PA Environment Digest Blog

The Penn State Extension will host a 9-part webinar series on the Woods In Your Backyard - Why Are They Important Wednesdays from January 13 to March 10 from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m.

Learn how to make the most of your woodland or backyard through this webinar series, designed especially—but not exclusively—for landowners with less than ten acres.

This series explores forest ecology, soils, native landscaping, tree identification, wildlife habitat enhancement, water management, invasive species control, and practical woodlot stewardship.

Each one-hour Zoom session is followed by a 30-minute Q&A and is recorded for later viewing, ensuring flexibility for all participants.

Attendees will also receive a copy of The Woods in Your Backyard: Learning to Create and Enhance Natural Areas around Your Home, a full-color, 108-page guide to sustainable land care.

Who is this for?

-- Landowners; Land managers; Conservation organizations; Watershed volunteers.

What will you learn?

-- Why managing forests is important

-- Principles of forest ecology

-- How to create and manage wildlife habitat

-- How to identify and control invasive plants

-- Forest health issues and management strategies

-- The relationship between forests and water

-- How to select native trees for various sites

-- How to establish meadows and forests

-- How to create a management plan for your property

Partnering organizations include: Forests for the Bay; Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay; DCNR Bureau of Forestry; James C. Finley Center for Private Forests at Penn State; and University of Maryland Extension

Click Here to register and for more information.

Visit the Penn State Extension website to learn more about many other educational opportunities.

Related Articles This Week:

-- Manada Conservancy Partners With Doyle Family To Protect 127 Acres Within The Kittatinny Ridge In Dauphin County; Nov. 12 Program On Regenerative Agriculture [PaEN]

-- Register Now! PA Forestry Association Annual Forest Symposium Nov. 7 In State College [PaEN]

-- Penn State Extension Offers Master Watershed Steward Training Thru County Programs [PaEN]

-- Sponsors/Exhibitors: Penn State Extension Forest Landowners Conference March 4-6 In State College [PaEN]

-- Penn State Extension Hosts 2 In-Person Volunteer Riparian Buffer Plantings In Lancaster County Nov. 3, 14 [PaEN]

-- Philly Tree Coalition Announces Second Round Of Funding For Microburst Storm Responsive Grant; Applicant Webinar Oct. 23 [PaEN]

NewsClips:

-- Altoona Mirror: Wild Ones Group Restoring Natural Species To Floodplain, Creating Community Food Forest For Insects/Wildlife With Help Of Giant Company/Keep PA Beautiful Grant

-- Lehigh Valley’s Wildlands Conservancy: Celebrating The New Brenner-Penfield Emmaus Preserve

-- Penn State Extension Watershed Winds: Perfect Time To Plant Trees; Storm Drains Raise Water Pollution Awareness; Online Learning Opportunities

-- Warren Times: Allegheny National Forest Plans 38 Acre Prescribed Burn Near Buckaloons Recreation Area

[Posted: October 22, 2026] PA Environment Digest

On October 21, the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee reported out Senate Resolution 374 (Hutchinson-R-Venango) directing the Joint State Government Commission to conduct a study on the “strategic importance” of the conventional oil and gas industry in Pennsylvania and its ability to help solve our current energy problems.

The vote was 7 to 4-- Republicans supporting. The resolution is now on the Senate Calendar for action.

The resolution fails to take into account the other part of the balance sheet-- the billions of dollars in costs the industry dumps on state taxpayers in the form of thousands of abandoned, unplugged wells; widespread non-compliance with environmental laws and regulations; and road dumping and illegal disposal of contaminated water.

Sen. Gene Yaw (R-Lycoming) serves as Majority Chair of the Senate Environmental Resources & Energy Committee and can be contacted by calling 717-787-3280 or sending email to: gyaw@pasen.gov. Sen. Carolyn Comitta (D-Chester) serves as Minority Chair and can be contacted by calling 717-787-5709 or sending email to: senatorcomitta@pasenate.com.

Conventional Wells Supply Less Than 1% Of Gas

Conventional oil wells produce roughly 800,000 to 920,000 barrels of oil annually in Pennsylvania, based on industry reports to DEP and the FracTracker Alliance.

Most of the oil is used for high-value lubricants and speciality products.

US production of crude oil is about 14 million barrels per day-- PA production is roughly 2,520 barrels per day (0.018%).

Conventional gas wells produce around 46,400,000 Mcf of gas annually according to industry reports to DEP, but that’s less than 0.6% of all natural gas production in the state and falling, according to the FracTracker Alliance.

The Independent Fiscal Office does not report on natural gas production from conventional gas wells in its quarterly natural gas reports because it is insignificant compared to shale gas production-- about 7,712,000,000 Mcf.

In fact, at the last DCED PA Crude [Oil] Development Advisory Council meeting, representatives of the conventional industry said few if any natural gas wells are being drilled because they are so uneconomical in the face of all that shale gas.

Senate Resolution 374

Senate Resolution 374 directs the Joint State Government Commission do a study that includes an examination of --

-- The current and projected economic contribution of this Commonwealth's conventional oil and natural gas industry.

-- The oil and natural gas industry's role in addressing future electricity generation demand.

-- A review of the impact of statutory and regulatory policy on small conventional operators.

