PA Environment Digest Blog: DEP Issues Violations To D & B Gas Prod LLC For Abandoning, Not Plugging 110 Conventional Gas, Coalbed Methane Wells In Indiana County; Total Abandonment NOVs 697 In 2024

On July 29, 2024, DEP declared 110 conventional wells owned by D & B Gas Prod LLC in Indiana County as abandoned and not plugged and issued violations for each one, according to DEP’s Oil & Gas Compliance Database.

Six of the wells are conventional gas wells and 104 are conventional coalbed methane wells.

The wells include--

-- Black Lick Township: Dunlap 023.3, 021-1, 024-1; USA 2, 3, 4; Testa 1, 2, 3, 4; P.Long 3; McConnell 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12; Patterson 1, 2, 4; Adamchick 6; Glass 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9; Stewart 1; Sigmund 2; Stiles 1, 2, 3; Davis 1, 3, 4; M Hogue 1; Clawson 1, 2, 4, 5, 7; Carlson 2, 6; Platt 1; Minarcik 2, 3; Auen 1, 2, 3; Staats 1; Farkas 1, 2; Jones 1, 2; Phillips 4; Hunt 1; Smith 1; Campbell 1; P.Long 2; Losier 3, 4; Bogdanski 2; R&L Development 1; Adamchik 1; Graff 2; Barron 005; Bevilacqua 1; Sigmund 1;

-- Burrell Township: Howard 2; Zug 6; McLauchlin 1; Losier Unit 1; Loiser 2; Bonarrigo 1, 2, 3; N.Cambria 1, 2, North Cambria Fuel Co. 3; Tamsula 014-1; Joyce 2; W.McConnell 1; Blazek 3, 007-2; Torrance 9-1; Bracken 1; Zias 1; Citeroni 004, 008-2; Martin L. Bearer 1; M. Bearer; Carlson 3, 4; Kunkle 3, 011-1; C.Kendall 1, 2; Cornell 1; Howard 1, 2; Blazek 013-5, 012-4; Hiltabidle 1; Bearer-Cambria Unit 1

DEP’s eFACTS database shows D & B Gas Prod LLC, based in Apollo, Armstrong County, holds 342 conventional well permits. No wells were listed as abandoned before this action.

DEP’s Oil & Gas Compliance Database shows D & B Gas Prod LLC had no violations in 2019, 2020 and 2021, one minor violation in 2022, no violations in 2023 and one violation prior to these in 2024.

Not The First To Abandoned 100+ Wells This Year

This is the second conventional well owner this year with over 100 violations for abandoned, unplugged wells.

In March, DEP issued violations to Medina Res Dev Co. LLC for abandoning and not plugging 101 conventional wells in Crawford and Erie counties. Read more here.

Earlier in July, DEP inspection reports said notices of violations for well abandonment to Stonehaven Energy MGT Co. LLC were “returned to sender” by the Post Office, that may indicate trouble to come.

DEP’s eFACTS database shows the Clearfield County-based company holds permits for 727 conventional oil and gas wells. Read more here.

697 Abandoned Well Violations In 2024

So far in 2024, DEP issued 697 new or continued violations to conventional oil and gas well owners for abandoning and not plugging wells.

The number of violations for abandoned conventional wells far exceeds those issued in all of 2023-- 512 violations. Read more here.

11 Shale Gas Abandoned Well Violations In 2024

So far in 2024, DEP has issued 11 violations to seven shale gas well owners [Chesapeake Appalachia LLC, Atlas Resources, LLC; Atlas Resources, LLC (follow-up inspection)’ Repsol Oil & Gas, EQT Chap LLC; M4 Energy; M4 Energy (follow-up inspection); EQT (Rice Drilling B LLC); and Roulette Oil & Gas LLC)] for abandoning wells and not plugging wells.

House Bill Pending

In May of 2023, Democrats on the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee voted to report out House Bill 962 (Vitali-D-Delaware) to restore DEP’s authority to review conventional oil and gas well plugging bonding amounts to help prevent the routine abandonment of conventional oil and gas wells.

The bill, however, continues the exemption from any well plugging bonds for pre-April 1985 conventional oil and gas wells.

The bill was Tabled on July 7, 2023 for lack of action, but could be revived at any time.

But, the bill, like all bills, will die when the legislative session ends in November of this year and will have to start over in January.

Resource Links:

-- 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]

-- Democrats On House Environmental Committee Report Out Bill To Help Prevent The Routine Abandonment Of 561 Conventional Oil/Gas Wells A Year [PaEN]

-- House Hearing: Let’s Work Together To Make Conventional Oil & Gas Industry Practices Cleaner, Respect Property Rights, Protect Taxpayers And Prevent New Abandoned Wells [PaEN]

-- EDF: Pennsylvania Has 55,000 Oil/Gas Wells At High Risk Of Being Abandoned; 51,000 Wells At Risk Of Being Transferred To Low Solvency Owners; Current Conventional Well Owners Abandon 561 Wells A Year, On Average [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]

PA Oil & Gas Industry Public Notice Dashboards:

-- PA Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - July 27 to August 2 - 120 More Abandoned Conventional Wells; 3rd Pipeline Construction Spill; 1,260 Gallon Conventional Oil Spill [PaEN]

-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices, Opportunities To Comment - August 3 [PaEN]