PA Environment Digest Blog: How Chesapeake Appalachia Created Another New Shale Gas Brownfield In Bradford County; Timberline Energy Plugs Its Abandoned Conventional Gas Wells In Venango County

Examples pulled from DEP’s Oil and Gas Compliance Database this week provide a more indepth view of how unconventional shale gas drillers create new brownfield sites wherever they go-- in this case Chesapeake Appalachia in Bradford County.

DEP also documented conventional oil and gas driller Timberline Energy plugging several wells it recently abandoned in Venango County.

Chesapeake Appalachia

On January 24, 2023, DEP inspected the Chesapeake Appalachia Floydie Well Pad in Tuscarora Township, Bradford County and found multiple pools and puddles on the site contaminated with drilling wastewater and possible fracking chemical fluids.

The Inspection Report notes a Halliburton frac crew had just completed four newly drilled wells and was removing frac equipment from the well pad.

DEP issued a notice of violation for failing to prevent contamination from being discharged on the site.

The inspector recommended Chesapeake pursue an Act 2 Land Recycling Program cleanup of the site based on the contaminated fluid and the unknown volume of fluid impacting the unprotected well pad surface.

DEP asked Chesapeake to respond in writing to the inspection report.

Click Here for DEP’s 1.24.23 Inspection Report, Photos.

On February 7, Chesapeake responded to DEP describing its efforts to remove free-standing fluid from the site. They said approximately 250 tons of muddy surface materials were also scraped away from a portion of the site and stored.

Chesapeake said the cause of the contaminated fluids “is believed to be poor housekeeping practices by the contractor during demobilization” as exacerbated by weather conditions [snow].

Chesapeake said they would be doing further characterization of the site and pursue an Act 2 Land Recycling Program clean up.

Click Here for Chesapeake’s Response To 1.24.23 Inspection.

On March 8, 2023, DEP did a follow-up inspection of the Floydie Well Pad and again found multiple pools and puddles of contaminated fluid around the well pad.

The inspector noted six shale gas wells were being set up for production at the time of the inspection and the four new wells were being set for flowback with 12 frac tanks on site being staged to handle the flowback.

DEP again noted the continuing violation for failing to prevent contamination from discharging on the site.

The inspector again recommended Chesapeake pursue an Act 2 Land Recycling Program cleanup of the site based on the contaminated fluid and the unknown volume of fluid impacting the unprotected well pad surface.

DEP asked Chesapeake to respond in writing to the inspection report.

Click Here for DEP’s 3.8.23 Inspection Report, Photos

On March 24, 2023, Chesapeake responded to the March 8 inspection report by again saying the pools of contaminated fluid were the result of “poor housekeeping practices” by a contractor exacerbated by weather conditions.

Chesapeake again said they would be doing further characterization of the site and pursue an Act 2 Land Recycling Program clean up.

Chick Here for Chesapeake’s Response To 3,8.23 Inspection.

On April 11, 2023, DEP did a follow-up inspection of the Floydie Well Pad and again found multiple pools and puddles of contaminated fluid around the well pad.

The inspector noted chemical results from samples of the fluid found elevated barium, strontium and lithium indicative of production fluids and drilling wastewater being released onto the well pad.

[Note: The routine sample results in the inspection report by DEP did not show any analysis for PFAS ‘forever chemicals’ or radium 226 or 228 which have become contaminants of concern.]

The inspection report added violations for failure to contain regulated substances and wastes in storage structures or tanks and failure to notify DEP of spills and releases of regulated substances.

The report continued violations for failing to prevent contamination from discharging on the site.

[Note: DEP did not publish any notices in the PA Bulletin as of April 13 on the cleanup of the Floydie Well Pad by Chesapeake under the Land Recycling Program.]

DEP did not ask Chesapeake to respond in writing to the April 11 inspection report.

Click Here for DEP’s 4.11.23 Inspection Report, Photos

This record shows from the time of the discovery of this contamination on January 24, 2023 until April 11, 2023-- nearly three months-- minimal progress has been made in cleaning up the Floydie Well Pad site and the Act 2 Land Recycling process has not yet officially begun.

