Follow these links to spreadsheets showing the violations and inspections occurring between August 30 to September 5--
Click Here for violations issued. Click Here for inspection entries.
Enforcement Actions Taken Last Week
So far this year, DEP took these actions as of August 29--
-- NOVs Issued In Last Week: 67 conventional, 10 unconventional
-- Year To Date - NOVs Issued: 4,026 conventional and 908 unconventional
-- Enforcements 2025: 304 conventional and 105 unconventional (orders, agreements)
-- Inspections Last Week: 335 conventional and 401 unconventional
-- Year To Date - Inspections: 13,020 conventional and 17,369 unconventional
Springhill Twp. 2nd To Declare Disaster Emergency After Gas Related Water Contamination
On August 7, 2025, Springhill Township Supervisors in Greene County adopted and now filed a Disaster Emergency Declaration after their residents were impacted by a gas related water contamination event that left homes without permanent water supplies for three years. Read more here.
The action follows Freeport Township which adopted its Disaster Emergency on June 23, 2025. Read more here.
Both Disaster Declarations refer to a June 19, 2022 where EQT reported a “possible communication” [a.k.a. “Frack-out”] incident between its 13H lateral shale gas well and an abandoned conventional oil or gas well while fracking two new wells at its Lumber pad in neighboring Springhill Township.
Springhill Township has a population of about 211 and Freeport Township has about 238 people.
DEP Issues Order To Eureka Resources To Remove Oil & Gas Wastewater From Its Bradford County Facility
On September 2, the Department of Environmental Protection issued a second order to Eureka Resources to remove oil and gas wastewater from its Standing Stone Treatment Facility in Standing Stone Township, Bradford County within 90 days.
DEP also fined the company $6,100 for not complying with a January 29 Consent Order and Agreement covering the same facility. The company paid $6,000 of the penalty as of September 2, according to DEP. Read more here.
DEP Inspects Well That Took Out Village Of Reno Water Supply In Venango County
On September 2, 2025, DEP inspected the Petro Erie, Inc. Lower Reno 6 conventional oil well in Sugarcreek Borough, Venango County for the first time since May 1, 2024 and found a crane over the well had removed tubing and rods from the well and repairs were made to the casing at the wellhead. DEP inspection report + photos.
DEP said the well is inoperable and found no fluid or gas leaks. There was no activity on the site at the time of the inspection.
A significant wastewater spill involving the well occurred in July 2023 that contaminated one of two springs serving as the water supply for the Village of Reno in Venango County leaving over 200 residents and businesses without clean water for more than six weeks.
Replacement water had to be trucked in and continues to be trucked in to serve the residents under a Public Utility Commission order making Aqua Pennsylvania the temporary operator of the water supply.
DEP issued orders requiring Petro Erie to clean up the wastewater spill and pay the costs for replacement water to the Village of Reno, but no action was taken by the well owner.
Petro Erie appealed the orders to the Environmental Hearing Board and the case has been in settlement talks ever since. The current stay in the case runs out October 6.
The state Office of Attorney General also started a criminal investigation of the Petro Erie spill. Read more here.
17 Abandoned Conventional Well Violations
Diversified Prod LLC
August 25, 2025 routine inspection of the DuBois 3575 1, DuBois 3575 2, DuBois 3575 5, DuBois 3575 6, DuBois 3575 7, DuBois 3575 13 conventional wells in Huston Township, Clearfield County found them all abandoned and not plugged. Violations issued. Response requested by October 5.
Donald S. Kelly
September 2, 2025 routine inspection of the Kelly 2, Kelly 6, Kelly 14 and Kelly 15 conventional wells in Bruin Borough, Butler County and found them abandoned and not plugged. The owner also failed to submit annual production, waste generation and well integrity reports. Written violations issued. Response requested by September 18. Kelly holds 15 permits.
Robert Lee Pennington
September 2, 2025 inspection of the Maihle 1, Maihle 2, Maihle 3, Maihle 4 conventional wells in Bruin Borough, Butler County and found them abandoned and not plugged. The owner also failed to submit annual production, waste generation and well integrity reports. Written violations were issued. Response requested by September 18. Pennington holds 12 permits.
