DEP: Follow-Up Inspections Of 4 Michael Harju Conventional Wells Found They Continue To Be Abandoned, Not Plugged Going Back To 2020 In Westmoreland County

On October 13 & 16, 2026, the Department of Environmental Protection did follow-up inspections on 4 Michael Harju conventional oil and gas wells in Westmoreland County and found they continued to be abandoned and not plugged.

The wells include--

-- Upper Burrell Twp: N. Watson 1 (Abandoned since 11.8.2020), 

-- Washington Twp: George Hill 1 (Abandoned since 6.15.2023), JB Kerns 2 (Abandoned since 6.15.2023), WW Swank 4 (Abandoned since 11.18.2020)

DEP also found the owner failed to submit any production, waste generation or well integrity reports for the wells, which DEP noted is a violation of an order issued to the owner.

DEP continued the abandoned well violations and requested a written response by November 6.

Michael Harju holds 158 permits, including 13 other abandoned wells.

DEP has issued multiple orders to Michael Harju to plug abandoned wells and failed to get a response and had to start plugging several wells at taxpayer expense.  Read more here.

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.

[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 Compliance Snapshot - October 17 to 23

-- DEP - Day 119: Contaminated Water Discharges Continue, Failure To Comply With Cleanup Order At Equitrans Water SVC [EQT] Richter Impoundment In Greene County  [PaEN] 

-- DEP: Routine Inspections Find 7 Anderson Energy SVC LLC Conventional Wells Abandoned, Not Plugged In Forest County  [PaEN] 

-- DEP: Follow-Up Inspections Of 4 Michael Harju Conventional Wells Found They Continue To Be Abandoned, Not Plugged Going Back To 2020 In Westmoreland County  [PaEN] 

-- DEP: Routine Inspections Finds 3 Keystone Crude LLC Abandoned, Unplugged Conventional Gas Wells In Allegheny County  [PaEN] 

-- DEP: Contaminated Water Tank Failed Causing Release At Diversified Production LLC Conventional Oil & Gas Well Site In Warren County  [PaEN] 

-- DEP: Contaminated Water Release Discovered At Deer Run Oil & Gas LLC Conventional Oil & Gas Well Site In Crawford County 

-- DEP: Bialy Gas Production Intent To Plug Abandoned Conventional Well Leads To Discovery Of Severely Corroded Contaminated Water Tanks With Holes, Leaking Fluids In Beaver County  [PaEN] 

-- DEP: EQT Production Site Prep For Well Plugging Leads To Significant Well Pad, Access Road Erosion Violations In Fayette County  [PaEN] 

-- PUC Accepting Nominations For PaOneCall Damage Prevention Committee

Related Article This Week:

-- DEP Celebrates Plugging 500th Abandoned Conventional Oil & Gas Well; DEP Continues To Issue Violations By The Hundreds To Conventional Well Owners For Abandoning Wells  [PaEN] 

-- Senate Committee Reports Out Resolution Authorizing Study Of The Economic Importance Of Conventional Oil & Gas Industry; Forgetting The Billions In Costs The Industry Dumps On Taxpayers  [PaEN] 

-- Environmental Health Project, Food & Water Watch, Partners Host Nov. 10 Webinar On Shale Gas Fracking, Data Centers And Your Health  [PaEN] 

NewsClips:

-- TribLive: Proposed Shale Gas Well In Salem Twp. Concerns Local Residents In Westmoreland County  

-- Bloomberg Commentary: President’s Arm-Twisting For New York’s Constitution Natural Gas Pipeline May End In Regret

-- Inside Climate News: After A Decade Of Efforts To Regulate Methane From Oil & Gas Industry, The President’s Administration Promises New Rules, Has Rolled Back Or Blocked Previous Attempts

[Posted: October 22, 2026]  PA Environment Digest

DEP: Routine Inspections Find 7 Anderson Energy SVC LLC Conventional Wells Abandoned, Not Plugged In Forest County

On October 13, 2026, the Department of Environmental Protection inspected 7 Anderson Energy SVC LLC conventional wells in Harmony Township, Forest County and found them all abandoned and not plugged.

Each of the wells was not equipped to produce, not connected to any gathering line and the access road and the well sites were overgrown with vegetation.

This same statement was in each of the inspection reports-- “In order for this well to be brought into compliance, measures are expected to be taken to either bring the well into production or plug the well.”

DEP issued multiple violations and requested a response by November 4.

The conventional wells include: Milford 1, Milford 2, Milford 5, Milford 7, Milford 8, Milford 9, Milford 10, 

Anderson Energy holds 518 permits, including one other abandoned well.

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.

[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 Compliance Snapshot - October 17 to 23

-- DEP - Day 119: Contaminated Water Discharges Continue, Failure To Comply With Cleanup Order At Equitrans Water SVC [EQT] Richter Impoundment In Greene County  [PaEN] 

-- DEP: Routine Inspections Find 7 Anderson Energy SVC LLC Conventional Wells Abandoned, Not Plugged In Forest County  [PaEN] 

-- DEP: Follow-Up Inspections Of 4 Michael Harju Conventional Wells Found They Continue To Be Abandoned, Not Plugged Going Back To 2020 In Westmoreland County  [PaEN] 

-- DEP: Routine Inspections Finds 3 Keystone Crude LLC Abandoned, Unplugged Conventional Gas Wells In Allegheny County  [PaEN] 

-- DEP: Contaminated Water Tank Failed Causing Release At Diversified Production LLC Conventional Oil & Gas Well Site In Warren County  [PaEN] 

-- DEP: Contaminated Water Release Discovered At Deer Run Oil & Gas LLC Conventional Oil & Gas Well Site In Crawford County 

-- DEP: Bialy Gas Production Intent To Plug Abandoned Conventional Well Leads To Discovery Of Severely Corroded Contaminated Water Tanks With Holes, Leaking Fluids In Beaver County  [PaEN] 

-- DEP: EQT Production Site Prep For Well Plugging Leads To Significant Well Pad, Access Road Erosion Violations In Fayette County  [PaEN] 

-- PUC Accepting Nominations For PaOneCall Damage Prevention Committee

Related Article This Week:

-- DEP Celebrates Plugging 500th Abandoned Conventional Oil & Gas Well; DEP Continues To Issue Violations By The Hundreds To Conventional Well Owners For Abandoning Wells  [PaEN] 

-- Senate Committee Reports Out Resolution Authorizing Study Of The Economic Importance Of Conventional Oil & Gas Industry; Forgetting The Billions In Costs The Industry Dumps On Taxpayers  [PaEN] 

-- Environmental Health Project, Food & Water Watch, Partners Host Nov. 10 Webinar On Shale Gas Fracking, Data Centers And Your Health  [PaEN] 

NewsClips:

-- TribLive: Proposed Shale Gas Well In Salem Twp. Concerns Local Residents In Westmoreland County  

-- Bloomberg Commentary: President’s Arm-Twisting For New York’s Constitution Natural Gas Pipeline May End In Regret

-- Inside Climate News: After A Decade Of Efforts To Regulate Methane From Oil & Gas Industry, The President’s Administration Promises New Rules, Has Rolled Back Or Blocked Previous Attempts

[Posted: October 22, 2026]  PA Environment Digest

Penn State Extension To Host 9-Part Woods In Your Backyard - Why Are They Important Webinar Series

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