No penalty for the violations was included in the Consent Order, although stipulated penalties of $500 per day are agreed to if Pin Oak Energy fails to comply with the terms of the Order.
The facilities include sites in Big Beaver Borough (1), Chippewa Township (2), Greene Township (1), Industry Borough (1), Ohioville Borough (3) and South Beaver Township (8).
Pin Oak Energy purchased the sites from Geopetro, LLC on or about October 31, 2023 and submitted an initial set of transfer of ownership applications to DEP on November 8, 2023, but withdrew the applications on August 30, 2024.
A second set of transfer applications were submitted to DEP on May 30, 2025.
The Consent Order makes it clear Geopetro, LLC and now Pen Oak Energy are responsible for and failed to restore the sites within nine months after the end of drilling and comply with the terms of the erosion and sedimentation control permits covering the facilities.
In addition, Pin Oak Energy is responsible for cleaning up an area of contamination discovered at the David Burdick 3H well site in Ohioville Borough on March 25, 2024.
The well sites, which were generally developed between 2011 and 2013, include--
-- Big Beaver Borough: Wall BEA 3H
-- Chippewa Township: MAGA BEA 8H; Roberts BEA 6H
-- Greene Township: Kirkwood BEA 8H
-- Industry Borough: Cody Trust BEA 3H
-- Ohioville Borough: David Burdick 3H; Fedorchak BEA 3H; James Tharp 3H
-- South Beaver Township: David. Thompson 3H; CTG BEA 10H, Hodgdon BEA 5H; Kerry BEA 8H & Freshwater Impoundment; McDanel BEA 3H; PGC BEA 3H; PGC West BEA 3H; Rolling Acres 8H.
The Consent Order itemizes the violations at each of the facility sites and the steps needed to bring the sites into compliance, including applying for new erosion and sedimentation permits.
Click Here for a copy of the Consent Order.
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: PGC BEA 3H-South Beaver Twp.; McDanel BEA 3H - South Beaver Twp.; Roberts BEA 6H - Chippewa Twp.; James Tharp 3H - Ohioville Boro.)
PA Oil & Gas Industry Public Notice Dashboards:
-- Coterra Energy Fined $299,000 For Contaminating 13 Private Water Supplies In Lenox Twp., Susquehanna County - Just A Few Miles From Dimock [PaEN]
-- Pin Oak Energy Partners Signs Consent Order With DEP To Address Its Failure To Restore 16 Shale Gas Well Sites And An Impoundment In Beaver County Since 2023 [PaEN]
-- DEP: Second Spill From Horizontal Drilling At EQM Gathering Pipeline Construction Project In Washington County Contaminates Spring [PaEN]
-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices, Opportunities To Comment - August 2 [PaEN]
-- DEP Posted 69 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In August 2 PA Bulletin [PaEN]
Related Articles This Week:
-- Coterra Energy Fined $299,000 For Contaminating 13 Private Water Supplies In Lenox Twp., Susquehanna County - Just A Few Miles From Dimock [PaEN]
-- PA Marcellus Shale Gas Coalition Applauds President For Overturning Basis For Greenhouse Gas Reduction Programs-- Including Methane From Oil & Gas Operations [PaEN]
-- EPA Extends Oil & Gas Industry Compliance Deadlines For Federal Clean Air Act Methane Reduction Rule; Deadline Extended For States To Submit Compliance Plan To 2027 [PaEN]
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-- Guest Essay: Three Proposals To Protect Consumers From A.I. Price Increases: Bring Your Own Generation; Data Centers Must Pay Their Fair Share; An 'All Of The Above' Energy Future, Including Renewables - By Kevin Walker, CEO, Duquesne Light [PaEN]
-- PJM Interconnection Again Extends Maximum Generation Alert & Load Management Alert To July 30; Demand Response Programs Implemented On July 28, 29 [PaEN]
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-- PA Dept. Of Health Distributing Free Potassium Iodide Tablets To Residents Near PA’s 4 Operating Nuclear Power Plants Aug. 14 [PaEN]
-- Penn State Extension: Sept. 9 Webinar On Growth Of A.I. Data Centers, Rising Electricity Prices, Lagging Energy Development [PaEN]
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Related NewsClips This Week:
-- 8.4.25 - Natural Gas, Energy, A.I./Data Center NewsClips
[Posted: July 31, 2025] PA Environment Digest
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