DEP - Day 1,331: Big Dog Energy LLC Shale Gas Well Pad Lacks Secondary Containment To Contain Spills, Has No Emergency Response Plan In Westmoreland County

On August 26, 2026, the Department of Environmental Protection reported the Schimizzi S&M 1 shale gas well owned by Big Dog Energy LLC in Hempfield Township, Westmoreland County lacks secondary containment to contain contaminated water spills and had no emergency response plan onsite.

The violations for failure to construct secondary containment around multiple contaminated water tanks and lack of an emergency response plan were first issued on Jan. 3, 2023.

This vertical shale gas well-- drilled in April 2005-- has a compliance history littered with violations, including for failure to submit production, waste and well integrity reports since 2014 and well abandonment.

On Sept. 23, 2020, DEP issued multiple violations to Mieka LLC-- the then owner of the well--  for failing to submit production, waste and well integrity reports.

On Feb. 15, 2022, DEP issued a violation to Mieka LLC for abandoning and not plugging the well.

On Oct. 3, 2022, DEP issued multiple violations to Mieka LLC for spills on the site from deteriorated contaminated water tanks and failure to construct secondary containment that have been continued since then.

Both Mieka LLC and Big Dog Energy LLC failed to respond in any way to violations issued by DEP or address the spills on the site since at least the 2020 violations, DEP said in its inspection reports.

Finally, in an email on April 2, 2026, Big Dog Energy responded to the recurring violations issued on March 27, 2026 saying they sold the well to Murphy Production in 2024-- but apparently had not filed the required transfer request with DEP.

Big Dog Energy said-- “in regards to the spill there was none” (in spite of DEP photos and field testing in DEP’s inspection report)-- adding they would put up another sign at the site and put an emergency response plan at the pad so the well can be transferred to Murphy.

DEP continued the violations for the spills, failure to have an emergency response plan and for not constructing secondary containment in its August 26, 2026 inspection report.

DEP also said the April 2, 2026 email was not considered a response to the violations issued.

DEP sent the inspection report to Big Dog Energy, but checked the box on the form that says-- “No further response required at this time.”

Report Violations

To report oil and gas violations or any environmental emergency or complaint, visit DEP’s Environmental Complaint webpage.

Text photos and the location of abandoned wells to 717-788-8990.

Check These Resources

Visit DEP’s Compliance Reporting Database and Inspection Reports Viewer webpages to search their compliance records by date and owner.

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.

Use DEP’s Oil and Gas Mapping Tool to find if there are oil and gas wells near or on your property and to find wells using latitude and longitude on well inspection reports.

(Photos: Well site in January 2023, Well site on Aug. 26, 2026.)

[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.]

Related Articles This Week:

-- DEP: An Estimated 336,000 Gallons Of Fracking Flowback Water Was Released During An Uncontrolled Shale Gas Well Incident At The INR OPR LLC Cooper Well Pad In Young Twp., Indiana County  [PaEN] 

NewsClips:

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: NextEra Energy Picks 700 Acre Site In Luzerne Twp.,  Fayette County For 3.75 GW Natural Gas Data Center Power Plant Complex  [Entire Township Over Known Mined Out Coal Mines Subject To Subsidence Risk (DEP)]

-- PennLive/Tribune News: Massive 7,200 Acre PPL Utilities Joint Venture Land Deal In Lackawanna County Paves Way For More Natural Gas Data Center Power Plants

-- Scranton Times: PPL Utilities Joint Venture Purchases 500 Acres In Luzerne County For 2 Natural Gas Data Center Power Plants; No Agreements Signed With Customers Yet [Not For The Public]  

--  Financial Times: The Missing Piece Of The US Oil And Gas Boom - Jobs; Production And Profits Are Rising Strongly, Employment Has Fallen

[Posted: September 1, 2026]  PA Environment Digest

PA Recycling Markets Center: Full Circle Bioconversion - Food Composting At The Little League World Series In Williamsport

This is the story of Full Circle Bioconversion, a Pennsylvania company transforming food waste into useful products through an innovative biological process. 

