PA Environment Digest Blog: DEP Issued Violations To Iron Cumberland, LLC For Illegally Disposing Of 66,780 Gallons Of Conventional Well Plugging Wastes At Coal Refuse Disposal Area In Greene County

On August 12, 2025, the Department of Environmental Protection issued a notice of violation to Iron Cumberland LLC for illegal disposing of 66,780 gallons of drilling fluids from conventional well plugging operations at a coal refuse disposal area in Greene County.

The wells involved were the John & Rebecca Lightner 1 and Fannie G. Stewart 2 conventional wells, both in Center Township, Greene County.

DEP said the waste was disposed of at the Emerald Mine No. 1 coal refuse disposal area #2 in Franklin Township, Greene County.

41,580 gallons from the Lightner well and 25,200 gallons from the Stewart well were illegally disposed of, according to DEP’s notice.

DEP said it learned of the illegal disposal from the Well Site Restoration Reports filed by the well owner.

Iron Cumberland was cited for violations under both the Oil and Gas regulations and the Solid Waste Management Act.

DEP requested the owner to "submit a full and complete list of all wells within Iron Cumberland, LLC’s inventory where known or suspected waste was generated, transported, and/or disposed of at CRDAs (coal refuse disposal areas)."

Iron Cumberland holds 115 permits, which includes 20 wells DEP listed as abandoned.

There is no record in eFACTS of a DEP permit ever being issued for the Lightner well and it was last inspected on August 21, 2024.

There is no record in eFACTS of a DEP permit ever being issued for the Stewart well and it was last inspected on February 6, 2025.

DEP also requested the owner to "retain and preserve all documentation" related to the well sites and asked for a response within 15 days of receiving the notice of violation.

Click Here for a copy of the notice of violation.

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.

[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 - August 9 to 15 - Illegal Disposal Of 66,780 Gallons Of Conventional Wastewater; 4 Impoundments Not Restored; 3 Conventional Wells Mined Through [PaEN]

-- DEP Issued Violations To Iron Cumberland, LLC For Illegally Disposing Of 66,780 Gallons Of Conventional Well Plugging Wastes At Coal Refuse Disposal Area In Greene County [PaEN]

-- DEP: Conventional Well Plugging Operation Contaminates Spring In Allegheny County [PaEN]

-- The Derrick: PUC Judge Suspends Rhodes Estate Water Companies Litigation Schedule On Future Ownership [Fallout Continues From Conventional Oil Well Wastewater Spill In Venango County] [PaEN]

-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices, Opportunities To Comment - August 16 [PaEN]

-- DEP Sets Sept. 17 Public Meeting/Hearing On Air Quality Permit For The Proposed 4.5 Gigawatt Natural Gas Power Plant At The Homer City A.I. Data Center Complex In Indiana County [PaEN]

-- DEP Invites Comments On Permit For 204 Aboveground Storage Tanks Totaling 1.3 Million Gallons At Proposed Amazon A.I. Data Center In Salem Twp., Luzerne County [PaEN]

-- DEP Posted 84 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In August 16 PA Bulletin [PaEN]

Related Articles This Week:

-- In Case You Missed It -- A.I./Data Center Articles & NewClips From Last Week [PaEN]

-- Senate Hearing: To Communities Facing Rapid A.I. Data Center Development: Review Your Zoning Ordinance NOW, Before It's Too Late To Have Meaningful Siting, Mitigation Conversations [PaEN]