Carol A. Morrison Baker
August 19, 2025 routine inspection found State Game Lands 45 J13 and State Game Lands 45 J32 conventional wells in Cranberry Township, Venango County abandoned and not plugged. The owner also failed to submit annual production, waste generation and well integrity reports. These wells had never been inspected before. Multiple violations issued. DEP noted it has been trying to track down the owner for some time without success. No response requested from owner. Morrison Baker holds 217 permits.
EQT Prod Co.
August 28, 2025 follow-up inspection of the WE Minor M303 conventional well in Greene Township, Greene County found the well continues to be abandoned, not plugged and venting gas from a bar hole about 18 inches from the well casing. Original violation issued November 7, 2025. Owner said he would add the well to their plugging schedule. Violations continued. Response requested by September 16. DEP inspection report.
454 Abandoned Conventional Well Violations In 2025
So far in 2025, DEP issued or continued 454 violations to 100 conventional oil and gas well owners for abandoning and not plugging their wells.
In 2024, DEP issued 860 new or continued violations to conventional oil and gas well owners for abandoning and not plugging their wells.
The violations were issued to these conventional owners in 2025: 3D Resources LLC ; All American Energy Inc.; Amer Natural Resources LLC; WB Anderson; Apex Energy (PA), LLC; Apollo Resources LLC; ARG Resources Inc.; Baird Oil Co.; Carol A. Morrison Baker; Baron Crest Energy Co.; Bialy Gas Production LLC; Blackrock Enterprises LLC; Darrel B. Blauser; JJ Bucher Producing Corp; Chris E. Burke; Consolidated Coal Co.; Edward E. & Frederick J. Craig; Edward E. Craig; Crude A Co - Randy L. Larkin; Dannic Energy Corp.; Harold H. Davis; Lewis E. Davis; Paul H. Deeter; Delong Oil Inc.; Developed Resources, Inc.; Randy A. Dietterich; Diversified Production LLC; East Resources Inc.; Eastern Gas Trans & Storage Inc.; Eastern Natural Resources LLC; Elder Oil & Gas Co; Equitrans LP; EQT Production Co.; Exotic Oil & Gas LLC; Ex-Treme Oil And Gas LLC; Greenway Energy LLC; Michael Harju; Donald S. Kelly; Harry L. King; Howard Drilling Inc.; Robert L. Hunter; Iron Pennsylvania Land LLC; JPS Lawncare & Landscaping; Keystone Crude LLC; Raymond J. Kaufman; Kiski Valley Gas Co.; Leechburg Gas Co.; Manufacturers Light & Heat Co; David H. Melat Co; Mid East Oil Co.; MTN Energy; MTN V Oil & Gas Inc.; Charles E. Myers; Myers Gas; James J. & Wendelin H. Neff; Charles F. & Rita M. Niederriter; Niche Energy LLC; Nucomer Energy LLC; Ohio Kentucky Oil Corp. ; Oil & Gas MGMT Co. LLC; Old MTN Gas Co. Inc.; OneXXX Prod & Exploration Corp.; Ows Acquisition Co. LLC; PA Mineral SVCS LLC; Robert Lee Pennington; PBS Coals Inc; Raymond J. Patten; Pecora Enterprises; Pencan Explorations Inc.; Penta Oil Corp.; Robert F. Phipps; Pillar Energy PA, LLC; Pin Oak Energy Partners, LLC; The Production Co. LLC; Prosperity Oil Co. Inc.; Red Lion Gas Coop Assn; Reel Resources, Inc; Riyan Farm & Gas LLC; Raymond Sawyer; Rocksauce OPR LLC; Fred C. Scheel; SK Opr Inc.; Larry A. Shaffer Jr.; FM Sloan Inc.; Lyle D. Smith; Andrew F. Suchko; S R Star O&G LLC ; Steele Molar Holdings LLC; Stockman LLC; Stonehaven Energy MGT Co. LLC; Andrew F. Suchko; Griffin Summit Oil Company; Thomas Thurma Jean; TI Brook Inc.; Timberline Energy, Inc.; Mervin Troyer; Valley Green Golf & Country Club, Inc.; Vessels Coal Gas Inc.; Washington Energy Co LLC; Ronald Wise; Mary A. Woodring; Woodward Inc.