Meanwhile, work continued on the well pad to ready six shale gas wells for production and work continued on the four new wells all of which contributed to creating new spills and contamination, according to Chesapeake.

Unconventional shale gas drillers have notified DEP they are cleaning up over 272 drilling and other natural gas infrastructure sites under the Act 2 Land Recycling Program-- 55 percent of the pending site cleanups DEP has in the program. Read more here.

This is another reminder that shale gas drilling and the construction of the gas infrastructure to make it work is an industrial process that results in leaks, spills, discharges, air pollution, noise and sometimes explosions.

Timberline Energy Inc. Well Plugging

Since January 1, 2023, Timberline Energy Inc., based in Franklin, PA, received five notices of violation from DEP for failure to plug conventional wells upon abandoning them at the Ostroske well field-- wells 1, 2, 3 and 7-- in Cranberry Township, Venango County.

In addition to NOVs for failing to plug wells they abandoned, Timberline Energy was also cited for failing to submit production and waste generation and mechanical integrity annual reports for these wells and other violations.

On April 10, 11 and 12, DEP inspected Ostroske wells 1, 2 and 3 and found a well plugging contractor-- Oil Valley Well Service-- was setting up to plug wells 1 and 2.

Click Here for 4.12.23 Ostroske 1 DEP Inspection Report, Photos.

Click Here for 4.11.23 Ostroske 2 DEP Inspection Report, Photos.

The inspection of well 3 found DEP had been given notice Timberline Energy intended to plug the well. A representative of the well plugging contractor was onsite at the time of the inspection and said they are investigating a “noise” from the 6-inch surface casing of the well.

Click Here for 4.10.23 Ostroske 3 DEP Inspection Report, Photo.

These were not the first NOV’s DEP issued Timberline Energy for abandoning wells. DEP issued the company nine notices of violation for abandoning wells without plugging them from July through September 2022. Read more here.

In December, DEP reported conventional oil and gas well operators routinely abandoned oil and gas wells without plugging them and the number of newly abandoned wells exceeds the number of wells DEP can plug in a year, even with the new federal well plugging program. Read more here.

Do It Yourself

You can research the compliance history of oil and gas facilities near you by visiting DEP’s Oil and Gas Compliance Database and Inspection Report Viewer online tools or searching DEP’s eFACTS compliance tracking system.

(Photos: Top- Puddles, pools of contaminated fluid At Chesapeake Appalachia’s Floydie Well Pad, Bradford County; Bottom- Timberline Energy Ostroske Wells 1, 2, 3 in Venango County.)

-- Creating New Brownfields: Oil & Gas Well Drillers Notified DEP They Are Cleaning Up Soil & Water Contaminated With Chemicals Harmful To Human Health, Aquatic Life At 272 Locations In PA [PaEN]

-- DEP Projects Over $1.5 Million Deficit In Account Funding Oil & Gas Regulation Program In FY 2023-24 [PaEN]

PA Oil & Gas Public Notice Dashboards:

-- Pennsylvania Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - April 8 to 14; Shale Gas Drillers Create New Brownfields, 8 Wells Found With Defective Casing/Cementing [PaEN]

-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices/Opportunities To Comment - April 15 [PaEN]

-- DEP Posts 68 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In April 15 PA Bulletin [PaEN]

PA Oil & Gas Compliance Reports

-- Feature: 60 Years Of Fracking, 20 Years Of Shale Gas: Pennsylvania’s Oil & Gas Industrial Infrastructure Is Hiding In Plain Sight [PaEN]

-- Conventional Oil & Gas Well Owners Failed To File Annual Production/Waste Generation Reports For 61,655 Wells; Attorney General Continues Investigation Of Road Dumping Wastewater [PaEN]

-- DEP Issued 754 Notices Of Violation For Defective Oil & Gas Well Casing, Cementing, The Fundamental Protection Needed To Prevent Gas Migration, Groundwater & Air Contamination, Explosions [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]

-- DEP 2021 Oil & Gas Program Annual Report Shows Conventional Oil & Gas Operators Received A Record 610 Notices Of Violation For Abandoning Wells Without Plugging Them [PaEN]