spill of an unknown quantity of production wastewater.
Wastewater had been released into the sediment basin behind the production wastewater aboveground storage tank.
DEP requested the operator to submit a written report by December 11, 2023 on how the site will be brought into compliance. [DEP inspection report]
This is the second spill at this same shale gas well pad. On November 13, 2023, Greylock Prod LLC notified DEP of a spill of 1,260 gallons. Read more here.
A follow up inspection on this spill on November 22, 2023 determined the spill was closer to 90 barrels-- 3,780 gallons-- and has not yet been fully remediated. [DEP inspection report]
Reno Conventional Wastewater Spill Cleanup Slow Going
Inspection reports from the state Department of Environmental Protection show Petro Erie has made little progress in the last four months cleaning up the oil well wastewater spill that contaminated Bellows Spring, which serves as a source of water for homes and businesses in Reno.
Alan Wolf, a DEP water quality specialist, on Nov. 13 inspected wastewater storage tanks and the contaminated spill area and found no activity at the site, according to the DEP.
Wolf reported he found some contaminated soil from the earthen dike surrounding the tanks was excavated, put in piles and covered with plastic. However, oil staining was still visible inside the dike area.
There was another excavated trench at the site with water in it, according to photos taken during the DEP inspection.
Petro Erie’s appeals of DEP’s order to rectify matters, including site cleanup and addressing violations, remain pending. Read more here.
Erosion & Sedimentation Control Failures
On November 21, 2023, DEP inspected the Hastings SDT 47 conventional well pad and access road being constructed by Scorpio Energy, Inc. in Howe Township, Forest County and found multiple failures to install erosion and sedimentation controls.
These failures resulted in accelerated erosion from the road and well pad and violations of the DEP permit issued to the operator.
DEP requested the operator to submit a written plan by December 11, 2023 on how the well site and access road will be brought into compliance. [DEP inspection report]
Gas Storage Area Inspection
On November 20, 2023, DEP inspected multiple conventional wells serving the South Bend Natural Gas Storage area in South Bend Township, Armstrong County operated by Eastern Gas Trans & Storage Inc..
DEP noted in each of the wells, the well record had an incorrect county and township listed “due to a technical issue.”
Well Plugging Project Inspections
DEP did inspections of multiple federally-funded conventional well plugging projects in Armstrong, Butler, Clarion, Venango and Washington counties.
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- Stedman Energy, Inc. conventional abandoned well; 2nd spill at a Greylock Prod LLC shall gas well pad this month; bottom- Dannic Energy Corp conventional well plugging underway; Petro Erie, Inc. cleanup of conventional oil well wastewater is slow going.)
[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:
-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices/Opportunities To Comment - November 25 [PaEN]
-- DEP Posted 47 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In November 25 PA Bulletin [PaEN]
NewsClips:
-- The Derrick: DEP: Little Headway In Reno Cleanup [PDF of article]
-- The Daily Item Guest Essay: State Senator Calls Natural Gas Infrastructure Public Health And Safety Bill ‘Stupid’ - By Scott and Jessica Mathias, Health Care Providers
-- StateImpactPA - Rachel McDevitt: Southwest PA Families Call On Gov. Shapiro To Fulfill Recommendations Of Natural Gas Grant Jury
-- TribLive Guest Essay: Conventional Oil & Gas Well Plugging Must Continue For Health Of Pennsylvania - By Evangelical Environmental Network
-- Post-Gazette Editorial: Reliable Power Means Applying Robust Reliability Standards To Natural Gas Infrastructure
-- Tribune-Democrat Editorial: Reliable Power Means Shoring Up Natural Gas Infrastructure
-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: PA Natural Gas, Electric Utility Prices Are About To Be Reset For The Winter [Range Of Changes: Natural Gas (+149% to -64.2%); Electric (+18.8% to -25.7%) ]
-- TribLive: Plans For New Hazardous Waste Landfill Near Yukon, Westmoreland County Suspended After EPA Report [75% Of Waste Comes From Shale Gas Operations ]
-- The Allegheny Front - Reid Frazier: EPA Finds Spills, Leaks, Heavy Metals At Hazardous Waste Landfill Near Yukon, Westmoreland County
-- Bloomberg: Cooking A Big Meal With Gas Can Produce More Indoor Air Pollution Than Health Guidelines Suggest Is Safe
-- WTAE: Turtle Creek Battery Manufacturer Eos Energy Promising A Safer Environment, More Jobs For The Region
Related Articles This Week:
-- The Derrick: DEP: Little Headway In Reno Oil Well Wastewater Cleanup In Venango County [PaEN]
-- The Daily Item Guest Essay: State Senator Calls Natural Gas infrastructure Public Health And Safety Bill 'Stupid' - By Scott and Jessica Mathias, Health Care Providers [PaEN]
-- Susquehanna River Basin Commission Holds Business Meeting Dec. 14 On Water Withdrawal Requests, Including Shale Gas Drilling In Loyalsock, Pine Creek Exceptional Value Watersheds [PaEN]
-- Susquehanna River Basin Commission Approves 19 Shale Gas Well Pad Water Use General Permits In Bradford, Lycoming, Susquehanna, Tioga, Wyoming Counties [PaEN]
[Posted: November 25, 2023] PA Environment Digest
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