Failed To Submit Well Integrity Reports For 5 to 10 Years
DME Co. LLC
September 3, 2025 inspections of the DME Company 1 and DME 2 conventional wells in Youngwood Borough, Westmoreland County and found the owner continues to fail to submit annual production, waste generation and well integrity reports-- now for the last 5 years. Original violations issued March 25, 2024. The owner said he’s working on it. [Not submitting these reports is a recognized step toward abandonment.] Violations continued. New response requested by September 24.
Vendetti Bros Assoc.
September 5, 2025 inspection of the Vendetti Bros 1 conventional well in Erie City, Erie County had never been inspected before. The owner had failed to submit annual production, waste generation and well integrity reports for 10 years. Multiple violations issued. No response requested from owner. DEP inspection report.
2025 Act 2 Oil & Gas Facility Pollution Cleanups
So far in 2025, DEP received or acted on 126 Act 2 Land Recycling notices related to oil and gas facility site cleanups. Read more here.
Casing/Cement Failure - Shale Gas
Chesapeake Appalachia LLC [New]
August 14, 2025 routine inspection of the Cannella 6H shale gas well in Auburn Township, Susquehanna County to review the results of well integrity test found gas present in the cemented annulus of the well. The well was drilled on July 24, 2018. Regular pressure build up tests and other measures to deal with an apparent casing/cement failure the well were recommended. Violation issued for casing/cement failure. Follow-up needed on monitoring plan. DEP inspection report.
Chesapeake Appalachia LLC [43 Months]
August 21, 2025 inspection of the Epsilon Blanche Poulsen 1H & 2H shale gas wells in Auburn Township, Susquehanna County as part of a regular monitoring program for casing/cement failures found pressure build up tests being conducted on the wells to help plan for future remediation work. Well plugging was completed in March and June 2022 and August 2024. Original violations issued November 18, 2021. Violations continued. Monitoring continues. DEP inspection report.
Chesapeake Appalachia LLC [34 Months]
August 20, 2025 inspection of the Flota N 3H shale gas well in Tuscarora Township, Bradford County as part of ongoing monitoring program for casing/cement failures found methane venting. Monitoring to continue. Original violations issued October 13, 2022. Violations continued. DEP inspection report.
Failure To Restore Shale Gas Well Site
EQT Prod Co.
August 28, 2025 inspection of the Hephaestus shale gas well pad in Upper Burrell Township, Westmoreland County in response to a request for permit termination found the well site failed to comply with restoration requirements in multiple areas. Staining was also found in the northeast corner of the well pad. Request to terminate was denied. Multiple violations issued. Response requested by September 19. DEP inspection report.
Failure To Restore Pipeline Right-Of-Way
MarkWest Liberty Midstream & Resources LLC
September 3, 2025 inspection of the Timber Lake Pipeline right-of-way in Blaine Township, Washington County in response to a notification requesting termination of the erosion and sediment permits found multiple areas where the owner failed to restore the right-of-way as required by the permit. The violations were documented by DEP in three separate inspection reports-- Part I, Part II, Part III. As a result, the request to terminate the permit was denied and violations were issued. Response requested by September 19.
Failure To Obtain Local Approvals
John D. Branch
September 4, 2025 routine inspection of the newly drilled Brown 1 conventional well in Pleasant Township, Warren County found the owner did not comply with a special condition in the permit to obtain all necessary local/municipal approvals for the well prior to drilling. Violation issued. Response requested by September 19. DEP inspection report.
Reclamation Of A Shale Gas Water Impoundment
Highland FLD SVC LLC
September 2, 2025 routine inspection of the Bayer Well Development Water Impoundment in Sergeant Township, McKean County shows the progress being made in restoring a shale gas water impoundment after water draw down is complete. The fence has been removed and the plastic liner is being cut into pieces and removed. DEP inspection report + photos.
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: Row 1-- Wastewater tank at one of 2 DME Co. LLC conventional wells without integrity reports for 5 years; One of 4 Robert Lee Pennington abandoned conventional wells with a service rig over the well (obviously for a long time); Vendetti Bros Assoc. failed to submit conventional well waste, integrity reports for 10 years; Highland FLD SVC LLC restoring shale gas water impoundment; Row 2-- First inspection of the Petro Erie, Inc. Lower Reno 6 conventional well in 15 months that took out the water supply for the Village of Reno in Venango County; Eureka Resources 16,000 gallon oil and gas wastewater spill investigation continues; Freeport and Springhill Townships, Greene County declare disaster emergency as a result of gas related well water contamination.)
