PA Environment Digest Blog: DEP Soliciting Bids On 3rd Conventional Abandoned Oil & Gas Well Plugging Contract For 19 Wells In Clarion, Jefferson Counties At Taxpayer Expense

On March 28, the Department of Environmental Protection released a request for bids on a contract to plug 19 conventional oil and gas wells their owners abandoned in Clarion and Jefferson counties.

The official solicitation was made through the BidExpress.com website, like all major DEP contracts.

The wells are located in Millcreek Township, Clarion County and Heath, Eldred, and Barnett Townships, Jefferson County.

A mandatory pre-bid meeting will be held on April 2 at Clear Creek State Park in Sigel, PA.

This is the third plugging contract released this year funded primarily with federal well plugging funds under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act.

Conventional oil and gas well owners don’t pay a dime to plug these wells.

The other two plugging contracts include--

-- 43 conventional abandoned wells in Armstrong, Clarion and Venango counties. Read more here.

-- 38 abandoned conventional wells in Armstrong, Venango and Washington counties. Read more here.

DEP also has a solicitation for six professional services to support the federally funded well plugging program out to bid. Proposals are due April 14. Read more here.

[Note: DEP’s Dashboard Overview of the federally-funded conventional well plugging program still shows 95% of the wells they are plugging have no environmental impacts and 88% have no human impacts.]

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.

Visit DEP’s Office of Oil and Gas Management webpage to learn more about this program.

(Photo: DEP’s Dashboard Overview of the federally-funded conventional well plugging program as of March 29.)

PA Oil & Gas Industry Public Notice Dashboards:

-- PA Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - March 22 to 28 - Failed To Comply With Well Plugging Order For 63 Months; Abandoned Conventional Well Violations Hit 113; Another Conventional Well Explosion, Same Owner [PaEN]

-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices/Opportunities To Comment - March 29 [PaEN]

-- DEP To Hold May 7 Hearing On Proposed Title V Air Quality Permit For Tennessee Gas Pipeline Compressor Station 219 In Jefferson Twp., Mercer County [PaEN]

-- DEP Invites Comments On 401 Water Quality Certification For Rover Pipeline Rover-Bulger Compressor Station, Harmon Creek Meter Station Expansion In Smith Twp., Washington County [PaEN]

-- DEP Invites Comments On Chapter 105 Permit For A MarkWest Liberty 4.5 Mile, 20-Inch Natural Gas Pipeline In Allegheny, Washington Counties Impacting Montour Trail Property [PaEN]

-- DEP Invites Comments On Air Permit For Kratos Cryptocurrency Mining Facility Powered By Natural Gas In Clinton County [PaEN]

-- Susquehanna River Basin Commission Approved 50 Shale Gas Well Pad Water Use General Permits In February [PaEN]

-- DEP Posted 103 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In March 29 PA Bulletin [PaEN]