Based in the Williamsport area, Full Circle uses black soldier fly larvae to consume food waste, producing both a nutrient-rich soil amendment and a sustainable protein source for animal and aquaculture feed.

For the Pennsylvania Recycling Markets Center, Full Circle represents a successful example of recycling-market development in action. 

RMC became involved while the company was still navigating Pennsylvania's regulatory process and working to establish its business model. 

That effort came full circle, with Full Circle Bioconversion processing food waste generated at the Major League Baseball (MLB) Little League Classic® that was played in Williamsport at historic Bowman Field during the Little League Baseball World Series®. 

This year’s game featured the Atlanta Braves and Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday, August 24.

Creating a New Market for Food Waste

RMC's mission extends beyond encouraging recycling. Its role is to help develop markets and infrastructure that make recycling economically viable.

In Full Circle's case, that meant helping an emerging company overcome regulatory barriers and move from an innovative concept to a permitted operating business. 

Working with Pennsylvania's Department of Environmental Protection, RMC provided support and recommendations that helped establish a pathway for Full Circle's unique approach to food waste processing, a process completely new to Pennsylvania.

That support was critical. Without regulatory approval, there is no business. Without a business, there is no market for the material.

Turning Waste into Resources

Full Circle's process differs from traditional food waste composting. Food waste is prepared and fed to black soldier fly larvae, which rapidly consume the material and convert it into biomass.

The larvae become a valuable protein source for livestock and aquaculture feed, while the remaining material, known as frass, can be used as a beneficial soil additive. 

Instead of paying for disposal, generators of food waste have an opportunity to support a process that creates valuable end products.

The approach demonstrates how innovative technologies can turn a disposal challenge into an economic opportunity. 

Pioneer Aubrey Fornwalt, Founder, Owner, President of Full Circle Bioconversion offers, “One of the core tenets of this operation is keeping our food in our food system. It isn’t waste — the act of throwing it away is wasteful. With this approach to waste diversion, we are feeding our future selves.” 

From Concept to Major League Baseball

The impact of Full Circle's work is now visible at one of Pennsylvania's most recognized events.

Each year, the Little League World Series® brings hundreds of thousands of visitors to the Williamsport area. 

Along with the excitement of the tournament comes a significant amount of food waste. 

Through partnerships with the Major League Baseball (MLB) Little League Classic® held during the Little League World Series®, that material is now being collected and processed in northcentral Pennsylvania by Full Circle Bioconversion.

Food that might otherwise be discarded is transformed into useful products, creating a highly visible example of a circular economy in action.

Economic Development Through Recycling

For RMC, the success of Full Circle Bioconversion illustrates what recycling-market development looks like. 

What began as an innovative idea facing regulatory hurdles has grown into an operating Pennsylvania business creating value from a material that historically had little market potential.

The benefits extend beyond waste diversion. They include business growth, job creation, new processing capacity, and expanded markets for recycled and biological products. 

Full Circle Bioconversion has joined the $130.5 billion dollar Pennsylvania recycling economy with force.

"Seeing Full Circle Bioconversion transition from an emerging concept to navigating state regulations to diverting food waste from a Major League baseball game shows what circular economy infrastructure can achieve in a new materials market,” said Robert J. Bylone, Jr., CEO, President, Pennsylvania Recycling Markets Center. 

And the company's progression is a reminder of why recycling-market development matters. 

The work does not always begin with a large facility or an established commodity market. Sometimes it begins with an entrepreneur who has a different idea about what can be done with a material. 

Full Circle's success also highlights the importance of supporting entrepreneurs developing new solutions to longstanding waste challenges. 

RMC helped the company move through that challenge, as Wayne Bowen, Senior Recycling Program Manager and Team Lead for Organics Management, led Full Circle Bioconversion through the RMC’s Organics Compass Program.

Looking Ahead

The company's name captures its mission well. Food begins as a resource, and with the right systems in place, it can become a resource again rather than a waste product.

Although this is likely Full Circle Bioconversion’s highest-profile project to date, it also demonstrates a larger opportunity. 

