“Methane is an extremely prevalent greenhouse gas, driving climate change and threatening the public health of our communities,” said DEP Secretary Jessica Shirley. “By reducing methane emissions from unproductive wells, we are both lowering the state’s contribution to the gases causing devastating climate impacts globally and preventing potentially dangerous gas leakages and backflow pollution of watersheds and groundwaters in and around communities across the Commonwealth.
“The Shapiro Administration has made historic progress, plugging more orphan and abandoned wells than were plugged in the past decade combined — and this new investment will build on that strong track record.”
The federal Inflation Reduction Act provided new opportunities and funding to reduce methane emissions from the petroleum and natural gas sector and DEP created the MERP Grant to provide funding to applicants to plug an eligible MCWs.
DEP was awarded $44 million for the federal Methane Emissions Reduction plugging program. These are the first grants awarded under this program.
Marginal wells are defined as conventional oil and/or gas wells that produce less than 15 barrels of oil equivalent (BOE, i.e. 15bbl/day oil or 90,000 cubic feet (90 mcf) of gas/day or combination thereof).
Through MERP:
-- DEP provides funding up to $420,000 for any single applicant within each application period;
$20,000 for each eligible well plugged that is a marginal conventional well of a depth of 3,000 feet or less or the actual cost of the qualified well plugger to plug the well, whichever is less;
-- $35,000 for each eligible well plugged that is a marginal conventional well of a depth greater than 3,000 feet or the actual cost of the qualified well plugger to plug the well, whichever is less;
-- Or to an eligible applicant who plugs all eligible wells approved to plug as part of the application submitted to the Department, may plug additional eligible wells with prior Department approval up to the maximum grant approved as part of the application.
In order to be eligible, applying operators had to be in compliance with statutory and regulatory requirements, including those related to the submission of well production, waste, and mechanical integrity assessment reports to DEP, and provide identification of whether methane emissions were detected at each eligible well.
If screenings indicated that methane was detected, grant recipients are required to measure pre-plugging and post-plugging emissions.
Wells that are not leaking a detectable level of methane are also included in the program since a well that is not currently leaking methane will eventually leak as materials break down over time.
Non-leaking marginal conventional wells that are plugged today represent future methane emissions prevented.
Grants Awarded
Projects receiving funding [Names of grant recipients were not included, but were requested]--
Armstrong County
-- $20,000 to one project to plug 1 well
Beaver County
-- $40,000 to one project to plug 2 wells
Clarion County
-- $55,000 to one project to plug 2 wells
Clearfield County
-- $105,000 to two projects to plug 3 wells
Erie County
-- $805,000 to three projects to plug 26 wells
Forest County
-- $380,000 to one project to plug 19 wells
Indiana County
-- $280,000 to one project to plug 14 wells
McKean County
-- $1,240,000 to six projects to plug 62 wells
Potter County
-- $780,000 to three projects to plug 39 wells
Tioga County
-- $20,000 to one project to plug 1 well
Venango County
-- $1,340,000 to five projects to plug 67 wells
Warren County
-- $1,100,000 to five projects to plug 52 wells
Westmoreland County
-- $125,000 to one project to plug 4 wells
Multi-County Awards
-- $340,000 to plug 17 wells (Armstrong, Clarion, Clearfield, Elk, Jefferson)
-- $135,000 to plug 6 wells (Clarion, Erie)
-- $140,000 to plug 4 wells (Clarion, Indiana)
-- $335,000 to plug 10 wells (Westmoreland, Armstrong, Clearfield, Indiana Erie)
Click Here for DEP’s announcement.
Visit DEP’s Methane Emissions Reduction Program webpage for more information on this program.
For more information on environmental programs in Pennsylvania, visit DEP’s website. Submit Environmental Complaints; Click Here to sign up for DEP’s newsletter; sign up for DEP’s eNotice; Like DEP on Facebook, Follow DEP on Twitter and visit DEP’s YouTube Channel.
