The Environmental Defense Fund and other groups called on DEP to develop regulations that target the largest methane emissions in the oil and gas industry -- conventional oil and gas wells and facilities.
Kate Courtin, Senior Manager with the EDF State Climate Team, told the Committee--
“The question before us is no longer whether methane should be addressed. It is how Pennsylvania can design the smartest, most effective rule.
“As DEP develops this rule, the data clearly identify where the greatest opportunity exists.
“Research from the Appalachian Methane Initiative shows that low-producing wells [conventional wells in Pennsylvania] account for roughly 64% of methane emissions [across the Appalachian Basin] while contributing to only 1% of production.
“That tells us something important. If Pennsylvania wants meaningful methane reductions, low-producing wells must be part of the solution.
“As was just noted, the simple truth is that large companies own the vast majority of low-producing wells.
“Eleven oil and gas corporations own nearly half of low-producing wells in Pennsylvania as of 2024.
“At the same time, there are truly small operators whose circumstances are different.
“A durable rule should recognize both realities. DEP should develop strong and resilient standards that achieve equivalent or greater reductions as the 2024 US EPA methane rule.”
The same research by the Appalachian Methane Initiative-- a coalition of CNX Resources, EQT Corporation, MPLX and Seneca Resources at the University of Texas and Colorado State University-- also found unconventional shale gas wells account for 17.5% of methane emission while producing over 98% of the basin-wide natural gas.
According to a FracTracker Alliance analysis, these are the top 11 conventional oil and gas well owners in Pennsylvania that own wells producing 15 BOE [barrels of oil equivalent] or less-- Diversified Production LLC - 21,147; Minard Run Oil Co. - 2,172; OWS Energy LLC - 2,603; Cameron Energy Co. - 1,867; Apollo Resources LLC - 1,876; Pennhills Resources LLC - 1,676; Snyder Bros Inc. - 1,705; VEC Energy LLC - 1,852; ARG Resources Inc. - 1,547; Bull Run Resources LLC - 1,489; and Kriebel Natural Gas Co. LLC - 1,675.
These top 11 conventional well owners account for 39,607 low-producing wells, which is about 44.4% of the 89,161 low producing conventional wells at 15 BOE or below, leaving out 55.6% of conventional wells in this count.
Readers of the PA Environment Digest Weekly Oil & Gas Compliance reports will recognize many of these conventional well owners’ names, because they show up frequently in DEP violations and enforcement actions.
Diversified Production LLC, as the largest owner, has frequent violations and signed an agreement with DEP in 2019 to plug over 1,400 abandoned wells it owns; Minard Run Oil Co. owns 390 abandoned wells; ARG Resources Inc. owns at least 36 abandoned wells and was the target of recent US Forest Service action to close unsafe facilities.
Visit DEP’s Oil and Gas Compliance Database to check them out for yourself.
Click Here for the top 30 companies from FracTracker.
99% Noncompliance In 2022
This isn’t the first time DEP is adopting regulations limiting methane emissions from oil and gas operations.
In November 2025, DEP reported 99.3% of conventional oil and gas facility owners failed to comply with a 2022 DEP regulation to reduce methane and volatile organic compound emissions from their oil and gas facilities, in response to questions from PA Environment Digest.
DEP said 32 [0.65%] of the approximately 4,960 conventional oil and gas well facility owners did submit reports covering approximately 36,400 [36%] out of the 101,000 wells required to report.
Conventional well owners were required to submit an annual report starting June 1, 2025 outlining their equipment subject to the regulation, the methods of emission controls used and any deviations from the requirements during calendar year 2024.
DEP made a presentation on the 2022 regulation to the Air Quality Advisory Committee on November 6, 2025 that included a description of an extensive outreach effort DEP made to conventional oil and gas facility owners on the regulation.
Expected Emissions Benefits 2022
In 2022, when these regulations were adopted, DEP said it expected to achieve a 12,068 tons per year reduction in volatile organic compounds and a 221,066 tons per year reduction in methane.
DEP expected the 2022 regulation to reduce emissions from conventional facilities by much more than unconventional shale gas wells-- 9,204 tons per year of volatile organic compounds and 175,788 tons per year of methane. Regulatory Analysis Form.
DEP expected reductions from unconventional shale gas facilities to be 2,864 tons per year of volatile organic compounds and 45,278 tons per year of methane. Regulatory Analysis Form.
Some quick math means DEP was counting on conventional oil and gas facility owner compliance for 76.3% of volatile organic compound emission benefits and 79.5% of methane reduction benefits.
‘Culture Of Non-Compliance’ Continues
In December 2022, DEP issued a report analyzing the compliance record of the conventional oil and gas industry in Pennsylvania and found they routinely abandoned wells and failed to comply with critical environmental laws and regulations. Read more here.
DEP concluded: “A significant change in the culture of non-compliance as an acceptable norm in the conventional oil and gas industry will need to occur before meaningful improvement can happen.”
In June 2025 before the House Environment and Natural Resource Protection Committee, Kurt Klapkowski, DEP Deputy Secretary for Oil and Gas Management, said DEP continues to see “widespread non-compliance with laws and regulations in the conventional oil and gas industry, particularly regarding improper abandonment of oil and gas wells, but also not reporting hydrocarbon and waste production [and disposal] and conducting mechanical integrity assessments.” Read more here.
Some examples--
-- Abandoned Wells: In 2025, DEP issued 688 violations to 132 conventional well owners for abandoning and not plugging their wells. Read more here.
-- Waste Generation/Production Reports: 85% of conventional owners failed to submit 2024 annual reports on production and how much waste they generated and how it was disposed of-- 4,204 conventional well owners failed to submit covering 23,708 wells, 753 well owners covering 81,396 wells that did report. Read more here.
-- Well Integrity Reports: 87% of conventional well owners failed to submit 2024 annual well integrity reports critical to detect and prevent wells from leaking-- 4,314 conventional well owners failed to submit covering 24,620 wells, 638 well owners did submit covering 77,647 wells that did report. Read more here.
What Will Be Different?
Given the ‘culture of non-compliance’ in the conventional oil and gas industry and the already failed attempt to adopt methane regulations covering the industry in 2022, what will DEP do differently in the new oil and gas methane regulation to achieve compliance?
Well, that’s the question isn’t it.
Resource Links:
-- DEP To Adopt Regulations Limiting Methane Emissions From Conventional Oil & Gas, Shale Gas Infrastructure; Will Outline Approach At Aug. 6 Air Quality Technical Advisory Committee Meeting [PaEN]
Related Articles This Week:
-- DCED PA Grade Crude [Oil] Development Advisory Council Meets Aug. 20 On Conventional Contaminated Water Disposal, Well Plugging Program, Methane Emission Reduction Regs [PaEN]
NewsClips:
-- Observer-Reporter: Greene/Washington County Labor Leaders Plan Launch Of New Initiative To Plug Conventional Oil & Gas Wells Abandoned By Their Owners
-- Spotlight PA: General Assembly Quietly Passed, Gov. Shapiro Signed Law Undermining PA Supreme Court Decision On Lucrative Oil & Gas Rights
[Posted: August 12, 2026] PA Environment Digest