By creating markets for food waste, Pennsylvania can support innovation, strengthen local businesses, and advance a more sustainable economy.

Let’s Play Ball !

Visit the Pennsylvania Recycling Markets Center website.  RMC’s mission is to expand and develop more secure and robust markets for recovered (recycled) materials by helping to overcome market barriers and inefficiencies.

RMC is a leader in developing and expanding recycling markets in Pennsylvania. 

In a competitive global marketplace, the RMC is the keystone clearinghouse of environmental, economic development, and manufacturing resources for end use support of recycled commodities and products.

Related Articles This Week:

-- PennDOT, Keep PA Beautiful Announce 30 Young Ambassadors To Promote Environmental Sustainability In Pennsylvania  [PaEN] 

-- Independence Conservancy To Hold Waste Tire Collection Events In Allegheny, Beaver Counties [Starting Sept. 18]  [PaEN] 

NewsClips:

-- PennLive Letters: PA’s Electronics Waste Crisis Deserves The Same Urgency As Data Center Reform - By Edward Heyman, Philadelphia

[Posted: September 1, 2026]  PA Environment Digest

PA Public Utility Commission Estimates Data Center-Driven Industrial Electricity Use In Pennsylvania Will Increase 18.56% A Year Thru 2030; Up From 0.22% Annually In 2024

On September 1, the Public Utility Commission issued its annual Pennsylvania Electric Power Outlook Report which projects data center-driven electricity use will increase industrial energy use an average of 18.56% annually through 2030.

The most dramatic projected growth is in the PPL Electric Utilities service territory, where total electricity usage is forecast to increase an average 20.51% annually and industrial usage an average 51.05% annually through 2030. 

Residential and commercial electricity use will increase an average of 0.52% and 0.32% a year, respectively.

[Note: The 2025 Electric Power Outlook Report forecast an industrial use increase of 14.77% a year through 2029, a residential increase of 1.08% annually and a commercial use decrease of 0.58%.]

[Note: The 2024 Electric Power Outlook Report forecast an industrial use increase of 0.22% a year through 2028, a residential increase of 1.39% annually and a commercial use increase of 0.64% annually.]

"Pennsylvania's electricity needs have been relatively stable for years, but large new loads have the potential to fundamentally change that picture," said PUC Chairman Steve DeFrank. "That makes accurate forecasting and careful planning more important than ever. We need a clear picture of what demand is actually coming and sufficient generation and transmission to reliably serve that growth, while continuing to protect existing consumers from unreasonable costs."

Large Loads Reshape PA Forecasts

Pennsylvania's total electricity consumption decreased 0.24% in 2025 compared with 2024, even as the number of electric customers increased approximately 0.4%.

Looking ahead, however, forecasts submitted by Pennsylvania's major electric distribution companies (EDCs) show sharply different growth rates among customer classes.

The projected industrial increase is driven primarily by anticipated large-load customers, particularly data centers.

The report notes that the projected industrial increase is almost entirely attributable to anticipated large data centers.

The PUC emphasizes that these figures are forecasts, not guarantees of future electricity demand. Large-load projects can change because of economic conditions, financing, construction schedules, technology and other factors. 

The Power Outlook also notes that PPL's projected load growth does not, by itself, indicate a future capacity shortfall in either the PPL service territory or the broader PJM region.

Click Here for a copy of the PUC report.

PJM Grid Reliability Challenges

The changing demand picture comes as Pennsylvania and the broader PJM region continue focusing on the resources and infrastructure needed to maintain reliable electric service.

The North American Electric Reliability Corporation's latest long-term assessment projects that PJM's anticipated reserve margin could fall below its required reserve margin in 2029, reflecting the combined effects of growing electricity demand, generation retirements and the pace at which new resources are entering service.

At the same time, Pennsylvania continues to be one of the nation's leading electricity-producing states. 

Generating capacity in the Commonwealth increased from 45,096 megawatts (MW) in 2024 to 45,733 MW in 2025, and no Pennsylvania generators submitted notices of deactivation during 2025.