NewsClip:
-- The Derrick: State Awards Money To Plug Local Wells [No Names Of Those Awarded Grants]
Related Articles This Week:
-- PA Supreme Court Rules No Republican Senate, House Members Can Intervene In Legal Challenge To Act 96 That Took Away Authority To Increase Conventional Oil & Gas Well Bond Amounts To Cover Taxpayer Costs For Plugging [PaEN]
-- Range Resources Files Appeal Of The Dismissal Of Its Zoning Hearing Board Challenge To Cecil Township’s Ordinance Requiring A 2,500 Foot Setback For Shale Gas Wells [PaEN]
-- Guest Essay: Paying The Price For Natural Gas And A.I. Data Centers - By John Quigley, Senior Fellow, Kleinman Center for Energy Policy [PaEN]
-- Utility Dive Guest Essay: We At PJM Need Realistic Solutions, Not Politics To Take On Energy Challenges - By Aftab Khan, PJM Executive Vice President Of Operations, Planning and Security [PaEN]
-- Bitfarms Announces Partnership To Develop A.I. Data Center At Panther Creek Waste Coal-Fired Power Plant In Carbon County [PaEN]
-- FracTracker Alliance: Shell Petrochemical Plant In Beaver County Released 17.9 Billion Pounds Of Air Pollution Since It Began Operation, During 80 Malfunctions, 43 Violation Episodes [PaEN]
-- PA Senate Republican Policy Committee To Hold Aug. 11 Hearing On A.I. Data Center Development In Lackawanna County [PaEN]
-- PA House Environmental Committee To Hold Aug. 11 Hearing On How PA Should Subsidize The Remediation Of Waste Coal Piles [PaEN]
-- House Members To Introduce Bipartisan Legislation To Advance Geothermal Energy Development [PaEN]
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-- PA Interfaith Power & Light Hosts Aug. 14 Webinar On The New Deadline For Taking Advantage Of Federal Solar Energy Tax Credits [PaEN]
NewsClips:
-- Scranton Times: Al’s Quick Stop Convenience Store Developer Proposes A.I. Data Centers In Blakely, Lackawanna County; Q/A With Developer Aug. 13 [PDF of Article]
-- TribLive: Residents See 1st Glimpse Of Massive 180 MW A.I. Data Center In Springdale, Allegheny County
-- KDKA: Former Site Of Springdale Coal-Fired Power Plant Could Become A.I. Data Center
-- Scranton Times: State Senate To Hold A.I. Data Center Hearing At Valley View High School
-- MCall: As Electric Bills Rise Due To A.I. Data Center Demand, PJM Electricity Auction, What Lehigh Valley Utilities Say To Expect [PPL - Last 2 PJM Auctions Have Increased Monthly Bills $20 With No Benefit To Customers] [PDF of Article]
-- The Allegheny Front - Kara Holsopple: What’s Behind Higher Electricity Prices? The Regional Grid Explained
-- Chesapeake Bay Journal: The Price Of A.I. - How Is A.I. Impacting Energy Production And Prices?
-- Scranton Times: Proposed State Senate Bill To Fast Track Data Centers, Limit Local Zoning [Senate Bill 939] [PDF of Article]
-- Williamsport Sun Guest Essay: A.I. Data Centers And Cryptocurrency Mining Energy Use Needs A Clear Disadvantage - By Karen Elias, Climate Reality [PDF of Article]
-- Erie Times: National Fuel Gas Increases Gas Rates 12.2%; How Much More Erie-Area Homes Will Pay
-- Utility Dive: Independent Power Producers Hit Back At Utilities [Like PPL] That Want To Build Their Own Generation Due To PJM Price Surge
-- PA Capital-Star: Beaver County Group Calls On DEP For More Timely Reports On Shell Petrochemical Plant Air Pollution
-- Post-Gazette/Inside Climate News - Kiley Bense: New Report Shows How Health Outcomes Improved After 2016 Shenango Coke [Coal] Works Closure In Allegheny County
-- WESA - Rachel McDevitt: EPA Move To Rollback Oil & Gas Methane, Climate Pollution Rules Will Hurt People Around Pittsburgh, Advocates Say
-- Inquirer Editorial: President’s EPA Rollbacks Jeopardize Our Warming Planet And Its Wary People
[Posted: August 7, 2025] PA Environment Digest
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