PA Environment Digest Blog: 66 Months Later, DEP Worked With Conventional Well Owner, But Multiple Spills At A Well Site Have Still Not Been Cleaned Up; No Protections In Place For Operators Or Taxpayers

Thursday, January 25, 2024

66 Months Later, DEP Worked With Conventional Well Owner, But Multiple Spills At A Well Site Have Still Not Been Cleaned Up; No Protections In Place For Operators Or Taxpayers

This is yet another example of why there should be protections in place for both conventional oil and gas well operators and taxpayers to make sure situations like this are properly cleaned up and the well plugged.

Another example last year was when a spill of conventional wastewater contaminated a spring serving as the water supply for the Village Of Reno in Venango County. Read more here.

Without something like a financial test and adequate financial assurance requirements in place before an operator gets a permit or is transferred a permit, operators are quickly swamped by cleanup bills and taxpayers get stuck with remediation and plugging costs.

Cases like this should prompt a broader discussion of financial assurance requirements for conventional oil and gas operators, like the well plugging insurance concept presented by DEP to the PA Grade Crude [Oil] Development Advisory Council last October. Read more here.

Since it was discovered in July 2018 as a result of a complaint investigation, the Department of Environmental Protection has not been able to get a conventional oil well owner to clean up multiple spills and releases at the well site.

The primary problems include structurally unsound, corroded and leaking production wastewater storage tanks with associated spill areas; releases around the wellhead; and the failure to submit mechanical integrity and production and waste generation reports for multiple years.

DEP has given the operator multiple opportunities over the last five and a half years to clean up the polluted well site and met with the operator so he understands what is needed.

This Week, DEP did the most recent follow-up inspection of the conventional oil well site and found spills and releases at the site have still not been cleaned up.

The inspection report noted some bags of material contaminated by spills and releases have been removed, but the site appeared “unchanged” since the last inspection in June, 2023.

DEP’s report said-- “Production tanks remain on site and remain structurally compromised. Not all impacted material has been removed from the site's surface at this time.

“Wellhead remains covered in production fluid. The Department recommends cleaning the wellhead, along with the remediation efforts around the production tanks.”

DEP’s inspection report requested a written report by January 31, 2024 on how the operator plans to bring the well site into compliance.

The operator of the conventional oil well was issued a permit to drill and operate the well in 1996. This is the only well registered in the operator’s name in DEP’s database.

Inspection Timeline

DEP did a total of six other follow-up inspections at the site since July of 2018--

-- March, 2019: No cleanup progress. No follow-up response requested;

-- August, 2022: No cleanup progress. Requested a written report by September 1, 2022 on bringing the site into compliance;

-- November, 2022: No cleanup progress. Requested a written report by December 1, 2022 on bringing the site into compliance;

-- February, 2023: DEP met onsite with operator to assess work done to clean up the site and inform him of DEP’s spill policy. The operator confirmed all three production tanks are compromised. The operator said he applied detergent to the impacted material in an effort to emulsify the oil, but was informed that was not an approved method of spill remediation. The operator said he did not produce the well for two years due to the 24/7 care he has had to provide to his mother and that he owns the land the well is on. DEP requested a written report by February 17, 2023 on bringing the well site into compliance.

-- March, 2023: Production tanks remain structurally compromised, some contaminated material was put in plastic bags; wellhead remains covered in production wastewater, all violations remain outstanding related to the spill. No follow-up action requested.

-- June, 2023: Production tanks remain structurally compromised, some contaminated material was put in plastic bags that appeared to be ripped open by wildlife; wellhead remains covered in production wastewater, all violations remain outstanding related to the spill. DEP attempted to contact the operator by telephone but did not receive an answer. DEP requested a written report by June 20, 2023 on bringing the well site into compliance.

-- January, 2024: As noted, DEP’s inspection report requested a written report by January 31, 2024 on how the operator plans to bring the well site into compliance.

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: Row 1- 2019- Conventional wellhead covered in production wastewater; structurally compromised, leaking production tanks; Row 2- 2024- same wellhead covered in production wastewater, same leaking production tanks)

[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 Weekly Oil & Gas Industry Public Notice Dashboards:

-- PA Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - Jan. 20 to 26 - 15 More Abandoned Conventional Wells; Plugging Abandoned Shale Gas Wells; Revolution Pipeline Land Slip; Brief Compressor Fire; Crypto Mining? What's That Pink Stuff? [PaEN]

-- 5 Months Later, Roulette Oil & Gas Still Has Not Resolved Violations For Abandoning A Shale Gas Well Without Plugging It In Potter County [PaEN]

-- XTO Energy Begins Plugging First Of 4 Abandoned Shale Gas Wells At Butler County Well Pad [PaEN]

-- 66 Months Later, DEP Worked With Conventional Well Owner, But Multiple Spills At A Well Site Have Still Not Been Cleaned Up; No Protections In Place For Operators Or Taxpayers [PaEN]

-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices/Opportunities To Comment - January 27 [PaEN]

-- DEP Posted 84 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In January 27 PA Bulletin [PaEN]

2023 Oil & Gas Compliance Reports:

-- DEP Issued At Least 512 Violations To 95 Conventional Oil & Gas Operators For Abandoning Wells Without Plugging Them In 2023; 10 Shale Gas Operators Were Issued NOVs For Abandoning Wells [PaEN]

-- DEP Issues Record 6,860 Notices Of Violation To Conventional Oil & Gas Operators In 2023-- Nearly 52% More Than In 2021; ‘Culture Of Non-Compliance’ Continues [PaEN]

-- 2023 Shale Gas Operator Compliance Report: 1,310 Violations; Explosions; Pad Fire, Evacuation; Uncontrolled Gas Venting; Frack-Outs; Polluting Water Supply; Spills; Pipeline Crashing Thru A Home; More [PaEN]

-- PA Environment Digest: Articles On Oil & Gas Facility Impacts