[The PUC report says one fuel-- natural gas-- generates 59% of Pennsylvania’s electric [24,894 MW]; 32% nuclear [8,927 MW]; 6.3% coal [6,040 MW]; hydro [2,305 MW] oil [2,142 MW] , solar [682 MW], wind [491 MW] and waste [252 MW] (page 27).]

Investment Regional Transmission System Increasing 

PJM's 2025 Regional Transmission Expansion Plan identified approximately $3.56 billion in transmission projects in Pennsylvania, compared with $1.64 billion identified in the previous year's plan.

"Growth brings opportunity, but reliability depends on generation, transmission and demand moving together," Chairman DeFrank said. "As Pennsylvania's electricity needs evolve, we need to make sure the infrastructure necessary to serve that growth can keep pace – and that the costs associated with major new loads are appropriately addressed rather than simply shifted to existing families and businesses."

Planning for a Changing Electric System

The findings in the 2026 Power Outlook reinforce several areas where the PUC has increased its focus as Pennsylvania's electric landscape evolves.

The Commission has expanded its examination of long-term electric load forecasting, including requesting longer-range demand and peak-load projections from Pennsylvania EDCs, while continuing its work addressing large-load customers and examining the generation and transmission resources needed to reliably serve Pennsylvania consumers.

These efforts reflect the increasing importance of understanding not only how much electricity may be needed, but also where and when that demand could materialize, so utilities, grid operators and regulators can better evaluate the infrastructure needed to serve it.

"The scale and speed of potential change make good information especially important," Chairman DeFrank said. "Better forecasting leads to better planning, and better planning helps us make sound decisions about reliability, infrastructure and costs. Our focus remains on ensuring that Pennsylvania can accommodate economic growth while protecting the reliability and affordability that consumers depend on."

The 2026 Electric Power Outlook, along with past reports issued since 2002, are available on the Electric Power Outlook Report section of the PUC website.

Click Here for a copy of the PUC announcement.

Related Articles This Week:

-- PJM Interconnection Issues Maximum General Alert, Load Management Alert For Sept. 1  [PaEN] 

-- DEP Industrial Energy Assessment Program Offering Minimal Cost Energy Audits To Small & Medium Manufacturers, Ag Businesses  [PaEN] 

NewsClips:

-- WESA - Rachel McDevitt: Energy Bills Driven By A.I. Data Centers Threaten PA Small Businesses, Report Says

-- PennLive/LehighValleyLive: Gov. Shapiro’s Executive Order On Data Centers Hasn’t Slowed Momentum Of Developers Looking To Build Big In PA Communities  

-- New York Times: Pennsylvania A.I. Gold Rush Meets 2nd Thoughts; Amid Backlash Gov. Shapiro Is Pumping The Brakes On Enormous Data Centers; But Some Welcome Billions In Construction   

-- PennLive/Tribune News: Massive 7,200 Acre PPL Utilities Joint Venture Land Deal In Lackawanna County Paves Way For More Natural Gas Data Center Power Plants

-- Scranton Times: PPL Utilities Joint Venture Purchases 500 Acres In Luzerne County For 2 Natural Gas Data Center Power Plants; No Agreements Signed With Customers Yet [Not For The Public]  

-- Reuters: Texas’ Halt On Powering A.I. Data Centers Reflects US Reckoning Over ‘Ghost’ Power Demands And Impacts On Electricity Markets [PJM Included]

-- Morning Call: Here’s Where Lehigh Valley Legislators Stand On A.I. Data Center Regulation As Lawmakers Prepare To Return To Session 

-- LancasterOnline: How Will Data Centers Issues Impact Lancaster County’s State Senate Race?

-- Inquirer: PA US Sen. Fetterman Backs President On A.I. Data Centers, Blames China For ‘Misinformation” On A.I. 

-- Bloomberg: President Says ‘Let Data [Centers] Reign’ In Response To A.I. Data Center Blowback [Communities Not Wanting Data Centers ‘Want To End Up Being Backwards And Poor’] 

[Posted: September 1, 2026]  PA Environment Digest