PA Environment Digest Blog: DEP: Nearly 7 Year Struggle Continues To Cleanup Multiple Conventional Oil Well Spills At Site In Economy Borough, Beaver County

Among the DEP Oil and Gas inspection reports this week was an April 3 inspection of the Buhl Farm 1 conventional oil well owned by Edward W. Benko in Economy Borough, Beaver County.

For nearly seven years-- since July 18, 2018 when the spills were first discovered-- DEP has been trying to work with Benko to get the multiple spills at the site cleaned up.

Benko also failed to submit annual production, waste generation and well integrity reports.

This is the only oil and gas well Benko holds a permit for, according to DEP's eFACTS database.

It’s a long and difficult story, but it illustrates the typical lack of resources thousands of conventional oil and gas well owners have to properly operate their wells in compliance with state law and regulations.

Failure to require conventional well owners to have the resources tooperate in compliance with the law does a real disservice to well owners because they face huge financial issues when violations are found and makes their failure all but certain.

Taxpayers are also left vulnerable, because they pick up the costs of complying when conventional well owners fail and continue to abandon their wells.

Surface coal mine operators were in the same position before a comprehensive framework of financial assurance and modern environmental protection standards were adopted in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

It took a while, but companies made the transition and the industry was stronger and taxpayers were protected from having to pick up the cost of an industry that no longer routinely abandoned their mined lands.

Timeline Of DEP Actions

On July 18, 2018, a DEP inspection of the Bhul Farm 1 conventional oil well resulted in DEP issuing multiple violations for spills and releases at the site.

This inspection report is not online, but the date comes from later DEP inspection reports.

Typically, DEP gives well owners a month to respond to violations like this.

A March 28, 2019 DEP inspection report found no change in site conditions from the original July 18, 2018 inspection. Violations continued. No response requested.

An August 15, 2023 DEP inspection report found no change in site conditions since the 2019 inspection report and issues violations for failure to submit annual production, waste generation and well integrity reports. Other violations continued. Requests response by September 1, 2022.

On September 1, 2022 Benko responded to the violations by saying “I will comply with the directives and instructions and will periodically inform you concerning the progress on the cleanup and repair of the tanks.” Violations continued. DEP inspection report.

Benko also said, “Please note that I am only able to perform the repair work on a part time basis due to the fact that I am responsible for my homebound mother. She is 102 years old, is in home hospice, and requires 24/ care.”

A November 8, 2022 DEP inspection report found no actions were taken to cleanup the spills identified in the July 2018 inspection and the owner has not submitted required annual reports. Violations continued. DEP requested a response by December 1, 2022.

A February 9, 2023 DEP inspection report found some work had been done to repair equipment and apply detergent to some spill impacted areas (not an approved cleanup method), but contaminated material was not properly disposed of. “Benko informed the Department that he has not produced this well in approximately two years due to the 24/7 care he has had to provide to his mother.” [Technically, this well is now abandoned without production for 2 years.] Violations continued. A response requested by February 17, 2023.

A March 20, 2023 DEP inspection report found some contaminated material was put in plastic bags, but remains at the site. No other cleanup activity or repairs noted. Violations continued. No response requested.

A June 2, 2023 DEP inspection report found no change in cleanup activity since March 20 report. No response to a telephone call to well owner. Violations continued. Response requested by June 20, 2023.

A January 12, 2024 DEP inspection report found some plastic bags containing contaminated material were removed, but otherwise there was no cleanup activity since the June 2 inspection. 2022 production, waste generation and well integrity reports “appear to have been submitted” by the owner. Violations continued. Response requested by January 31, 2024.

An April 30, 2024 DEP inspection report found nothing more was done to clean up multiple spills at the site since the last inspection on January 12. Violations continued. Response requested by May 14, 2024.

An April 3, 2025 DEP inspection report found nothing more was done to clean up multiple spills at the site since the last inspection on April 30, 2024.

DEP again found the same holes in and rusted out bottom of tanks at the site with the same evidence of leaks on the ground. The wellhead and ground around it still remains covered in wastewater and the ground stained black.

The violations continued. No response requested by DEP.

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: Buhl Farm 1 well site 2019; Well site 2022; Well site 2023 (2); Well site 2024; Well site 2025 from DEP 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 Oil & Gas Industry Public Notice Dashboards:

-- PA Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - March 29 to April 4 - Failed To Restore 3MG Water Impoundment; Failed To Get Pipeline Permits; Nearly 7 Years Without Conventional Well Spill Cleanup [PaEN]

-- DEP: Shale Gas Driller Failed To Restore 3 Million Gallon Water Impoundment, Well Site For Nearly 8 Years In Clinton County [PaEN]

-- DEP: Nearly 7 Year Struggle Continues To Cleanup Multiple Conventional Oil Well Spills At Site In Economy Borough, Beaver County [PaEN]

-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices, Opportunities To Comment - April 5 [PaEN]

-- EPA To Hold May 6 Virtual Hearing [If Requested] On Proposed Permit For A Sandstone Development Oil & Gas Wastewater Injection Well In Lafayette Twp., McKean County [PaEN]

-- Environmental Quality Board Invites Comments On Spill Notification Regulation Changes; May 15 Virtual Hearing [PaEN]

-- Susquehanna River Basin Commission April 24 Hearing On Water Withdrawal Requests, Including Renewal Of 2 Shale Gas Water Projects [PaEN]

-- DEP To Use General Permit To Implement New Federal Oil & Gas Facility Methane Reduction Regulation [PaEN]

-- DEP Announces Availability Of Air Quality General Permit For Gaseous Fuel-Fired Spark Ignition Internal Combustion Engines (GP-16) [Copy of GP-16]

-- DEP Posted 83 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In April 5 PA Bulletin [PaEN]