[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 - Aug. 30 to Sept. 5 - 2nd Township Declares Disaster Emergency; New Shale Gas Well Casing/Cement Failure; 100 Conventional Well Owners Get Violations For Abandoning Wells [PaEN]
-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices, Opportunities To Comment - Sept. 6 [PaEN]
-- DEP Posted 55 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In Sept. 6 PA Bulletin [PaEN]
Related Articles This Week:
-- Springhill Township Becomes 2nd Township To Declare Disaster Emergency After Residents Were Impacted By A Gas Related Water Contamination Event In Greene County [PaEN]
-- Petition To Extend Setbacks From Shale Gas Wells May Be Back On The Table At Environmental Quality Board Sept. 9 If Motion Succeeds [PaEN]
-- PA Senate Republicans Introduce Bill To Eliminate Need For Any State Permits, Any Public Review Of Permits Before Construction Of A.I. Data Centers, Related Power Plants [PaEN]
-- DEP Oil & Gas Advisory Board Meets Sept. 11 On New Civil Penalty Procedure; Rulemaking Petition To Process/Store Oil & Gas Wastewater From Anywhere On Every Shale Gas Well Site [PaEN]
-- EPA Invites Comments On Draft Permit Renewal For A Columbia Gas of PA Oil & Gas Wastewater Injection Well In Beaver County; Virtual Hearing Oct. 6 [If Requested] [PaEN]
-- Susquehanna River Basin Commission Meets Sept. 24 To Consider Annual Budget, Water Withdrawal Requests, Including 11 For Shale Gas Development, 2 Power Plants [PaEN]
-- DEP, Nonprofits File Consent Decree In Federal Court Requiring Beaver County Plastic Pellet Maker To Pay $2.6 Million In Penalties, Restoration Funds For Repeated Water Pollution Violations [PaEN]
-- Independent Fiscal Office Reports 2nd Quarter Increase In Natural Gas Production, New Wells And 60.8% Increase In Price Of Gas Over Last Year [PaEN]
-- PUC Chairman: Model Tariff For Connecting A.I. Data Centers To Local Electric Grid To Be Published For Comment By End Of September [PaEN]
-- In Case You Missed It -- A.I./Data Center Articles & NewClips From Last Week - September 8 [PaEN]
NewsClips:
-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: Greene County Townships Declare Disaster Emergency Three Years After EQT Frack Job [PDF of Article]
-- PennLive - John Beauge: 8,000 Gallons Of Oil & Gas Wastewater Recovered From Eureka Resources Spill In Williamsport: DEP
-- Williamsport Sun: DEP Files Order Against Eureka Resources Bradford County Oil & Gas Wastewater Treatment Facility To Remove Waste [PDF of Article]
-- Middle Susquehanna RiverKeeper: Five Observations About The Eureka Resources Oil & Gas Wastewater Spill In Williamsport As We Continue To Monitor Things 10 Days After The First Report
-- TribLive: Upper Burrell Twp Sets Land Use Regulations For Oil & Gas Wastewater Injection Wells In Westmoreland
-- TribLive: Eastern Gas Transmission & Storage Eyes New Natural Gas Pipeline In Murrysville, Westmoreland County
-- Delco.Today: Hazard vs. Economy: Delaware River LNG Gas Export Terminal Back In Play [PDF]
-- Tribune-Democrat: Cambria County Transit To Complete Switch To Compressed Natural Gas In Urban Fleet In 2027
-- PennEnvironment, Three Rivers WaterKeeper Settle Plastic Pollution Lawsuit Against Styropek USA In Beaver County
-- Pittsburgh Business Times: State Announces $2.6 Million Proposed Consent Agreement Over Plastic Pollution At Closed Plant
-- Western PA Conservancy: Restoring Little Arnot Run From Severe Impacts Of Oil, Timber Industries In Warren County
-- Utility Dive: Rising Natural Gas Prices Expected To Drive Up Electricity Costs
-- Altoona Mirror: Legislative Study Identifies 382 Potential Mine Water Geothermal Sites In PA [PDF of Article]
-- WITF: PA Lawmakers Look Underground For Geothermal Alternative To Cool A.I. Data Centers
-- Marcellus Shale Coalition: Shale Insight Industry Conference To Be Held Sept. 16-18 In Erie
[Posted: September 6, 2025] PA Environment Digest
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