-- Preserving domestic energy production capacity in this Commonwealth.

-- The energy security and supply chain benefits associated with the proximity of conventional oil and natural gas production done in this Commonwealth to regional energy markets, transportation infrastructure, manufacturing facilities and in-State refining capacity.

-- A review of differences between conventional and unconventional operations.

-- Rural workforce and economic implications associated with oil and natural gas industry decline.

-- The energy security, reliability and economic benefits associated with this Commonwealth's conventional natural gas production, gathering systems, storage facilities, distribution networks and contribution to electricity generation and industrial demand.

-- The role of conventional infrastructure in future energy reliability planning.

What’s Not Include

The study does not include information on the other side of the balance sheet-

-- Billions In Taxpayer Plugging Liability: Plugging just the 27,000 oil and gas wells abandoned by their owners and on DEP’s federal well plugging list would cost taxpayers an estimated $1.8 billion;

-- Billions In Taxpayer Plugging Liability: Plugging the roughly 200,000 abandoned and orphan wells DEP estimates are out there would cost an estimated $6.6 billion.

-- No Bonds For 60,000 Wells: Conventional oil and gas wells drilled before April 1985 do not have to have any well plugging bonds-- about 60,000 of the 105,000 active conventional wells.

-- $15 On Hand To Plug Each Well: Because of absurdly low well plugging bonding rates-- $25,000 for an unlimited number of wells-- DEP only has on hand about $15 to plug each of the wells it knows about.

-- “Widespread Non-Compliance:” In 2022 special compliance report and again in 2025, DEP said the conventional industry has a “culture of non-compliance” and it continues to see “widespread non-compliance with laws and regulations,” in particular the continuing abandonment of oil and gas wells and the failure to submit annual production, waste production and mechanical integrity reports.

-- Failure To Report Simple Things: FracTracker Alliance/DEP report recently that the owners of 81,000 of the 105,000 conventional wells required to report failed to submit any information on the amount of waste they produce.

-- Road Dumping Contaminated Water: Conventional well owners continue to illegally dispose of contaminated water by dumping it on public roads that DEP said at a House Environmental Committee hearing contains hydrocarbons, salts, heavy metals and other potential pollutants that can potentially harm water quality and drinking water supplies.

-- Regulations That Are 39 Years Old: Conventional oil and gas regulations have not been updated since 1987-- for 39 years and the last time DEP tried in 2016, the industry killed the effort.

-- Conversion To Geothermal Energy Wells: There is no mention of looking at the economic value of converting conventional wells into sources of geothermal energy as has been proposed and other alternative uses.

Click Here for the text of Senate Resolution 374.

Resource Links - Conventional Contaminated Water Dumping:

-- House Hearing I: DEP Allows The Use Of Contaminated Water From New 'Mineral Brine' Conventional Wells On Roads, While Prohibiting Contaminated Water With The Same Harmful Pollutants On Roads From Other Conventional Oil & Gas Wells [PaEN]

-- House Hearing II: Road Dumping Contaminated Water From Conventional Oil & Gas Wells Creates An Aerosol Mist Carrying Pollution Through The Air And Into My Lungs - By Siri Lawson, Warren County Resident [PaEN]

-- House Hearing III: Protect PT: For Too Long The Oil & Gas Industry Has Used Our Southwest PA Communities As Dumping Grounds For Their Waste - Road Dumping Contaminated Water From Conventional Oil & Gas Wells Must Be Banned [PaEN]

-- House Hearing IV: We Should Not Be Trying To Find New Ways To Dump More Contaminated Water From Conventional Oil & Gas Wells On Our Roads, It’s Obviously Not A Solution; We Need Safe Disposal Options - Here’s One [PaEN]

-- Conventional Oil & Gas Industry: DEP Decision To Approve Unrestricted Use Of Contaminated Water From Oil & Gas ‘Mineral Brine’ Wells Clears The Way For Uncontrolled, Free Disposal Of Contaminated Water At Public Expense And Risk [PaEN]

-- FracTracker Alliance Appeals DEP Conventional Oil & Gas Mineral Brine Well Permit Due To Concerns The Permit Creates A New Loophole For Disposing Of Contaminated Groundwater Without Testing Or Restrictions On Its Use [PaEN]

-- Briefing: DEP Issues A New Type Of Conventional Oil & Gas Well Permit Allowing Groundwater Contaminated By Oil & Gas Formations To Be Dumped On Roads, Used In Consumer Products Without Restrictions [PaEN]

-- House Committee Moves Bills To Prohibit Road Dumping Contaminated Groundwater Released By Conventional Oil & Gas Well Drilling; Setting Minimum Standards For Power Plant Community Benefit Agreements; Encouraging Native Insect Habitats [PaEN]

-- House Committee To Consider Bills To Prohibit Road Dumping Oil & Gas Wastewater, Set Minimum Standards For Power Plant Community Benefit Agreements, Encourage Monarch, Native Insect Habitats On June 8 [PaEN]

-- New Penn State Study: Brine Water Pumped From Played-Out Conventional Oil & Gas Wells And Used As Dust Suppressants, Winter Road Treatments Exceed Environmental, Health Standards, Just Like Conventional Oil & Gas Brine Water [PaEN]